The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

From the tip of the sword to the hilt and even the scabbard.

The pure white White Heaven Sword was drawn elegantly and cut through the air.

The movement of the blade's tip was unhindered, and the motions were fluid and agile.

No flaws could be found in the seamless movements, and the faint energy flowing from the blade created a beautiful afterimage, as if drawing the Milky Way.

Thwack—!

Cheon Yerang, having finished her sword dance, stared blankly at the White Heaven Sword she had newly acquired through the Four Daoist Assembly.

“Are you satisfied?”

At Cheon Gaseong’s question from behind her, Cheon Yerang bowed her head in greeting.

“Yes. The weight distribution is perfect, and it’s so light it doesn’t feel like I’m holding a sword. It’s an excellent sword.”

Cheon Gaseong, having heard the explanation, held out his hand, and Cheon Yerang placed the White Heaven Sword on it.

It was unheard of for a swordsman to hand their sword to another, but no particular emotion was visible on Cheon Yerang’s face.

Cheon Gaseong, who received the White Heaven Sword, swung it a few times and then let out a short exclamation of admiration.

“It certainly is a sword worthy of being a gift from the Alliance Leader.”

It was a perfect sword with no flaws.

“Take it.”

Cheon Yerang, who received the sword back, pushed it into its scabbard.

“Do you have any idea why the Daoist from the Wudang Sect forfeited?”

“I still don’t know the reason. He was an excellent swordsman, and there was no reason for him to forfeit the match.”

“It would have been a good opportunity to establish the prestige of the Wudang Sect in front of the Alliance Leader, but I can’t figure out what those Wudang Sect bastards are thinking.”

The reason the White Heaven Sword had come into Cheon Yerang’s possession was that Mujin, who was supposed to have the final match with her, had forfeited.

The reason was unknown.

Because Mujin had forfeited the match without revealing the reason.

Thanks to that, Cheon Yerang became the owner of the White Heaven Sword, and the people who saw her wielding it admired that the sword had met its rightful owner.

“It should have been mine.”

As Jong Ryeo'ak, who was watching from a distance, gritted his teeth, Hyeok’ugun, who was sitting next to him, said firmly.

“If you had won, it would have been yours.”

“If it weren’t for that Namgung wench, it would have been mine!”

“Perhaps. But you also know that it’s more likely that it wouldn’t have been.”

Jong Ryeo'ak glared at Hyeok’ugun as if to kill him.

If this were the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple, he would have immediately drawn his sword and challenged him to a match.

But this was not the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple.

The ten disciples who had left the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple were currently waiting for the right time at an inn owned by the Martial Alliance.

At their center were the masters of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple: the master, Gwak Myeong; the Ghost-Faced Revolutionary Sword, Gu Jucheol; the White-Handed Golden Palm, Song U; and the Poisonous Tiger Hand, Dang Hocheol.

The entire force of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple, so to speak.

Gwak Myeong looked around at the disciples who were holding their breath and not letting go of the thread of tension, and then approached the old masters who were gathered in one place.

Gu Jucheol, who sensed his presence, asked.

“Did you say there was no separate signal?”

“That’s right.”

Gu Jucheol chuckled.

“If a problem arises on even one side, everyone could be finished.”

“…”

It was true.

Since this operation required striking the branches of the Hao Sect simultaneously at the same time, there was no set signal.

They could only hope that each person’s assigned mission would end successfully.

If a problem arose on even one side, it could disrupt all the missions.

Nevertheless, they couldn't stop.

The opportunity given to them was only once.

“Then the Martial Alliance will move before us.”

Gwak Myeong, who had nodded his head, had his gaze directed at the map of the Central Plains placed before everyone.

It was an ordinary map with no markings to avoid leaking the plan, but Gwak Myeong already had a good grasp of the operation’s movements.

His gaze moved to the south of the Central Plains.

“The Martial Alliance will soon move.”

***

Chomp— Chomp—!

The middle-aged man, who was chewing on meat and gulping down cheap liquor, roughly threw the pig bone he was holding.

“You son of a bitch!”

The more he thought about it, the more furious he became.

“How many things have we done for them! And we have to be treated like this!?”

“That’s right!”

The men gathered with him in front of a large bonfire nodded their heads and shouted in unison.

