Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 60

Troublemaker!

Guo Woon-sung’s face was so discolored that it was pitiful to look at, and he hesitated, unsure how to respond. He had always considered it a principle of life not to go back on his word. People might live in various ways, but he believed that a martial artist, especially a man, should uphold his integrity under any circumstances.

His conviction was now in trouble. To refuse a promise made just moments ago would be more shameful than death, yet accepting Dokgo-Moo’s demand was truly difficult.

“Why are you doing this? You’re not going to pretend it never happened, are you?”

Guo Woon-sung wanted to smack Dokgo-Moo’s smirking face. In a barely audible voice, he said,

“Young Master, can’t we do something else?”

“No. I am entitled to exercise my rights as the victor, and I have no intention of giving up or relinquishing that sacred right.”

Those watching the two men might have pitied Guo Woon-sung and thought Dokgo-Moo was being cruel, but no one except Chung-woonhak thought so. Knowing he was the Heavenly Demon, they didn’t find his demands unreasonable; rather, they thought them rather mild. For example, Guo Woon-sung’s junior sister was one of the beauties, and they thought it was fortunate that he hadn’t asked for her to be brought to his bed.

“Hmm… very well. Is it just a matter of having women sit with us?”

“Oh, why are you like this? I clearly said women to pour me drinks. So, I mean women who can serve drinks and stay with us until the end of the feast.”

“F-fine. I’ll get them.”

He barely managed to utter those words before pushing himself up from his chair. Then, with a dignified stride, he disappeared outside.

“Hehehe.”

The Heavenly Demon chuckled, seemingly very pleased, while Chung-woonhak’s expression grew colder as he watched him.

★ Guo Woon-sung really did bring women. Eight of them, no less! When Pa-cheon and the others saw the women entering, they couldn’t help but chuckle. It was because they were the female commanders among the 500 commanders of the Righteous Order.

Without even seeing it, they knew what had happened. He must have gone around explaining the situation and asking for their understanding. Of course, they might have been angry and reluctant, but in the end, they couldn’t refuse his request and had to follow him. Dokgo-Moo had suddenly become the villain.

They all glared at Dokgo-Moo, believing him to be the cause of all this.

Namgoong Ah-yeon and Namgoong Hye-mi, the two younger sisters of Namgoong Hyuk-ryun, Ham Joo-ryun and Jam Myo-woon, the third and fourth of the Hwasan Four Swords [a group of highly skilled swordsmen from the Hwasan Sect], Dang So-yoon, the younger sister of Dang Jung-woo of the Dang Clan, and Mo Yong-hwa, the younger sister of Mo Yong-jung-geol of the Mo Yong Family, were among them. There were also two women that Pa-cheon didn’t recognize. As soon as they entered, they made sure to greet Pa-cheon, their leader, and the Elder Council Head, and introduced themselves one by one.

“I am Ha Yeo-ryung from the Shandong Jeonghae Sect.”

She looked to be about twenty-two years old. She had an ordinary appearance but seemed refined.

“I am Jeong Ha-jin from the Seoseo Jeong Family.”

She looked to be over twenty-five, and her gentle smile and soft greeting suggested a cheerful personality. She wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, but her neat appearance and the small mole on the tip of her nose were very striking.

Without being told, they each found their places. Namgoong Ah-yeon quickly took the seat next to Pa-cheon, while Namgoong Hye-mi sat next to Chung-woonhak. Ham Joo-ryun sat next to Gae-wang, Jam Myo-woon next to Eui-no, Dang So-yoon next to Hwan-no, and Mo Yong-hwa next to Guo Woon-sung. Finally, Ha Yeo-ryung and Jeong Ha-jin sat on either side of Dokgo-Moo.

The Heavenly Demon had secretly hoped that Namgoong Hye-mi or Namgoong Ah-yeon would come to him, but when he saw them sitting near Pa-cheon, he clicked his tongue. He was also dissatisfied because the women who came to him seemed to be the least attractive of the group. However, he quickly shifted his focus to quantity over quality and chuckled, not caring much about it.

