Chapter 161 :

<The Black Flame Dragon Who Quells the Chaos (6)>

"The streets are quiet."

Dang Hyeokjae nodded at my remark.

"Everyone's being cautious. They're afraid."

Yueyang was quiet.

If the silence before had been people bowing their heads in fear of the clashing weapons, now it was the stillness before a storm.

The people who usually wandered the streets selling candy and rice cakes had vanished, and the merchants who once called out to passersby had set out their stalls but kept glancing around nervously.

"I heard a rumor that assassins are roaming the streets. That was your doing, wasn't it?"

"...Why do you think it's a rumor?"

"Because it's spreading faster than it should. Even the biggest gossips have limits to how quickly they can pass a story along. But do you really think that will work?"

As expected, it wasn't easy to fool someone clever with such a simple trick.

"Someone of your standing, Branch Leader, can analyze and distinguish fact from fiction. They can't."

The heretical sects' sudden halt was proof enough.

They had all brought their guards into their lodgings and were clearly stepping up security.

Expanding one's influence was all well and good, but if you died like the leader of the Mukhyul Gang, all you'd do was make your subordinates happy.

Thanks to that, Yueyang was able to maintain a ceasefire, if only briefly.

Of course, unable to bear the anxiety, a few righteous sects finally packed up and left Yueyang.

No one could know what would happen there next.

"Then can I start packing again?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"If you die, will the Taeul Sect invest in me?"

Why would he say something so unlucky?

"Now I feel like withdrawing my promise to invest even if I survive."

Dang Hyeokjae looked at me in disbelief.

"Isn't that the truth? If you die, what would I go all the way to the Taeul Sect for?"

"You've got to be kidding me. I've heard enough! Who's dying?"

"The Mukhyul Gang will definitely send Sword Evil. He's considered a match for the Three Fiends."

The Three Fiends were the three members who held the top three positions among the Eight Fiends: Dragon Evil, Blood Evil, and Saber Evil.

They were considered a greater threat than the other members of the Eight Fiends, and were also among the Martial Alliance's main targets.

"I know that."

What's more, Sword Evil was consumed by resentment over the death of the Mukhyul Gang leader and what I had done to him.

Even if one of the other members of the Eight Fiends showed up, Sword Evil would probably insist on coming himself.

There was no avoiding it.

I pushed away my mounting worries and changed the subject.

"What happened with the favor I asked?"

"I heard they set out from Jangsa. They'll probably arrive the day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow? Won't that be too late?"

"What can I do? There's only so fast you can travel."

"Why didn't you open a Tang Clan branch in Yueyang in the first place, if you were going to take charge of the Yueyang Branch?"

"Honestly, anyone would think you'd taken it for granted."

Dang Hyeokjae pouted.

"Do you want to see your investor die?"

"...I told them to hurry as fast as they could without stopping. It'll be close, but they should make it in time."

His gaze was full of worry as he looked at me.

"Please don't die."

For a moment, I wondered what he really meant.

"Are you worried about me, or about losing your investor?"

Dang Hyeokjae's eyes wavered sharply.

"..."

"Forget it. I don't need an answer."

Sword Evil was one thing, but what did everyone take me for?

As I entered the Yujang Sect, I was passing through the training ground when a strange sight stopped me in my tracks.

'What's he doing?'

The sect leader of the Yujang Sect, Jang Sagyeong, was strolling around the grounds, taking in the various parts of the sect.

For someone who had to face a fight to the death in two days, he seemed far too relaxed.

'Does he have complete faith in the ace he's been keeping up his sleeve?'

Normally, anyone facing a fight to the death would be expected to make the most of every precious moment and train, but for some reason, he seemed completely at ease.

"Hm? Young Hero Jin!"

Jang Sagyeong greeted me with a delighted expression. I slowly clasped my hands in a martial salute.

"Were you out for a walk?"

"I was checking how badly the Yujang Sect's facilities had been damaged."

He seemed certain that the Yujang Sect would win.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be making plans for such a distant future.

"Would you walk with me for a while?"

"Certainly."

Jang Sagyeong slowly led me around the sect, pointing out various places.

The shed where he used to hide as a child when he skipped training.

The place where he held his wedding.

The room where Jang Ujae was born, and so on.

He had spent his entire life within the Yujang Sect, and as we walked, he slowly shared the memories he had gathered there.

"I'm sorry."

His sudden apology made me tilt my head.

"What for?"

