Chapter 65. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (12)
Mu-Hoon continued explaining the rationale of the campaign by listing the evil deeds committed by the Mount Qian Sect and the Red Fog Valley.
“Now, as for the personnel to be dispatched by the family... I will personally go to the greater of the two factions, the Mount Qian Sect, with the first division of the Invincible Forged Squadron as well as the Dragon Fang Squadron and the Eagle Talon Squadron of the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion.”
Apart from the guard forces of the individual branches, there were a total of four armed forces in the Baek Family.
The Invincible Forged Squadron, which was directly subordinate to the family head and was formed entirely out of direct bloodline descendants of the Baek Family, clearly took the lead over the other three battalions as the strongest force in the family.
Then, there was the Iron Sword Ferocious Strike Battalion and the Soaring Heaven Battalion, which were composed of both Baek clan members and vassal clan warriors in equal numbers. They were more or less comparable in strength to each other and they were standing in the middle of the ranks.
Finally, there was the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion, composed entirely of recruited warriors belonging to the Family and ranked at the bottom.
The number of people belonging to each battalion was inversely proportional with the strength of the battalion, with the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion consisting of a total of 600 people, the Iron Sword Ferocious Strike Battalion and the Soaring Heavens Battalion composed of 350 and 300 people respectively, and the Invincible Forged Squadron consisting of 200 people.
“On the other side, the Lion Fang Squadron and the Tiger Fang Squadron of the Iron Sword Four Beast Battalion, as well as the Ten Distinguished Swords, will be deployed to deal with the Red Fog Valley and the Three Peak Monsters.”
The Ten Distinguished Swords was a term used to refer to the ten most exceptional members of the younger generation, the people who would be responsible for the future of the Baek Family.
It was then that one of the elders raised an objection.
“Aren’t there too few Peak Martial Artists going to the Red Fog Valley? Moreover, isn’t Heon-Wan injured and unable to move? They’re not really Ten Distinguished Swords now.”
As soon as the elder finished speaking, everyone glanced at Woo-Moon with disapproving gazes. Although he found that quite irritating, Woo-Moon held his head high, with a “the hell do you want from me?” attitude.
“Yes. That was why I came up with an alternative solution. Right now, not only do we have a surplus of martial artists in our family, but isn’t there someone who is the same age as the Ten Distinguished Swords and also reached the Peak level?”
Woo-Moon suddenly felt a chill spread throughout his body.
“...for that reason, I think that Cousin Woo-Moon is the right person to accompany them to the Red Fog Valley.”
At the head's concluding remarks, those who knew the outcome of the “spar” between Baek Heon-Won and Woo-Moon nodded their heads, agreeing that it was a reasonable substitution.
Woo-Moon reacted a bit late. “Wait, you want me to do that?”
He was surprised, but that did not mean he was about to refuse. From the moment he had entered the Baek Family with his grandfather, Baek Sang-Woon, he had become a member of the Family. Thus, it wasn’t right for him to be absent from a family matter. At the very least, shouldn’t he do something in return for the pretty hefty sum he received to maintain their family prestige?
“Yes. You should lead your nephews to the Red Fog Valley.”
Mu-Hoon had actually been quite close with Jin-Jin when he was younger. Although it could have been difficult for them to get close due to the hierarchy gap, their actual relationship was much closer than that—after all, even though she was his second aunt on paper, Jin-Jin was closer in age to him than to his parents. Moreover, because he was constantly mistreated and ignored by his older sisters, it was only natural that Mu-Hoon liked and relied on Jin-Jin more. Unlike Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong, she was a genuinely good person, with a warm heart.
Thus, the way he looked at Woo-Moon now was also favorable.
In turn, the other elders also didn’t appear to have much of a problem with this; as long as Woo-Moon’s own skills were up to par, they had no reason to oppose the idea.
However, Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong were not the same. Of course, they were uncomfortable with the fact that Woo-Moon, the son of that bitch Jin-Jin and someone who was most likely to become their greatest enemy, was going to be given the opportunity to accumulate merit.
However, before they could step forward, Baek Myeong-Ju spoke first.
