Chapter 79. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (26)
Hye-Ryeong had just attended the council of elders, and she arrived right as the confrontation between Mu Heon and Ju-Ryeong was about to blow up.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Mu Heon explained the situation.
“Well, none of the warriors of the Invincible Forged Squadron are alive anymore, right? I don’t want anyone who followed me to be buried alive, either,” she said coldly after listening to Mu Heon’s explanation.
“Of course. You just have to trust me.”
If what Mu Heon was saying was true, then the only people still alive in the stone chamber had to be Jin-Jin and her family. Realizing this, Hye-Ryeong felt her mood become lighter.
“Good. Then blow it up.”
“U-unnie...!”
Hye-Ryeong looked over at Ju-Ryeong, her eyes filled with madness.
“Small sacrifices for the greater good are inevitable. You have to harden your heart a little more, Ju-Ryeong.”
Click.
Mu Heon pressed the second lever—the trigger to an explosive device, as it seemed. The next moment, the three dashed away, using their respective movement techniques to escape the area affected by the explosion. As they fled, Hye-Ryeong could feel the tremors caused by the explosion beneath her feet.
She smiled coldly.
‘It feels so relieving now that I’ve killed that bitch and her spawn. Now, there’s only one thing left. Mu Heon’s secret organization needs to succeed in killing Sang-Woon.’
***
Two days later.
The Baek Family was faced with two shocking facts.
Firstly, the Mount Qian Sect eradication forces led by the Patriarch and consisting of the Invincible Forged Squadron, the Eagle Talon Squadron, and the Dragon Fang Squadron returned in defeat.
As many as 150 warriors had lost their lives, including the Invincible Forged Squadron commander, Baek Beom-Hoon. In fact, the Invincible Forged Squadron, the strongest of the Baek Family forces and the only force composed entirely of Baek Family members, had taken the most severe damage.
The second was that Jin-Jin, Dae-Woong, and Woo-Moon had suddenly disappeared.
Two more days later.
At the council of elders, Baek Mu-Hoon was asked to take responsibility for the painful defeat and deaths of the Baek Family members and was urged to resign from the seat of Patriarch. Without saying anything else, Mu-Hoon agreed and quietly stepped down.
The decision for the next patriarch was made quickly. Do-Gun, Hye-Ryeong’s eldest, was unanimously appointed as the next patriarch, in spite of his young age. The next patriarch would have been Mu-Hoon’s son, but unfortunately, he only had Ye-Ye.
The next day, the Baek Family members gathered together. They quickly held a ceremony to install the next patriarch in an attempt to uplift and restore the depressed atmosphere among the family members.
***
Bang!
Cho Myeong stomped the ground violently.
“Are we supposed just to take this quietly?”
The boys Woo-Moon had brought in as guards to train and live together at the Song residence were gathered in a room, talking, with somber expressions on their faces.
Cho Myeong still remembered Jin-Jin’s determined expression the last time he had seen her, and he knew he had definitely heard ‘So you plan to kill me, then!’ as he waited outside the forest with bated breath. He could still hear Jin-Jin’s shouting voice.
The culprits were definitely Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong, and because of them, Woo-Moon, Dae-Woong, Jin-Jin, and Ma-Ra had died.
“And? What can you do about it? Forget about it. Our opponent is the mother of the next patriarch of the great Iron Sword Baek Family. You’d just be trying to break a boulder with an egg. No one will take your side,” Dok-Du said. The Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio was also there, watching from the side.
The trio had tried to run the second they found out that Woo-Moon and his parents were missing. However, they had been unable to do so due to the strict entry and exit protocols that were now in place due to the various issues going on.
Although the boys were angry, they knew that Dok-Du was right, which only served to make them even more enraged.
Although they hadn’t spent much time together with the Song family, it was enough for them to have formed a bond.
The orphans among them had finally felt the warmth of a parent during their time with Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin. The others were not as attached, but even they had felt the warmth of a helping hand from Woo-Moon’s efforts and guidance.
They were all grateful that Woo-Moon had not only allowed them to make a living but also taught them martial arts—something simply unthinkable for people like them.
As he sat with the others, Jae-Hwa thought of his sister, Gun-Ha, who was still crying in her room.
He clenched his fist.
His younger sister had a soft heart. Since Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin, whom she had followed around like a child with her parents, had gone missing together with Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra, Gun-Ha spent all day crying and never left her room.
She didn’t even eat or drink water—to the point that Jae-Hwa was worried that she would fall sick.
‘You bastards Hye-Ryeong and Ju-Ryeong, how dare you make my sister feel so desperate again! I’ll never forgive you! Even if it takes ten or twenty or fifty years, I’ll definitely get my revenge!’
