Emperor's Sword [EN]: Chapter 17

Following the Night Walker!

The martial artists, though they believed the Northern Sword Society was acting lawlessly, had no choice but to wait. The Society was conducting a thorough investigation, focusing on those whose whereabouts were unaccounted for between midnight (子時 [zishi, 11 PM to 1 AM]) and 2 AM (丑時 [choushi, 1 AM to 3 AM]). This amounted to 237 people, Pachaen among them. The Northern Sword Society seemed taken aback by the unexpectedly large number. It wasn’t just one or two people who had slipped away from the banquet; this was the number of people who had been absent for more than half an hour or hadn’t returned to their lodgings. All 237 were gathered for questioning.

“We simply need to know where you were and what you were doing during that time, and if anyone can verify it.”

The person interrogating Pachaen was Hwa Do-wi (華桃位), the Iron Sword Righteous Knight (鐵劍正俠), one of the twelve leaders of the outer hall. He was noticeably cautious when dealing with Pachaen. The man was already a well-known figure, a big shot who had even shared drinks with the Society Leader.

“Me? Are you talking about me? I don’t want to answer… If you’re really curious, call the Society Leader, or at least the strategist or the Yulyeongdae Leader [Yulyeongdae: a special forces unit].”

His attitude was overly confident.

“Sir, please cooperate. That’s the only way you can quickly clear your name. If you keep refusing, you’ll never be able to dispel the suspicion.”

“Do as you please. I have nothing to be ashamed of before heaven, so why would I be afraid?”

When the interrogation reached a standstill, Hwa Do-wi rose from his seat and left the Geonyoung Hall (建營殿).

‘I don’t know who’s coming, but try as they might, they won’t be able to do anything to me without solid evidence…’

-What are you going to do? You don’t have anything you can say for sure. Just run away.

[That’s out of the question. If I do that, it’s as good as admitting I did it.]

-Then why did you come back? You should have just left…

[Wait and see! Nothing much will happen. Even if they suspect me, they can’t do anything without evidence.]

“What? Is Great Warrior Moon involved?”

“Yes, that’s right. What should we do? The outer hall’s 12th leader, who was in charge of the interrogation, couldn’t say anything and stepped down.”

“He’s a big shot. He’s not someone we can touch carelessly. If we touch him rashly without evidence, we might end up taking the blame.”

At the Society Leader’s words, the strategist frowned slightly.

“That’s why he’s even more suspicious. He disappeared without reason the day before yesterday, causing a commotion, didn’t he? He’s also the most skilled among the 200 or so people whose whereabouts are unclear, and he’s a suspect.”

“No, it’s not him. There’s no reason for him to do that. And he had no acquaintance with Nani. He only greeted her once at lunch yesterday. She’s not the type to follow someone willingly. Besides, he doesn’t need to do that. I’ve already thrown out bait to recruit him… It’s not him.”

“Is that so?… Then we should assume the culprit has already escaped. There aren’t any other notable experts involved.”

“There’s no choice. We’ll have to let everyone go and investigate the Gaebong area more thoroughly… If they’ve already left Gaebong, it’s a lost cause… Well, if they left around midnight yesterday, they’ve already escaped the encirclement. Apologize to Great Warrior Moon and let him go. No, I’ll go myself.”

*Thud*

“Agh!”

A commotion broke out in the Geonyoung Hall. Of course, the main culprit was Pachaen. While the outer hall’s 12th leader was reporting to the strategist, a master from the Cheongeom Hall [Cheongeom Hall: Pure Sword Hall] of the Guardian Hall had approached him. He immediately began to berate Pachaen, which had offended Pachaen’s sensibilities.

“You dare talk to me like that, you brat?”

The eyes of those who were interrogating and being interrogated in the main hall of the Geonyoung Hall all turned to one place. The Cheongeom Hall was an organization directly under the Guardian Hall, and only masters of the first-class or higher were stationed there. There were only 1,000 members, but it was one of the most powerful groups within the Northern Sword Society. It was a higher organization than the three halls, including the inner hall, outer hall, and general hall, and it was also higher than the three divisions directly under the General Commander, including the Yulyeongdae. It was even higher than the General Commander’s Iron Cavalry. They were an organization of equal rank to the other three halls of the Guardian Hall: the Magic Sword Hall, the Blood Sword Hall, and the Guardian Hall. They were a very powerful organization within the Northern Sword Society. Yeon Sa-mu (延士武), the Gwanghan Sword (光限劍), a Baekgeomwi (百劍位: a position governing a hundred people) of the Cheongeom Hall, was sent flying backward by Pachaen’s palm strike. Seeing this, the swordsmen of the Cheongeom Hall rushed at him all at once. They already had their swords in their hands, and they were soon thrusting them at Pachaen’s entire body.