"Did you know that Ujae likes you? No… 'looks up to you' would be more accurate."

"Pardon?"

"After he went to the academy, more than half of the letters he sent were about you. He never failed to write about what a fine man you were, how impressive and generous."

"He used to say he wanted to become a man like you and work alongside you."

"Is that so?"

"So I tried to stop him... The path you walk is too difficult and painful. I told him to take an easier one."

No parent wanted their child to walk a path strewn with thorns.

"I understand. It was only natural for you to choose that."

"That makes me feel even more ashamed. I chose only the easy path, and in the end, I had to rely on your help."

Jang Sagyeong clasped his hands in a martial salute and bowed deeply.

There were Yujang Sect disciples nearby, but he didn't seem to care in the slightest.

Startled, I hurriedly helped him back up.

"I'd be worried if people saw this. Please, stand up."

When Jang Sagyeong raised his head, his eyes were full of complicated emotions.

"I truly respect you. I can understand why Ujae looks up to you."

"You're too kind."

"I regret it so much. Life is bound to be painful. Why did I always try to avoid it?"

We started walking again, and no further words passed between us.

When our walk had ended and we were about to part, Jang Ujae came into view.

He wasn't alone.

He was handing a pouch to someone sent from the Martial Alliance and receiving a small wooden case in return.

The case's shape stirred a strange sense of familiarity in me, so I approached him.

"Ah! Representative Jin!"

The Martial Alliance man hurried away as if fleeing, while Jang Ujae gave me an awkward smile.

There was definitely something going on.

"What is that?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"What you exchanged with that man."

"...Oh, it's nothing. I received a cheap elixir that might help me before the decisive sparring match."

"May I take a look?"

"...It really is nothing. If you need something, Representative Jin, I can find you something better."

"No. I want to see what it is."

As I spoke, I extended my White Peak Hand and pulled the wooden case from Jang Ujae's robes.

"W-wait, Representative!"

"..."

It was exactly the kind I'd seen many times before.

I pushed Jang Ujae aside as he tried to take it back, then opened the case. Inside was a dark, dull-red pill.

"..."

I turned to look at Jang Sagyeong.

His eyes were wide with surprise, too.

I barely managed to swallow a sigh.

"Do you even know what the Blood Explosion Pill is before you go handling it so carelessly?"

"..."

"If you're not confident you can win, then just send someone else."

"No! I can definitely win. I only prepared it to make sure of my victory."

I understood how he felt.

He was determined to do everything he could for his sect.

But the situation was different from yesterday. Things were not so desperate that he needed to resort to self-destruction.

Crack.

I crushed the Blood Explosion Pill along with its wooden case, and Jang Ujae couldn't hide his shocked expression.

I looked him straight in the eyes.

"No one in the Yujang Sect would want this."

Then I turned my gaze to Jang Sagyeong.

"And least of all, you, Father. This isn't the sight you want to see."

Jang Sagyeong stared at Jang Ujae, his face stiff as stone.

"..."

While Jang Ujae kept his head down, Jang Sagyeong spoke sternly.

"Come with me!"

I watched quietly as the two of them left.

How shameful it was to let your parents see you choosing death.

Even after entering the room, Jang Ujae couldn't lift his head.

Only after a long while did Jang Sagyeong's heavy voice break the silence.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

"...'The body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents; not daring to injure them is the beginning of filial piety.' I violated the most basic principle of filial duty."

Jang Sagyeong's voice burst out in anger.

"No!"

"...!"

Jang Ujae looked at his father in surprise.

Jang Sagyeong's eyes were filled with frustration.

"Do you truly not know? You were trying to shirk your responsibility!"

"What…?"

"What is your responsibility? As the heir to the Yujang Sect, isn't it to protect its people and keep them alive?"

"..."

"Only the sect leader can risk death for the Yujang Sect. Are you already its sect leader?"

Disappointment gradually crept into Jang Sagyeong's eyes.

"Why would you escape a difficult burden by choosing death? Is that what Young Hero Jin, the man you admired so much, would do?"

"Father..."

"If you've watched him for so long, there must be something you've learned from him. Is that all you learned by watching Young Hero Jin?"

"..."

Jang Sagyeong looked at his son, who had lowered his head, and let out a long sigh.

"Just watching Young Hero Jin negotiate with the Mukhyul Gang yesterday was enough for me to understand why you wanted to follow him. The Yujang Sect had already lost, and we had agreed to hand it over and let our people leave. But hadn't Young Hero Jin already saved every person in the sect?"

