Chapter 105
The head of the Haesa Sect, Kwon Hyo.
He was a figure who had elevated his declining sect to the status of an orthodox sect affiliated with the Martial Alliance, and was treated as a hero in his base region of Jiangxi.
Originally, the Haesa Sect was not a prestigious orthodox sect.
Having grown based on the salt smuggling trade, the Haesa Sect was classified as an unorthodox sect and was once persecuted.
But the current head, Kwon Hyo, had made many donations to the Martial Alliance and had shown his willingness to take the lead in matters of the Jianghu.
Having gained trust, he became a first-class official of the Martial Alliance today.
But.
‘The day to take off the mask of hypocrisy and pretense is not far off! Keke.’
Behind him was the <Asura Blood Cult>, which had now changed its name to the White Lotus Cult.
‘My tedious life as a spy is now over!’
If he completed this mission, the Haesa Sect would be able to reign under the protection of the White Lotus Cult, which would become the master of the world.
His final mission was to ‘poison’ as many of the orthodox masters who formed the axis of the Martial Alliance as possible.
‘You bastards will have no choice but to be deceived. Because I have prepared thoroughly.’
Kwon Hyo knew.
How thorough the so-called prestigious orthodox sects were.
If he was clumsy, he wouldn’t even be able to get a bite.
Therefore, he had prepared a ‘secret plan’ that no one could notice.
Of course, whether that secret plan would be a ‘divine move’ or a futile act remained to be seen.
***
—Martial Alliance, Conference Hall.
“Hoho. You’ve all arrived early. Thank you!”
The vast space felt cramped. Today, a large crowd had gathered in the Martial Alliance conference hall.
Ha Won-sang, who had announced his retirement and was preparing for the golden basin hand-washing ceremony, burst into a hearty laugh as he looked at their faces.
“Alliance Leader! Of course, we had to come. How could we be lazy with the biggest event in the martial world ahead of us?”
“Haha. Isn’t the title of Alliance Leader no longer fitting? Since you’ve retired.”
“Then, let’s unify it as ‘Senior’.”
“Haha!”
“Hahaha!”
Judging by the attitude of the people in the room towards Ha Won-sang, the atmosphere was more harmonious than expected.
With the election of the new Alliance Leader ahead, it was thought that there would be a tense atmosphere as all the candidates were present.
However, since most of them had accepted the election of the Sword Empress as a fait accompli, there was no unnecessary competition or implicit political strife.
Just then.
“By the way, Moyong Family Head. That person is…?”
Ha Won-sang’s gaze fell on an old man he had never seen before, who was sitting with Moyong Baek.
“Senior Ha. This person is currently a guest of our family. He was a friend of my father in the past, and a distinguished guest from Goryeo.”
At Ha Won-sang’s question, Moyong Baek introduced Baek In-hwa.
At the same time, Baek In-hwa also performed a cupped fist salute to the people in the room.
“I am deeply moved to meet the heroes of the Central Plains. This old man is Baek In-hwa, the head of the Udo-bang in Goryeo. I have read the heavenly ki and sensed a bloody calamity in the Jianghu, so I have set foot on the land of the Central Plains.”
For a moment, the gazes of all the people in the room turned to Baek In-hwa.
They were surprised that he was from Goryeo, and even more surprised by his extraordinary appearance, which made it difficult to gauge his depth at a glance. They were even more surprised by his words, ‘a bloody calamity in the Jianghu.’
But that was only for a moment.
Ha Won-sang, with the same polite attitude, performed a cupped fist salute and opened his mouth.
“A friend of the great hero Moyong! Moreover, a person who has come from Goryeo, there is no guest more distinguished than this. I sincerely welcome you to the Central Plains. Also, I will create a place to discuss the matter of the heavenly ki and the bloody calamity of the Jianghu that you mentioned.”
“Thank you for your warm welcome, Alliance Leader Ha.”
“This old man is no longer the Alliance Leader. Soon, the election of a new Alliance Leader will be announced to the world, so I hope you will stay for a long time and share your wisdom and opinions.”
In this way, Ha Won-sang, representing the Orthodox Path, had a friendly conversation with Baek In-hwa.
In the midst of that.
Jegal Hyeok, who was serving as the military strategist of the Martial Alliance, cautiously opened his mouth to Baek In-hwa.
“…Um. Chief Baek.”
“Yes.”
“I am Jegal Hyeok, serving as the military strategist of the Martial Alliance.”
“Oh! A person from the Zhuge family. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I am the one who is moved to meet you. To think that I would meet the legendary head of the Udo-bang. Haha.”