“Patriarch, Woo-Moon has only recently joined the family and has not received proper military strategy or leadership training. If you have him lead the team as the highest-ranking figure, that will cause a lot of anxiety among the troops.”
‘How difficult could it be? I just have to go out there, fight, win, and return.’
As Woo-Moon inwardly grumbled at Baek Myeong-Ju’s words, which seemed to belittle his prowess, Mu-Hoon responded in turn.
“You’re not wrong. I actually thought about that as well, and I plan to give Ye-Ye the same authority as Woo-Moo.”
After he finished, Mu-Hoon unconsciously looked over at his two elder sisters.
The first of the Ten Distinguished Swords was Baek Do-Gun, the eldest son of Hye-Ryeong. Mu-Hoon knew that if he let Baek Do-Gun lead the mission, Ju-Ryeong would be put in an awkward position. That was because, as sisters, they moved together during any conflicts, but at the same time, they continued to keep each other in check and didn’t like it if the other’s son received any more attention than their own. Thus, he had named his own daughter, who was also part of the group.
The elders also secretly watched Hye-Ryeong’s and Ju-Ryeong’s reactions.
As expected, Ju-Ryeong slightly nodded her head. Although she was displeased that her son wasn’t part of this mission, she could overlook it considering that Hye-Ryeong’s son hadn’t been chosen to lead it. In fact, they both had the exact same thought.
‘Baek Ye-Ye’s abilities are quite amazing, especially considering she’s the daughter of that half-wit Mu-Hoon. Still, regardless of her abilities, she’s still just a girl. There’s nothing for me to worry about in the future fight over my son’s succession.’
When neither Hye-Ryeong nor Ju-Ryeong raised any objections, Mu-Hoon continued with relief.
“Both teams will depart in fifteen days. Until then, we should all work together to prepare.”
The council of elders finally ended, and Woo-Moon left the meeting hall faster than anyone else in order to escape the tingling and itchy feeling all over his body.
‘Wow, I just kept getting more and more bored to the point I thought I was going to die.’
When he was finally able to return to the Song Family Residence, it was already evening.
The first thing he did was go to his parents and tell them the results of the council of elders.
“Are you saying you are going on an expedition?”
"Yes."
Although they were worried, Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin quickly nodded.
“Okay. It should be good for you to gain this experience faster, considering you want to live as a martial artist.”
“We believe in you, son. Your cultivation should be more than enough for this, so we’re not worried about you.”
After explaining the expedition, Woo-Moon told his parents what he had discovered about Ma-Ra.
While Jin-Jin only let out a soft sigh, Dae-Woong burst into sobs, the tears he had been holding back during Woo-Moon’s story now cascading from his eyes.
“Uwaahhh, what a pitiful child. How could she grow up like that...”
Jin-Jin hugged Dae-Woong and patted him on the back. To think she had to console her husband while she herself was staying strong...
“In that case, staying alone in a room is by no means good for her. From now on, you have to keep that child by your side and stay with her. She’ll get better little by little if she lives with a companion,” she said to Woo-Moon.
Ma-Ra had two issues.
The first was that she was so passive that she couldn’t even go eat on her own, so right now, Woo-Moon had to literally order her to eat and sleep.
The second was that none of the emotions or curiosity that a person should generally feel existed for her. She was like a heartless wooden doll. Living alone as she had in the Formless Veil just wasn’t a method that could fix such a problem. She had to get along with people to feel these emotions, have fun, and learn what it was like to live for herself.
“Pardon? You mean with me?”
“Then shall we do it?”
“N-no, I’ll do it, I guess.”
After discussing some other random things, Woo-Moon then followed his mother’s advice and went toward Ma-Ra’s room. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, just as she had when Woo-Moon had come earlier.
For some reason, his heart ached when he saw her.
“Ma-Ra, have you eaten?”
"No."
“You’re hungry, right?”
"Yes."
“I told you to go eat if you’re hungry, didn’t I? What are you doing here all alone? Is there anything you had in mind?”
“Mind? No.”
It was just that she existed with no thought.
Rather than looking sympathetic or full of pity, Woo-Moon instead smiled playfully.
