Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 446

446. The Other Side of the Great War

The old woman who greeted Yunhyun and his party possessed a refined beauty and an elegant demeanor.

Though her neatly styled hair was white and delicate wrinkles framed her eyes, her gentle gaze and graceful expression remained captivating.

However, Gaekong’s stare towards the old woman was icy.

“I asked who you are.”

“Why don’t you come inside first?”

The old woman suggested with a calm expression.

“We can’t very well stand out here, can we?”

Gaekong frowned, conceding the point.

“Let’s go in.”

As Yunhyun stepped forward, Gaekong clicked his tongue softly.

“…Alright.”

“Come in, everyone,” the old woman said with a smile, leading the way into the house.

Gaekong fixed the old woman’s back with a piercing look before following.

Geum Hwa-young’s worried expression finally eased.

“Young Master Yun, let’s go in too.”

Yunhyun nodded.

*Swish.*

A chilling wind rustled through the trees.

The days were short in the mountains, and the sun was already dipping behind the peaks.

Leaving behind the majestic sight of the Gilyeon Mountain Range bathed in the red glow of sunset, Yunhyun entered the house with Geum Hwa-young.

*Click.*

The comforting aroma of tea filled the room.

The high ceiling suggested that the building had once been a temple.

However, the religious aspect seemed to end there.

“You’re in luck,” the old woman said, tilting the teapot.

“This was the last of the tea leaves.”

“I bought plenty of new ones, Grandma!”

Geum Hwa-young quickly offered.

The old woman smiled, pleased.

“Yes, thank you.”

Geum Hwa-young beamed.

The old woman looked at Geum Hwa-young, a surprised expression on her face.

“Goodness, I thought you’d remain a tomboy forever, but to think you’d catch a man so quickly…”

“T-That’s not it!”

Geum Hwa-young waved her hands defensively.

The old woman frowned.

“It’s not? Then why did you come here?”

“D-Didn’t Grandma say? If I ever met someone so incredibly skilled that I wouldn’t even dare to learn from them, I should tell you immediately. So…”

Geum Hwa-young turned to Yunhyun.

The old woman looked puzzled.

“…This child?”

Geum Hwa-young nodded.

The old woman frowned and groaned softly.

She didn’t always trust her disciple’s judgment, but Geum Hwa-young wasn’t one to lie.

The old woman turned her head, scrutinizing Yunhyun.

*Swish.*

Her eyes sharpened.

The gentle expression vanished, replaced by an intense aura.

“Hmm. He looks decent enough, but… Huh?”

As the old woman’s frown deepened…

*Swish.*

Gaekong’s arm moved to shield Yunhyun.

Yunhyun remained visible, but the intent was clear.

“If you’ve invited a guest,” Gaekong said in a low voice, “show some respect. Before you stare so intently.”

Yunhyun and his party were here because of the old woman’s instructions to Geum Hwa-young.

Therefore, Gaekong’s assertion that the old woman had invited them was accurate.

“Ah, my.”

The old woman realized her lapse in manners.

*Rustle.*

She rose from her seat.

And bowed politely to Yunhyun and Gaekong.

“It’s been a while since I’ve dealt with people, so I’ve been rude. I am Neung Se-young.”

Yunhyun quickly stood up.

The old woman continued, her eyes clear.

“I once held the title of Thousand Illusions Sword, but I passed it on to my rude disciple and now I’m just an old woman growing old here alone. Hahaha.”

“I am Yunhyun,” Yunhyun said, bowing respectfully. “And this is Gaekong.”

“Gaekong?”

Neung Se-young frowned, looking at Gaekong.

“Not Dokseon?”

“He is Gaekong now.”

Neung Se-young understood immediately.

“Ah, I see.”

Neung Se-young smiled gently.

“You must have had a hard time coming all the way here.”

“Not at all,” Yunhyun replied, bowing his head.

Neung Se-young stared at him silently.

“…You’re a little different than I expected.”

“Yes?”

“Never mind. Please, sit down.”

As Yunhyun sat, Neung Se-young resumed her seat.

*Slurp.*

Neung Se-young leisurely savored her tea.

When Gaekong stared intently, Neung Se-young set down her teacup.

*Clink.*

“It’s been a while since I’ve received such a heated gaze from a man; it’s a little embarrassing,” Neung Se-young said, smiling casually, contradicting her words.

Gaekong’s eyebrows twitched.

“How do you know me?”

“Who else in the world possesses such an intense aura? You must be one of the Hwanwoo Five Venerables [Five Venerables of Hwanwoo, a group of highly respected and powerful martial artists].”

Neung Se-young continued in a gentle tone.

“But you don’t look like a monk, you don’t seem as cunning as a snake, and you don’t seem particularly obsessed with swords, so you must be Dokseon, right?”

In other words, it was a simple process of elimination.

But Gaekong’s expression remained stern.

Neung Se-young asked, holding her teacup.

“By the way, is Shinseung doing well?”

Silence descended.

Neung Se-young looked at him, puzzled, and Yunhyun quietly said, “Shinseung has passed away.”

“Shinseung?”

Neung Se-young couldn’t hide her shock.

“No, how…”

Yunhyun didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

How could he say that Shinseung sacrificed his life to save him?

When Yunhyun remained silent, Neung Se-young sighed.

“Oh, dear…”

She closed her eyes.

“Although I never met him, his intentions were truly noble. For him to leave so soon… Amitabha [a Buddhist expression of reverence].”

Neung Se-young quietly chanted the Buddha’s name.

Yunhyun’s heart ached at the sight.

Suddenly, Gaekong asked, “Are you a person of the Buddhist faith?”

