Chapter 290: He's Back (4)

Hubei Province, Wuhan City – Main headquarters of the Murim Alliance.

Someone rushed into the Vice Leader's office on the fourth floor without even knocking.

"Grandfather!"

It was Jin Yong, grandson of Jin Gyun, the King of Flames and Blades.

Inside the office, someone was already in a private conversation with Vice Leader Jin Gyun.

Upon seeing him, Jin Yong frowned and snapped irritably.

"Lee Jung-gyeom, why are you here?"

"It's been a while."

The young man lazily waved his hand as if it was a bother.

It was none other than Lee Jung-gyeom.

"A while my ass!"

"Watch your words. As of today, Lee Jung-gyeom of the Infinite Sword Association has returned as the Head of the Blue Dragon Hall."

It was Jin Gyun who cut off Jin Yong's angry retort.

Jin Yong, flustered, protested to his grandfather in disbelief.

"But Grandfather, wasn't Lee Jung-gyeom expelled from the Alliance along with the former Leader?"

He wasn't wrong.

The former Murim Leader, Baek Hyang-muk—known as the Greatest Sword of Wuhan—was expelled under the accusation of learning the demonic martial art Blood Heaven Grand Supreme Art, created by the leader of the Blood Sect.

His disciple, Lee Jung-gyeom, was also expelled from the Alliance at the time.

And now, that very man had returned to the Murim Alliance.

Jin Gyun raised his hand to stop Jin Yong, who seemed ready to argue further.

"Grandfather!"

"Do you know where you are? How dare you call me 'Grandfather' here?"

At the heaviness in Jin Gyun's voice, Jin Yong gulped and cautiously corrected himself.

"...Vice Leader, sir."

Lee Jung-gyeom let out a soft chuckle watching him.

'That bastard!'

Fury surged within him, but Jin Yong forced himself to swallow it down—his grandfather's wrath was more frightening than his anger toward Lee Jung-gyeom.

Jin Gyun asked him,

"Hall Master of Fierce Tiger Hall. What reason did you have to ignore protocol and barge into the office?"

Realizing he'd forgotten, Jin Yong quickly responded.

"Vice Leader, have you heard? The Blood Demon appeared at Shaolin Temple, broke through the 108 Arhat Formation, and left with the Wolak Sword!"

"I know."

"Then isn't this no time to just sit around? With one of the two Blood Sect monsters—Iljon—dead and the Blood Demon injured, our Leader, Jeong Cheon, has already begun leading our forces to destroy the Blood Sect, hasn't he?"

"And?"

"And? We need to pull them back immediately and strengthen our defenses. This is a Blood Sect trap!"

Surprisingly, Jin Gyun smiled faintly at Jin Yong's words.

He had long thought Jin Yong was too emotional to grasp the bigger picture, but now, seeing him read the situation to some extent was rather pleasing.

"But if you already knew about this before I came, why haven't you summoned the generals and are instead meeting this wom— I mean, the Blue Dragon Hall Master in private?"

"She's not one of our generals. I thought you'd know that much. Yaaaawn."

Lee Jung-gyeom stretched with a smirk.

His attitude infuriated Jin Yong further.

"So what if you're reinstated? Why do you keep—"

"That's enough."

Jin Gyun cut him off.

He stood up, placed his hands behind his back, and walked over to the wall-mounted map of the Central Plains.

He began pointing at various Murim Alliance branches and said,

"I've already issued commands to the nearest branches to gather at the main headquarters."

"So the orders have already gone out."

"But I'm not sending word to the Leader's forces, nor the branches in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fujian—since they're already in confrontation with the Blood Sect."

"What? Why not?"

Jin Yong couldn't understand.

If the Blood Demon's injury turned out to be misinformation and the Blood Sect's main base was actually empty, their forces would be the ones ambushed.

There was no reason to divide their power further.

Lee Jung-gyeom smiled gently.

"There's a reason, of course."

"What?"

"This is a chance to see whose leadership suits the future of the Murim Alliance better—Leader Jeong Cheon, who ignored the elder council's majority opinion and launched an assault by authority, or Vice Leader Jin Gyun, who takes a cautious and strategic approach."

"And how would you know all that?"

