The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 85

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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85
The Supreme Sword’s Struggle
“Huff!”
Im So-ryeong gasped for breath.
For a fleeting moment, she felt under the illusion that her eyes had locked with Woo Geom-san’s.
‘No! You cannot see this place from the Chunyang Inn. There’s no way he could see me.’
Having ducked her head down instinctively, she regained her composure a moment later.
It was one Ke ago when she received the report that a commotion had broken out at the Chunyang Inn.
True to her position as the Investigation Hall Chief, Im So-ryeong did not immediately storm into the Chunyang Inn.
She believed that uncovering the reason behind the incident took priority over simple intervention.
As it happened, Punglim Fort maintained a safehouse near the Chunyang Inn.
She knew that from the window of the safehouse attic, the interior of the Chunyang Inn could be clearly seen. Thus, she hid in the attic and covertly monitored the inside of the Chunyang Inn.
She could not even begin to describe how shocked she was to discover that the one causing the uproar in the Chunyang Inn was Chilian Xinjun.
As the Investigation Hall Chief of Punglim Fort, Im So-ryeong possessed a lucid understanding of the realm’s current affairs and key figures.
Although she had almost no points of contact with them due to the vast distance separating them from the Red Cloud Sect Main Headquarters, she had still steadily gathered information regarding the Red Cloud Sect. Therefore, she knew very well just how powerful of an expert Chilian Xinjun was.
He was a titan of such caliber that even she, the Investigation Hall Chief of Punglim Fort, could not easily guarantee a victory against him.
Winning wouldn’t be easy if they fought in an official match, though she was confident enough that she wouldn’t lose either.
However, it was absolutely clear that he was an opponent she would prefer to avoid making an enemy of recklessly.
Chilian Xinjun himself was burdensome, but above all, the Red Cloud Sect to which he belonged was too overwhelming to handle.
Punglim Fort was also one of the Seven Great Water Sects, but by all accounts, it paled in comparison to the Red Cloud Sect.
The terrifying aspect of an evil cult like the Red Cloud Sect was that one could never know who its cultists were.
The cultists who followed the evil cult operated secretly in every corner of the world while keeping their identities completely concealed.
They possessed a structure where weeding them out root and branch was utterly impossible.
Hence, to drive out a single evil cult, every sect under heaven had to join forces.
The Red Cloud Sect was no different.
They possessed a power and influence grand enough to be classified as one of the Ten Pillars.
Back when the Nine Great Sects were in their prime, they wouldn’t have dared to operate openly, but things were different now.
Now that the powerful rallying point known as the Nine Great Sects had vanished, they were actively expanding their forces.
No one could know how many cultists were scattered across the land. Perhaps cultists of the Red Cloud Sect were operating secretly right here in Cheongang County as well.
Antagonizing such a Red Cloud Sect was no easy matter, even for Punglim Fort.
Of course, since they had openly caused a ruckus within Punglim Fort’s territory, some level of response was required, but she did not want it to escalate into an all-out war.
For that reason, even Im So-ryeong, who feared nothing under heaven, could only agonize over how to respond to this situation and could not bring herself to step forward easily.
Yet, as if to make her agonies utterly meaningless, Woo Geom-san killed Chilian Xinjun without a shred of hesitation.
It was as though the backing of the Red Cloud Sect was not even a consideration to him.
Chilian Xinjun was an expert whose defeat Im So-ryeong herself could not guarantee, but he had his breath cut short in a mere few exchanges.
The problem was that Im So-ryeong could not recognize what kind of sword forms Woo Geom-san had used to kill Chilian Xinjun.
This was despite Im So-ryeong priding herself on ranking within the top ten fingers under heaven when it came to insight into martial arts alone.
Her opponent was an unknown expert.
Moreover, he was an expert of such caliber that his wuwei could not be fathomed, someone Im So-ryeong could absolutely not handle.
Even if she stepped forward, she wouldn’t escape sharing the same fate as Chilian Xinjun.
Im So-ryeong muttered.
“Ah! This has become a headache. How am I supposed to clean this up?”
It was an incident where Chilian Xinjun, one of the Ten Direction God-Kings of the Red Cloud Sect, had died.
Had the Feiyun Merchant Group been annihilated by Chilian Xinjun instead, cleaning up wouldn’t have been so difficult.
The Feiyun Merchant Group was nothing more than a small-to-medium merchant group with almost no influence under heaven. However, the Red Cloud Sect was different.
The Red Cloud Sect’s influence spanned across the entire realm.
If they resolved to make an issue out of this, it would inevitably become a headache for Punglim Fort as well.
