A small old man was leisurely running along a mountain path with a middle-aged man who seemed to be his subordinate by his side.
The wrinkles that crinkled with ill temper, the eyes filled with greed, and the downturned corners of his mouth revealed what kind of heart and expression he had lived with all his life.
Such an impression was further highlighted in contrast to the light and splendid red silk clothes he was wearing.
The old man, the head of the Yeo family, Yeo Huin, who had been running without a word, suddenly shook his head.
"To be honest, I'm suspicious of the Vice-Cult Leader. Does it make sense to send me, the father of the third young master, to a place like this while the young masters are fighting a bloody war? What do you think?"
The middle-aged man, who was running while guarding his surroundings as if to protect him, had a troubled expression. He was a man with a firm and sturdy impression, and no matter how much he served Yeo Huin, it was difficult for him to speak ill of the Vice-Cult Leader, the second-in-command of the cult.
As the middle-aged man did not answer, Yeo Huin clicked his tongue as if he did not like even that.
"Tsk, forget it. What would you know? In the first place, the Cult Leader should not have gone like this. He brought in five young masters and then just left, so the new cult has become a mess, hasn't it?"
Of course, this time too, the middle-aged man could not answer.
While they were running side by side for a long time, it was the Yeo family head who spoke again.
"When we go back, bring Chohyang and Cheongrin to the bathroom. The smell of blood has seeped into my body, and it's very unpleasant."
Saying so, he sniffed the smell of blood on his collar and made a disgusted expression. The Kunlun Sect Leader had splattered a lot of blood when he died, and it had gotten on his clothes.
The Yeo family head originally hated blood. What's more, it was the blood of a Kunlun Sect guy who would roll his eyes at the new cult. When he went back, he would immediately throw away his clothes and scrub his whole body.
But, there was no answer from the middle-aged man this time either.
Yeo Huin had allowed him to keep his mouth shut about the Vice-Cult Leader and the Cult Leader, but this time it was different.
"Why is there no answer?"
His voice became colder than before.
Bringing Chohyang and Cheongrin to the bathroom was a personal matter, but it was a clear order.
At that, the flinched middle-aged man finally answered.
"...Yes, I understand."
There was a reason why the middle-aged man had hesitated.
He already knew that the Yeo Huin family head he served was a pervert who did not distinguish between women and men. But, wasn't there a line that a human should not cross?
"Hahaha, come to think of it, Cheongrin got married last month. To think that that small child has already grown up to become a vice-commander of an armed unit, and on top of that, has become someone's partner. Time is truly cruel, family head."
The middle-aged man forced a laugh and spoke casually. He was deliberately reminding him, in case the family head had forgotten that Cheongrin had gotten married.
As expected.
The Yeo family head's eyes widened as if he had really forgotten, and then he let out a hearty laugh.
"That's right! That child said she was getting married. I haven't been able to pay attention because there have been so many headaches recently."
"Yes, family head. I was so surprised when she said she was getting married to a cook who doesn't even know martial arts. But the sight of her being shy in front of her husband, which doesn't suit her, was not unpleasant to see."
The middle-aged man smiled as if relieved and looked at the family head.
But there was not a hint of a smile on the family head's face.
"So."
"...Yes?"
"So, what are you telling me to do?"
The middle-aged man shut his mouth.
He had deliberately spoken casually and hinted at it, but it seemed the family head had clearly understood the meaning of his words.
Yeo Huin stopped abruptly.
The middle-aged man also had no choice but to stop.
Soon, the family head asked with a serious face.
"You can choose."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Will you die here? Or will you go right now, kill that guy who might be a cook or a waiter, and bring Cheongrin?"
The middle-aged man swallowed hard.
Cheongrin was one of the five vice-commanders of the Yeo family and was a martial artist recognized by everyone, regardless of gender.
Also, when she was young, the middle-aged man himself had taught her.
'I clearly saw how happy she was when she got married, and you're telling me to kill her husband with my own hands?'
She, who had been living every day in happiness recently, would fall into hell overnight.
How could he do that?
Soon, the middle-aged man knelt down.
"I-I'm sorry. Family head. I misspoke."
The middle-aged man regretted that he had said something unnecessary.
But all regrets were already too late.
"You're saying you'll die?"
"..."
The middle-aged man could not even lift his head and swallowed hard.
Yeo Huin, who was watching the scene, clicked his tongue.
How could a follower of the new cult be so sentimental?
Of course, it was not sentimentality but common sense, but Yeo Huin, who had been born into one of the most precious families in the Demonic Cult, which moved by the logic of power, truly did not understand him.
