The Sword Demon Regresses

Chapter 18

“……What?”

Baekcheong stared at the maid with a blank expression. He could not even feel the displeasure that another maid, rather than Nanhyang, was delivering information that should have come from her.

“That bitch Hong Gakjeong was dealt with?”

The maid forced her trembling body to remain still and spoke in a neat, composed voice.

“That is what we believe.”

“What about the specifics?”

“It seems the Alliance Lord personally intervened.”

“Master did?”

“Yes.”

At those words, Baekcheong let out a sigh.

Did that make any sense at all? Why would his master step in, and for what reason had Hong Gakjeong died?

“I know it’s urgent, but even if it takes time, bring me accurate information.”

“Understood.”

“Go.”

Only then did the maid hastily retreat, as if she had finally been spared.

Baekcheong stood there blankly before suddenly coming back to himself and muttering,

“Why?”

Why on earth had Hong Gakjeong died?

Even fragmentary information was enough to unsettle a person’s heart. For that reason, Baekcheong decided not to think about the matter until accurate information arrived.

“……Why?”

However, a person’s heart did not always obey their intentions.

Whatever had happened on the day Youngho went to see Hong Gakjeong, it seemed something extremely significant had occurred.

First, Hong Gakjeong had suffered an internal injury. This was evident because she had tried to purchase medicinal herbs from a nearby merchant group to prepare a decoction effective for internal injuries.

And second. Baekcheong frowned deeply, clearly displeased.

‘Nanhyang died.’

Losing Nanhyang was not an overwhelmingly major loss. Still, having capable people like her on hand was quite convenient no matter where one was.

That was why Baekcheong could not hide his irritation.

“Was she really done in by that bastard Youngho?”

Baekcheong pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

“That can’t be.”

No matter how much of a once-in-a-millennium genius Youngho was, he could not defeat time.

Between Youngho and Hong Gakjeong stood a massive wall. A wall that the current Youngho could never hope to climb.

Hong Gakjeong’s internal injury must have been caused by the intervention of someone else.

‘But who?’

There was no obvious figure who would intervene. However, the Unorthodox Alliance had no shortage of capricious individuals.

‘Master?’

That was possible, but far more unlikely. His master, Cheonung, never concealed himself.

If he had gone to Hong Gakjeong’s residence, word of it should have reached Baekcheong’s ears.

Then…

‘The Second Young Master?’

The thought of the Second Young Master made Baekcheong grit his teeth unconsciously. Just thinking about him made it hard to suppress his killing intent.

Certainly, the Second Young Master could have helped Youngho while deceiving Baekcheong’s notice. Even so, the doubt remained.

There was no reason for the Second Young Master to help Youngho. Why would he assist that timid, cowardly man?

Baekcheong unconsciously clenched his fist. His knuckles turned pale from the force, yet he showed no sign of relaxing his grip.

Baekcheong still could not forget that moment when Youngho had acted unlike himself.

Even now, recalling how he had been forced into the Horse Stance because of that bastard was unbearably humiliating. At the same time, it was deeply puzzling how Youngho had predicted that they would end up training in the Horse Stance.

‘It was as if he knew Master’s temperament well.’

But it was impossible for Youngho to know the temperament of his master when even Baekcheong himself had not fully grasped it.

Nothing was certain yet. Annoyance flared up inside Baekcheong, but sensing the presence of a maid, he quickly reined in his momentum.

“Enter.”

Despite not having knocked yet, the maid was startled when she heard the command to enter, but she quickly composed herself, opened the door, and stepped inside.

“Confirmed information has come in.”

“Speak.”

“It appears the Fourth Young Miss consumed a Spirit Pill from the Medical Hall without permission.”

“Hm?”

Deeply intrigued by the maid’s words, Baekcheong rested his chin on his hand, signaling her to continue.

“After assimilating the medicinal effects of the Spirit Pill, the Fourth Young Miss went to the place where the Fifth Young Master was.”

“And after that?”

“We do not know.”

“Is it something you can’t know, or something you’re not allowed to know?”

“The latter.”

“Did Master restrict the information?”

“We do not even know that.”

Still, even this much meant he had uncovered a great deal. Today, Hong Gakjeong had died. That much was certain. He did not know exactly how she had died, but Baekcheong could roughly guess.

Hong Gakjeong had lost to Youngho. Otherwise, there would have been no need for her to steal and consume a Spirit Pill.

‘She must have taken a Spirit Pill to treat her internal injury and break through the wall.’

There were many possible hypotheses. However, Baekcheong soon felt chills crawl up his body from his toes to the crown of his head.

No matter which hypothesis he considered, one thing was certain. On the day Youngho went to see Hong Gakjeong, the two had engaged in a duel, and Youngho had won.

And not just barely.

Overwhelmingly.

Was that even possible? It had only been six months. It had been merely six months since Youngho had begun learning martial arts in earnest.

Hong Gakjeong had reached the level of harming others with Sword Qi. If that was the case, then Youngho, at the very least, also knew how to use Sword Qi.

Was that possible?

In the history of the Jianghu, no one had ever been able to use Sword Qi in just six months. Even his own master, Cheonung, likely had not been able to wield Sword Qi with only six months of training.

Ordinary people called someone a genius if they could freely use Sword Qi before even coming of age. Yet ironically, even such people had devoted themselves to at least five years of training.

Day after day, they endured brutal training to complete their mind, energy, and body.

