Chapter 64
A few days ago, it seems that the Jeongal family’s main estate was set ablaze.
Lady Ye Haesin of the Hao Sect, her face exhausted, spoke bluntly.
For some time now, Ye Haesin no longer put on any expression in front of Wonyoung. Even her nickname, “Soul-Severing Master,” seemed almost meaningless in her case.
It was likely because they had faced each other for quite a long time.
That was fast.
Wonyoung nodded and replied briefly.
Not long ago, news came that the Huashan Sect in Shaanxi and the Shaolin Temple in Henan had been destroyed. If the destruction started in Shaanxi and moved south, it was only natural to expect Hubei to be next.
You’re not surprised.
Is there anything left to be surprised about? Huashan and Shaolin burned down… Do you think the Jeongals are safe?
That’s true. Surely the remarkable Jeongal wouldn’t have failed to notice what comes next.
Probably… Wudang will be next, right?
I’m not sure. We can’t guarantee it. Zhongnan in Shaanxi wasn’t left untouched. They still haven’t fully predicted the moves of Cheongung, so it’s tricky.
Ye Haesin frowned, clearly displeased that she hadn’t been able to obtain accurate information about Cheongung. Even though Hao Sect’s intelligence system was functioning properly, they had still been a step behind in gathering information on the Jeongal family’s bloodline.
That makes sense. Casualties?
The retainers seem to have been evacuated in advance… It appears most of the direct family survived. However…
However?
The fates of the clan head, Jeongal Myeong, and the Celestial Communication Sage (Cheontong Sinong) Jeongal Baek are uncertain.
…They must be dead.
Likely so.
Wonyoung did not know much about Jeongal Myeong, the clan head. Today was the first time she had even heard the name.
But she could understand that whatever the clan head chose to do, it was to save his retainers. Wonyoung recalled her father, Seol Jadan, raising his sword to protect her. What must his feelings have been like?
She could still vividly picture the last day of Seol Gajang. Had the Jeongal family disappeared the same way?
Because of their mechanisms and formations, Cheongung behaved differently from other places. They left nothing behind, burned everything, even overturned the ground.
…How much damage did Cheongung sustain?
Wonyoung gritted her teeth as she asked. One of the five great clans had fallen; Cheongung could not have come through unscathed.
I’m not sure yet.
Why not?
There is no known information about the mechanisms and formations within the Jeongal family. Though they are famous, their true form is unknown.
So even Hao Sect didn’t know.
Haha. Though Master Hwayong Nazal esteems Hao Sect highly, the fact is as you say. How could we, a mere lowly sect, possibly know what the current clan head and the previous clan head’s younger brother had activated?
Despite calling herself lowly, Ye Haesin showed no trace of servility.
The previous clan head’s younger brother?
The Celestial Communication Sage, Jeongal Baek. He is the uncle of the current clan head and the younger brother of the previous one. Among the Jeongal retainers, he was known as the most skilled in formations.
Celestial Communication Sage… Even someone with divine skill could not stop it, huh.
He had a reputation for being eccentric, but he was extremely intelligent, hence called the Celestial Communicator.
The Divine Strategist Jeongal Myeong and the Celestial Communication Sage Jeongal Baek… Whatever they deployed must have taken out many of Cheongung’s bastards.
Let’s hope so.
Even as Wonyoung’s words grew harsher, Ye Haesin remained calm.
What about the Jeongal retainers?
Hah… I suppose the sun will rise from the west tomorrow. Master Hwayong Nazal asking about such things.
Nonsense.
She was merely curious. She wondered what those who survived because of the clan head’s sacrifice were like. Were their thoughts similar to Wonyoung’s in the past?
There is the Martial Alliance, right?
Ah… you mean that cursed Martial Alliance.
Haha. Yes, that cursed Martial Alliance. But this time, things might be different.
Why?
Even the young head of the Jeongal family is an extraordinary talent, famous after a hundred years. Since Hyun Baekryong Jeongal Dam has joined the Martial Alliance, things should change.
Now?
Could the remnants of the Martial Alliance truly play a role? Wonyoung was skeptical.
Namgung will join them as well.
Why?
It wasn’t a pressing curiosity, but Wonyoung asked anyway.
Namgung’s young head’s biological mother is from the Jeongal family.
Ah… I see.
Namgung and the Jeongals. Though the Jeongal clan head died, the direct family and retainers survived. Combined with Namgung’s strength, the Jeongal power would not be weakened.