The identity of these men, gathered on an unnamed mountainside with the appearance of mountain bandits, was none other than the martial artists of the Namrangbang.

The Namrangbang, which had once made quite a name for itself in the south of the Central Plains, had immediately abandoned their sect and fled after the assassination attempt at the Four Daoist Assembly failed.

Because they were afraid of the Martial Alliance’s retaliation.

And sure enough.

As soon as the Four Daoist Assembly ended, their sect was burned down, leaving only ashes.

If they had been even a little late in escaping, the pile of ashes would surely have become their grave.

“Is there still no contact from the Hao Sect?”

“None.”

At the answer of Yu Gang, who had newly become the deputy leader in place of the dead one, the face of the Namrangbang’s leader, Dae Musik, distorted hideously.

“Shit…”

How did it come to this?

Did he misread the flow of the world?

When the Heretic Path's Alliance began the ‘Subduing Heaven’ and started to trample on the sprouts of the righteous martial world, Dae Musik, the leader of the Namrangbang, had believed that the flow of the world had finally passed from the righteous path to the heretic path.

Just as it had been in the past Righteous-Heretic Great War.

The Namrangbang had bet the future of their sect on the heretic martial world and the Heretic Path's Alliance this time, and then had joined hands with the Hao Sect to plan the assassination attempt on the late-stage prospects of the righteous path at the Four Daoist Assembly.

The plan was perfect.

An aerial assassination operation using the Southern Eagles.

No matter how much the Martial Alliance tried, they would not be able to stop it.

But their perfect plan was thwarted splendidly.

“There must have been a spy in the Hao Sect! But the one who got abandoned was our Namrangbang!”

There was no other way to explain it.

Dae Musik, who stood up staggering while venting his anger, walked toward the bushes.

“Leader. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to take a piss.”

Dae Musik, who had arrived at a nearby bush, leaned against a tree and relieved himself.

His head was hazy because he had deliberately not chased away the effects of the alcohol.

“I… this time… I’ll have to complain firmly to the Hao Sect… no, should I beg instead of complaining?”

Dae Musik’s head was dizzy.

Was it because he was drunk on cheap liquor?

Dae Musik, who had come out of the bushes after relieving himself, came to his senses at the pungent smell of blood.

“Hmm!?”

The martial artists of the Namrangbang, who had been eating and drinking liquor just a moment ago, were lying down as corpses.

Without even being able to let out a final scream.

“Yu… Yu Gang!”

As he called the deputy leader’s name, Yu Gang appeared in front of him.

“What on earth happened…”

Dae Musik, realizing that Yu Gang’s eyes were unfocused, waved his hands here and there and then threw himself at his spear, which was placed on one side.

Dae Musik, who had nimbly grabbed the spear, raised his head.

At that moment, a cold blade came before his eyes.

Gulp—!

Dae Musik’s eyes slowly went up and met the gaze of the owner of the blade.

A man in black, with his face covered by a mask, was standing there.

Following that, men in black appeared from the darkness next to Dae Musik.

‘Assassins!? Who sent them?’

Dae Musik, who was surveying the situation with anxiously trembling eyes, gently let go of the spear he was holding.

“S-spare me. If there’s anything you need, just say it! M-money!”

“Namrangbang Leader, Dae Musik.”

‘He knows me? Could it be that the Hao Sect sent people to get rid of me!’

Dae Musik slammed his head on the ground.

“Yes, Great Master!”

“The reason you die here is that you joined hands with the ruffians of the heretic path and dared to try to assassinate the late-stage prospects of the righteous martial world.”

‘The Martial Alliance!’

Dae Musik, who belatedly realized that the identity of the men in black was the secret operatives sent by the Martial Alliance, raised his head.

“I’ll tell you everything! Please just spare my life!”

“Do you want to live?”

At the man in black’s question, Dae Musik desperately shouted.

“I want to live! Please show me great mercy and spare my life. I will serve the Martial Alliance for the rest of my life!”

“If you wanted to live…”

The two eyes of the man in black shone coldly.

“You shouldn’t have sided with the heretic path.”

“Ah…”

A short flash of light, and a small, long hole appeared on Dae Musik’s brow.

The corpse of Dae Musik, who had met his death in an instant, collapsed.

“Gather the corpses in one place and burn them.”

