Chapter 139

Chapter 139

At the word Demonic Cult, Youngho’s eyes sank deeply. His gaze, coldly subdued, was chilling enough to terrify anyone who looked at it, yet Cheongsol suppressed his fear and spoke.

“It seems the Demonic Cult is attempting to seize the sacred relic of the Wudang Sect.”

“The sacred relic of those long-nosed Taoists?”

At the mention of the Wudang Sect’s sacred relic, Cheonung’s expression hardened abruptly.

Youngho briefly pondered the sacred relic of the Wudang Sect.

‘Before the Regression, nothing like this had ever happened. But if it is the sacred relic of the Wudang Sect…?’

“Ah.”

Youngho nodded as though he had realized something.

“It must be the one the Sword Immortal possessed.”

“The Sword Immortal?”

“Yes. Did I not mention it before? That I met the Sword Immortal.”

Cheonung did recall hearing something of the sort. However, having had no particular interest in someone called the Sword Immortal, he had only half-listened at the time…

“That bastard had the Wudang Sect’s sacred relic?”

“Yes.”

“Was he expelled and stole it?”

“There’s no way. Still, if it was a sacred relic in the possession of the Sword Immortal, it would certainly be something the Demonic Cult would covet.”

“Did it seem impressive to you?”

“At the time, I was unable to resist the power of the relic.”

“A remarkable relic indeed.”

A relic powerful enough to render even Youngho helpless…

“If that falls into the hands of the Demonic Cult, it will surely be dangerous. Chief Aide Cheongsol.”

“Yes, Alliance Lord.”

“Did Yonghu send the letter himself?”

“If you mean the Murim Alliance Leader’s letter, I have not read it yet. I thought it only proper that you read it first.”

“If you have it, hand it over.”

“Yes.”

Cheonung unfolded the letter Cheongsol handed him and swiftly read through its contents.

Youngho and Cheongsol watched his expression change moment by moment as he read.

‘Ah… what in the world has he demanded this time?’

Han Yonghu was Cheonung’s close friend, but he also knew full well that Cheonung was the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance.

He knew better than anyone how terrifying Cheonung could be, so he would not make unreasonable demands lightly.

And above all, knowing that a monster like Youngho respected Cheonung, he would be even more cautious.

After finishing the letter, Cheonung rubbed his dry face and spoke.

“Youngho, let us make a trip to Shaolin for a while.”

“Yes? For what reason?”

“I need to meet the Abbot of Shaolin.”

They had been discussing the Wudang Sect’s sacred relic, and now he was suddenly heading to Shaolin?

Before anyone could respond to the abrupt shift, Cheonung grinned viciously.

“It seems I have not met those bald monks in a while. I should burn their heads until they turn into nicely cooked octopus.”

The murderous sincerity in his voice caused Cheongsol’s face to turn pale, then nearly black.

Meanwhile, Youngho glanced at the letter Cheonung had read and nodded.

“It seems the time has come to reestablish discipline. Let us go, Master.”

“Fifth Young Master!!”

Cheongsol had barely been restraining Cheonung, and now even Youngho reacted like this—it was maddening.

“Wait! Alliance Lord! Fifth Young Master! Let me read it as well. I will read it and then we can decide! Please reconsider just once more!”

“Then read it.”

At Cheonung’s confident reply, Cheongsol took a deep breath and steeled himself.

After reading the contents, he spoke in an eerily emotionless voice.

“So… to summarize, the Abbot of Shaolin said, ‘You lowly creatures, assist in returning Wudang’s sacred relic, and we shall grant you some measure of compensation.’ Is that correct?”

“That is right.”

Only now did Cheongsol understand why Cheonung and Youngho had been so enraged.

Even he, who had intended to stop them, felt intense fury rise within him at the letter’s contents.

“The Murim Alliance Leader must have softened the wording considerably. Otherwise, I doubt I could have restrained you at all.”

Suppressing the anger boiling to the top of his head, Cheongsol pressed his fingers firmly against his temples.

“It is true that I am angry as well, but we must not act rashly in this matter.”

Though his words were reasonable, Cheonung and Youngho’s anger did not subside easily.

“I will bring Myeongnyang. As you both must have sensed, there are several suspicious points in the letter.”

Indeed, there were many strange aspects. The letter stated that Hyeonu had disappeared and that the Wudang Sect’s sacred relic was in danger.

That raised a question. How had the Demonic Cult learned that Hyeonu possessed the sacred relic?

And why was the Murim Alliance specifically seeking help from the Unorthodox Alliance?

There was a sense of dissonance—something felt off.

At that moment, Myeongnyang came running toward Youngho.

“I greet the Alliance Lord. I was told the three of you summoned me.”

“So you are the strategist Youngho spoke of.”

Cheonung examined Myeongnyang’s face with interest.

“…Hmm?”

His eyes widened slightly. His trembling lips might have made it seem as though he was displeased, but Myeongnyang calmly met his gaze.

Soon, Cheonung burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha!”

Cheongsol was startled, but Myeongnyang and Youngho remained as composed as ever.

“What is it?”

At Cheongsol’s reproachful tone, Cheonung wiped tears from the corners of his eyes.

“I suppose you would not know. Youngho, well done. You have uncovered a truly remarkable talent.”

The reason for his laughter was simple. Myeongnyang had been observing him.

Hearing she was a talent Youngho had brought, Cheonung had once observed her from afar.