Sorting this out fell entirely upon the shoulders of the Investigation Hall Chief, Im So-ryeong.
This was because the person with the highest status among everyone present here was none other than Im So-ryeong.
“This is driving me crazy! Should I just pounce on him? Would that solve it?”
Im So-ryeong muttered, scratching her head vigorously.
Zhang Oh, who was by her side, spoke with a pathetic expression.
“Do you really think that would work?”
“What?”
“He’s that strong, so what do you mean by pounce? Your head will be clean sliced off before you can even pounce.”
“But we can’t just stay still, can we? We have to solve it somehow.”
“Even so, I don’t think pouncing is the answer.”
“Am I really that unattractive?”
“…….”
“Just you wait and see later.”
“Even if my head is sliced off, I cannot tell a lie.”
“Let’s see if you can still say those words when your head is actually sliced off. Follow me!”
Suddenly, Im So-ryeong stood up.
Zhang Oh’s eyes went round as he asked.
“To where, if I may ask?”
“If we want to clean up this matter, we have to meet him in person.”
“Right this instant?”
“Yes! Right now. This isn’t something we should drag our feet on.”
With a determined expression, Im So-ryeong walked toward the Chunyang Inn.
Following behind her, Zhang Oh’s pupils shook anxiously.
“Please don’t just ram headfirst into him. Please…….”
***
“Hurry and bring the wounded inside and recover the corpses. There is no time to mourn.”
Niu Jinshu, the chief of the Feiyun Merchant Group, was mobilizing the martial artists and merchants who were still uninjured to clean up the situation.
Because so many people had died or been injured, they had to sort things out as quickly as possible.
The people of the Feiyun Merchant Group shed tears as they recovered the corpses of their comrades.
If there was any consolation, it was that Chilian Xinjun, the culprit behind this entire tragedy, was dead.
Chilian Xinjun’s corpse was left abandoned right in the middle of the Chunyang Inn’s courtyard.
Woo Geom-san did not give Chilian Xinjun’s corpse even a single glance and focused on treating the wounded.
He distributed Sinmyeonggo to the martial artists who had suffered external injuries so they could apply it, and he performed the Nine Heavens Soul Returning Acupuncture on those who had suffered internal injuries.
Though his heart wished to perform the newly mastered Sheng Si Yi Xian Jie, he was not yet accustomed to it, and he could not perform an acupuncture art that required such an extreme level of concentration on so many individuals one by one.
For now, the Nine Heavens Soul Returning Acupuncture, which he was at least familiar with, was the best option.
Only after performing the Nine Heavens Soul Returning Acupuncture on those whose breathing was faint and ragged could Woo Geom-san catch his breath.
“Whew!”
As he straightened his back and took a breath of relief, someone pushed open the inn door and stepped inside.
It was none other than Im So-ryeong and Zhang Oh.
Despite their sudden appearance, Woo Geom-san was not surprised.
He had already noticed the secret gazes of the two beforehand.
Im So-ryeong spoke as she looked around the interior of the Chunyang Inn.
“It’s disastrous.”
“…….”
When Woo Geom-san offered no response, Im So-ryeong introduced herself with an awkward expression.
“I am called Im So-ryeong, the Investigation Hall Chief of Punglim Fort.”
“Why the sudden polite speech when it doesn’t suit you?”
During their first meeting, Im So-ryeong had cleverly mixed informal speech with polite speech. However, after witnessing Woo Geom-san’s wuwei, she was using the utmost formal honorifics.
“After witnessing such a blood-chilling swordsmanship, informal words just refuse to come out of my mouth.”
“Just treat me comfortably.”
“May I really do so…… then?”
“Yes.”
“Ah! How uncomfortable! I should have at least changed my undergarments before coming.”
“…….”
“Oh, because I pissed myself watching your fight…….”
At Im So-ryeong’s nonchalant words, Zhang Oh, who stood behind her, dropped his head deeply in shame.
Woo Geom-san was equally taken aback by Im So-ryeong’s unexpected remark.
He knew that Im So-ryeong was coarse, but he hadn’t expected her to spout such words without a filter.
However, he soon asked with a calm countenance.
“You said you are the Investigation Hall Chief of Punglim Fort?”
“Yes! I don’t know if it’s good luck or bad luck, but I came here on business, and of all things, an incident like this had to occur.”
“It must be quite a headache for you to clean this up.”
“The cause of this problem shouldn’t be saying such things.”
“The cause? Me?”
“The matter became complicated because you killed Chilian Xinjun. How are you going to take responsibility?”
“Why should I take responsibility?”
“Wow! I didn’t see this person that way, but you’re quite shameless. If you killed someone within another’s territory, you should naturally take responsibility.”
