Chapter 190 : Preparation
Preparation
"You're not going to take that? Did you have another weapon?"
Baek Sang opened his eyes wide, then added, almost mumbling,
"Right, I think you mentioned bringing a sword from your house when you left. Now that you mention it, I think I recall."
"Yes, this time I plan to take that one."
Jeong-un nodded in reply.
There was no special reason for it.
He himself knew very well that Dragon Sky strapped at his waist now was a far superior sword compared to the black sword he had brought from his lineage.
He knew this as well as anyone, having actually used it.
'It's not about craftsmanship.'
Certainly, Dragon Sky was a famed sword second to none.
When he channeled his internal energy through his fingertips, his true ki would surge smoothly to the tip of the blade.
It was the same even without pouring cultivated power into it.
The blade was so sturdy that, even if he cut through steel, its edge would scarcely be nicked.
At this level, it could truly be considered a priceless artifact.
Even so, Jeong-un did not intend to bring Dragon Sky to Xinjiang this time. He felt that after fighting the Demonic Cult Leader at Sangsan.
'What I need now is a familiar sensation.'
A martial artist's life truly existed at the edge of a split second.
In their fights, the moment they drew their sword, it wouldn't be strange to find themselves crossing the River of Death.
And it was usually the tiniest of differences that decided that instant. One really had to handle the sword as if it were part of one's own body.
It wasn't merely about achieving unity between man and sword.
Jeong-un had already surpassed that level, becoming an expert who had moved well past sword unity.
It was just that the unfamiliar feeling that tingled when he gripped the sword's hilt slightly bothered him.
Expectedly, it felt subtly different from the black sword he used to wield.
Even though it performed beyond his expectations in terms of swordsmanship, there were points where it felt awkward in his hand.
'I'll get used to it someday...'
But now wasn't the time.
So Jeong-un thought when he returned to his residence, gripped the black sword again, and confirmed his decision.
Of course, strictly speaking, the black sword was only fancy in appearance, more like a decorative sword.
It had been repaired once, but it was still heavy, clumsy, and compared to Dragon Sky, even the flow of ki through the blade was hardly smooth.
But since he first started wielding a sword, Jeong-un must have swung it tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of times, as if carving away the excess.
Now, even without holding it, he could vividly recall the sword's center of gravity in his mind.
He remembered every subtle aspect of the hilt and blade solely through sensation. By now, it was no different from another arm or leg.
At that moment, Baek Sang asked with a perplexed look,
"With a sword like that, I bet there are people who'd sleep with it in their arms."
"I'm simply choosing what I need most right now. Someday, even this sword will fit perfectly in my hand. It's just not today."
"True enough—there's a comfort you get from a weapon well-worn to your hand."
Baek Sang, too, was a famed swordsman of Mount Hua, known far and wide for his swordsmanship.
He knew well the advantage that came from a seasoned weapon.
He was just perplexed that even a masterful swordsman like Yu Jeong-un would be bound by such things.
'Well, it's not like the sword matters that much either way.'
On second thought, Jeong-un was already an expert who did not need to obsess over well-crafted weapons.
In fact, a sword familiar to his hand might be even better.
"You've heard that the date of deployment has been announced?"
Baek Sang asked soon after.
Jeong-un replied with a composed nod.
Just two days before, the day of deployment to Xinjiang had been decided.
There was no secrecy; announcements had been posted on walls throughout the Heavenly Martial Hall.
The Murim Alliance seemed to have no intention of hiding this from the enemy.
Frankly, if so many people moved at once, there was no way the Demonic Cult could fail to notice.
'So it's called the Righteous-Demonic Great War.'
They even gave it a proper name in the meantime.
It was, literally, a direct clash between the orthodox alliance of the Central Plains and the descendants of traitors, the Demonic Cult.
Calling it a war was hardly an exaggeration. Above all, it was happening with royal approval.
When the Demonic Cult attacked Beijing ages ago, it was said that tens of thousands had risen up all over the Central Plains.
Many expected the enemy to be no less numerous this time. Jeong-un himself couldn't even begin to estimate how many they'd be facing.
If anything, he had always only dealt with the leader, the Demonic Cult Leader, so he had no sense of the scale.
The guy seemed to prefer acting personally, not sending subordinates, especially when things concerned Jeong-un.
However, given how the Demonic Cult Leader had mentioned a High Priest while speaking with him, Jeong-un assumed their numbers couldn't be few.
'Even that Blood Cult, formed not long ago, numbered in the thousands.'
Worse, they'd hidden for decades, operating under many disguises and identities.
For all anyone knew, they could still be hiding anywhere, in any form.
Baek Sang spoke again.
"I heard that if we don't wipe them out in Xinjiang this time, the royal family is going to send the military."
"The military?"
"Yes."
Baek Sang continued, his tone calm.
"With the long famine, they haven't been able to maintain as many troops. They're probably planning to pull the army stationed against the northern barbarians."
"Then..."
Trailing off, Jeong-un recalled what Zhuge Cheon-woo had said. The royal family's approval for the orthodox martial artists to unite this time.
'Perhaps it's the other way around.'
From Baek Sang's words, it seemed the urgent ones were in fact the royal family.
If they pulled troops from the north to far-off Xinjiang, border defenses would weaken obviously.
With the ever-ambitious Jurchen, who could say whether somewhere in the north would fall?
If that happened, it'd be disastrous.
"......"
Jeong-un now realized just how grave this affair was.
It wasn't merely a matter of subduing some unorthodox villains.
Clearly, the myth of the military's non-interference was an empty phrase. If things went wrong, the country itself could fall.