“Yes.”

The men in black who had received the order gathered the Namrangbang leader, Dae Musik, and the dead martial artists in one place and burned them.

The man in black, who was staring heartlessly at the soaring flames, took off the mask he was wearing.

So Soil, who had thus revealed his face, frowned at the acrid smell of burning corpses that brushed his nose.

He put on the mask again and said.

“We’re moving.”

The night was long, and their steps could not yet stop.

***

“It’s the Martial Alliance!”

“Wh-why!?”

Numerous martial artists holding the flag of the Martial Alliance began to move throughout the Central Plains.

Their purpose was only one.

The extermination of the heretic factions.

“W-wait a minute! What on earth did we do wrong!?”

The leader of the Black Sheep Sect, Yang Seoil, shouted as if he were being wronged.

Of course, the Black Sheep Sect was a sect closer to a heretic faction than a righteous one.

But they had not openly killed people or acted like a heretic faction.

Because they too were afraid of the Martial Alliance, which had become the master of the Central Plains after winning the Righteous-Heretic Great War.

But today.

Martial artists holding the flag of the Martial Alliance had smashed the main gate of the Black Sheep Sect and had rushed in.

It was a surprise attack carried out without warning.

“What did you do wrong?”

The middle-aged man standing at the forefront, holding the flag of the Martial Alliance high, slung the sword he was holding over his shoulder and cackled.

“Bring it!”

At his shout, a man wearing the martial uniform of the alliance brought a long parchment and began to read it.

“The Black Sheep Sect! The following sect has taken unfair profits from merchants and residents under the pretext of protection fees, assaulted a waiter because they didn’t like the look of his face, harassed courtesans…”

“Wh-what are you doing?”

Yang Seoil stuttered in bewilderment.

What the Martial Alliance had brought as a list of crimes was so low in severity that it was embarrassing to even call it a crime.

“For… for something like this, you’re persecuting our Black Sheep Sect!?”

“And the last one!”

The middle-aged man with the sword said with a sly smile.

“The crime of joining the Heretic Path's Alliance, which planned the ‘Subduing Heaven’.”

Yang Seoil felt all the blood drain from him.

How on earth did they know?

And why were they asking about the crime now?

There were many questions, but Yang Seoil had to do what he had to do now.

He prostrated himself and begged.

“P-please forgive me! It wasn’t that we joined, it was just the nonsense that a young brat uttered without thinking!”

Of course, the problem was that the thoughtless young brat was Yang Seoil’s one and only son.

But Yang Seoil had one thing he believed in.

That was that they had come holding the flag of the Martial Alliance.

‘The fact that they came holding the flag of the alliance must be to give a warning. The sect will not be able to avoid extermination… but I can save my life.’

What was the Martial Alliance?

It was a community of the righteous martial world that protected justice and a symbol of peace.

As long as they had appeared holding the flag of the alliance themselves, there would be no slaughter.

Yang Seoil even brought his own child and made him perform a full prostration, and then put on a good-natured smile.

“I will cut my son’s meridians and cripple his internal energy. With this, please forgive the crimes of the Black Sheep Sect.”

Yang Seoil said this and looked at the man holding the sword.

With the belief that the Martial Alliance couldn't do much when he had gone this far.

At that, the man holding the sword said.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Mong Ak.”

“Mong Ak…”

Yang Seoil’s mouth trembled as he repeated the man’s name.

“The… the Evil-Slaying Sword…”

“Oh! You know me. Then you must know well what will happen from now on.”

“No… no…!”

The Evil-Slaying Sword, Mong Ak.

The owner of an unbending conviction who never forgave evil.

Although his methods were cruel, his sword only killed evil people, so he was called a hero in the righteous path and a demon in the heretic path, a master of the Martial Alliance.

“The Martial Alliance… you guys are the Martial Alliance! Is it okay to do this!?”

As Yang Seoil struggled and shouted, Mong Ak slowly lowered his sword and scolded him fiercely.

“Halt!”

At his shout, Yang Seoil’s entire body stiffened.

“Until now, the Martial Alliance has always shown tolerance and mercy to the heretic path. But… not anymore.”

Mong Ak’s sword aimed at Yang Seoil.

“From now on, it’s time for retribution.”

(End of Chapter)