What grudge did the Blood Flame Fist Demon's head disciple hold against Haomun, anyway?
It was a trivial curiosity at first. But seeing the Haomun sect leader's reaction, I was starting to genuinely wonder.
"Before I say anything, let me make one thing clear: this happened during the previous sect leader's time, not mine."
"Saying it like that only makes me more curious."
What could it be, that he was baiting us like this?
Whether it was just me or everyone else thinking the same, we all held our breath in silence.
A strange silence, broken only by the sound of footsteps… which was soon buried under the Haomun sect leader's voice.
"The Haomun is relatively wealthy compared to other sects."
"That's only natural. The work you do brings in money, and you don't have to feed every single member or spend fortunes training disciples."
"Yes. Thanks to that, we can easily gather information, and while our cohesion may be lacking, we've been able to grow our numbers considerably. …And people always want what they cannot have."
The Haomun sect leader said this with a bitter smile before continuing.
"The previous sect leader… my master, pointed out that what the Haomun lacks is loyalty and martial might."
"Well, most people would agree with that."
"Yes, I agree to a certain extent as well. The problem is that my master focused only on what we lacked."
According to the sect leader's ensuing words, the previous Haomun leader had been overly fixated on loyalty and martial power.
Whenever he caught word of a good martial art manual, he would go retrieve it himself rather than sell the information to anyone else.
In some cases, he wouldn't hesitate to clash with the original owner of the leaked martial art.
"This goes directly against Haomun's banner of survival. …In other words, it's also the reason we do things that Haomun normally wouldn't."
"Things Haomun normally wouldn't do?"
"Yes. It's a bit awkward to say this myself, but Haomun is the type to lie down only after checking where it's stepping… We may treat the weak and powerless harshly, but toward the strong, we adopt an infinitely submissive attitude."
"That does ring true."
Seeing how Seol Ri-hyang would lower her eyes diligently the moment she reached the Harmony Realm, she seemed quite thorough in this regard.
"But this is all for our own safety, after all. Having much and recklessly provoking the strong is dangerous. Therefore, the things that existing powers—the Murim Alliance or the Black Alliance—forbid must be avoided just the same, no matter how profitable they may be… but my master was different."
"It feels like we're going around in circles, so let me be a bit more direct and specific."
"My master wanted to kidnap talented children and use Seophonsul to make them loyal to him."
"Capable subordinates who pledge absolute loyalty. Yes. That's a fantasy every person of power has."
"But it's also a fantasy no one has ever succeeded at."
The previous Haomun sect leader used Haomun's information network to kidnap children with Martial Talent one by one.
Up to that point, it was apparently quite successful. Well, it wouldn't be the second-best information organization after the Beggars' Sect for nothing.
The problem was Seophonsul.
True to their reputation as an Unorthodox Sect, they brought in experts skilled in various Sorcery, but those who were truly outstanding were impossible to silence at Haomun's level.
Conversely, the Sorcery Users that Haomun could handle lacked the skill to use Seophonsul at the level the previous sect leader desired.
It was said that completely brainwashing the children they had gone to the trouble of kidnapping was impossible.
"So the Master decided to use a somewhat more traditional method."
"Continuous pain. And Godok."
"Yes. And he entrusted their supervision to me, saying they would one day be children I would inherit."
"Hah…"
The Demonic Cult's Godok is exceptionally outstanding, but that doesn't mean only the Demonic Cult uses Godok.
So there was nothing strange about using Godok, but entrusting their management to a young disciple was clearly strange.
"You recognized him by his face… so the senior disciple you just defeated was also one of the children who had been kidnapped."
"That's right. His name… I don't know it. He was only ever called Number Thirty-Seven."
"You managed to escape somehow, but did you also hold a grudge against me, the Haomun leader who had kept you imprisoned back then?"
"Well…"
The Haomun leader trailed off ambiguously. After letting out a deep sigh, he spoke with a bitter smile.
"Actually, the first thing I did after becoming the Haomun leader was to release the children who had been locked up. No matter what my master was doing, no matter that it was for the sake of Haomun, it seemed wrong to me."
"Then…"
"Perhaps Number Thirty-Seven didn't remember me… or perhaps he was so blinded by vengeance that he couldn't even recognize me."
"I see. When you said you'd show me the place where Haomun's secrets are hidden, the hesitation you showed — was that also related to the previous Haomun leader?"