“Haha, you dare to use lethal force on a guest after inviting him… I’ll definitely complain to the Society Leader later.”

He spread out both hands and deflected the thrusting swords.

*Clang*

The sounds, which were unbelievable to be from swords and hands colliding, echoed continuously throughout the Geonyoung Hall. Only then did Gwanghan Sword Yeon Sa-mu, who had barely managed to get up from his seat, shout at the top of his lungs.

“Don’t hold back. Kill him!”

Encouraged by his shout, the swordsmen of the Cheongeom Hall surrounded Pachaen even more aggressively and launched a fierce attack. Most of them were masters of sword energy, capable of injuring people with their sword energy from a distance of about a foot. It was a skill that could not be imitated without the support of internal energy of about 60 years.

Pachaen’s hands were still empty. He was only using hand techniques such as blocking and striking with the edge of his hand, and his body remained still. For some reason, their swords were not able to trouble Pachaen at all. He was easily blocking their combined attacks without even moving his feet.

“You fools! Get out of the way!”

Gwanghan Sword drew his own sword and immediately charged at Pachaen.

“Gwanghan Sword Technique, Third Form: Gwanghan Mujeong (光限無情) [Gwanghan Mujeong: Light Limit Heartless]!”

His sword, enveloped in a pure white sword energy, pierced towards Pachaen’s Cheondol point [Cheondol point: a pressure point on the throat]. It was an extremely swift and light movement.

“Huhu, not bad.”

Unlike before, a halo of light began to appear around Pachaen’s hands. And a low voice escaped his lips.

“Guanyin Eighteen Hands (觀音十八手) [Guanyin Eighteen Hands: a Shaolin martial art], Red Steel Moon Spit (赤剛吐月) [Red Steel Moon Spit: a specific move within Guanyin Eighteen Hands]!”

It was the supreme martial art of Shaolin. A red aura was being emitted from his hands, forming a moon halo.

*Clang*

“Ugh!”

*Stumble, stumble, stumble*

Gwanghan Sword staggered back three steps. A faint trace of blood was visible at the corner of his mouth.

The aura emitted from Pachaen’s hand had shaken his insides the moment they collided.

Pachaen was still standing leisurely. Now, he even had one hand behind his back. Who wouldn’t be enraged by that sight?

“You… you bastard. Let’s go all out…”

“Can’t you stop?”

*Thud, thud*

“S-Society Leader! The Cheongeom Hall’s Baekgeomwi is here to see you…”

*Thwack*

“Agh!”

It was a terrible scream. He had killed his subordinate, who was bowing to him, without any hesitation. He had even smashed his head… It was a very cruel act. He was wiping his hands with a towel that the strategist had handed him from behind.

“I apologize, Great Warrior. My subordinates lacked insight and offended you. Please forgive them.”

“Hmm… It’s alright. It can happen.”

“I hope there’s no misunderstanding between us because of this. You may leave now.”

“Is that alright? To be honest, I am displeased, but since the Society Leader himself has apologized, I’ll let it go. Then, I should be going now. I’ll see you again later.”

Pachaen paused his gaze on the scattered corpses before turning his head and disappearing out of the Geonyoung Hall.

“Ah, Great Warrior!”

“Yes?”

Pachaen had to stop again.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten what I said last time.”

“Haha, of course. Society Leader, don’t change your mind later.”

‘Huhu, it’s not him after all. Then who could it be?’

★ Pachaen used his full power of lightness skill towards the Beggars’ Union headquarters. His Heavenly Demon Flight Technique had reached its peak. The Heavenly Demon Flight Technique, Heavenly Demon Concealment Technique, and Heavenly Demon Descent Steps that he knew were all interconnected. As time passed, it became natural to use them, and they complemented each other, so even when using one, other functions were added. His current appearance was leaving only a blurry figure because of this. He was using the Heavenly Demon Flight Technique, but the Heavenly Demon Concealment Technique was added to it. The Beggars’ Union was located in the east of Gaebong, and the Northern Sword Society was in the northeast. Therefore, Pachaen, who had left the Northern Sword Society, immediately headed southwest. He had come by horse, but he was using his lightness skill to leave. He felt relieved now that he had parted ways with Namgung Hyuk-ryun and his group. How careful had he been with his actions while traveling with them? Because of that, at least they, the Oryeon Society, and the Gujeong Society people thought of him as a righteous and mysterious master. The words that Master Jigong had said to him still lingered in his ears. “Please visit our headquarters anytime. If your martial arts lineage is from the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, then you are our ancestor. After a brief martial arts verification, you can become an ancestor of our temple.” How surprised were the people around him and Pachaen by those words? The greatest sect in the current righteous martial world was undoubtedly the Wudang Sect. However, the spiritual pillar of the righteous martial world was still Shaolin. Their network was beyond imagination. Most of the leaders of the righteous sects were related to Shaolin by a few degrees. To become the highest-ranking member of such a great Shaolin was equivalent to becoming the highest elder of the entire martial world.

