Chapter 34
A young warrior with a firm impression and a middle-aged warrior with slightly raised eyebrows, giving a somewhat fierce look, were having a conversation.
“Elder, we are hearing information about the recent atrocities of the Blood Sect from various places.”
“Hmm.”
The one who let out a groan was Taeheo, the head of the medical hall of Wudang and an elder of the Murim Alliance.
“I heard the Emperor also sent an edict?”
“Yes, we need to continue the investigation, but it seems the Blood Sect’s objective is in the Imperial Palace. Elder Chu also came in a while ago for the investigation.”
“Huh, is Elder Chu the only capable person in the Beggars Sect? It seems he is the busiest.”
The young warrior gave a bitter smile.
“Haha, I heard he recently visited the Cheonhajang for the theft matter. It can’t be helped since he is so capable.”
“Ah! How did that matter go? Our handsome junior… no, the Cheonhajang must be safe….”
Boom! Bang!
A loud noise from somewhere swallowed Taeheo’s words.
“Mm, it seems someone is training. So, about the Cheonhajang, I will personally…….”
Bang~!
Again, the words were cut off.
“Who is it!”
Taeheo walked nervously towards the source of the sound.
“Huh?”
The scene he encountered was truly absurd.
“Chief, are you okay?”
“Right.”
“Was Jo the chief? You too, a bit…”
Boom! Thud!
Six or seven warriors of the Murim Alliance were clinging to Eunho, and Eunho was steadfastly smashing someone’s face.
Taeheo ran with all his might, shouting.
“Stop!”
After the youngest fainted, the eyes of Pang Jeoak, who continued getting beaten, brightened. Isn’t it Elder Taeheo, famous for his strictness!
“Elder! This guy dared to…!”
Smack!
Taeheo swung his palm without hesitation and struck Pang Jeoak’s forehead.
Pang Jeoak, who was held by Eunho, fainted and went limp.
“……”
Everyone, especially Pang Jeoak’s team members, looked back and forth between Taeheo and Eunho with astonished eyes.
A light shone in Taeheo’s eyes.
“Eunho, isn’t it!”
The team members’ expressions changed instantly.
“Eunho? The young master of the Cheonhajang?”
“Could it be that Blood Heaven Divine Sword Eunho?”
Elder Taeheo looked this way. His face turned red.
“Let go.”
“What?”
“I said, let go of that hand.”
The warriors slowly released the hands holding Eunho.
Elder Taeheo, known for his strictness, glared at them as if to kill, making their legs tremble.
Taeheo’s gaze turned to Eunho. Oh? The corners of his mouth twitched.
“Could it be that you came to see me?”
***
Eunho, Hwayeon, and Taeheo.
The three of them were walking across the Murim Alliance.
Seeing all the passing warriors bowing respectfully to Taeheo, it was clear how solid his position was within the Murim Alliance.
“Nice to meet you, I am Taeheo, in charge of the medical hall of the Murim Alliance.”
“Oh! I am Hwayeon.”
Taeheo greeted with a friendly smile, making Hwayeon somewhat stiff. It was understandable, as being an elder of the Murim Alliance meant having the highest ability and prestige in the orthodox martial arts world.
“Could we talk while walking? I just came from work and would like to walk a bit.”
“Yes, of course…”
“No. Let’s go to the reception hall and talk, we’ve walked a lot.”
Hwayeon looked at Eunho with a shocked expression.
From Hwayeon’s perspective, who came to ask for a favor, there was nothing good about upsetting the elder of the Murim Alliance.
But then, the elder’s eyes widened a bit.
“Oh! Right, I hadn’t thought of that. Have you eaten? If not, at least have some tea?”
“That’s fine, let’s go. We’ve waited a long time.”
“Yes, yes, let’s go quickly.”
Eunho took the lead, and Taeheo followed him, chuckling, “Hey, it’s this way, not there.”
Hwayeon watched the two with a blank expression.
He was already a person she couldn’t understand, but the more she knew, the more mysterious he became.
***
The playful look disappeared from Taeheo’s face after hearing Hwayeon’s story.
“Huh, you must have had a hard time. Well, you can stay at the Murim Alliance for the time being. I’ll make sure to arrange it well. It’s commendable that you made it here safely.”