"Military Advisor Sama and the Vice Leader told me."

"..."

Jin Yong knew his grandfather had been biding his time.

But he himself had never been entrusted with critical information—he was deemed too impulsive.

And yet Lee Jung-gyeom, his rival, had been informed of these matters.

Somehow, that made his chest feel cold.

'...Could Grandfather have allied with the former Leader?'

Jin Gyun's conduct had changed ever since his private meeting with Baek Hyang-muk.

The grandfather he once knew was gone—replaced by a sly and seasoned politician.

Jin Yong, now disheartened and out of words, muttered,

"Understood. Then I shall take my leave—"

"No, this is perfect timing. I've been meaning to reorganize the Hall Masters anyway."

"What...?"

All the leaders and vice-leaders of the sects remaining in the fortress were summoned.

Among them were Namgung Gahui, the leader of the Bonghwang Sect, and her vice-leader So Yeongyeong, who had just completed a mission and were heading to the conference hall.

> "They really don't give us a break, huh, Yeongmae."

"Indeed. With how they keep working us like this, I'm starting to want a vacation."

"But why are they calling all the sects? Don't tell me even the remaining forces of the League are being conscripted to subdue the Blood Cult?"

"That's…"

"Well, that probably won't happen, right?"

So Yeongyeong gave a bitter smile at Namgung Gahui's comment.

She had already been feeling troubled after hearing that the Hyeongsan Sect, her own school, was also joining the subjugation campaign.

The leader of the Blood Cult was none other than her older brother, So Yunhwi.

If her school and the Blood Cult, led by her brother, were to clash… she didn't know whose side she should take.

She had suspected such a situation might come someday, but it had come far too soon.

> 'Brother… are you safe?'

No one knew where her damn brother had disappeared to, letting things spiral into this mess.

A few months ago, a man named Jo Seongwon, the newly appointed leader of the Beggars' Sect, came to her asking about her brother's whereabouts.

That visit made her suspect something had happened to her brother.

The disappearance of her brother, also known as the Sword Saint, from the martial world had slowly led her suspicion to turn into conviction.

At one point, she heard that the leader of the Blood Cult had been seriously injured by the assassin Salhyeong Jeolsim. She was so worried she considered secretly going to check on him. But Jo Seongwon told her that the current leader wasn't actually the Blood Demon.

He said it was likely just the vice-leader.

Yeongyeong pressed Jo Seongwon for the truth—demanding to know what had happened to her brother and even threatening to expose his identity if necessary.

Jo Seongwon eventually told her—her brother had been missing for over seven months.

> 'Tch.'

He was the only family that truly mattered to her, more than her cursed biological father or adoptive father whose face she never even saw.

While walking toward the conference hall along the main road, they ran into someone at a fork in the path.

> "Leader Moyong?"

Namgung Gahui's brow rose.

There stood a woman in a blend of white and yellow martial robes, her face sharp and commanding.

She was Moyong Hye, leader of Maehyang Sect—a sect composed entirely of women, and the rival of Bonghwang Sect. She was also the younger sister of Moyong Su, the leader of Hwangryong Sect.

Moyong Hye approached them with a cold expression.

> "Looks like your mission is finished."

"Yes. We heard Maehyang failed, so we were a bit tense, but it wasn't that difficult after all."

At Namgung Gahui's smooth response, Moyong Hye's face hardened.

The two sects clashed often, so this kind of war of nerves was nothing new.

Stung by the jab, Moyong Hye shifted targets and turned her gaze to So Yeongyeong.

> "Vice-leader of Bonghwang. What a shame."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know why all the sects were summoned?"

"I heard it's to restructure the sects more efficiently and elect a great sect leader to guide the younger generation."

"And what's so shameful about that?"

This plan had been mentioned before. It was expected since the new leader and deputy leader of the League had been selected.

Moyong Hye chuckled slyly and said,

> "If your brother, the Sword Saint, were safe, you might've become a great sect leader instead of losing your chance at the deputy position. But that's clearly not going to happen, is it?"

> "You…!"

Yeongyeong couldn't hold back her fury.

There were already strange rumors spreading because her brother, once offered the deputy leader position, had not appeared again.

She was sure the rumors had originated from Maehyang Sect.

