Gwimongmanyeo, Sama Su-ryeon.
She had skin like dried tree bark, and a body sturdy enough to withstand even a certain degree of Sword Qi.
Yet she was a Demonic Cultist who suffered from the side effect of feeling sharp pain from the mere brush of passing wind or the slightest twitch of her lips.
She was also the one who had ordered Tang So-wol's assassination, and the one who had fallen to my hands in Guangdong Province alongside the Agwibu.
Unlike the Agwibu, who insisted that all martial artists and martial arts should vanish from the world, she was a woman who had only dreamed of revenge against the Sama Clan, and who had strayed from the path—thoroughly and completely.
In contrast to the Agwibu, who remained unshaken to the very end, even declaring that she would take her own life.
At the final moment, she realized that throwing herself into the Demonic Cult and attempting to kill the innocent Tang So-wol would only create another version of herself, and with a brief apology, she left her name behind as her final words.
I know nothing about her circumstances. Nor did I particularly want to.
What mattered was that Gwimongmanyeo and I had clashed, and one of us had to die.
I won, and Gwimongmanyeo lost. That was the whole story.
…However, if I bring Sama Yuryeon into the picture, the story changes.
My relationship with Sama Su-ryeon before the regression had never been good, and it probably never would improve.
But that didn't mean I was indifferent to Sama Yuryeon. On the contrary, I had once investigated her thoroughly, hoping to one day punch that ill-favored face of hers.
I knew nothing about Sama Su-ryeon. Even during the fierce battles against the Demonic Cult before my regression, I had never crossed swords with her directly, nor had I even heard rumors about her.
Instead, I knew a little about Sama Yuryeon. …It was when her most beloved half-sister, pushed aside by political strife, became the clan's sacrificial lamb.
When I saw her bearing the blood of the Sama Clan yet being treated worse than livestock in a cold underground prison instead of a wide, warm room.
I knew that Sama Yuryeon's heart had turned cold, and that a snake had coiled itself deep within.
So even though I knew Sama Yuryeon's proposal for cooperation was quite reasonable, I had to ask.
"Sama Yuryeon."
"Yes. A wise choice. It's uncertain what lies sleeping in the secret vault, but I'm confident that what I've asked for is not unreasonable…"
"It was I who killed Gwimongmanyeo, Sama Su-ryeon."
"…"
"It was I who cut through the bark harder than iron, and who stamped out the firewood that was burning itself."
"…I know."
"And yet you still say you'll join hands with me?"
"Yes."
Sama Yuryeon opened her narrow eyes a little wider and looked straight at me.
"Even if that path was wrong, my sister fought as a martial artist, and as a martial artist she met her end at the hands of the Blood Flower Sword Demon. Isn't that right?"
"That's right."
"Then it's fine."
Sama Yuryeon's eyes, which had declared this so firmly, returned to their usual narrow slits.
"I hold no grudge against you, nor against the young hero of Flying Butterfly Poison Peak. And I have no reason to."
"Is that so."
He nodded slowly, then turned his gaze to Tang So-wol, who had been quietly watching all of this from the side.
"That's what she says. I think it's a fair proposal, but… Tang So-wol, what do you think?"
"Hmm."
Tang So-wol, who had been tapping her chin with her index finger, tilted her head.
"First, there's one thing I'd like to make clear."
"What is it?"
"It's become routine by now that young hero Cheon is well-versed in figures connected to the Unorthodox Sects or the Demonic Cult. I imagine you have good reason for being so reluctant. However…"
Tang So-wol, who had spoken up to that point, pointed the hand that had been tapping her chin directly at Sama Yuryeon.
"I'm not sure he's capable enough to warrant joining despite your misgivings. His martial level is at best first-rate. And even that seems to be barely scraping the entry point."
"You're right about his martial level, Tang So-wol."
However, what I wanted from Sama Yuryeon was not martial strength but intellect. More precisely, the knowledge to recognize and dismantle the mechanism traps and formations that likely filled the secret vault.
"Do you happen to know anything about that sort of thing? Because I don't know a thing."