"You noticed. Yes. I've cleaned up most of it during my time, but traces are bound to remain."
"So that's how it was…"
Complicated.
In the first place, the Demonic Cult was the final choice for those who couldn't live with grudges buried in their chests — those half-mad with vengeance.
And on top of that, the Great Disciple had raised his realm through methods that strayed far beyond the orthodox path, and even then, hadn't he stacked rampage upon rampage, turning himself into a massive bomb?
He must have been out of his mind. That's why it was highly likely he hadn't recognized the Haomun leader.
However, the Haomun leader, who would have frequently heard news of such dangerous martial arts and the accidents they caused, would also be well aware of this.
What complicated her state of mind was the fact that she hadn't fully corrected her master's karma, and that retribution had fallen upon her because of it. And…
In the end, it was probably regret over the fact that more Haomun people had died and been injured because of those she had released.
Before the regression. When the war against the Demonic Cult had begun to turn clearly against them.
As more and more people chose betrayal or desertion, I too had experienced something similar on several occasions.
What I had learned from those experiences was… no matter what conclusion was reached, in the end, the things that would bring regret could only bring regret.
There are things in this world that cannot be dealt with except by growing numb to them.
Of course, the best course of action was to make sure a situation that would bring regret never came to pass in the first place.
And what was usually needed to do that… was power.
"The very first button was done up wrong. The previous Haomun sect leader committed a truly foolish act."
"Y-yes… My master, driven by impatience, lost his head and crossed the line…"
"No, that's not what I mean. Why would anyone think of making others stronger just to use them? If you want strength, you should become strong yourself."
"…What?"
"A body honed by training and martial arts never betrays your expectations. Nothing is more loyal, nothing more robust."
"No, well… isn't it normal to hit a wall, give up on getting stronger, and turn away?"
"If the wall is hard, you just hit it harder. In that sense, Qi Deviation is a fairly standard breakthrough."
"What is that…?"
I let out a snort and tilted my head toward the dumbfounded Haomun Sect Leader.
"The Blood Flame Fist Demon who died the other day, that Grand Disciple who died this time, and I as well — all of us did the same, no? Of course, there's a difference: the first two were completely swallowed by Qi Deviation, while I barely managed to overcome it and crawl back out."
"But that… is far too dangerous."
"If you're afraid of that, you shouldn't have harbored such greed in the first place."
"…Ah."
Only then did the Haomun Sect Leader flinch, as if something had finally clicked. She nodded with a gentle smile.
"I understand what you mean. To think you'd tell me it wasn't my fault… So the White Moon Sword Lord has this warm side to him as well."
"No, I'm telling you to train."
"Huh?"
"And no matter how much you value survival, martial arts are ultimately techniques for fighting. If you only use them to save your life, you won't build up proper experience no matter how much real combat you go through. How about you take this opportunity to tear apart your current martial arts and remake them into something a bit more aggressive?"
"Weell… tearing apart and remaking one's martial arts isn't exactly an easy thing…"
"When I was far younger than you are now, I managed it well enough even in my role. The first step is the hard part—once you get going, it's nothing special. Just give it a try."
"…"
The Haomun Sect Leader looked like she had plenty to say about that, but soon spotted the remnants of the Demonic Cult—her original purpose—and reached out toward them.
"Over there! It looks like they're still fighting over there!"
"Hmm. I'll deal with it quickly."
It felt like she was dodging the question, but surely it was just my imagination.
***
After that, we continued to move through several places, dealing with the remnants of the Demonic Cult.
Those who had to be killed, I killed. But those who could be captured alive, I subdued without taking their lives.
I didn't know how much information we could extract, but… with the war against the Demonic Cult on the verge of beginning, even the smallest piece of information would prove useful.
Besides, the Haomun was, for all its faults, an intelligence organization. They would surely find a way to make use of it.
After making a full round of the surroundings, I followed the Haomun Sect Leader's guidance once more and toured the interior of the Haomun.
Places like the one where Seol Ri-hyang and I had looked into the Heavenly Demon's memories—locations where the internal structure had been twisted into a single formation to conceal them.
The maze was so intricately twisted that even with the Heavenly Eye, finding the correct path would have taken a long time…
Surprisingly, however, several of the assassins had already taken something, and most of the rest had nearly reached their destinations.
The Haomun Sect Leader stood before the empty wooden box, bursting with disbelief and indignation.