As everyone sat depressed, alone with their thoughts, the time finally came for the Baek Family to officially appoint the new patriarch.
Cho Myeong was the first to stand and leave the residence as the other boys followed along, heading toward the ceremony.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Dok-Du shouted from behind them. However, the boys ignored him.
“Hmpf. Those idiots”
Dok-Du nonchalantly hummed to himself with his legs crossed as he lazed about.
The large room seemed empty with only the trio left...and the tune of his song seemed more desolate than normal.
Feeling as though his tune was dampening the mood, Dok-Du tried to add some enthusiasm. However, for some reason, it didn’t seem to work the way he wanted.
“...damn it.”
In the end, Dok-Du just shut his eyes and gave up on humming.
Dok-Du, Ryeok-Gwi, and Rat sat silently in a somber mood.
***
The Song family guards stared at the stage, eyes red with rage.
The sight of Hye-Ryeong, Ju-Ryeong, and Do-Gun standing there, unable to hide their joy, disgusted them. As if she had noticed their gazes, Hye-Ryeong asked one of her followers standing beside her.
“Who are those brats?”
“Ah, those seem to be the beggars and orphans that Woo-Moon took in.”
“Hmpf.”
Hye-Ryeong snorted in irritation.
‘Aren’t they just trash? But they seem to be staring only at me.’
However, she soon started to feel an eerie feeling.
‘Now that I think about it, why are they staring at me? Do those brats know something?’
Hye-Ryeong started to feel slightly stressed. She sent a message to her subordinates.
—After the ceremony, find an opportunity to kill every member of the Song Residence, regardless of whether they’re servants or guards.
—Understood.
It was only after giving her order that she felt a little more at ease.
She suddenly raised her head and saw the clear sky and shining sun. Hye-Ryeong felt good. From this point on, she was the head of the Iron Sword Baek Family.
Although she was still somewhat afraid of the Palm Martial Emperor, she didn’t worry too much. According to what they had told her, the last days of that damned great uncle of hers weren’t too far away.
Finally, the sacred mark of the patriarch, the Emotionless Iron Sword, was passed down, signifying Mu-Hoon’s promotion to elder.[1]
The time had come for Do-Gun to take over and the reign of a new patriarch to begin. However, just as he was about to receive the Emotionless Iron Sword, a silver tiger cub came running across the grounds.
“Eun-Ah!” the Song Family guards and Ye-Ye shouted joyfully at her sudden appearance. However, they were left surprised as they saw Eun-Ah rushing at Hye-Ryeong.
Now looking a bit thinner, Eun-Ah leaped forward bravely, clearly going for Hye-Ryeong’s throat. Unfortunately, she was unable to reach her goal as the leader of Hye-Ryeong’s guards swung his sheathed sword and struck her down.
Thud!
Eun-Ah flew helplessly through the air and rolled across the ground.
Silence enveloped the hall.
Eun-Ah lay motionless for a few moments, as if she was dead, before eventually staggering to her feet. She glared at Hye-Ryeong and cried sharply, her eyes full of bloodlust.
Growl!
Eun-Ah knew.
That day, she couldn’t keep up with Woo-Moon and ended up falling behind. When she eventually followed his scent and found the shrine, she suddenly heard a deafening crash as the entrance where Woo-Moon had gone collapsed.
Realizing what that explosion meant, Eun-Ah spent several days and nights crying for him above ground. However, despite her efforts, Woo-Moon didn’t appear.
The smell of gunpowder filled the area where she had last tracked Woo-Moon’s scent, a smell not at all different from what was coming from Hye-Ryeong now.
While the Silver Tiger was a rare beast with fur so thick and strong that it couldn’t be injured with ordinary weapons, Eun-Ah was still a cub. As her defenses hadn’t yet grown due to her age, it was impossible for her to be able to defend against a sword imbued with qi swung by an expert as strong as the leader of Hye-Ryeong’s guards.
Even though she had been struck by the scabbard rather than the blade, she was still heavily injured, and blood dripped from her wounds. However, Eun-Ah paid no attention to it as she rushed Hye-Ryeong once again.
Expressionlessly watching the cub run at her, Hye-Ryeong only felt a slight sense of irritation.
‘As expected, every single one of those bastards related to that bitch Jin-Jin really pisses me off.’
Eun-Ah tried to bite Hye-Ryeong’s neck once again, but just as before, she was blocked by the guard's scabbard.
Bang!
She rolled along the ground once again.
Cough, cough, cough.
