Emei Sect

Fortunately, Bi Sayoung’s body had not suffered any major injuries.

It seemed he had only fainted and had his acupoints sealed.

Relieved, I released his blocked blood flow and then smacked that annoying head of his hard with my palm.

“Hey, you bastard!”

Smack!

“Argh! Wh-what?!”

The blow to the head brought him back to his senses at once.

After staring blankly at my face for a moment, he suddenly remembered something and looked around in a panic.

“Th-this… Jin? Ah! The Giant Demon, the Giant Demon!”

But it did not take him long to spot the Giant Demon’s corpse.

“The Giant Demon, the Giant Demon! …is dead?”

Seeing him mutter in shock, Brother Sag explained.

“According to Brother Seonu, an unknown hidden master suddenly appeared, slew the Giant Demon alone, and then vanished instantly.”

But even as he spoke, Brother Sag glanced at me. I could not ignore it.

What was I supposed to do?

I killed it, but it wasn’t me who killed it.

Bi Sayoung, oblivious to the mood between us, only gawked in admiration.

“Wow! Really! I saw that monster even use hardened qi, and yet someone cut it down in an instant?! Truly, the martial world is vast and full of extraordinary figures!”

He wasn’t wrong… but I felt embarrassed.

Anyway, we joined up with Lady Jeong-yeon, whom Brother Sag had brought to safety, and together we also freed the other four women she had mentioned.

Among them was another disciple of the Emei Sect and three ordinary women.

One striking thing was that they were all remarkably beautiful.

Though the Emei Sect was composed of Buddhist female disciples, unlike the nuns of the Hengshan Sect or Sword Pavilion, they did not shave their heads, and if granted permission by the sect, some even married.

That was why, when I had first seen Lady Jeong-yeon, I had never thought she was from the Emei Sect, only that she was a beauty.

Now, seeing the others, I realized they were even more beautiful than Lady Jeong-yeon herself.

Bi Sayoung whispered to me secretly through sound transmission.

— I think I can guess the order those Giant Demons sacrificed women. They must have saved the prettiest for last.

Huh? Was that how it worked?

So the most beautiful ones were kept until the end?

At that moment, the rescued Emei disciple shed tears of joy as she embraced Lady Jeong-yeon, then wiped her face and greeted us.

“I am Jeong-an of the Emei Sect! Thank you deeply for saving my life!”

Though her strength had not fully returned after being sealed for so long, she was spirited and bright.

Compared to the calm and composed Lady Jeong-yeon, who looked as if she would stay unshaken even if the sky collapsed, Jeong-an seemed all the more lively.

Moreover, she was easily among the most stunning of the rescued women.

Bi Sayoung blushed at her beauty and tried not to meet her gaze.

I chuckled and teased him with a whisper.

— You’re more embarrassed than when you first saw Lady Cheong-yeon’s face. Anyone would think you were some shy country lad.

He glared at me and retorted.

— Lady Hae or Lady Tang are too otherworldly, too unreal. That young lady isn’t like that, so I was just caught off guard for a moment!

Huh?

What nonsense was that?

So Cheong-yeon and Tang Yeo-eun were too beautiful to be real, while Jeong-an was less so, and therefore distracting?

That sounded like suicide no matter how it was phrased. I decided to bury the thought for the sake of my friend’s survival.

Afterward, we asked the women why they had been captured by the Blood Cult’s fiends.

Lady Jeong-yeon and Lady Jeong-an’s answers revealed shocking information.

“What? You were investigating the Righteous Chivalry Guild?”

They nodded with furious eyes.

“Yes, reports reached us that women were disappearing, martial and civilian alike. While investigating, we discovered connections leading to the Righteous Chivalry Guild….”

They explained that they had been attacked by unknown experts and kidnapped as soon as they uncovered this link.

After being immobilized by sealed acupoints, they were taken to a place where many women were held, then transported here by the Giant Demons.

I asked urgently.

“Then you didn’t even know these were Blood Cult members? Or that the one was the Giant Demon Jeo Ung-won?”

Both nodded.

“No, we had no idea. Who would expect Blood Cult fiends here, so far from the front lines?”

At their words, we exchanged glances.

“This is proof beyond doubt, isn’t it?”

“Yes. There’s more than an eighty percent chance. The Blood Cult’s forward base is…”

I began, and the three of us finished together:

“The Righteous Chivalry Guild.”

“It was the Righteous Chivalry Guild.”

“It’s the Righteous Chivalry Guild.”

I clenched my fist.

At last, we had found the Blood Cult’s advance base.

If we could expose and crush it now, this could change the outcome of this life completely.

We might even prevent the great Soul-Seizing calamity that had swept through Guizhou and destroyed my clan in my past life.

Faces of my Seonu clan members, turned into puppets and slain by my hand, rose before me.

I ground my teeth.

This time, I would stop it.

Thanks to the Emei ladies, making this public would not even be difficult.

And from what they said, there might still be other captives in the Righteous Chivalry Guild — disciples even more important than ordinary ones.

“You said Lady Jeong-in, the Sword Phoenix of Emei, is still imprisoned?”

“Yes. She is said to be the one destined to lead the future of our sect. She remains captive.”

It was tragic, but if such a figure was imprisoned, the Emei Sect would surely act with full force.

If one of the Nine Great Sects committed fully, the Righteous Chivalry Guild’s fate would be sealed.

I spoke with anticipation.