"This won't do. As an elder of the family, I must truly teach you what a true demonic person is today."
The middle-aged man thought he was saying he would kill him.
That would have been better. Rather than pushing a child he had taught since she was young and had watched grow up into hell with his own hands.
But the family head's next words were completely different from the middle-aged man's expectations.
"Today, you will do it yourself in front of me."
"...Yes?"
The middle-aged man asked back, not understanding for a moment. But he soon realized the meaning of the words, and his face turned pale.
No. This was really not it.
Soon, the moment the middle-aged man was about to get up from his seat.
The heads of the family head and the middle-aged man turned at the same time.
A tremendous ki wave was felt from a distance.
When he raised his internal energy and his vision, he saw a black dot flying towards this place.
'Is it the Martial Alliance?'
The Yeo family head thought so and tried to block the attack.
But he soon realized.
This was not something that could be blocked.
If he recklessly stuck out his sword or hands and feet, he would disappear without a trace.
The Yeo family head's realm was clearly superior to that of the middle-aged man.
Naturally, it was he who grasped the situation first.
The Yeo family head grabbed the middle-aged man's collar in an instant.
By the time the middle-aged man had a bewildered expression.
The Yeo family head threw the middle-aged man as he was. Since he had thrown him with his internal energy, the speed was tremendous.
Soon, the dark iron staff that had been flying from a distance and the middle-aged man's torso collided.
The middle-aged man was not a low-level martial artist, so it seemed he had hurriedly raised his protective ki. Nevertheless, the dark iron staff tore through the protective ki and everything else and then scattered the middle-aged man without a trace.
At that sight, the Yeo family head let out a sigh of relief.
'If I had blocked it directly, I would have been dead.'
Thanks to the noble sacrifice of the guard, the speed of the iron staff had slowed down a bit, and the family head was able to avoid the iron staff without difficulty.
Soon, Cheon Woojin descended into the hall.
The Yeo family head could tell as soon as he saw him.
"So it's you. The young kid who escaped the Heavenly Net."
Cheon Woojin just looked at the Yeo family head with a dry gaze. Although it seemed like his usual expression, if those who were close to Cheon Woojin had been there, they would have been able to notice the feelings of contempt, disgust, and anger that were faintly present in his two eyes.
"Did you kill him?"
He did not add the words 'the Kunlun Sect Leader'.
It was because he had felt it instinctively from the moment they had met.
"You're a young kid, but you're unnecessarily short with your words. By the way, that guy you just killed. He was a very sentimental guy, unlike a demonic person. How can you just kill people like that?"
Cheon Woojin did not bother to answer.
The middle-aged man who had just died might have been a really good person to someone. But to the Taoist priests of the Orthodox Path who had died without even being able to close their eyes, he would have been a rare demon, no different from a devil from hell.
Therefore, it was a meaningless thing for martial artists to talk about whether a person was good or bad.
Cheon Woojin rushed forward at once.
The Crescent Moon Staff, which had been lying on one side, was pulled in as if connected by a thread and was soon in his hand.
The Yeo family head's two palms and the Crescent Moon Staff collided.
A loud sound, as if an iron lump had exploded, erupted.
The Yeo family head's hands were surrounded by a reddish demonic ki, creating a shape like a hawk's talons.
It was the martial art of the Yeo family, the Heaven-Contempting Divine Claw Art.
Right after exchanging a blow.
A sense of leisure returned to the Yeo family head's face.
"Did you chase me all the way here with just this much?"
It was an attitude of having already grasped all of the opponent's strength.
The Yeo family head's words continued.
"This is a truly good thing. It seems the deceased Heavenly Demon is helping me. A guy like you would be perfect to test my newly created ultimate technique."
The Yeo family head, who had said so, crossed his two arms.
The red demonic ki became even fiercer and burned like a flame.
"Which hand do you use for chopsticks?"
"...?"
Cheon Woojin tilted his head, wondering what bullshit he was talking about.
Nevertheless, he could not erase his curiosity and answered.
"My right hand."
"Good. I will show you my mercy and cut off your left arm. Return to the Martial Alliance with one arm and let the whole world know. That I, the head of the Yuan family, Yuan Huang, have cut off the arm of the Emotionless Guest."
Soon, blood gathered in his pupils.
The air of heaven and earth trembled violently.
A pressure as if a storm and lightning would pour out from all directions dominated the surroundings.
After a short time like that.
Soon, the Yeo family head seemed to be about to pour out his energy forward, roughly uncrossing his crossed arms.
"..."
But what was poured out were his clothes, longsword, and money pouch.
