Chapter 183: Journey to the Central Plains (4)

“A delegation will depart for the Murim Alliance in a month.”

Nearly two months had passed.

Baek Sang-ah had finally succeeded in mastering the basics of the Moonlight Sword Qi.

It was still slightly murky, but it could be called silvery sword qi to a certain extent.

“Seriously, I thought I was going to die from how hard it was.”

She collapsed onto the ground with a sigh of relief.

Though it had only been two months, the Moonlight Divine Art of the  Moon Maiden Sect was a high-level internal cultivation technique that could rival even the most superior heart techniques.

More than just getting the hang of it, she had to refine it to a level that could affect her existing internal energy for it to be truly meaningful.

“Not bad at all. You clearly have talent.”

Cheon Yura, who had drilled her like catching a rat for the past two months, smiled in satisfaction.

“This might actually be better. A properly formed Moonlight Sword Qi looks distinctly different from the Heavenly Wolf Sword Art of Namcheon.”

A perfected Moonlight Sword Qi like Cheon Yura’s glowed far too brightly, which was problematic.

Such an imperfect manifestation might actually work in Baek Sang-ah’s favor.

“Unless you run into a life-or-death enemy and exhaust all your internal energy, there’s no chance you’ll be found out.”

With this level, their immediate safety was secured.

“To match the delegation’s schedule, we should depart as soon as possible. Jin Yeomyung, what’s the current situation in the Central Plains?”

“Well, it’s absolute chaos.”

The current Murim of the Central Plains was split between those cowering in fear and those responding aggressively.

“Especially with the Murim Alliance, things are going exactly as expected. The Alliance Leader has declared a state of war throughout the alliance and has begun consolidating all power.”

With the Demonic Cult invading, there weren’t any idiots—well, not zero—who would try to dethrone the Alliance Leader, but those factions had significantly weakened.

Cheon Yura sneered at the news.

“That’s both the strength and weakness of the Orthodox Faction—being swayed by justification.”

“Balance is key. If we make a wrong move and a full-scale war actually breaks out, it’ll be disastrous for everyone.”

Such a situation would be welcomed—no, even actively encouraged—by the Heaven-Defying Society.

“Which is why… we must return the Jade Green Heavenly Net Divine Sword to the Alliance Leader as quickly as possible.”

With a complicated expression, Baek Sang-ah asked,

“Master Jin, have you decided on a route?”

“Yes, more or less…”

I picked up a stick and drew a path on the ground.

“We’ll go through Xi’an and Mount Hua, then head south via Luoyang. From there, we’ll go straight to Shenyang where the Murim Alliance is headquartered.”

“That’s quite the main road.”

“There’s no need to take dangerous mountain paths with lightness techniques.”

Even if things got urgent, all three of us were high-level experts capable of covering hundreds of li in a day with ease.

So, we could treat this like a leisurely trip without any real issues.

Above all, although I felt a little guilty toward Baek Sang-ah…

“To you, this is practically your first outing into the martial world, isn’t it, Young Cult Leader? Who knows when you’ll get another chance like this—you should enjoy it to the fullest.”

“…!”

Honestly, Qinghai Province was too remote and rural to be considered a proper debut, so I excluded it.

The true essence of the Central Plains lay in the regions divided by the Yangtze River—Gangnam and Gangbuk.

I wanted to give her good memories from this opportunity if possible.

“On the way, let’s stop at famous inns, taste local delicacies, and visit famous landmarks and scenic spots. Even if we switch horses along the way, it won’t take more than fifteen days to reach the main headquarters of the Murim Alliance.”

“I-I see.”

Cheon Yura’s expression immediately softened, and a slight smile formed.

“Hmph!”

Baek Sang-ah pouted, clearly not thrilled with my plan, but she didn’t argue further.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Considering Cheon Yura’s identity, it was unlikely she’d have another chance to walk openly in the martial world.

Maybe only if the Orthodox-Demonic War truly broke out.

“Though… there is one thing that worries me a little…”

“…What is it?”

“I’ve heard that all sorts of riffraff are already gathering near Shaanxi.”

Her face turned cold in an instant.

“Are they people trying to gain fame by targeting our cult…”

“Exactly. In truth, the odds of our identities being discovered are close to zero.”

At most, five people—including the Cult Leader—knew our itinerary.

That meant it was top-level classified information.

“If there’s a concern, it’s Lady Baek…”

Both Cheon Yura and I turned our gaze to Baek Sang-ah.

She was the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader and a cherished daughter of the Namcheon Baek Clan.

On top of that, she was a rising star in the Central Plains, known by the title of Four Phoenixes, the Southern Lotus Sword Flower.

At that moment.

Cheon Yura looked at Baek Sang-ah with a strangely fond(?) expression.

“W-What’s with that look?”

“Hmm…”

After trailing off for a moment, Cheon Yura spoke sincerely.

“You seem more suited to the Demonic Three Blossoms than the Four Phoenixes…”

“Waaah!!”