“Thanks to him, I was able to escape from those guys.”
Taeheo looked back and forth between Eunho and Hwayeon.
“By the way… is there something between you two?”
Eunho gave a look as if to say, “Why ask such a thing?”
“Oh, this lady is someone I….”
“By chance!”
Hwayeon hurriedly cut off Eunho’s words.
“We met by chance and he helped me.”
“Hmm, I see.”
A hint of suspicion flickered in Taeheo’s narrowed eyes but then disappeared.
“By the way, it seems the Blood Sect is causing trouble everywhere. Yesterday, the Emperor sent an edict.”
The Murim Alliance is to cooperate with the Imperial Guards to eradicate the Blood Sect!
In reality, it was more like being told to clean up after the Emperor’s personal guards.
Eunho, who was lost in thought, suddenly spoke.
“I’ll help you, but I have a favor to ask in return.”
He was planning to eradicate the Blood Sect anyway.
There was also Hwayeon’s matter, and his master had mentioned it too.
If you’re going to do something, it’s always good to gain something extra.
“If you help, there’s nothing I can’t grant. However, I’m not sure if the Imperial Palace will allow it. If you’re not a warrior of the Murim Alliance, they might refuse.”
At that moment, the door of the reception hall opened with a sound.
“If it’s about that, I’ll help.”
“Oh, Elder Chu, it’s been a while.”
Elder Chu, with shadows under his eyes, received Taeheo’s greeting and then looked at Eunho.
“I’ll allow you to temporarily join the Murim Alliance.”
Elder Chu recalled the events of the previous night.
Before coming to the M Alliance, he had visited the Northern Pang family.
“Fist King, be honest. Did you really take them all down? Both the Green King and the Death King?”
“Mm, yes.”
“I don’t think so.”
“W-what are you talking about!”
The Fist King had no talent for lying, and unfortunately, his opponent was Elder Chu, who was very perceptive.
“I can tell just by looking at your eyes.”
From the moment he handed over the Divine Sword, he knew he wasn’t an ordinary warrior, but isn’t he a bigger figure than expected?
If Elder Chu’s guess is correct, it’s truly unbelievable….
Eunho is already at the level of a master.
And now, the opportunity to confirm it has come.
“Although the Murim Alliance members are already dispatched to the Imperial Palace… with your personality, it would be bothersome to work with them, right?”
“I prefer to be alone.”
“Let’s see. Alright, I’ll give you the position of temporary head of the alliance.”
Taeheo, surprised, interrupted.
“Hey, Elder Chu. Isn’t that a bit too much?”
“Anyway, it was a position that someone from our strike team was supposed to take. It shouldn’t matter if we hand it over temporarily.”
No, it would be even better if he stayed. As Elder Chu thought this, his suppressed desires began to pour out like a flood.
“Do you know how good it is to join the Murim Alliance? First, the education expenses for your family members are supported. Ah, since you are from the Cheonhajang, let’s put that aside, and also….”
Elder Chu suddenly started listing the benefits of the Murim Alliance.
Recruiting and nurturing talent was his only hobby.
Recently, he had been busy and had neglected it for a while, but meeting Eunho again triggered it.
However, the response was cold.
“That’s enough. Let’s head to the Imperial Palace right away. Oh, and you agreed to grant my request.”
With that, Eunho stood up abruptly.
Everyone looked at Eunho with blinking eyes.
So quickly?
Eunho’s brisk and decisive manner was as refreshing as ever.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
As Hwayeon stood up slowly, glancing at the two elders, Eunho quickly left.
Hwayeon followed, giving an awkward smile and greeting the two elders.
***
Although the Imperial Palace wasn’t very far, it was a distance that couldn’t be covered in a day without using light-footed martial arts.
“We’ll have to stay here for the night.”
As Eunho and Hwayeon entered the inn, the innkeeper greeted them warmly.
“Welcome!”
“Do you have any rooms available?”
“Of course!”
The innkeeper asked with a bright expression, “How many rooms would you like?”
“Surely, you wouldn’t have a grown man and woman share a room, right? No way, as the saying goes, men and women should not sit together after the age of seven….”
