Chapter 126

Chapter 126

—Rakshasa-nim.

In the dark forest.

A middle-aged man in a blood-red long robe who had been gazing up at the sky with half-opened eyes turned his head at the sound of a voice. A man in a red robe standing naturally behind him as if shadows had seeped in.

“Agwi. How lowly. What is it?”

—This lowly one has come to offer counsel.

“You said counsel?”

—Recently, the vicinity has been unsettled. I thought perhaps you might advance the Great Plan.

“Advance the Great Plan? You overstep your bounds.”

Watching Agwi quietly bow his head, the middle-aged man, Yuknachal, wore a thick killing smile. And then came the strike.

Pyeok—!!!

Pain blazed white-hot through his arm.

Agwi, who had been prostrating himself, bulged his eyes and swallowed a scream as his left arm was pierced in an instant. His left arm had vanished without a trace.

“You lowly things do not think. Did you not learn this?”

—I, I am deeply sorry.

“When you say the surroundings are unsettled, you refer to Hyeolung Manor’s activities. Would this Rakshasa fear the likes of Hyeolung Manor?”

—That was absolutely not the meaning I intended!

“Even if Sado Alliance’s gaze extends beyond Hyeolung Manor, it matters not. For the time of the Great Plan draws near. It will take time for Sado Alliance’s eyes to reach this remote place. There is no problem.”

Yuknachal, who had lightly trampled on the prostrate Agwi’s hand as if it were nothing, looked up at the sky serenely.

“It has been five years since we planted the seed.”

“Even among our cult’s plans, this ‘Cause and Effect’ is important. There must be no distortion. Acting rashly could repeat the mistake of alarming the snake by beating the grass. Even if all you lowly ones must perish, the Great Plan must be completed. Do you understand?”

—How could there be any doubt?

“Only when sufficient karma has accumulated can the fruit finally bear its harvest.”

There would be no greater foolishness than harvesting early simply out of caution. The Great Plan could be ruined by the fruit’s immaturity alone.

Yuknachal, who had quietly murmured this, looked down at Agwi with cold eyes.

“There is no change in the timing of the Great Plan.”

“I can destroy Hyeolung Manor alone. You Agwi stay at your posts and await the time of the Great Plan.”

“I obey!”

Leaving behind Agwi who answered loudly, Yuknachal clasped his hands behind his back. The waning crescent moon floating brightly overhead.

“The end of the fools approaches.”

For thousands of years, those who do not even know which world they stand upon have prospered.

At the end of a long period of patient endurance, the time has finally come for the enlightened ones to rise. When the Great Plan reaches completion, the prophets will shed their forms, cast off their human cocoons, and be reborn.

“We shall wash the world in blood.”

And thus collapse the filthy flesh and purify it by molding it with pure terror.

That is the fanaticism of the Blood Cult.

Red energy is something to be avoided.

I had lived my entire life that way. When red-colored energy swirled before my eyes, it meant I had to avoid it.

When undertaking missions with Changcheon Corps, when going out for training as a Muryeon Hall disciple—it was always the same. Whenever red energy flowed, disaster always struck. From serious injuries at the smallest, to threats to life at the largest.

I hadn’t been seeing golden energy for long, but it stood at the opposite pole.

When auspicious golden energy flowed before my eyes, things always unfolded in a direction beneficial to me.

It was that way when I first met Seohwa, and likewise during the silk auction. Though the sample size was small, I didn’t doubt it would continue to be so in the future. My intuition told me so.

Red energy and golden energy. Opposing abilities.

Either way, they were important signals not to be overlooked. Golden energy must not be missed, and conversely, red energy must be let go. That’s how I’d approached these two energies until now.

But if red energy is something to avoid and golden energy something to seize, if that’s truly the case—

In this situation where both red and golden energy appear simultaneously, what on earth should I do?

The sect master’s office.

I gazed at the documents Lee Ryang had brought and quietly closed my eyes. The red and golden energies still swirling before my eyes.

Even with my eyes closed, I quietly stroked my sword hilt and calmed my mind at the ominous yet brilliant light visible before my eyes. It was a problem to which no answer had emerged even after pondering all day.

‘Red energy is danger, golden energy is opportunity.’

That’s what I’d determined so far. Red energy signaled danger, and golden energy signaled opportunity.

