The atmosphere in the room felt as heavy as a bowl of wet cement.
It’s strange. Just recently, things were pretty good, but whenever we gathered in this room, the vibe was always terrible.
Someone once said it: people get used to happiness. The calm we had enjoyed for the past few days had become sharp as a sword, making Hongryeon uncomfortable to the point of irritation.
“There’s a force targeting the Hongseong Clan…”
It was Ryuhyun who muttered that softly. She nodded seriously and then glanced over at Sayoon.
It wasn’t the first time they had received such a letter. Threats, invitations, or proposals—many sought to use the crisis of the Hongseong Clan to their advantage.
But should this letter be treated the same way?
“The trustworthiness of the letter…”
Sayoon’s violet eyes started to glisten with unshed tears. She couldn’t say a word, her face stiff as a board, but just from her expression, the Sword Saint knew what she was about to say.
Trust.
The lovable youngest disciple of Hongseong trusted this letter and the person who sent it.
And the Sword Saint felt the same way.
“What do you think?”
The Sword Saint was strong, but she wasn’t used to situations like this. In other words, every time something like this happened, it was Hongryeon who made the decisions.
So this time would be no different.
Hongryeon reached out to examine the letter. Her hand tightened around the letter filled with its contents.
Her heart, which had been broken.
A heart of a warrior who wielded the sword that sets the sun. She felt it healing as the unfamiliar situation caused her heart to quiver.
She laid the letter down.
Then, with a leather string pulled from her pocket, she tied her hair back and said coolly, “It’s hard to think of it as a lie.”
Despite Hongryeon’s trust in the contents of the letter, Sayoon’s expression didn’t improve.
And why would it? Trusting the letter meant accepting that there were indeed people targeting the Hongseong Clan.
To Sayoon, the Hongseong Clan was home, family, the very essence of happiness.
Who would be happy about someone targeting that?
“The letter from ‘Mister’ has been friendly so far. Considering that… it’s hard to see it as an attempt to use us. Also…”
‘Mister’ knew secrets of the Hongseong Clan even the Sword Saint didn’t. And he shared them without expecting anything in return.
Thinking about that, this letter could indeed have been sent with genuine concern for Sayoon and the Hongseong Clan.
“But what if that’s part of the plan?”
With Ryuhyun’s brief remark, Sayoon gripped her clothes tightly. But it was a suspicion that had to be raised.
Knowing that Ryuhyun often took on the role of the antagonist, the Sword Saint and Hongryeon didn’t blame her. They merely pondered the possibilities.
“I can’t be sure since I haven’t seen him directly, but… in my view, the chances of that are low.”
“Is that so?”
If Hongryeon had made that judgment, then it must be so. Ryuhyun nodded, and Hongryeon lightly tapped the letter before speaking up.
“There’s talk that the ones targeting the Hongseong Clan are the Iron Blood Clan. Master, do you happen to know about them?”
The Sword Saint shook her head. In her past travels through the martial world, many had fallen by her hand.
Many enemies have fallen by her hands during her martial arts journey.
However, she had never faced the enemy known as the Iron Blood Clan.
“Then let’s move on. If the enemy comes, from which direction do you think they’ll attack?”
“That’s written in the letter you sent, Mister.”
“Even if we fortify that area, it’s problematic. Unless the enemy is a fool, if we set up defenses there, they can easily come from another direction, right?”
When Hongryeon tapped the letter, Sayoon raised her hand and pointed to the map hanging on the wall.
“I heard while patrolling last time. A lot of troops have come to Seomhwa Village, and due to training, they’re stationed here, here, and here.”
One pathway leading into Seomhwa Village and another leading into Hongryeon Mountain, among other places, had been designated as training areas.
When Hongryeon looked at the information for the first time, Ryuhyun added some explanation.
“I heard that after the last attack by the Demon Sect, Hyeonryeong received additional support. Apparently, Mister Innkeeper helped organize things quickly.”
