The Heaven-Slaying Sword - Chapter 61

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈

Chapter 61: Chapter Seven - Murim Alliance, Founding (4)

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The Dragon Phoenix Unit members rose at dawn and began training, filling the hall with energy. Their faces were impossibly bright.

Everyone except Dang Hwa-seo.

"Time to spar. Come out, Ink Dragon."

"No! The moment I wake up, I have to do internal-energy circulation and breath regulation! Don't use me for Sword Dragon's training! If you really want to, do it this afternoon..."

"That's when I meditate."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Come on, just train separately. Brother Namgung and Brother Mok, neither of you is in such a hurry to spar, are you?"

"Doesn't Brother Jegal train?"

"I finished before Brother Mok woke up."

"As expected of you, Brother Jegal!"

"Tch..."

Dang Hwa-seo stared blankly at the chaos before her.

She could not understand Mok Ri-won and Namgung Jin-cheon, who had gathered here to bicker from early morning despite there being three training yards. Nor could she understand Jegal San, who lay beside the people training and snickered, Hye-un, who had gone out at the crack of dawn, or Il-un, who had done nothing to stop them.

Dang Hwa-seo looked at Il-un. He could only offer an awkward smile, as though there was nothing he could do.

'...Fine. I knew what I was getting into.'

Dang Hwa-seo composed herself with her eyes closed. Then she opened them wide and shouted.

"Just split up the training yards and use them!"

Since Jegal San was not training, they only needed to take one yard each.

At Dang Hwa-seo's stern words, the uproar vanished in an instant.

"...You won't be using one, Miss Dang?"

Even now, Mok Ri-won was worried about Dang Hwa-seo's training.

She laughed hollowly.

"I'll go drag that damned White Phoenix back."

Catching Hye-un, who had slipped away while everyone slept, was more urgent than training.

She also needed to establish discipline for the days ahead.

Exactly four hours later, Dang Hwa-seo found Hye-un strolling arm in arm with a martial artist outside an inn near the Martial Alliance. She dragged Hye-un back to the Dragon Phoenix Unit hall by the ear.

That morning, not one member dared say a word in the face of Dang Hwa-seo's chilling fury.

* * *

"Maintain your dignity."

Dang Hwa-seo sat in the seat of honor in the Dragon Phoenix Unit Division Leader's office, her eyes bloodshot.

"Always be mindful of your dignity. Do not forget that we are always under the Alliance's scrutiny. Understood?"

White Phoenix, today's culprit, hung her head and fiddled with her reddened earlobe.

The others were no different.

Beyond her martial strength, Dang Hwa-seo possessed a presence that could overwhelm others. Whenever she became angry, even Namgung Jin-cheon, who usually did as he pleased, felt an inexplicable pressure.

Dang Hwa-seo let out a deep sigh.

The lecture that followed could not be helped.

"The same goes for the rest of you. I'll overlook the commotion you make inside this hall, provided you know your limits. But you cannot behave that way outside as well. Please remember that the Dragon Phoenix Unit's funding comes entirely from outside sponsorship."

Other than Dang Hwa-seo, the martial artists in the Dragon Phoenix Unit would eventually return to their respective families, so the Alliance itself provided little support.

This lavish hall and all the comforts they enjoyed were funded by outsiders who wanted to build ties with them. They had to live up to those expectations.

Dang Hwa-seo was the only one who understood the importance of that, having run a business herself.

"Since this is our first day living together, I won't keep nagging. Let's go eat."

As Dang Hwa-seo softened her tone, Mok Ri-won and Jegal San looked especially delighted. Her lecture lasting less than an hour was practically unprecedented.

"Right! Let's go!"

"Brother Mok, did you know? They assigned a dedicated chef to the Dragon Phoenix Unit hall!"

"Oh...! Then we can have thin noodles and Bamboo Leaf Green here too!"

"Need you ask?"

Mok Ri-won and Jegal San rushed out. Namgung Jin-cheon followed at an easy pace, with Il-un behind him.

"Can I go eat too?"

It was Hye-un.

Dang Hwa-seo wore an expression beyond description, then nodded.

"...Yes. We're doing all this to make a living, after all."

She would have to endure it.

* * *

Il-un was facing the greatest crisis of his life.

'...There's so much meat.'

The sight that blurred Il-un's vision when he entered the dining hall was the meat. He had already heard that the chef specially assigned to the Dragon Phoenix Unit was famous for meat dishes. Swallowing hard, Il-un sank into anguished thought.

'...I must abstain from meat.'

One should offer Buddhist devotions with a body kept pure through raw food and an empty heart. As a monk, he should not be losing his head over meat like this.

But how could it be as easy as that?

'The smell...'

It smelled far too good. The rich aroma of meat was a form of torture to Il-un. He wanted to take just one bite. Just a taste.

That desire tangled with his guilt toward Abbot Wonmyeong, who had trusted him enough to send him here.

Then...

"Venerable Il-un, aren't you eating?"

Hye-un asked while chewing a mouthful of food.

Il-un's eyes flew wide open.

