episode_0061

“Get back!”

The situation was, quite literally, pandemonium.

As soon as the straw-hatted men saw the sword forms covering the sky, they screamed in terror and unleashed their movement techniques.

Projected sword aura poured down from the sky all at once.

Naturally, the accuracy wasn’t very high, but the problem was that the descending sword aura began to change its trajectory and dart through the air as if chasing the men around them.

“Insane!”

The straw-hatted men desperately unleashed their agility techniques, but the sword aura’s speed was far too fast.

What good was twisting their bodies to use agility techniques?

The sword aura, imbued with intent, wildly thrashed through the air, chasing them.

Eventually, those who felt their limits reached for their scabbards.

After all, that was also sword aura, so they intended to neutralize it with their own.

But.

“!!!”

Every one of the straw-hatted men who reached for their scabbards gasped in shock.

Their swords wouldn’t draw.

No, to be precise, an invisible force pressed down on their swords and scabbards, making it impossible to draw them.

“Hmph, wretched fools. How dare you even think of drawing your swords before this old man?”

Jin Mooseong emitted a hazy blue qi from his entire body and walked with his hands clasped behind his back.

With every step he took, a cracking sound echoed from the dirt ground, and spiderweb-like cracks spread from where his feet touched.

At the bizarre sight, the straw-hatted men dared not look at Jin Mooseong’s face.

‘I… I can’t breathe.’

It was as if the entire surroundings had turned into a vacuum.

What kind of person was Namgung Yul to him, that his anger was so profound, his mere killing intent could materialize to such an extent?!

“Gah… cough…”

Ears rang and nosebleeds gushed from the insane pressure of his qi.

An old man among the straw-hatted men spoke, as if squeezing out the words.

“Cough… Are you… truly… intending to make the entire Milhoe… your enemy?”

The Milhoe was not just a covert organization.

The Milhoe was one, yet many.

It was a colossal force, spread like octopus tentacles throughout the entire Jianghu, including the Hao Gate.

Although the Milhoe publicly espoused neutrality, it was precisely for this reason that many people relied on it, regardless of whether they were from righteous or demonic factions.

In particular, its intelligence network was the best in the Central Plains.

As the backing and true body of the Hao Gate, even the Heavenly Demon Cult, which could not utilize the Beggars’ Sect’s intelligence, maintained a close relationship and traded with the Milhoe.

Therefore, no matter how powerful a master, they would not easily provoke the Milhoe.

Even if one’s martial prowess was strong, one always had to be careful when it came to grievances and favors.

However.

— Snap.

With the sound of something snapping, the pure white sword aura that filled the entire space began to dye red.

This happened as Jin Mooseong’s killing intent towards them accumulated.

When his rage reached its extreme and his unleashed killing intent became uncontrollable, the qi itself took on a murderous nature.

As the sword aura filling all directions turned red, it was as if the entire space became a red-tinged night sky.

This was why his moniker was the Red Night Sword Sovereign.

“Cough… cough…!”

The old man speaking from among the straw-hatted men coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

He could not hide his bewilderment at the insane sight before him.

Just meeting his eyes was enough to make breathing difficult, oppressed by the overwhelming pressure.

Then, Jin Mooseong took steps with an emotionless gaze.

As he wiggled his fingers, the pouring sword aura pierced the straw-hatted men one by one, like skewers.

The men, terrified by the sight, swiftly unleashed their movement techniques, but soon met the same death as those who had fallen before them.

One by one, then another.

“Stop…”

The eyes of the old man wearing a straw hat trembled violently.

It was too agonizing.

It felt as if every single nerve cell was agonizing.

In his bloodshot eyes, Jin Mooseong appeared like the god of death.

Fear surged, making his mind clear even in the midst of the pain.

Then, Jin Mooseong spoke.

“You asked if I intended to make the entire Milhoe my enemy?”

At the question, the old man in the straw hat shivered.

His heart pounded so violently it felt like it was being pricked with needles.

Jin Mooseong looked down at him indifferently and opened his mouth.

“You speak meaningless words.”

As he made a grasping motion with his hand, the red sword aura had already encircled and surrounded the old man.

“If that child had died.”

The moment Jin Mooseong’s words ended, the red sword aura that filled the sky poured down like a torrent.

Before that overwhelming deluge, everything in the world seemed powerless.

Towards the old man who looked up at the pouring sword aura with empty eyes, Jin Mooseong said.

“Then, the entire Jianghu would have made me their enemy.”

****

Time passed.

Cheongun left the Wanryong Escort Agency in Yeonbaek’s hands for the time being and spent a few days at the Hao Gate.

This was to check on how the Hao Gate was being managed.

The reason was that even Cheongun didn’t thoroughly understand all of the Hao Gate’s businesses.

There was so much to worry about, it was too complex.

So Yerin’s warning had not been an empty boast.

“Did I not tell you? That a naive person like you couldn’t handle such a sect.”

“Stop trying to act cool. You’re just a bunch of nobodies gathered into a group with no foundation.”

“Hoho, isn’t it true that what lacks foundation is precisely what possesses the most foundation?”

What nonsense is that?

She was spouting rubbish, like how cross-dressing is the most masculine act a man can do.

Cheongun clicked his tongue.

“Quiet, vixen.”

“I am no vixen.”

“You used charming incense to seduce me, yet you talk so much.”

“Nonsense! Do I look like a woman who easily throws herself around?! How many times do I have to tell you I only intended to create an excuse to drive you out! Besides, this is the first time I’ve ever done something like this!”

“Quiet. Just continue explaining.”

