Chapter 262: Alliance (3)
A letter saying not to mess around and to manage your household well.
And another saying I’ll be targeted again, so try surviving one more time.
Though we didn’t receive them under ordinary circumstances, the letters I and the Murim Alliance Leader received ultimately carried the same message:
There’s a spy within the Murim Alliance, and that spy is after my head.
Whether I was the target from the beginning, or I’ve simply ended up in the crosshairs — I don’t know.
Either way, what I have to do doesn’t really change.
Hoo...
Haa...
Sigh...
Only sighs echoed in the silence. Well, from the perspective of martial artists of the orthodox faction, it wouldn’t be easy to take such a warning about the Murim Alliance lightly. In other words, as someone from the unorthodox side — the master of the Black Lotus Sect didn’t seem too concerned, merely shrugging his shoulders.
“Oh dear. Let me express my condolences in advance.”
“Black Lotus Sect Master, aren’t you being a bit too flippant just because this doesn’t concern you directly? This is a matter involving many lives.”
The Murim Alliance Leader frowned. He didn’t raise his aura, likely because of his promise with Master Jeong Hyeon, but his tone was sharp enough.
Of course, the Black Lotus Sect Master wasn’t one to be intimidated by such things.
“It’s not my matter, so why wouldn’t I speak lightly of it? Have you already forgotten the Black Lotus Sect has been through something similar before? …Ah, unless you’re asking for help from the Black Lotus, in which case I’d prefer if you offered the price up front.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
The Black Lotus Sect Master smirked, lifting the corner of his mouth. The Murim Alliance Leader started to say something, then quietly shook his head.
He’d resolved not to quarrel pointlessly with the Black Lotus Sect, but it also showed he wasn’t exactly comfortable receiving help either.
After a short chuckle, the Black Lotus Sect Master turned slightly toward me and let out a soft laugh.
“Well, I don’t really care what happens to the Murim Alliance, but the Bright Moon Sword Lord is a different story.”
“You mean me?”
“Yes. From what I’ve seen, the Heavenly Demon seems to have quite the obsession with you.”
“Indeed. Thanks to that, I’ve found myself in quite the predicament.”
“As I said before, I won’t pry into the details. However, I’d like to know — what do you think the Heavenly Demon wants from you? Even a hunch will do.”
“There is one thing that comes to mind.”
All eyes focused on me. I gave a wry smile and slowly opened my mouth.
“I believe the Heavenly Demon wants me to become stronger.”
“Come to think of it, didn’t he say before that if you could reach him, he’d retreat?”
Namgung Dowi spoke as if he had come to a realization, and I nodded, adding what I had deduced from the most recent battle.
“Yes. And the King of Assassins was also a very compatible opponent for me. He was clearly stronger than me, but he was at a level I could reach with just a bit more growth.”
“I see. So, he was the perfect match for someone like you who has only recently stepped into the Flowering Stage. Now that you mention it, the Sword Ghost felt similar, didn’t he?”
“Yes. The Sword Ghost had forcibly entered the Flowering Stage through the demonic martial art, the ‘Saehan Grand Art’.”
That’s why he was just right — not only was he a compatible opponent, but he also had martial arts opposite to mine. To defeat him, I had to reorganize everything I had built until now.
Those listening began to wear expressions that said they couldn’t quite understand.
“What’s the point of making your enemy stronger...?”
“Well, the Alliance Leader knows, doesn’t he? Everyone who reaches the Flowering Stage has lost a bit of their mind.”
“Heh. So the Heavenly Demon is just another lunatic, is that what you’re saying, Poison King? Your refusal to suspect your son-in-law of anything... very admirable. Ah, but this one has no interest in what secrets the Bright Moon Sword Lord may have.”
“Let’s not go too far, Black Lotus Sect Master. We all agreed there would be no bloodshed here. Why keep stirring things up?”
“Amitabha…”
At Master Jeong Hyeon’s words, the Black Lotus Sect Master scratched his neck awkwardly and shut his mouth.
A brief silence followed, and then the Murim Alliance Leader nodded and spoke.
“In any case, I understand the situation now. Though it’s unpleasant to feel like we’re being toyed with by the Heavenly Demon, we can’t just sit back and watch. The Murim Alliance will establish its own countermeasures. And on that note…”
He paused briefly and looked in my direction.
