Absolute Sword Sense - Chapter 47

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 47: Guest of Blood-Nurturing Valley (1)

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Rumors of discord between the martial artists' alliance and Peerless Castle.

The stone So WoonHwi had cast had caused ripples far greater than he had expected.

Within a single month, the news spread to Blood Cult organizations scattered throughout the Central Plains.

The first place to receive it was Jiangxi, north of Guangdong, where Blood-Nurturing Valley was located.

It arrived in just nine days.

Jiangxi was where the Second Venerable One, the Chaotic Blade Demon Emperor Seo GalMa, had established his base.

Deep within Mount Goam in eastern Jiangxi stood a small hermitage.

It appeared ordinary from the outside, but within, countless caverns connected like an anthill, concealing a stronghold.

Amid those caverns was a place decorated with an antique air.

Numerous famed blades adorned the walls.

Beneath them were engraved the names of blade masters who had once been renowned throughout the Central Plains before their deaths.

This was the cavern of the Chaotic Blade Demon Emperor Seo GalMa.

An elderly man with graying hair neatly swept back was reading a letter.

As he focused on the letter, he gave off an unapproachable dignity.

This was Seo GalMa, one of the Venerable Ones.

“......”

Waiting respectfully before him was Hak JeongGyeom, the Destruction Brigade Leader.

A smile spread across Seo GalMa's lips when he finished reading.

As Seo GalMa tightened his grip, the letter crumpled before being torn to shreds.

It showed just how profound his internal energy was.

“The situation is becoming interesting.”

Seo GalMa rose from his seat.

Then, with a wistful gaze, he looked over the many blades hanging on the walls.

He finally spoke.

“It has come sooner than expected.”

“What do you mean?”

Hak JeongGyeom had not read the letter, so he did not know its contents.

Without taking his eyes from the famed blades, Seo GalMa said,

“The time has come for the main cult to rise again.”

“You mean!”

Hak JeongGyeom's previously expressionless eyes trembled.

Was this not the moment every member of the Blood Cult had dreamed of?

Seeing that Hak JeongGyeom could not conceal their excitement, Seo GalMa said,

“The time has arrived, yet the main cult remains scattered without a center. We must set that right.”

‘Ah!’

Hak JeongGyeom understood what he meant.

Though Seo GalMa had prepared for reconstruction, he had supported no one until now.

For him to say this meant he intended to make his position clear before the main cult's revival.

“Hak JeongGyeom.”

“Please give your order.”

“Call GeumWon and EunJae. Prepare at once to depart for Blood-Nurturing Valley.”

“You mean the young masters?”

GeumWon and EunJae.

They were disciples who had inherited Seo GalMa's teachings.

Did summoning even his disciples and heading to Blood-Nurturing Valley mean Seo GalMa had chosen Baek Ryeon Ha?

Hak JeongGyeom could not help but be puzzled.

Until recently, had his favor not leaned toward Baek HyeHyang?

Regardless of Hak JeongGyeom's thoughts, all they could do was follow the choice of their lord, Seo GalMa.

* * *

Kaifeng, in northeastern Henan Province in the Central Plains.

Aside from the capital, Kaifeng was the largest city.

Countless martial clans had established their roots there.

Yet, like the saying that it is darkest beneath the lamp, a force had secretly established itself in Kaifeng.

It was First Blood Star Thunder Blood Sword Jang Ryong.

The main branch of the Flower Moon Merchant Association in Kaifeng.

As befitted a merchant association boasting wealth beyond measure, its manor spanned several thousand pyeong.

The manor had a rear garden full of flowers throughout all four seasons.

In that garden, a red-haired woman in martial attire stood with her back to the flowerbeds, reading a letter.

After reading it for some time, she spoke.

“You've read the letter, haven't you?”

Behind her stood a sharp-featured, middle-aged man six cheok tall.

He was the true owner of the Flower Moon Merchant Association, as well as First Blood Star Thunder Blood Sword Jang Ryong, ranked first among the Blood Cult's Seven Blood Stars.

“It arrived before you did, Miss, so I read it.”

