Kang Sogun

The next day.

Early in the morning, Yeon Hwasim climbed the hill.

Yeon Hwasim hesitated for a long time in front of the thatched hut. No sound of human presence came from inside the hut.

"Great Warrior Kang!"

Yeon Hwasim, who had been biting her lip, finally made up her mind and called out to Kang Sogun.

Creak.

The door of the thatched hut opened, and Kang Sogun appeared.

His face was pale, and his eyes were red. Yeon Hwasim, reminded of Cheoludae's words about a killing demon, felt her heart tremble without realizing it.

"What is it?"

Kang Sogun spoke as if he were seeing her for the first time today.

Yeon Hwasim mustered her courage.

"May I come in and talk?"

When Kang Sogun said nothing, Yeon Hwasim took courage and went inside. It was the thatched hut she had stayed in until yesterday, so it was familiar to her.

In the space used as a living room, there was a crude wooden table.

Yeon Hwasim held out what she was holding in her hand.

It was a square box wrapped in silk.

"This is a treasured dagger that has been passed down for generations."

When Yeon Hwasim unwrapped the silk, a long wooden box was revealed, and when she opened the wooden box, a small dagger appeared.

The blade looked sharp, and a red jade was embedded in the hilt.

At a glance, it looked precious.

"!"

Yeon Hwasim felt the air turn cold for a moment.

Kang Sogun's eyes changed when he saw the dagger.

Yeon Hwasim, unaware of this fact, only said what she had to say.

"A worldly object like this probably won't catch your eye, Great Warrior. But I couldn't come empty-handed, so I brought it."

Yeon Hwasim continued with a desperate face.

"The Heavenly Martial Faction is trying to swallow our Three Blade Sect. They used marriage as a pretext, but their intentions are obvious."

Yeon Hwasim's chest was full, and she would stop talking, sigh, and then continue again.

"Now that Gu Yangun is dead, they will surely come with force."

Yeon Hwasim trembled without realizing it as she remembered Gu Yangun's death. She didn't know that this world and the next were so close.

"Now we have no choice but to fight to the death."

"..."

Yeon Hwasim realized that she was the only one talking.

Kang Sogun was just looking at the red jade dagger without a word.

"What's wrong?"

Only then did Yeon Hwasim realize that the atmosphere was strange and asked, but Kang Sogun said nothing.

He was just sitting there like a stone statue.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Yeon Hwasim felt like she was suffocating in Kang Sogun's silence.

"Yesterday, you asked why you should help. I don't know the reason either. I just came to find you, believing that you would help. Of course, I know well that it was just my own delusion. But since I came all this way, I wanted to ask you formally."

Even as she spoke, Yeon Hwasim felt that her request was unreasonable.

Still, after she finished speaking, she felt relieved.

She stood up and said.

"I brought the dagger anyway, so I want to give it to you as a token of my gratitude for saving my life yesterday."

As soon as Yeon Hwasim finished speaking, she stood up and left the thatched hut.

She was afraid that Kang Sogun would refuse even that.

Kang Sogun did not stop Yeon Hwasim.

***

On the day the autumn leaves dyed the foot of Mount Heavenly Martial, Gu Yangun's body returned.

Gu Yeongang, one of the Ten Great Masters and the master of the Heavenly Martial Faction, was furious.

It was the death of his cherished youngest son.

At his anger, everyone in the Heavenly Martial Faction held their breath.

The first young master, Gu Yangjo, who had been on an expedition, received the urgent news and hurriedly returned.

"What happened? The youngest is dead?"

Gu Yangjo asked the chief steward who came out to meet him.

Gu Yangjo was tall and well-built, but his gentle nature earned him the deep trust of the people of the Heavenly Martial Faction.

The complexion of the Heavenly Martial Faction's chief steward, Wu Seungjeong, was dark.

"He encountered a master while chasing the daughter of the Three Blade Sect. About twenty Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors were killed on the spot."

"Where was Unsal?"

Heaven, Earth, Wind, and Cloud.

They were the four masters who guarded the Heavenly Martial Faction Master, Gu Yeongang, and his children in the shadows.

If Unsal had been there, he would have been able to escape no matter how skilled the opponent was.

"Coincidentally, Unsal was handling another matter on the Third Young Master's orders."

