Chapter 115

Chapter 115

“It would be best for you to take back those words.”

It felt as though a blade-sharp aura was pressing against her throat.

At least, that was how Kang Chowon perceived it.

However, Youngho let out a faint scoff, as if he had seen something utterly ridiculous.

“I refuse.”

It seemed as though a haze of killing intent was rising from Myeonghye’s body.

“Did you just say you refuse?”

“Yes. If you wish to receive an apology from me, then first take the disciples back to your sect.”

“What does that have to do with this?”

Their hypocrisy was so nauseating that it made one question whether they truly belonged to the Orthodox Sect at all.

‘Namgung Cheon, you are the true member of the Orthodox Sect.’

Youngho inwardly praised Namgung Cheon before speaking.

“Does the Plum Blossom Sword Queen know of the Sect Leader’s wrongdoing?”

Myeonghye nodded.

“Yes. Indeed, Mount Hua was at fault in this matter. Even so, insulting the Sect Leader is a separate issue.”

“So the Plum Blossom Sword Queen intends to defend the Sect Leader despite knowing he made an erroneous judgment?”

She felt uneasy about what he might say next, yet she could not retract her words here.

“Yes.”

“Then that truly answers everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“That the so-called Orthodox Sect are a group who care nothing for others’ suffering and think only of the thorn stuck in their own finger.”

As she grasped the meaning behind his words, the color began to drain from Myeonghye’s face.

Youngho smiled brightly.

“What exactly are you trying to do right now?”

“…….”

She could not answer. She truly had nothing to say.

When both Myeongjeong and Myeonghye remained silent, Youngho rose from his seat and spoke.

“I think I understand now why my Master said that aside from the Murim Alliance Leader, all members of the Orthodox Sect are fakes.”

It was revolting. A stench far more disgusting than another’s vomit seemed to seep out from Myeongjeong and Myeonghye.

Kwaaaaaaa—!

Suddenly, a ferocious killing intent burst forth from Youngho’s entire body. It was suffocating.

An overwhelming presence incomparable even to Myeonghye’s aura.

Staring coldly at Myeonghye, Youngho spoke.

“If you come at me like this again next time, you would do well to prepare yourself.”

With that, he withdrew his killing intent and stepped out of the reception room.

Myeonghye could only stare blankly at his retreating back.

Now only Myeongjeong and Myeonghye remained in the reception room. Myeonghye could not control her trembling hands.

“Sect Leader….”

“It is my fault.”

At Myeongjeong’s self-reproachful words, Myeonghye was startled and was about to speak—

“To have driven the disciples into the jaws of death… The Mad Black Sword Ghost must not be provoked.”

Myeongjeong had failed to grasp the point entirely. His self-blame was not directed at Youngho out of guilt for his own mistake.

He was thinking only of the damage Youngho might cause.

Rising from his seat, Myeongjeong spoke.

“I shall inform the Sect Leader of Zhongnan myself. You take the elders and disciples and return to Mount Hua.”

“……Understood.”

Myeonghye fled the reception room as though escaping. Upon stepping outside the pavilion, she saw Youngho’s group conversing with a man.

And the moment she noticed the plum blossom embroidery engraved upon his martial robes, her face stiffened.

“……Unjeong?”

At her voice, which escaped like a sigh, the man reacted. Upon seeing Myeonghye, he courteously bowed.

“Greetings, Elder.”

“What are you doing here?”

Her nerves were so frayed that the words came out sharply without her realizing it. Just as she recognized her mistake and was about to correct herself—

“I was expressing my gratitude.”

Myeonghye’s body froze.

“……What do you mean by that?”

“Just as I said. If not for the Mad Black Sword Ghost, the Demonic Cult’s reach might have extended even to the common households.”

Unjeong must have realized it. That what Mount Hua was doing now was wrong.

However, as merely a second-generation disciple, he likely did not understand the full scope of what was happening. Thus, instead of apologizing to Youngho for Mount Hua’s fault, he conveyed thanks for protecting the common people from the Demonic Cult.