Pa-cheon, watching this, felt his insides boiling. He hadn’t expected things to go this far, so he was quite flustered. Especially with Namgoong Ah-yeon sitting next to him, he felt uneasy.

Hadn’t he almost gotten into trouble with her before?

Contrary to what he had expected, the atmosphere quickly became friendly, and as expected of martial artists, they began talking about the current state of the martial world. However, some people were not interested in the conversation and were focused on other things. The first of these was the Heavenly Demon. He wasn’t even drinking his favorite alcohol. Instead, he lowered his only arm under the table and began to flirt.

First, he placed his hand on the buttocks of Ha Yeo-ryung, who was sitting on his right. She wasn’t one to stand for that. She quickly reached out and pushed his hand away, and soon, their hands were intertwined in a continuous back-and-forth. She hadn’t expected him to act so openly, so she seemed flustered. However, she couldn’t show it, so a truly bizarre scene was unfolding.

Their movements were so subtle that no one noticed. They even had the composure to occasionally raise their hands to drink or pick up snacks, so no one suspected anything. However, two people, Pa-cheon, who was watching the Heavenly Demon, and Jeong Ha-jin, who was sitting right next to him, noticed.

[Hey, Heavenly Demon! What do you think you’re doing? Stop it right now!]

Pa-cheon warned him, but it was no use.

[Hehehe, I’ll give up anything else, but don’t stop me from this.]

Eventually, Ha Yeo-ryung seemed to have given up, or perhaps she thought it was okay, because she remained still even as the Heavenly Demon’s hand was caressing her buttocks. However, that was her mistake. Having already secured a certain level of access, the Heavenly Demon became bolder and began to move from her back to her front.

She jumped up from her seat.

“I’m sorry, but I need to step out for a moment.”

As she hurried out, the Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue. Then, his gaze immediately shifted to Jeong Ha-jin, who was sitting on his left. Jeong Ha-jin flinched as his gaze seemed to linger on her. But what could she do? Dokgo-Moo was one-armed, with only his right arm. If he tried to flirt with Jeong Ha-jin, who was sitting on his left, his movements would be too obvious and everyone would notice. However, the Heavenly Demon wasn’t one to give up…

“Well, tomorrow is our Righteous Order’s first expedition, so let’s drink and enjoy ourselves to the fullest tonight.”

Guo Woon-sung said. He felt a little sorry, so he deliberately spoke more cheerfully.

“Commander, please accept a cup from me.”

It was Namgoong Ah-yeon. She held the wine bottle with both hands and made a flirtatious gesture towards Pa-cheon. Pa-cheon silently accepted the wine she poured. As everyone’s attention was focused on them, the Heavenly Demon saw his chance and began to act. First, he tapped Jeong Ha-jin’s leg with his left leg, and then he began to rub against it.

Jeong Ha-jin was dumbfounded. He had initially attracted attention as the son of the sect leader and the future successor of the Northern Sword Society, but in the past few days, the rumors about him had become very negative. There were even rumors that he had slept with courtesans. Still, she had thought it couldn’t be true, but today, she saw that he was a lecherous man like no other. She was a bit more experienced than Ha Yeo-ryung.

“Young Master Dokgo! Let me pour you a drink.”

As everyone’s attention turned to him, he had to immediately stop what he was doing and reach out to grab the cup.

“Haha, this is an honor. Fill it up to the brim. A drink poured by a beauty? I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Ah, who will cool down my burning blood?”

Some of the women even frowned at his words. Chung-woonhak couldn’t understand it.

How could Dokgo-Moo act so recklessly in front of the Great Commander, who possessed martial arts beyond imagination and was treated with respect by everyone in the Martial Alliance? In a way, he could be seen as the most carefree man in the world.

