Chapter 6
A short time later.
As crimson blood soaked the street, a middle-aged man in a black bamboo hat stood alone.
At his feet, the corpses of the Iron Ring Fortress bandits were piled like mountains.
The middle-aged man pressed his black bamboo hat further down and clicked his tongue.
"To think such small fry could commit so many evil deeds with skills like this. Tsk tsk."
During the days of the Great Heavenly Demon War, when he fought desperate life-and-death battles against the masters of the Demonic Cult, bandits like these were nothing but child's play to him.
Step— step—
Having dealt with all the bandits, the man in the black bamboo hat began walking towards the Moon Castle Pavilion. When he opened the door and entered, the eyes of the courtesans inside all focused on him at once.
"There's no need to be afraid. I haven't come here to harm you."
"......."
"I heard there is a courtesan of the Hao Sect here. They say the clerks at headquarters recognize her as a talented asset...."
As the man in the black bamboo hat finished his sentence, Hyang-I, who had hidden herself under a table, slowly rose to her feet.
Her eyes were still full of fear from the carnage moments ago, but at the same time, a trace of relief seeped in.
"Yes. I am Hyang-I of the Hao Sect, attached to Ansun, great hero. Thank you for saving my life, great hero."
"There is no need for thanks. I only did what was right. The information you sent from Ansun so far has been a great help to the administrators of Guizhou Province."
"You flatter me."
Hearing the conversation between the man in the black bamboo hat and Hyang-I, the courtesans of Moon Castle Pavilion were shocked once again.
They had never imagined that Hyang-I, who was the youngest among them, was closely tied to a manager-level figure of the Hao Sect.
But in the next moment, the gaze of the man in the black bamboo hat suddenly turned sharp.
"But..."
"......?"
"Who killed the bandits inside this pavilion?"
The man in the black bamboo hat looked at the corpses inside Moon Castle Pavilion and asked.
With as many as twelve bandits fallen, it was only natural to be curious.
What caught the middle-aged man's attention above all else were the sword wounds on the bandits' bodies.
The bandits had been felled cleanly with a single sword strike each.
'Could a master of my level have visited this pavilion? But I was told there aren't any properly trained martial artists in Ansun....'
Watching the man's eyes sharpen, Hyang-I hesitated over how she should respond.
If she told him the story of how her childhood friend had single-handedly cut down twelve bandits, what kind of reaction would a master of the Hao Sect show?
But before Hyang-I could answer, the gaze of the man in the black bamboo hat shifted to Jaseong.
"You've learned martial arts, haven't you?"
The middle-aged man stared at Jaseong in the corner of the hall with a piercing gaze.
At that moment Jaseong flinched.
He hadn't drawn his sword or gathered any inner energy, yet this man immediately recognized Jaseong's true ki.
"Judging by the strength of your dantian, you've only just taken your first steps in martial arts. But..."
"......?"
"How did you manage to take down a bandit cleanly with a single sword strike?"
"......!"
"Was all this really your handiwork?"
The man in the black bamboo hat scrutinized Jaseong, his eyes full of suspicion.
Seeing the bloodstains on Jaseong's clothing, he realized that all of this must have been his doing.
In front of him, Jaseong instinctively activated the Samadhi Eyes, his only form of defense.
But at that moment—
'?!'
He felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
Within the slowed-down perception of Samadhi, he saw the middle-aged man's energy.
Red aura was pouring out of his body, enveloping the air like a spiderweb and stabbing at Jaseong from all directions.
'... There's no way to dodge this.'
Even with time slowed by the realm of samadhi, he could never evade this man's attack.
This was a master that, with Jaseong's current level, he simply couldn't withstand.
But as he hesitated while the Samadhi Eyes was activated, a strange look appeared on the face of the man in the black bamboo hat as well.
'... Could that young boy really have sensed my intention?'
The man narrowed his brow and examined Jaseong closely. In his subtly changed eyes was a deep curiosity.
"Who are you?"
"I am called Jaseong."
"I didn't just ask your name. Where are you from?"
"I belong to no clan or sect. I'm from the Red Light District."
"What...? From the Red Light District?"
"Yes."
"... Then where did you learn martial arts?"
"I happened upon a chance encounter and was briefly taught by a reclusive hermit."
At Jaseong's answer, the man's eyebrows twitched.
"What is this hermit's nickname?"
"He didn't tell me that much."
"......."
The more Jaseong spoke, the more enigmatic the man's look became. Then, a moment later—
Swoosh!
Suddenly, the man closed the distance in a rush of wind and seized Jaseong's wrist, infusing energy to probe the source of Jaseong's inner power.
However—
'... What is this? This pure true ki? In all my decades roaming the martial world, I've never once encountered such pure true ki...!'
As it was true ki cultivated with the sword immortal Lü Dongbin's internal cultivation method, there was no way for even a master at the pinnacle of the martial world not to be surprised.
Now, the middle-aged man began to look at Jaseong as if he were some mysterious creature. And at that moment, he suddenly spoke.
"Come with me."
"......?"
* * *
The man led the way upstairs in the pavilion.
Entering a room where no one else was present, he sat at a table and poured himself a glass of water.
Ssshh—
The man removed his bamboo hat. Underneath was the face of a man in his fifties.
Black eyes, a sharp nose, and white hair slightly disheveled. An impressive cross-shaped scar marked one cheek.
