Chapter 168
**
The Martial Alliance Leader laughed heartily.
Who wouldn’t? Hearing such news is bound to bring a smile!
“I sent someone to put a woman in charge, and what do I find? You’ve resurrected Plum Blossom Divine?”
“…Well, at least we’ve prevented the Huashan from going under Dan Ri Jin Su.”
“No, no. Military officer. This isn’t it. It’s like waking a tiger while trying to avoid a fox. It may look good at first, but it’s not good news for us. The power of Huashan remains intact.”
Tears were almost flowing. A person should have a suitable level of capability.
This is beyond ridiculous.
Recently, I’ve also found the movements of Cheonmu Academy subtly annoying. Could it be…?
They didn’t fix up that grandchild, did they?
“Wow. This isn’t good. No way. Military officer. This won’t do.”
“What do you mean…?”
“We’re not dealing with a blade we can handle. Do you know how often the name Muk Geom has been coming up inside that castle?”
I even sent someone to confirm it directly.
But the results exceeded all imagination.
“A man who saved two of our senior members from danger. That is Muk Geom. Gu-ryong? No way. It’s beyond that; his name is being mixed with the Seven Swords of the Martial World. There was a vacancy to begin with, so it’s almost safe to say he’s basically one of the Seven Swords now.”
“…….”
“Fame is a reflection of potential. How many people have appeared like a comet, gaining fame so quickly? For me, the background of the Namgung Clan helped a lot; if I had started with nothing, it would have taken ages to gain the title of Sword Lord.”
“We had Jeok-un with us, didn’t we, Leader?”
“That’s even more of a problem, huh? Haha! It feels like raising a tiger cub in your lap! Don’t you know how cautious I am? The more you peel back the skin, the more that sweet flesh keeps flowing out, it’s almost hypnotic. But…”
The leader’s laughter suddenly stopped.
“This… it suddenly makes me think, you know? The sweetness could be so strong that you might not notice the bitterness creeping up behind it.”
“…….”
“It’s better not to create an uncontrollable situation from the get-go. I knew Jeok-un was a sharp blade, but his fame is rising too rapidly; it seems I’ve missed quite a few things.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“I’d like to hear your thoughts, military officer.”
Jegeol Soak adjusted his glasses.
“Once you’ve decided to discard something, you should do it thoroughly. It’s right to send it to the location we had planned ahead.”
“To the Cheonryong Association? Hehe, that would be the neatest option. If we send them as reinforcements to a battlefield that could go on forever… even if they survive, it would take them at least ten years to return.”
“Dying would be quicker. The Master of Sado Clan has never left a single Martial Alliance warrior alive. It’s not a place we can send someone under the pretense of inspection, so I’ll create a separate justification.”
“I’ll only trust the military officer. Sending Martial Alliance warriors to the Cheonryong Association…”
The Martial Alliance Leader looked out the window.
Isn’t it nice weather? Truly.
“Putting Jeok-un, the former Martial Alliance inspector, in that commander’s seat would create a pretty picture, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
. . .
“Ah… Biyah?!”
Sua, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, came running towards me and suddenly screamed.
“Did Grandpa hit Dad?! Waaah! Blood, blood!”
“It’s fine.”
“I’m not fine!”
Sua, tugging at my clothes while holding back tears, bared her teeth at Plum Blossom Divine.
“Get away!”
“I’m hurt too…”
“Get away!”
“…Hwa-rin. At least you should be on my side…”
“How badly did you do it?!”
“Under heaven, where is my ally…?”
Plum Blossom Divine sighed. Then, suddenly, he got angry.
“Your master is hurt too! Can’t you see this wound?! That guy is no longer a concern! He chased right up to my chin… what was it? That bizarre mix of the final form?! Oh my! I’ve never seen something like that in all my life! Worry about me! Me! I got hit too!”
“It seems Master has finally lost it. Jeok-un. Are you okay? Don’t mind what he said, it seems the mania has flared up again.”
“My… blood pressure…!”
I awkwardly laughed.
Yi-hyeong Ki has completely solidified. I’ve also made a full decision on the direction I should move in.