‘I’ve gained so much from this righteous grand gathering. Should I thank the Northern Sword Society for this? I found a connection with the Gujeong Society through Shaolin, and I’ve formed a friendly relationship with the Oryeon Society through Young Master Namgung. The Northern Sword Society Leader is subtly flirting with me, and only the Southern Alliance has no connection. Moreover, the Supreme Elder of the Beggars’ Union, the largest single sect, is my subordinate! Now I’ve laid the foundation. Now all that’s left is to find the descendants of the Heavenly Demon Cult and gather the forces that the Twin Old Men have prepared? And then…’

He had already arrived at the Gwanje Temple, the headquarters of the Beggars’ Union.

“Young Master, nothing happened to you, did it?”

“How could anything happen?”

His tone had returned to its original state. Dokgo Seol-ran’s complexion seemed to have become haggard, even though it had only been a day. Her body might be comfortable, but her heart was full of worry. She had never disobeyed her father’s will before. This unauthorized departure was the biggest adventure of her life.

Beggars’ Union Supreme Elder, Beggar King, Pung Cheon-ho, was asking Pachaen.

“What are your plans, my lord?”

“I have a place to go, so contact the Twin Old Men in Mount Tai and tell them to wait in Gaebong. I’ll be back in a month at the latest, or two weeks at the earliest.”

“When will you leave?”

“I’m planning to leave right now…”

Dokgo Seol-ran’s face darkened at Pachaen’s words. How happy had she been when Pachaen had returned to the Beggars’ Union? She had even forgotten that Hwansa was next to her, and her face had brightened so much that she had even hugged him. But now that he was leaving, her heart felt heavy.

“Punggae! Please take good care of these two. Let them stay at the Beggars’ Union headquarters for the time being.”

“Don’t worry about that. Nani is like a granddaughter to me.”

“Can’t I go with you, Young Master?”

Those words came from Dokgo Seol-ran. Pachaen’s head turned resolutely.

“No. I’m not in a position to take care of you, Miss. Hide here for now and observe the situation. I’ll find a place for you to live after I return. Until then, stay here.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take good care of the young lady, so don’t pretend to be so generous.”

Hwansa was still wearing a mask. At her words, Pachaen gave Hwansa a brief look with eyes that held no emotion.

“Do as you please. You’re not children, and you’re not the type to listen if I tell you what to do. I was just saying that staying at the Beggars’ Union for the time being is good for your safety…”

“Oh, right, Nani!”

“Yes, Grandpa!”

Dokgo Seol-ran was acting familiar with the Beggar King. In fact, Pachaen didn’t know that the Beggar King and Dokgo Seol-ran’s grandfather, the Hidden Dragon Emperor, were childhood friends, and that she had seen the Beggar King several times when she was young.

“Have you not heard from your grandfather?”

“No…”

“That’s strange… This has never happened before.”

“What do you mean, Punggae?”

“My lord, that guy, me, and Shaolin’s Beopmun (法問) [Beopmun: Dharma Question, a title for a high-ranking monk]. The three of us have been friends since childhood. We’ve met at least once or twice a year, no matter what. Moreover, we’ve never lost contact like this. I was so curious that I used our network to track his whereabouts, but there’s no trace of him. Either he’s gone overseas, or he’s never left the Northern Sword Society. Even if he went overseas, there should be at least some trace of him during his travels, but there’s no record of their movements anywhere. It’s very strange.”

“My father said he was practicing martial arts in the mountains…”

“That’s not it either. Even if they were in the mountains, they would need at least some supplies. Then they would have come to a small town or village… But there’s no trace of that either. There’s no place in the world without beggars. Our Beggars’ Union members are scattered all over the world. It’s beyond my understanding that they haven’t found any trace of them for a year. Something must have happened to them.”

“Something happened?”

“Yes… Otherwise…”

Tears were welling up in Dokgo Seol-ran’s eyes. The two people she relied on and loved the most in the world were her brother and her grandfather. Her father had become too stern since some time ago, and only her brother and grandfather were the ones who shared affection with her. The Beggar King’s words that something might have happened to those two were like a bolt of lightning to her.

