novelraw Chapter 45 : Chapter 45
Chapter 45 : Chapter 45
Chapter 45: How much did you pay?
In general, a martial artist's alias is a comprehensive reflection of their area of activity, physical characteristics, martial arts temperament, or personality.
As one becomes active in the Jianghu, people around them naturally start calling them by it, and if they think it suits them, they accept it themselves.
This is precisely why I still think of Namgung Sejin as pathetic.
He created the alias Azure Sky Divine Sword himself.
Because he didn't want to be inferior to the great fame of the Sword Saint, he mobilized numerous storytellers and made himself a Divine Sword.
How do I know this?
The storytellers of the Central Plains are, eight or nine times out of ten, from the Rogues' Guild, and that Rogues' Guild is a cooperative force of the Great Murim Alliance.
People mistakenly believe that the Rogues' Guild is a gray group that belongs neither to the orthodox nor the unorthodox factions.
But that is merely a deceptive tactic of the Rogues' Guild to attract more customers.
The master of the Rogues' Guild, Divine Ghost, is my old friend Dan U-myeong.
‘Damn it, how should I meet him?’
I must meet Dan U-myeong again.
Although the quality of information may not match that of the Night King’s Gate, the sheer quantity is the best in the world.
Just by finding out that Azure Sky Divine Sword was an alias fabricated by the Namgung Clan, I was able to persistently pressure them.
A very clear flaw of the Namgung Clan.
The reason the Namgung bastards gave up on advancing south of the Yangtze River at that time was because of me, who knew this secret.
But in this life, in the body of Jaegal Hwi, I could not gain the upper hand in negotiations by bringing up Namgung Sejin's flaw.
When I was the Great Murim Alliance Leader, my excellent information network would have seemed plausible.
But if I were to mention that fact now, the Rogues' Guild would immediately be suspected of selling their client's information.
I have no intention of putting my friend Dan U-myeong in a difficult position.
‘How do I make that cautious and cunning fellow my friend again…….’
Seven-tenths of the information network that built the Great Murim Alliance came from the Rogues' Guild.
When it comes to information, the beggars of the Beggar's Gang are also quite knowledgeable, but I know.
The Rogues' Guild operates an information organization that is several times more vast than the Beggar's Gang.
The amount of information collected by the Rogues' Guild members spread like a spider's web throughout the Jianghu, and their swift speed, is something no one can dare to follow.
As I was pondering a new connection with the Rogues' Guild, Cho Ryeo-un and Moyong Baek cautiously approached.
“What is it?”
Moyong Baek replied with a polite gesture.
“Senior brother's Ink Spirit Hegemon Ascension Art has reached the second stage, and my Pine Harmony Connection Ki Art has reached the third stage.”
At Moyong Baek's words, I was startled.
These guys who have just started breathing have already accumulated ki?
Moreover, to have broken through even the first stage means they have succeeded in the Small Heavenly Cycle.
Does this make sense?
My curiosity piqued, I hurriedly checked their pulses.
‘Hmm?’
It was not a lie.
In Moyong Baek, the gentle and tenacious energy of the Pine Harmony Connection Ki Art was flowing, and in Cho Ryeo-un's body, a hegemonic force like a raging wave was stirring.
I looked at Cho Ryeo-un with a sense of deep emotion.
The earnest eyes of the Ghost King Heretic were burning in his eyes.
The way he continuously emitted hot energy while calmly refining his pressure was truly like the Ghost King Heretic.
But I hid my inner feelings and looked at them with suspicion.
This was not a realm achieved through luck or good fortune.
“What happened? I've seen countless martial arts geniuses, but your achievements are completely abnormal.”
“The masked elder has been helping us all this time.”
Hmm? The Blood Demon?
“He has been performing something called Pushing Palace Passing Acupoint on us.”
“He helped me with my first Small Heavenly Cycle with True Ki Guidance.”
I couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
Both Pushing Palace Passing Acupoint and True Ki Guidance are techniques that require a certain loss of internal energy.