"V-Venerable Hye-un! That is...!"

Hye-un's plate was piled high with meat. It was not merely enough for a taste. There was enough to make her burst.

Il-un was horrified.

"H-How could you...!"

How enviable! No, how shameless!

Hye-un was also a disciple of the Buddhist path, so how could she be eating cooked food, meat at that?

Il-un's body trembled, but Hye-un only tilted her head.

"What?"

She did not even know what she was doing wrong. Then again, if she were the sort of woman to feel guilty over such things, she would not be so openly lustful.

Il-un envied her.

Her shamelessness.

'I-I want to as well...!'

The moment that thought arose, Il-un felt someone watching him.

Startled, he turned and saw Jegal San.

Jegal San was grinning at him.

Il-un's heart went cold.

Weeping tears of blood, he turned away from the meat.

'...I am a disciple of the Buddhist path.'

As he reassured himself, another thought crossed his mind.

'If only Jegal San weren't here...'

* * *

Dang Hwa-seo was busy.

It stood in stark contrast to the other members, who spent their time leisurely attending to personal matters and resting.

As the Dragon Phoenix Unit Division Leader, she had much to do.

From the basic task of managing the members to writing letters for sponsors.

She also needed to meet the Alliance's other Division Leaders and unit commanders, learn how to prepare administrative reports, and discuss the schedule ahead.

Trying to handle all that within the allotted time, even ten bodies would not have been enough.

Still, Dang Hwa-seo worked through every task one by one. Now that she could move without hiding or running away, she wanted to prove herself.

A week passed.

After putting out the most urgent fires, Dang Hwa-seo sat in her office and took a short rest.

'The founding ceremony is in a week.'

It would be a large event. This was not simply an announcement of the Dragon Phoenix Unit's founding. It was also a declaration of war against the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which had invaded the Central Plains.

Their proper missions would be assigned afterward, and Dang Hwa-seo needed to prepare for them.

'We'll probably be traveling through other provinces often.'

Why would they not? Whatever the members' personalities were like, the Dragon Phoenix Unit's martial strength was unquestionable. All six members had reached the Peak Realm, and two stood at a level entirely apart from ordinary martial artists. As a small elite unit, they were most likely to receive missions such as intelligence gathering.

'To conceal our identities, we'll need...'

Human-skin masks, forged identity plaques, and training for the members.

Dang Hwa-seo sighed as her thoughts continued.

'...How am I supposed to train those people?'

People who seemed to get restless if they went even a day without causing trouble. They created at least one problem every day. Today, even Il-un, who had been comparatively well-behaved, had caused a scene.

In the middle of a spar, he had driven his fist into Jegal San's solar plexus hard enough to have him carried away.

Dang Hwa-seo's sense of betrayal was greater because she had trusted him.

'...He says it was an accident, so what can I say?'

The blow had used only external martial arts, so the injury was not serious. It would not interfere with the founding ceremony.

Dang Hwa-seo clutched her throbbing head.

That was when a Martial Alliance martial artist came to her office.

"Division Leader."

"...Ah, you're here."

This martial artist, whom she had recently become acquainted with, was Go Jeol, the adjutant to Military Strategist Jegal Mu-yeon.

Dang Hwa-seo guided Go Jeol to a seat with a gentle smile.

"You've worked hard going back and forth."

"It's work, so it's fine."

Go Jeol smiled as well. He took several sheets of paper from his robe and handed them to Dang Hwa-seo.

"These are the replies from the other units. You requested them personally, correct?"

"Ah! These are the ones."

Dang Hwa-seo's expression brightened. The documents Go Jeol had brought were among those she had been eagerly awaiting.

They were nothing grand. Just charts listing each unit's sparring and joint training schedules. Dang Hwa-seo had secured them for her members.

Go Jeol smiled faintly at her cheerful expression.

"It's good to see you paying attention to every detail of the members' training schedules."

"They lack social skills. They've all lived being catered to, so I only wanted to make sure they became acquainted with the Alliance's people."

"I think that is an excellent quality in a Division Leader. You're spending your personal time for the greater good."

Dang Hwa-seo felt embarrassed at those words. This was not entirely for the greater good.

After all, she had started doing this because Mok Ri-won had repeatedly said, even before coming to the Martial Alliance, that he wanted to spar with the Alliance's masters.

In other words, her wish to impress him had played no small part in this.

"...I'm truly grateful to you, Great Hero Go. Would you like a cup of tea before you go?"

"It's all right. The Military Strategist makes a fuss if I'm gone even a little while."

Go Jeol joked as he rose from his seat.

"Then take care."

"Safe travels."

Go Jeol left the room. Now alone, Dang Hwa-seo examined the documents and began arranging the training schedule.

'I should be able to schedule a spar with the White Sword Unit in about two weeks.'

Dang Hwa-seo felt pleased.

The process had been exhausting, but the thought of Mok Ri-won's expression when she told him the news swept her fatigue away.

Without further delay, Dang Hwa-seo rose and headed for the training yard.

At this time, Mok Ri-won would be absorbed in sword training.