Red-Rain Divine Sword (2)

After swiftly finishing off the two peak-level warriors, I turned my gaze to see the Red-Rain Divine Sword Hwa Yeong-bin looking straight at me—he had already slain Ma Jangdo.

From what I gathered, he too had been investigating reports about the kidnapped women.

Unable to find any leads, he had come to seek help from the Mountain Sword Sect—only to coincidentally stumble upon us.

We decided to postpone the rest of the conversation and return to the Mountain Sword Sect first.

I was worried about Bi Sayoung and Lady Jeongan.

But when we reached the sect’s front gate, we found three people coming out unharmed.

Bi Sayoung, Lady Jeongan, and one man I had never seen before.

“Brother Hwa!”

Lady Jeongan’s face brightened like sunlight as she ran toward the Red-Rain Divine Sword Hwa Yeong-bin.

As she rushed forward, I noticed Bi Sayoung wearing a faintly bitter expression.

Yet even as Lady Jeongan charged toward him with the energy of one ready to embrace him, Hwa Yeong-bin only smiled gently and said,

“You still shine as brightly as ever, Lady Jeongan. I’m glad to see you safe and unharmed.”

Seeing that, I finally understood what the two ladies had said before—about that man who had served the Emei Sect for over ten years while mourning his dead lover.

I didn’t know why, but the man’s faint smile—handsome enough to seem radiant—looked unbearably sad.

Just looking at him was enough to realize it.

‘That man probably isn’t happy.’

Then suddenly, I remembered seeing a similar expression in my past life.

‘That look in my captain’s eyes back then… it was just like that.’

After Bi Sayoung, Bae Jonggwan, and the rest of my friends had all died—after even my lady was lost to the Venomous Serpent Ghost—Captain Seol Pung had worn that same gaze.

He had acted the same as always—joking, smiling—but deep in his eyes had lingered an emptiness that could never be filled.

Back then, I had thought it was simply grief and the weight of command. But maybe… he too had lost something he could never forget.

And maybe that was why….

As those thoughts passed through my mind, the man standing beside Bi Sayoung suddenly smiled at me and spoke.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Lee Geon of Qingcheng.”

I blinked, regaining focus before replying,

“Ah, an honor. I am Seonu Jin of the Flying Dragon Unit.”

He was a handsome young man—so beautiful that I almost mistook him for a woman. His build was slight, his smile pure, and most striking of all were his gently closed eyes.

Then he smiled again and said,

“I’m blind, you see. I hope you don’t mind.”

He said it so casually that it left me feeling awkward.

“Oh—please, don’t say that. If my gaze seemed impolite, I apologize.”

“Not at all. It’s just that if I don’t say so beforehand, people tend to wonder.”

As we talked, I realized something.

He didn’t seem blind at all.

He moved and spoke like someone who saw more than any sighted person could.

One thing was certain.

‘He’s strong. Captain Seol Pung level… maybe even higher.’

At that moment, Hwa Yeong-bin spoke.

“He is my disciple. Though his martial skill is strong, this is his first time venturing into the martial world. I hope you’ll be good friends to him.”

Lady Jeongyeon’s eyes widened.

“Brother Hwa’s disciple?! Then he must be the fifth disciple of the famed Cheonggwang Taoist!”

Lady Jeongan gasped.

“Ah, then he must be the wielder of the Azure-Cloud Red-Rain Sword!”

At that, both Jeongyeon and I were startled.

“What?! The Azure-Cloud Red-Rain Sword?!”

When we looked at him with shocked eyes, he only smiled shyly.

So it was true.

Lady Jeongyeon muttered in awe,

“Unbelievable….”

There was a famous saying about the Qingcheng Sect:

“He who unites Azure Cloud and Red Rain may reach the Divine Realm.”

It referred, of course, to the Azure-Cloud Red-Rain Sword.

Throughout Qingcheng’s long history, fewer than ten people had ever mastered that art.

And all of them had been called absolute masters of the martial world.

The most notable example was none other than the current Qingcheng Eccentric Immortal, Cheonggwang Taoist.

