Chapter 169 :

<The Blood Sea Spreading Across Sichuan (5)>

'The mood is turning strange.'

Cheol Sunjik's eyes, fixed on the Shenghu Hall and Jin Sowoon, narrowed slightly.

Had it started in Jingzhou?

Jin Sowoon had been little more than a nominal commander, but before long he was leading a force of more than a hundred.

Gu Jeongryong, the hall master, had stepped back and was now following Jin Sowoon's orders.

All academy students had experience following orders during the entrance examination, but the important thing was that the people here belonged to the Shenghu Hall.

It was the Martial Alliance's strongest armed unit.

The Blue Dragon Pavilion.

And the Shenghu Hall was its assault unit, created solely for launching preemptive attacks.

They were skilled, but their temperament was so rough that even the most hardened wandering martial artists couldn't compare.

The Shenghu Hall was such a rough outfit that even Shaolin Temple's direct disciples came out as thugs.

Yet, for some reason, they followed Jin Sowoon's orders to the letter.

No, more than that: the Shenghu Hall members went straight to Jin Sowoon with their questions instead of going through Gu Jeongryong.

"Representative Jin! They say a mountain stronghold is blocking the road ahead!"

Jin Sowoon answered as if it were obvious.

"It was only established recently. We'll just break through."

"Come on, it may be a new stronghold, but it's still a stronghold. We should pay a toll."

A toll, paid by the Martial Alliance's assault unit, the Shenghu Hall...

Since when had the Shenghu Hall become an escort agency?

The ridiculous suggestion was clearly meant to test Jin Sowoon, their commander.

"If you're scared, fall back. The Taeul Sect will break through."

"Hey, then we'd have to get involved anyway. How about you give us two bottles of liquor each night instead of one?"

Perhaps they thought their demands were reasonable because they'd been treated with money and hospitality all along.

Cheol Sunjik knew from experience.

'That's why you shouldn't flaunt your wealth in front of people.'

In the murim world, power ultimately came from martial strength, not money.

To men who had risen to the Shenghu Hall through their own skill, Jin Sowoon flaunting money could only look like a naïve rich young master.

Besides, Jin Sowoon had been treating them with Wang Geumsan's generosity, not his own wealth.

To people like the Shenghu Hall members, seasoned in the martial world, the whole situation must have seemed ridiculous.

"Bandits ahead!"

At the shout from one of the Shenghu Hall members riding ahead, the warrior talking with Jin Sowoon urged him on.

"What are you going to do? You should decide quickly."

The other Shenghu Hall members seemed to think they hadn't been given enough liquor.

They listened to Jin Sowoon and the warrior with eager expressions.

Jin Sowoon looked at the Shenghu Hall member and gave a faint laugh.

"I've been treating you so well because I heard you were the strongest unit in the Martial Alliance. And now you want to pay a toll because you're afraid of one new mountain stronghold?"

Jin Sowoon's eyes had grown resolute.

"From now on, we'll change horses at relay stations and sleep at Martial Alliance branches."

"Huh?"

This wasn't what he'd expected.

The warrior's face showed his alarm.

Before he could take back his suggestion, Jin Sowoon acted first.

"Disciples of the Taeul Sect, to the front!"

"Yes!"

The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers took the lead.

Hong Saryeon, Namgung Seonhwa, and Seong Moran lined up behind them.

Jin Sowoon drew his sword and spoke to the Shenghu Hall members.

"Do not get involved under any circumstances. If you do, I'll have to put you up in 'luxurious and comfortable' inns, too."

With that, Jin Sowoon charged ahead.

The Shenghu Hall members were the ones who began to panic.

Curses flew from every direction.

"Damn it! You bastard! Why'd you have to say something so stupid?"

"That bastard can't keep his mouth shut. Somebody knock his teeth out!"

"..."

The Shenghu Hall member who had just been basking in everyone's expectations became a traitor in an instant.

Worried they might end up sleeping at a branch, the Shenghu Hall members charged past the Taeul Sect disciples and rushed toward the bandits.

"Stop! This is the Akju Stronghold's territory... Huh?"

The bandits blocking the road looked flustered.

Some Shenghu Hall members couldn't ride forward because the men in front were in their way.

They kicked off their horses and leaped straight at the bandits.

"You bastards don't even know the basics of being bandits!"

"You idiots! You saw the Martial Alliance's flag. You should've run away, not stood there!"

"Hey! Leave one alive! I want to sleep at a branch!"

Every time a Shenghu Hall member struck, two or three bandits fell.

Ten of them had hit the ground in the blink of an eye.

Only then did the remaining bandits come to their senses and flee as fast as they could.

By the time Jin Sowoon and the Taeul Sect disciples arrived, the road had already been cleared.

"Representative Jin, you cleared the way beautifully. Don't worry about what that fool said earlier. We'll keep clearing the road from here on."

Jin Sowoon nodded.

"As expected, your skills exceed even my expectations."

"Who are we? We're the Shenghu Hall, the Martial Alliance's strongest assault unit!"

"Then I suppose we can go even faster from now on?"

