The old monk Eunwon Jeongyeon-shin slowly raised his cup.
As he drank the Thunderous Spirit Wine and operated the Central Dantian, something strange began to happen.
A new energy gradually filled his lower abdomen.
He observed his body.
There was no change at the Baihui point on the crown of his head. ‘This is why.’ He needed to distance himself from fleeting hopes.
This was the reason Jeongyeon-shin could not soften his heart towards the warmth of the Lord of the Entrance.
He did not have high expectations, but it felt as if the strength in his body was slightly fading.
At such times, the power of the Central Dantian was of little use.
Even after experiencing something good, his mood remained subdued.
The sight of the Lord of the Entrance, who wore a peculiar smile, entered his view, and for the first time, she appeared rather annoying to him.
Jeongyeon-shin looked around and clasped his hands together.
“I thank all the lords for observing the ceremony.” The humble etiquette of the boy who displayed his spirit had a picturesque quality.
One by one, smiles began to spread across their faces.
People began to speak. “Was he of the bloodline of the Lord of the Entrance?” “Indeed, the aura of a prestigious family does not abandon its descendants.” “He claims he will stand alone without relying on his family? Is that not the demeanor of a Grand Master?” “He will surely establish a family in the future.” Once again, Jeongyeon-shin performed a bow and stepped down from the platform.
He passed by his grandfather, Ma Yeonjeok, who was trembling at the corners of his eyes, and stopped at the feet of Ma Se-in.
Since the boy was kneeling on one knee, Jeongyeon-shin had to look down at him.
Ma Se-in’s face was tinged with emptiness.
His thick eyebrows drooped, creating a dazed expression.
Jeongyeon-shin felt he could somewhat understand that feeling.
The one who had cast aside his pride must have fully submitted to him. ‘Otherwise, he would not have been able to discuss succession.’
It was a decision that would determine the course of Ma Se-in’s life, but Jeongyeon-shin brushed it off with a drink.
Speaking of the martial world while drinking the Thunderous Spirit Wine.
To walk alone through the world as a martial artist of the Lord of the Entrance.
It was a meaning that sufficed.
Anyone could feel a sense of emptiness.
Jeongyeon-shin opened his mouth. “You seem like you will be a good head of the family.” “What…?” Ma Se-in flinched and raised his head.
It was now certain.
His grandfather, Ma Yeonjeok, was inferior to the Grand Master of the Clan.
He turned his eyes away from the chosen grandson and focused on Jeongyeon-shin.
If he could see through the state of the Central Dantian, his behavior would have been different. ‘The Grand Master seemed to have sensed my constitution.’ Facing the bustling maternal family, he thought of the Grand Master of the Clan and the mysterious Wei Zhi.
The peaceful days of training.
Spending his later years on a famous mountain full of spiritual energy like Jongnam Mountain did not seem bad. ‘May that later life last at least thirty years.’ He prayed to the Buddha and the Primordial Celestial Being as he left the banquet hall.
Before he knew it, Ma Jin was waiting for him outside.
Confirming that there were no people around, Jeongyeon-shin suddenly asked, “Lord, have you not married?” “What?” “Aren’t you the direct eldest son of the clan? You should be in your prime, yet there’s a commotion over succession. I cannot understand any reason for it.” “…” The scar that crossed Ma Jin’s face twisted here and there.
He seemed somewhat overwhelmed.
At that moment, Cheongmyeong, who had leaned in beside Jeongyeon-shin, smiled brightly.
He too had witnessed Jeongyeon-shin’s ceremony. “Shouldn’t you know, Seongye? I will tell you.” “…Then do so.” Cheongmyeong waited until Ma Jin had turned his back and moved quite far away.
With a puzzled expression, Jeongyeon-shin glanced at both of them and quickly closed his eyes and eyelids together.
Not even a moment was to be wasted.
It was while he was observing the Central Dantian. “When the Lord was in white, he returned from a mission holding the hand of Mi-ryeo.” “Are you talking about Senior Baek Mi-ryeo?” He opened his eyes.
Cheongmyeong smiled casually. “Yes. At that time, he was just a little kid. He was about this tall?” Cheongmyeong patted his waist and continued. “He said he brought him from a sect that passes down secrets. They said he would become a key force of the Lord of the Entrance. The problem was not that. The mission site was Xinjiang, which was a battleground where the remnants of the exterminated Demon Sect were rampaging.” “Demon Sect?” Jeongyeon-shin asked absentmindedly.
He understood it to be the place where the Kunlun Sect, which was once counted among the old factions, perished.
They had helped establish the Ming Dynasty but had become a deceptive religion.
He had heard tales of the ancient heresy.