He had roughly grasped what kind of person she was—but he had never imagined she would attempt to assess him in return.

“Though her body is not innately suited for martial arts training, her talent in martial understanding is extraordinary.”

Even talent in martial arts?!

Cheongsol looked at Myeongnyang in shock. She, too, could not hide her surprise.

“She succeeded in partially grasping me.”

“It is all thanks to the Fifth Young Master.”

Quickly regaining her composure, Myeongnyang bowed modestly.

“How long has it been since you entered the Unorthodox Alliance? Two years?”

“Approximately two years and nearly half a year.”

“Excellent. When Youngho first said that two years would suffice for you to become a considerable strategist, I did not believe him. It seems even that was an understatement.”

Smiling with satisfaction, Cheonung turned to Cheongsol.

“Chief Aide Cheongsol, increase Myeongnyang’s salary fivefold. And spread word that she is someone I cherish greatly.”

“…!”

The Alliance Lord’s protection.

A privilege usually reserved for Cheonung’s disciples had been bestowed upon a mere woman.

Though shocked, Cheongsol composed himself.

“I obey.”

Seeing the tremor in Myeongnyang’s eyes, Cheonung spoke firmly.

“Do not misunderstand. The value I have judged in you amounts to far more than this. This is merely the minimum gift for now. If you produce results, you will be treated far better than this.”

Hearing that this was not the end only deepened her shock. As she seemed overwhelmed, Youngho placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Myeongnyang, did I not tell you? Your value is immense. A fine strategist is worth far more than a hundred Transcendent Peak Masters.”

She stared blankly at Youngho for a moment.

At first, she had thought she possessed some small measure of talent. She had assumed much of Youngho’s praise was exaggerated.

But upon hearing the Alliance Lord’s evaluation, she became certain.

‘In other words, confidence.’

She must have endured much discrimination and contempt for various reasons, including her gender.

Seeing the certainty in her eyes, Youngho smiled faintly and asked Cheonung,

“Master, does Myeongnyang truly possess martial talent?”

“Yes. More precisely, she has keen eyes. She perceived a fragment of the profundity of my martial arts.”

“I find that unlikely. If she had such talent, I would not have failed to notice.”

“It is indeed possible. The fragment was so minute it was barely worth calling a fragment.”

“And she noticed it?”

“Yes. And the reason you did not recognize her talent is simple.”

Youngho’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Though feeling slightly burdened by that gaze, Cheonung spoke confidently.

“It is because you are too strong.”

“….”

Sensing something unpleasant flicker in Youngho’s eyes, Cheonung hurriedly clarified.

“Think about it, Youngho. If you saw a Master Level martial artist deploying Hardened Force and telling someone to imitate it, how would you feel?”

“A madman?”

“Exactly, you mad disciple. When you said you use martial arts even in daily life, how do you think I felt?”

“That I was a disciple talented enough to integrate martial arts into daily life.”

“Yes. If you were at an ordinary level, perhaps. But at first, I doubted you.”

“You doubted me?”

“Yes. No matter how I looked, it did not feel as though you were using martial arts every time you moved. I only came to believe you when, during a brief lapse in your concentration, I sensed an absurd profundity beyond my perception.”

“When was that exactly?”

“When you were wiping your sword with cloth. Jongpal interrupted you. I heard that because of that, Jongpal became Chowon’s sparring partner for three days.”

“That has long since become daily routine. I do not recall exactly when.”

“In any case, such a thing happened. You are too exceptional—that is why you failed to notice her talent.”

“Ha…”

It was astonishing. Too exceptional to notice…

Myeongnyang, still dazed by the revelation of her talent, pinched her cheek in disbelief.

After discussing her talent for a while, Youngho and Cheonung pondered how best to nurture such remarkable potential.

According to Cheonung, if Myeongnyang began studying martial theory in earnest, she might not reach the Transcendent Peak Master level herself, but she could provide theoretical instruction even to those at the Master Level.

Cheongsol, who had intended to show her the letter, joined their discussion as well.

“Ah!”

Suddenly remembering the letter, Cheongsol handed it to Myeongnyang.

“Myeongnyang. Could you read this and point out anything suspicious?”

“I will do my utmost.”

Realizing at last that she had been given a strategist’s task, Myeongnyang quickly unfolded the letter.

After reading it in an instant, she began murmuring softly.

Soon, returning it to Cheongsol, she spoke in simple terms so that Cheonung and Youngho could easily understand.

“It appears information from the Orthodox Sect side has leaked.”

“…!”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems the Demonic Cult has obtained information from the Orthodox Sect by some means. It is not something as simple as a spy.”

The idea that information was leaking without a spy sounded contradictory, but the three waited silently for her explanation.

“Upon hearing that war with the Demonic Cult would soon erupt, I memorized the operational principles of all the heretical arts they use.”

“What!”

Even Cheongsol had not fully understood them all. Yet someone who had not even spent three years in the Unorthodox Alliance claimed to have memorized all the Demonic Cult’s heretical arts?

If she had merely memorized their names and the phenomena they produced, that would be possible.

But her tone suggested she understood not only the manifestations, but also the full extent of the damage they could cause.

She paid no heed to their shock.

“The information is not yet certain, so this remains speculation—but the heretical arts deployed by the Demonic Cult encompass the myriad phenomena of the world.”

Though she said it was speculation, she appeared utterly certain.

Watching her, Youngho smiled in satisfaction.