If Hyun Baekryong Jeongal Dam is outstanding, he might wield considerable influence within the Martial Alliance.
The problem is that Cheongung’s movements have no predictable pattern. After destroying Cheonma Shinsect, there had been a period of quiet. Yet gradually, they were dismantling the martial world of the central plains.
If Lady Ye Haesin of Hao Sect could not figure out Cheongung’s schemes, then no one could. Wonyoung understood this.
Do you plan to act alone?
As Wonyoung rose, Ye Haesin asked again. After Hao Sect had stabilized, she continued to hold Wonyoung back.
Yes. Alone is easier.
I understand.
The usual conversation ended.
Wonyoung had joined Hao Sect thanks to Deung Noya. Deung Noya had left Wonyoung the Hao Sect’s golden token. Wonyoung, unaware of its value, initially only thought of using Hao Sect’s help to seek revenge against her family’s enemies. Yet their bond persisted, thanks to her dealings with Ye Haesin.
Wonyoung knew little of the world, and after Mangum Jeonjang fell to Cheongung, she had nothing. She assisted in organizing Hao Sect internally, while Ye Haesin supplemented Wonyoung’s deficiencies.
However, it was a relationship difficult to define as allied.
Then, this is it.
Wonyoung stood up. It was the only farewell she could give, one that could not promise a next meeting.
Seol Wonyoung! What? That Hwayong Nazal joined the cursed Martial Alliance?
A few months later, when Ye Haesin discovered that Wonyoung had joined the Martial Alliance, she was furious.
“…I haven’t dreamed of the past in a while… Is it because I picked up the sword?”
Early dawn, before the sun had risen. Wonyoung awoke, muttering as she sat up.
“It’s about time Ye Haesin comes….”
Though it would not be simple, Wonyoung trusted her. Though still young, the Soul-Severing Master that the Sword Ghost had known could not have been merely created by chance.
“I wonder if that clever Jeongal kid is doing well.”
She knew little about the collapse of the Jeongal family, only what she had heard from Ye Haesin. Over time, she gradually received more details herself.
Cheongung had targeted the Jeongal family’s records, which explained why their actions differed from when they struck other sects.
But now, Jeongal Myeong and Jeongal Baek were alive. If Jeongal Dam moved now, there would be no repeat of the Jeongal estate burning.
Reflecting on what she had seen in dreams eased her anxiety.
Wonyoung didn’t need to do everything herself. There were others more capable.
A slight smile appeared on her lips.
“Did you sleep well?”
She spoke softly to the egg she had kept beside her, gently stroking it. Lately, when alone, she often talked to it this way.
“I hope you wake up soon.”
When she first brought the egg from the pupils, she hadn’t thought deeply. She did not know its nature or what was inside.
But over time, her desire for the egg to awaken grew stronger.
“Has it grown a little… or am I imagining it?”
Probably a trick of her wishful thinking.
Wonyoung tilted her head, then put the egg down. She sat cross-legged and began cultivating, not forgetting to transfer her energy into the egg.
“The dantian is stronger, not just my internal energy. As expected of a summoning egg.”
Now, a solid vital energy occupied the growing dantian, bringing a smile to her face.
She took her mother’s necklace off her neck and placed it in the egg basket. Though always worn, she removed it during training.
She rose and grabbed her wooden sword.
Before anyone else awoke, she wanted to hold the sword.
‘It feels different from before.’
The first sword she held in this body felt different from her days as a Sword Ghost. Though Wonyoung’s current state was unbalanced, something else explained the difference.
Even with past expertise, entering the state of no-mind from a simple downward cut was difficult to comprehend. Unlike Namgung Hwi, she had no particular trigger.
“What did I think about when I held the sword…?”
She simply felt glad.
Yes, she was glad. Glad to hold the sword. She enjoyed the moment she held it and felt her senses awaken.
Wonyoung lifted the wooden sword and struck slowly.
Again and again, she cut through the air.
After some time, a broad smile spread across her face.
“That was fun. That felt good. Yes… it really felt good.”
As a Sword Ghost, she had never enjoyed holding a sword. She only had to survive and seek revenge. Swordsmanship had never brought joy.
But now, just holding a sword was satisfying. She had found a new path.
Wonyoung swung the sword for a long while, oblivious to the slight shaking of the egg in the basket.