Did that Demonic Cult bastard eat something wrong?
Could it be that he is repenting for his past and trying to reform himself?
‘Hmm…….’
Whether it was a manifestation of guilt for having made the Shadowless Terrace that way, or because the blood of the Jaegal Clan was calling to him, I couldn't read his intentions.
I pathologically hate it when a situation unfolds that is beyond my prediction, even if it leads to a positive outcome.
I was about to hurriedly look for that Blood Demon bastard, but he revealed his hidden presence first.
Damn it, what's with that guy?
“I have no particular intention. I'm just trying to earn my keep. It's also quite boring.”
“No, why on earth are you hanging there?”
To my horror, that Blood Demon bastard had been hanging from the eaves of the Phoenix Martial Emperor Pavilion all this time.
A strange concealment art that I had never experienced before, even though I had experienced countless bizarre concealment arts.
The fact that it was not detected by my senses, which had recovered to some extent, meant that the Blood Demon's concealment art was no ordinary one.
“An interesting situation is about to unfold, so I can't miss it.”
“Hey, you—”
Before I could even finish my curse, the Namgung Clan bastards appeared.
The Blood Demon's entire body blurred and he hid in the shadows under the eaves again.
Fortunately, Namgung Sejin was not in sight.
I barely managed to calm my heart.
“Welcome.”
The only ones who visited the Phoenix Martial Emperor Pavilion were Namgung Hyeok and Namgung Jun.
It was quite unexpected.
Since he had confirmed the shoddy capabilities of his second son, I thought that this time, Namgung Sejin would definitely step forward himself.
He really must be crazy about his reputation.
“What is this place for?”
“Can't you tell by looking? It's a martial hall.”
“A martial hall……?”
Namgung Jun had a bewildered expression, while the eldest son, Namgung Hyeok's face was filled with curiosity.
“I have heard that the martial arts of the Jaegal Clan are incredibly mysterious. If it's not too much of an imposition……”
“It is an imposition. This is strictly a meeting between our two families, so why are you trying to drone on about something strange again. So, have you finished your review?”
For a moment, Namgung Jun's eyes narrowed with a strange expression.
“You've set up a lot of petty traps. I confirmed your cunning skills very well last night.”
I smiled brightly at him.
“Oh, so you're not an idiot.”
The bastard who had been gritting his teeth opened the letter of confirmation I had given him yesterday.
As expected, there were clear signs that he had examined it in detail.
I frowned as I looked at the clauses that had been crossed out with black ink.
“What's this? Are you trying to flip the table?”
No matter how much you dislike the other party's demands, if you just cross things out like that without any alternatives, how is that a negotiation?
“Why are you trying to deploy the Jaegal Clan's formation masters to the Wuhan branch?”
“We have to lend a hand too, don't we? What will we hear later if we don't.”
“What is the reason for limiting the supply caravans to just one?”
“Isn't that obvious? How do I know if you'll secretly bring in thunderclap bombs or smuggle in deadly poison into Wuhan?”
“H- how dare you! What do you take our family for!”
If the Namgung Clan deploys the Azure Sky Sword Squad to the Wuhan branch, then countless Demonic Cult members in the Wuhan area will be rooted out.
I will die before I let the Namgung Clan take all the credit for that.
“Rooting out Demonic Cult members is not a defensive operation! A capture team's lifeblood is speed and stealth, so why on earth are formation masters' formations necessary? If anything, the formation masters who don't know martial arts will only be a hindrance!”
“That's a prejudice. Why would formations be of no help? Don't you know about rabbit hunting? If we lure them into a formation with smoke, we can catch them all at once without much effort.”
“Crazy! The current Demonic Cult members move in a thoroughly cell-based structure! What kind of round-up hunt are you talking about against them!”
Who doesn't know that it doesn't make sense?
I'm just saying I want a piece of your pie.
“No, I'm saying I want to help, so why are you against it? Weren't you the one who first criticized us for just sending carrier pigeons?”