"..."

They were already riding so fast that the horses were exhausted after a day's travel.

He wanted them to go even faster?

"Or are you only as capable as I thought?"

Jin Sowoon looked openly displeased.

His expression seemed to ask whether they'd really challenged him over something so trivial.

"Haha! Of course we can! We've been frustrated by how slow we've been going this whole time."

Only then did Jin Sowoon look satisfied and nod.

"Let's go! The faster we ride, the more time you'll have to rest."

The Shenghu Hall members all glared as if they wanted to kill the warrior who had challenged Jin Sowoon.

'He's seasoned.'

Watching the whole exchange, Cheol Sunjik sighed to himself.

It seemed he wasn't the only one who was surprised.

Nam Hwaseong edged closer to Cheol Sunjik and spoke.

"Brother Cheol, doesn't the mood seem a little strange to you?"

"...He seems unusually seasoned for his age."

Another member of the Twelve Peaks Fortress added:

"He's like a child in an old man's body."

Jin Sowoon was certainly too seasoned to be someone who had only just turned twenty.

Relationships between people weren't determined solely by absolute martial strength or wealth.

The process of seeing through another person's schemes, understanding them, and taking charge was not something one could learn through aptitude alone.

What mattered was experience—pure and simple.

True authority came from experience accumulated over time.

Despite growing up in the difficult conditions of the Taeul Sect, Jin Sowoon had somehow developed authority.

"He has excellent qualities as a puppet."

Cheol Sunjik had thought the same during the entrance examination.

Jin Sowoon was an intriguing person.

That was why he needed the Twelve Peaks Fortress.

If they bound Jin Sowoon to the Twelve Peaks Fortress and presented him to the public, people would surely cheer.

And Cheol Sunjik would be the one controlling that rope.

By meeting a master like him, Jin Sowoon could rise beyond the position of academy representative and stand tall in the Martial Alliance.

Perhaps he could even become the new light of their generation, hidden behind Yong Soa and Ilmyeong.

"Heh heh heh."

Seeing Jin Sowoon's unexpected true nature made Cheol Sunjik laugh.

Just then, Jin Sowoon whipped his head around and looked their way.

"Cheol Sunjik, academy student! Is that all the speed you have? What are you dawdling for?"

Cheol Sunjik stopped smiling and put on a stern expression.

He hadn't been the only one talking.

The whole Twelve Peaks Fortress had been chatting.

So why had Jin Sowoon singled him out?

He looked around in disbelief, but...

Nam Hwaseong and the other members of the Twelve Peaks Fortress were already racing far ahead.

What? When had they gotten that far?

Cheol Sunjik stared at Jin Sowoon in bewilderment.

"Yes, you, Cheol Sunjik! Are you going to pick up the pace or not? Do you want to sleep at a branch?"

"..."

Nam Hwaseong chimed in.

"Brother Cheol! Hurry up! We keep getting yelled at because of you!"

But you were the one who started talking to me!

"...Grit."

Cheol Sunjik gritted his teeth and pulled harder on the reins.

'I was an idiot to expect anything.'

The five groups had all passed through Mount Emei and visited the famous mountains and Qingcheng Mountain.

Some had even stopped by Nine Dragons Valley before moving on.

There were fewer of them than in my previous life, but they were scattered in every direction again.

Since the groups consisted only of disciples from the Nine Great Sects and their affiliated sects, they were moving ridiculously fast.

By the time Haomun's reports arrived, they'd already changed locations, so the information was all over the place.

After stirring up Sichuan like this, there was no way the Corpse-Mountain Blood-Sea Cult, which had cast its web, wouldn't notice them.

It was as if we were in a trap that could swallow people at any moment.

"Ride faster!"

"Hah! Hah! Hah!"

"Eldest Senior Brother, we have to stop soon. At this rate, everyone will die..."

"The Shenghu Hall members haven't spoken for hours, either."

I had tried to keep everyone from getting too tired, but we'd moved so quickly that everyone was exhausted.

My companions and the Twelve Peaks Fortress could manage, but the Shenghu Hall members carried combat supplies and provisions with them.

They tired more easily than the others.

If not for the Shenghu Hall, it would have been impossible for us to travel safely at all.

"We're almost at Chengdu. Let's slow down a little."

Even Namgung Seonhwa looked worried as she said this, so I couldn't push them any further.

'What should I do?'

Given the time, no matter how fast we rode from here, some of the groups would still run into the Corpse-Mountain Blood-Sea Cult.

If we all moved together, we might fail to prevent even the casualties we could have stopped.

In the end, the only option was to move alongside them ourselves.

"Shenghu Hall, rest and regroup in Chengdu before you move again."

It would be pointless to bring the Shenghu Hall all this way only for them to collapse in front of the Elders' Council, let alone the Corpse-Mountain Blood-Sea Cult, before carrying out the Intelligence Department's order.

"I thought we were going to die if we kept going like that."

"That was the hardest I've ever traveled in my life."

"My backside's rubbed raw."

The Shenghu Hall members each let out a sigh of relief.