"…I'm not sure I do either, but would Gwiyeong Sin-tu's secret vault really have that many traps?"
"There will be plenty. Because that's what makes it worthy of being Sin-tu's vault."
"Ah."
What Gwiyeong Sin-tu truly desired was not a warehouse where he could hide his stolen goods in a place no one knew about.
It was a stage to show off his achievements to the world.
That was why he had so blatantly spread rumors and left his trail. Naturally, the inside of the secret vault would be just as impressive.
An entrance that no one could enter even if they knew its location. And even if one managed to get in, it would test their worth, with all sorts of traps springing out without rest.
"I think there's a very high chance of that. If we fail to break through the vault in time and other martial artists get tangled up in it…"
"Not only would they have crossed the path we worked so hard to clear as if it were their own home, they'd even cause us trouble."
"That's exactly why I agreed to cooperate with Sama Yuryeon."
"I understand everything up to this point. But even so, isn't there still one thing that remains puzzling?"
"Another…? Ah."
Only then did Tang So-wol realize what he was trying to say.
I had witnessed Sama Yuryeon's abilities even before the regression, but to Tang So-wol, Sama Yuryeon was just a strange person she had met for the first time today.
I nodded deeply and answered her question.
"Don't worry. She knows more than we do, who only know martial arts. And even if she turns out not to be as useful as we think, it doesn't matter."
"Why not?"
"Because, as I said at the beginning, we can just use her as a shield."
"So you were serious about that."
"I am always serious."
Tang So-wol, who had been lost in thought for a moment, let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo. Very well. For the time being, I too agree to cooperate."
"Ah…!"
Was it relief that things were going according to her plan? Sama Yuryeon's face, which had been restless ever since, brightened considerably.
"Thank you! I promise you won't regret this!"
"But! Young hero Cheon has a betrothed, so you must be more careful with your conduct."
"Then you truly needn't worry. I have a taste for ambitious men."
"…"
Tang So-wol glanced my way. She looked me up and down once, then nodded as if reassured.
"It's a short time, but I look forward to working with you."
"Yes. I too will prove my worth and earn my due."
The atmosphere had softened considerably. Still, a subtle unease forced me to step between them.
"Hold on. I have no desire to curry favor with Sama Yuryeon, but saying it that way makes me sound like a man without ambition."
I understood why Sama Yuryeon had fallen so hard for the Lord of the Black Alliance. He was the most greedy of every martial artist I knew—in other words, the most ambitious.
Still, apart from that, it was a little hard to understand why I seemed like a man with no ambition at all.
Tang So-wol, who had been pursing her lips as if about to say something in response to my question, cautiously spoke up.
"Young hero Cheon, do you perhaps plan to use our marriage as a stepping stone to swallow up the Tang Clan?"
"Why would I do something so troublesome? If I ask you, Tang So-wol, you'd grant me most things anyway."
"Then perhaps you wish to build influence within the Unorthodox Sects behind my back, using the recognition you received from the Lord of the Black Alliance as a foundation? A famous figure of the Orthodox Sects by day. A shadowy mastermind of the Unorthodox Sects by night. Isn't that a fine picture?"
"If I had duties both day and night, where would I find the time to wield my sword? The sword of a man drunk on power is bound to dull sooner or later."
"One last question—what is the most ideal future that young hero Cheon envisions?"
"That would be… living in a peaceful world without a single worry, where everyone eats well and lives well together, wouldn't it?"
Surviving the mighty calamity known as the Heavenly Demon. And building a proper family—something I had never once had in my life.
What a terrifying ambition. Just voicing it made my throat tighten, and a strange mix of determination and hesitation swelled within me at once.
Well, I did have the desire to reach a higher realm in martial arts, but that was something every martial artist harbored, so there was no need to mention it.
As was the case with the Eon Clan, I just had to avoid straying from the righteous path due to excessive obsession.
But somehow, upon hearing my story, Tang So-wol and Sama Yuryeon nodded as if they had expected it and began chattering among themselves.