The eldest son, Namgung Hyeok, smiled gently and looked at his younger brother.
“The representative's words have a point. Even a blank sheet of paper is less heavy when held together. Is there any need for us to refuse the dispatch of the formation masters?”
“Brother!”
I did not bother to rebuke Namgung Hyeok for interrupting the meeting between the clan representatives this time.
That clueless orthodox prude was actually being helpful.
Namgung Jun was gritting his teeth and glaring at me.
“Brother. The Jaegal Clan's intention to dispatch formation masters now is not a good one. It is an intention to share our Namgung's achievements.”
“Then are you saying you will subjugate the Demonic Cult members just to build up your achievements. I have told you so many times not to chase after empty fame, yet why do you always……”
“Brother! Stop! The divine tablet is with me!”
Ah, now I get it.
Why I feel a strange sense of dread towards that young eldest son.
He is so rigid, like the Sword Saint, completely blocked on all sides.
His stuffy eloquence is so frustrating it feels foolish.
The suffocating and hateful stubbornness.
He is not just an orthodox prude.
He is already imitating a great pillar of the orthodox faction at that young age.
If he were to reach a high level of martial arts in that state, he would be the spitting image of the Sword Saint.
Wow, damn, I almost suffocated for a moment.
“The dispatch of your family's formation masters is unacceptable! If you insist on helping, we will accept support in the form of supplies or information!”
“So you're saying Namgung gets to eat the whole cake, and we Jaegal can't even have the leftover crumbs.”
Hmm, so you're going to break the deal like that.
Then there's only one way left.
“Then there's nothing we can do. We'll have to make this dispatch of the Namgung Clan as if it never happened.”
“……What?”
A snicker.
“You want me to let the Namgung Clan's bank into Wuhan to increase the influence of your promissory notes, and even offer up all the credit for subjugating the Demonic Cult members? What kind of pushover do you take me for?”
As I let out a sneer, Namgung Jun smiled back.
“So we're back to square one.”
“Pfft, a martial arts tournament?”
I'm not disrespecting the leader of the Shadowless Terrace or its members, but for the current Shadowless Terrace to face the Azure Sky Sword Squad is an act of suicide.
The reason I fixed their martial arts was to avoid the attention of the Transformation Realm master, Namgung Sejin, not for victory.
Then shall I give this Namgung Jun a good poke?
“But is there really a need to entrust the martial arts tournament to our subordinates?”
“……What?”
A grin.
“We're the ones carrying the authority and honor of our two families right now, aren't we? If blood is to be shed, it should be between the heads, why order our subordinates? It's not manly.”
The Azure Sky Sword Squad is a military unit comparable to the Murim Alliance's strongest sword squad, the Heavenly Martial Sword Squad.
If Namgung Sejin were here, my provocation would not have worked at all.
Because it's a winning hand.
Although the Shadowless Terrace was famous for its feat of defeating the Ten Poisons of the Tang Clan, it could not be compared to the Azure Sky Sword Squad.
On the other hand.
That Namgung Jun does not know the true extent of my martial prowess standing before him.
Even if it's a small probability, the possibility of defeat exists.
Since I'm hiding my pressure so thoroughly, even the great Namgung Sejin would find it hard to gauge.
Namgung Sejin's decision not to step forward himself and entrust the divine tablet to his second son until the end was the worst decision he could have made.
Given this bastard's personality, if I provoke him any further, it's all too obvious that he'll charge in.
“Well, it seems you're quite scared. Then should I order the Shadowless Terrace to be brought here? I'm sure the Azure Sky Sword Squad is already prepared, right?”
A snicker.
As I crossed my legs and let out a sneer, his shoulders trembled.
It was about time to end this.
“They call you the Thunder Peak Sword that makes the mountains and rivers tremble. I guess you really can't believe rumors. How much did you pay the storytellers?”
Shing.
“How dare you……!”
Ah.
Living again is sometimes too easy.