If the soldiers are blocking the way, they wouldn’t be foolish enough to break through. Of course, they could risk a clash with the authorities, but it didn’t seem like they would undertake such reckless acts when facing Hongseong Clan.
That would mean fewer potential routes for the enemies to infiltrate.
After marking the map, Hongryeon continued speaking.
“That’s a relief. Can we set up a defensive formation within our sect? It might be good to at least prepare a phantom formation to anticipate enemy attacks. Do we have enough materials?”
“We can activate it even with a short time.”
“There’s a possibility of attracting spirits from Hongseong Mountain. It’s not written here, but…”
As the Sword Saint had said, Hongseong Mountain is home to many spirits. They could follow orders in order to gain the energy that Hongseong Clan suppresses.
Reviewing the letter’s contents and brainstorming countermeasures, they contemplated each suggestion based on feasibility.
Thus, the meeting continued, and it wasn’t until late at night that the discussions finally wrapped up.
When the organization of tasks was roughly completed, Hongryeon let out a sigh.
“Now for the last point. What should be eliminated first when dealing with the Iron Blood Clan?”
Hongryeon, Ryuhyun, and Sayoon.
The three turned to look swiftly. The Sword Saint, under the collective gaze of her disciples, forced a wry smile.
Right. The first thing to eliminate to strike at Hongseong Clan is none other than the Sword Saint.
Then what could be a way to eliminate the Sword Saint?
“Disciples.”
Hongryeon spoke bluntly.
The Sword Saint is strong enough to be ranked within the top ten in the world.
Though she may be clumsy in other areas, there’s no one more reliable than her in martial arts.
What’s precious to her is Hongseong Clan and her disciples. Therefore, if they were captured and used as a threat, it would significantly diminish the Sword Saint’s power.
Perhaps this was the only way to capture the Sword Saint.
“For now, Hongryeon, Ryuhyun, and Hyunhwi need to stay indoors, while the others shouldn’t go outside.”
“Ugh…”
Operating the herb farm and harvesting the thousand-day plum blossoms to make incense pouches.
And gathering or hunting edible wild plants, herbs, and fruits for side dishes.
If you think about it, the disciples couldn’t just receive training inside the Hongseong sect.
But in a situation like this, considering all that is by no means easy.
As Ryuhyun groaned, Hongryeon looked at her and calmly explained the circumstances.
Yet Hongryeon’s expression only brightened.
“At least, I think we can solve the food problem. Yu, our innkeeper, has something to ask.”
Hongryeon brought up the conversation she had with Yu Wol today. Ryuhyun almost stepped into the role of the bad guy again when she heard about receiving the new product, the Wall Cabbage Dan, made by the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild.
But Hongryeon shook her head at Ryuhyun’s intent and forced a bitter smile.
Innkeeper Yu Wol. Even Ryuhyun thought of him as a good person, someone who wouldn’t betray them.
Isn’t it true that not only Hongryeon but even the Sword Saint recognized him enough to treat him with respect?
Thus, Ryuhyun quickly dismissed the thought that Yu Wol would play tricks with food.
“Then we could use this to lure the enemies in, right?”
Hongryeon glanced at the last part of the letter. Did ‘Mister’ think similarly? It was written that they could use the state of intoxication to launch a counterattack.
“Hmm. But do you think they would attack, even with all this preparation?”
The best time to attack is when the enemy is weak. Especially if it’s not for testing their skills in a martial arts competition.
“Well, who knows? But… their goal is to unleash the spirit of Mount Hongseong, as Mister wrote, right? They probably won’t give up… If they don’t come, it might just end up being a fuss.”
“I hope so.”
But those in the room had an instinct that this matter would not end in mere fuss.
.
.
.
On a night illuminated by a brilliant moon.
A middle-aged man with a grim expression stared blankly ahead.
Amidst the corpses of countless evil monsters, he barely maintained his stance against a monster with a long snout and the sharp teeth of a tiger.
