Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Main Headquarters

A new letter was written to inform the Heavenly Martial Hall that one of the eight High Priests of the Blood Cult had been killed.

Additionally, the letter included information learned through a conversation with the man.

It noted that the enemy was paying close attention to the movements of the Heavenly Martial Hall.

However, it seemed that they had not yet realized the true objective was to strike at their main headquarters.

A reply to the previous report had not yet arrived.

Aside from Jeong-un's party, other warriors from the Heavenly Martial Hall were also operating in groups throughout various parts of Nampung-hyeon.

Several days had passed, so there was plenty of time for them to have dealt with a few of the enemy's hidden branches.

The Heavenly Martial Hall was likely analyzing the situation based on the reports received so far.

'I need to be prepared.'

Jeong-un recalled what Yeom Baek had told him.

Somewhere in the Geonchang District was the enemy's main headquarters, and by destroying the branches, they were trying to uncover its location.

Crucially, the ones who had disguised themselves as Heavenly Blade Gate members did not know the location of their branch.

Naturally, the High Priest he later encountered would have known, but to intentionally spare such an expert in a life-and-death battle just to extract the location still seemed impossible in retrospect.

Above all, it had been the first battle after he had suddenly advanced in his martial arts mid-combat.

In that situation, it would have been unthinkable to deliberately hold back and leave that kind of expert alive.

If the man had changed his mind and fled, that would have been a disaster.

He was a man with very swift feet.

At dawn, Jeong-un personally headed to the government office.

Even if he understood and manipulated the area magistrate's anxious mindset, he was still an official of the nation and could not be summoned and ordered around like a mere servant.

Beyond interpersonal matters, such behavior would also be seen as disrespectful to the nation itself.

It was essential to maintain proper boundaries.

"Th-The main headquarters of those men... They launched a sudden attack!"

The area magistrate looked as if he was about to faint from fright.

It was only natural, having colluded with cultists who treated the nation with contempt.

Jeong-un did not know much about the punishments prescribed by law, but he could easily imagine that this would not be passed over lightly.

The magistrate before him must have been wracked with anxiety daily, longing for the martial artists of the Heavenly Martial Hall to leave as soon as possible.

And now, to hear there was another sudden attack by those men—no wonder his complexion turned ashen.

Jeong-un found his transparent anxiety rather amusing.

With a stern expression, Jeong-un spoke up.

"They used 'fire bombs'."

"F-Fire bombs!"

The magistrate collapsed into his chair as if he were about to faint. His mind must have been reeling with complications.

The unorthodox martial artists he had sided with, now revealed as the kind of men to use fire bombs?

And after even witnessing the county-level civil exam?

He surely knew by now what fate awaited him if the truth were exposed.

"S-So what did you do?"

"I killed them all."

"All of them?"

"After all, they are martial artists disturbing the people. There is no need to even bring up the duties that the royal family entrusted to the Murim Alliance. Eliminating them all was only proper."

"R-Right."

Jeong-un answered calmly, meeting the magistrate's gaze.

The magistrate could not even meet Jeong-un's eyes, drenched in nervous sweat.

'Like a pig.'

He had already investigated the magistrate.

Aside from accepting money from unorthodox martial artists, he was the object of resentment among the village people.

Truly, he had acted as an utterly corrupt official many times.

At length, Jeong-un continued:

"Now, I need to ask for your help with something else."

"With what?"

The magistrate, perplexed, asked back, to which Jeong-un nodded and responded,

"There are quite a few bodies. As you know, we are very short-handed..."

"Just leave them!"

The magistrate sprang from his seat, shouting. If anything, he looked pleased.

"I'll dispatch government soldiers to handle it right away. Haven't you done enough by killing them all? Leave the cleanup to me."

"Thank you."

With that, he easily left the matter in the magistrate's hands and exited the office.

Behind him, the magistrate could be heard causing a commotion.

Several days passed.

The Blood Cult members who had pretended to be Heavenly Blade Gate members were downright laughable.