Blood splattered the ground as Eun-Ah coughed, her tiny body coated in blood.
Watching her struggle so desperately, the onlookers felt strange.
‘What’s going on? Why is that tiger cub acting like this?’
Eun-Ah refused to give up and stood up once again.
Seeing this, the Song Family guards felt great shame.
‘Even a beast who can’t talk is expressing her loyalty like this.’
Ah Sam, the boy with the unusually long arms, stepped forward.
“I can’t anymore... I can’t just watch anymore.”
Bolstered by the cub’s refusal to give up even after being struck down repeatedly, he walked forward, standing next to the bleeding Eun-Ah. He drew his sword clumsily and pointed it at Hye-Ryeong with a determined look on his face.
“Oh ho.”
Hye-Ryeong sneered without even realizing it.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The warriors of the Baek Family keeping guard rushed out and blocked Ah Sam’s path.
As they appeared, one by one, so did the Song Family guards, walking to either side of Ah-Sam. They stood side by side and drew their swords, each and every tip pointed at Hye-Ryeong.
“Put away your blades right this instant!” one of the elders shouted angrily.
However, the Song family's guards remained steadfast.
***
As the other Song Family Guards stood steadfast against the Baek Family, Jae-Hwa ran back to Gun-Ha’s room.
“I’m sorry Gun-Ha! I just kept using you to make excuses, holding myself back because you would be sad if I died. But...I can't! I wouldn’t be a real man if I continued to endure injustice even after seeing it with my own two eyes! How could a coward like that ever get revenge? So, I’m going to stand with the others now. Gun-Ha, I’m sorry. But you have to stop crying now and live confidently with your chin up. And as for revenge, revenge...”
Jae-Hwa didn’t know if his next words were for his sister or himself.
“It’s okay if you forget about revenge!”
Finally, having said his piece, Jae-Hwa ran back toward his companions. From behind him, he could hear his younger sister's small, pitiful voice.
“Oppa! Jae-Hwa Oppa!”
After running forward and standing in line with his companions, Jae-Hwa drew his sword and pointed it at Hye-Ryeong, together with the rest.
“Fine, I don’t care if I’m trying to break a boulder with an egg! Hye-Ryeong! Ju-Ryeong! You murdered our masters, the Song Family! We will strike you down, here and now!”
Do-Gun was started by those words. He couldn’t understand how they knew that secret, but he knew that he had to deal with them quickly.
Thus, he drew the patriarch’s sacred blade, the Emotionless Iron Sword, and shouted, “You dare to insult my mother and me! You dare to slander the head of the family? What are you bastards doing? Kill them right now!”
At the same time, Cho Myeong was running out of the main gate of the Baek Estate with tears streaming down his face.
His companions—no, his older brothers, had made him run away alone.
“If we die, you have to tell the gangho the truth. Run as far away as you can for now.”
Cho Myeong stumbled away, rubbing his eyes with his hands.
However, at that moment, someone stood in front of him.
“How could a man cry like this? You’re still far too lacking. Starting tomorrow, I’ll have to double your usual training.”
Startled by the voice, Cho Myeong raised his head.
He could already see the back of a young man walking past him and entering the front gate of the Baek Estate.
“Ah!”
Cho Myeong couldn't help but grin when he saw that young man. His bright smile and the tears and snot flowing down his face made for quite the sight.
"Huh?"
The gatekeepers were equally surprised at the sight.
Woo-Moon, who was said to be missing, was walking into the estate with a perfectly calm expression on his face, as if he was coming back from his daily stroll.
“Well, it looks like there’s something quite entertaining happening right now. But they can’t be having fun without me, can they?”
Woo-Moon raised a foot and kicked the front gate of the Baek Estate.
BANG!
The entire gate, massive as it was, flew off the wall, landing with a thunderous crash.
“Just what the hell is going on?!” Ju-Ryeong’s nervous shout rang out as everyone’s eyes turned to the front gate.
Amidst the spreading dust, they saw a young man standing alone.
Hye-Ryeong was unable to contain her surprise, and she stood up.
“You, you, just how...!”
Woo-Moon’s figure blurred and disappeared, then reappeared in front of his guards as if to protect them. Then, he looked at Hye-Ryeong and smiled.
“You know, your face really reminds me of someone who is surprised that someone they killed just came back alive... don’t you think, cousin?”
1. The Emotionless 無情 of the Emotionless Iron Sword is the same Emotionless as Ye-Ye’s title. Moreover, although Mu-Hoon is becoming an elder in disgrace, transitioning from Patriarch to elder emeritus is still technically a promotion. ☜