episode_0022

Sichuan Province, Chengdu.

A sorrowful screaming echoed from the main headquarters of the Bloody Faction. The source of the screams was none other than the demonic cultists. One girl and her six escorts were being dragged along, tightly bound with fishing line.

“Aargh! Damn it! Let me go!” The girl, whose pressure points had been released, shrieked. Crude curses burst from her chubby cheeks and doll-like small face. It was a truly mismatched combination.

“Elder Jang.” As soon as I finished speaking, Elder Jang pressed the girl’s pressure point again.

In the Central Plains, ‘Myeol’ refers to a pressure point that, when pressed, causes paralysis. Since demonic cultists all had foul mouths and would cause all sorts of ruckus once they regained their senses, pressing their Myeol was a truly effective method.

Even so, the captured girl’s face and figure were striking in many ways, drawing the eyes of the Bloody Faction warriors who had surrounded them. Jin Cheonwoo was no different. He too gulped, looking at the girl’s figure, extensively exposed by her torn clothes.

Seeing this, Cheongun smacked Jin Cheonwoo’s back of the head. *Thwack!* “Aargh!!” Jin Cheonwoo cried out and clutched the back of his head.

“Stop staring. You’ll wear her out.” “…”

Damn it. Jin Cheonwoo bit back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He didn’t know what kind of trouble he’d get into if he spoke ill to the guy who had just become the Faction Leader.

Instead, Jin Cheonwoo asked something else. “Faction Leader-nim.” “What?” “May I ask something?” “What is it?” “These guys, I mean. Aren’t they just eating up food if we keep them alive? Is there a reason to keep them alive?”

Cheongun replied with a vague expression. “There is.” “What is it?” “Curious?” “Yes.” “Indeed. Then keep being curious.” “…”

Cheongun walked away, his hands behind his back, looking distant.

****

For a while, the quiet main branch of the Justice Alliance was turned upside down.

“Did you say the Red Night Sword Sovereign has taken a disciple?” “Yes, he has taken a boy named Cheongun as his disciple.”

The beginning was none other than a report that the Red Night Sword Sovereign had gained a disciple.

Jin Mooseong, the Red Night Sword Sovereign. His other title, as he wandered the world with a single sword, was Sword Saint, one of the Ten Great Masters of the World, the pinnacle of the current martial arts world. Among them, he was a living legend, considered the greatest swordsman of all time.

A famous anecdote about him was that he single-handedly invaded the main headquarters of the Green Forest Faction simply because they demanded a toll from him, and with a single strike, severed the neck of the Green Forest Faction’s Supreme Leader, who was then one of the Ten Great Masters of the World.

He was a wanderer, a ronin without proper affiliation or a fitting epithet, but that night the sky turned red with his sword energy and blood, hence Red Night, and Sword Sovereign, a title reserved only for the supreme master of the sword. Thus, he was given the epithet Red Night Sword Sovereign.

Though he often vanished like the wind, there was no martial artist in the Central Plains martial world who didn’t know his name.

That’s why the Justice Alliance, considered the core of the orthodox factions, kept a close eye on his every move. The presence of an absolute master was that overwhelming in the martial world.

Above all, his unique sword art, the Red Night Sky-Cleaving Sword, was considered one of the Five Great Sword Arts of the current martial world.

What is a unique sword art? Is it not a distinctive sword art possessed only by a specific sect? However, the Red Night Sword Sovereign was a figure who could be called a one-man sect by his very existence, so the unique sword art he personally created was certainly worthy of being called a unique sword art.

However, the value of a sword art truly shines through its transmission. Yet, Namgung Yul, who could be considered the Red Night Sword Sovereign’s only unnamed disciple, had not properly inherited a sword art, which was generally accepted to mean he hadn’t met the sovereign’s standards.

But now, a disciple, and an inheritor disciple at that, who had inherited martial arts in their entirety! This was truly an event that could turn the entire martial world upside down.

But that wasn’t all.

“Uh, Elder-nim.” “I’m listening, speak.” “Do you happen to know of the Bloody Faction?” “I do. Aren’t they a black faction force in Chengdu?”

It was a fairly familiar name. Given recent circumstances, it was a group suspected of being connected to the Demonic Heavenly Demon Cult. For this reason, the Justice Alliance had recently sent people to search for circumstances and evidence. If it truly was a branch of the Demonic Cult, action was needed before their power grew even larger.

That was what they intended, but. A report came in from a spy they had planted a while ago.

“The Bloody Faction Leader is dead.” “…What?” “A boy infiltrated the faction, and his neck was severed by the boy’s hand.”

“His subordinates wouldn’t have just stood by, would they?” “No, dozens of them engaged in battle.” “And the result?” “All of them were subdued by the boy’s hands in less than half an hour (30 minutes). The position of Faction Leader was replaced by that boy, and he apparently brought all the existing subordinates under his control. The security is also said to be even tighter than before.”

The elder, who had been listening quietly, was dumbfounded. Not killing dozens, but subduing them? Normally, in fierce battles, it’s difficult to hold back and control one’s strength, but doing so in such a chaotic fight meant that his cultivation was several levels above his opponents. But hadn’t they said it was a boy? It was truly incomprehensible.