It was already past midnight, and two jars of wine had been emptied. Unless they used their inner energy to dispel the alcohol, they would get drunk like ordinary people if they drank too much. Their concentration would also decrease. Pa-cheon thought it was time to end the drinking session. Looking around, he saw that Guo Woon-sung was mumbling to himself, drunk, and Chung-woonhak, who was weak with alcohol, had fallen asleep on the table. The others were no different, all disheveled.

The Heavenly Demon wasn’t one to miss such an opportunity. Ha Yeo-ryung had already returned and was sitting next to him, and his hand had been exploring her depths for a long time… He was so frustrated by her strong resistance that he used the Maiden Heavenly Cat Joy Technique [a technique that uses touch to induce pleasure and submission]. As his hand caressed her body, she lost her strength. Even though she hadn’t drunk much, her eyes glazed over, and she slumped onto the table, breathing heavily.

The Heavenly Demon didn’t stop there and also conquered Jeong Ha-jin, who was sitting on his left. He twisted her leg with his leg and pulled her closer, and when her head leaned against the table, it naturally created a position that half-covered the Heavenly Demon’s body. In that position, he was exploring her private areas. They were both moderately drunk and, due to the mysterious power of the Maiden Heavenly Cat Joy Technique, they were unable to regain their senses and were lost in a dreamlike state. Pa-cheon noticed this, but he was in a similar situation, so he couldn’t do anything about it. The one who was making things difficult for him was, of course, Namgoong Ah-yeon.

She was even more brazen than the Heavenly Demon. Since they had already shown each other everything, she was becoming increasingly open in her actions towards Pa-cheon. It was a well-known fact that she had her eyes on Pa-cheon.

She leaned against Pa-cheon, almost embracing him, and her younger sister, Hye-mi, was watching her with disapproval. Her gaze was constantly fixed on Pa-cheon’s actions, but Pa-cheon remained unchanged. She secretly sighed in relief.

‘This won’t do. I need to end this drinking session. Everyone seems to have drunk too much…’

“Alright, everyone, let’s get up. We need to get some sleep if we’re going to leave early tomorrow.”

“Yes, I suppose we should.”

It was Namgoong Hye-mi. Then Guo Woon-sung said,

“Ah, it’s okay. I’m not tired from drinking a little… Then, Great Commander, please go and rest first.”

Guo Woon-sung said this, unaware of what was going on. Gae-wang clicked his tongue as if he were a fool, but he wasn’t in a position to interfere.

“That seems like a good idea. Great Commander, please go and rest first, and those who want to drink more can freely drink and then leave.”

It was the Heavenly Demon who spoke.

Pa-cheon glared at him. Then, the Heavenly Demon sent a telepathic message to Pa-cheon.

[Pa-cheon, don’t say anything and help me out. You’ll never be in trouble…]

He began to send pleading looks. Pa-cheon reluctantly got up first, and Namgoong Ah-yeon and Namgoong Hye-mi followed him. After they disappeared, the group resumed drinking and chatting. The Heavenly Demon was now unstoppable. Guo Woon-sung was drunk and staggering, Chung-woonhak was asleep on the table, and Gae-wang and the others were not worth worrying about.

After a while, Dang So-yeon and Mo Yong-hwa got up and left. They also told Jam Myo-woon and Ham So-ryun to leave, but they seemed to enjoy drinking more than they looked and kept sipping, refusing their offer.

[Hey, Gae-wang, and you two Elders, listen carefully. After a while, send the rest of the people away, and then you stay here and say you’ll take these two home. Do you understand?]

They were restless. If they weren’t careful, they could be implicated as accomplices! Moreover, Gae-wang was hesitant because his reputation as the Elder Council Head could be damaged. In the end, it was Hwan-no who answered.

[Understood.]

As expected, life was more important than reputation. The Heavenly Demon might not kill them, but he was still scary. They knew his immense power, so it was best not to provoke him. Moreover, the Supreme One, their only shield, was not present, so they had no choice but to follow the Heavenly Demon’s wishes with tears in their eyes.

“Vice Commander Guo, let’s go.”

Jam Myo-woon slurred.

