There Is An Order For Things. (2)

Leader Hwang So-cheon is the commander of the Blue Dragon Troops who has been concealing his identity until then.

It was no surprise he showed interest in the Blood Death Guest, the Blue Dragon Troops existed to repel Tianzhu’s invasion.

But Yu Jinsan had no reason to cooperate.

“Why come to us looking for the Blood Death Guest?”

“I heard he was defeated by the Yin Yang Twin Monster and then abducted.”

“So what about it?”

Yu Jinsan’s response and tone were curt.

He wanted to kill them all, so no pleasant words were to be expected.

Hwang So-cheon paid it no mind; in fact, he clasped his hands together and made a respectful bow.

“Thank you for sharing common purpose.”

What an absurd thing to say.

Hearing that from the Blue Dragon Troops’ leader made him very uneasy.

“Together? What nonsense is that all of a sudden?”

At that moment Yu Seol snickered beside him.

“Pft.”

It seemed amusing to her to see her excited grandfather.

Realizing the attention, Yu Seol covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter.

Hwang So-cheon’s expression, by contrast, remained serious.

“You captured the foreign agent on our behalf; how could we not be grateful?”

Was he trying to make amends? He had no intention of joining hands with those who had done dirty work in the shadows.

Worse, these people were tied to the Yu family’s annihilation. They were no different from the Murim Alliance leader in role; he had no intention of forgiving them.

“You’re mistaken. We caught the Blood Death Guest simply because he annoyed us. We have no intention of joining you.”

“That matters little. But hand him over to us.”

“There is information to uncover. It’s for everyone’s safety.”

But it was too late. He was no longer among the living.

“I don’t see what you can learn from someone who’s already dead.”

“You mean you just killed him?”

Hwang So-cheon couldn’t hide his dismay.

That was before he heard Yu Jinsan’s next words.

“I buried him in the mountain this morning. He was one of the Eight Guardians.”

“The Blood Death Guest was a Guardian…? He confessed his identity? Torture wouldn’t have worked, would it?”

“It wasn’t that difficult. I even learned about the Arahant they worship.”

Hwang So-cheon spoke with pleading eyes.

“If he mentioned the Arahant, then it was all true. Share the details with us.”

“Why should I tell my enemies? I don’t want to. Get out of my house immediately.”

In truth, Yu Jinsan didn’t know much either, only that above the Guardians were four Heavenly Kings of Blood Thunder and an absolute power called the Arahant.

He refused firmly, but Hwang So-cheon did not relent.

“You must tell us!”

Yu Jinsan flinched for a moment at his coercive tone.

The Blue Dragon Troops’ elite were all Supreme realm warriors, and their leader Hwang So-cheon seemed to have no measurable limit.

He realized that if he had been alone, he might have met misfortune.

Yu Jinsan, displeased, signaled to his granddaughter.

Yu Seol clenched her fist and stepped forward.

“Don’t bully my grandpa. Unless you want to get beaten up.”

She was ready to move at once on her grandfather’s command.

But the Blue Dragon Troops had no desire to fight the Yin Yang Twin Monster right now; at best it would be a chess move, and there couldn’t be more casualties.

As Yu Jinsan expected, he backed down first.

“Then… at least share any clues about the timing of the invasion.”

Yu Jinsan felt relieved at Hwang So-cheon’s softened tone.

Once he relaxed, he offered information as if giving charity.

“He said he didn’t know either — that the Arahant decides.”

“Why the sigh? Haven’t the Blue Dragon Troops prepared for the invasion all this time, even to mad lengths?”

Unable to hold back, Hwang So-cheon began to vent his frustration.

“Didn’t you ruin everything? If our key members hadn’t been killed, things wouldn’t be this bleak.”

“I’ve already said it: they did deeds worthy of death, so we killed them.”

“That’s not all. If plans had gone right, the Justice Faction would have unified the martial world by now. But look at the current state.”

Far from unifying, many high-ranking Justice Faction warriors had been killed over the years.

All of it was due to the Yin Yang Twin Monster joining the Evil factions.

To make matters worse, the next generations of the Blue Dragon Troops were being diverted to the Defeating Blade Clan.

It was only natural the Blue Dragon Troops’ leader was furious.

But Yu Jinsan had no reason to feel sorry; everything had been intentional.

“So why did you strike our family? Why kill my helpless children?”

“That was the Alliance leader…”

Hwang So-cheon trailed off; he hesitated to continue.

But Yu Jinsan was not about to let that pass.

“Wait. What did you say? I thought the Blue Dragon Troops were directly under the Murim Alliance leader.”

“I have no obligation to tell you about internal matters.”

He couldn’t let it go; it concerned the secret history of his family.

It seemed Hwang So-cheon had deliberately led the conversation; anything about the leader would pique his interest.

“Fine. Then I’ll tell you everything I discussed with the Blood Death Guest.”

Hwang So-cheon nodded as if he’d been waiting for that.

“It’s true the Murim Alliance and the Blue Dragon Troops cooperated closely for years. But it wasn’t a vertical relationship — not until she took control.”

“The Murim Alliance leader of the time swallowed the Blue Dragon Troops?”

“Yes.”

It was intriguing but raised many questions.

“Even with the leader’s power, it would be burdensome to wield the Blue Dragon Troops, wouldn’t it?”

“We didn’t succumb to force. We received several proposals and accepted them.”

The Blue Dragon Troops weren’t about pride or power; they existed solely for their purpose.

He was very curious what sweet offer the Murim Alliance leader had made.

“What was it? I want more details.”

“She promised to spare no support for us.”

“For example?”

Hwang So-cheon lowered his voice and asked.

