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“What’s with the sudden change of atmosphere at Namgung Clan?”

As soon as I arrived at Anhui Province, the once-majestic buildings of Namgung Clan had shrunk to less than half their size, and I could see that the clan members had greatly diminished in number.

When I asked the Master of Shadowless Sword about what had happened, he simply replied, “I captured everyone involved in evil deeds and handed them over to the authorities, while the useless ones were banished. Naturally, the numbers decreased.”

“Is that okay?”

“Sure, it might be tough now with fewer people, but it’s unavoidable for the restoration of Namgung Clan’s honor. It’s not a clan that will collapse over the absence of such people.”

Master of Shadowless Sword replied nonchalantly.

“What happened to the Sword Demon?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” I replied.

He seemed to ponder for a moment before saying, “I know that using that convenient tool called ‘Beetle’ allows one to move swiftly. It’s definitely suspicious for Sword Demon’s safety.”

“Will you accompany me to Luoyang?”

“So we might face off against the Dharma Guardian of Fire Spirit Techniques?”

“In the worst-case scenario, that could happen.”

Master of Shadowless Sword seemed troubled by this. After a moment, he reluctantly said, “If I were to be defeated there, Namgung Clan would be utterly ruined. It’s quite a gamble.”

At that remark, my gaze sharpened. “What do you mean? How can you think of the clan’s safety when the life of the Sword Demon might be in danger?”

He hesitated and turned his gaze away. “Killing Ming Yi and the Eight Swords of Namgung was a righteous decision, but because of that, I alone have inherited the clan’s martial lineage. It will take at least five years to cultivate someone worthy to carry the burden of Namgung Clan. If I die or go missing in this situation, the clan will face destruction…”

“No way…” I almost shouted, but held my tongue, feeling an intense dissonance. ‘Master of Shadowless Sword has no idea I can be reborn, so naturally, he’s prioritizing the present situation!’

If he knew about my rebirth ability, he wouldn’t be acting like this. He would understand how crucial it is to rescue the Sword Demon right now and would cooperate. But, since he only has one life, it’s understandable that he thinks about himself and the clan first. Moreover, it seems he doesn’t feel any obligation to protect the Sword Demon or the Shadowless Alliance over his clan.

I wanted to explode in anger, but over time, I’ve come to understand that position. So, I suppressed my feelings and said to Master of Shadowless Sword, “I can understand your perspective. But aren’t the Shadowless Alliance and Shadowless Gate also related to you? Are you not worried about the Sword Demon, the only successor?”

Master of Shadowless Sword, uncharacteristically flustered, replied, “…There’s still no certainty. Let’s wait a bit longer.”

“Understood. Then I’ll act on my own.”

“I’m sorry.”

I coldly turned my back and walked away, secretly feeling relieved. ‘What a profitable deal!’ Now that I’ve figured out what kind of person Master of Shadowless Sword is, it’s a win for me. He may have a strong sense of justice and uphold the orthodox stance of martial artists, but ultimately, he can’t escape the basic premise of protecting his clan and bloodline. I managed to gauge whether I could trust him in an important situation.

Tydaht!

I started heading towards Luoyang from Anhui. It was quite a distance, but with my Light Body Technique, I felt I would arrive soon enough.

After quite a while, when the familiar outer walls of Luoyang came into view, I discreetly began to use my Divine Technique. Taking advantage of the guards’ gaze shifting, I quickly climbed over the city wall. As I gracefully infiltrated the inner area, a grand space leading to the inner city caught my eye.

‘Should I go straight to Han Clan…’

As I got closer to the inner city where Twin Gate Sect existed, I fell into contemplation. Since I started to think about this, charging straight into Han Clan was not a wise move. The experts of Fire Spirit Techniques and Han Baek-ryeong would likely be lurking there, and I could easily end up dead. Besides, if I barged in and found out that the Sword Demon wasn’t even there, it would make the situation awkward afterward.

Right now, I’m not here to fight the Fire Spirit Techniques, but finding out the whereabouts of the Sword Demon is my top priority. In that case, it’s necessary to scout out Han Clan and contact someone who has the intel. But considering that the body of Han Clan is related to Fire Spirit Techniques, even the doorman likely won’t have access to the truth.

After some thought, I decided to seek someone in Luoyang who could help.

Gracefully…

I cautiously entered the medical quarters of the Shangguan family and headed upstairs. The individuals inside were so focused on their medical practices that they seemed unaware of my presence. Upon reaching the upper floor, I sensed someone’s aura in an inner room.

Knowing who it belonged to, I sent a secret transmission from the hallway.

[Sangguan Hyuk. I need to talk, so set aside a moment.]

[Sure.]

Eventually, the physician Sangguan Hyuk led me to a separate room, and I found myself face-to-face with him. He glared at me with unsavory eyes, but still poured me tea. I stared at the tea cup.

“It’s not poisoned, right?”

“Then don’t drink it. If I wanted to poison someone like you, I wouldn’t resort to such a simple trick. I’d use an odorless or colorless poison.”

His voice was sharp. I chuckled and said, “What’s the reason to get worked up? In the end, I closed the seal you’ve been managing for your whole life, so shouldn’t you think of me as a benefactor?”

