Chapter 48
「When the benevolent Maitreya comes to the human world… he descends as the Blood God and burns away the filthy and gloomy things of the human world!」
「Those who do not have the mark of the Blood God will be shattered and incinerated before the great Maitreya’s magical power.」
「On the day the world is washed with the blood of the Blood God, light will dawn upon the human world!」
「In the new world created by the Maitreya Blood God, there is no pain, no anguish, no suffering.」
“Ooooh…!”
“O Blood God!”
“Please guide me to the new world!”
A single wisp of madness was present in the roars of the black-robed monk, who was muttering incomprehensible words in front of the altar that gave off a gloomy feeling just by looking at it, and his followers.
“O foolish mortals! Wash away your sins with the holy water of the Maitreya Blood God. Become the proud messengers of the Maitreya Blood God and save your naked and hungry neighbors! Your merits will be rewarded in the new world!”
The black-robed monk spat out in a thunderous voice.
At that, the followers came out one by one in front of the altar.
“Maitreya Blood God, descend!”
“Save us!”
“Wash away our sins!”
They began to smear the red liquid contained in the giant jar placed in front of the altar on their own bodies.
At that, a thick smell of blood vibrated and pierced their noses.
The red liquid was the blood drawn from the slit bellies of living humans.
***
“Kekekeke!”
The white-haired old man, who saw the antics of the fanatics covering themselves in blood from a high pavilion, let out a bizarre laugh.
It was a laugh of a neutral gender, impossible to distinguish whether it was male or female.
But the other old man who was responding to him just curled up the corners of his mouth with an indifferent face.
“Huhu! How is it? Eunuch Han. It has only been half a year since our cult’s proselytizing began. But we have created such loyal followers, so isn’t it okay to trust us now?”
The old man was one of the Twin Demon Geezers, the Left Heavenly Demon Saber, Go Eung, and the one who was letting out a neutral laugh was the master of the Eastern Depot, the second largest armed force in the imperial palace, Eunuch Han.
The Eastern Depot, led by Eunuch Han, was a truly omnipotent power group.
‘Among those who were captured by the Eastern Depot, no one survived!’
This saying was considered a golden rule in the Jianghu, so no one questioned the skills of the Eastern Depot.
“Keke. It’s truly amazing. To be honest, I didn’t believe your words just a few years ago. I couldn’t have thought that you, who were destroyed by mere Orthodox Path weaklings, would regain your strength so quickly.”
“Hehe, such a thing will never happen again. Our cult is currently occupying the Unorthodox Path and has planted spies in the Martial Alliance. Not only that, but the restoration of the ten great demons, including the Ghost Demon Jiangshi, is also in its final stages, so isn’t it obvious that the world will fall into our hands?”
“It must proceed without a hitch. Cautiously. Secretly and without obstruction. It will be troublesome if things go wrong and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult or the Martial Alliance catches our tail.”
“Leave the affairs of the Jianghu to our cult, and Eunuch Han, just keep the imperial family and the court in check.”
“That is not an easy task either. The emperor is just a senile old man, but his brothers, the princes, and the current princes are intelligent. Also, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is always keeping the Eastern Depot in check, so we are in a situation where we need more manpower and funds.”
“Keke, Eunuch Han. You are too greedy.”
“Keke! Isn’t that greed what made me who I am today?”
“Alright. Our cult will become a strong source of funds for the Eastern Depot, so you must take charge of the imperial family and the court.”
“As expected, Mr. Go is magnanimous, keke. By the way, what happened to the urgent matter I requested?”
“You mean the matter of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?”
“That’s right.”
“That is a truly difficult matter. We are looking into it in every way, so please wait a little longer.”
“Hmm…”
“The Nine Yin Severed Meridians is a serious condition. As far as I know, the only person who can control the cold ki while suffering from it is Abbess Hong-ryeon of the Emei Sect. But we can’t just kidnap her, can we?”
“Hah… the final completion of the Sunflower Manual can only be achieved by someone born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians! It is deplorable that I have the number one divine skill in the world in my hands but cannot complete it!”
“Is the Sunflower Manual that outstanding of a martial art?”
“What do you think if you compare me and you, Great Hero Go?”