But even he had not realized the Azure-Cloud Red-Rain Sword until his forties.

Yet this young man—barely in his early twenties—had already manifested it?

Could he be the one to inherit the long-lost title of Sword God—a name unseen since the age of the War God, Demon God, and Thunder God a century ago?

But… I didn’t recall anyone like him in my previous life.

I looked again at his gentle, radiant face.

Then he said bashfully,

“I haven’t perfectly united Azure Cloud and Red Rain yet. It’s just an imitation. My master told me to rest for a year before going into seclusion again.”

Seclusion, huh.

Maybe that was why I’d never heard of him before in my past life.

I asked,

“I see. So you’ll remain in seclusion until you complete the Azure-Cloud Red-Rain Sword?”

He shook his head slightly.

“My master said not to leave until I glimpse the Divine Realm.”

“I see… the Divine Realm, huh.”

Heavens above.

So his goal was Sword God.

There was nothing more to say.

After wiping out the Blood Cultists hiding in Mountain Sword Sect and rescuing the women, dawn had already broken.

We’d reported to the local authorities and nearby sects that the Mountain Sword Sect had long been taken over by the Blood Cult and was behind the kidnappings—so there was no need to worry about cleanup.

We told Hwa Yeong-bin about the Righteous Chivalry Guild and Lady Jeongin’s capture.

He groaned in disbelief.

“The Righteous Chivalry Guild was a Blood Cult stronghold? That White-Jade Earth Dragon Gu Yusang—he was a cultist?”

He looked deeply shocked, apparently having been acquainted with the man.

Then, regaining his composure, he spoke coldly.

“To think the Blood Cult dogs I most longed to kill were right beside me all along. Unbelievable.”

He turned to his disciple.

“Geon, return to Qingcheng immediately. Tell our master of this and ask him to send forces to wipe out the Righteous Chivalry Guild. He may not be eager to move, so appeal to Elder Cheongwon instead.”

Lee Geon asked,

“And you, Master?”

“I’ll go rescue Lady Jeongin myself. Time is short.”

I exchanged glances with Bi Sayoung, smiling with satisfaction.

Every decision he made was swift and wise—it filled me with reassurance just to listen.

But then his next words froze us both.

“The Righteous Chivalry Guild is fully focused on attacking the Mountain Sword Sect right now. Tell them that the sooner they act, the easier it’ll be.”

“What?”

We stared at him in shock.

“The Righteous Chivalry Guild attacked the Mountain Sword Sect?”

He nodded.

“Yes. Around a thousand men began secretly moving toward the Mountain Sword Sect last night—likely to strike by dawn. I learned this from the Hao Guild while gathering intel.”

Bi Sayoung and I locked eyes.

Gulp.

His eyes trembled like waves in a storm. Mine probably did the same.

“Destroy the demonic filth! Slaughter every last heretic!”

The Sabre Fiend of the Do River, Gyeong Gadeung, one of the Righteous Chivalry Guild’s top masters, leapt over the Mountain Sword Sect’s wall at the forefront.

Then he swung his saber.

Pwahk!

“Gaaah!”

“An ambush! Aaagh!”

He cut down the guards in two strokes at most.

Behind him, a thousand guild warriors surged over the wall like a tidal wave.

“Leave no one alive! Kill every sect dog and avenge the Iron-Staff Grand Hero Hwang Jang-gon!”

“Uwooooooh!”

Gyeong Gadeung had been close as brothers with the late Hwang Jang-gon, who had died in the previous battle. He intended to spare no one.

The Mountain Sword Sect’s outer defenses fell apart like paper pierced by a needle.

Bi Sayoung turned to me.

“Shouldn’t we go back?”

Faces of my comrades flashed before my eyes—my heart burned from chest to skull.

I couldn’t let any of them die.

There was no comparison between a woman I had never met and them.

But after a moment’s thought, I exhaled deeply and shook my head.

“Even if we go now, it’s too late. Besides…”

Two faces came to mind.

The two people I trusted most in the world.

I spoke to Bi Sayoung, whose eyes still held worry.