At that, So Yerin clicked her tongue.

“This is not the time for this. Someone will arrive at the first watch of the Zi hour today. Wouldn’t it be better to prepare in advance?”

“Someone? Who?”

“Who else but someone sent by the Milhoe. A straw-hatted man visits here every month at the first watch of the Zi hour. It’s for them to receive information reports from the Hao Gate periodically.”

Cheongun said with an indifferent face.

“I told you. Those Milhoe bastards won’t even have the luxury for that right now.”

“No matter how strong your master is, he wouldn’t be able to destroy the entire Milhoe in such a short time.”

“Why not?”

“The Milhoe has several bases that could be called its headquarters. They are decentralized like a cell organization, so even if one place collapses, activities can continue elsewhere.”

“I’ve already given all the locations to my master, so you don’t need to worry.”

So Yerin blinked her eyes.

He knew all of the Milhoe’s bases?

Even she, the Hao Gate Leader, didn’t know them precisely?

“How do you know that?”

“It’s just one of those things, vixen.”

“……”

Cheongun thought to himself.

Even if the Milhoe wasn’t completely annihilated, it would at least be crippled to the point of being unable to recover for a while.

He was so certain because they had provoked Namgung Yul, someone they absolutely should not have touched.

When he first encountered Jin Mooseong in the original story, Cheongun was shocked by his appearance.

He was drenched in blood, roaming everywhere and committing acts of slaughter, claiming vengeance for his disciple.

His first target of retaliation was the Black Forest Gate, then the Milhoe, and the third was the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Was his moniker, the Slaughter Demon, for nothing?

He wasn’t just strong; he was a Sword Sovereign.

The Jianghu was full of sword-wielding martial artists, but among all those sword users, he had proudly earned the title of Supreme.

Although he eventually met his end at the hands of the Heavenly Demon, who couldn’t stand by any longer, Jin Mooseong was a monster strong enough to tear off one of the Heavenly Demon’s arms.

Such a monstrous monster had been consumed by madness and became a Slaughter Demon, bent on revenge.

Even though Namgung Yul had narrowly escaped death because of Cheongun, the fact that she had almost died remained unchanged.

Even if he didn’t show it outwardly, he must have been incredibly furious, naturally.

In such a situation, with Cheongun having precisely designated the targets, Jin Mooseong would have probably already gone to the given locations and utterly devastated them.

Just then, So Yerin asked.

“I don’t understand. That Namgung Yul girl, isn’t she merely an informal disciple at best? As far as I know, she didn’t even properly receive sword techniques, did she?”

“So?”

“Then she’s only a disciple in name, essentially just a fleeting acquaintance, isn’t she?”

Cheongun chuckled.

“She’s not just a simple disciple.”

“Then what is she?”

“That is.”

“That is?”

So Yerin’s eyes sparkled as she leaned closer.

It was her way of telling him to hurry up and speak.

Cheongun stroked his chin.

“Ah, well, that is…”

“Hurry!”

“It’s just one of those things.”

“What?”

“Quiet. Shut up.”

“……”

Actually, there was a complex reason behind this.

Jin Mooseong had no lover.

It wasn’t that he disliked women.

He liked women, but he was a man who had looked upon only one woman his entire life.

The problem was that it was unrequited love…

And that woman happened to be the matriarch of the Namgung family, Namgung Yul’s biological mother, who had now passed away.

Well, it was a common melodrama.

The woman he loved turned out to love another man, and that man happened to be the head of the Namgung family, with whom he was usually close friends. So, he had tearfully and graciously wished them happiness, only for her to suddenly die one day and become a cold corpse.

Jin Mooseong was that old man who, unable to bear the shock of losing the woman he unrequitedly loved, had spent his entire life holding only a single sword, leisurely roaming the world.

The only remaining connection was Namgung Yul, who strikingly resembled the woman he loved, so it was only natural for him to obsess over Namgung Yul’s safety.

In that scenario, Namgung Yul had also died, and he had been consumed by madness and became a Slaughter Demon… That was roughly how he remembered the story.

What did that mean?

It meant that the Milhoe bastards, who had the misfortune to provoke Namgung Yul, would suffer considerably for a while.

Naturally, this was information he couldn’t tell anyone, so Cheongun kept it to himself.

Just then, So Yerin let out a “Ha!” and abruptly turned her head away.

“Fine! You arrogant brat.”

Then, truly sulking, she mumbled.

“…He relies on his martial arts and handsome face to make light of me.”

At that, Cheongun chuckled and took out a wooden moktak.

He was about to strike the back of her head when.

“Gate Leader.”

Jeok Hwaryeon’s voice reached him from behind.

He quickly turned his head and saw Jeok Hwaryeon smiling with her eyes.

However, the corners of her mouth were turned down, and her gaze was fixed on So Yerin.

Cheongun asked.

“Hwaryeon, what brings you here?”

“The Gate Leader has been away for so long. I came to find you myself. But you know…”

Jeok Hwaryeon chuckled.

“Who is that? That woman who looks like she belongs in a pleasure house, pouring drinks.”

“Ooh.”

Cheongun gasped in admiration at her powerful remark.

To call the former Hao Gate Leader a woman who looked like a courtesan?

As their war of nerves instantly ignited, Cheongun watched from the side, munching on popcorn.

Then, So Yerin, completely provoked, narrowed her eyes.

She then scanned Jeok Hwaryeon up and down, let out a disdainful scoff, and threw out a remark.

“Got a problem, you busty wench?”

Clap clap.

Cheongun gave a standing ovation.