Mok Gyeong-un spoke with a faint smile.
“You ask how I know the secret of the Red Flame Sword Art?”
‘!!!!!!!’
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the eyes behind the demon mask widened even more. What in the world was this boy? Hadn’t he been brought from the Lotuswood Sword Manor as a hostage and sent to the Corpse Blood Valley by His Lordship’s command?
[It is His Lordship's command. He said not to worry about him being a hostage or anything, and to proceed as you always do.]
He had taken it to mean it was fine to kill him. But how did this boy know about the relationship between the Red Flame Sword Art and fiery yang energy? This was a secret known only to a few, including the Lord.
Only four people knew: himself, the head of the Lee family; his heir; the Valley Master of Strange Medicine Valley; and the Lord. No one else in the Heaven and Earth Society knew. His mind tangled with countless questions, the man in the demon mask finally showed his emotions. -Pak!
He grabbed Mok Gyeong-un by the collar and pressed the blade to his neck again.
“Who are you really? Are you truly a child of the Lotuswood Sword Manor?”
“Of course I am.”
“Nonsense! How can a mere child of the Lotuswood Sword Manor possibly know my family’s secrets...”
Suddenly, the demon-masked man’s eyes narrowed. Yes, something felt strange. Could it be that that person, no, the Lord, was testing him?
[Show your loyalty for four generations. Then, the Lee family will once again be permitted the title of King.]
That had become the Lee family’s shackles. To prove they had no connection to the bloodbath of the Spirit Returning Great War, they had stepped down from the position of King. For three generations, from his grandfather to himself, they had been in charge of the Corpse Blood Valley.
In that time, their loyalty had been tested numerous times. And they had proven it steadfastly. Soon, when his eldest son and heir took his place, it would be the promised fourth generation. -Grip!
The demon-masked man bit his lip hard.
‘I thought I had proven enough.’
Was it still not sufficient? Was that why this boy had been sent, to provoke him? If he fell for it and acted emotionally, it would be used as a pretext, and reclaiming the title of King would become a distant dream.
No, perhaps they had no intention of ever returning it, and that was why they kept doing this. The demon-masked man gradually regained his composure. -Swish! He put away his blade and released his grip on the collar.
Then, in a calm voice, he said, “Were you sent by the Lord to test this Valley Master?”
“Hmm. What do you mean by that?”
“Do not play coy. Now that I think about it, it was strange. Bringing not one, but two hostages who aren't even the eldest son and thrusting them in here is an odd affair.”
“.........”
“If you are acting under His Lordship's command, I will not interfere further.”
“Somehow.....”
“Say no more. This Valley Master summoned you to confirm whether you were an undercover agent or not. But if you were sent by the Lord, there is no reason to ask further.”
As he spoke, the demon-masked man thought it was a relief he had calmed himself. If he had fallen for this boy’s provocation or coveted him as a talent, it would have gone straight to the Lord’s ears. It was fortunate that he had regained his senses.
But then, “Why don’t you answer my question?” At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, the demon-masked man frowned. Was this boy provoking him now?
Glaring slightly at Mok Gyeong-un, he warned in a low tone, “Even if He sent you, know your place. Even if I am not one of the Five Kings and Three Grandmasters, I am one of the Four Valley Masters, who ranks within the top twelve of the Heaven and Earth Society.” Five Kings and Three Grandmasters.
It was the title given to the eight high-ranking executives of the Heaven and Earth Society. Below them were the Four Valley Masters. Though the title of Valley Master was lesser than that of a King or Grandmaster, they were still powerful figures within the top twelve ranks of the Heaven and Earth Society, and undoubtedly peerless masters.
‘Hoh.’
Within the top twelve? Mok Gyeong-un inwardly considered it a good piece of information. Just then, the voice of Blue Spirit echoed in his mind.
At this, he said, “The Lee family should have received the title of King from three ancestral lines. How did you end up as a Valley Master?”
“You dare.....”
The demon-masked man’s anger flared, and he flinched for a moment before stopping himself. If this boy hadn't been sent by the Lord, he would have cut off an arm on the spot.
