Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 265

265. Azure Dragon Society

Jang Yeol-hae, sensing his opportunity, quickly addressed the martial artists of the Heroic Alliance.

“Please, come inside first. We can discuss the Song family matter at your leisure…”

“No.”

A man with sharp eyes cut off Jang Yeol-hae’s words.

“Let’s finish the business first. We’re heading to the Song family estate right now.”

Jang Yeol-hae was taken aback.

However, he quickly lowered his head.

“Understood! We’ll depart immediately!”

Swish.

Jang Yeol-hae, the master of the Twin Swords Sect, raised one hand high and shouted.

“Let’s go! To the Song family estate!”

“Let’s go!”

“Waaaaaah!”

The forty-odd disciples shouted in unison.

With the Heroic Alliance backing them, they confidently strode towards the Song family estate, swords at their sides.

***

Silence hung heavy over the Song family estate.

The family head, Song Han-bang, his eldest son, Song Si-won, and their seventy disciples were gathered in the training grounds, their faces tense.

Perhaps the continuing silence was too much to bear?

The eldest son, Song Si-won, cautiously glanced at the family head, Song Han-bang.

“Father…”

Thud.

“The Twin Swords Sect is coming!”

A disciple burst through the doors, shouting wildly.

The Song family members simultaneously reached for their swords, and at the same moment, the shout of Jang Yeol-hae, the master of the Twin Swords Sect, was heard.

“You scoundrels! Song family!”

With Jang Yeol-hae in the lead, the forty-odd disciples of the Twin Swords Sect swarmed in.

Even before the seventy-odd disciples of the Song family, they were full of bluster.

“You dared to oppose the Heroic Alliance and still hoped to live! Come out and offer your neck this instant!”

The Song family had never opposed the Heroic Alliance.

It was merely a struggle between two local factions over who would take the Junwi region.

However, the Twin Swords Sect had offered a substantial sum to gain the support of the Heroic Alliance, so arguing the rights and wrongs was pointless.

Step.

The Song family head, Song Han-bang, stepped forward.

“Which esteemed person represents the Heroic Alliance?”

“We do.”

Step, step.

The Twin Swords Sect disciples stepped aside, and three middle-aged men walked forward.

Song Han-bang frowned at their flamboyant clothes and excessive jewelry.

Nevertheless, he respectfully clasped his hands and bowed his head in greeting.

“I apologize for not receiving you three properly. However, this matter is between the Song family and the Twin Swords Sect…”

“Not anymore.”

A low voice came from the middle-aged man with piercing eyes.

“Now that we’ve intervened, this is a matter for the Heroic Alliance.”

His voice contained not a trace of emotion.

The Song family head, Song Han-bang, gritted his teeth, while the face of Jang Yeol-hae, the master of the Twin Swords Sect, lit up with joy.

“W-Why is the Heroic Alliance intervening in this matter?”

Song Han-bang’s protest was justified.

This place was hundreds of miles away from the Jang River [Yangtze River].

Why would the Heroic Alliance intervene in a dispute in such a remote local city?

“Why, you ask?”

The middle-aged man chuckled derisively.

He looked at Song Han-bang and said slowly.

“Because the Heroic Alliance is the master of all under Heaven.”

No one could answer that.

The Song family, as well as the people of the Twin Swords Sect, were momentarily speechless.

It was then.

“Ahahahahaha!”

A sudden burst of laughter echoed.

“Who is it!”

The middle-aged man with piercing eyes immediately looked around.

“The Heroic Alliance is the master of all under Heaven, you say? Euhahahahaha!”

Laughter came from another direction.

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard a madman’s nonsense. Woohahaha!”

The laughter came from all directions.

The middle-aged man with piercing eyes, as well as the other two men from the Heroic Alliance, quickly drew their swords and shouted loudly.

“Show yourselves, whoever you are!”

Whirr.

Two people flew down from the roof.

Although their faces were covered with masks, it was clear at a glance that they possessed a high level of martial arts.

Whirr, whirr.

They were not the only ones who appeared.

Others lightly flew over the walls of the Song family estate and revealed themselves.