Thanks to that, my body has become even more robust. I sometimes feel like I’m slowly shedding my humanity, and it’s somewhat strange.
But…
I liked that. Very much.
“Sua, get away, you’re covered in blood.”
“It’s okay if Dad’s blood is on me… heehee…”
The clingy Sua had tears welling in her eyes.
“Dad… didn’t you want to see me…?”
Was it two months?
I shook my head. To be honest, I had only thought of the sword…
Upon finishing everything, she was the first to come to mind. She’s now truly like a daughter.
“I missed you.”
“…Dadddddd!”
“Oh dear. If someone saw this, they’d think we’ve been apart for ten years.”
“Why are you grumbling like that?!”
“Because no one worries about me! Look here! Here too! I barely blocked him after pulling out the Heart Sword that I swore I wouldn’t use again, and what’s with this…!”
“It’s not just a little! It’s all over your clothes, it’s not just a little!”
“To him, it’s nothing! He regenerates even after being cut; is a little blood really a big deal?!”
“Act like an adult! Please, Master…!”
“A brat who completely took my martial arts… a disciple who looks after herself instead of her master… Ugh! What’s the point of talking more?!”
“What do you mean, ‘your man’?! I never thought that!”
Leaving the two of them to bicker, I picked up Sua. She beamed at me and rubbed her cheek against mine.
“I missed you, Daddy. I learned so much. Should I show you?”
“Can you show me later? For now, I think… I need to wash up.”
“Let’s wash together.”
“…That’s a bit…”
I washed up. After tidying up the hair on my body, I stretched my waist.
With my level changing, the scenery also changed, and as a result, my senses became more keen.
I can feel the energy of nature. Though I can’t draw it in as my own…
The important part was that I could see the flow. This time, I could grab it and pull it towards me.
I sense a fragrance woven within the energy. The more I sniffed, the clearer it becomes.
If I were to become Hyun-kyung, I might be able to…
Handle the energy of this world like it was mine.
After finishing my wash, Sua was waiting for me. Proudly lifting her sword, she smiled brightly at me.
“Dad! Look at this!”
The sword moved.
As the blood-red plum blossoms bloomed, a dim aura sparkled around the sword like stars.
“…Peak state?”
“I just somehow did it!”
The youngest Master has been born.
I couldn’t help laughing in disbelief. What is that? She’s swinging the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique like it was her own swordsmanship from the start!
“Your daughter is a monster.”
“A monster, you say?”
I patted Sua’s head as she sheathed her sword.
“Where else would you find such a pretty monster?”
“…Dadddddd! I love you!”
“No, even if she’s really a monster. She completely absorbed the essence of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s only a matter of time. Where would you find a kid who could completely drain the essence of Huashan in just two months? And what? Peak state at that age?”
Plum Blossom Divine trembled.
“She’s a calamity beyond the realm of normality. That child’s talent isn’t just sky-high; it’s talent that might reach beyond this world. Teach her carefully. So she doesn’t cut down the world.”
“She’s a kind and adorable child. Though she learned the sword, she’s also slowly understanding the weight of that sword…”
I believed in Sua.
“There’s no way she’ll go astray. Right?”
“I’ll only draw it with Dad’s permission!”
“You can draw it for everything you think is right. I trust your judgment.”
“…I want to marry Dad.”
“Isn’t it strange to pull out a sword while saying that?”
After finishing a proper meal for the first time in a while, I went to the Hwa-eum Hyun. Together with Il-ho, I saw another woman waiting for me.
“I thought I was late compared to what I spat out… but I didn’t expect you to be late too. Jeok-un.”
“Soo-ryun.”
Sapa Clan’s Soo-ryun peered behind me. She waved at Sua.
“Long time no see, little sister.”
“Arurrrr…”
“You’re still cute.”
“You’re not cute!”
“What a rotten way to talk to your older sister.”
“But you’re not my sister!”
“You’re right in being older at least.”
Soo-ryun shot me a look. A smile barely visible on her lips settled down.
“Isn’t that right? Dad?”
“Don’t call me that!”
“It’s a pity you can’t even call your dad, huh?”