Even more surprising was the boy’s subsequent actions. He released the innocent civilians imprisoned in the Golden Prison, gave them generous compensation, and gathered the demonic cultists, imprisoning them in the Golden Prison.

And the boy’s name was… “Cheongun, he is called.” Cheongun. The disciple of the Red Night Sword Sovereign.

“A star has risen in the martial world.” The elder’s commentary was simple. The boy’s actions truly demonstrated the demeanor and spirit of a chivalrous hero.

“So, what is the boy doing now?” The elder was genuinely curious. Since he had completely taken over the Bloody Faction, what ambition would he pursue now? Since his master, the Red Night Sword Sovereign, was an individual belonging to the orthodox factions, there was no doubt about the disciple’s character either. The elder asked with a benevolent smile.

And then. “That is…” “Why are you hesitating?” “Because I heard something quite absurd…” “Tell me.” At his words, the man cautiously finished his sentence. “…He is said to be fishing.”

…Fishing? “Fishing for what?” “That is, he’s fishing for demonic cultists…” “???”

The answer that came was rather unexpected.

*****

Meanwhile. Bloody Faction headquarters, secret storeroom.

“You’re from the Demonic Cult, right?” “Do you think I’d answer if you ask?” Cheongun was interrogating the fresh girl he had just “fished.” She was so “fresh” that she was still thrashing with all her might, making her quite difficult to handle.

Of course, Cheongun was not one to give up. “What’s your name?” “Shut up.” “How old are you?” “I clearly told you. Shut your mouth.” “Where do you live?” “…”

The girl was flabbergasted. It was already infuriating to be suddenly tied up with fishing line and dragged along, but the personality of the guy who “fished” her was even more unhinged. At first, she pondered what words to use to trick him, but after a few conversations, she easily realized that tricking him was impossible. Just by looking into his eyes, it was clear he was insane. That wasn’t the kind of madness one could imitate. He was just purely, genuinely crazy.

Cheongun clicked his tongue regretfully, watching the girl who kept her mouth shut. The girl sneered inwardly. Kill me if you want. Having already cultivated demonic arts, in her situation where she could lose her life to qi deviation at any moment, mere death was nothing to fear.

Of course, he could employ other methods. Torture, gang rape, cripple her dantian. It was fine. If there was any sign of such an attempt, she would detonate the accumulated extreme yin energy at a single point, taking at least one of them with her to the afterlife.

She firmly resolved herself, but. “Nothing to be done, then.” That was all. Cheongun, as if disinterested, imbued his finger with internal energy and pressed the girl’s pressure point. With that, Cheongun left the storeroom.

The girl’s pressure point had been pressed, and her entire body was so tightly bound with ropes that she couldn’t make the slightest movement. And that wasn’t all. The place was a storeroom, the air was damp, the smell was musty, and the floor was so filthy that all sorts of insects crawled ceaselessly. “…”

A day passed like that. She could tell the sun setting and rising through the gap under the door, allowing her to keep track of time. As the sun began to set, the storeroom door opened. The ones who entered were none other than Cheongun and Elder Jang. One peculiar thing was that Cheongun had a fishing rod slung over his shoulder, and behind him, demonic cultists were being dragged along, tied up like a string of sausages.

Cheongun pushed them to one side of the storeroom and immediately returned to the girl. Then, after releasing her vital pressure point. “What’s your name?” “Ha, shut up.” That was the end of it.

“Elder Jang.” “Yes, Faction Leader-nim.” “Go tie up the ones we just ‘fished’ properly.” “Understood.” With those words, Cheongun left.

The next day. Again, three robust men were dragged in, tied with fishing line. And again. “What’s your name?” “Get lost!” After hearing just one word, he pressed her vital pressure point and disappeared.

“Only three guys today.” The day after that too.

“Elder Jang, did you see today?” “Haha! I saw them, alright. They were quite a catch, nothing else compares.”

The day after that too. “Tsk tsk, the bites aren’t very good today.” “Indeed. It seems the bait isn’t quite good enough.” “Is that so? It is about time its effectiveness wore off.”

And the day after that too. “…”

That crazy guy kept “fishing” for demonic cultists as if they were fish. And every time he came, he’d ask for her name. At this point, fear was slowly starting to outweigh annoyance. No, in fact, it was terrifying. Even she, a demonic cultist, had never seen such madness in her life.

Now, even when she stared blankly into space, when she looked at the ceiling, when she fell asleep, and even in her dreams. ‘What’s your name?’ The accursed voice had reached the point where it sounded like a hallucination.

Why on earth are you asking for my name?! What do you plan to do with a demonic cultist’s name?! If he wanted to kill her, he should just kill her, and if he wanted information, he should just extract it, but to suddenly only ask for her name was truly driving her mad.

Moreover, having her pressure points pressed for such a long time left her whole body stiff and her mind hazy; she could no longer make proper judgments.

A week later. “What’s your name?” The girl, hearing that question once more.

“…Jeok Hwaryeon.” “What?” “Jeok Hwaryeon! Are you happy?! ARE YOU HAPPY?! You goddamn bastard!!” “Oh.” She finally broke.