The Yeo family head, who had thrown away everything he had to make his body as light as possible, began to run away at a tremendous speed.
It was a truly desperate escape.
Cheon Woojin looked at the place where the guy had run away with a bewildered face.
He had never thought that a master of the Demonic Cult's leadership would do such a thing.
"Something even a third-rate street ruffian wouldn't do..."
He was reminded of his masters' words that Demonic Cult members were not martial artists but religious people, and that they were closer to a very strange pseudo-religion, so he should not treat them as martial artists.
Soon, Cheon Woojin, who had clicked his tongue, chased after the Yeo family head.
* * *
The Martial Alliance's Sichuan branch.
Leaving the main headquarters in Hubei, the Alliance Leader, the Chief Strategist, and the heads of each Orthodox Path martial arts faction had all gathered here.
It was a situation where a clash with the Demonic Cult had already occurred. Since anything could happen at any time, they had to keep the possibility of war in mind.
It would be a harsh thing for the Kunlun Sect, but the Martial Alliance had designated Sichuan, the next province after Qinghai, as the front line of the Central Plains in the event of a war between the righteous and the demonic.
Realistically, Sichuan was the limit where the Martial Alliance and each Orthodox Path faction could gather the fastest.
And so, the Sichuan branch was transformed into a temporary main headquarters.
Each faction spread throughout the country gathered at one point in an instant according to the wartime response regulations. The strength of the Martial Alliance, the largest alliance in the martial world, was glimpsed in their truly swift movements.
The outer walls were guarded by the commanders of the Namgung family and the swordsmen of the Huashan Sect, and the monks of Shaolin went around, spreading the energy of demon-subduing in preparation for any possible spies.
Meanwhile, in the innermost place where the leaders had gathered, a grand meeting of the Martial Alliance was being held enthusiastically.
The Alliance Leader argued for retaliation against the Demonic Cult.
He said that they had to at least cut off one of the Demonic Cult's arms.
In any case, since the Kunlun Sect and the Qinghai branch had been attacked, they could not just stand by.
"Have you all forgotten that the original purpose of the Martial Alliance's establishment was to counter the Demonic Cult? If we just endure like this, what is the meaning of the Martial Alliance's existence?"
On the other hand, there were also those who opposed.
Since the Demonic Cult and the Martial Alliance had each swung their swords once, if they tied the knot like this, it would end with a slight loss.
But if they escalated the matter and a war between the righteous and the demonic broke out, a huge number of martial artists, beyond hundreds or thousands, would die.
"Also, due to the recent matter of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, the solidarity of the Martial Alliance has improved, but we have suffered a loss in scale. If a war starts, a huge amount of funds will be needed, so how do you plan to handle that?"
It was the Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect, the Sword Immortal, Hyeonryang.
Although it was a rather secular story to come from the mouth of a Taoist priest, it was also a story that had to be discussed in a situation where a war was imminent.
"Don't tell me that our Wudang has to put out the most money and martial artists again?"
The Sword Immortal thought that was unfair.
It was true that the Wudang Sect was the largest in that era, but it did not make sense that they had to make the biggest sacrifice for that reason.
Look at the Huashan Sect. They were once a Taoist sect that had overwhelmingly crushed Jongnam, but after confronting the disastrous existence called the Dark Heavenly Son, they were now in a situation where they could barely hold onto Jongnam's ankle.
Everyone gathered here had seen and experienced such a scene directly. So there were no one who would easily put their faction forward and volunteer for sacrifice.
The opinions did not easily narrow.
Someone put forward chivalry, and someone pursued practical interests.
It was not possible to say what was right or wrong.
However, it was certain that it was a time when a decision had to be made quickly.
It was then.
The door of the grand meeting hall opened with a thud.
Perhaps because it was something they had experienced once before, fewer people were surprised than before.
"Ah, so this was the meeting hall."
Again, again, that tone as if he didn't know.
But now, everyone was suspicious.
Isn't that guy actually pretending to be directionally challenged?
But no one could voice that suspicion.
The Emotionless Guest, who had been missing since the Kunlun Sect incident, had returned after seven days. With the head of some old man dangling in one hand.
"What's that?"
The Alliance Leader asked.
There was no reaction like "You were alive, you've returned."
It was because no one had thought that Cheon Woojin would have died.
Cheon Woojin placed the old man's head on the table with a thud. The old man had a terrified face, as if he had seen a ghost before he died.
Cheon Woojin said calmly.
"He said he was the head of the Yuan family."
"..."
A brief silence fell.
The one who barely managed to open his mouth was Sima Hui.
"It's not Yuan Huang, but Yeo Huin. The head of the Yeo family."
