WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Episode 28: To the Yiyang So Clan (2)

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I, Song JwaBaek, and Song WooHyun gave fist-and-palm salutes.

Snap!

“You called for us?”

“Come in, all three of you.”

When we entered a room in the main headquarters building, Baek Ryeon Ha, Bizarre Oddity Evil Heaven, Chaotic Blade Demon Emperor Seo GalMa, Blood-Hand Witch Han BaekHa, Escort Brigade Leader Jang MunWoong, and others were seated around a long table.

The atmosphere in the room was quite serious.

A map of the Central Plains was spread across the table, along with several carrier pigeon messages and letters.

They had likely come from our informants.

“...”

Perhaps Song JwaBaek had sensed the mood as well, because his expression grew grave.

What could have happened?

“Brigade Leader Jang.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

At Baek Ryeon Ha's call, Escort Brigade Leader Jang MunWoong spoke.

“Young masters, there is a mission for you.”

“A mission?”

Song JwaBaek's voice rose slightly at the word.

Aside from the nine days spent traveling here, we had done nothing but train at the manor.

He must have been looking forward to it after feeling so stifled.

‘A mission...’

But I felt differently.

Before my regression, I had feared every mission I received.

My only thought had been, Would I survive this one?

I did not know what sort of mission it would be this time.

- Are you worried?

‘Of course.’

All Blood Cult missions were dangerous, differing only in degree.

Still, I was curious.

What sort of task would be given to a Venerable One's disciple at the Deputy Brigade Leader level?

Then Jang MunWoong lifted two letters and spoke.

“This letter came from Third Venerable One.”

‘Third Venerable One?’

That meant Blood Death King Gu JeYang.

They had sent him a personal letter, so it seemed a reply had arrived.

“And this one came from the Second Blood Star.”

The Second Blood Star, Asura Blade Yu Baek.

Along with Chaotic Blade Demon Emperor Seo GalMa, Yu Baek was one of the finest blade masters in the Blood Cult.

I had heard that the First and Second Blood Stars possessed Martial Arts comparable to those of the Venerable Ones.

That was why they had said they needed both of their support to secure a clear advantage.

- Didn't they say they were giving up on winning that old man called Third Venerable One over?

He had nearly given up.

Seo GalMa had said that he was already leaning heavily toward Baek HyeHyang's side.

That was why they had sent the letter with only half a hope of success.

“Though the contents differ, the two made similar demands.”

Hm?

Had there been some progress?

Making demands meant they could still be won over.

But the fact that the demands were similar bothered me.

“What are they?”

“The Second Blood Star said they could not follow someone who lacked the proper qualifications. Third Venerable One said he would recognize whoever inherited the Blood Demon Sword as the lord.”

‘!?’

The Blood Demon Sword?

This was insane.

From what I had heard so far, could the mission possibly be to steal the Blood Demon Sword?

- Why are you so surprised?

‘...If my guess is right, that is absolutely impossible.’

It could not be done.

- What is it?

The Blood Demon Sword.

It was the Blood Cult's divine artifact and the sword that symbolized its lord.

I had heard that it was a peerless demonic sword, one that constantly thirsted for blood.

Over twenty years ago, when the Blood Demon, the lord of that era, died in the War Between Justice and Evil, the sword fell into the martial artists' alliance's hands.

- They want you to steal that?

The SoDam Sword was finally shocked as well.

The Blood Demon Sword was kept at the very heart of the martial artists' alliance's main headquarters.

Before my regression, the Blood Cult had sent countless spies to reclaim the sword, but none had succeeded. Every one of them died.

And not quick deaths, either.

They were tortured so brutally that they begged to be killed.

- Why is a mere sword so important?

‘Then why is the imperial seal important?’

- Ah...

It was a matter of symbolism and legitimacy.

It had not been called a divine artifact for nothing.

Shaolin's Verdant Jade Buddha Staff, the Beggars' Sect's Dog-Beating Staff, and Wudang's Taiji Mystic Sword were all treasures that represented their respective sects, no different from their honor.

Having lost such a divine artifact to the martial artists' alliance, the Blood Cult had lost its symbol.

That was why it had sacrificed so many spies in its attempts to retrieve the sword before my regression.

“Then is our mission to find the Blood Demon Sword?”

Knowing nothing, Song JwaBaek eagerly stepped forward.

Jang MunWoong shook his head.

“The Blood Demon Sword's location is already well known. It is in the martial artists' alliance's main headquarters.”

“Then are we to retrieve it?”

JwaBaek.

You were getting far too eager.

At this rate, you would not live to die of old age.

A sense of foreboding kept me from saying anything.

Evil Heaven clicked his tongue.

“You fool. If it were so easily done, we would have taken it back long ago.”

