Scholar Demon Venerable

It seemed he had taken a spot, bathed, and done his laundry before the people of the Jintian Escort Agency arrived.

It was their own fault for not looking around carefully, but that wasn't the important thing.

"You son of a b*tch! How dare you do laundry here!"

It was a shout so loud that it drowned out the sound of the waterfall. With internal energy infused, the sound was even more magnificent.

"I'm sorry about this. I didn't know you had come because of the sound of the waterfall."

The man was Cheongun. He was washing his dirty body and doing his laundry after several days of training and sparring. It was not just the sound of the waterfall, but he had been so deep in thought about martial arts moves that he hadn't even known they had come.

[Tsk tsk. This is a big problem, a big problem.]

The Blood Emperor, who was next to him, scolded Cheongun for not noticing until dozens of men had approached. He himself hadn't told Cheongun because it wasn't a big deal.

Cheongun dipped the shirt he hadn't yet rinsed into the water with a splash and took it out. Then he rolled it up, squeezed it tight, and shook it out in the air.

Originally, he should have spread it on a rock to dry, but since people were watching, he just put it on.

A cold sensation was transmitted to his skin. He wanted to quickly leave the place because of the menacing momentum of the Jintian Escort Agency people.

He was about to pick up his untied bundle and turn around when a sharp momentum was transmitted to his back.

Cheongun twisted his upper body to the side and spun around.

A man with a fierce face was holding up his sword.

"How dare you try to sneak away without even apologizing?"

"I just apologized, didn't I?"

"You bastard, if you don't go over there and apologize politely, you'll be in big trouble."

At the man's words, Cheongun's brow twitched.

Even a bolt from the blue has its limits. All he had done was laundry. But when he was threatened, his refreshed mood from the bath soured.

"Brother. Your words are excessive. I have already asked for your understanding, so don't threaten me further."

"Haha. What a reckless fool. It seems you need a good lesson to come to your senses."

With his words, the man's long sword quickly cut through the air diagonally, aiming for Cheongun's side. It wasn't an attack with killing intent, but the movement of the sword was fierce.

Cheongun jumped into the man's arms and struck his solar plexus with his elbow.

Thwack!

"Keuk."

The man fell over with a thud at Cheongun's blow. As he fell, a small willow branch that was exquisitely blocking the space between Cheongun and the Jintian Escort Agency broke.

Thanks to that, the obstacle that was covering Cheongun disappeared.

"To attack so suddenly, isn't that too much?"

He said it to the fallen man, but it was actually meant for everyone watching from behind to hear.

"I avoided your vital points, so it will ache, but you'll be fine in a little while."

Cheongun had been beaten a lot lately. He knew well where and how it hurt to be hit. He had been hit so much that he had developed a knack for hitting and could control his strength.

"You bastard! How dare you attack an escort of the Jintian Escort Agency?"

But not everyone had the same thoughts as Cheongun.

Especially those with power did not tolerate it when harm was done to them. They got angry and tried to solve it with force, just like now.

"What are you doing, not making him kneel immediately!"

At Xiong Biao's shout, about ten escorts surrounded Cheongun as if to surround him.

Cheongun looked at Xiong Biao, who had shouted.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"You're the one who dares to pick a fight with the Jintian Escort Agency, aren't you?"

Cheongun looked around and shook his head.

It was an absurd situation. But it wasn't a matter that could be solved with words. He could prostrate himself and beg for forgiveness or reveal his identity, but he didn't want to do that.

Cheongun said coldly.

"It seems you're the ones picking a fight, aren't you?"

"Let's see if your skills are as good as your mouth. Attack!"

A sharp sound was heard from behind.

Cheongun kicked up the blue steel sword that had fallen, caught it, and spun around, slashing the leg of the man who had attacked him.

"Keuk."

The man rolled on the floor.

Following that, two escorts attacked from the left and right.

Cheongun spun his sword and stretched his right foot forward.

The escort on the right was startled by the attack that bent and thrust like a snake and stepped back.

But he couldn't completely avoid Cheongun's fast sword strike and was stabbed in the forearm.

Cheongun, who spun around and lowered his stance, deflected the sword of the escort on the left upwards. Then he turned his sword and slashed the escort's chest.

Jwaak!

Another escort fell.

Fortunately, Cheongun had held back, so it was not a deep wound.

Through Cheongun's long, let-down hair, his two eyes shone sharply.

At the same time, Cheongun's figure moved forward. He jumped into the air and spread his sword in all directions.

Tadadang.

He made five changes in one sword strike. The men who were blocking the front stepped back.

Cheongun dug into the arms of the retreating men.

He took a chest with his shoulder and grabbed the arm of the retreating man and threw him to the right.

The two escorts who were attacking Cheongun rolled on the floor with the thrown escort.

At that moment, Xiong Biao attacked Cheongun with a shout.

"You bastard!"

It was a sharp and fast attack like a single bird.

Cheongun deflected the attack and repeatedly stepped back.

[Don't block, strike and shake off his attack!]

The Blood Emperor, who had been quiet, stepped in.

Cheongun had only held a sword for a month. Although he had learned swordsmanship from the Blood Emperor, he was still not enough to face the first-class martial artist Xiong Biao.

But the Blood Emperor was by Cheongun's side. He gave advice from the side and sometimes taught him the appropriate movements.

[Lower your stance further and shake your sword quickly.]

Xiong Biao's sword was as fast as his name. His sword momentum contained powerful strength.

As the Blood Emperor said, it was better to shake it off now than to face it head-on.

[You have to settle the score in one move. Unfold the first move of the Blood Demon Sword, Blood Demon's Dispatch.]

Chajajang. Chaengchaeng

Cheongun's sword began to stir the air.