“If the letter reached here from Blood-Nurturing Valley, it must have taken quite a while.”

“It likely took around twenty days.”

Had it been delivered through official or civilian channels, travel from Guangdong to Henan would have taken longer. But martial artists used carrier pigeons, movement skills, and various other methods together, greatly reducing the time.

The woman called Miss gave a faint laugh.

“So the Venerable One uncovered this information?”

“Yes.”

“Not bad, Venerable One. He seemed to have no interest at all in the main cult's affairs.”

“That no longer appears to be the case.”

News of Venerable One Bizarre Oddity Evil Heaven's declaration that he would expand his power base had already reached the ears of officials throughout the Central Plains through the brigade leaders who attended the selection ceremony.

The red-haired woman folded the letter and lowered it.

Blood-red light, concealed behind the letter, appeared in her eyes.

She raised the corners of her cherry-like lips and said,

“What do you think?”

“I will only follow your orders, Miss.”

“Orders? Stop spouting nonsense. You said you would become my Zhang Liang, so surely you have some insight into this.”

Despite her harsh manner of speaking, Jang Ryong responded with an unwavering smile.

“The First Venerable, the Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Blood Stars, and I support you. Recently, the Second Venerable One has also expressed favorable intentions.”

That meant she had the support of nearly seventy percent of the officials.

“Meanwhile, only the Third and Sixth Blood Stars support ‘her.’”

“Hmph. We can deal with those bastards once the main cult has been rebuilt.”

“You are correct. But do you remember what I told you?”

“Leave no room for even the slightest possibility?”

“You remember. ‘She’ has also inherited that person's blood. Even a small opening could bring great trouble in the future.”

“So you're saying we shouldn't give her even an opening?”

“Yes.”

“Then bring the Venerable One to our side, so that bitch cannot be given useless hope.”

“Correct. As expected, you are clever.”

“But would that eccentric old man come just because we called him?”

They had contacted him several times over the past five years.

Yet each time, they had received only a cold refusal.

He was merely a loner, and she was too proud to continue trying to win him over.

Jang Ryong gave a sinister smile.

“That was when the Venerable One had nothing to lose.”

* * *

Twenty days had passed since I learned the Illusory Mind Eye from Blood-Hand Witch Han BaekHa.

I had expected our routine to change after receiving new recruits, but only the location had changed, to Blood-Nurturing Valley's Main Hall.

Together with Evil Heaven, we honed our Martial Arts.

Escort Brigade Leader Jang MoonWoong had taken full charge of training the low-rank warriors and candidates for mid and high-rank warrior positions, so there was nothing in particular for Song JwaBaek, Song WooHyun, or me to worry about.

According to Evil Heaven, once the recruits had completed their basic training, we would move to a base he had already selected.

In the meantime, Evil Heaven gave us another mission.

We were to rise beyond squad leaders and become brigade leaders.

[Do you intend for this lord's disciples to end as mere squad leaders?]

He was certainly right.

Even the Blood-Hand Witch, one of the Seven Blood Stars, had a first disciple who was a brigade leader.

As disciples of a Venerable One, if we were nothing more than squad leaders, it would damage his reputation.

However, becoming a brigade leader was on a completely different level from becoming a squad leader.

The most basic qualification was to surpass Advanced and reach the Expert realm.

Of course, my actual ability had already surpassed the wall of Advanced.

But that was power I kept hidden. The internal energy visible from my Lower Dantian had yet to escape the Advanced realm.

That was why I was suffering like this.

Thud!

“Urgh!”

It felt as though my breakfast would come back up.

One kick from Evil Heaven made my internal organs feel twisted.

“You can't even withstand three techniques!”

Evil Heaven roared.

That mad old man.

It would be nice if he matched our level, but he was using nearly his full strength.

“Hup!”

At that moment, someone targeted Evil Heaven from behind.

It was Song JwaBaek.

The muscles of his bare upper body had turned bronze.

It was because he had unleashed the Golden Blood Body.

Targeting Evil Heaven's back while his attention was focused on me was all well and good, but...

Smack!

Evil Heaven spun around like lightning and seized Song JwaBaek by the neck.