“I don’t know for sure how much your martial arts are, Eunuch Han, but I can’t be sure of my victory.”
“And I have only achieved the 7th star of the Sunflower Manual. If a person who has achieved the 12th star of the Sunflower Manual appears, would that be a person or a god?”
“It must be a truly amazing peerless divine skill.”
“Mr. Go… you must find a person who was born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians but has not been eroded by the cold ki. If we can make such a person our ally, it will be a great help to our grand plan.”
“I will do my best.”
“In the worst case, we must complete the 12th star of the Sunflower Manual even if it means kidnapping Abbess Hong-ryeon. That’s how much the Sunflower Manual is the strongest peerless art that cannot be buried like this.”
“Hehe, Eunuch Han! Although Abbess Hong-ryeon is a woman, she is a person like a vicious demon. Even if you kidnap that vicious old woman, do you think you can control her?”
“Keke! You’re right. Who could control such a fierce woman? I misspoke.”
“At the next meeting, my sworn brother, the Right Heavenly Demon Sword, Vice Cult Leader No Yeong-myeong, will step forward.”
“Then let’s meet again, Mr. Go.”
***
—Moyong Family.
‘My goodness…’
‘This is too terrible.’
‘Shouldn’t we stop them?!’
The people of the Moyong Family couldn’t help but be astonished.
The Moyong family’s traditional martial arts, passed down from generation to generation, such as the Heaven and Earth Hundred Severing Sword Resolution and the Flashing Light Dividing Clouds Sword, were noble and elegant sword techniques, so the training method also followed a disciplined and refined traditional method.
But currently, So-ah’s teaching method for Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su was destroying common sense.
It was questionable whether such a training method even existed, and moreover, whether a human could endure it for a long time.
But So-ah, without paying any attention to the gazes of the crowd, pushed Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su even harder.
—Thwack-thwack, thwack-thwack-thwack!
As So-ah’s club swept across the entire bodies of Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su, a sharp hitting sound erupted.
“Honey… is that really the training method of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts?”
Yeon So-so, unable to watch her precious daughter being threshed, squeezed her eyes shut and asked.
“I haven’t learned the Ten-Second Invincible Arts, so how would I know? But I can clearly see why my father didn’t pass down the Ten-Second Invincible Arts to anyone in the family. How can one pass down such a harsh training to their own flesh and blood?”
“Hwa-ah or Su-ah… will they be okay? Shouldn’t we stop them now? It would be better to just diligently learn the family’s traditional martial arts…”
“No.”
Moyong Baek cut off Yeon So-so’s words.
“Honey…”
“Even if it’s painful, they have to endure. Have you already forgotten the public sentiment of the Jianghu that was cutting down our family not long after my father passed away? Although I was an incompetent family head who relied on my father, the future generations should not be like that, should they?”
“Honey…”
“Let’s trust So-ah. Anyway, So-ah is the person who will lead the Moyong Family in the future. The setting sun should not cover the rising sun. For now, we have no choice but to trust So-ah.”
Yeon So-so, seeing Moyong Baek’s determined gaze, finally nodded her head.
“End of threshing training.”
“Hoo-ah…”
“Gasp… gasp…”
“I’ve boiled the medicinal water, so each of you take a bath and come to the pharmacy. After the massage and healing arts, and after the stamina training, we will start the basic fist technique training from tonight.”
At So-ah’s words, Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su’s eyes widened.
“Fist techniiiique?”
“Basics?!”
“I told you. From today, we will start learning the Ten-Second Invincible Arts in earnest. Now that your stamina and body are somewhat strengthened, we will train in the basic fist technique and the Great Whale Heart Law.”
At the words ‘Ten-Second Invincible Arts’, Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su felt a sense of profound change.
‘That’s right! From now on, I’m going to learn martial arts properly.’
‘Someday, like Senior Brother… no, if I can achieve even a tenth of what Senior Brother has!’
The two, as if they had forgotten all about the pain, quickly moved their steps to soak their bodies in the medicinal water.
Before they knew it, the desire to become stronger had surpassed the agonizing pain of the hellish training for the two of them.
***
A few days later.
So-ah, after finishing his guidance as usual, climbed the mountain with Huin-dung-i.