“Bright Moon Sword Lord, would you be willing to stay at the Murim Alliance for a while?”
“Alliance Leader! What are you saying?! Are you suggesting using the Tang Family’s son-in-law as bait?!”
Tang Jincheon immediately shot up from his seat in anger. I quickly stood up and gently held his arm.
“It’s fine, Father-in-law. The Heavenly Demon has shown interest in me from the start. Even if I wanted to be bait, I already am.”
“But...”
“If something does happen, we’ll be in a better position to receive the Murim Alliance’s support. Wouldn’t that make things safer? That’s what the Alliance Leader meant, correct?”
I glanced at the Murim Alliance Leader, who hurriedly nodded.
“The Bright Moon Sword Lord is right. Since we’re in the Central Plains, not the Demonic Cult’s territory, staying together instead of spreading out is the better strategy.”
Tang Jincheon let out a short sigh and replied.
“Understood. In that case, I’d also like to stay at the Murim Alliance for a while. Is that alright?”
“Of course! How could I refuse help from the Poison King himself?”
Only after receiving that confirmation did Tang Jincheon sit back down.
More conversations followed, but most of them were of relatively minor importance.
After that, the slightly subdued meeting began to wrap up. As everyone slowly started to rise from their seats...
Tang Jincheon suddenly turned to Master Jeong Hyeon as if he had remembered something.
“This is unrelated to the current matter, but I have a request for you, Master. May I have a moment of your time?”
“Hmm? Of course. Poison King, would you stay a bit longer in this room? Once the others leave, we can speak freely.”
I had a good idea what this would be about. Since Tang Jincheon said he wanted to seek Shaolin’s help regarding my mental restriction, this must be it.
The Black Lotus Sect Master and Sama Yuryeon seemed curious about our discussion but ultimately left after a simple farewell without asking.
The Murim Alliance Leader, too, prepared to leave with a nod — but just as he stepped over the threshold, he paused briefly, glanced toward Master Jeong Hyeon, then exited the room.
Now, only our group and Master Jeong Hyeon remained. A sound-sealing barrier was deployed to prevent any leaks of conversation.
“Did you just send a sound transmission to the Alliance Leader?”
“I spoke a little about the Heaven-Slaughter Star. Originally, I was going to raise the matter here, but since you brought up another topic first, I had to delay it.”
“Oh.”
As I looked slightly apologetic, Master Jeong Hyeon let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha. It’s fine. I’ll visit him early tomorrow. Old men like us barely sleep anyway, so it’s nothing.”
“Thank you.”
“No need for such thanks. But tell me, what matter could you be discussing that your expressions are so mixed?”
While Tang Jincheon, Tang Sowol, and I wore serious expressions, Seol Lihyang and Seo Mun-Hwarin (Seorin) looked completely confused.
Well, it made sense. We hadn’t explained it to them yet.
Since I couldn’t say it myself due to the restriction, Tang Jincheon stepped up.
“There’s a mental restriction we’re trying to remove, but it seems beyond the Tang Clan’s power, so we’ve come seeking your help.”
“A restriction?”
“My son-in-law has a particularly severe restriction upon him. It concerns the Heavenly Demon.”
He had misunderstood a bit — believing the restriction reacted to information about the Heavenly Demon, rather than the return — but aside from that, Tang Jincheon had grasped most of the picture, and he explained succinctly.
After hearing everything, Master Jeong Hyeon placed his hand on my arm and asked,
“May I channel my internal energy for a moment?”
“Of course.”
He focused for quite some time, but soon after, he let out a deep sigh and muttered in frustration.
“Hoo... Had I not been told there was a restriction, I wouldn’t even have known it existed. I’ve heard of such things, but this is beyond comprehension. Let me ask again — is this a restriction that can’t be broken even with willpower? Or is it...?”
“I can’t say more — that much is part of the restriction. But yes, even willpower doesn’t reach it.”
Master Jeong Hyeon muttered, falling deep into thought. It seemed this was beyond what even he had expected.
I couldn’t say it aloud due to the restriction, but it wasn’t that it couldn’t be broken by willpower — it was that the restriction existed on a level beyond where willpower could even reach.