“No. It’s just that the founder of my sect had a small connection with Amitabha.”

After answering, Neung Se-young asked Yunhyun, “Then what happened to the Murim Alliance [a coalition of martial arts sects]?”

“It has collapsed. But…”

“The Murim Alliance has collapsed?”

Neung Se-young couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Then what is the world like now…”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Gaekong interrupted.

“There’s no more Great War of Righteousness and Evil.”

That statement accurately addressed Neung Se-young’s concern.

“The Azure Dragon Union is now fulfilling the role of the Murim Alliance. And the leader of that Azure Dragon Union…”

Gaekong glanced at Yunhyun.

“Is Hyun.”

“What?”

Neung Se-young turned to Yunhyun, surprised.

Gaekong calmly added to her astonishment.

“And he’s also a disciple of Bulyoung. Although the Sleeping Buddha [Bulyoung] made him one arbitrarily.”

“Oh, my.”

Neung Se-young exclaimed in admiration.

“I see. So you are carrying on Shinseung’s will…”

She closed her eyes and quietly chanted the Buddha’s name.

After a moment, Neung Se-young opened her eyes and looked at Yunhyun.

“Then you must be the one he was waiting for. I never thought Hwa-young would bring you here so quickly, though.”

“‘He’?”

Gaekong asked sharply.

His eyes were cold.

“Who are you talking about? Could it be…”

Neung Se-young’s words implied someone else was involved in the invitation.

Naturally, Gaekong couldn’t help but be wary.

If ‘he’ was the Ilseong Merchant [a powerful and influential merchant organization], then Neung Se-young was an enemy.

“There’s no need to be so wary,” Neung Se-young smiled, unfazed by Gaekong’s gaze.

“It’s someone you know well. Or, do you not know him well? He is…”

“Could it be Ileun?”

It was Yunhyun’s voice.

Gaekong and Neung Se-young were taken aback.

“What?”

“How did you know that…?”

Yunhyun smiled at the surprised Neung Se-young.

“A moment ago, Elder, you intentionally excluded Ileun from the Hwanwoo Five Venerables. It’s unnatural for someone unfamiliar with the affairs of the Murim world, let alone someone living in seclusion, to exclude that possibility.”

The fact that Ileun hasn’t revealed himself is widely known.

But Neung Se-young couldn’t rule out the possibility that Ileun might have appeared while she was in seclusion.

She didn’t even know the Murim Alliance had collapsed.

“Oh, dear, I made a mistake,” Neung Se-young said with a wry smile.

She nodded slightly.

“That’s right. The person I was talking about is Ileun. And I have a not-so-small connection with him.”

“A connection? What kind of connection?”

Gaekong asked.

Neung Se-young sighed softly.

“A connection intertwined with the other side of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil.”

Gaekong’s eyes narrowed.

“…The other side of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil?”

“It’s about the Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult.”

Gaekong’s complexion hardened.

Yunhyun asked, puzzled, “The Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult?”

Yunhyun had heard of the Heavenly Demon, the source of all evil, and the Blood Demon, who washes the world in blood.

They often appeared in stories and were always portrayed as absolute evil.

But the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon were only mentioned in old legends, and the existence of the Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult was questionable.

Such groups suddenly emerged from Neung Se-young’s mouth.

“Do such groups really exist?”

“They exist,” Gaekong answered briefly.

He asked Neung Se-young, “…Are you saying they were behind the Great War of Righteousness and Evil?”

“No.”

Neung Se-young shook her head.

“How could they, whose roots had already been pulled out, have the power to cause the Great War of Righteousness and Evil? But while the Murim world, caught up in the Great War of Righteousness and Evil, was divided and fighting, the Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult were steadily building their strength. No, the blood flowing from the Great War of Righteousness and Evil was giving them strength.”

Neung Se-young said seriously.

“What do you think would have happened if the Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult had jumped into the Great War of Righteousness and Evil?”

Gaekong gritted his teeth.

Neung Se-young quietly continued.

“Perhaps much more blood would have flowed. Not only the blood of Murim people, but the blood of countless innocent people.”

“Innocent people?”

Yunhyun asked, puzzled.

“The Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult want the world to be in chaos,” Gaekong said in a low voice.

“They take advantage of people’s anxieties to mislead them and incite anger and conflict. The Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult, having gained power in this way, drive people to riots.”

“Riots!”

Yunhyun frowned.

There have been countless instances in history of people suffering from harsh oppression rising up in riots.

It was the people’s only means of resistance against tyranny, and sometimes it became an opportunity to change the world.

But intentionally instigating riots is something that can never be tolerated.

“Are you saying that the Great War of Righteousness and Evil would have spread to riots?”

“At least it would have been enough to trigger riots. If the Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult had moved.”

“But why? If riots break out, they will also be suppressed by the court, won’t they?”

The Murim’s Great War of Righteousness and Evil and riots are completely different matters.

From the court’s point of view, the Great War of Righteousness and Evil, even if the entire Murim was divided and bleeding, is just a disturbance of a part.

But riots are a serious crime that goes against the authority of the court.

Of course, the Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult would also be suppressed.

Why would they bring such a thing upon themselves?

“Because covering the world in blood is what they want,” Gaekong said sternly.

“The only way to hasten the return of the Blood Demon and the Heavenly Demon they speak of is through that.”

Yunhyun gritted his teeth.

To cover the world in blood for their own purposes was unimaginable.

Gaekong was also silent, his expression grim.

Only Neung Se-young’s quietly recited Buddha’s name, along with the scent of tea, drifted silently through the room.