"Ah...!"

Jang Ujae's eyes widened.

How had he only realized the importance of that now?

Seeing his son's expression change, Jang Sagyeong softened his voice.

"That must be why he's known in the murim world as the Bloodflame Dragon. The Taeul Sect, which once had no presence at all, has become known throughout the land in just a few years. That, too, was possible because of his remarkable role."

"Think about what you can do for the people of the Yujang Sect."

"..."

"That is the responsibility you must fulfill as its heir."

Jang Sagyeong's reprimand weighed on Jang Ujae's shoulders more heavily than any scolding could have.

Jang Ujae was so ashamed by Jang Sagyeong's praise of Jin Sowoon that he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.

"Do you understand your mistake now?"

"...I chose a path that was too easy... far too comfortable..."

At Jang Ujae's halting reply, Jang Sagyeong smiled.

"Exactly! That's it!"

"..."

"I chose you over everyone else because you, too, have a responsibility as the Yujang Sect's heir."

"I'll remember."

"I also apologize for telling you to make connections with the Nine Great Sects. From now on, keep watching Young Hero Jin and learn from him. And you must..."

After Jang Sagyeong and Jang Ujae left, I was alone, so I headed to the sect leader's private training ground.

I had asked permission in advance, so no one stopped me.

The most important thing for me now was to face Sword Evil.

The problem was that the Taeul Sect's martial arts were poorly suited to fighting him.

His uniquely stealthy, swift sword was especially difficult to deal with.

Of course, I couldn't predict what would happen if we fought at full strength, but I also had to consider what the heretical sects might do after the Yujang Sect won.

'Those who stabbed us in the back won't accept defeat and withdraw just because they lost a sparring match.'

Whatever happened, I had to win the match and prepare to keep the Mukhyul Gang from attacking recklessly.

That meant I couldn't fight by expending all my internal energy.

Fortunately, I had a way.

It was the Three Forms of the White Moon that Subdues Heaven, which I had recently received from the Sword Demon.

The problem was that two days was far too little time to learn such a difficult martial art.

"I knew the day would come when I'd have to use this."

Based on advice I'd received from the Divine Sword in the past, I had once thought of a theory involving the harmony of essence, energy, and spirit.

It was to use my curse.

I had a memory so painful that it felt like a curse.

On top of that, I had reached the realm of the Five Dragons Sealing the Saint and achieved harmony between essence, energy, and spirit.

More recently, I had gained a fortuitous opportunity and advanced beyond the Sun and Moon in Union to the Jade Bud Golden Flower stage.

It was a higher realm in which my body moved as I thought, and my energy flowed in and out without obstruction.

I would use those two things to learn a martial art in an extremely short time.

"Did Senior Baek do it like this?"

Baek Haegwang appeared in my mind and began performing the Three Forms of the White Moon that Subdues Heaven.

I recalled everything about Senior Baek Haegwang's movements: the rhythm of his breathing, how he used his muscles, even the spacing of his steps.

He seemed so vivid that he might as well have been standing before me.

As I recited the martial art's formula, I commanded my body to imitate Baek Haegwang's movements exactly.

Crack.

My arm wasn't even fully extended, yet I heard the sound of my muscles tearing.

Thud. Thud.

As soon as my hand fully opened, my joints twisted sharply and my bones ground against one another.

Thump, thump, thump.

Perhaps startled by the excessive movement, my heart began to pound violently.

At that moment—

"Aaagh!"

Clang!

In the end, I couldn't endure it and dropped the Blood Dragon Sword.

"Haa… haa… haa…"

This was a technique I had conceived through the harmony of essence, energy, and spirit to shorten the time required.

It was a mad act only I could perform, thanks to my absolute memory.

I made my body match my opponent's and leaped past all the years of training they had endured in a single moment.

Clutching my aching elbow, I muttered,

"Crazy… What kind of training did he go through?"

The body was meant to change gradually through years of training and rest. It was only natural that forcing it to leap forward ten years in a single night would strain it.

What's more, the greater the other person's level, the more the pain seemed to increase exponentially.

When I reached for the Blood Dragon Sword, my arm trembled despite my best efforts.

I hadn't even realized it, but my body had felt an instinctive fear.

Still, a way forward appeared when I reached my limit.

"Hoo… hoo… hoo… If I give up here, all of this will have been for nothing."

I clenched my teeth and reached for the Blood Dragon Sword.

"Aaaargh!"