Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 300

300. That’s the Demonic Path

Manwong In Tae-sang couldn’t lift his head.

With his eyes tightly shut, he braced himself for the First Disciple’s impending wrath.

“He appeared?” the First Disciple asked in a heavy voice.

In Tae-sang bowed his head and replied, “Yes, he did.”

“How was he?”

“……Pardon?”

Surprised by the unexpected question, In Tae-sang involuntarily raised his head.

The First Disciple’s eyes, looking down at him, were filled with curiosity.

“Was he as you said, devoid of inner energy?”

“N, no, he wasn’t.”

In Tae-sang lowered his head again.

“He was more of a monster than before…….”

“Huhu.”

The First Disciple chuckled.

Looking down at In Tae-sang, who had lowered his head, the First Disciple suddenly asked, “Do you believe he is the owner of the document?”

In Tae-sang hesitated for a moment.

However, the chilling glint in Yun Hyun’s eyes flashed in his mind, and In Tae-sang had no choice but to answer.

“……If it’s not him, it’s likely to be no one else.”

Recalling that immense energy, In Tae-sang trembled slightly.

The chilling sensation he had felt then still seemed to run down his spine.

“It’s been a while,” the First Disciple said, looking down at In Tae-sang.

“Since I’ve seen you fear someone else in my presence.”

In Tae-sang flinched.

Thud.

He immediately slammed his forehead against the floor.

Thud, thud.

Only after two more thuds did In Tae-sang raise his head.

Blood was clearly spreading across his wrinkled forehead.

“Please punish this disloyal subject!”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

Swish.

The First Disciple rose from his seat.

“If he weren’t that formidable, he couldn’t be the owner of the document and my destined adversary chosen by the heavens.”

Rustle, rustle.

The First Disciple walked to the left, placed his hands behind his back, and reached out to caress an orchid.

The meticulously cultivated orchid exuded a glossy sheen in his hand.

In Tae-sang bit his lip and said, “……If you command it, I will bring him here.”

The First Disciple smiled.

“It would be impossible with your strength.”

He didn’t even turn his gaze.

However, In Tae-sang didn’t give up.

“But there are many ways. That man is entangled in all sorts of relationships…….”

“Enough,” the First Disciple said firmly.

“How can one achieve great things with a hasty heart? Heaven has already shown me the trajectory of the Great Rebellion, so everything will proceed according to the natural order.”

In Tae-sang hesitated for a moment but soon lowered his head.

“Yes, I understand.”

Leaving Yun Hyun as he was bothered him, but once the First Disciple’s mind was made up, he could never disobey.

“Um, and…….”

In Tae-sang hesitated before continuing, “How long do you plan to leave the young master as he is?”

The First Disciple’s expression hardened as he looked at the orchid.

In Tae-sang inwardly regretted his words, but he couldn’t take them back.

Swish.

The First Disciple turned to face In Tae-sang.

“……Leave him as he is for the time being.”

Moon Wang was currently in a state of confinement.

His external activities, as well as most of the authority granted to him, were suspended.

“But the young master…….”

“I am well aware of your concerns.”

As if nothing had happened, the First Disciple continued with an utterly indifferent look.

“But destiny cannot be obtained by force. Until he realizes it himself, everything is in vain, so leave him as he is for now. At least for the time being.”

Saying this much was the best consideration the First Disciple could offer.

“I will obey your command.”

In Tae-sang bowed deeply.

The First Disciple merely looked down at him with a calm gaze.

***

At the same time that Manwong In Tae-sang was conversing with the First Disciple, Moon Wang, known as the Blood Prince, was trembling with rage.

“It’s that bastard again!”

Crash.

The ornate table made a loud noise.

Moon Wang’s fair and delicate hand was screaming in pain, but his anger swallowed even that pain.

“To fail to kill even a mere eunuch! What kind of Manwong is that! What kind of Tae-sang!”

He screamed and shouted, but no one was listening.

Grit.

Moon Wang gritted his teeth.

Although Moon Wang’s forces in the court had been uprooted, he couldn’t just stand idly by.