“Just because he’s not my dad, doesn’t mean I can’t call him that!”
“…If she can’t, then… how about ‘Gaga’?”
“Our dad isn’t getting married! He’s going to live with me forever! Even if he does, it’ll be with me!”
“Doesn’t that make Dad pitiful?”
“Ah, Dad is always happy just being with me! Right, right, Dad…?”
“That’s not what I had planned.”
“See!”
“I said I didn’t mean it doesn’t mean I won’t do it.”
“…Eeeeeeeeek!!!!! Eeeeeeeek!!!!”
I pulled the two apart.
“Soo-ryun. Can I hear the information you brought?”
“The information itself is simple. After tracking down the spies and extracting the information… I heard the name ‘Reverse Heaven’ once more. And I found the location of one of the people you were looking for. The location of a bodyguard who conducted mass slaughter of hired hands within the Ma-jun.”
“…Where is it?”
“Ironically, it coincides with your next work location.”
“If it’s my next work location…?”
“It seems you haven’t received news yet.”
Soo-ryun leaned closer. She whispered in my ear.
“Currently, the Martial Alliance is recruiting support warriors to send to the Cheonryong Association. And atop them is your name, Jeok-un.”
“…What…?”
“The endless territorial war between the Cheonryong Association and the Sado Clan is quite a famous story. And the fate of the support warriors sent to that place has always been the same.”
“…Death, you mean?”
“Yes.”
Soo-ryun moved away. She fiddled with her lips.
“It seems the Martial Alliance wants to deal with you earlier than expected, in the girl’s opinion. Do you know why the support warriors sent to the Cheonryong Association all inevitably die? It’s because the Master of Sado Clan trembles at the sight of a Martial Alliance warrior. If you go to the battlefield, you’d become the first target of the Master of Sado Clan.”
“…….”
“What will you do?”
“Given that there’s a reason to go, it’s only natural to go. For now, I plan to act like I’m following orders. Traveling under the name of the Martial Alliance will surely get me better treatment than going alone.”
The destination has been set. I made sure to ask her for clarity.
“Exactly who am I pursuing…?”
“One of the people you were looking for amongst the Sado Clan, currently at odds with the Cheonryong Association. Their bodyguard, whom you’ve been looking for, is called Yeong-wol the Poison Snake Sword.”
“…Another bodyguard?”
“She’s rumored to be quite close to the Master of Sado Clan. If she’s infiltrated Sado Clan the same way as at the Demon Cult…”
“Then another incident might be waiting to occur within the Sado Clan.”
I need to move as quickly as possible before losing sight of it.
I gathered my belongings. I planned to finish everything concerning Huashan within two days and head to the Martial Alliance.
But as expected, the Head of Sapa, Soo-ryun, naturally stuck by my side.
“…Soo-ryun?”
“Since the job is done, shouldn’t you reward me?”
“A reward, you say…”
“Like this.”
She took my hand. Placing it on her head, she closed her eyes.
I awkwardly patted her head. Sua’s eyes blazed with intensity.
“Dadddddddddd!”
…I feel drained. Truly.
Soo-ryun beamed.
“I’ll be acting together from now on. I’ve gathered all the information I can. A family should go together, shouldn’t they? Right? Il-ho?”
“That is indeed true, Lady.”
“I won’t allow it!”
“Take care, little sister.”
“EEEEK…! EEEEKK!!!”
I effortlessly lifted the two who were struggling. Soo-ryun’s joining doesn’t bother me. However…
Taking a child to a battlefield where blood is shed daily doesn’t seem right.
“Sua. I’m not sure if bringing you to the place where the Cheonryong Association and Sado Clan are fighting is…”
The struggling Sua clung to me tightly.
“Dad, let’s go together. I’m your daughter and assistant now. And I’m pretty strong too.”
“……”
“I don’t want to separate from you…”
What father could win against his daughter? Moreover, it felt strange even trying to separate now.
I must continue to teach her about the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword as well…
“…You can’t leave my side. Understood?”
“I’ve always done that.”
Soo-ryun also naturally clung to me.
“I won’t leave either. Keep an eye on me, Dad.”
“You, stay a little further away!”