While Jeong-un was thinking this, Baek Sang spoke again.
"You're going to move separately, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"And have you made any plans?"
"Not yet."
"If you need me, let me know."
"...?"
Jeong-un looked at him in surprise at the unexpected statement, and Baek Sang smirked, slightly awkwardly.
"I mean it. If you need a hand, say so without hesitation. I'll do whatever it takes."
"... Thank you."
Jeong-un lowered his head slightly in reply.
Baek Sang spoke lightly, but Jeong-un felt the sincerity in his words.
If Jeong-un asked for anything, Baek Sang would readily oblige.
Perhaps he even valued this more than any mission the Heavenly Martial Hall might give him.
'I'm a fortunate man.'
Since entering the Heavenly Martial Hall, he had never especially tried to curry favor with anyone.
He hadn't gone out of his way to get on anyone's bad side, but he hadn't tried to endear himself either.
Even so, he'd met good comrades, and now had someone willing to lend a hand so readily.
He could only be grateful.
Jeong-un said,
"But this time, I really intend to move alone. Not out of convenience, but because I think it will be an advantage."
"You're planning to assassinate the Demonic Cult Leader while the orthodox alliance strikes at the cult's men?"
"If only it would be that easy."
"You..."
Baek Sang tilted his head, narrowing his eyes.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of taking him with you, even if it means dying together?"
"Of course not."
Jeong-un replied, eyes wide at the unexpected question. Baek Sang nodded in relief.
"Whatever happens, put your own safety first. Killing the guy can come after that."
"That's my plan."
'Dying with him, really.'
Jeong-un smiled to himself. The Demonic Cult Leader's true purpose was his own death.
Yet, even if the enemy died, if Jeong-un's death triggered the grand technique, who knew what would happen next?
Dying together was out of the question. The only thing he could do was focus solely on killing that man.
The Heavenly Martial Hall Lord had not revealed that Jeong-un was the Demonic Cult Leader's target.
All that had been said was that they had to destroy the heirs of traitors seeking to overturn the Central Plains.
Perhaps even the Murim Alliance leader from the Namgung clan hadn't been told the truth.
Jeong-un remembered the look in Zhang Mun-gi's eyes as he gazed at him. He seemed just the type to keep such secrets.
'Let's see this to the end.'
He had muttered that to himself many times, thinking of the Demonic Cult Leader.
Now its meaning had changed. Now, neither they nor he had anywhere left to fall back to.
It was truly time to see the end.
* * *
The next day, Jeong-un headed straight to the General Affairs Department.
He planned to find Jo Yoo-hyeon, the scholar he was closest with.
He wore the martial garb he'd received upon promotion to four-stripes and tidied his attire.
Given his public purpose, it was only proper.
"Sir!"
Not long after he explained his purpose to the servant at the entrance, Jo Yoo-hyeon ran out from the General Affairs Department's main pavilion.
He looked utterly surprised that Jeong-un had come to see him first, his eyes wide.
"You could have sent for me. Why come yourself?"
"You're busy as it is; I couldn't impose. It's quicker for me to come myself, anyway."
Jeong-un smiled, shaking his head lightly. He was sincere.
Rather than asking someone to send for someone else, he preferred to act personally.
Jo Yoo-hyeon gazed at Jeong-un silently, then smiled faintly.
He seemed genuinely pleased that Jeong-un had come to him first.
"I actually have a favor to ask."
"Just tell me what you need."
Instead of replying, Jeong-un handed over the sword he was carrying.
Jo Yoo-hyeon accepted it with a perplexed look, then flinched in surprise. It wasn't what he had expected—Jeong-un's old pitch-black sword.
"Isn't this the sword you used before? What about Dragon Sky?"
When Jo Yoo-hyeon asked that, Jeong-un replied calmly,
"Dragon Sky is an outstanding blade, even excessively so. But I'm inexperienced; I haven't grown used to it yet. With no time to spare, I think I'll need this fellow for this affair."
At his words, Jo Yoo-hyeon took a steady moment to look down at the sword.
As Jeong-un had said, the General Affairs Department was currently extremely busy, in close communication with the Murim Alliance and reorganizing the ranks of the Heavenly Martial Hall warriors for the coming grand battle.
So he also knew Jeong-un was heading out on a solo mission.
Considering that Jeong-un was no longer part of the Blue Scale Corps, it was easy to guess.
"......"
At length, without asking more, he silently accepted the sword. Then he bowed slightly to Jeong-un and slowly drew the blade from its scabbard.
Shing!
Perhaps because a master of the Heavenly Martial Hall had once worked on it, the dazzling sunlight was scattered brilliantly along the pure white blade.
The sight was quite impressive.
Yet there were clear marks where the edge had been chipped.
They were likely due to the blade's inherent lack of durability, not just the passage of time.
The black sword had clearly never been made for real battle, only carried so successfully because of Jeong-un's own acute sensitivity.
Clack.
At last, Jo Yoo-hyeon returned the sword to its sheath, cradled it with care, and bowed his head as he spoke,
"I'll have the blade sharpened keenly, and wrap the hilt with new, sturdy leather so it won't slip from your hand. I promise the feel will be just as you remember."
"How soon can it be done?"
"I'll ask the master craftsman to hurry. It'll be ready in three days at most."
At this, Jeong-un's eyes widened in surprise.
"That soon?"
"Since Yu Jeong-un trusts me with this, I have to pay special attention. Of course, the work will be done by the Heavenly Martial Hall's master, but..."
"I'll have to meet him and offer my thanks at least once."
"He'll be delighted, I'm sure."
Jo Yoo-hyeon responded with a broad smile.