“Compared to the Zhuge family, it’s a drop in the bucket.”
“Not at all. I grew up hearing many anecdotes related to the Udo-bang since I was young. Isn’t the Udo-bang a divine sect that has mastered not only the Book of Changes, exorcism, and martial arts, but also special abilities?”
“I don’t know what to do with such excessive praise.”
“By the way, I have something to ask you.”
“Please feel free to ask.”
“By any chance, wasn’t there a disciple named Gu-yang Seon in the Udo-bang?”
At Jegal Hyeok’s question, Baek In-hwa’s eyes lit up.
“Ah! Young Master Jin also mentioned that. As it happens, I wanted to meet him. Actually, there is a disciple who went to the Central Plains from the Udo-bang, but that disciple’s name is not Gu-yang Seon, but Jeon Woo-chi.”
“Jeon Woo-chi?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm… then let’s meet him once.”
“I would be grateful if you could arrange it.”
“Of course, Chief Baek. I will bring him to the residence assigned to the Moyong family in the evening.”
Baek In-hwa’s expression brightened.
Because he would be able to meet the person named ‘Gu-yang Seon’ that So-ah had mentioned without any setbacks.
Moyong Baek was also relieved.
“Hohohot! That’s great. Anyway, since many famous masters have gathered in the conference hall today, I would like to proceed with the meeting on the matter of the Hero Tournament and the hearing for the Alliance Leader candidates.”
As the situation was settled, Ha Won-sang stepped forward again.
He intended to strike while the iron was hot and settle the matter of the Hero Tournament and the election of the Alliance Leader.
As he was about to perform the golden basin hand-washing ceremony, it was only natural that he would feel at ease once the election of the Alliance Leader and the Hero Tournament were over.
‘Now I can also retire from the front line and spend the rest of my life cultivating the Way and the sword in peace.’
Ha Won-sang was keenly aware of the meaning of the words, ‘the feeling of the world changing.’
***
After about a shichen of meeting, the Martial Alliance had reached a consensus.
The procedures and order of events for this Hero Tournament, which could be said to be the grandest event of the Orthodox Martial Path.
In addition, there were many pending issues, from the hearing for the Alliance Leader candidates, but the reason they were able to reach such a quick conclusion was because.
‘It’s a natural progression for the Sword Empress Hong-ryeon to become the Alliance Leader.’
‘Even if I object, it will be useless. Not only has the Sword Empress’s contribution been considerable, but there is nothing to find fault with.’
‘Not only the former Alliance Leader, but also the Beggars’ Sect Chief of the Elder Council and the Moyong Family are strongly supporting her. Now, all that’s left is for the Emei Sect to gain power!’
No one doubted that the Sword Empress Hong-ryeon would become the Alliance Leader.
If there had been even one competitor, this place would have been filled with arguments.
But the ‘Sword Empress prevailing theory’ was solid, and Ye Jong-do of Huashan, Jong-ryeo of Wudang, Yeong-chun of Kongtong, and Namgung Won of the Namgung Family, who were all on the list of candidates with her, showed no particular signs, so it was a foregone conclusion that the Sword Empress Hong-ryeon would be elected as the Alliance Leader.
In that moment.
“Oh! Great Hero Kwon Hyo!”
Ha Won-sang, seeing Kwon Hyo, the head of the Haesa Sect, entering the conference hall, greeted him with a pleased look.
“Alliance Leader! I’m back.”
“Hoho. I’m not the Alliance Leader anymore.”
“Hahaha. But isn’t it before the new Alliance Leader is elected! You have to act as the acting Alliance Leader, Senior.”
“I will do my best until the very end. By the way, how did the matter you went out for go?”
At Ha Won-sang’s question, the corners of Kwon Hyo’s mouth rose slyly.
In that moment, a faint murderous intent and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, which only Baek In-hwa could detect.
‘A very inauspicious sign!’
Baek In-hwa, looking at Kwon Hyo’s face, sensed that he was fated to die a resentful death, but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to say anything unnecessary.
Just then.
Kwon Hyo, holding out a sword, said.
“This is a famous sword that I had specially commissioned from the head of the No family in Guangzhou. It is a peerless sword that is worthy of symbolizing the new Alliance Leader.”
It turned out that Kwon Hyo had been away from the Martial Alliance for a while to have a sword symbolizing the new Alliance Leader made and transported.
“Oh! Just by looking at it, it’s a great peerless sword.”
“It’s an amazing sword!”
“As expected, the skill of the head of the No family is worthy of being called the best in the Jianghu.”
The people in the room let out exclamations one by one.