“Let’s go out. You’re going to travel alongside me from now on.”
“Why?”
Woo-Moon thought for a moment about how to respond. However, he soon decided it would be better just to tell the truth.
“Ma-Ra, did you ever do something because you wanted to do it?”
Ma-Ra frowned and thought for a moment.
"Never."
“No, when you were really young, you probably had times when you acted or spoke for yourself. You must have had some curiosity then, too. However, how your father educated you probably made you change the way you are now.”
“Me now?”
“Not acting on your own, but acting only when others tell you what to do. That’s why you have such a passive way of thinking and are void of any normal emotions.”
“And?”
“That’s not a good thing. Ma-Ra, you have to be able to think for yourself, do things because you want to, and feel emotions. The way that you are now... it’s the same as having a sickness of the heart.”
“Sickness...? Can’t tell.”
“I’ll teach you how to tell from now on. So, for now, come out of this room, and from now on, let’s travel together.”
“Always? Then sickness will be cured?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
It seemed straightforward enough. However, Woo-Moon really didn’t realize how big a ripple effect the words he had just said would have. If he knew, he would have considered his words a lot more carefully before talking to her.
“For now, let’s go and get something to eat.”
“Okay.”
When Woo-Moon went out to eat with Ma-Ra, the two of them drew innumerable curious and envious looks, especially from the young men around. That was because Ma-Ra was more stunning than all of the beauties in the Baek Family, including the Baek Family’s Three Flowers, who were famous in the region for their beauty.
However, she was accompanied by Woo-Moon. Not only was he in the same generation as the Patriarch, but his skills were comparable to those of Baek Heon-Won and they were coupled with a personality that matched the Palm Martial Emperor’s like two drops of water. Of course, none of the men dared to approach Ma-Ra and speak to her. Rather, they just looked at Woo-Moon with gazes filled with envy.
After the meal, Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra went back to his courtyard to check on his guards.
Woosh!
Thanks to their hard training, the young men’s movements had become much fiercer and more powerful than before. In addition, because of Woo-Moon’s rigorous emphasis on the foundation, they were actually superior to most warriors of the Baek Family in terms of lower body stability.
‘But why do these brats have so much strength today?’
Woo-Moon could see that the guards were much more passionate than usual, putting their all into their training as if they were determined to work until they dropped dead. Of course, though he was oblivious to it, the reason they were doing so was that Ma-Ra was watching them alongside him.
As an assassin, she had grown up in an obscured room without any sun from a young age, leaving her skin not only white but almost transparent. As dusk fell, a golden glow appeared on her face and left her already dazzling skin even more radiant, taking her beauty to another level.
With a beauty beyond their wildest dreams watching them, it was inevitable that the guards, who were at the peak of their youth, would puff out their chests and act manly.
“Ah Sam! How is it? Do you think you can sense qi now?”
In response to Woo-Moon's question, Ah Sam blushed slightly, as if he was ashamed of his late progress.
“...Yes, sir. I sensed it last night.”
“Good! Now then, I can teach you all how to use a qi cultivation method.”
The second those words left his lips, everyone's eyes sparkled.
A qi cultivation method!
Moreover, this was one taught to them by Song Woo-Moon, the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor and a master who had defeated a genius of the younger generation of the Baek Family!
They couldn't help but have high expectations, whether it was the guards, who had only recently entered the world of martial arts, or the Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio, the most powerful of whom was just Third Class.
“I’ll explain the method and recite the mantra for you, so make sure you memorize it in its entirety.”
With these words, Woo-Moon recited a few times the mantra of the qi cultivation method that he had created himself after five revisions.
“That’s as much as you get. If you haven’t memorized it yet, that’s your own fault for being slow. Ask someone who memorized it to recite it for you”
As this was everyone’s first time learning a proper qi cultivation method, and some of them knew nothing whatsoever about cultivation, none of them could really tell how good it was. Thus, even though everyone worked diligently to memorize the mantra and the explanations, they didn’t seem terribly enthusiastic.
“What do you think, Ma-Ra?” said Woo-Moon
"About?"
“The qi cultivation method I just gave them.”