“Shall we? I… I’m also very sleepy now. Look, Chung-woonhak. Get up. Let’s go…”

Ham So-ryun pointed to Ha Yeo-ryung and the others, who were slumped on the table.

“Let’s… get up. Let’s go…”

“Ah, it’s okay. I’ll take them. Don’t worry about it and take the Vice Commanders home.”

At Hwan-no’s words, Ham So-yoon nodded.

“Then… we’ll leave first. Seniors…”

After saying that, the four of them stumbled out of the room. The only people left in the room were Gae-wang, the two Elders, the Heavenly Demon, and Ha Yeo-ryung and Jeong Ha-jin. The Heavenly Demon grinned wickedly.

“Okay. You guys can go now.”

“Yes? Are you… really going to do that to them?”

“What do you want to say? Do you want to get beaten or just leave?”

As expected, the Heavenly Demon’s words were powerful. They got up without saying anything, looked at the two women with pity, and then left the room. They didn’t forget to look back once.

“Hehehe, cute things… Now, where should we go to do this? The Divine Dragon Pavilion has too many eyes, and going to my place is also not ideal. Right… let’s go to Hye-neung’s place. No one would expect such a thing to happen in the Sect Leader’s residence. The people below will think the Sect Leader called them, right? Hehehe, just thinking about it makes me tingle.”

He hoisted the two women onto his shoulders at once. He seemed to be leaving the room in an instant, but instead, he turned his steps directly towards the Sword Pavilion. The guards protecting the Sword Pavilion were puzzled when they saw Dogo-mu, the Sect Leader’s grandson, carrying women on his shoulders, but they didn’t stop him. He entered safely and headed towards a room next to the Taeui Hall on the 8th floor.

The Sword Pavilion was so large and spacious that there were many empty rooms. He had entered one of them. The two women were still unconscious. As soon as the Heavenly Demon entered, he threw the two women onto the bed. The bed bounced, but they still didn’t regain consciousness. They seemed to be completely knocked out. The Heavenly Demon stripped them of their clothes and then took off his own. He glanced down with a satisfied look and immediately began his ‘work’.

“Umm… umm? Wh-who?”

“Shh, be quiet.”

The Heavenly Demon covered Ha Yeo-ryung’s mouth.

“Mmph!”

She looked at Dogo-mu with fear-filled eyes. In that state, the Heavenly Demon began to caress her body. His hands were burning with the energy of the Maiden Heavenly Pleasure Art [a demonic cultivation technique], and pink energy continuously seeped out, entering and leaving Ha Yeo-ryung’s pores. Soon, she began to writhe.

“Hehehe, soon you’ll be able to fully enjoy my noble personality(?).”

“Ugh… umm…”

Ha Yeo-ryung couldn’t think of anything. She only had the desire to quench her thirst.

A hallucination unfolded before her eyes. She was lying on a bright blue meadow. Her whole body was wet, as if she had been swimming in a nearby pond, and water flowed along the curves of her body, soaking the meadow. Then, she heard a hissing sound from somewhere, and a beautiful pink snake appeared. The snake climbed onto her body and wrapped itself around her with its cold body. Then, it flicked its tongue and began to lick every corner of her body.

She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t, and she wanted to get rid of the snake, but she didn’t have the strength. Then, the snake passed over her chest, past her hollow navel, across her mound, and thrust its head into her valley. Her eyes widened as if they would tear, and she tried to grab the snake’s body with both hands and pull it out. But her hands were already limp, and she didn’t have the strength to hold onto its body. She shook her head. And an inexplicable sadness seeped into her eyes.

The snake flicked its tongue and licked her wet eyes.

Ha Yeo-ryung thought she was dreaming. A dream so ominous that she didn’t want to have it…

The strange thing was that Jeong Ha-jin had the same hallucination as Ha Yeo-ryung, and she also thought she was dreaming.

The two women were lying side by side, and the Heavenly Demon was looking down at them with a satisfied expression. He put on his clothes. And then he disappeared outside. He must be going somewhere else to release another snake.