The men from the Heroic Alliance, who had been standing in front, were instantly surrounded by five masked figures.

“Who are you!”

The masked figures all had their faces covered. They shone their eyes and said.

“We are those who follow the will of the Azure Dragon.”

“Azure Dragon? Could it be… the Azure Dragon Sword Master!”

The faces of the Heroic Alliance men changed instantly.

They were well aware of the rumor circulating in the Jang River: ‘The only one who can stand against the Heroic Alliance is the Azure Dragon Sword Master.’

“Attack!”

There was no need for conversation.

The masked figures simultaneously brandished their swords.

The Heroic Alliance men also drew their swords and blades to respond.

Clang, clang clang.

Neither the Twin Swords Sect nor the Song family could come to their senses.

They couldn’t understand what was happening, and the flashing sword light clearly showed that it was not a place for them to interfere.

The three middle-aged men from the Heroic Alliance were quickly pushed into a defensive position.

“Brother!”

The obese middle-aged man shouted urgently.

“Use the Spirit Enhancement Pill!”

The middle-aged man with piercing eyes shouted as if he had no choice.

Even in the midst of their urgency, the Heroic Alliance men simultaneously reached into their pockets and took something out.

And soon, they brought it to their mouths.

However, the masked figures had been waiting for this moment.

Whoong.

The swords of the five masked figures hummed softly.

‘Heok!’

The Song family and Twin Swords Sect members who were watching were astonished.

The faint energy blooming from the swords of the masked figures was clearly the legendary Sword Energy [Qi energy manifested through a sword].

“Tahaaa!”

The swords with blooming Sword Energy simultaneously struck towards the Heroic Alliance men.

They, who were just about to swallow the Spirit Enhancement Pill, could not avoid the attack.

No, from the start, they were not opponents they could handle.

Slash.

“Keueok!”

With a brief scream, they collapsed.

Thud.

“Hmph.”

Looking down at the fallen men, one of the masked figures said mockingly.

“I knew you’d come to this. What else would trash like you rely on but the Spirit Enhancement Pill?”

The Heroic Alliance man, bleeding, raised his head.

“W-Who are you…”

“No need to know.”

With a light swing, his sword ended the man’s last breath.

Splat.

Blood splattered, and silence filled the area.

The Twin Swords Sect and the Song family were speechless with shock at what had just happened before their eyes.

Towards them, the masked figure said.

“There is no such thing as the Heroic Alliance’s world!”

Swish.

He raised his blood-stained sword high and shouted in an agitated voice.

“The only one who can stand against the Heroic Alliance is the Azure Dragon Sword Master! We follow the will of the Azure Dragon!”

The masked figures simultaneously raised their swords and shouted loudly.

“Azure Dragon Society!”

Whirr.

With the shout, they simultaneously leaped into the air.

The masked figures disappeared in an instant.

‘W-What on earth…’

The Song family head, Song Han-bang, couldn’t come to his senses.

He wondered if what had just happened before his eyes was a dream or an illusion.

However, the three corpses left behind were telling him that it was not a dream.

—Family Head.

Startled by the voice suddenly piercing his ears, Song Han-bang raised his head.

‘Telepathic transmission!’

Song Han-bang knew that this voice, which only he could hear, was a telepathic transmission [a method of communication using mental power].

And that the speaker was the masked figure who had disappeared just now.

—Listen to me carefully.

Song Han-bang listened intently to the continuing telepathic transmission.

His face gradually darkened.

However, after a moment, Song Han-bang picked up his sword and stood up.

“Disciples of the Song family!”

At the sudden shout, everyone’s attention focused on Song Han-bang.

The Twin Swords Sect master, Jang Yeol-hae, anxiously raised his head.

His expectations, unfortunately, were accurate.

“The opportunity for revenge has come! Attack the Twin Swords Sect!”

Song Han-bang gritted his teeth.

The Twin Swords Sect disciples, including the master Jang Yeol-hae, turned pale.

From the beginning, they had relied solely on the Heroic Alliance.

They had come with a naive mindset, thinking that the Song family would not dare to draw their swords against the Heroic Alliance.