Song JwaBaek fell silent, as though he had swallowed honey.

Thanks to that, I learned something important.

Fortunately, our mission did not seem to be reclaiming the Blood Demon Sword.

Evil Heaven turned to look at me.

“What do you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you think those two made such demands?”

At Evil Heaven's question, everyone's gaze turned toward me.

Judging by the atmosphere, they seemed to be testing whether I could uncover the hidden intent behind the letters.

But there was not much I could infer from this alone.

“Do you not know?”

“...This disciple is not perceptive enough to fully understand the intentions of those two venerable figures. However, I can make three guesses.”

“Three?”

Song JwaBaek unknowingly voiced his thoughts aloud.

Ignoring him, I continued.

“First, this could be an indirect rejection through demands that are impossible from the beginning.”

It could be a gesture of courtesy toward Baek Ryeon Ha, who carried the Blood Demon's blood.

At my words, Seo GalMa and Han BaekHa silently nodded.

It seemed the two of them had reached the same conclusion.

Baek Ryeon Ha spoke.

“And the second?”

“...They have given you an opportunity, Young Lady. They have left open a sliver of possibility.”

Song JwaBaek nodded at those words.

He appeared to have approached the matter from a simple perspective.

“Do you truly think so?”

I shook my head at Baek Ryeon Ha's question.

“In truth, it is the least likely possibility. Third Venerable One already made his intentions known to Second Venerable One here. His mind would not change so easily because of a single letter.”

Evil Heaven leaned back in his chair and smiled faintly.

That probably meant this answer had been close to the truth as well.

Baek Ryeon Ha asked, “Both possibilities make sense. Then what is the last one?”

“...It could be a trap.”

Song JwaBaek looked at me as if to ask what that could possibly mean.

Since it differed from my first two guesses, his reaction was only natural.

The others were different.

They looked interested at the possibility of a trap.

“Why do you believe it is a trap, young master?”

This time, Blood-Hand Witch Han BaekHa asked me.

I had approached the final possibility from another angle.

When I had been a spy for the martial artists' alliance before my regression, a damned bastard once told me this.

[Looking one move ahead is guessing how the other side will act from my position. Looking two moves ahead is guessing how I would be approached from the other side's position.]

He had stabbed me in the back at the end, but he had given me quite a bit of useful advice.

- Stabbed you in the back at the end? Could it be...

Yes, it was advice from that damned bastard.

Fourth Council Elder Baek WiHyang of the martial artists' alliance.

As one of the alliance's three strategists, he was skilled in schemes.

I took a breath and spoke.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that both of those esteemed figures have already been won over by Baek HyeHyang's... the Young Lady's side.”

“Won over?”

“If I were on Baek HyeHyang's side, I believe I could use this to set a trap. For instance, it may be a scheme to scatter our strength in a useless direction.”

It was entirely possible.

If we tried to recover the Blood Demon Sword at all costs to gain a greater advantage in this struggle for power, our forces would inevitably be whittled down.

Of course, this was not certain either.

It would have been easier to make an inference if I had read the letters myself, but merely hearing a summary was the limit.

A faint smile appeared on Blood-Hand Witch Han BaekHa's expressionless face.

“Your insight is remarkable, young master.”

“?”

As I looked at her in confusion, Han BaekHa swept her gaze toward the others.

The leaders nodded.

Jang MunWoong spoke.

“You are indeed sharp, young master. I did not expect you to infer so much from the information we gave you. Without further intelligence, we would likely have reached the same conclusion as your final opinion.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is one more letter.”

This time, they passed it over for us to read directly.

Song JwaBaek leaned in to read it with me.

His younger brother, Song WooHyun... was already struggling just to follow the discussion, so I left him alone.

As Song JwaBaek and I read the letter, we could not help frowning.

“This is?”

“A letter Brother Gu sent to me.”

Seo GalMa spoke.

I could tell from the greeting written at the start of the letter.

It was a separate letter from Blood Death King Gu JeYang to Seo GalMa, stating that he would remain neutral until the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was three months away.

If that had been all it said, it would have been difficult to trust. However, it also stated that if Baek HyeHyang acquired the Blood Demon Sword, he could no longer remain neutral.

“Then does Baek HyeHyang intend to seize the Blood Demon Sword as well?”

I could not understand it at all.

Did she have some plan to breach the very heart of the martial artists' alliance?

As I wondered, Blood-Hand Witch Han BaekHa spoke.

“Just as Baek HyeHyang's side has planted spies among us, we have planted spies on their side as well.”

I already knew that.

Compared to Baek Ryeon Ha's relatively small force, Baek HyeHyang's faction was enormous, making it easier to place spies among them.

