SWNOVELXO Chapter 13 - Entering the Jianghu (2)
Chapter 13
Entering the Jianghu (2)
『 Translator – Divinity 』
Ha, what should I do?
Unable to come up with a solution, I sighed and held my head in my hands. Then, Hwa-ryeon spoke to me.
“Young Master Gun.”
“…Oh? Ah, sorry. My mind is a bit preoccupied right now.”
“I understand. Because of us, your family has been dragged into this mess…”
“So, stop blaming yourself. It makes me feel like the bad guy.”
At my words, Hwa-ryeon’s gloomy expression brightened a little.
Hmm, wasn’t I the one comforting Hwa-ryeon now? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
As I scratched my cheek in awkwardness, Merchant Leader Bang cautiously spoke to me.
“Um, Young Master. If you don’t mind, may I say something?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. What is it?”
“You must be most worried about your family’s safety. Isn’t that what you’re agonizing over right now?”
“…Yes, I suppose so.”
After hearing my answer, the Merchant Leader said something surprising.
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
“…Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“Exactly as I said. As I mentioned earlier, those guys were so convinced they wouldn’t fail that they didn’t even bother with proper interim reports.”
According to the interrogation, the Dark Heaven Squad members had learned that Hwa-ryeon was hiding in Gun-gang County after gathering rumors and information from neighboring villages.
However, blinded by their desire to claim the reward, they didn’t report their findings about Gun-gang County to Paecheon Fortress.
The most recent report they sent was about entering Hwangcheon County, which spoke volumes.
Hwangcheon County was a village over a hundred li away from here!
Hearing that, I understood what he meant by saying I didn’t have to worry.
“Are you saying you manipulated the situation?”
“You catch on quick.”
The Merchant Leader nodded with an impressed look.
But why was he being so polite and humble towards me? It was making me uncomfortable.
“We have already moved the bodies to the fields near Hwangcheon County using our merchant group’s resources. And just yesterday, we confirmed that Paecheon Fortress retrieved their bodies.”
“Will they be fooled by that?”
“The condition of the bodies has been thoroughly manipulated. They will likely conclude that they were killed by bandits in the area.”
“…Bandits?”
I tilted my head.
I had killed him in an instant, but wasn’t that Shin Se-gon guy supposed to be a renowned master in Paecheon Fortress?
Does it make sense that someone like that would be killed by bandits?
At my question, the Merchant Leader gave a faint smile.
“Normally, it wouldn’t. But this case is different.”
“How is it different?”
“There’s a bandit hideout near Hwangcheon County called Gwangsanchae. The leader of Gwangsanchae is a man named Im Chun-il, quite famous for his monstrous strength and brutal fighting style. He’s already killed several Paecheon Fortress experts.”
“The Embroidered Uniform Guard is letting someone like that run rampant?”
When I asked, Hwa-ryeon answered,
“Paecheon Fortress prevented the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s intervention. Paecheon Fortress was created to manage the murim on behalf of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so if they couldn’t handle it and had to involve the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it would greatly damage Paecheon Fortress’s reputation.”
Master added to her explanation,
“Besides, that Im Chun-il doesn’t harm ordinary people. No one knows why, but he only kills martial artists. Even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard knew, they wouldn’t have a reason to intervene.”
“Hmm…”
A bandit leader who only killed martial artists?
I was quite curious, but what was important now was that they had framed him, and thanks to that, my family’s safety was secured.
“Of course, that bastard Ju Do-han won’t give up on killing the Young Mistress because of this, but you won’t have to worry for now.”
Hearing the Merchant Leader’s assurance, I immediately bowed my head to Hwa-ryeon.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I feel relieved.”
“Oh, no. It was only natural for us to do that. Besides, compared to what you’ve done for us, this is nothing.”
Hwa-ryeon waved her hands dismissively.
But it was certainly something to be grateful for, considering they had gone this far despite their own difficult situation.
My heart felt much lighter knowing that I didn’t have to worry about my family’s safety for the time being.
Then, Master’s lament reached my ears.
“But an assassination unit… In ten years, that bastard Ju Do-han has corrupted Paecheon Fortress.”
Next to him, Junior Sister Chu… no, Seol-i chimed in,
“Trying to wipe out an entire family just because their youngest son attended a martial arts school, that’s an evil deed only the Demonic Cult would commit.”
Huh? The Demonic Cult?
“That’s right, the Demonic Cult!”
Seol-i’s words reminded me of something I had forgotten.
Damn it, how could I forget what I had in my pocket?