“Did you know the Sword Empress was born with the heavenly body constitution?”

It was a supreme constitution that allowed one to rapidly attain high levels by inheriting a sage’s refined senses.

The rumor that the Sword Empress had that constitution was well-known.

Moreover, his granddaughter, like the Sword Empress, also had the same constitution; Yu Jinsan could not have been unaware.

“It’s widespread rumor in the murim world. Of course I know.”

“Then you also know the Murim Alliance leader and the Sword Empress are enemies.”

He had witnessed the day of the Sword Empress’s retirement when high-ranking Murim Alliance members, led by the leader, ambushed her.

And since it was said the Sword Empress gouged out one of the leader’s eyes long ago, there was no doubt they were mortal enemies.

“But what does that have to do with this?”

After a pause, Hwang So-cheon hesitated, then spoke.

“First, one more point. After tracing past records, we concluded that the Yin Yang Twin Monster’s origin is the Yu family. Is that correct?”

The Blue Dragon Troops had somehow deduced the ancestral identity, but there was no issue with that.

“I won’t deny it. So what do you want to say? You keep asking odd questions.”

Hwang So-cheon nodded once and got to the point.

“Who do you think passed on the information that a divine constitution child was born to the Yu family?”

“Are you saying the Blue Dragon Troops acted on the leader’s orders?”

“Yes. Without the Murim Alliance leader’s designation, we couldn’t attack the Justice Faction.”

It made sense; the Blue Dragon Troops wouldn’t have meddled with the Justice Faction on their own while under the leader’s influence.

“Why would she target our family?”

“The leader despised the Sword Empress’s unique constitution. She wanted the Yu family’s child raised as the next Blue Dragon Troops leader to target the Sword Empress.”

At that moment Yu Jinsan quickly placed his right hand on his granddaughter’s shoulder.

Her tiny fist trembled; she must have realized the conversation touched on her and their family.

But Yu Jinsan himself couldn’t calm down.

‘The head of the Justice Faction sold out to the same force? Regardless of ambition and power…’

He was stunned into silence.

He wished he could open her head to see what she was thinking.

First, he needed to verify the truth of it.

“Why did you break with the leader now?”

“First, to uphold the truce with the Yin Yang Twin Monster; second, because she demanded unreasonable things of us.”

“Demands?”

“I can’t say exactly, but there were disputes. In the process, some of our subordinates were killed by the leader.”

Internal strife? It was surprising the Murim Alliance leader had killed Blue Dragon Troops members.

He was curious about the details, but Hwang So-cheon seemed unwilling to reveal them now.

“The Blue Dragon Troops couldn’t handle her?”

“Not long ago the leader’s martial art reached the Profound Realm. Above all, we couldn’t oppose the Murim Alliance; we share a common enemy.”

They intended to distance themselves from the Murim Alliance while maintaining their alliance.

“I have a rough idea of the situation. In any case, you bear some responsibility for what happened to my family.”

Hwang So-cheon sighed with a drained face.

“We too were once children stolen from our families. It wasn’t a life we chose.”

“So you trained because you had no choice? Do you think that justifies the evil deeds that you all did?”

“What can one say. We couldn’t stop; stopping would deny the lives we’ve lived.”

Although only briefly, Yu Jinsan had been in the Blue Dragon Troops’ training ground himself.

They were all pitiful children.

They were dragged there, subjected to hellish training and brainwashing, then made into blades to carry out missions in the shadows.

Such wicked practices were passed down for generations.

Even if the goal was to stop foreign invasion, the methods were gruesomely cruel.

“I understand, but this old man cannot forgive you as head of my family.”

“We will accept punishment someday. But for now we have things to do; give us some time.”

There is an order to everything.

Right now, the person he most wanted dead was the Murim Alliance leader.

Punishing the Blue Dragon Troops could be delayed.

Besides, with a powerful foe looming, confronting them now would be unwise.

“The truce between the Yin Yang Twin Monster and the Blue Dragon Troops will last until Tianzhu’s invasion is repelled. However, the Murim Alliance leader is an exception.”

He needed to make that clear once more.

No matter Tianzhu or anything else, he had no intention of compromising with her.

“Thank you. When the time comes, the Arahant will lead Soraeum Temple’s warriors and mount a campaign.”

“So first it’s a battle among the murim world?”

“According to our intelligence, yes. They will attempt to rapidly seize major sects across the theatres.”

“If the murim world falls?”

“Large forces will pour in, one after another, to dominate this land.”

As he gathered his thoughts for a moment.

“Now it’s your turn to speak. What did you hear from Soraeum Temple’s Guardians?”

“Nothing much, but I’ll explain from the start.”

Yu Jinsan began to relay the three questions and answers he had posed.

There was no harm in sharing the information.

When he finished, Hwang So-cheon asked with a hint of disappointment.

“That’s all?”

“I told you everything without a shred of falsehood.”

At that moment, Yu Seol, who had been watching nearby, chimed in.

“It’s true.”

With the Yin Yang Twin Monster’s admissions, there was no reason left to doubt.

Just as their conversation was ending.

Everyone turned toward the road; someone was approaching.

‘It’s Baek Gyu, the younger brother.’

He approached tensely, gripping the twin sabers at his waist.

With so many unidentified masters gathered, it was inevitable.

“A guest has come; we’ll be on our way now.”

“Understood. If you need us, come to Dragon Door Trading House.”

“Wait.”

Yu Jinsan called him back briefly as he was leaving; there was one last thing to say.

Hwang So-cheon looked at Yu Jinsan puzzled.

“If you come to our house again without permission, we’ll consider the truce ended.”

“Understood.”

With that, he turned away with his subordinates.