Radiating a thick killing intent, the demon-masked man said, “If you don’t get out of here this instant, I don't care if you were sent by the Lord or not, I will cut you down.” For a moment, Mok Gyeong-un saw an illusion of himself being cut down.
The man had only expressed killing intent, yet an unseen, sharp energy painted itself in his mind, making his skin tingle. As it was his first time experiencing such a phenomenon, he found it more interesting than frightening. It felt like gazing upon a high, breathtaking view.
‘This brat?’
At Mok Gyeong-un’s reaction, the demon-masked man was dumbfounded. He had deliberately threatened him out of anger, yet the boy was smirking. Did he truly have no fear?
‘Lord.’
Was this intentional this time? Did he send him to provoke me to the very end? Even knowing it was a test, this one made it truly difficult to suppress his anger.
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.
“The gloves on your right hand, and the mask you’re wearing… is it because you still can't control your fiery yang energy and suffered burns?”
“.........”
The demon-masked man’s hand trembled. He barely restrained himself from reaching for the hilt of his blade. This boy truly had a great talent for infuriating people.
“If you won't leave on your own two feet, then this Valley Master will have to send you out himself.” -Pak!
The demon-masked man stood up and was about to reach out to throw Mok Gyeong-un out. At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un formed a sword seal and took a ready stance.
‘Insolent fool, in front of this Valley Master…!?’
The demon-masked man, who was about to break through with a grappling technique, froze. He was startled by Mok Gyeong-un’s ready stance. The demon-masked man’s eyes trembled.
‘Th-this is?’
Who among the executives of the Heaven and Earth Society would not recognize the ready stance of this sword art? It was similar to the ready stance of the Heavenly Vein Sword Art.
‘Could it be?’
The demon-masked man stared at Mok Gyeong-un with shocked eyes. Something was strange. He remembered the faces of all the Lord’s disciples.
But no matter how he thought, he had never seen this boy before. Had he taken a new disciple? With a cautious voice, the demon-masked man parted his lips.
“Could you be the one that person took in......”
But then, -Phat! Mok Gyeong-un extended his sword seal toward him and smoothly drew a circular arc. It was like a full moon.
‘No.’ Seeing this, the demon-masked man’s pupils shook.
It was similar to the Heavenly Vein Sword Art, but the flow of the form was different. This was not the Heavenly Vein Sword Art.
‘This is.....’ -Pababababapak!
The circular arc Mok Gyeong-un drew was now precisely targeting the eight vital points along the demon-masked man’s centerline. At the flawless and precise move, the demon-masked man gasped inwardly. There was no sharp energy in it, but looking at the sword move itself, it was as if a peerless swordsman was unfolding a sword move. -Tak!
The demon-masked man took half a step back. With one hand still behind his back, he too formed a sword seal and, without imbuing it with sharp energy or internal power, unfolded a sword move to block Mok Gyeong-un’s. -Pababapak! Though it was a light exchange of forms, all of Mok Gyeong-un's sword forms were blocked.
All but one.
‘I can’t dodge this.’
The demon-masked man threw himself back to evade Mok Gyeong-un’s sword seal that was thrusting at his brow. In terms of the move itself, it was more complete than the one he had just performed, so blocking the final strike in any way was difficult.
If Mok Gyeong-un had continued with his sword moves from that position, he would have been even more cornered. -Gulp! The demon-masked man swallowed dryly.
‘There’s no doubt.’
He had never seen it himself. But he had heard about it from his grandfather. He unconsciously muttered it.
“The sword art of the Moon Vein.”
“Oh. You recognize it.”
“What?”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the demon-masked man paused, looking momentarily bewildered. He couldn't believe it, but was it really the sword art of the Moon Vein?
“It's hard to guess your age because of the mask, but I thought you might not recognize it, being the grandson of Lee Hwa-mun. This is unexpected.”
He repeated exactly what Blue Spirit had said. In response, the demon-masked man, -Chaeng! Instantly drew his blade, aimed it at Mok Gyeong-un’s neck, and unleashed a tremendous killing intent.
“Who are you? How do you know the sword art of the Moon Vein? And what did you just say?”