“Captain Seol Pung and Lady Cheong-yeon are there, right? With those two, even in the worst case, the squad will be fine.”

Bi Sayoung’s expression shifted several times before he finally smiled faintly.

“Yeah, you’re right. If those two are there, maybe they’ve already beaten the Guild bastards. Let’s finish our side first. That’s the smarter move.”

I nodded with a strained smile.

“Yeah. That’s our role.”

If we could rescue Lady Jeongin, the Emei Sect would surely join us.

And with the strength of both Qingcheng and Emei on our side, even the vast Righteous Chivalry Guild would fall like a candle in the wind.

Together with the Red-Rain Divine Sword Hwa Yeong-bin, we hurried toward Guanyin Hall—where Lady Jeongin was being held.

Azure Intelligence Bureau, Martial Alliance Headquarters

At the Martial Alliance’s intelligence bureau—headquarters of the Shadow Unit—Zhuge Jigang read the latest report with a grim expression.

“So, the Giant Demon Jeo Ung-won is hiding in Sichuan’s Righteous Chivalry Guild, and that guild itself is the Blood Cult’s forward base… Is this certain?”

The chief of the intelligence bureau bowed.

“Not yet confirmed, sir. But this report came with a genuine Blood Cult manual.”

Zhuge Jigang took the torn manual handed to him.

It was the same half of the Blood Cult scripture Seonu Jin had sent through Sag Muhun.

Sag Muhun had used the courier pigeons of the Shadow Unit’s Eighth Squad—wiped out in the last mission—to send the report.

Deeming it highly credible, Zhuge Jigang’s eyes burned with fury.

“The Blood Demon… that bastard!”

The intelligence chief asked carefully,

“Shall we dispatch a force to the Righteous Chivalry Guild?”

Zhuge Jigang stroked his chin in thought, then shook his head.

“No. First we confirm the truth. Send word to the sects of Sichuan—verify whether the Guild truly serves as a Blood Cult base. If so, erase them completely.”

“Yes, understood!”

Then he added sharply,

“Also send the same message to the Sword Saint on the front line—tell him this could spark a Second Great Righteous–Blood War.”

The chief’s face stiffened.

“A… Second Great War, sir?”

“If it’s true, it’s reason enough. But don’t worry—we’ll end it before it begins.”

“Yes, Strategist!”

Zhuge Jigang glanced at the torn manual again.

“But why was it sent torn in half?”

“I’m not sure, sir…”

He frowned.

“This report came from the Shadow Unit’s Eighth Squad, correct? The same squad that reported Jeo Ung-won’s northern movement?”

“Yes, sir.”

“If I recall correctly, we never ordered them to pursue the Giant Demon. Yet they not only tracked him but uncovered his connection to the Guild?”

“Yes, sir. That seems to be the case.”

Zhuge Jigang’s eyes narrowed.

“Suspicious. Summon them to the Alliance. Bring all records and prior reports they’ve submitted to my office.”

“Yes, sir!”

He looked toward the distant front line with eyes sharp enough to cut steel.

He had long known the Blood Demon wouldn’t honor their non-aggression pact.

He’d suspected the cult had installed puppet fronts north of the line—but not one as large as the Righteous Chivalry Guild.

And to think they had even kidnapped women of the Emei Sect—a sect among the Nine Greats. This was far beyond any line of tolerance.

Back in his office, he muttered quietly,

“So, Yunnan alone isn’t enough for you? Hmph… Fine. This time, I’ll cut your power down and make you owe me for it.”

Though he’d told the chief it might become a Second Great War, he knew it would never reach that point.

Because he wouldn’t let it.

Zhuge Jigang smiled faintly.

By crushing the Righteous Chivalry Guild, he could destroy the Blood Demon’s forward base and make that demon owe him a favor—a very satisfying outcome indeed.

And while he was at it, he could handle the Sword Saint’s matter, too.

His mind was already busy calculating how to turn the situation to his advantage.

After a brief pause, he picked up his brush and began writing a letter addressed to the Blood Demon himself.