“We’ll find out more if we investigate further… Come on, Miss, don’t worry too much. If they’re alive, we’ll meet them someday… Punggae, then I’ll leave right away.”

“Please do. I’ll send word to the Twin Old Men in Mount Tai.”

“Alright. Then, take care. Let’s meet again in good health.”

*Swish, swish, swish*

He was disappearing. The way he was scattering before their eyes was truly strange.

“Young Master!”

Seol-ran’s call echoed sadly in the room. She looked disappointed that she hadn’t been able to say goodbye.

Hwansa’s expression wasn’t bright either. Pachaen had already become a reliable pillar for the two of them.

★ It had already been ten days since he had been wandering around. He had searched the places where they might be according to the Heavenly Demon’s words, but there was no trace left. Well, it had been 1,700 years ago, so it was unlikely that they would still be there, but the fact that there was no trace at all meant that their base had already been moved to another place. He had searched everywhere from the Daesulsan Mountains (大雪山) [Daesulsan Mountains: Great Snow Mountains], which formed the watershed of the Arong River (鴉롱河) and the Dadu River (大渡河), to the Yinshan Mountains (陰山山脈) east of the Helan Mountains, and the Pamir Plateau of Xinjiang. Now, the only place left to go was the Tianshan Mountains (天山山脈), 5,000 li [li: a traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 meters] to the east-northeast of the Pamir Plateau. If they weren’t there either, it would be clear that the descendants of the Heavenly Demon had been cut off. According to Pachaen’s own investigation, they had appeared in martial arts history almost every 200 years, and the last time they had appeared was 250 years ago. Every time they appeared, they tried to dominate the martial world, and when they appeared, the entire martial world would unite to oppose them. Even 250 years ago, they had retreated without taking the final step due to the desperate resistance of the Martial Alliance. They had immediately fled to Tibet, and the Martial Alliance had not been able to pursue them. They had also suffered such severe damage that they did not have the strength to do so. Pachaen was running through the Tarim Basin. He was heading straight up towards Victory Peak (勝利峯: 7,439 meters), the highest peak of the Tianshan Mountains. He was blocking the cold with his internal energy, but even he was having trouble with the biting snow wind.

“Hey, Heavenly Demon, can people live in a place like this? What’s supposed to be here? It looks like it’s going to be another wild goose chase…”

-If they’re not here either… then they’re cut off. You fools! How could you fail so many times to take over the martial world?

“Yeah, you’re so great. But isn’t it very different from the time you were active? The power of the martial world has become more divided and developed, so it wouldn’t have been easy for a single force to dominate the martial world. When the Heavenly Demon Cult appears, the martial world unites, right? Just that alone is enough to guess the level of vigilance the martial world has towards the Heavenly Demon Cult.”

-Still, how can you try so many times and not succeed even once?

[Be quiet]

-Why?

[I definitely heard some movement… Did I hear wrong?]

His nerves were extremely sensitive.

He began to climb the mountain using the Heavenly Demon Flight Technique. Because he was also using the Concealment Technique at the same time, his figure was completely hidden by the snow wind and could not be seen at all. Finally, he reached the summit, Victory Peak. The sheer cliff seemed to refuse human entry. There didn’t seem to be any space where people could live in such a place. Behind him was a cliff that seemed to be opening its mouth, and in front of him was a treacherous path. If people lived in such a place where there was no movement of any living thing, it would be a miracle. He stood tall on the summit of Victory Peak and looked down at the bottom of the cliff. He suddenly thought of the cave in Mount Tai.

If people lived here, it would probably only be in a cave. He steeled his resolve. He had decided to go down. He drew his Ganjiang Sword in preparation for any eventuality.

*Whoosh*

He threw himself off the cliff. His body was instantly caught in the snow wind and fell, and in the process, he began to carefully examine the cliff face. The speed at which his body was falling was gradually slowing down rather than speeding up. And then, he sharpened his gaze and began to examine the wall in detail. The wind was cutting at his skin like a knife, but it was bearable. Even after descending 200 feet, there was nothing unusual to be seen. Only a white landscape continued endlessly. Well, even if there was a cave, it wouldn’t be visible at all. But he didn’t give up. Since he had started, he had to go to the end, right?

Title: [Serial] Emperor’s Sword 19. Infiltrating the Heavenly Demon Cult! Related Materials: None [59154]

Sender: Im Sam-yeol (logos333) 2000-12-26 00:06 Views: 2017

-Emperor’s Sword-