Train Valiantly. (2)

The leader of the Evil Sect Alliance was staying at a cozy inn in a quiet village.

When they arrived, Eun Hwa-rin motioned from the entrance and spoke.

“They are waiting in there. Go in and meet them.”

“Aren’t you coming in with me?”

“It’s all right. You two will have much to discuss, so I’ll wait out here.”

Yu Jinsan nodded and stepped forward.

He opened the door and the cozy interior of the inn came into view.

There was only one guest.

A woman in a red jacket with a bamboo hat pressed down—she was Yong-yong, the leader of the Evil Sect Alliance.

He had met her once before at the Defeating Blade Clan, but the impression now was quite different.

‘Before, I could barely breathe when I was near her.’

Aside from the granddaughter, Yong-Yong was the second strongest master among the heterodox factions.

The first time he had seen her, her intimidating presence meant he had to bring his granddaughter along to meet her.

But now it was different.

Her strong spirit remained, but he felt it was worth testing—his own martial arts had grown that much.

“A noble person has come a long way.”

As Yu Jinsan approached, she rose and greeted him with a palm salute.

“How have you been? You’ve changed a lot.”

“Hmm. If you mean height, then yes, she’s grown quite a bit.”

Yong-Yong chuckled and casually reached out a hand.

“Please sit first. This will be a long conversation.”

Yu Jinsan sat opposite her and asked the purpose of the meeting.

“But why did you ask to see me?”

“I heard the Murim Alliance leader had appeared here, and I came to see if we could offer help. I happened to be nearby.”

The clash between the Yin Yang Twin Monster and the Murim Alliance leader would have been a good opportunity for the Evil Sect Alliance.

But now it was meaningless.

“Then I’m a step too late. They’ve already fled.”

“Then… did the great Yin Monster win at the Hwa Ryeong incident?”

“I can’t say for sure. At the time the Murim Alliance leader was injured. They decided to postpone the fight.”

“That must have been quite humiliating. What happened to the other two?”

“Ah. You mean the riffraff from the Mudang faction and the vagabond from the Open Sect? I’ll give you a brief rundown.”

Yu Jinsan told Yong-yong the same story he had told Eun Hwa-rin.

She was greatly pleased when he mentioned that Hwa Ryong-gae and Elder Mu-jin had died.

“Truly joyful news. I should have seen that sight with you.”

There was sincerity in her mutter.

She seemed regretful that she hadn’t been there.

Yu Jinsan held back a smile and asked what he was curious about.

“But I heard that the Sect Leader was once part of Emei Sect. Is that true?”

“It’s not a memory I’d like to dwell on, but yes. I was beaten senseless by the current Murim Alliance leader… that Hwa Ryeong woman, and I escaped.”

“I had my own dealings with that woman. What kind of person was she?”

Yong-yong paused, collecting her memories, and began to explain.

“She was a prodigy in Emei Sect’s history—so talented that as a mere third-generation disciple she surpassed the martial arts of first class disciples.”

“Her talent was certainly exceptional.”

Not as much as the granddaughter, but she clearly had remarkable ability.

He needed to hear more to learn the whole story.

“Yes. Despite being of the Heavenly Killing Star, she had the master’s full favor. Yet at the same time she was an unparalleled rogue.”

“A rogue… Even to me she seemed arrogant and quick-tempered.”

Yong-yong nodded and added more.

“If anyone annoyed her, she would retaliate without fail—servants included, even elders. She’d drag them into hidden places to beat them or humiliate them.”

“If by elders you mean teachers and such, are you saying the sect’s elders just watched?”

It was utterly absurd.

What’s Emei Sect? It’s not a small branch with no pedigree; it was one of the most famous orthodox sects in Sichuan.

Yet sincerity showed on Yong-yong’s face.

“Most incidents were quietly buried. Who would admit they’d been beaten by a young disciple?”

There was truth in that; if rumors spread they’d be utterly shamed.

Moreover, if the perpetrator enjoyed the elders’ favor, they’d hesitate even more.

“From what I hear, she must have had mental issues from childhood.”

“Absolutely. Do you know about the disappearances of several Emei Sect elders and the head of the sect?”

“I’ve heard rumors. But why do you ask?”

Yong-yong hesitated, then narrowed her eyes and said.

“She probably killed them to seize the head’s position.”

“Are you saying she assassinated the sect’s elders?”

“More than enough reason. She wouldn’t hesitate to use any means for her goal.”

She was nothing short of a two-faced devil.

And Yu Jinsan did not think her words were exaggerated—he had experienced it himself.

“But I couldn’t believe the Murim Alliance leader wielded the techniques of the Nine Schools; do you know why?”

“That goes way back. It was because of Soso.”

“Soso… you mean the Sword Emperor’s name?”

Sword Emperor Soso was known as a neutral figure and had poor relations with the Murim Alliance.

Yong-yong nodded and continued.

“Correct. The Murim Alliance needed a counter to the Sword Emperor.”

“So what happened?”

“In the end, the leaders of the Nine Great Sects gathered—to manufacture a hero who could lead the Justice Faction, even if artificially.”

This was news to Yu Jinsan as well.

The chiefs of the Murim Alliance holding a secret meeting to create a hero? Fascinating.

“What did they discuss when they gathered?”

“They each put forward their strongest late-stage master, then chose the single strongest among them.”