"How on earth did they break through the formation this quickly?"
"You have to accept that the Demonic Cult, while lacking in martial arts, is a cut above the Central Plains when it comes to sorcery and formations."
Well… I suppose this, too, was thanks to the Heavenly Demon tipping us off about the formations inside the Haomun.
After all, a formation is something you can break through relatively quickly if you know the counter.
For now, I dealt with the remaining assassins still trapped in the formation.
I returned to the Haomun leader's office.
Perhaps because so much had happened, the Haomun leader looked far more exhausted than she had on the first day.
She glanced briefly at the messy piles of documents, then bowed her head.
"First, I sincerely thank you for helping the Haomun."
"You're not just saying that, are you?"
"Of course not. However, this is all we can offer you at the moment."
With that, she handed me a single ornate plaque adorned with gold and jewels.
In the center, the characters for Haomun were engraved in relief.
"Quite the taste."
"We can't help it. The Murim Alliance uses plaques that look dignified, while the Black Alliance uses ones that only look proper on the surface but are packed with expensive materials. That said, if you ever find yourself in a pinch, you could just sell it off for a decent sum."
"That won't happen."
What the Haomun sect leader handed me was a plaque symbolizing the highest-ranking guest of Haomun.
"If you show this, you'll receive the best treatment at any branch, and any request you make will be handled first."
"That's good to hear. After all, a Haomun branch will soon be established right in the Tang Clan's front yard. But I take it this isn't really the end, is it?"
"Of course not. We promise that in the upcoming battle against the Demonic Cult, Haomun will give the White Moon Sword Lord, the Great Hero, the highest priority in support."
"More than the Black Alliance?"
"Yes, more than the Black Alliance. After all, the White Moon Sword Lord, the Great Hero, has already learned far too many of Haomun's secrets. Consider us to be in the same boat now."
The sect leader's firm assurance drew a dry laugh from me.
The Lord of the Black Alliance and Sama Yuryeon had worked so hard to completely take control of Haomun… and yet, somehow, I had ended up doing something similar myself.
"Then that settles it. We'll need to discuss the details further, but… let's leave today's matters here for now."
"Very well. To be honest, I'm quite exhausted myself. If you need it, I can let you use the same room you stayed in last time for a few more days."
"Hmm. One day will do. I need to rest for just one more day and then head back. I'm not in a position to be taking my leisure."
"Understood. Then I'll have a carriage arranged by tomorrow. …Thank you once again. For everything."
"Take care."
I waved once toward the Haomun sect leader, who bowed his head once more, and was on my way back to my room.
Suddenly, Seol Ri-hyang lightly tugged at my hand and spoke.
"Cheon Hwi, Cheon Hwi."
"What is it?"
"I think I need to share a room with Bing Yerin today."
"…When you put it that way, it sounds like we usually share a room."
We'd chatted until just before falling asleep, but we usually slept in separate rooms.
"But what exactly is the reason you need to share a room with Bing Yerin?"
"To fully internalize a new enlightenment, I need someone else to lend me their strength, right? And the only one who fits the conditions is Bing Yerin."
"That's true. Then there's no helping it. Ah, but still, don't torment her too much. Take it easy on her, got it?"
"Of course! I'll adjust it well so nothing breaks!"
"…Excuse me. Does my opinion not matter here? And both of you seem to have a rather brutal choice of words."
Sensing the chill in the air, Bing Yerin trembled, but Seol Ri-hyang only whispered to her in response.
"The revival of the North Sea Ice Palace… you want it, don't you?"
"Euk."
"It might be a bit tough since we'll be training late into the night, but in return, I'll also teach you the knack of operating Glacier True Energy. Even if you can't use it exactly as is, it should be quite helpful, right?"
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. As I see it, if I'm to properly use my strength, I'll ultimately need the help of the North Sea Ice Palace. It'd be better if we knew each other's martial arts well."
"In that case…"
Bing Yerin's trembling, tempted expression came to a stop. Seol Ri-hyang grabbed her arm firmly, as if she would never let go.
Then she waved at me and walked away.
"Well, we'll be going now, Cheon Hwi!"
"Hmm."
Come to think of it, when I first reached the Harmony Realm, I remember being so absorbed in training that I didn't rest properly for days, trying out all sorts of things.
Can Bing Yerin keep up with such a grueling training schedule?
…I suppose I should offer my condolences to Bing Yerin in advance.