Only after undergoing such a harsh process could one wield Sword Qi at a young age.

Then what kind of training had Youngho undergone to reach the level of harming others with Sword Qi in just six months?

Was it talent? Or effort? Of course, it was probably both. But no matter how overflowing one’s talent was, martial arts did not improve without effort.

‘Could it be a Heaven-Bestowed Martial Body?’

Even so, it was still too fast. At the very least, it would require a Heaven-Bestowed Martial Body that had healed the Nine Yin Meridians to reach the level of harming others with Sword Qi within six months.

And to defeat Hong Gakjeong, one would need a deeper enlightenment even beyond that level.

At the very least, Hong Gakjeong before she stole and consumed the Spirit Pill from the Medical Hall could be killed by Baekcheong himself, even if it took some effort.

But Hong Gakjeong after consuming a Spirit Pill was a different matter. If things went wrong, even Baekcheong himself could be in danger. That venomous woman had likely consumed a Spirit Pill on par with a Grand Reversion Pill.

The Unorthodox Alliance was not lacking in Spirit Pills, so such a thing was entirely possible.

Then how long could Youngho have held out against Hong Gakjeong, who had advanced several stages further after consuming a Spirit Pill?

He did not think Youngho had won. No matter what, Hong Gakjeong after consuming a Spirit Pill would have become far stronger than before.

‘Could he have even properly exchanged a single clash?’

Even that was hard to guarantee. That was why Baekcheong asked the maid.

“Do you know what that bastard Youngho is doing right now?”

“He is receiving instruction at the Alliance Lord’s private training ground.”

“What?”

Baekcheong sprang to his feet without realizing it. As a martial artist, his build was far larger than that of an ordinary person to begin with, but standing up like that made his oppressive presence overwhelming.

While the maid struggled to calm her trembling body, Baekcheong remained deeply lost in thought.

‘He’s already receiving new teachings?’

Of course, his master had never hesitated to instruct his disciples. But giving instruction in the private training ground was something entirely different from usual.

Youngho had now entered his master’s private training ground twice. Then what he was learning now was—

‘Is he already learning the Flame Venerable Opening Technique?’

He could not have accumulated much internal energy yet, so how was that even possible? The more he tried to understand, the more his questions multiplied.

“Ghnn….”

Baekcheong let out a groan and dismissed the maid. He still did not know the true extent of Youngho’s martial prowess. No— even if he did know, he would have no choice but to be cautious.

After all, Youngho was at least stronger than Hong Gakjeong before she consumed a Spirit Pill. At this point, even provoking Youngho by messing with the maid named Sopyung had become dangerous.

If things went wrong, he himself might end up on the receiving end.

‘Should I enter secluded cultivation for a while?’

He recalled how he had been neglecting his training lately while trying to solidify his standing.

No matter how gradual a martial artist’s progress was supposed to be, this was far too little. He would need to put in at least three times this amount of effort to catch up to monsters like the Second Young Master and the First Young Master.

And he had to widen the gap, even slightly, between himself and Youngho, who might become a new monster.

‘He’s still young. Let’s observe a little longer.’

At that moment, he sensed the presence of a maid once more. With an expression that said, what now?, he told her to enter. The maid hurried in and handed Baekcheong a letter.

“It’s from the Alliance Lord.”

“What?”

Even as he spoke, Baekcheong was already unfolding the letter.

—From now on, stop scheming against your fellow senior and junior brothers. I sent this letter not only to you, Baekcheong, but to the others as well, so do not worry.

The contents of the letter gave the impression that Cheonung was slowly beginning to clarify the succession structure.

From now on, individual capability would likely be the most important factor.

However, Baekcheong did not particularly need the position of Alliance Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance. What mattered was simply making his master feel that he was needed within the Unorthodox Alliance.

Nothing more, nothing less. Since survival was his goal, Baekcheong believed it was fine to live on while remaining in an appropriate position.

Just as Baekcheong was about to fold the letter, his eyes caught a small line written at the end.

—I will be looking forward to the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering to be held in two years.

Whoosh!

In that instant, fire ignited in Baekcheong’s eyes.

The Dragon–Phoenix Gathering.

Orthodox Sect. Unorthodox Faction. Demonic Cult. It was a competition for the younger generation that anyone from any of these factions could participate in.

Only those who had not yet passed the age of forty could enter, and the three factions jointly maintained the tournament.

However, as could be expected, those who led the event were the Murim Alliance. Due to external perceptions, the Unorthodox Alliance and the Demonic Cult had no choice but to hand over leadership to the Murim Alliance.

In a way, this could be seen as natural, but the fact that the Demonic Cult— which paid no mind to common people— had given control to the Murim Alliance was rather unexpected.

Everyone wondered why the Demonic Cult had yielded leadership to the Murim Alliance, but no answer emerged.

Before long, however, people realized the reason.

There was no need for it. If the Demonic Cult’s people were going to win anyway, why bother taking charge of leadership and operations themselves?

As the Demonic Cult continued to dominate the finals and sweep up the rewards, the rift between the three factions grew deeper, and grudges accumulated little by little.

Yet no matter how many conflicts broke out, no matter how many were injured or killed due to those grudges, the three factions continued to maintain the tournament.

For personal desire, and for ambition.

Thinking that he should enter secluded cultivation for a while, Baekcheong carefully folded the letter and set it aside.