★ The 500 commanders of the Righteous Path Alliance gathered in one place. They were all riding black horses, wearing white robes, white headbands, and white belts. The characters ‘Alliance’ and ‘Command’ were embroidered on the chest of their long robes. A black carriage was waiting in the middle of their formation, and the one pulling the carriage was Namgung Hyeok-ryun. A flagpole was erected on the roof of the carriage, displaying the symbols of the Martial Alliance and the Command, and there was also a flag embroidered with a golden dragon, with the two characters ‘Divine Dragon’ writhing alive.

Dududududu

The 500 cavalrymen left the Martial Alliance, shaking the ground. They were heading towards the Central Plains, carrying one Divine Dragon and one violent beast.

★ “Celestial Fragrance Jade Peak, how dare you speak to me like that?”

“Hoh hoh, why are you like this? Am I not clearly the person in charge here? I was just saying that even Commander Lee should cooperate with me, at least here.”

Celestial Fragrance Jade Peak glared at the man.

“Huhu, very well. Since you are the disciple of the Celestial Lord, you are my junior, and even if a child’s antics are excessive, an adult cannot get angry at a child! Very well. I will do as you say. But I will not forget today’s humiliation.”

“Do as you please. Well, I’m busy, so I must be going.”

The man, watching her leave, didn’t forget to say one last thing.

“Even though I failed in my mission, don’t forget that I am clearly your superior.”

She seemed to stop walking, but then she replied to his words.

“Of course. But I wonder if the Celestial Lord would think the same. Hoh hoh hoh.”

Killing intent surged in the man’s eyes as he watched her leave.

“How dare… a woman like you… you’re just a disciple in name, a woman who receives the Celestial Lord’s seed… very well. I will see how much you can show off. Huhu, when my senior brother comes, everything will change.

Even though I am in this state now, I will soon regain everything. I will see if you can still be so arrogant then.”

The one talking to himself was none other than! … Unparalleled Divine Sword, Dogo Han-cheon. Having escaped from the Martial Alliance, he immediately sought out the Southern Alliance. He was indeed Commander Lee of the Blood Demon Heaven. He, who was in charge of the Gangbuk region [Northern part of the river], had lost everything due to the intervention of Pa-cheon and had come to the Southern Alliance, the bridgehead of Gangnam [Southern part of the river], with his forces. Soon, his senior brother, the Grand Commander, would call him or come to him directly.

“Then, I will talk to my senior brother and get the authority to move the Gangnam and Gangbuk forces. Now that it has come to this, I will destroy the Martial Alliance.”

Celestial Fragrance Jade Peak headed straight to the Lion Hall, the Sect Leader’s residence.

Even when she entered, the Lion Blade King was engrossed in what he was doing, without any particular reaction. A cushion was laid out in front of him, and his beloved blade, the Lion Blade, was placed on it. He began to carefully wipe it with an oiled cloth. It was like watching the solemn ceremony of a warrior preparing for battle.

“Father!”

“…”

“There is still no news… but soon the Grand Commander will come here. Then, I will no longer be able to protect you. The Southern Alliance will be taken over by them, and this place will be reduced to a branch of the Blood Demon Heaven in the Central Plains.”

“…”

“Before that, you should leave this place. Then, at least you won’t have to suffer humiliation.”

She was no longer the Celestial Fragrance Jade Peak of the past. The power of the Heavenly Demon was truly astonishing. It had completely subdued her reason and turned her into a different person. But she was still wise and also cold-blooded.

“I know without you telling me. I… don’t want to avoid my death. If this is my limit, I will choose to die fighting like a warrior. Even if I can’t handle you alone now… no one will be able to break my warrior’s spirit.”

“Then my husband will be sad. Moreover… the Supreme One doesn’t want that either.”

Did she know what she was saying?