However, their defenses against spies were formidable as well, so we could not plant anyone among their core forces. The quality of our information was inevitably lower.

“Then how can you be so certain?”

Baek Ryeon Ha answered my question.

“Because my sister postponed the founding ceremony.”

The founding ceremony was an event meant to proclaim the Blood Cult's revival to the martial world.

‘Ah...’

Come to think of it, before my regression, not long after the martial artists' alliance and Peerless Castle broke their alliance, the Blood Cult officially held its founding ceremony to announce its return to the martial world.

- Is this different from your memories too?

It was certainly different.

The Blood Cult could not afford to miss this opportunity.

Yet I could not understand why Baek HyeHyang postponing the founding ceremony for three months meant she intended to obtain the Blood Demon Sword.

- Maybe she came up with a plan?

‘Perhaps... Ah!’

- What is it?

Why had I not thought of this?

The broken alliance was not the only thing that had changed from before my regression.

- Then what else changed?

‘The balance of power within the Blood Cult.’

Before my regression, I had not known whether Baek Ryeon Ha was alive.

But if my instincts were correct, there was a high chance that Baek Ryeon Ha had been pushed aside and eliminated in the early days.

- Right. Things turned out this way because you became that mad old man's disciple.

The SoDam Sword was right.

After I became his disciple, Evil Heaven sought out the Omnipotent Godly Doctor to heal my dantian.

That allowed Evil Heaven to reconnect with Baek Ryeon Ha, and unlike before my regression, he began supporting her.

Seo GalMa joined Baek Ryeon Ha's side as well because of that.

With things like this, even Baek HyeHyang could not easily touch her.

- Could she not try to settle this through force?

‘No. She will avoid that.’

No matter how reckless Baek HyeHyang was, that would be too much.

She could not throw away this excellent chance, created by the martial artists' alliance and Peerless Castle breaking their alliance, on an internal war.

She would avoid weakening her own side.

‘So that was it.’

Before my regression, Baek Ryeon Ha had already been eliminated, so there would have been no difficulty gathering the main cult's forces even without the Blood Demon Sword.

Even if her legitimacy was lacking, Baek HyeHyang was the Blood Demon's sole blood relative.

‘In the end, I was the cause.’

Everything had changed because of me.

Baek Ryeon Ha looked at me with a serious expression.

“My sister and I are bound to clash. However, there is only one way to avoid that and gather all of the main cult's strength.”

“...The Blood Demon Sword.”

“That is right. If we possess the main cult's divine artifact, all the Venerable Ones will have no choice but to follow.”

“The same applies to our side as well, does it not?”

Baek Ryeon Ha wore a bitter expression at my question.

The other Venerable Ones looked the same.

If the Blood Demon Sword fell into Baek HyeHyang's hands, we would have to follow the Blood Cult's highest laws.

The one who held the divine artifact became the new Blood Demon.

“But how could she possibly obtain the Blood Demon Sword?”

“Take a look at this.”

Jang MunWoong unfolded a large sheet of paper.

On its right side, in large letters, were the words: Martial Arts Tournament to Be Held.

It was a public notice.

Come to think of it, after the alliance broke apart and several spies exposed the Blood Cult's base, the martial artists' alliance had held a Martial Arts Tournament to expand its forces.

“Why this?”

Song JwaBaek asked with a confused expression.

The Martial Arts Tournament was, quite literally, an event to promote unity among force of justice members.

Then I noticed something written in the notice announcing the tournament.

“...Could you mean this?”

I pointed at that section.

Jang MunWoong nodded.

“The three of you will enter the rising talents' martial contest at the Martial Arts Tournament. At least one of you must win.”

Ah...

So this was the strange foreboding I had felt all along.

The notice said that the rising talent who won the martial contest would receive the newly established position of Azure Dragon Hall Leader and any weapon in the martial artists' alliance's armory as prizes.

- So you are supposed to win and take the Blood Demon Sword?

It seemed so.

This was driving me mad.

- Was there a tournament like this before your regression too?

Of course there was.

- ...Then you had a chance back then. Why could the Blood Cult not get the sword?

The SoDam Sword sharply pointed that out.

Honestly, I did not know whether the Blood Cult had attempted to recover the Blood Demon Sword then.

But even if it had, it would have failed.

- Why?

Because the winner of the tournament was essentially already decided.

- Decided?

To raise the morale of force of justice members, which had fallen after the alliance's collapse, the martial artists' alliance would enter a monster no one could defeat.

- A monster?

‘A monster. They are the joint personal disciple of two of the Eight Great Masters of the Central Plains.’

- A joint personal disciple of two Great Masters!

Even the SoDam Sword was astonished.

More importantly, only the martial artists' alliance's central leadership and I knew that this monster would participate.

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