Therefore, killing Eunuch Park was both a personal revenge and an absolute necessity to establish a new foundation.

However, even with In Tae-sang’s involvement, the attempt to kill Eunuch Park had failed.

All because of Changryong Sword Master Yun Hyun.

“That bastard…….”

Moon Wang shuddered as he thought of Yun Hyun.

Come to think of it, Yun Hyun was also the one who ruined the affairs in the Northern Sea.

Because of Yun Hyun, the Northern Sea had slipped out of the First Disciple’s grasp, and they had even formed an alliance with the Murim Alliance [a coalition of martial arts sects].

The same was true of the Bloodshed in Hangzhou.

While Moon Wang was pleased with the collapse of the Murim Alliance, Yun Hyun had purged Moon Wang’s collaborators in the court in Beijing.

The foundation in the court, which had been built over many years, had completely disappeared.

Perfect victory had turned into humiliation.

All the gazes directed at him felt like mockery, and the whispered words felt like slander.

Above all, the thought of his incompetence being compared to the Dark Heaven Demon Emperor made his blood boil.

But there was nothing he could do.

The First Disciple had suspended all of Moon Wang’s authority and ordered him to stay confined.

“What is this disgrace!”

Crash.

The silver tray filled with colorful fruits went flying with a loud noise.

“Changryong Sword Master, Changryong Sword Master!”

Moon Wang, who had been screaming, soon lowered his voice.

“No, no. I mustn’t get so agitated. Nothing will change this way. Not like this.”

Moon Wang paced back and forth, biting his nails.

“I have to catch him. I have to hold that bastard’s neck in my own hands. But how do I catch him? How? How?”

If he could catch the Changryong Sword Master, if he could get the owner of the document into his grasp, the situation would change in an instant.

“How?”

But there was no way.

He could no longer do anything.

His hands and feet were tied, and the authority he had been given was blocked.

In this situation, where even the task he had begged In Tae-sang to do had gone wrong, how on earth could he catch the Changryong Sword Master?

“Ugh.”

Moon Wang contorted his face in pain and wrapped his arms around himself.

Curling up like a child, Moon Wang kept muttering something.

But no one was watching him.

***

Iron-Blooded Death King Yeom Jung-bu frowned in the Main Hall of the Hangzhou Heroic Alliance.

“Murim Yongbong Assembly?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

A subordinate dressed as a scholar raised a small desk with documents on it.

Yeom Jung-bu picked up the documents and glanced through them casually.

“Hmph. Such an obvious ploy…….”

Yeom Jung-bu tossed the documents down and said, “They’re trying to use this opportunity to show off that they are the only legitimate force in the Jianghu [the martial arts world] Murim.”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the scale?”

“It’s a large-scale gathering with official events lasting over half a month. They’ve sent invitations to major sects in each region, as well as large merchant guilds and influential figures in the government.”
A sneer appeared on Yeom Jung-bu’s lips.

“How blatant. Even the merchant guilds and the government.”
The subordinate carefully watched Yeom Jung-bu’s expression and opened his mouth.

“……Should we just leave it alone?”

At this rate, the power of the Taepyung Alliance might become too great.

The subordinate’s concern was understandable.

However, Yeom Jung-bu’s reaction was lukewarm.

“If we don’t leave it alone? Should we go and start a fight? Well, that might be good too. There are plenty of guys in each branch who are itching for a fight.”

Recently, Yeom Jung-bu’s headache was precisely that.

Perhaps because of their inherent limitations as bandits and river pirates, each branch was constantly causing trouble.

There were those who not only destroyed perfectly good families but even picked fights with cooperative sects or merchant guilds.

“As long as the Taepyung Alliance doesn’t touch the Yangtze River, don’t worry about it. Anyway, the only ones making a fuss are the Tang Clan and the Zhuge Family.”

“But at this rate, the activities of each branch might be curtailed.”
The subordinate’s words made sense.

It was also a problem that it seemed like the Taepyung Alliance was the only thing in the world.

Yeom Jung-bu fell into thought.