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Just a moment…”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the old book.
The title written on the cover of the book was Blood Explosion Technique.
When I showed it to Master, his eyes widened as if they were about to burst.
“W-why do you have this!?”
“I received it from my father last night. That Dark Heaven Squad deputy leader tried to frame the Gun family for colluding with the Demonic Cult using this. Is this really a demonic martial art?”
At the mention of demonic martial arts, everyone’s eyes turned to the book in Master’s hand.
Master slowly opened the book and checked its contents, his face hardening.
“Indeed, it’s the Demonic Cult’s wicked martial art. This is undoubtedly the secret manual of the Blood Explosion Technique.”
“…Why did the Dark Heaven Squad deputy leader have this?”
“…”
Master remained silent.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answer to the question, but rather that he seemed to be in such shock that he couldn’t even hear me.
“Oh my god, the Blood Explosion Technique. How did a demonic martial art that disappeared decades ago end up in Paecheon Fortress…?”
Following Master, the Merchant Leader’s face also turned pale with shock after checking the contents of the book.
Seeing the adults’ serious reactions, Hwa-ryeon and Seol-i’s faces also tensed up.
“M-Master. What is this Blood Explosion Technique? Why are you so surprised?”
Master, having barely recovered from the shock, answered Seol-i’s question.
“…Do you remember what I said about the rise of the Demonic Cult thirty years ago?”
“Yes. You said tens of thousands of Embroidered Uniform Guards died tragically in the war against the Demonic Cult.”
“That’s right. What drove the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the brink of annihilation at that time was this Blood Explosion Technique.”
“…!”
Hwa-ryeon and Seol-i’s eyes widened.
And my eyes narrowed.
A clash between the Demonic Cult and the Imperial Family? This was new.
It was a development I had never encountered in the countless martial arts novels I had read.
Well, the Embroidered Uniform Guard destroying the Demonic Cult was already a significant departure from the typical storyline.
While I was lost in thought, Master continued his explanation.
“This Blood Explosion Technique is an internal energy cultivation method that allows one to accumulate internal energy faster than any other martial art. Compared to basic techniques, it boasts several times the efficiency.”
“That’s… incredible. No other technique has that level of efficiency.”
Hwa-ryeon was astonished.
But Master shook his head with a grave expression.
“However, the Blood Explosion Technique has a terrible side effect. A terrifying side effect that turns the practitioner into a bloodthirsty maniac.”
The Blood Explosion Technique was a preposterous martial art that caused the practitioner to be increasingly consumed by a bloodlust as their cultivation deepened, eventually turning them into a complete madman who craved human blood.
“As they become consumed by bloodlust, they will stop at nothing to drink blood, even neglecting their own bodies.”
At that time, the people who had fallen for the Demonic Cult’s tricks and become their followers cultivated this Blood Explosion Technique, and soon, a wave of hundreds of thousands of bloodthirsty maniacs attacked the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
“We barely managed to repel them, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard suffered heavy losses. As you know, we were driven to the brink of annihilation.”
Because of that, they missed the chance to kill the Demonic Cult Leader and the sect’s executives, who they should have eliminated at all costs.
“Since we let the Cult Leader and the executives escape, it was only a matter of time before the Demonic Cult rose again.”
The Emperor, sensing the gravity of the situation, realized the need for a new organization to manage the murim and monitor the Demonic Cult’s activities. He then proposed to the branch families of the Imperial Family, whom he had been planning to purge, that they take on this responsibility.
“That was the beginning of Paecheon Fortress.”
Pondering Master’s words, I glanced at the Blood Explosion Technique manual lying on the table.
“In other words, the deputy leader of a sect created to monitor the Demonic Cult was in possession of a demonic martial art.”
“…”
Master was speechless at the absurdity of the situation.
Merchant Leader Bang spoke up instead.
“Even for Paecheon Fortress, wiping out a landlord family with no connection to the murim would be a burden. However, it’s a different story if that family is colluding with the Demonic Cult.”
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
There was nothing more to hear.
Simply put,
“This thin manual is a free pass for Paecheon Fortress to do whatever they want.”
The most perfect justification for the sect created by the Imperial Family to monitor the Demonic Cult.
With this manual, Paecheon Fortress could do anything.
If they burned down a village and then pretended to find this manual there, that village would become a base for the Demonic Cult. If they destroyed a sect and then pretended to find the manual there, that sect would become a Demonic Cult collaborator.
Realizing this, everyone’s faces turned deathly pale.