"What a family-oriented man he is. I think he would be ideal as a live-in son-in-law for a noble house."
"Yes. I have no major complaints either. He values me more than what I possess, so how could I dislike him?"
"That is difficult for me to understand… but regardless, I hope this shows you that I am harmless."
"Rest assured. I have heard enough, so I have no intention of changing my decision."
The two of them nodded to each other, patting their own backs in mutual satisfaction.
I still couldn't understand it, and it felt a bit off in many ways, but…
Regardless, that was the moment Sama Yuryeon's joining was decided.
***
Find the secret vault a step ahead, explore it, take what can be taken, return what cannot be handled to its original owner, and collect a price or leave a debt in return.
Even after Sama Yuryeon joined, this general policy did not change.
It was just that things moved a little faster now.
"I may not be as fast as that, but those who are quick-witted are already looking into the source of the map, not the map itself."
"So you're saying there will be people tracking my movements rather than the map."
"Correct. In fact, some might even be waiting to strike the moment young hero Blood Flower Sword Demon emerges from the secret vault with whatever he's gathered."
"Is there anyone among Harmony Realm martial artists who would dare involve themselves in this matter?"
"Huh? Ah, no. Someone of absolute master caliber wouldn't personally step in. If they made a single misstep, wouldn't it give another absolute master grounds to intervene? The items Gwiyeong Sin-tu stole aren't worth staking a sect's fate on."
That was true. Martial arts that were useful but not essential—things that could be kept or discarded. Items with symbolic value but not worth risking one's life to protect.
What Gwiyeong Sin-tu had stolen were such things, and even those who charged in desperately were only those who would be grateful for the chance.
At least, that was the case among Harmony Realm martial artists.
"Then it doesn't matter. Whoever comes, if they draw their blade first, I'll cut them down."
"…You're saying you're confident of victory against anyone, as long as they're not a Harmony Realm martial artist. That's an arrogant claim, but if the rumors about the Blood Flower Sword Demon are all true, it's a justified confidence. However, you're not fighting alone."
"I can protect one person."
"We're three, though?"
"I'd recommend writing your last will in advance. The world works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?"
"…"
For a moment, Sama Yuryeon was at a loss for words, but she barely managed to collect herself and continued.
"H-However, I believe our current pace is too leisurely. I myself waited two days before meeting the two of you, after all."
"That makes sense."
I had been a bit careless, never expecting anyone other than Jang Bo-do to trace my movements. After all, the past while had been half a vacation with Tang So-wol.
"Then let's pick up the pace."
"Speed alone isn't enough. In the end, what matters is deceiving the eyes of others…"
"Of course, I also plan to erase our tracks."
"If we're going to stop by several villages along the way to replenish supplies anyway, wouldn't it be better to add a disguise rather than erase our tracks? The Tang Clan's martial robes are far too conspicuous."
"Hmm. A disguise, you say."
Instead of answering right away, I looked toward Tang So-wol. Feeling my gaze, she let out a small chuckle and answered for me.
"I don't mind either way. Since we're changing clothes anyway, it wouldn't hurt to try on something I'd never normally wear. Something like… a slightly flashier color."
"Whatever color you pick, Tang So-wol, it'll suit you."
"Oh my? That was a lovely thing to say, but I was talking about what young hero Cheon would wear. If you want, we could even dress you up as a woman…"
"I'd rather run for three days and nights straight to our destination than do that."
"Oh, dear."
Tang So-wol clicked her tongue in disappointment. Why on earth…?
In the end, we decided to both disguise ourselves and hurry our steps.
And so, arriving several days earlier than planned, we reached our destination within Jangbo Island.
At the point where the desert leading to the western frontier met the mountain range that stretched toward Sichuan Province, we found a rock that resembled a horse's head.
It was a place protected by a powerful formation, impossible to approach closely.
"Time to work."
"I've never once slacked off, you know…"
Sama Yuryeon grumbled quietly as she took the lead through the thick fog. She glanced back at me and Tang So-wol before speaking.
"Follow only in the exact spots I step."
The entrance to the secret vault was right before us.