“I appreciate that, but I still can’t forget being threatened when you showed up out of nowhere.”

“You’ve got a narrow mind.”

“……”

Sangguan Hyuk drank his tea silently before saying, “You wouldn’t have come here without a purpose. Please, enlighten me.”

“Do you know the Master of the Shadowless Sword, Seo Mun-dae-ryong?”

“Of course. He’s one of the most famous figures in Jianghu right now.”

“I heard he visited Han Clan recently. If you know anything about him, please tell me.”

“Why are you asking me this? I’m just a physician, after all.”

“I thought you might know something.”

I looked at Sangguan Hyuk with certainty in my eyes. Even if the doorman or Duke of Guanzhong didn’t know, Sangguan Hyuk in front of me likely would. Because he’s a Demon Sorcerer and a trusted subordinate of the current Master of the White Lotus Sect in Luoyang, he would be using every means possible to monitor the information in Luoyang. Plus, since the Master of the White Lotus Sect is also monitoring Fire Spirit Techniques, he wouldn’t possibly be unaware.

When I stared intently at him, he finally sighed.

“Hah… for you, I’ll tell you something special, but first, I want to ask something.”

“What is it?”

“What happened to the Fire Dragon Sword? That’s been bothering me day and night.”

I pulled out the Fire Dragon Sword from my wooden armor. Normally, when I attempt to take out the Fire Dragon Sword, its extreme fire aura would burn my hand, but since it’s been a mediator of the power of the Fire Spirit for a long time, I was able to hold it without any burns. My palm felt warm, but I could at least grip it.

“As you can see, it’s safe.”

“Hmm… for you to handle the Fire Dragon Sword without a problem means you’ve either been recognized as its master or that you possess a very pure internal strength.”

“But it hasn’t awakened yet. If it had, you would have died right here.”

“I know.”

The Fire Dragon Sword, a Divine Sword of the Path of Demons, had an instinct to kill those belonging to Demon Sorcerers or Demon-type beings. Likely, Sangguan Hyuk wanted to see the Fire Dragon Sword, even at the cost of his own life. After watching the Fire Dragon Sword for a while, Sangguan Hyuk finally spoke, “It’s true that Sword Demon entered Han Clan for a certain meeting, and he didn’t come out afterward.”

I felt my heart almost drop but tried not to show my dismay. “He didn’t come out?”

“You already know, but I’m a Demon Sorcerer and I use sorcery techniques to monitor all of Luoyang. The Han Clan is particularly significant, and I watch it without any gaps using summoned beasts. However, my summoned beasts didn’t see the Sword Demon coming out.”

“……”

“The Sword Demon is probably still in Han Clan.”

There must indeed be some trouble. ‘He might have escaped using Beetle, but… then it doesn’t explain why he hasn’t returned directly via Shadowless Gate.’

Either way, I had to find out the whereabouts of the Sword Demon in Han Clan. As I was contemplating, Sangguan Hyuk said, “In my opinion, if you want to find the Sword Demon, you should be prepared to die. If the clan leader of Han Clan has either killed or imprisoned the Sword Demon, they won’t let that information leak to the outside world, making a clash with Han Clan unavoidable.”

“……”

“I don’t know what your relationship with him is, but I recommend you give up. If you fight Han Clan, even if you’re the Leader of the Nine Great Sects, you will likely die.”

I calmly replied, “That’s my own concern, so stay out of it.”

“I’m genuinely giving you advice since you’re my benefactor… do as you please.”

“I intended to do that anyway.”

I tried to take my leave from Sangguan Hyuk, only for him to grab my sleeve like he was worried. “Damn… wait just a moment.”

“What’s the matter?”

“No matter what, you’re my benefactor, so I can’t just let you die. I’ll introduce you to someone who can help.”

I became intrigued. “Who is that?”

“Just wait half a moment. He will certainly help you.”

“Got it.”

Knowing that trying to barge into Han Clan would force me to fight Han Baek-ryeong, I decided to wait for the ‘helper’ Sangguan Hyuk mentioned. During that half-moment, we discussed matters regarding Shangguan Family and medical techniques. It felt like time flew by since we had much to talk about.

After half a moment passed, as Sangguan Hyuk had said, someone visited the Shangguan family. The visitor strolled confidently up to the upper floors of Shangguan Family and entered the separate room, while Sangguan Hyuk immediately stood up and greeted him respectfully.

“My Lord, thank you for coming.”

The “My Lord” said while stroking his beard, “It’s been a while, Sangguan. You called for me directly about something?”

“Indeed. I need your strength to help my benefactor…”

The one referred to as “My Lord” looked down at me with keen eyes and asked, “Is this the one?”

“Yes, it is.”

I felt an electric thrill run through my body. ‘Deng Gwak?’ The name was one I had heard before: once the sworn brother of my former master, Azure Dragon Lee Kwang. And now, one of the leading officials of the Great Ming Empire, particularly the head of the Clear Stream Faction! The legendary Deng Gwak, who I had only heard stories about, now appeared right in front of me!

 

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