The peerless sword that Kwon Hyo had brought had a magnificent appearance that made the hearts of martial artists boil.
—chaeng!
As soon as Ha Won-sang received the sword, he drew it from its scabbard.
In that moment.
‘It’s done!’
Kwon Hyo shouted with joy inwardly.
‘The Alliance Leader candidates, as well as Ha Won-sang and the famous masters of the five great families. In addition, even the Elder Council. At the very least, all of them will be poisoned by the Ten Fragrances Tendon Severing Powder!’
That’s right.
The method Kwon Hyo had chosen was to poison the orthodox martial artists through the air by applying the Ten Fragrances Tendon Severing Powder to the peerless sword.
The method of putting poison in food was outdated.
Among them, the people of the Sichuan Tang Clan would determine the presence of poison before consuming external food, so there was a high probability that even the Ten Fragrances Tendon Severing Powder, which had the characteristics of being colorless, odorless, and tasteless, would be caught.
But if the poison was spread through the air like this, unless one was a great immortal, they would have no choice but to be poisoned.
And…
“The touch of a master is felt. I must thank the head of the No family.”
“When Senior Ha Won-sang was inaugurated as the Alliance Leader, the head of the No family in Guangzhou also presented a leader’s sword. Come to think of it, he must be quite old, but his skills are still the same!”
The people in the room, without even knowing that they were being poisoned, were lost in the shape of the peerless sword.
In the end, Kwon Hyo’s secret plan became a ‘divine move.’
‘Keke. You bastards. Your good days are over!’
His sinister gaze and smile appeared and disappeared like a flash of lightning.
But.
[Family Head. Hold your breath with your ki.]
The moment the leader’s sword was drawn, Baek In-hwa sensed a sinister ki.
But since it was just a hunch and not evidence, and since this was his first time experiencing such a thing, he did not dare to speak out openly, and only sent a warning to Moyong Baek through a telepathic message.
[What’s wrong? Elder!]
Moyong Baek, whose trust in Baek In-hwa was firm, did not raise any objections and, following his instructions, stopped breathing with his ki technique and asked through a telepathic message.
[I’m not sure, but I feel a strange ki in my sixth sense.]
[A strange ki?]
[I can’t be sure. It’s probably just a needless worry. But stop breathing for a moment. There’s no harm in being careful in all things.]
[I will do so.]
Although Moyong Baek was still bewildered, he trusted Baek In-hwa’s ability and decided to look into the matter at an appropriate time.
***
“Haha! Brother. Your lightness skill is amazing. I never thought you would be so fast. There’s no one who can follow me in a race.”
“Kuhaha. Younger Brother! Am I not the leader of the Green Forest Fortress? On the main road, maybe, but in the mountains, it’s the Bow Body Ejection Shadow.”
So-ah and Jang Beon-pal were definitely martial artists with hot hearts.
The two, after leaving Liaoning, had reached the border of Hebei and Shanxi in just two days, a speed that was faster than So-ah’s lightness skill competition with Baek In-hwa.
“Now that we’ve crossed Shanxi, we’re just a stone’s throw away from the Martial Alliance, so we have plenty of time. We can even do some sightseeing on the way, Brother.”
“No. The time is tighter than you think.”
“Why?”
“We have to enter Hebei, not Shanxi.”
“Brother! To get to the Martial Alliance, we have to go through Shanxi.”
“There’s a place to stop by, Younger Brother.”
At Jang Beon-pal’s words, So-ah asked with wide eyes.
“Where?!”
“The place where my younger brother is.”
“Your younger brother is me, right?”
“I mean my biological younger brother.”
“Aha…!”
So-ah let out a long sigh.
Jang Beon-pal’s biological younger brother.
It was none other than Jang Beon-ha, the general fortress lord of the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance, who was renowned as one of the Ten Great Masters of the Unorthodox Path along with Jang Beon-pal.
“Ah! Great Hero Jang Beon-ha is also accompanying you, Brother.”
“That’s right.”
“That’s great. Thanks to you, Brother, I get to meet the famous Great Hero Jang Beon-ha. Haha.”
“Hmm… Younger Brother. There’s something you need to keep in mind before that.”
“What is it?”
“My biological younger brother, Beon-ha, I mean.”
“…”
“He’s my twin. And he’s bigger than me, and his temper is worse than mine.”
For a moment.
‘The older brother is a mountain bandit, and the younger brother is a pirate. And they’re twins with similar names and even tempers? Amazing, amazing. I wonder what their parents were like? Hmph…’
So-ah had that thought and drew an absurd smile.
(End of Chapter)