That had been the reality.

Age seven. When I first saw red energy and ignored it, I fell from a horse and suffered a serious injury with a broken arm. At age twelve, when I had no choice but to ignore the red energy and entered a friendly competition among peers, though I won the championship, I also sustained internal injuries requiring over six months of recuperation.

And those were the cases where the red was faint. During the Jinan Bloodbath that occurred while I was serving as Changcheon Corps Commander, my vision was dyed blood-red to the point where the entire field of view was crimson, and I had no choice but to disobey orders rather than send my corps members.

So what was the result of the Jinan Bloodbath?

Of the thousands of Murim Alliance members who departed, fewer than five survived. And all who returned alive were left crippled.

Had they gone, they would have died. Deep red is tantamount to a mark of death.

‘The red energy this time isn’t as deep as during the Jinan Bloodbath.’

A blessing in misfortune, perhaps.

I quietly tapped the table while gauging the red and golden energies hovering over the documents. Compared to the Jinan Bloodbath and various other crises, the red energy was definitely fainter.

‘Compared to the brilliance of the golden energy, the red of the red energy is faint.’

Even if I faced it, the probability of encountering a life-threatening crisis wouldn’t be high. If it were just me alone, and if I’d confirmed golden energy flowing, I wouldn’t have hesitated to go and return from something of this degree.

‘Right now, I’m not alone.’

I’m not Baek Riyun, the Changcheon Corps Commander who could undertake solo missions, and even less am I Baek Riyun the Muryeon Hall disciple who had just fled from his family.

Uicheonmun Sect Master Baek Riyun.

A position responsible for the lives of Uicheonmun disciples.

If the misfortune of the red energy doesn’t affect me but affects the disciples instead, and someone becomes crippled or meets death as a result……?

Such a thing must not happen. Putting disciples in danger based on my judgment would be absurd.

However, unconditionally sheltering disciples who are martial artists is also not right. Living in this Gangho, danger is something one inevitably encounters on a daily basis.

Thoughts chase their tails. A conclusion not easily reached.

Am I driving disciples into a death trap out of my own greed? Shouldn’t I proceed more cautiously?

I pondered until the sun that had risen to mid-heaven was dyed purple. Until the waning crescent moon reached mid-heaven again.

The next day.

“……I’ll have to do it that way.”

I made my decision.

There’s an old saying that a scholar should be viewed with fresh eyes after three days.

It means that a scholar with excellent learning becomes so much more learned after three days that you should wipe your eyes and look at them anew, but it’s not a saying that applies only to scholars—it’s also widely used for those who are growing.

Just as a scholar’s learning increases, a martial artist in their growth period also sees their martial prowess improve day by day. Those watching from the side cannot help but deeply feel that process.

Seohwa was now.

In the midst of deeply experiencing the growth of her fellow disciples, which changed with each passing day.

Uicheonmun training grounds.

“Heuaaaam…… Why this sudden assembly so early in the morning?”

Baek Risan, who stretched and yawned languidly, stretched his body like a cat and exhaled a deep breath. Visible breath in the complete winter weather.

“Shall I press it for you?”

“Yeah. Just press my back. By the way, Seohwa, didn’t you hear anything either? That guy tells you all kinds of things.”

“I don’t really know either…….”

At Baek Risan’s question, Seohwa smiled bitterly and shook her head while blowing on her cold hands and pressing Baek Risan’s back, then turned her gaze. She could see Wangpal and Seonwoo Gang coming from far away.

“Fellow disciples. It was cold last night, did you sleep well?”

“The cotton blanket was thick enough to endure, wasn’t it? Did you also sleep well, Elder Martial Sister? You’re not getting chills or anything, right? You have an Extreme Yin Body.”

“That’s true, but…….”

At Seonwoo Gang’s cheeky answer, Seohwa smiled broadly and shook her head.

“Someone warmed up the fire nicely last night, so I was fine. Thank you.”

“……I don’t know anything about that?”

“Let’s say that’s the case.”

“I really don’t know. Really.”

A fellow disciple she couldn’t dislike.

Looking at Seonwoo Gang playing coy and Wangpal quietly bowing his head, Seohwa smiled bitterly and sighed deeply inside. The position she stood in was starting to feel increasingly awkward.

Grand Senior Brother/Sister.