Now that it was clear this wasn’t a normal restriction, it was time to get to the point.
“I heard from Master Gakjeong that Shaolin holds many secret arts — not often used, but kept nonetheless.”
“There’s no point hiding it from you, Bright Moon Sword Lord. You’ve already worked with my master to suppress the killing aura of the Heaven-Slaughter Star, so you must’ve seen various things. Yes. Shaolin possesses many esoteric techniques using dharma tools or mantras, not martial arts.”
“I knew it...!”
If all went well, we might be able to weaken or bypass the restriction without relying on the Heavenly Demon.
Naturally, the one who knows everything for sure would be the Heavenly Demon, but I’m not about to obediently let myself be used as a pawn just because of that.
“I appreciate your hope, but I can’t promise anything.”
“Pardon?”
“Esoteric methods of the Esoteric Buddhism have become semi-taboo in this era. At least, as the head of Shaolin, I cannot openly study or practice them. I’ll have to look into it separately.”
“Ah... I understand.”
Compared to Daoist sects where sorcery has waned as users diminished, the esoteric techniques still held considerable power. I had seen them first-hand during the sealing of Heaven-Slaughter Star’s aura, and far off in Potala Palace, they were still the main force of their tradition.
However, Esoteric Buddhist spells had one fatal flaw — they easily led practitioners into inner demons.
“To perform martial arts, you need internal energy. To perform spells, you need spiritual power — which is a branch of willpower.”
“Like killing aura?”
“Similar, but a bit more complex in use. Let me ask you — what would happen if a martial artist constantly emitted killing aura every time they drew their sword?”
“They’d fall into deviation nine times out of ten.”
“I’m not talking about you, I mean an average martial artist.”
Master Jeong Hyeon gave a dry laugh, and I smiled and answered.
“They’d almost certainly fall into qi deviation.”
“Exactly. Spiritual power is the same. Used for righteous purposes, it causes no issues and can help one grow. But the moment it’s used to fight or harm, the risk of inner demons grows stronger. Unless you overcome it with unshakable resolve…”
“Which is far easier said than done. Especially if one is handling more spiritual power than killing aura — the risk is enormous.”
“Right. That’s why it was banned. Too many Buddhist disciples strayed from Buddha’s teachings and succumbed to demonic influence.”
Come to think of it, Master Gakjeong once said that Potala Palace had become too immersed in Esoteric Buddhism and strayed from the Buddhist path.
In that sense, Shaolin’s decision to ban it had been the right one.
“Anyway, I’ll look into it. But don’t get your hopes up too high. There might be no solution, or the technique may exist, but no one left who can perform it.”
“That’s more than enough.”
“Understood. First, we need to properly identify the nature of the restriction placed on you. I’ll let you know when I’m ready, so rest easy until then.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I gave Master Jeong Hyeon a deep bow and left the room.
The cool night breeze greeted me, and immediately, Seol Lihyang and Seo Mun-Hwarin bombarded me with worried questions, as if holding them back until now.
“Cheon Hwi! What’s this about a restriction?! It’s not dangerous, right? You’re not hurt or anything?!”
“Who in the world dared place a restriction on you?! Even if Shaolin can’t remove it, don’t worry. If I take them down, wouldn’t the restriction be lifted?!”
“It’s fine. And it’s not causing any immediate harm, so don’t worry.”
Since this conversation involved the restriction, I couldn’t say much, but this much was alright.
Still, maybe because I couldn’t fully explain, the conversation started drifting in a weird direction.
“Th-then… Cheon Hwi, is the reason you do Qi Circulation Dual Cultivation so, um… lewdly… I mean, strangely — is that because of the restriction?”
“Now that you mention it, you were oddly skilled at caressing and teasing me… Is that also because of the restriction…?”
Slightly off, but not entirely wrong. I fell silent unnaturally, and the two of them exchanged glances and nodded.
Then Seol Lihyang and Seo Mun-Hwarin both rose on tiptoe and brought their lips to each of my ears.
And whispered in unison.
“You said it’s not dangerous, right? Then… maybe it’s fine to just live with the restriction…?”
“Th-this one thinks... even with it, you’re perfect as you are...”
Everyone's heads are clearly full of impure thoughts.
It seems I’m the only sane person left here.