Chapter 256 : Rescuing the Disciples of Mount Hua Sect (1)

Chapter 256: Rescuing the Disciples of Mount Hua Sect (1)

Poong Imso, Sa Jeokwoo and Sa Ilhyang, along with the siblings Ho Cheongun and Ho Maeyok, set out to assist the busy Hajeong Escort Bureau, which had suddenly become overwhelmed with escort cargo.

It was understandable. In Jeongju, the two largest escort agencies were the Sky Ocean Escort Agency and the Hajeong Escort Bureau.

Recently, the Sky Ocean Merchant Union had been attacked by the Heavenly Demon Sect and was unable to conduct escort operations, which caused all the cargo to be diverted to the Hajeong Escort Bureau.

From the perspective of the Hajeong Escort Bureau, it was nothing but an annoyance. It was obvious that once the Sky Ocean Escort Agency returned to normal, the flow of cargo would decrease again.

Moreover, since the Five Swords of Mount Hua had recently taken residence in the Hajeong Escort Bureau, the financiers, considering it safe, were pushing their cargoes there.

As such, the bureau was currently bustling with endless activity. Fortunately, the group had only traveled to the nearby Kaebong, so they were not terribly exhausted.

Thanks to the consideration of the bureau master Ho Ungil, who ensured the road was well-maintained and the escort route safe.

Still, their faces showed fatigue from the four-day escort journey.

“Ah, I want to hurry back and see the masters of the Five Swords of Mount Hua. Even within our sect, they're rarely seen, so I wonder what occasion brought them out this time.”

As Ho Maeyok spoke, Poong Imso replied.

“They must have come out for something important. Once we return to the bureau, all of you need to be especially mindful of your behavior. The masters of the Five Swords of Mount Hua represent the sect. You must treat them with utmost respect.”

Poong Imso spoke sternly as he looked at his immature juniors.

“Hahaha, don’t worry, senior brother.”

Sa Jeokwoo responded cheerfully.

Sa Jeokwoo had already shed the look of a boy and was beginning to show the appearance of a young man.

Sa Ilhyang too was at the threshold of transforming from a fresh-faced girl into a young woman, and her figure was starting to change.

Ho Maeyok, who had been curvaceous since childhood, now had a particularly attention-catching figure.

Poong Imso smiled warmly as he looked at his growing juniors.

He wanted to guide them well and raise them to be proud Taoists of the Mount Hua Sect.

Ho Cheongun quietly spoke to his senior brother Poong Imso.

“But senior brother, do you really not know why they came out this time? Don’t you know at least something? Are you really going to keep it from us?”

Ho Cheongun had a feeling that his senior brother Poong Imso was hiding something. It was evident, since he always clammed up whenever the topic came up.

When Ho Cheongun’s question was followed by Sa Jeokwoo, Sa Ilhyang, and Ho Maeyok pressing in as well, Poong Imso let out a sigh.

‘Well, I guess there’s no point hiding it. They’ll hear it once we return to the bureau anyway.’

He had gone to relay a message from the master to the residence of the masters, and happened to overhear one of the Five Swords of Mount Hua, Master Yoomong, speaking.

“Don’t pass this on to anyone else.”

“Don’t worry.”

When they all replied in unison, Poong Imso opened his mouth.

“It seems that the Three Central Alliances will soon be unified.”

“The Three Central Alliances… unified?”

Everyone looked at one another in surprise.

“As you know, the murim world has been divided into three regional powers. But with the recent activity of the Heavenly Demon Sect—as we’ve seen with the Sky Ocean Merchant Union—those three have begun to see the need for unification.”

“Ah, so that’s why the Four Vajras from Shaolin have appeared, the Five Swords of Mount Hua have been dispatched, and the Three Tyrant Sabers from the Pang Clan are here as well.”

Sa Jeokwoo nodded.

“Exactly. The three main sects representing the Northern Justice Alliance have come to an agreement. That’s why the masters are staying at the bureau, coordinating with other groups.”

Poong Imso, being upright by nature, always referred to the Bukjeongmaeng as the Northern Justice Alliance.

“So that’s what’s going on.”

Ho Cheongun, seemingly surprised, stroked his chin and suddenly said,

“Then… that must mean war with the Heavenly Demon Sect isn’t far off.”

“Likely so. But war isn’t something that starts so easily. At least not until the Three Central Alliances are unified. They’ll want to maximize their strength before engaging in war.”

“What if the Heavenly Demon Sect strikes first?”

“They might, but it’s unlikely. Because right now, the Heavenly Demon Sect doesn’t have full strength. From what I heard, they’re searching for something. If they find it, they might gain the power to contend for dominance in the murim world. But since they haven’t found it yet, they won’t show their hand easily. They wouldn’t want to relive their defeat from the Muhang Era.”

Poong Imso was grasping the situation with clarity. Not only was he sharp, but he had been contemplating this issue for a long time, understanding its deeper implications.

Ho Cheongun, unable to suppress his curiosity, asked more questions.

“If the Three Central Alliances are unified, what changes? I don’t quite get what would be different from remaining as three separate groups.”

“You’re asking that because you don’t understand. Unifying the Three Central Alliances means unifying the chain of command. Can we win a war if our forces are scattered? Everything needs to move under a single command. That’s how it’ll work effectively. And there will be big changes for us too.”

When Poong Imso said this with gleaming eyes, Sa Jeokwoo responded.

“Changes? What kind of changes?”

Poong Imso looked over the juniors and continued.

“Think about it. The Three Central Alliances have always unified when Ma Demon Castle, the Iron Blood Beehive, or the Heavenly Demon Sect has risen. And what do you think they did first after unifying?”