“Especially the branches close to Sichuan are becoming quite tense. To boost morale, we should also hold some kind of competition…….”

“Then do it.”

“Pardon?”

The subordinate asked back with a puzzled look.

However, Yeom Jung-bu continued as if it were nothing, “Tell them to hold competitions in each branch while the Taepyung Alliance is holding their gathering. They’re doing it for half a month, so it would be good for us to match the dates and do it for about half a month too.”

“What kind of competition all of a sudden…….”

“Anything.”

“Pardon?”

Before he knew it, the subordinate asked back.

Yeom Jung-bu immediately frowned.

“Do whatever. Whether they hold a banquet and live in a drunken stupor, or have a bloody knife fight, it doesn’t matter, just make it big and flashy. In every single branch.”

“Th, then the expenses will be enormous. With the funds currently in the main headquarters, it’s impossible to handle…….”

“Who said to use the funds from the main headquarters?”

Yeom Jung-bu said curtly.

“Tell them to raise the necessary money in each branch.”

“Bu, but the branches don’t have that kind of capacity…….”

The income of each branch scattered throughout the Yangtze River was all going to the Heroic Alliance in Hangzhou, except for the minimum funds.

This was because Iron-Blooded Death King Yeom Jung-bu was thoroughly managing the money matters himself.

So there was no way the branches would suddenly have the funds to hold a competition.

“Ridiculous.”

However, Yeom Jung-bu scoffed.

“Even if the branch leaders only emptied their own pockets, they could do that much. Do they think I don’t know they’re pocketing separate income?”

Yeom Jung-bu knew the nature of the Demonic Path [a term for unorthodox or evil martial arts sects] too well.

However, the subordinate who had to deliver this order was at a loss.

There would definitely be a huge backlash and complaints, but how could he handle that?

“Tsk.”

Yeom Jung-bu clicked his tongue as if he were pathetic.

“Tell each branch. During the Taepyung Alliance’s Murim Assembly, each branch should also hold a competition, but the content of the competition and the method of raising funds are left to the discretion of each branch leader, and no reports on this matter are necessary.”
The subordinate blinked.

“Then they’ll do it on their own. Whether they forcibly allocate it to the merchant guilds, or destroy a suitable sect.”

‘Ah.’

The subordinate finally realized.

This wasn’t about forcing them to do something, but about letting each branch do as they pleased.

“Bu, but then…….”

“Then, what? Are you worried that it will tarnish the name of the alliance? Or are you afraid that relations with other sects will deteriorate? Or are you worried about being pointed at by people?”
The subordinate couldn’t answer.

In fact, that was exactly what was going to happen.

Iron-Blooded Death King Yeom Jung-bu chuckled.

“We are the Demonic Path. Do you know what that means?”

A complete sneer appeared on Yeom Jung-bu’s lips.

“If we want something, we take it by force, and if there’s someone in our way, we crush them. We don’t need justification, and there’s no reason to pretend. People’s reputation? As if having a good reputation would stop a sword from piercing through.”

Yeom Jung-bu said quietly.

“That’s how life is anyway. There’s no need to try to beautify it, and there’s no reason to hide it. That’s the Heroic Alliance. That’s the meaning of the word Demonic Path.”

Yeom Jung-bu, who had been wearing a sneer, asked the subordinate.

“How is the establishment of the Yangtze River Grand Merchant Guild going?”

“Th, the Yangtze River Grand Merchant Guild is…….”
The subordinate quickly shuffled through the documents.

“The resistance from the merchant guilds in each region is considerable. Moreover, the commercial district of the Yangtze River is already saturated with all kinds of merchant guilds, so there are many difficulties in forming a new grand merchant guild.”
The scale of the commercial district in the Yangtze River region is very large.

The money coming in under the guise of tolls or protection fees was by no means small, but Yeom Jung-bu was not satisfied with that.

He wanted a grand merchant guild that would monopolize the entire Yangtze River commercial district.

But that was easier said than done.

“In addition, the financial situation of the main headquarters is not good, and there is an absolute shortage of suitable personnel…….”