After all, offering an apology would have been no different from acknowledging Mount Hua’s wrongdoing.

She could not say a word. The one who broke the brief silence was Youngho.

“It seems the future of Mount Hua is not entirely bleak.”

Just as Unjeong was about to ask what he meant, Myeonghye spoke to him first.

“It is the Sect Leader’s command. We are returning to Mount Hua with the disciples.”

The corners of her lips lifted slightly as she spoke.

It was a beautiful smile—so much so that one could hardly believe she had just endured harsh words from Youngho.

No—perhaps it was precisely because she had endured them that she could smile.

The future of Mount Hua was not dark. He had not said it was bright, but Unjeong had received acknowledgment from Youngho.

It was a far more generous evaluation than the one given to his own Senior Brother, Myeongjeong. Myeonghye decided to take meaning, at least, in that small recognition.

Without offering Youngho a farewell, she quickly walked away.

After hastily bowing to Youngho, Unjeong followed behind her.

Watching Unjeong’s retreating figure for a moment, Youngho muttered softly.

“Not bad.”

One could tell just by looking into a person’s eyes. Unless they were some ancient monster over a hundred years old, a mere youth barely past forty would reveal everything through his gaze.

Unjeong, who had once acted as though he had gained the world after defeating Baekcheong at the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering, had changed.

One opportunity was enough. That was why Youngho had given him a single trigger. Using it as a stepping stone to move forward was now Unjeong’s responsibility.

“He’s not even my man, so there’s no need for me to care unnecessarily.”

“And yet you gave him quite the generous evaluation.”

At Kang Chowon’s remark, Youngho let out a faint chuckle.

“Indeed. That was generous for me. Seeing that I’m praising a mere youngster, I must have grown soft.”

“Unjeong is older than you, Young Master.”

“There’s nothing more foolish than trying to measure age against me. Anyway, let’s rest a little longer. We were originally on our way to deal with the Green Forest King, but since we’ve already caught him, I’m not sure what to do next.”

“And yet you’ve already mapped out the entire route.”

“Of course. I was planning to pass through Shaanxi and head to Sichuan. Hyeon-gang will be pleased. He won’t have to set foot in Sichuan territory.”

Originally, that had been the place where they presumed the Green Forest King would be. If he had been absent, Youngho had intended to go around destroying the mountain strongholds.

For the first time in a while, Youngho planned to get some proper sleep. He had not rested well recently.

“Young Master, you brat—!”

At the loud shout, one might naturally have frowned, yet Seonpung and the other two spoke as though it were nothing.

“What could it be?”

“Did they discover some kind of Sword Tomb or something?”

“Aren’t they always like that anyway?”

“Meow.”

Youngho let out a deep sigh and released a trace of his presence. Sensing it, Muyeon swiftly appeared before him.

“Hey! This is bad!”

“What is it now?”

“No, so this information hasn’t reached Shaanxi yet, but we’re screwed.”

“Not you—we?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“You’ve just become the one who attacked three sects and the Namgung Clan.”

“……What?”

What kind of nonsense was this?

The Murim Alliance, located at the heart of Anhui, was unusually noisy today.

“It is an unmistakable provocation!”

Peng Dokpyeong, the Clan Head of the Hebei Peng Clan—renowned for his fierce temperament—shouted so loudly that the veins in his neck bulged.

His face, filled with rage, was red like a radish.

“Calm yourself, Clan Head Peng.”

Hwangbo Ranghyeon, the Clan Head of the Hwangbo Clan, was attempting to soothe the anger of his close friend, Peng Dokpyeong.

“We have not yet heard the other party’s position. Let us wait a little longer.”

“It has already been a whole day since the incident occurred!”

“Only a day has passed….”

“My Soye was injured, and you can still say that?”

Peng Dokpyeong was famously devoted to his daughter. If Peng Soye had lost consciousness or suffered severe injuries, that would have been one thing—but aside from a mere splinter grazing her shoulder, she had sustained no significant wound.