Then he slammed him into the ground.

Boom!

“Ghk!”

Song JwaBaek struck the back of his head so hard that his eyes rolled back, as though he had suffered a concussion.

Evil Heaven clicked his tongue at the sight.

“What an idiot. If you're going to attack from behind, don't shout first!”

That was exactly what I wanted to say.

He should have concealed his presence before attacking.

But that was not the end of our plan.

Whoosh! Swish!

I heard something flying toward us.

Evil Heaven frowned and turned his head to the side.

Bald Song WooHyun was flying toward him like a massive human iron mace.

His momentum was tremendous.

Evil Heaven hurriedly extended a hand toward him.

Smack!

Evil Heaven stopped his headbutt with one bare hand, but his body was pushed back around four steps.

Step! Step! Step! Step!

That was all.

Evil Heaven, having been pushed back, struck Song WooHyun's head with a palm strike.

Smack!

Song WooHyun's body was sent flying backward.

He truly was a monster.

We had used Song JwaBaek and me as bait to deceive him, yet he blocked the attack with one hand.

Even then, he had only been pushed back four steps.

“Tsk, tsk. The three of you launched a combined attack, yet you could only move this lord four steps. You should be ashamed.”

That irritated me.

The way he kept talking made me want to fight him with my true power.

But even then, there would not be much difference.

Evil Heaven was a monster who had surpassed even the wall of Expert.

To fight him on equal footing, I would need to reach at least the sixth level of the Stellar Star Mystic Art.

- Even that is no longer certain.

‘What?’

- Evil Heaven has grown much stronger as well. In the time I have not seen him, he seems to have improved enough to equal or even surpass my former master.

The Southern Heavenly Steel Sword rated him highly.

It made sense.

The last time Evil Heaven fought the Southern Heavenly Swordmaster was fifteen years ago.

There was no way Evil Heaven's Martial Arts had not advanced in that time.

Would I need to reach the seventh level of the Stellar Star Mystic Art to defeat him completely?

That was a realm even the Southern Heavenly Swordmaster had failed to reach in life.

As I was thinking that, Evil Heaven shouted at us.

“We will continue. Get up.”

“Whew.”

I steadied my breathing and rose to my feet.

I dispersed the discomforting energy that had seeped into my internal organs, making my stomach feel better.

As I assumed my form to spar again, Evil Heaven looked somewhere and raised his hand, calling a halt.

‘Ah.’

A woman wearing a white face veil stood atop the hill.

- Huh? It's her.

The SoDam Sword recognized her first.

She was Baek Ryeon Ha.

For nearly a month, we had repeatedly crossed paths in the Main Hall courtyard of Blood-Nurturing Valley, but she had always simply passed by.

I thought she had taken a proper dislike to me, so why had she come here alone?

The two exchanged something through sound telepathy.

Then...

“WoonHwi.”

“Yes, Master.”

“......Go with her.”

Her purpose was not Evil Heaven.

It was me.

* * *

I followed her silently.

I thought she was heading toward the Main Hall, but she went in the opposite direction, away from the open ground.

It seemed she had led me somewhere out of sight.

Once no Blood Cult warriors could be seen, she stopped and spoke.

“Let us speak here.”

It was indeed Miss Ha Yeon's voice.

She had lost weight, but she was Miss Ha Yeon, or rather, Baek Ryeon Ha.

“Young master, do you know who I am?”

She asked without removing her veil.

It was an ambiguous question. I could not tell whether she was asking if I knew her status as a noble person, or if I recognized her as Miss Ha Yeon, who had used an alias.

But there was no harm in my knowing her other identity.

I pretended to be surprised.

“This voice... Could you be Miss Ha Yeon?”

At my reaction, Miss Ha Yeon shook her head.

“You know that isn't what I'm asking.”

“Ah...”

So it was the former question after all.

She spoke to me with a slightly huffy look in her eyes.

“Young master, you seem smarter than anyone I have ever met. Yet I found it even stranger that you still did not know my identity.”

She appeared certain that I knew who she was.

Of course I did.

Even her actions so far had given me enough to infer many things.