Perhaps it wasn't all a lie that they masqueraded as a martial sect; their spacious training hall was quite impressive.

Even when all the group gathered to train, there was no lack of space.

It was said that mastery in the martial arts did not rise steadily with time.

Even if one devoted themselves to training every day, progress was often slow.

But once a realization struck, growth could come all at once.

That was indeed true.

Jeong-un had felt it during his life-and-death battle with the High Priest, but it was even more apparent now as he meticulously trained while introspecting on his body in the training hall.

He was now on a different level altogether compared to when he had first arrived.

Anyone observing might mistake him for a completely different person, his martial skill so improved.

Above all, he had completed the unique sword technique.

It wasn't simply about gaining a new move. He had no intention of adding yet another sword move.

In the end, it was all about cutting and thrusting.

The thoughts he had when first picking up a sword hadn't changed to this day.

Horizontal slash, vertical slash, thrust—the oft-ridiculed Three Talent Sword Technique discussed the essence of those three basic moves.

If you thought about it, every sword style in the world, in a way, was contained within the Three Talent Sword Technique.

Just as all martial arts were said to stem from Shaolin.

'I should continue.'

Of course, inventing a new sword technique didn't mean the training was over.

Jeong-un continued, just as he always had, repeatedly practicing the Three Talent Sword Technique alongside his mind-body discipline.

Now and then, the other three would look at him with strange expressions, but he chose to ignore it.

They had their own paths to walk, and so did he.

Not everyone's life could be the same. Jeong-un no longer doubted the path he had walked.

It was then.

From afar, a presence approached from the sky as if gliding.

Jeong-un lowered his sword and glanced up. A bird was slowly approaching from the distant blue.

From his side, Jo Gwang shouted,

"There's White Hawk!"

The white hawk circled elegantly and then descended, approaching Jeong-un.

It dropped off a sealed letter and then soared away.

"What does it say?"

Jo Gwang ran over and asked. Baek Il-gang and Tang Yerin also stopped training and approached.

Jeong-un said,

"Let's go inside and check together."

* * *

Jeong-un slowly broke the seal and unrolled the letter.

Neatly written, it was short and to the point—the handwriting belonged to the nondescript clerk from the General Affairs Department, famous for their standardized script.

Jeong-un carefully read the letter aloud.

He was commended for wiping out the enemies hiding in Nampung-hyeon.

The area magistrate here would be reported to the royal family and dealt with according to the law.

And—

Jeong-un's eyes widened. He slowly parted his lips.

"They've pinpointed the location of the enemy's main headquarters."

"At last!"

Jo Gwang pumped his fist. He looked ready to dash off immediately.

"Let's go and uproot the monsters who feed on human blood!"

Jeong-un regarded him with a curious look and smiled inwardly.

Of all people, Jo Gwang had changed the most in his eyes.

When they first met, he seemed self-serving, but after several missions together, that attitude had all but vanished.

Of course, he still avoided missions he thought were too much for him.

But at the same time, he would stand up for justice without hesitation.

Perhaps it simply meant he was wise about his own limits.

'Well, there's no need for a martial artist to be a chivalrous hero.'

As far as Jeong-un was concerned, Jo Gwang was doing more than enough to count as a chivalrous hero.

His talent had gotten him into the Heavenly Martial Hall, and now he had grown enough to contend for two-stripes.

Above all, as a warrior of the Heavenly Martial Hall, he was carrying out his duties well.

Perhaps he would be the happiest of all when it finally came time to leave the Hall.

"So we head over there right away?"

Baek Il-gang asked, but Jeong-un shook his head.

"To launch a surprise attack simultaneously, they've specified a date. The main headquarters is apparently on a mountainside not far from here. We'll depart in three days."

"If they have the location and time, don't we join up with the other squads?"

"The Heavenly Martial Hall is also worried about the enemy monitoring our movements. Rather than converging at once, it seems we're to move separately and then strike all at once."

Then, recalling what Yeom Baek had said, Jeong-un set the letter on the table for the others to see.