“Then you must hurry back to the Emei Sect and report about the Righteous Chivalry Guild and Lady Jeong-in. Only then can she be saved.”

But the two women exchanged heavy looks and reluctantly nodded.

“Yes… we should.”

Huh?

Something was off.

Sensing their hesitation, we asked carefully.

“Is there some problem? Why such faces…?”

Lady Jeong-an sighed deeply.

“The truth is…”

But Lady Jeong-yeon stopped her.

“Don’t, Sister! No!”

She apologized to us.

“Forgive us. It concerns our sect’s internal matters, which we cannot discuss.”

So there was indeed an issue.

That was troublesome — if the Emei Sect did not publicly denounce the Righteous Chivalry Guild, we alone could not confront such a power.

While I wrestled with the dilemma, Bi Sayoung suddenly spoke up.

“Lady Jeong-yeon, we don’t care about your sect’s internal troubles. But this concerns the Blood Cult’s fiends. As a disciple of the Emei Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, can you truly turn your back on this?”

What the—suddenly?

His blunt words startled me, but Lady Jeong-yeon was even more flustered.

“W-what?”

“Isn’t it true? We risked our lives to save you, and yet you would dismiss this matter as sect troubles and ignore the Blood Cult’s involvement…?”

“N-no, I wasn’t saying we’d ignore it!”

“Then what do you mean?”

“Th-that is…”

Lady Jeong-yeon faltered.

What? This was actually working?

Bi Sayoung, you sly dog.

Lady Jeong-yeon wavered, trading troubled glances with Jeong-an.

Jeong-an then said firmly.

“Sister, I agree with our benefactors. Before those who saved our lives, and when the Blood Cult is involved, remaining silent under the excuse of sect affairs would be unworthy of an Emei disciple.”

Indeed, Lady Jeong-an was forthright.

I whispered to Bi Sayoung.

— Impressive, Sa-young. How did you think of that?

He smirked.

— Who taught me? That’s the trick you always used on us, isn’t it?

Ah… so it was.

But still, saying it to women he just met? Bold.

At last, Lady Jeong-yeon sighed.

“Very well. Our sect’s shame will be exposed, but… I’ll speak honestly. Even if we report this, I doubt our sect will act against the Righteous Chivalry Guild.”

“What? Why not? You just said Lady Jeong-in is captive. And this concerns the Blood Cult!”

She nodded heavily.

Her explanation followed: the Emei Sect’s leadership was split into factions, and those currently holding power were aligned with both the Martial Alliance and the Righteous Chivalry Guild.

“Yes, they prize their ties to the Martial Alliance, and strangely, they maintain close ties with the Righteous Chivalry Guild as well. Not long ago, Lady Jeong-in condemned the Guild for threats, and she was punished with confinement.”

This was strange indeed.

Could it be that the Martial Alliance already knew the truth and was protecting the Guild deliberately?

Emei’s condition also became clearer.

They were the only major sect whose disciples had been wiped out completely in the Great Righteous–Blood War.

Other sects had losses, but only Emei had none return alive.

Though the Martial Alliance had publicly praised and honored their “noble sacrifice,” no real aid had been given.

Lady Jeong-yeon smiled bitterly.

“They held great memorials, but gave no support to restore us. Nothing to improve our situation.”

The Emei Sect had lost more than half its disciples, even its leadership.

Minor factions had risen, dividing the sect for more than ten years.

Now, though counted among the Nine Great Sects and Sichuan’s Three Pillars, in reality Emei had already been surpassed by the Righteous Chivalry Guild.

I had never realized their plight was so dire.

I asked, “So the reason pro–Martial Alliance figures hold power is…?”

She nodded.

“Yes. Without their protection, we might lose our Nine Sects status altogether, just as the Diancang Sect was expelled. If we anger them, we could be cast out.”

“Haa…”

Worse than the Diancang Sect’s dispersal, Emei had become a dog with its leash held by the Martial Alliance.

I could no longer expect much from them.

Even if they denounced the Righteous Chivalry Guild, their voice carried little weight.

Then I recalled something.

“Wait… you said Lady Jeong-in was punished?”

“Yes, she was confined to the training hall. But she is willful and ignores the sect elders. When she heard of the disappearances, she defied orders and secretly investigated. And that was when…”

“I see.”

So she had disobeyed orders, making her position precarious. Reporting would be difficult, especially since the elders favored the Guild.

Bi Sayoung spoke heatedly.

“Still, this concerns the Blood Cult! Your sect’s disciple is in peril — what could be more important?”

He was right. But Lady Jeong-yeon still looked troubled.

“Yes… but…”

Lady Jeong-an explained.

“The elders might refuse to believe. They could even accuse us of slandering the Guild.”

We were stunned.

Bi Sayoung muttered, “That’s a complete shitsho—mmph!”

I quickly clamped his mouth shut before he finished.

Then laughed loudly.

“Ahaha, yes, what a complete mess that would be!”

Thankfully, they did not seem to catch his words. Or did they?

Lady Jeong-yeon avoided my gaze, and Lady Jeong-an covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, before letting out a small snort.

So they had heard.

As expected, Bi Sayoung was impressive maybe once a month at most.

In any case, the situation was complicated.

If they returned to report, they might be punished instead.

Even though the Sword Phoenix herself was in danger.

Should we rely on another way? Mountain Sword Sect? The Martial Alliance? My own clan?

While I brooded, Lady Jeong-an suddenly brightened and asked her senior.

“Sister, what if we asked Senior Brother Hwa for help?”