Im So-ryeong tilted her chin high and looked up at Woo Geom-san.
Woo Geom-san stared intently at Im So-ryeong’s face as he spoke.
“If you put it that way, isn’t Punglim Fort, which stood by as a bystander within its own territory, a much greater problem? Could it be that you were hiding because you feared the Red Cloud Sect?”
“Punglim Fort fears no one.”
“Then why did not a single soul from Punglim Fort come to this inn?”
“That’s because we obtained the information late and…….”
“Then isn’t that an even bigger problem? To think you were unaware when such a major incident occurred within your own territory.”
“Ugh!”
At Woo Geom-san’s biting words, Im So-ryeong’s face crumpled miserably.
Faced with Woo Geom-san’s gaze, which seemed to look through everything, it was not easy to come up with a proper excuse.
Only then did Im So-ryeong realize that the man before her eyes was powerful not only in martial arts but also in verbal disputes.
He was truly a difficult opponent.
“Haah! That’s because there were circumstances…….”
“Well, I am not curious about your circumstances. I am merely curious about how you intend to resolve this situation.”
“Why should we?”
“Did this not happen within Punglim Fort? Since it is under Punglim Fort’s jurisdiction, shouldn’t you naturally take responsibility for safety? If Punglim Fort takes no responsibility, who would trust you and stay here?”
“That’s because…….”
“Isn’t that the obligation of a sect that possesses shipping rights?”
“Shipping rights don’t carry that kind of meaning…….”
“To guarantee the safety of merchants and travelers who stop by their territory. There must certainly be such a clause within the treaty between the Seven Great Water Sects, right?”
“How do you know that?”
Im So-ryeong’s voice raised unconsciously.
“How I came to know it is not important. What is important is that Punglim Fort did not uphold the treaty between the Seven Great Water Sects. How would others react if they learned of this fact?”
“…….”
Im So-ryeong could not answer easily.
Violating the treaty between the Seven Great Water Sects did not mean any immediate disadvantage would be dealt to them. However, it could serve as a pretext.
The most important thing in Jianghu was none other than just cause.
The one who held just cause held what was no different from a great sword in their hands.
Conversely, the one who surrendered just cause had to take the opponent’s blade while completely defenseless.
Im So-ryeong let out a sigh and asked.
“Whew! Fine. Since you know even that much, there’s no need to chatter on any further. What is it that you want from us?”
“Even if it is late, I want Punglim Fort to step forward and clean up this situation.”
“We will immediately call upon every doctor in Cheongang County to treat the wounded. We will shroud the corpses so they won’t decompose and place them on a ship. And we will provide a small compensation to the Feiyun Merchant Group. This is the extent of what we can do right away.”
Woo Geom-san looked over at Niu Jinshu.
Niu Jinshu nodded his head as if he was satisfied with that much.
The Feiyun Merchant Group had to continue utilizing the Yangtze River in the future. Demanding anything more from Punglim Fort than this was a burden to them as well.
Having read Niu Jinshu’s intent, Woo Geom-san spoke.
“Very well. Let us be satisfied with that much for now.”
“However, I don’t know if you will be fine.”
“Are you referring to me?”
“Yes. You killed Chilian Xinjun, didn’t you? The Red Cloud Sect will certainly not stay still. Can you handle it?”
“What is there that I cannot handle?”
“Oh! Such confidence. Even so, the opponent is one of the Ten Pillars…….”
“Are the Ten Pillars omnipotent or something? Even the realm’s Nine Great Sects are sealing their gates nowadays……. If one cannot step forward upon witnessing injustice out of fear for the Red Cloud Sect, for what purpose does one go through the hardship of learning martial arts?”
“Sheesh! Why are you so smooth-tongued? Your talent for making a person feel ashamed is no joke.”
Im So-ryeong grumbled with a distorted face.
She could not dare to lift her head and look at Woo Geom-san.
Because, quite literally, she felt ashamed.
There were many who cried out for justice, but those who actually enacted it were a mere minority.
Furthermore, there was absolutely no one who would do so against an ultra-powerful force like the Red Cloud Sect.
‘I’ve run into the wrong person. This man is either an arrogant madman, or he truly possesses tremendous martial force capable of handling the Red Cloud Sect; it is definitely one of the two.’
If he was a madman, he was cleanly insane, and if he was the possessor of tremendous martial force, he was bound to be an existence that would stir up the entire realm.
Whichever side it was, it was too overwhelming for Im So-ryeong to handle.
‘Should I just completely throw myself at him and drag him over to our side?’
At that moment, Im So-ryeong indulged in an absurd imagination.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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