"We're not the main force for this mission. The goal is for the four corps leaders to cut off the heads of the enemy's top leaders. Our job is to draw as much attention as possible."

"Killing the head of a large organization... This is massive," said Tang Yerin, her expression complicated.

As the direct granddaughter of the Tang Clan's head, the ruler of the Sichuan martial world, few in the whole world could claim status as noble as hers.

With her upbringing, her knowledge of the martial world would be formidable as well.

Jeong-un asked her,

"Do you have any concerns?"

"No, not concerns, exactly..."

Tang Yerin hesitated briefly, choosing her words, then spoke,

"There are a lot of unorthodox groups in this land. Many hold considerable power, like the Green Forest, the gangs on the Yangtze, and the Hao Clan. But these Blood Cult fellows just appeared recently—even so, they seem eager to eradicate them quickly. Is it because they're a cult that disrupts the nation?"

To this Baek Il-gang replied, looking a bit disgruntled, as if her concern was obvious.

"The Demonic Cult's leader brazenly showed his face in front of Shaolin, did he not? Now another similar group has emerged; of course, they want to crush it before it can establish itself. Even if the factions claim to stand for justice, don't they all place their own gain first and sit tight? If even the Heavenly Martial Hall leaves these guys alone, they'll just spread endlessly."

"..."

Tang Yerin fell silent at that. Jeong-un admired Baek Il-gang's candidness for speaking so openly in front of her.

Jeong-un quietly added,

"This will be a big battle. We have to be fully prepared before moving out."

* * *

Each packed a light bag and mounted their horses.

The area magistrate saw them off with a broad, welcoming grin. He looked delighted at their imminent departure.

"We will be back again."

"..."

But at Jeong-un's words, a crack spread across his face.

Without noticing, Jeong-un continued, addressing the man's bowed head,

"As you know, the Heavenly Martial Hall is communicating with the royal family. I have sent them a report on this place."

"...!"

The magistrate's head shot up, his face ghostly pale, which was quite amusing.

"A report...?"

Jeong-un nodded.

"I told them the area magistrate here is taking good care of the people. That you devote yourself to relief and welfare. That you're a model official."

"Th-Thank you."

"So, until I return, please continue to care for your people as you have been."

"... Understood."

Leaving the magistrate in stunned silence, they left the village behind.

"Amazing",

Baek Il-gang murmured, unable to hide his smirk. He always looked satisfied whenever Jeong-un acted as he just had.

'I wonder what he's thinking.'

Every time, Jeong-un simply shook his head quietly.

They traveled toward the location given in the letter.

Staying slightly off the main road to avoid notice, they rode slowly among the trees.

Their destination was Mount Gubong, not far from Nampung-hyeon—a rugged mountain bristling with sharp peaks.

When they finally arrived—

"We must be getting close to the enemy's main headquarters,"

Baek Il-gang muttered.

The others had already fixed their gazes on the same spot, their pace naturally slowing.

Jeong-un stared intently at the men ahead.

'Six.'

As they drew closer, the men also spotted their party.

Each looked vicious, armed with swords. But their movements did not show the mark of properly trained swordsmen.

"Stop right there."

All at once, they drew swords and blocked the way. The largest among them stepped forward and spoke,

"We are heroes of the Green Forest. Leave everything you have and turn back—your horses too."

"Bandits?"

Jeong-un murmured calmly. What nonsense.

He could sense the characteristic foul energy coming from them.

'So they hid themselves like this.'

Disguised as bandits, they prevented anyone from getting closer to the area.

Mount Gubong, being far from the main road, was not on any well-traveled path.

With bandits roaming around like this, no traveler would feel the need to enter.

No wonder it had avoided attention.

"What should we do?"

Baek Il-gang asked quietly from the side.

Jeong-un didn't answer immediately. He glanced up at the sky, where the sun was nearing its zenith.

The Heavenly Martial Hall had instructed them to act at noon today.

The appointed time was near.

Jeong-un spoke.

"Let's begin."

On either side, waves of ki erupted.