She knew that’s what you call the first disciple to enter under a master. She also knew that while others might hold actual power, it’s such people who outwardly lead that cohort. But.

Does that make it understandable?

‘……I’m too lacking. Compared to my fellow disciples, I am.’

Experience.

It’s insufficient. Unlike the fellow disciples who have been training in martial arts for at least seven years or more, she still hasn’t experienced Gangho for even a full year yet. Could going to Sangsan for sightseeing be considered experience?

Martial prowess is no different. Among Uicheonmun’s disciples, the strongest is Seonwoo Gang, followed by Wangpal. Though she’s diligently following along, for Seohwa to catch up to Seonwoo Gang and Wangpal’s skills, she would still need to train much harder for quite a while longer.

The only thing she’s ahead in is the timing of entry.

Age, experience, martial prowess—everything is lacking. If only these two fellow disciples didn’t treat her as Grand Senior Sister, she could act more comfortably, but aren’t both of them treating her flawlessly as Grand Senior Sister in that regard?

Her heart feels crushed under the burden. If only she were the youngest disciple rather than Grand Senior Sister. If only she were in a position to look up at others rather than down at them.

Finishing her thoughts, Seohwa pretended to shiver from the cold, shook her head to shake off the stray thoughts, and forced herself to show a cheerful expression.

“Last time Merchant Leader Lee Ryang came and went too, so isn’t there some work to entrust to us?”

“A request from the merchant company…… you mean.”

“There’s been a lot of mention of real combat experience recently, and there’s still the matter of the poison-coated weapons too. So I wonder if it might be related to that…….”

While answering Wangpal, Seohwa trailed off for a moment and turned her gaze at a suddenly felt presence. Baek Riyun, who without any sound of footsteps had somehow appeared and was standing in the center of the training grounds.

“You’ve all gathered. Seohwa. Wangpal. Seonwoo Gang. Baek Risan. Last night was quite cold, did you sleep well?”

“Well, more or less…….”

Baek Risan, who answered Baek Riyun’s words vaguely, fiddled with his reddened fingers and sniffled. The question that followed.

“So why did you gather us? I’d understand if it were just Uicheonmun disciples, but even calling me…….”

“A request came in a few days ago.”

“A request?”

“A request specifying Uicheonmun. I agreed to take on the protection of a certain region.”

Baek Riyun, who paused for a moment, looked around at the disciples and continued speaking.

“From what I see, it could be a quite dangerous request. No, it will be dangerous with high probability. So.”

“……So?”

“I decided to conduct a test.”

Kwang!

Seeing the Uicheongeom embedded in the ground, the disciples fell silent and raised their gazes upward. Baek Riyun standing serenely before them.

“One week.”

“Within one week, the four of you must work together to make even a fingertip, even a hair’s breadth, touch this Uicheongeom.”

You may pull it out, you may strike at it. Or you may simply touch it. There is only one condition.

“Just touch the sword. Do that, and I’ll take you along.”

“That’s…….”

“Does it seem too easy?”

“Doesn’t it only need one person to touch it?”

“That’s right.”

At Seonwoo Gang’s question, Baek Riyun nodded.

“Only one person needs to touch it. Whoever touches it, I’ll count it as a pass.”

Isn’t that way too easy no matter what?

Everyone gazed intently at Baek Riyun as if agreeing with Seonwoo Gang’s unspoken expression. However, Baek Riyun shook his head even while seeing such expressions.

“Does this test seem useless to you?”

“Yes. Honestly, with a whole week.”

“I believe that with your current level, you will be insufficient.”

“Pardon?”

“It means that at your current level, no matter what you do for a week, you cannot lay even a fingertip on this Uicheongeom.”

Slowly.

Baek Riyun, who clasped his hands behind his back while receiving the winter wind, stepped on his toes. And then, moments later, the sky flipped over.

“Huh……?”

Astonishment burst from Seonwoo Gang’s mouth as he confirmed they were lying down in the training grounds. An attack they couldn’t even properly see.

“For this week, I will try in earnest to stop you all. Without holding back even once. So.”

Try and touch even the tip of the sword’s tassel. So I can trust you all.

Baek Riyun, who shouted serenely, slowly stood before the Uicheongeom.

—With resolve not to allow even a single step of approach.