As the juniors glanced at each other, Poong Imso sighed.

“You all need to study more. Martial arts aren’t the only thing to learn. The more you know, the better your martial skills can develop. Why don’t you read the martial records of past eras?”

“We do read them, but we’re not as smart as you, senior brother, so we don’t grasp them deeply. Hehe.”

Ho Cheongun scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Anyway, every time the Three Central Alliances were unified, each sect sent talented prodigies to be trained. If we’re going to wage war, we need to at least know what the demonic path is and what demonic martial arts are. Otherwise, we’ll just die a meaningless death.”

“Ah, you’re talking about Jeongcheongwan.”

“That’s right, Jeongcheongwan. They gather gifted individuals from each sect and provide education. During the uprising of Ma Demon Castle, there’s a record stating there were around a thousand trainees assembled at Jeongcheongwan. Each sect sent a few of their own. But when it became clear they couldn’t properly train such a number, during the Blood Chaos of the Iron Blood Beehive, the number was limited to a few hundred. When the numbers were too high, training wasn’t effective, so they reduced them. By the time of the Heavenly Demon Sect, only three hundred were admitted. They made it an elite group. If Jeongcheongwan is established again this time, it’ll surely be around that number. The difference in skill between a prodigy who went through Jeongcheongwan and one who didn’t becomes as vast as the difference between heaven and earth. That’s why you all need to train hard so you can enter Jeongcheongwan.”

“We’ll keep that in mind, senior brother. But how many years do they study at Jeongcheongwan?”

“That depends on the situation. But from what I know, it’s never been less than three years.”

“That’s quite a while.”

Poong Imso nodded at Sa Jeokwoo’s comment.

“Yes, that level of training is necessary to avoid a pointless death when fighting those of the demonic path. Their martial arts are highly irregular and bizarre, so if you're not careful, you could die in an instant. That’s why full training must come before war.”

Sa Ilhyang, who had been quietly listening, asked,

“Senior brother Poong, you said we train to counter demonic martial arts, but does that mean we capture demonic practitioners and learn from them?”

Poong Imso gave a broad smile.

“That’s a good question. I was waiting for someone to ask that.”

“Hehe, I’m smart, right?”

He nodded as he looked at Sa Ilhyang, who spoke playfully.

“Yes. Upon entering Jeongcheongwan, there’s a strict rule that each person must learn at least one type of demonic art. That way, each individual can spar against three hundred types of demonic arts.”

“Ah, that’s actually a great method.”

Sa Jeokwoo exclaimed in admiration.

“You’re the only ones who don’t know this. Everyone else likely knows at least what I’ve just told you.”

Ho Maeyok asked,

“Then only prodigies can enter Jeongcheongwan?”

“That’s right.”

“Honestly, we’re not the only ones who don’t know demonic martial arts. Even someone of master level probably doesn’t know them either.”

“Exactly. That’s why well-known prodigies and even our seniors above us often enter Jeongcheongwan to study demonic arts in depth.”

Ho Cheongun clenched his fists tightly.

“If those Heavenly Demon Sect bastards show up, I’ll take them all down myself. They even dared target our escort agency recently. Luckily, the Five Swords of Mount Hua were there, so we avoided major losses. But I heard the Heavenly Demon Sect attacked the Sky Ocean Merchant Union this time and inflicted heavy damage. Seems like they’re targeting escort agencies and merchant unions to secure funds.”

At those words, Sa Jeokwoo suddenly spoke as if he remembered something.

“Ah, by the way, I heard a rumor about Yong Sohyeop. Apparently, he’s become incredibly strong while we weren’t looking. They say he defeated the Three Grand Elders of the Heavenly Demon Sect and annihilated their main force at Kirin River. I also heard he rescued the Division Leader of the East Evil Division and Namgung Sojeo. If that’s true, then he’s become someone we have to seriously admire. Senior brother Poong, what do you think of Yong Sohyeop?”

Lately, the name of the Heavenly Sword Hero had been spreading not only through Jeongju and Henan, but across the entire continent. He had been at the center of so many major incidents.

They asked Poong Imso, the strongest and most experienced among them, for his assessment of Yong Hwarin.

Poong Imso opened his mouth calmly, but his gaze burned intensely.

Without realizing it, he felt a sense of rivalry toward Yong Hwarin.

“He’s not someone I’m qualified to evaluate. Even now, but especially from the moment I first met him, whenever I stood before Yong Sohyeop, I felt like a child. There’s something about him—a sense of experience that’s impossible to define. When we attacked the secret division of Ihwa Palace together and managed to escape without major injury, if you think that was just luck, you’re very mistaken. Since then, I’ve gone over that incident countless times in my head. And every time, I felt fear toward Yong Sohyeop. Each step—his infiltration, disruption of the Ihwa Palace forces, taking the Young Mistress of Ihwa Palace hostage, and rescuing us—was all planned with such precision, like a perfectly spun thread. It may have seemed spontaneous, but every move was calculated to our advantage.”

Poong Imso, who had been explaining at length, looked at his juniors and spoke with force.

“From what I’ve heard, he has likely already achieved the Transcendent Stage. At that age, is there anyone else who has reached such a level? I gained strength just from seeing him. It gave me hope that effort truly pays off. Compared to our sect, he came from a place so small it’s practically nothing. For someone like that to achieve such heights, just think how intensely he must’ve trained and contemplated. I heard that even in the middle of battle, when inspiration strikes, he stops and enters meditation. Do you think that’s something a normal person can do? It’s because he pursues it with such desperation that he’s reached his current level. Can we honestly say we’ve trained in martial arts with that same desperation?”