The evil monster, which hated all living things and devoured people, was frozen in fear in front of a man much smaller than itself.
It was no wonder, as that man had torn apart all of its companions.
– Grrr…
A tense breath. If you don’t attack, you’ll get attacked. In the end, the monster, ignoring its fear, lunged at the man.
– Swoosh!!
In no time, the long water sword that appeared in the man’s hand sliced the monster in half.
Blood and flesh splattered everywhere.
Seeing that all the monsters in the area were dead, he plunged the water sword into the ground.
Simultaneously, the blood and flesh of the recently deceased monster were absorbed into the water sword. No, it was as if all the corpses and blood of the monsters in the area were swirling and being sucked into the water sword.
Before the water sword, now stained black with the countless corpses and blood it absorbed, he presented a water bottle.
As the water sword was drawn into that bottle, the man turned to a woman approaching with a sinister expression.
“Jo Yo. Are you ready?”
“…Yes. The Yangsang Army’s Koyumi is already on the move. She plans to release poison in Hongseong in a few days. But I wonder if she can pull it off…”
“Yes. The cunning Koyumi has already moved. She plans to unleash poison in Hongseong within a few days. But I wonder if she can pull it off…”
“Do you doubt the chosen subordinate I picked?”
“That’s not it. Also, due to that demonic cult that attacked Seomhwa Village recently, more troops have been added to the local government… we might need to delay the schedule a bit…”
“Delay? Are you using that as an excuse to hand this over to someone else? No, are you trying to involve that woman to steal the glory for yourself? Just like before?”
A voice filled with disdain and distrust came through. The woman flinched and trembled at the words.
“The Gohwadang and Jukyungdae will definitely arrive at the promised location without issues. Have you received their contact? They seemed confident about keeping the timing, right?”
“Yes. Unless there’s a special problem, that should be the case. And…”
More negative opinions began flooding in again. The man, who had been listening for a while, finally revealed his teeth in irritation.
This woman had been opposing him since the moment he took on this task, following the orders of the woman who had caused him endless troubles.
“Jo-yo. You only bring up negative points about the things I want to do. If it weren’t for that deal I made with her, I would’ve already ripped your head off.”
“Eek…”
“Are your negative opinions reflecting the will of your master, the Iron Blood Gold Lord?”
Simma Witch Jo-yo, a woman who had taken innocent villagers’ lives to gain merit for her martial arts training, was now forced to bow her head in submission to the irritated voice of the Iron Blood Master in front of her.
She hit the nail right on the head.
Her master, the Iron Blood Gold Lord, wanted Jo-yo close to him in case the Iron Blood Master failed and fell under her command.
Even though this man knew that, the reason she was still alive was because of the secret pact between him and her master.
But regardless, if things went overboard, he’d be right about ripping her head off.
So, to survive, she had to keep her head down and grovel.
“No!! How could I dare! Everything you do is for the Iron Blood Clan, how could I…!”
Banging her head on the ground repeatedly, she begged for forgiveness. Jo-yo knew full well that the disdainful glances being shot at her were directed at the back of her head.
Yet, she couldn’t utter a word. She simply squirmed in place, pleading for mercy.
The man, who was staring at her like she was worthless, turned his body.
His gaze fell upon his subordinates, who pledged their loyalty to him, unlike this woman.
As he looked at them, he raised his hand.
“We will bring down Hongseong and unleash chaos upon Mount Yeongsan, making the Iron Blood Clan the dominant force.”
“Oooh!!”
Cheering and roaring echoed. Joy.
Anticipation for the future resounded.
Unbeknownst to Jo-yo, who was biting her lips while kneeling, the Iron Blood Master turned away.
“Let’s go.”
Dozens of black-clad warriors followed closely behind him.
Only after they had gone far did Jo-yo scramble to chase after them.
Thus, the Iron Blood Clan began their advance toward Hongseong.
Not knowing what awaited them there.
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