The supreme being known as the Celestial Demon, Samawaido, often appeared and wreaked havoc. “Yes. It was a dangerous place for someone in white to go. At that time, the Lord, who was greedy for the blue sect, volunteered. He completed the mission, but while fighting against a master of the Demon Sect in Xinjiang…” Cheongmyeong trailed off.
The smile that he usually wore faded.
Watching Jeongyeon-shin urge him with his expression, he sighed and opened his mouth again.
“I was hit with a heavy blow. It was a vital point. I struck him with a technique, but he dodged and slipped in.”
“What?”
“He was a vicious one. A few seniors who went on the mission with him also became lords, but even the Lord of the Blue Sky does not speak of that matter.”
“…”
“Since then, the Lord of the Demon Sect has not been able to act like a man. That’s why the fierce Mi-ryeo regards him as a benefactor. How could she not?”
“I understand.”
In battles among masters, it was common to use techniques to lift the body.
If he had learned the Demon Technique, he could not avoid using techniques, and raising his legs to kick would expose the central vital point.
The martial world was a perilous place.
Injuries leading to disability were not uncommon.
The inexperienced Ma Jin, in white, appeared in Jeongyeon-shin’s mind.
Jeongyeon-shin slowly opened his mouth. “The Kunlun Sect’s Cloud Dragon Eight Techniques, the Shaolin’s Buddha Light in the Flow.” “Huh?” “I understand it to be a technique that allows movement in the air. I would like to see it.” Cheongmyeong smiled. “It seems the next mission will be in Henan. We will cooperate with Shaolin, so if the heavens favor us, we might be able to see the Buddha Light in the Flow.”
After the ceremony, a month of rest was granted.
It felt meaningless.
Jeongyeon-shin wanted to go out on a mission without rest. “It would be good to set up a position in Henan in advance.” Ma Jin, who sat in the main seat of the office, spoke.
He received Jeongyeon-shin’s gaze with a strangely displeased expression, unlike usual.
Jeongyeon-shin asked without caring.
“What exactly is the mission?”
“It’s extermination. This time, we will cut off an arm of the Blood Flame Sect. If luck permits, we might learn about the main body of the Blood Flame Sect.”
After taking a sip of tea, he continued speaking.
“While you were capturing the Two Ghosts, there was a disciple who fought against me. He had completely black hair. Not a single red hair was left. He was a monster surpassing the Blood Flame Sect’s sword. I have tracked his movements.”
“Did he go from Shaanxi to Henan?”
“They say the trail was lost at Pingding Mountain in Henan. That’s the territory of Shaolin.”
“Isn’t Shaolin in Songshan, Zhengzhou? That’s quite a distance.”
“It’s the foremost righteous sect. They say, ‘All martial arts come from Shaolin.’ There are few places in the Central Plains that have not been influenced by Shaolin martial arts. The number of sects in the secular world is countless. You could say the entirety of Henan Province is under Shaolin’s influence. Since you are from Henan, you should feel it.”
Ma Jin turned his gaze away while mentioning his origin.
As an uncle, he seemed to feel uneasy.
Jeongyeon-shin nodded while being surprised by another aspect.
It was the first time he had seen a high-ranking master of the Lord of the Entrance respect the martial factions of the world to such an extent.
In an era where the sense of belonging to the group one belonged to transformed into one’s identity, it was rare for the masters of the Lord of the Entrance to observe the martial world from the perspective of the common people.
To them, martial artists were potential rebels with power and ruffians who disrupted public order. ‘Shaolin in Songshan.
Truly a sect that reaches the world.’ Its strength and reputation were greater than anywhere in the martial world.
Jeongyeon-shin felt his heart racing for the first time in a while.
Songshan was the birthplace of the martial arts of the Central Plains.
He wondered what kind of inspiration Shaolin’s martial arts would offer him. “But isn’t it something Shaolin could handle regarding the Blood Flame Sect?” “Though the monks shout ‘Break the Evil and Reveal the Righteous’ and ‘Exterminate the Demons and Eliminate the Evil,’ this is the Lord of the Entrance. We cannot just sit back and do nothing. We will strike directly. There are not just one or two disciples, but also Blood Flame Sect swords.” “What about the personnel composition?” “The Demon Light Group and the Second Group will go with me.” The Demon Light Group.
After completing the mission in Shaanxi, Ma Jin formed it.
Jeongyeon-shin, Heonwon Chang, Cheongmyeong, and Baek Mi-ryeo were grouped together.
It was said to be reorganized into a unit for easier coordination. “Does our group not need to rest?” “Everyone is like you. They enjoy making achievements or relish the journey of the martial world.” The former seemed to be Jeongyeon-shin and Baek Mi-ryeo, while the latter seemed to be Heonwon Chang and Cheongmyeong. “Understood. Then, I will take my leave.” “Rest.” Leaving behind Ma Jin, who had finished the arrangements, Jeongyeon-shin exited the office.