“Two, two rooms, please!”
As the innkeeper spoke rapidly, drawing everyone’s attention, Hwayeon hastily shouted with a slightly flushed face.
After sitting down, Eunho ordered two bowls of noodles and looked at Hwayeon.
“What do you plan to do after eradicating the Blood Sect?”
“What?”
As always, he spoke of incredible things as if they were nothing. He talked about eradicating the Blood Sect as if it were scolding neighborhood kids.
Hwayeon fell into thought for a moment before speaking.
“I haven’t thought specifically about what to do afterward, but if possible, I’d like to rebuild my family. We used to run a small martial arts school.”
“Why is the Blood Sect targeting such a family? It seems they even used the Heaven’s Net to chase you.”
Hwayeon gave a bitter smile at Eunho’s question.
“We have a family martial art. It’s not an absolute martial art, but it contains some profound principles of ascension. Honestly, I didn’t think it was something the Blood Sect would target… but for some reason, they are after this martial art.”
Clack.
Two bowls of noodles were quickly served.
Eunho picked up his chopsticks and nodded.
“Hmm, I see.”
It was a common story in the martial world. However, it was indeed intriguing.
Not just any small martial arts school, but a group like the Blood Sect targeting it? “Does it contain the principles of balance (均)?”
Her eyes widened a bit.
“How did you know?”
“It’s obvious. The ones who have learned the Blood Sect’s martial arts all have unstable energy. They lack yin (陰) and are excessively focused on yang (陽). They probably judged that they could achieve balance through that internal martial art.”
“To target someone’s family for such a reason…”
Hwayeon’s expression crumpled severely.
Eunho just shrugged his shoulders once.
In fact, such tragedies were common throughout the central plains for such reasons.
Even Hwayeon had risked her life and fled to protect her martial art.
Of course, he didn’t intend to voice such thoughts.
“So, your goal is to take revenge on the Blood Sect and rebuild your family.”
“Yes, that’s the plan for now…”
But she wasn’t confident.
Her strength was too weak.
“I’ll help you.”
“What?”
Her already large eyes grew even bigger.
“I’ll help you eradicate the Blood Sect and rebuild your family.”
“Why?”
It wasn’t that she doubted him. From what she had seen of Eunho, he wouldn’t do something if he didn’t want to, and he wasn’t someone who said things he didn’t mean.
Of course, it was a good thing. With someone of Eunho’s caliber, it would certainly be a tremendous help.
However, she was genuinely curious about his reasons for offering help.
“Because I want to. And starting tomorrow morning, it would be better if you bought a mask to cover your face.”
Eunho, who disliked troublesome things, found Hwayeon’s beauty, which attracted the world’s attention, burdensome.
Look at that. All the men were sneaking glances at her while pretending not to.
Of course, Eunho also attracted the attention of women, but having two such people together doubled the attention.
However, Eunho had no intention of wearing a mask himself.
***
After finishing his meal, Eunho went into his room and pondered.
It was definitely demonic energy.
Although very faint, he could feel the demonic energy whenever the Blood Sect warriors used their internal energy.
Could something have happened in the yokai realm?
He didn’t care what happened there, but if it affected the human realm, it was a different story.
Eunho had no intention of being disturbed by yokaks in this life.
And then there was Hwayeon.
Although he hated troublesome things, Eunho was still human.
He felt a sense of guilt and pity for her.
He thought that helping her rebuild her family would somewhat alleviate those feelings.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door from outside.
“Come in.”
Hwayeon cautiously opened the door and entered.
“Um…”
“What is it?”
“Are the Blood Sect guys still chasing me?”
“Probably. They have a purpose.”
Hwayeon’s face darkened a bit.
Upon closer inspection, hidden by her glamorous appearance, there were faint shadows under her eyes.
She had been attacked twice while sleeping.
“When I lie down to sleep, I feel so anxious that I can’t fall asleep.”
Only then did Eunho understand what Hwayeon was saying.
In the end, she was saying she couldn’t sleep because she was scared.
“So, you want to sleep together?”
“What!?”
Hwayeon, who had come just to talk a bit because she couldn’t sleep, had no choice but to lower her head with a flushed face and leave.