When he sat in the lotus position under the moonlight and fell into meditation, So-ah would often think of one person.
‘What if it were now? Could I face him?’
The person So-ah thought of was the one who had tried to kill him here five years ago, one of the Twin Demon Geezers. The Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong.
‘It’s impossible. That person was really not human. To defeat such a great demon without shedding blood, one must become a master comparable to my grandfather or Grandpa Wi-ji!’
So-ah clenched his fist.
The first defeat of his life.
Although it was something he had experienced at the young age of fifteen, that defeat still weighed heavily on his heart.
‘I must not stop. I must never be defeated again.’
He closed his eyes again.
The sword path of the Heaven-Shattering Demon Emperor Sword that No Yeong-myeong had performed was still vivid in his mind.
So-ah was lost in a virtual duel with No Yeong-myeong for a while, with his eyes closed.
The clash of a sword and a fist.
The clash of a sword and a kick.
The clash of a sword and a palm.
As the clash in his head continued, cold sweat trickled down his entire body.
‘I’m… still far from it.’
Just as he was thinking that and blaming himself, Huin-dung-i, before he knew it, rested his chin on So-ah’s knee and slowly fell asleep.
In this way, the meditation continued without stopping until dawn.
***
After the morning training…
“Senior Brother, Father is looking for you.”
“Really? Alright. I’ll go to the family head’s office.”
While taking a short break, So-ah got up at Moyong Baek’s call and headed to the family head’s office.
As he entered the family head’s office, a middle-aged man he had never seen before was seated with Moyong Baek.
So-ah glanced at him and then performed a cupped fist salute to Moyong Baek.
“Uncle, you were looking for me?”
“Yes, So-ah. I called you because there is someone I want to introduce to you.”
“Aha.”
“Please greet him, Chief Jang. This young man is the first external disciple of our family, Jin So-ah. So-ah, you should also greet him. This is Chief Jang, the head of the Liaoning Escort Agency.”
“Aha! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I have heard a lot about Young Master Jin’s fame, and it is a true honor to meet you like this. I am Jang Hui-gwon of the Liaoning Escort Agency.”
“The honor is all mine. My name is Jin So-ah.”
The two greeted each other politely.
Chief Jang had heard countless stories of So-ah’s heroic deeds, so he naturally felt a sense of respect, and So-ah, knowing that the Liaoning Escort Agency had been sponsoring the Moyong Family for the past several decades, showed his respect.
“Family Head!”
“Please speak comfortably, Chief Jang.”
“The reason I have taken the liberty of visiting you today, Family Head, is because I have something urgent to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Last night, our escort agency was threatened.”
Moyong Baek’s eyes widened at Chief Jang’s words.
“The Liaoning Escort Agency is like a family to our family. Who would dare to threaten you?”
“It is the North Sea Ice Palace.”
“What did you say? Did you say the North Sea Ice Palace?”
“That’s right…”
Chief Jang lowered his head and spat out weakly.
Although the Liaoning Escort Agency was a large escort agency under the protection of the Moyong Family, it could not be compared to the North Sea Ice Palace, which was considered the best among the martial arts sects outside the pass.
A threat from such a North Sea Ice Palace was no different from a death sentence from King Yama.
“Why on earth would the North Sea Ice Palace threaten the Liaoning Escort Agency?”
“To explain briefly, a few months ago, we received a request from the North Sea Ice Palace. It was to transport the North Sea Ice Palace’s treasure, the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade, to Qinghai. But during the transport, the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade was stolen.”
“Chief Jang! For a request of that magnitude, all the members of the escort agency must have been dispatched. How could it be stolen? Was the Green Forest’s general chief involved?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“It was the people of the Great Desert, the Mad Wind Sand.”
“Aha…”
A look of concern appeared on Moyong Baek’s face.
The North Sea Ice Palace and the Great Desert, the Mad Wind Sand.
Since both places were martial arts sects outside the pass that could not be ignored, this matter was a considerable challenge.
“Family Head. What should we do about this?”
“Hmm… first, let’s discuss it and ask the Martial Alliance for help.”
Just then.
So-ah, who had been silent, opened his mouth.
“Uncle.”
“Yes, So-ah.”
“I will solve that matter.”
(End of Chapter)