> "Yeongma, calm down!"

Namgung Gahui restrained her.

If a sect leader or vice-leader initiates a fight within the League, the one who throws the first blow is punished.

Moyong Hye was deliberately provoking her, knowing that.

> 'What trash.'

Her brother Moyong Su, who clung to power, and Moyong Hye were both despicable.

Yeongyeong calmed herself with difficulty under Namgung Gahui's intervention.

> "No spine at all, huh."

Moyong Hye taunted from behind Namgung Gahui.

In response, Yeongyeong silently pointed her index finger at Moyong Hye—then traced her thumb across her own neck.

> '!?'

Yeongyeong never let a slight go unanswered.

At her gesture, Moyong Hye flushed in anger.

> "You little brat!"

"Who are you calling little, you fox-faced hag!?"

"Fox!? You wretch!"

Just then, someone stepped in to scold them.

> "When the Blood Demon has appeared at Shaolin, is this the time for sect leaders to be acting so disgracefully?"

It was Ho Yang, the Plum Blossom White Sword of the Huashan Sect.

As the Second Elder of the Martial Arts League, he oversaw the sect leaders.

Namgung Gahui and Moyong Hye immediately bowed in respect.

> "Greetings, Elder."

Only So Yeongyeong didn't bow.

Elder Ho Yang looked at her curiously.

Yeongyeong urgently asked,

> "Elder, what did you just say?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you say the Blood Demon appeared at Shaolin?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

Having just returned from a mission, she and Namgung Gahui hadn't heard the news yet.

Moyong Hye took this chance to sneer.

> "The Blood Demon appeared at Shaolin, broke through the 108 Arhat Formation, and captured the Sword of the Moon—one of the Five Great Evils. And you didn't even know? Bonghwang Sect is so… careless—wait, are you laughing?"

Yeongyeong's face was flushed, and she was smiling.

> "Yeongma?"

Everyone was confused.

But Yeongyeong couldn't contain her excitement.

> 'Damn it, Brother! If you're alive, you should've told me first!'

---

Contrary to the command to cut off information, a homing pigeon from the Beggars' Sect reached the Martial Arts League forces led by Wusangdo Jeong Cheon.

> "This… so it was a diversion?"

The Sixth Elder of the League, Peng Sayong, couldn't hide his shock after reading the message.

They had already left Hyeongsan and passed through Hyeonyang.

If they hurried, they could join the five regional branches stationed near the Guangxi border within four days.

A meeting was needed immediately.

If the Blood Cult leader's injury was a ruse, and this was truly a feint, then the League's main base would be in danger.

> "This is serious, Lord Leader!"

Peng Sayong rushed into the main command tent and asked,

> "Where is the Leader?"

> "What's wrong, Elder Peng?"

The one seated at the head was Baek Wihyang, the League's third strategist.

Come to think of it, the League's leader, Jeong Cheon, hadn't been seen since they departed Hyeongsan.

> "The Leader must hear this."

"If it's urgent, tell me first."

So Peng Sayong explained the situation.

Baek Wihyang muttered with disbelief.

> "That can't be right."

"What do you mean? This is serious enough that we might need to retreat. Where is the Leader?"

"The Leader is not here."

"Not here? What are you saying?"

Peng Sayong was dumbfounded.

The leader of such a massive army wasn't present?

In response, Baek Wihyang pointed to a map of the Central Plains spread on the table.

Peng Sayong frowned and said,

> "What? The five branches have entered Guangxi Province? But there was no prior notice…"

"Of course there wasn't. It was meant to be kept from both headquarters and the outside."

> "What are you saying?"

Baek Wihyang pointed to a spot near Muui County.

> "The Leader has already joined the five branches that moved south to Muui."

Peng Sayong's eyes widened.

If that were true, it would be a completely unexpected move for the Blood Cult.

> "If it succeeds, it'll deal a major blow, but Strategist… if the Blood Demon and the Blood Cult's core forces aren't in Ryeongsan, then what do we do?"

> "That's not possible."

"Why are you so sure?"

At Peng Sayong's frustration, Baek Wihyang smiled meaningfully.

> "Because the Blood Demon is definitely dying from the Fearsome Killing Sword."