Showing his face, the middle-aged man spoke again.
"My name is Do Unjang. I was once a Daoist priest of Kunlun Sect, but now I am known in the martial world by the nickname Black Sage."
"......!"
At the man's introduction, Jaseong's eyes widened. Kunlun was one of the Nine Great Sects, a school that had fought at the forefront against the Demonic Cult during the Great Heavenly Demon War.
But after that war, the Kunlun Sect had been exterminated.
'So why is a priest from Kunlun part of the Hao Sect? Though Hao Sect is considered a neutral sect, what circumstances led to this...?'
Questions piled up endlessly, but Jaseong couldn't resolve them. For Do Unjang began speaking again.
"After Kunlun was wiped out, I became the Lord of Black Blood Hall of the Hao Sect."
"......."
"Earlier, you said you didn't belong to any clan or sect."
"That's correct."
"Good."
"?"
"In that case, become a manager of our Hao Sect."
"Pardon...?"
"From today, you'll take charge of Ansun."
For a moment, Jaseong could not believe his ears. In truth, this was what he had wanted to ask for himself.
The Hao Sect was a thoroughly shrouded organization, with its branches operating independently. Thousands of its branches, arranged in a cellular structure, functioned autonomously, following only the central management's most essential instructions.
Therefore, even if Jaseong only became a low-rank manager, he would be able to grow his own power base.
In other words, he could accomplish the first task of Heaven's Mandate—"Form a Power Base."
'If so, just as Lü Dongbin once said, the Celestial Realm's restrictions will be lifted and I'll be able to learn the next step of the Heaven Evading Way. But for the Lord of Black Blood Hall to bring it up first... What makes him trust me with such responsibility...?'
When Jaseong looked at Do Unjang with puzzled eyes, the man continued without pause.
"In truth, Hao Sect lacks martial artists."
"......!"
"Most experts are active in the center or deployed at key points, so there's always a shortage of personnel in remote areas like this."
"......."
"There are woefully few disciples who have even learned martial arts. Until the new Sect Leader appeared, Hao Sect had focused entirely on information networks rather than martial strength."
"......."
"So that's why we need someone like you."
"... Someone like me?"
"Exactly. Someone who knows how to properly use a sword."
Do Unjang gestured with his chin at the corpses of bandits scattered inside the Moon Castle Pavilion.
Having seen Jaseong cut down twelve Iron Ring Fortress bandits by himself, he deemed that level of skill more than sufficient.
"So, what do you say? Will you accept?"
Once again, Do Unjang asked. At this, Jaseong closed his eyes for a moment.
At this moment, the faces of his eldest big brother and sister-in-law flashed through his mind.
'... With this, I can fulfill the sword immortal's first Heaven's Mandate, "Form a Power Base". And further, I will be able to gain the strength to confront my enemies. If I keep expanding my influence...'
For Jaseong, a man who had started with nothing at the bottom of the Red Light District, the backing of Hao Sect would be the greatest shield and sword imaginable.
Therefore, in the next instant—
"I will do it."
Jaseong nodded with determination on his face. Do Unjang smiled faintly and took a small badge from his robe.
"Take this."
The badge Do Unjang held out was black, with the character '三' (three) stamped in red.
"What is this?"
"This is the badge certifying you as a third-rank manager of the Hao Sect."
"......!"
"Normally, you'd have to pass many tests to receive this. But by the authority of the Lord of Black Blood Hall, I've appointed you directly as manager of the Ansun branch."
"......!"
"If my instincts are correct, you're someone who will make great contributions to the future growth of the Hao Sect."
At Do Unjang's words, Jaseong felt an inexplicable warmth well up inside. He struggled to hide it and accepted the badge of the Hao Sect.
"... Thank you."
"Hyang-I will tell you what you need to know as a third-rank manager: codes, symbols, methods of obtaining funds, and so forth."
"......!"
"Since the Ansun branch hasn't yet received the official seal of the Hao Sect, think of it as a period of apprenticeship. Soon, I'll introduce you to a nearby branch."
"A nearby branch?"
"Yes. There, you'll learn how to grow as a manager of the Hao Sect."
After saying this, Do Unjang straightened his black bamboo hat and left quietly.
Watching his retreating back, Jaseong was filled with a strange feeling.
He did not yet know. That meeting Do Unjang—a true master—would be a fateful turning point that would upend his life completely.
* * *
Exiting the inner hall of Moon Castle Pavilion, Do Unjang muttered to himself.
"Passing through Ansun, I happened to pick up an interesting fellow. The Sect Leader will be pleased...."
A faint smile appeared on Do Unjang's lips.
As he went down to the first floor, Hyang-I—the Hao Sect member and courtesan—greeted him.
Looking at her, Do Unjang's Adam's apple trembled slightly as he sent her a sound transmission.
[Listens closely. I have just appointed that young man, Jaseong, as third-rank manager of the Hao Sect's Ansun branch.]
"......?!"
Of course, Hyang-I's eyes grew wide. She had to fight the instinct to blurt out, "What?!"
[Watch him carefully. Put aside any personal feelings.]
Do Unjang's words were brief. But with that one short phrase, a great many things were implied.
Understanding this, Hyang-I swallowed dryly.
When Do Unjang looked back at the door he had left through, a darkness no one could trust quietly coiled in wait beyond it.