There Is An Order For Things. (3)

When the Blue Dragon Troops withdrew, Baek Gyu approached, bewildered.

He still seemed tense; both hands remained above his waist, ready to draw his twin blades at any moment.

“Hyung, who are they? They look like high officials; how could so many warriors be gathered here…”

“Ah. You probably haven’t seen them before. They’re the members of the Blue Dragon Troops.”

Baek Gyu, unable to imagine it, craned his neck and asked again.

“Is that true? Why would such big names come all the way here?”

“It was because of the Blood Death Guest. Let’s go inside first. There’s much to discuss.”

Yu Jinsan entered the manor with Baek Gyu.

Their favored spot was always the pavilion in front of the hall. The distant mountain scenery was splendid, and the cool breeze lifted their spirits.

“Did he keep his promise?”

“Yes. He gave some information and then committed suicide.”

“He took his own life?”

“I don’t know the reason either. He finished the food I made and then died.”

“What a strange fellow. Did we gain anything from him?”

Yu Jinsan nodded and continued his explanation.

He told Baek Gyu everything that had happened so far.

He recounted the interrogation of the Blood Death Guest and the information obtained from the leader of the Blue Dragon Troops.

Baek Gyu’s expression changed moment by moment as he listened.

Before becoming the Leader of the Defeating Blade Clan, he had been a chief commander of the Evil Sect Alliance and carried great responsibility. He must have realized how serious the situation was.

“That tremendous fellow was only one of the Eight Great Guardians?”

“With that level of skill, I thought he would rank within the top few. I confirmed it through the leader of the Blue Dragon Troops, so it’s certain.”

“This seems more serious than I thought.”

“Even if the Murim Alliance, the Evil Sect Alliance, and the Blue Dragon Troops join forces, the outcome would be uncertain.”

As expected, Baek Gyu showed a troubled reaction.

“You know well, brother. Our Evil Sect Alliance can never join the Murim Alliance; even if we had to bite our tongues and die.”

“How could I not know? I’m saying we need to make arrangements.”

“Is there any good way?”

Yu Jinsan folded his arms and pondered.

After a brief silence, he slowly opened his mouth.

“The biggest problem is that their attacks will come from all directions.”

This was information heard from the leader of the Blue Dragon Troops: they intended to conquer the martial world swiftly.

“How is that a problem?”

“How could we defend everything? Except for places where masters are concentrated, most will collapse.”

“If that’s true, a victory would hardly be a victory anymore.”

“Exactly. So while we still have time, we must train the very best elite who can repel them—as many as possible.”

Baek Gyu tilted his head and asked again.

“Wouldn’t they at least need to surpass the peak level to be of any help? How do you expect to suddenly train such warriors?”

Yu Jinsan smiled faintly and said.

“Aren’t the children with the best potential gathered at the Defeating Blade Clan now? They seem to have become stronger than your subordinates.”

They were children brought from Mount Emei.

There were as many as three hundred sword-qi practitioners among them. Some could also handle sword-ribs, and an exceptional child had reached a super-peak level.

“That’s right. But until now, we’ve left them alone as you requested.”

He had asked that the children not be drawn into martial-world incidents until they were ready.

But one cannot avoid storms forever.

Whether by choice or force, once you set foot in it, the murim world is inescapable.

“Now it’s time for them to choose their own paths. Take any child who wants to become an official disciple. But it must not be by force.”

Most of them were two or three years older than Yu Seol.

By murim world standards, they were old enough to be beyond the youngest rank; they could no longer be treated as little kids.

“Understood, hyung. We’ll accept any child who wishes to be a disciple of our Defeating Blade Clan.”

Becoming official disciples wouldn’t change much at first. They would have the chance to formally learn the sect’s martial arts and follow its rules.

They were already adapted to the Defeating Blade Clan’s culture, so there was little to worry about.

“You’ll surely be a good sect master for the children.”

As befits someone from the Evil factions, Baek Gyu was boisterous but unusually affectionate.

He scratched his head awkwardly and nodded.

“I’ll handle it, so don’t worry. But there’s a bit of a problem.”

“A problem? Speak quickly.”

“These children learned internal arts of the Justice Faction; they cannot practice the Evil factions’ cultivation techniques. Then they won’t learn our Defeating Blade Clan’s martial arts.”

That wasn’t a problem—the arts the children had already learned were not inferior to those of the Defeating Blade Clan.

The issue was they had fled before completing training and therefore hadn’t learned the crucial advancement techniques.

Now Yu Jinsan was considering a larger plan.

Someday in the future, if they faced warriors from Tianzhu, they wouldn’t survive with mediocre skills.

To achieve rapid advancement, they would need the best martial arts and environment to support them.

“I’ll acquire the advancement techniques that perfectly suit the children’s internal arts.”

“Do you mean to teach your family heirloom martial art?”

“There are no children who use spears here; what good would teaching a spear master’s arts do?”

“Then where will you obtain those precious advancement techniques?”

“I’ll fetch them myself, so you just wait. But simply learning advancement techniques won’t instantly elevate them to high realms.”

“They need internal qi to back it up, and there’s no easy way to solve that.”

“Hmm. It’s not impossible. Follow me for a moment.”

Yu Jinsan walked with Baek Gyu for a moment.

They arrived at the vegetable plot created behind the hall.