“Yes… that’s the one thing that bothers me. I wanted to wield my sword for the Supreme One at least once…”

“My brother has already fled to another place. And they think he’s dead, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Is that so? Thank you. You were such a kind child in the past… and all of that was intentional…”

“I have to go now. I might not be able to come here for a while. If the Grand Commander comes, everything will be revealed, and then I might not be able to guarantee my life… Then, I will take my leave.”

Her back looked somehow weak as she turned away. The Lion Blade King said one thing to her back.

“You be careful too… you are still my daughter.”

It didn’t matter whether she heard those words or not. It was just that they were worried about each other and were already preparing for death.

★ “Sa-woo.”

“Yes.”

“Has there been any contact from the Grand Commander yet?”

“No.”

Sa-woo’s voice was still low and dark.

“Commander Lee failed to take control of the Martial Alliance. Our plans could only succeed if he was the leader of the Martial Alliance… but because he was driven out, everything has been nullified. The Grand Commander will be furious about this, and we might even be in danger. We also haven’t completely taken control of the Southern Alliance.”

Sa-woo was kneeling on the floor, and Celestial Fragrance Jade Peak was circling around him. Her gaze was fixed on Sa-woo’s head.

“What do you think? What do you think the Grand Commander will do?”

“I don’t know either.”

His voice was much colder than usual.

“Hoh hoh, you were born in the Blood Demon Heaven and grew up in the Blood Demon Heaven. So you only have loyalty to the main sect. If you were ordered to kill even me, you would do it without any hesitation. Isn’t that right?”

Her voice came from behind Sa-woo. Sa-woo’s voice was spat out.

“If that order came from the Celestial Lord or the Grand Commander, then I would have to do it. That’s the same for anyone… cough… why?”

“Why? Hoh hoh, didn’t you already know everything? You probably even reported it to the Grand Commander. That’s why I’m killing you. Farewell. Thank you for your hard work.”

Celestial Fragrance Jade Peak’s hand pierced through Sa-woo’s back, destroying his heart, and another hand simply shattered his head. She wiped her hands on his clothes as if nothing had happened.

———————–

As I mentioned yesterday, today there is only this one chapter. From now until the end of the Lunar New Year, I will only upload one chapter a day.

Because of the promise of ‘daily serialization,’ it’s really painful when I don’t want to write (when I can’t write). Like today…

I was worried that I might not be able to upload during the Lunar New Year, but I have to upload it anyway. (I’m dead…)

There is one thing I want to tell you. It’s a kind of explanation about my settings.

Pa-cheon’s martial arts are set high, and with the appearance of the Heavenly Demon, it seems like there will be no rivals, right? But that’s not the case, so don’t worry… In fact, the current writing is an unavoidable measure to write Part 2.

Because the level of martial arts (can it even be called that?) of the characters appearing in Part 2 is so high, it seems like I wouldn’t be able to see a match even in his lifetime if I went step by step… As you all probably already expected, the Outer Heavens will appear in Part 2. It’s a bit different in nature from the Outer Heavens that have been dealt with in existing martial arts novels. How is it different?

It’s a kind of immortal realm. Just as the martial arts world is a mysterious place for ordinary people, their world is a place where completely different martial arts (?) are rampant. It’s not just one or two forces, but a completely separate world. However, it’s not a completely isolated place. In that place, not only Pa-cheon, but also the Heavenly Demon, Hye-neung, and the main characters of Part 1 who will appear in the future will all be deployed to the Outer Heavens. It’s a dream team.

And one more thing! I’m thinking of exploring the problem of the spirit world, the existence of modern humans, and even the religious origins, but I don’t know if it will work out well.

In short, if you think that Pa-cheon is too strong and your interest is waning, please look forward to the future. Things will change a bit after the Lunar New Year. (I can’t guarantee it)

And to those of you who persistently demand that I increase the level of explicit scenes!

I can’t take responsibility any further than this. As far as I know, even middle school students and younger are reading this, so I can’t help it. But the Heavenly Demon is a character that even I can’t control…

Then, have a nice holiday.