“Do you mean they intended to hand all the Justice Faction’s power to that one person?”

“Exactly. Hwa Ryeong of Emei Sect overwhelmed the other late-stage masters, and the other sects had to honor the agreement.”

Yu Jinsan clicked his tongue in frustration and muttered.

“Of all people, to that Heavenly Killing Star demoness…”

“In any case, from then on Hwa Reong received techniques from the absolute masters of the Murim Alliance, and it was a smooth road to becoming Emei Sect’s head and then the Murim Alliance leader.”

With some questions answered, Yu Jinsan shifted the topic.

“By the way, how is the Murim Alliance doing these days?”

“There are sporadic skirmishes in various places; the situation isn’t simple.”

“So the Evil Sect Alliance is still at a disadvantage, it seems.”

“Yes. The biggest problem is lacking absolute masters. At least with Hwa Ryong-gae and Elder Mu-jin dead, we can breathe a little easier.”

A meaningful smile appeared on Yu Jinsan’s face.

“If you want, I can introduce a strong ally to the Evil Sect Alliance.”

“Introduce? Who…”

Yong-yong tilted her head, unsure who he could mean.

Then she was greatly surprised by Yu Jinsan’s reply.

“The Invincible Sword of Zhejiang Province.”

“What? Isn’t Soyo Mountain Villa an orthodox sect?”

She was so shocked she craned her neck and asked again.

Yu Jinsan couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

“It seems recent betrayals by the Murim Alliance have left a bad taste. They hope to make contact with the Evil Sect Alliance.”

“Is that true? If Soyo Mountain Manor joins us, it would be like gaining ten thousand troops.”

As expected, that was her reaction.

She genuinely seemed pleased.

“Meet with them and negotiate well. In return, they must help bolster that place’s defenses.”

“Understood. If we can gain a commander like the Invincible Sword, what could we not do?”

Everything was moving in the desired direction.

His business with her was mostly settled—except for one thing.

Yu Jinsan searched his memory and recalled what had happened on the Sea Dragon Island.

“Oh, by the way, Sect Leader, have you ever been to the Sea Dragon Island?”

“I’ve only heard rumors. That the great Yin Monster captured Jeon Sa-ryong there…”

“Hmm. But you haven’t heard about the resistance force, it seems.”

“A resistance force?”

She truly seemed unaware of the events there.

And who was there.

“Their help made things proceed smoothly. Come to think of it, the leader there was quite an interesting person…”

Yong-yong still looked puzzled, not catching on.

“I’m curious who that might be.”

“He had a build twice that of a grizzly and looked terrifying like a warrior. Whatever else, his strength was that of a champion.”

“Could it be…”

Yong-yong’s pupils trembled—an emotional stir.

Then Yu Jinsan jested and said.

“Come to think of it, his wife was there too. Her name was… ah! She said her name was Yeon Cho-hee. She asked after my granddaughter even though she had never met me.”

At that moment all her movements froze.

After a brief silence.

Tears rolled down from her eyes.

“You have no idea how long I’ve searched for the two of you. To think you were there…”

It had likely been decades since she had been separated from her parents.

No matter how strong she was, she could not be without longing.

“They are warm, good people. They’re probably still helping rebuild the village there; if you have time, go see them.”

“I will. Thank you so much…”

Yu Jinsan nodded with a pleased smile.

In the dead of night the owl hooted.

After parting with the leader of the Evil Sect Alliance, he returned first to Soyo Mountain Villa.

Yong-yong planned to come up later with Eun Hwa-rin after dawn.

From now on the parties involved would handle the negotiations themselves.

‘My role ends here.’

All that remained was to wait for the showdown with the Murim Alliance leader.

About a year remained.

There was no time to idle.

He planned to intensively cultivate the aftereffects of the Vajra Indestructible Divine Arts and the Muscle Changing Technique.

‘The moonlight is unusually clear tonight.’

Although it was late at night, he did not return to his quarters immediately.

He continued upward toward the ridge near the top of the gorge.

Sure enough, his indomitable granddaughter was crouched there.

He did not want to disturb her.

He quietly watched her back and was about to turn away.

Then Yu Seol asked something from behind his back.

“You’re back already? Did you buy my snack?”

“There was nowhere open at this hour, so I couldn’t buy one. But how did you know Grandpa had come without even looking?”

“Heehee. I can tell just from Grandpa’s breathing.”

“You’re sharp as ever. By the way, is the Wind Heart Fist still in a stalemate?”

Wasn’t she the granddaughter who could mimic any martial art after seeing it once?

It was rare to see her focus so single-mindedly on one technique.

Yu Seol shook off her seat and stood up, speaking.

“It’s a bit ambiguous. I think I need to test it once to know.”

“A test?”

“Grandpa, just stand there for a moment.”

“…Huh? Why?”

Yu Jinsan blinked and his face turned pale.

Because an old nightmare resurfaced.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

Why would she want to test that terrifying technique on him?

He wouldn’t agree to take a hit from the Wind Heart Fist, of all things.

“She’s come empty-handed and intends to beat Grandpa to death!”

Best to get out of there first.

As he bolted, Yu Jinsan glanced back.

“Puhihi.”

His granddaughter chased after him with a bright smile.

It seemed fun to run together after a long time.

“I won’t!!”