As he came down outside, a scarlet shadow loomed in the sky.
He did not stop by the training ground and headed straight to his room.
Jeongyeon-shin immediately buried himself in his bed.
Noisy sounds echoed around.
It seemed the seniors in another room were having a drinking party.
From further away, the sounds of clashes from the training ground could be felt.
The singing of swords, the powerful shouts, laughter washing away fatigue, the clinking of cups… The sunlight, crushed against the paper window, brushed against his face.
It was the touch of the sunset hanging at the end of the day.
The crown of his head grew hot.
It was always like this at this time.
When did it start? The Central Dantian invited the energy of nature to dance within him.
The more he played, the wider his home became.
Regardless of the owner’s will.
It was the time when the boundary between day and night blurred.
The laughter of the seniors enjoying wine and song grew louder.
They seemed to be having fun.
Suddenly, he imagined shouting at them to stop.
Jeongyeon-shin closed his eyes.
In his darkened vision, blue clothing shimmered.
It felt like being splashed with cold water.
In an instant, all his senses returned to reality.
Now, no one was watching.
He curled up in his bed. ‘Just one more time.’ The final mission lay before the blue sect.
The wind swept across his cheeks fiercely.
He was galloping alongside his horse.
Jeongyeon-shin glanced around from atop the fine steed. ‘This must be a sign that this task is significant.’ Eight others were riding alongside him.
It was a number he had never experienced in a mission before.
A powerful entourage.
There were nine masters of the Lord of the Entrance. “I can’t tell if it’s an inn or a tavern. We’ll rest there.” They entered the marketplace.
Ma Jin’s voice resonated as if it carried a thread of rare energy.
The anxious faces of the passersby turned bright upon seeing the martial attire of the Lord of the Entrance.
The Lord of the Entrance was not merely a faction that remained in the limelight.
It was said to have garnered greater public sentiment than most inspectors.
They would break the swords of the martial artists who approached them.
The group stopped in front of a tavern.
It was quite large, but the structure looked flimsy; still, it was the best building in the vicinity.
Heonwon Chang, who dismounted, looked around. “Is this Shinya County? It’s different from what I heard.” To traverse Henan from the Lord of the Entrance, one had to pass through Shinya County.
They had already passed the site where the Zheng Family Tavern had been.
It had become a complete ruin.
It seemed the words of the Two Ghosts were true.
Not a single tree could be seen on the back mountain. ‘They said they burned everything down.’ Baek Mi-ryeo glanced at Jeongyeon-shin’s expressionless face.
She then fiddled with her long, white fingers and said, “With the landlord gone, the black sect’s forces can only run rampant. They are probably all managing the back alleys.” At that moment. “…With the Zheng Family Tavern gone, it’s like there’s no heaven. The leader must have been shocked. The income from the land they monopolized is completely…” “The Blood Flame Sect has done us a favor. If they get expelled from the organization, they might even commit suicide.” “You, with your small guts, have learned the Blood Art? Ridiculous!” The raucous voices echoed outside.
It was the largest tavern in Shinya County.
The identities of the gathered men were obvious.
Just by lightly discussing joining the Blood Flame Sect, one could tell they lived without a care.
Jeongyeon-shin frowned. ‘The income from the land.’ He recalled the day he set out to join the Lord of the Entrance.
The commander had said he would manage it.
It was not money that would fall into the hands of the black sect. “Let’s go in.” While Cheongmyeong entrusted the horse to the stableman, Jeongyeon-shin took the lead.
Even the masters of the Demon Light Group followed him, glancing at the youngest among them.
They were good people.
As he pushed aside the fluttering curtain and entered, the noise momentarily ceased.
Contrary to appearances, the interior was quite spacious.
A bald man wielding an axe, a man performing tricks with a dagger, and men with their tops unbuttoned caught his eye first.
Men of all appearances were laughing with a courtesan each.
They seemed to be martial artists of the black sect, but not a single familiar face was present.
They all appeared to be from outside.
Jeongyeon-shin stepped forward and calmly spoke. “You all. Explain about the land of the Zheng Family Tavern.” “What?” One man snickered.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to call him a rookie, Heonwon Chang suddenly stepped in and turned the hem of Jeongyeon-shin’s garment forward.
The skill felt superior to any ordinary gold thread.
Now Jeongyeon-shin understood.
It was said to be a method that senior martial artists used to skip the hassle.
The lips of the one who saw the character ‘荒’ froze.
People began to murmur. “Say what you want to say.” Jeongyeon-shin said without caring.