“Do you know what varieties are growing in this field?”

“On the right seem to be pumpkins and eggplants, and I’ve never seen the bluish ones on the left.”

“They are Spiritual pills called Jinsan Ginseng. Consuming them increases internal qi.”

Baek Gyu waved a hand with a look that said it was nonsense.

“Hyung, you’re joking too much today. How could such precious Spiritual item be growing by the hundreds?”

“Seol and I planted them ourselves. Each root can grant the effect of more than five years of cultivation.”

When Yu Jinsan said this, Baek Gyu tilted his head in puzzlement.

“Are you saying those are really all Spiritual items?”

“I’m sure. They were seeds we accidentally obtained in our house’s underground.”

“Then isn’t this a windfall!?”

At that moment, a benevolent smile appeared on Yu Jinsan’s face.

It was astonishing that a child’s face could show such an expression.

“Hmm. For Seol and me, who already have ample internal qi, it won’t mean much. But for children in their growth phase, it’s a different story.”

“So you mean to donate those precious Spiritual items?”

“What could I refuse for the Defeating Blade Clan? I’ll send them there whenever harvest time comes.”

Baek Gyu’s eyes reddened at Yu Jinsan’s warm-hearted gesture.

“Thank you, hyung. To do even this preparation.”

“Don’t mention it. But there’s one problem: the taste is rather nasty; I’m not sure they’ll be able to eat it.”

“It’s a precious Spiritual items that people would want if there were more; what does taste matter? Don’t worry about that.”

“I’ll send some for your share as well, so do as you please. Endurance is part of training; if you can be patient, you can overcome all hardships.”

They were treasures of immeasurable value.

Baek Gyu was deeply moved.

“But you grew them together with Seol, right? I should get her permission too to feel at ease…”

At that moment, before he finished speaking, a familiar laugh tickled their ears from behind.

“Puhihi.”

Turning around, Yu Seol smiled brightly, dimples forming.

“My niece, when did you follow along?”

Yu Seol held up three fingers at once.

“Hehe. When they’re all ripe I’ll be sure to give you some. Uncle, you eat three.”

“Thank you, Seol. Thanks to you, your uncle will become a skilled warrior too! Hahaha!”

For once, a smile stayed on Baek Gyu’s face.

The three of them took a walk around the house and chatted a bit more.

And when it was time to part,

Baek Gyu hesitated for a moment, then spoke the last thing he had been holding back.

“And hyung, there’s a top-secret piece of information recently known only to the Evil Sect Alliance’s officers.”

“I don’t know what it is, and if it’s burdensome you don’t have to tell me. I fully understand your position.”

“Still, I think you should know, hyung.”

“Hmm… I’ll leave it to your judgment.”

Baek Gyu took a breath and then spoke quietly.

“It seems the Sword Empress has returned to the Central Plains.”

Yu Jinsan widened his eyes and asked back.

“Is that really true?”

Who was the Sword Empress? She had been the former supreme person of the murim world who retired and went to Tianzhu.

She also had deep ties with this grandfather and granddaughter duo.

Although they had met only once, she cured his chronic illness and gave a fateful opportunity to his granddaughter; she was a welcome benefactor.

“I heard it directly from the Leader, so it’s certain.”

Her arrival was a new variable in the current grim situation.

They needed to find out for what purpose she had returned to the Central Plains.

In any case, it was rare good news.

At that moment, Yu Seol, who had been silently following with a stick, spoke.

“Soso unnie?”

“Unnie? How do you know the Sword Empress?”

“I know her too. She hugged me and said I was pretty.”

That had happened when Yu Seol was only two years old.

Remembering that was a memory beyond imagination.

“I’m sure she will remember our Seol as well.”

The commonality between Sword Empress Soso and Yu Seol is that both have the perfect constitution.

Therefore she too must possess memory beyond normal people’s range.

“Really? I want to see her~”

Then Yu Jinsan subtly said to Baek Gyu.

“If there’s a chance, it would be good to arrange a meeting between them.”

“You mean to have it between the Sword Empress and Seol meet?”

“She said she wanted to see her. In any case, it would be truly beneficial.”

Of course, it wasn’t a simple intention.

Whatever she was thinking, it would surely be mutually helpful.

Above all, he had a strong intuition that they absolutely had to meet.

“Hmm. I’ll find a pretext and speak to the Alliance Leader, but I can’t promise anything.”

“Thank you. But don’t strain yourself for that.”

After all the guests had left, the grandfather and granddaughter were enjoying a rare quiet moment together.

He personally made the Dongpo pork the granddaughter had wanted.

For once he had shown his skill using the family’s secret recipe.

“Eat slowly, child. Is it good?”

“Yes, it’s so delicious! Grandpa, hurry and try it~”

Yu Seol offered a piece of meat with her chopsticks.

He didn’t have much appetite, but how could he refuse?

Yu Jinsan quickly took it and said with a contented smile.

“Who made this? It’s truly delicious. By the way, you heard our earlier conversation, right?”

“Didn’t your Grandpa ask to invite your Soso unnie for our Seol?”

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

“Hmm. Is that all?”

Yu Seol paused chewing the Dongpo pork and blinked her eyes.

“Huh? Then what else is there?”

Yu Jinsan cleared his throat and continued saying what he had been unable to while guests were present.

“Ahem ahem. Grandpa actually has a request.”