On the other hand, the Song family disciples were driven to the edge of a cliff and were emitting a chilling venom.

They were being overwhelmed in numbers, and even their spirit was being pushed back, so the result was obvious.

“Kill them all! Leave no one alive!”

“Waaaaaah!”

A shout that seemed to pierce the sky echoed through the Song family estate.

The Twin Swords Sect disciples finally drew their swords, but the outcome had already been decided.

That day, the most horrific bloodbath in the history of Junwi took place in the Song family estate.

The Twin Swords Sect master, along with the chief and forty-odd disciples, did not survive.

After the bloodbath ended, the Song family head, Song Han-bang, carefully collected the bodies of the three Heroic Alliance members.

After placing the bodies in the finest coffins, Song Han-bang sent a lengthy letter to the Heroic Alliance’s Chongqing branch, detailing what had happened.

He also wrote that the assailants had manifested Sword Energy, called themselves the Azure Dragon Society, and that only the Twin Swords Sect knew the date of the Heroic Alliance experts’ arrival.

The Heroic Alliance’s Chongqing branch was turned upside down.

The Heroic Alliance immediately took over the three coffins, and the murderous Heroic Alliance members roamed around Junwi.

The Song family treated the Heroic Alliance members with utmost care throughout their stay.

And the incident eventually faded away.

From the beginning, there were no Sword Energy masters in Junwi, and the key figures of the Twin Swords Sect, who could have cleared up the suspicions, had all been killed.

In fact, if it had been the Martial Alliance of the past, it would have been impossible.

Junwi was too far from the Jang River region, and the enormous sum of money that the Song family had offered for the settlement had worked.

Of course, the Song family’s gains from the disappearance of the Twin Swords Sect were even greater.

In that way, the bloodbath between the Song family and the Twin Swords Sect was forgotten.

However, the rumors about the Azure Dragon Society spread like wildfire throughout the world.

The rumor that ‘The only one who can stand against the Heroic Alliance is the Azure Dragon Sword Master’ was also spreading along the Jang River to various places.

***

More than a month had passed since Yun-hyun had stayed at the Yun family merchant group.

During that time, Yun-hyun had diligently moved his body.

He was expanding his territory from cleaning in the early morning and sweeping the yard to drawing water and chopping firewood.

As if he had a grudge for not being able to work, Yun-hyun moved without resting for a moment.

Naturally, he started dozing off from the early evening, but he started moving earlier than anyone else, even before dawn.

The people of the Yun family merchant group, who had initially looked at him strangely, were now taking Yun-hyun’s daily life for granted.

It was one such dawn.

Rustle, rustle.

Although the sun had not yet risen, Yun-hyun was engrossed in sweeping.

“You’re out early.”

At the sudden voice, Yun-hyun raised his head.

“Ah, you’re out?”

The person standing in front of him was Chief Manager Kang.

Yun-hyun politely bowed, and Chief Manager Kang also politely returned the greeting.

Chief Manager Kang stared at Yun-hyun.

“You’ve gotten much better.”

“Yes?”

A faint smile flashed across Chief Manager Kang’s lips.

“Now, no one would call you a wreck.”

Wreck.

The word that best suited Yun-hyun’s appearance a month ago.

No matter how clean his clothes were, he couldn’t hide his unfocused eyes, slumped shoulders, and haggard face.

But now, Yun-hyun’s appearance was completely different.

The clear eyes had removed the shadows that had been cast on Yun-hyun’s face.

The dark and insecure expression had disappeared, and vitality was felt in his words and actions.

Moreover, the scholarly atmosphere formed by his long studies naturally emanated, even though he was holding a broom.

It was just that he seemed that way because he lacked physical strength.

‘A wreck…’

Yun-hyun smiled bitterly.

Perhaps that’s what everyone thought.

“Good.”

At Chief Manager Kang’s sudden words, Yun-hyun raised his head and looked at him.

“You asked me to help you, right?”

Yun-hyun nodded. Chief Manager Kang said with his characteristic blunt expression.

“Follow me. Young Master.”