Even that was nothing more than a tear in her clothing. In truth, it was no worse than being cut by a blade of grass.

A day ago, Peng Soye had briefly visited the Namgung Clan and became caught in an explosion caused by Lightning Bombs. She was currently staying at the Namgung Clan to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

With ten casualties and dozens injured, it was a major event. Even as a daughter of one of the Five Great Families, she could not move about freely.

Watching Peng Dokpyeong’s reaction, everyone present let out a deep sigh inwardly.

However, Peng Dokpyeong was not finished.

“Did we not all witness it a year ago? That man’s martial presence!”

At once, every face in the meeting hall stiffened.

They still remembered. A year ago, when Youngho fought the Heavenly Demon—his overwhelming martial presence, the killing intent so suffocating that none of them could even move.

“If it were that man, he would have already left Anhui and reached Henan! No—he might have even gone as far as Shaanxi!”

The area around the Yangtze River was already under thorough investigation. No one knew when Youngho might cross the river and flee to the Unorthodox Alliance.

“However, I believe it is still uncertain to judge rashly.”

At Tang Myeongak’s words, many nodded in agreement.

“Rashly? There are numerous eyewitnesses! It is certain that the Mad Black Sword Ghost is the culprit!”

At that moment, Abbot Hye-gak of Shaolin chanted a Buddhist invocation.

“Amitabha. I believe Clan Head Peng is correct. There are already hundreds of eyewitnesses. Even now, reports continue to come in.”

Just as Peng Dokpyeong was about to speak triumphantly—

“I believe it is still too early to draw conclusions.”

It was then that Namgung Hyeon spoke.

At once, silence fell over the hall.

The one who had suffered the greatest damage from this incident was none other than the Namgung Clan.

And yet, its Clan Head was saying that it was too early to pass judgment.

“Certainly, those present at the scene have given consistent testimony that the Mad Black Sword Ghost was the culprit. However, that alone does not align with the course of action he has shown thus far.”

His voice was calm yet heavy. So calm that it was all the more chilling.

And they realized—Namgung Hyeon was in a state of extreme fury.

“He must be aware that his face is easily recognizable. Yet he did not conceal it. Moreover, I sense a certain dissonance, as though the Mad Black Sword Ghost deliberately created witnesses.”

“That is a fair point. His face became widely known a year ago. We should refrain from hasty judgment.”

Han Yonghu added to Namgung Hyeon’s words.

Following Namgung Hyeon, even the Murim Alliance Leader, Han Yonghu, refrained from declaring Youngho the culprit.

It almost felt as though they were defending him.

“Then are you suggesting that someone disguised themselves as the Mad Black Sword Ghost and committed this act? But why?”

Peng Dokpyeong, somewhat calmed by their words, spoke again.

“That is why we must investigate the truth further. If this continues as it is, an Orthodox–Unorthodox War may break out.”

Peng Dokpyeong groaned. No matter how powerful the Hebei Peng Clan was, when it came to the matter of an Orthodox–Unorthodox War, he had little ground to stand on.

At that moment, the door opened, and Myeongjeong appeared.

“My apologies. I was delayed due to urgent business.”

“It is quite all right. The matter is pressing, so I shall explain immediately.”

Seeing Han Yonghu’s hardened expression, Myeongjeong instinctively realized that this incident was far from ordinary.

“What has happened?”

“First, the Namgung Clan and a secular sect of Shaolin, and—”

Perhaps the explanation felt too slow. Unable to restrain himself, Peng Dokpyeong burst out again.

“That Mad Black Sword Ghost used Lightning Bombs to cause casualties! This is a matter requiring us to declare him a public enemy of the Murim at once!”

“What?”

Myeongjeong spoke in a dazed voice. Frustrated beyond measure, Peng Dokpyeong pounded his own chest.

Han Yonghu, his face heavy with fatigue, wiped it once with his palm before speaking.

“Clan Head, please wait. I will provide the explanation.”

“The Mad Black Sword Ghost was being directly monitored by Mount Hua…?”

At those words, the atmosphere in the room rapidly turned cold.