One of the ultimate arts of the Heavenly Cult, called the Blood Demon Divine Sword or the Blood Demon Sword, was unfolded.

In addition to the basic sword art, the Blood Emperor had taught him one advanced sword art.

But he had never unfolded it properly. In a moment of crisis, he unfolded the first move of the Blood Demon Sword, Blood Demon's Dispatch, and fortunately, it was unfolded properly.

Puk.

"Keuk."

Cheongun's sword stabbed Xiong Biao's right shoulder.

At least he was able to avoid a fatal wound by twisting his body at the last moment.

Xiong Biao, who stepped back holding his shoulder, shouted with sharp eyes.

"You bastard! Were you from the evil faction?"

"What?"

At Xiong Biao's words, Cheongun tilted his head. At the same time, the Blood Emperor's brow furrowed slightly.

"Your swordsmanship is imbued with a vicious killing intent, and you're still trying to deny it!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Although he shouted, it didn't seem like Xiong Biao was just saying it because he had lost the fight.

"To point a sword at someone who is standing still, aren't you the ones from the demonic path!"

"What? How dare you call the Jintian Escort Agency demonic?"

"Hmph. You tried to kill me by picking a fight over nothing, didn't you? If you're not from the evil and demonic path, how could you do that!"

"That's..."

Xiong Biao couldn't particularly refute it because Cheongun's words were not wrong.

At that moment, the young lady whom Xiong Biao had called "young lady" stepped forward.

"We didn't intend to harm you. We were just trying to subdue you."

She was wearing a martial arts uniform of white silk with a simple hibiscus flower gently blooming on it. The sharp long sword hanging at her waist suited her very well.

"Young lady. To swing a sword at someone so suddenly and then say you were just trying to subdue them, do you think that makes sense?"

He couldn't treat a woman as rudely as he had just done. Wasn't Cheongun a scholar who had learned and practiced etiquette?

"There is no falsehood in my words. Our Jintian Escort Agency is quite famous."

At that moment, the Blood Emperor stepped in.

[She's a disciple of the Huashan Sect. And a Plum Blossom Swordswoman at that. She's not your opponent, so back down.]

Two plum blossoms were embroidered on the woman's sleeve.

The unique mark of the Huashan Sect.

At the Blood Emperor's words, Cheongun looked at the woman's sleeve.

The Huashan Sect was the leader of the Five Mountain Sword Sects and was also the sect of the current number one sword in the world, the Heaven-Shattering Single Sword.

The elite masters of such a Huashan Sect were the Plum Blossom Swordswomen.

"Young lady, are you a Plum Blossom Swordswoman of the Huashan Sect?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Since this happened due to a misunderstanding, let's stop here. The people of the Jintian Escort Agency are not seriously injured or dead."

At Cheongun's following words, the woman was lost in thought.

When you think about it, it wasn't Cheongun's fault.

It was also awkward to keep pushing.

If by any chance they tried to kill him and missed, and today's events became known outside, the Jintian Escort Agency could face much greater difficulties.

After thinking about it, she finally made a decision.

"Alright. We don't want this to get any bigger either."

"Hahaha. I'm glad you understand."

Cheongun sheathed his sword at that point and stepped back.

The Blood Emperor had never once stopped a fight. Rather, he would incite a fight if anything.

Even when he was being beaten to the point of not dying, he was pleased, saying that you learn martial arts by being beaten.

If such a Blood Emperor had stopped a fight, there must be a reason.

"I am Jin Seolran of the Jintian Escort Agency. What is your name, sir?"

"So you were Young Lady Jin. My name is Lee Samwon."

Cheongun did not reveal his real name to the woman either.

There were still two or three days left until the imperial capital. No one knew what would happen in that time.

"If you ever pass by Hebei Bazhou, please come to the Jintian Escort Agency and look for me."

"I will. I will surely visit."

It was a polite invitation, but an invitation from a beautiful woman was not unpleasant.

* * *

After parting with the people of the Jintian Escort Agency, Cheongun immediately set off.

He had many questions, but he didn't ask the Blood Emperor. The Blood Emperor also didn't open his mouth first.

In the end, Cheongun opened his mouth first.

"Why did you stop me? Would I really lose if I fought with Young Lady Jin?"

[You have to assume you'll lose nine out of ten times.]

With Cheongun's skills, it was still too much to face a Huashan Swordswoman.

[And there's something I haven't told you.]

"Is it about martial arts?"

The Blood Emperor looked at Cheongun.

Cheongun already seemed to know something.

[If they are still around, they will surely recognize the martial arts you have learned.]

The basic martial arts were not a big problem. The problem was the Blood Demon Sword, the representative sword art of the Heavenly Cult.

The sword move where the body of the sword trembled and wrapped around the opponent's sword was like a single poisonous snake.

"Then do I have to learn other martial arts from now on?"

[I think that would be better.]

"I understand. Then please teach me other martial arts."

The Blood Emperor wanted to do that too. But there was a problem.

There were two types of martial arts he mainly used.

The martial arts of the Heavenly Cult, or evil arts with a sinister aura or demonic arts flowing with demonic energy.

The martial arts of the Heavenly Cult could not be revealed.

Cheongun's personality would also not accept evil and demonic arts.

Then he had to teach other martial arts, but there were no martial arts for which he remembered all the incantations.

Hundreds of years had passed. It was even more difficult to remember the martial arts of others, not his own.

[It's been so long that my memory is hazy...]

The Blood Emperor made a gesture of wiping away sweat that wasn't even there with a troubled expression.

"Then how am I supposed to learn?"

[That's... right! When you go to the imperial palace, there will be martial arts you can learn.]

"What martial arts are there in the imperial palace... Ah! The imperial palace martial arts?"