Gu Yangun had ordered Unsal to watch the Crimson Dusk. He had not thought that there would be anyone in Yueyang who would dare to harm him.

Gu Yangjo immediately headed for the inner court.

After seeing his son's body, Gu Yeongang had been in seclusion for several days.

The area around the pavilion where Gu Yeongang was staying was covered in a suffocating killing intent.

"Father, your son has returned."

"Come in."

Gu Yeongang was sitting alone in a chair in the living room. The tea on the table had long since gone cold.

"Who is it? The one who dared to harm a direct descendant of the Heavenly Martial Faction."

Gu Yangjo asked after paying his respects.

Gu Yeongang had a strong physique despite being in his late fifties.

One of the Ten Great Masters of the world.

He was the one who had built the Heavenly Martial Faction, one of the Four Great Powers of the world that vied for supremacy in the current era, with a single heavy sword.

There were not many people who could receive his gaze directly.

Gu Yangjo was also always cautious of his father.

"I don't know."

"I heard that Bang Geon was leading the Heaven's Mandate Brigade."

"He said he didn't know either."

"Where is Bang Geon?"

"I threw him in prison. I will hold him accountable with death."

"Death? What crime did Bang Geon commit?"

"He was the one who just stood by and watched while Un-ah died in front of him. A peaceful death is more than he deserves."

Gu Yeongang's tone was firm.

Gu Yangjo wanted to stop him, but Gu Yeongang's anger was too great.

Gu Yeongang drank the cold tea.

Gu Yeongang was suppressing his anger.

He was the giant who had raised the Heavenly Martial Faction to be one of the Four Great Powers of the world. He was confining himself so that he would not make a rash decision swept away by the emotion of anger.

"Son, I will look into the details further."

"Alright."

Gu Yeongang only said a short word.

Gu Yangjo silently paid his respects and left Gu Yeongang's residence.

As Gu Yangjo was heading to his own residence, a person was waiting for him on the path.

"It's been a while, brother."

It was Gu Yeongang's second son, Gu Yangsu. The two went to a pavilion by a nearby pond.

"To think the third one would leave so in vain. If I had known this would happen, I would have treated him better."

Gu Yangjo felt complicated as he thought of Gu Yangun.

There was a big age gap, so they had rarely spent time together.

Gu Yangjo had been traversing the martial world as the main force of the Heavenly Martial Faction from an early age, so he did not have many days to stay in the faction.

"It's actually a good thing for you, brother. Isn't it?"

At Gu Yangsu's words, Gu Yangjo frowned.

"What on earth are you talking about? The youngest dying a violent death is a good thing for me?"

"Honestly, isn't it? You couldn't have been unaware that father's heart was with Un-ah, brother?"

Gu Yeongang cherished Gu Yangun, whom he had late in life.

Gu Yangjo and Gu Yangsu were the children of his deceased first wife, and Gu Yangun was the son of his current wife, Madam Ma.

"Don't say such things! Even if our mothers are different, we are of the same blood. What on earth are you... let's stop."

Gu Yangjo stopped himself from speaking. Gu Yangjo was more wary of his full brother, Gu Yangsu, than his half-brother, Gu Yangun.

There was something gloomy about Gu Yangsu.

Gu Yangsu had no talent for martial arts. As a direct descendant of the Heavenly Martial Faction, he was called a master, but it was not enough to please Gu Yeongang.

"I'm telling the truth. If he had lived, the successor of the Heavenly Martial Faction would have been Yangun."

"I have no interest in being the successor of the Heavenly Martial Faction. If you really want it, you can have it. Don't ever say such things in front of me again."

Gu Yangjo turned around. Gu Yangsu's gaze as he watched Gu Yangjo's back was gloomy.

***

A few days later, the key figures of the faction gathered in the main hall of the Heavenly Martial Faction.

"We must avenge the Third Young Master."

Someone shouted, and everyone agreed.

"What do you think?"

Gu Yeongang asked his eldest son, Gu Yangjo, who was silent.

"After the death of the Yocheon Pavilion Master, the Hunan martial world is divided. Fights between sects are already breaking out here and there. Sooner or later, the aftermath will reach us."

Gu Yeongang had asked about Gu Yangun's death, but Gu Yangjo brought up the situation in the martial world.