"He lied even in that situation."
He had known he was a strange guy since he had run away, but he had never thought he would have even told such a lie.
The Yuan family and the Yeo family must have been sworn enemies.
"Where on earth did you kill this guy?"
The Sword Immortal asked.
Cheon Woojin looked at the Sword Immortal for a moment and then answered.
"He was a faster guy than I thought, so I went all the way to the entrance of the Demonic Cult."
"Then the demonic people must have flocked?"
"Yes, I killed them all."
"..."
A second silence followed.
Not only those who had been opposing retaliation against the Demonic Cult until a moment ago, but also those who had been arguing that they should retaliate, stealthily bowed their heads.
The one who managed to open his mouth again was the Chief Strategist.
"They're not guys who give up easily."
"Yes, they kept following me as I was coming back with this guy's head. But, after I killed about a hundred, they didn't chase me anymore. They didn't have as much perseverance as I thought."
"..."
It was not a matter of perseverance. Where in the world would there be crazy guys who would continue to chase a whirlwind that grinds people?
Everyone had similar thoughts, but they did not voice them.
Those gathered in the hall had dejected expressions. They had raised their voices and discussed retaliation against the Demonic Cult.
To have killed one of the heads of the six demonic families and a hundred demonic people was already a proper declaration of war, beyond retaliation.
It was meaningless to continue the meeting any longer.
Now, even if the Martial Alliance wanted to stop, the Demonic Cult side would not want it.
"...Wudang will put out ten thousand taels of gold."
Everyone had surprised expressions.
It was a truly enormous amount.
The Sword Immortal who had said so looked at the others. Mainly those who had opposed this matter.
Only then did everyone realize. That if Wudang, which had opposed the most fiercely, put out such money, they would also have no choice but to put it out.
A suspicion arose that the Sword Immortal and Sima Hui might have colluded to secure the funds. Of course, if they voiced such a thing without evidence, they might get caught up in Sima Hui's rhetoric again and have to put out not ten thousand, but twenty thousand taels.
And so, while everyone was promising to contribute funds.
Someone knocked on the door of the grand meeting hall.
As soon as the Alliance Leader's permission was given, a middle-aged man with a plump physique entered.
Everyone gathered in the room knew him. Although he was not a martial artist, he was one of the most famous men in the world.
"The Lord of the Ten Thousand Gold Fortress?"
The Ten Thousand Gold Fortress was also one of the places that had dreamed of establishing the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
Naturally, the gazes were not kind.
But the Lord of the Ten Thousand Gold Fortress, as if he had expected it all, immediately bowed his head and said.
"Alliance Leader, Chief Strategist. I have come here shamelessly. It is not for any other reason but to donate one hundred thousand taels of gold to the Martial Alliance in the name of supporting the Grand Tutor... ahem. No, the Emotionless Guest."
Soon, a martial artist who seemed to be the Lord of the Ten Thousand Gold Fortress's guard placed a single tael of gold on the table. It was so shiny that it caught everyone's attention at once.
There were ninety-nine more of these gold ingots in the carriage outside.
There was one reason why he had come with this huge amount of funds.
"Please look after the peace of the world from the evil spirits of the Demonic Cult. I have come with a thick face."
Of course, it was a superficial reason.
In fact, people from the imperial palace had visited.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard commander and the Eastern Depot admiral.
It was surprising that they had come at the same time, but what was truly surprising was that they were just guards.
The emperor himself had visited the Ten Thousand Gold Fortress.
The Lord of the Ten Thousand Gold Fortress had prostrated himself, thinking that today was the day he would die, and the emperor had left after leaving a short message to such a Lord of the Ten Thousand Gold Fortress.
'The Emotionless Guest has become my Grand Tutor. I hope you will also not waste your outstanding abilities in vain and get along with him. The Ten Thousand Gold Fortress is one of the few merchant guilds that I 'still' look upon favorably.'
The Lord of the Ten Thousand Gold Fortress felt a fear incomparable to when the sword of the Martial Alliance was aimed at him. Originally, merchants feared power more than military force.
So, he had come to the Emotionless Guest at once.
To offer this money and ask to please get along.
Those who had realized from the moment the Lord of the Ten Thousand Gold Fortress had called Cheon Woojin 'Grand Tutor' thought anew that power was scarier than financial power, and financial power was scarier than violence.
However, in the meantime, Cheon Woojin just looked at the old man's head, as if he were still bewildered.
"It wasn't the Yuan family, but the Yeo family..."
There are many strange people in the world.
Of course, everyone in the room was looking at Cheon Woojin as the strangest.
(End of Chapter)