“Uhm. I’d appreciate it if you asked one question at a time.”
That way, he could relay what Blue Spirit was saying one by one. But the man's presence was so strong it made his flesh tremble. -Sizzle! The blade wasn't even touching him, but the heat radiating from it felt as if it could melt his skin.
Before, he had only felt the heat, but now the blade was so hot that its reddish-orange glow was clearly visible.
‘I don’t think I can block this.’
Could he do it if he focused his aura of death into a single point? It seemed unlikely. This man’s martial prowess seemed no less than that of the man called Underworld Blade King, Son Yun, who wielded that massive blade. -Shuuuuuuuuu!
Steam rose from the demon-masked man’s arm holding the blade. The heat was not just in the blade; it seemed to be spreading throughout his entire body. In an instant, the room became hot and stuffy.
The demon-masked man glared at Mok Gyeong-un and spoke again.
“I have no time for word games with you. Speak now. Otherwise, I will take you to the main headquarters of the Society.....”
“Take me there and confess that I’ve learned the sword art of the Moon Vein or.....”
“Shut up!” -Pak!
With those words, the demon-masked man grabbed the edge of his mask and took it off. A face, horribly disfigured with burns on one side, was revealed. The burn was so severe that it was easy to understand why he wore a mask.
With trembling eyes, the demon-masked man spoke.
“The line of the Moon Vein's sword art was severed. No one could read the only remaining secret manual, and it was lost. How could you possibly......”
“Are you really asking because you don't know?”
“What?”
“You just said it yourself.”
“........ You read the secret manual? That’s impossible.”
Even the master of the Grudge Killing Pavilion, who served as the occult arts advisor for the Heaven and Earth Society, could not decipher that secret manual. And this boy had read it? The man who had removed his mask, no, Lee Ji-yeom, furrowed his brow.
It was hard enough to believe he had read the secret manual, but the words this boy was spewing were even more beyond comprehension. He spoke as if he knew the Lee family, his own family, all too well.
“That’s impossible. Just by reading the secret manual......”
“Of course, one couldn’t know.”
“What?”
“There’s no way I could know about things like the Lee family’s Red Flame Sword Art or fiery yang energy just by reading the secret manual. So how do you think I know?”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Lee Ji-yeom scowled before speaking.
“Could it be that you are His Lordship's descen........”
“Wrong.”
“If not a descendant, then what.....”
“I am his direct disciple.”
‘!?’
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Lee Ji-yeom’s expression hardened fearsomely. Was this boy toying with him? He had heard it from his grandfather.
The previous Lord of the Heaven and Earth Society had personally ripped out his heart, cut off his limbs, and beheaded him as punishment for the sins of the bloodbath, displaying the head for all to see. That was a hundred years ago.
Yet how could this boy, who looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen, be his direct disciple?
“Do you expect this Valley Master to believe that? Do you truly wish to die.....”
"A hundred hearings are not as good as one seeing, as they say."
Before he could finish, Mok Gyeong-un took a wooden doll from his robes. He formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation. -Pak!
Pak! Pak!
“Power of karmic ties, return to the source. Release!”
At this sight, Lee Ji-yeom was dumbfounded. Did this boy really have a death wish? As if he were some kind of Occultist, chanting strange incantations..... -Smeeeear!
At that moment, something unbelievable happened. -Driiiiip!
Driiiip!
Blood began to flow from the walls of the office, and the surroundings became soaked in it. -Flinch!
‘What is this?’
At the bizarre phenomenon, Lee Ji-yeom thought Mok Gyeong-un was using some kind of Demonic Arts and was about to cut off his head with his blade filled with fiery yang energy. It was at that moment.
Lee Ji-yeom’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart at the sight of a figure rising from the blood pooling on the floor. '!!!!!' A peerlessly beautiful woman with blood-red eyes, wearing a ceremonial crown and holding a long pipe.
The moment he saw her, filled with an overwhelming presence, the image of ‘that person’ his grandfather, Lee Hwa-mun, had spoken of until his ears bled, naturally overlapped in his mind.