"Even though the Pavilion Master is dead, the power of the Yocheon Pavilion remains. We must solidify our dominance in the Hubei martial world and absorb the power of the Yocheon Pavilion. The movements of the Dragon Slaying Society and the Great Righteous Martial School are also unusual. The future landscape of the martial world will change depending on which of the Four Great Powers obtains the remaining power of the Yocheon Pavilion."

Gu Yangun looked around at the leaders of the Heavenly Martial Faction sitting in the main hall and continued.

"The one who did that to Yangun must pay the price. However, the situation in the martial world is changing rapidly right now. We must take this into account."

Gu Yangjo stood up from his seat and cupped his fists in a salute to Gu Yeongang, who was sitting in the grand master's chair.

"Father. We must devise a plan to deal with both Un-ah's revenge and the division of the Hunan martial world at the same time."

Gu Yangjo's logic was plausible at first glance, but it was disappointing for Gu Yeongang to hear.

It was said that he had killed Gu Yangun and about twenty Heaven's Mandate Brigade warriors in an instant.

It meant he was a supreme master.

To catch one supreme master, one must endure considerable damage.

Gu Yangjo was asking for a plan to proceed with both at the same time, but in fact, he meant to postpone the revenge for later.

A heated debate ensued.

Gu Yeongang, who had been listening for a while, stood up from his seat.

"Yangjo! I will give you the Light Heaven Brigade, the Wind Cloud Brigade, and the Bloody Tears Brigade. Take over the Hunan martial world."

The audience was as quiet as a dead mouse.

The three brigades, the Light Heaven Brigade, the Wind Cloud Brigade, and the Bloody Tears Brigade, were a force equivalent to a quarter of the Heavenly Martial Faction's military power.

"I will take care of Un-ah's revenge myself. A father must avenge his son."

Killing intent poured out of Gu Yeongang's eyes.

***

"Shouldn't you go back? The Sect Master must be very worried."

Jungrang could not understand Yeon Hwasim's thoughts.

Even though Kang Sogun had clearly refused, Yeon Hwasim stayed at White Dragon Temple.

He knew her stubbornness well because he had watched her since she was young. But this was not something that could be solved by being stubborn.

'He accepted the red jade dagger. Doesn't that mean he has some intention?'

Yeon Hwasim harbored a sliver of hope.

"Just wait a few more days."

As Yeon Hwasim shook her head.

Boom!

An explosion was heard from the direction of Kang Sogun's thatched hut.

Jungrang jumped up.

It was the sound of an explosion from the clash of internal energy.

It meant that a fight between masters was taking place.

Jungrang grabbed his sword.

"Don't come out."

"No. I have to go too."

When they went outside, the monks of White Dragon Temple were out, murmuring and looking towards the hill.

"Could it be that the Heavenly Martial Faction has come already?"

Yeon Hwasim asked Jungrang, unable to hide her anxious expression.

"I don't think so."

It was still too early for the Heavenly Martial Faction to come.

Jungrang and Yeon Hwasim headed for the thatched hut on the hill.

Clang!

Boom!

The sound of weapons and energy clashing was heard one after another.

In the open space in front of the thatched hut, Kang Sogun was fighting with three people.

The three men in battle robes were all middle-aged and used sabers.

Kang Sogun was fighting with the red jade dagger he had received from Yeon Hwasim.

"Who are those people?"

The fight between the four was so fierce that the area around the thatched hut was devastated.

One wall of the thatched hut had half collapsed.

The combined attack of the three was very outstanding. The sabers the three used looked long, but upon closer inspection, it was because a hazy energy about a foot long was extending from the tip of the saber.

"Saber energy?"

Jungrang muttered without realizing it. Three masters who could use saber energy, and they were attacking one person.

Kang Sogun was fighting them without being pushed back.

'There are really many masters in the world.'

Jungrang had once roamed the world. Nevertheless, he had never seen such masters.

Kang Sogun minimized his movements and avoided the flying saber energy.

"Die!"

The man attacking from the front, as if trying to make a decisive move, threw himself and swung his saber.

Dozens of strands of saber qi and energy mixed and poured towards Kang Sogun.

Since his escape routes were blocked from both sides, Kang Sogun had no choice but to face it head-on.

Boom

(End of Chapter)