I looked at my companions and Cheol Sunjik and explained:

"While the Shenghu Hall regroups, the Twelve Peaks Fortress and our group will split into five units. We'll locate the Righteous Path Association's people and stay in contact."

Cheol Sunjik tilted his head at my explanation.

"Representative Jin, what exactly is the purpose of this event?"

"To stop the event and have them return to Chengdu."

"You expect us to do that on our own?"

The elders were accompanying the Righteous Path Association's event.

They wouldn't move easily unless the Shenghu Hall stepped in.

"Wouldn't it make more sense for us to move with the Shenghu Hall?"

Cheol Sunjik continued, frowning slightly.

"What's the point of going ahead on our own to deliver an order they won't even obey?"

"If the Righteous Path Association refuses to listen, we'll bring back just the two of them."

At my words, Cheol Sunjik and the other members of the Twelve Peaks Fortress stiffened.

"Two people? Who do you mean?"

"Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan."

"...Ha! Ha!"

Cheol Sunjik's gaze cooled, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"So you didn't come to save the Righteous Path Association. You came to secure those two?"

"That's right."

"Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan... You're close to both of them, aren't you, Representative?"

Cheol Sunjik's expression was hard to read.

"So you stopped the academy schedule and brought the Shenghu Hall all the way here for those two?"

"..."

He was poking at the very things that made me uncomfortable.

I'd done the same thing to my superior on the battlefield in my previous life.

I could tell Cheol Sunjik was about to use his specialty.

He questioned the commander's morality, seized on his weakness, and used it to make the commander do whatever he wanted.

A commander who had lost the trust of his subordinates could no longer assert his authority.

To avoid damaging his reputation, he had no choice but to do what Cheol Sunjik wanted.

Cheol Sunjik had used that method throughout the Righteous-Demonic War to keep the Twelve Peaks Fortress from being sent to the front lines.

But I wasn't a fool who would be manipulated even after seeing through him.

"That's right."

At my answer, the corner of Cheol Sunjik's mouth trembled.

The members of the Twelve Peaks Fortress frowned one after another.

I made my point clear to them again.

"I came all this way to protect my people."

I had a rough idea why Cheol Sunjik had volunteered to accompany us when we left the academy.

After watching the Righteous Path Association repeatedly blunder, and seeing the academy representative disregard the school schedule, he must have decided it was the Twelve Peaks Fortress's turn.

And during this journey, he intended to find a weakness and put the finishing touch on his plan.

I could play along with him as much as he wanted.

"If you don't like my intentions, you can go back whenever you want."

As long as you paid the appropriate price.

"But if you intend to stay with us, you'll have to keep the promise I mentioned earlier."

"...Absolute obedience?"

"That's right."

My firm answer sent a chill through the members of the Twelve Peaks Fortress.

"Do you realize this could put your position as representative at risk?"

"I do."

"Then why insist on it?"

Why...?

'Why,' huh...

Because Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan would become major heroes in the Righteous-Demonic War?

That was true.

But before that, they were people I had formed a bond with in this life.

Moyong Jaehwa, who had even given up the Murim Examination for me.

Eun Seollan, who was like a real younger sister to Saryeon and treated me like her own older brother.

They were people I couldn't trade for anything in this life...

"Because they're my people."

Maybe I wanted to protect them so desperately because I hadn't been able to protect a single one of my people in my previous life.

Some people might find that selfish.

Nam Hwaseong cursed, his eyes blazing.

"Damn it, are you kidding me? You've caused all this trouble just to save your friends?"

I didn't care if they called me selfish or spat at me.

More than anything, I didn't want to see my people die in vain again because someone else was incompetent.

No matter what I had to pay.

"Can I hold you to what you just said?"

At Cheol Sunjik's words, I couldn't help snorting.

"Isn't that true of all of you—the Righteous Path Association, the White Path Association, and the Twelve Peaks Fortress? Wouldn't you do anything for your own people?"

"I'd rather you not change the subject."

I looked Cheol Sunjik straight in the eyes and smiled.

"Go ahead."

At my answer, one corner of Cheol Sunjik's mouth lifted.

It was his habit when he was thinking something unpleasant.

"Fine."

Cheol Sunjik nodded.

Nam Hwaseong was the one who looked flustered.

I asked him, his expression dazed:

"What are you going to do? Go back or stay?"

"...Why are you suddenly talking down to me?"

"I never asked you to come along in the first place. Tell me. Are you going back or staying?"

Nam Hwaseong looked at Cheol Sunjik as if he wanted him to decide.

But Cheol Sunjik simply stared at me.

In the end, Nam Hwaseong nodded, making it clear he would stay, too.

"From now on, we'll split into five units."

I formed the units according to skill and told everyone where to go, except for those in the vanguard.

Nam Hwaseong had been looking back and forth between me and Cheol Sunjik.

"W-wait! I said I'm staying, too!"

Nam Hwaseong shouted in a panic.

So he'd cursed me for wanting to save my people, had he?

There was a sure way to deal with someone like him.

"Nam Hwaseong, you're coming with me."

This time, I'd show him what real hardship was.