I had merely kept quiet because she herself had not wanted to reveal her identity.

“Do you really not know?”

She stared intently at me.

Would the answer be to say that I knew?

After thinking for a moment, I was about to answer her honestly.

That was when it happened.

Whoosh!

She and I turned toward the same place at once.

We sensed someone's presence there.

With a rustling sound, someone emerged from the bushes.

It was a young man with thick eyelids, clad in gray martial attire and carrying a long saber around four cheok long on his back.

- He looks like a toad.

Hmm.

That was an accurate assessment.

His face did bring a toad to mind.

I had never seen him before, but since he had come this close to the Main Hall, he was likely someone from the main cult.

“Ha... I finally found it.”

Had he gotten lost? The young man's face brightened.

After muttering to himself, he looked at us, gave a fist-and-palm salute, and spoke.

“Are you people from Blood-Nurturing Valley?”

Since he knew of Blood-Nurturing Valley, he was certainly from the main cult.

Baek Ryeon Ha did not seem inclined to answer, so I returned his salute.

“That is correct.”

Strictly speaking, I was merely staying at Blood-Nurturing Valley.

“What a relief. It is my first time at Blood-Nurturing Valley, so I lost my way in the mountains.”

What was this?

He was speaking down to me very naturally.

Was it because I looked younger than him? Or did he possess status that justified it?

The toad-like young man took out a plaque from his robes.

‘Go EunJae?’

My eyes widened slightly when I recognized the name.

“I am Go EunJae, the second disciple of Second Venerable One Chaotic Blade Demon Emperor Seo GalMa. Wait here a moment and guide me.”

As he had introduced himself, he was the Second Venerable One's second disciple.

Ten years later, he would gain infamy under the name Toad Blood Blade Master.

He hated that epithet, which included the word for toad as an insult to his appearance, so much that he indiscriminately killed anyone who called him by it.

“Why are you not answering?”

Perhaps because of his status, he spoke arrogantly.

Since he was coming to Blood-Nurturing Valley anyway, he would learn my identity. It seemed better to settle this here.

“It is an honor to meet Young Master Go EunJae, disciple of the Second Venerable One. I am So WoonHwi, first disciple of the Venerable One.”

“What?”

He suddenly looked startled.

Was I famous enough to warrant that kind of reaction?

Go EunJae craned his neck like a toad and stared at me before giving a faint laugh.

“Ah. So you are So WoonHwi.”

Something about his tone bothered me.

It was far from friendly.

“Master was worried for nothing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Still, let us see your skill once!”

Clang!

Go EunJae suddenly drew the long saber from his back and rushed at me like lightning, slashing at me. He struck with enough force to split me in two if I failed to stop it.

- WoonHwi. Draw me!

I know.

I hurriedly drew the Southern Heavenly Steel Sword.

Then I stepped forward to keep Baek Ryeon Ha from being harmed and blocked his strike.

Claaang!

When the saber and sword collided, my insides churned.

I had expected it from a disciple of the Second Venerable One, but he had surpassed the wall of Advanced.

The Force of ki carried through the sword was tremendous.

He was not someone I could handle with only the internal energy of my Lower Dantian.

“For this to be a Venerable One's disciple. Tsk, tsk.”

He sneered and spoke mockingly.

He was an unpleasant bastard.

I wanted to open my Central Dantian and fight him properly at once.

“What do you think you are doing?”

Baek Ryeon Ha's hands had turned red.

It seemed that if I had not blocked the attack, she would have stepped in herself.

“Oh? So you are a disciple of the Sixth Blood Star. How was I to know when you covered your face and did not introduce yourself? I hear there are many beauties under your teacher.”

He smacked his lips as he spoke.

That was enough.

This bastard did not seem like someone I should keep hiding my ability from.

Just as I was about to open my Central Dantian...

Thump!

Someone appeared behind Go EunJae.

Startled by the large shadow cast over him, Go EunJae withdrew the saber that had clashed with mine and swung behind him in haste.

Smack!

But his saber blade was stopped by a thick palm.

Go EunJae jerked back in shock and muttered,

“Y-you are?”

It was Evil Heaven.