Baek Sang-ah immediately panicked and lunged to cover her mouth.

Demonic Three Blossoms.

A name not widely known, but clearly associated with three young female experts belonging to the Heavenly Demon Cult.

The rumor, which began from the high-ranking members of the Evil Overlords of Heaven, had slowly spread throughout the Central Plains.

First Blossom, Demonic Heavenly Flower.

Second Blossom, Demonic Sword Flower.

Third Blossom, Demonic Golden Flower.

Originally, the cult only had the Six Demonic Dragons as counterparts to the Six Divine Dragons of the Orthodox Faction—there was no title equivalent to the Four Phoenixes.

However, with the Evil Overlords of Heaven spreading the rumor voluntarily, the cult had begun considering making “Demonic Three Blossoms” an official title.

And the one most opposed to that movement—

“N-No way! Absolutely not! If my clan or the Orthodox Faction finds out I’m the Demonic Sword Flower…”

“Hmm, I shall personally handle your cult initiation.”

“Kyaaah! Are you teasing me right now?!”

‘…No matter how you look at it, she’s totally teasing her.’

Though Cheon Yura’s face remained expressionless as usual.

Having known her long enough, I could read the mischief behind that blank face.

With a sigh, I grabbed Baek Sang-ah’s flailing arms from behind.

“Well, it should be fine. Honestly, unless we bump into someone from a noble family who actually knows her face, there’s little chance anyone will recognize Lady Baek.”

“That’s true. But there is one surefire way to hide her identity.”

“…And what would that be?”

“You should wear a mask like mine—”

“Are you crazy?!”

“……”

Cheon Yura’s expression sulked, which was rare.

She looked like an older sister whose tastes had just been rejected by her beloved younger sibling.

And so, at present—

As planned, we had left the Ten Thousand Mountain Range and safely arrived in Huayin after about seven days and nights, passing through Xi’an.

“Once we get past Mount Hua’s territory, there’s no need to worry any further.”

“Phew, they really did swarm in like wild dogs.”

Cheon Yura shook her head, as if exasperated.

Just in the area around Xi’an, we’d encountered thousands of martial artists.

Most were wandering fighters or lowlifes, but among them were mid-tier sects with real influence in their local regions.

Because of that, my plan to enjoy sightseeing in the great city of Xi’an had gone up in smoke.

“At this rate, things might spiral beyond just this one incident.”

Even I could sense how the Orthodox factions were rallying together in a rather serious manner.

However—

“It won’t last long. Our cult’s delegation will depart soon, and negotiations with the Murim Alliance will take months.”

Even martial artists weren’t bandits wielding blades for nothing—they couldn’t just linger indefinitely in a foreign land waiting for a chance.

“But we do have to be cautious about bumping into people from noble clans. We saw quite a few young heirs from prestigious families in Xi’an.”

Successors of noble families had a fair amount of freedom in their actions as long as they could take responsibility.

Which meant that if we were unlucky, we could run into them again.

“Once we pass through here, we’ll reach Luoyang in two days at most. It’s unlikely anything will happen in that time, right? Let’s just hold out till then.”

“…Fine.”

With her chance to tour Xi’an ruined, Cheon Yura nodded, now setting her hopes on the ancient city of Luoyang.

However—

Maybe it’s true that words have power?

Because we happened to run into what appeared to be successors from the Five Great Noble Clans in a not-so-large inn.

More importantly—

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

The moment that slipped out of Baek Sang-ah’s mouth—

And the moment the gaze of those Orthodox successors turned toward us—

Both Cheon Yura and I instantly sensed that things had gone completely sideways.

–What are you doing?

–What the hell are you doing, Lady?

Baek Sang-ah’s face turned bright red in an instant.

‘Th-That was…’

The Heavenly Demon Cult had really messed her up.

No matter how mad she was, it was unacceptable for a high-level expert to lose control and blurt something out like that…

‘Though, I get it emotionally.’

The Namgung Clan, head of the Five Great Noble Clans, and the Namcheon Baek Clan, part of the Southern Heavenly Twin Clans—

Both had core influence in Anhui and Jiangxi Provinces and fiercely competed over control of Nanchang, a major city.

Their relationship was as hostile as the Extreme Blade Clan and the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan…

No—saying that just made the Jin blood in me recoil, so let’s go with Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan and the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan.

Anyway, if someone from the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan had insulted the Jin Clan in front of me?

–Whoever it was, I’d make sure their jaw rotated to the back of their head. They wouldn’t be chewing food again, that’s for sure.

–Would you say that in front of the Sword Demon?

–The point is, they’re that much of bitter enemies.

–You’re dodging the question.

Either way, spilled water can’t be scooped back into the bowl.

Now that this woman named Jegal Eun had noticed Baek Sang-ah’s identity, running was useless.

One way or another, we had to fix this mess.

‘Namgung Cheong, huh. That must be the Sky-Soaring Sword Dragon.’

He was the only male in their group who was also a successor of the Orthodox Six Divine Dragons.

But then—

“L-Lady Baek?!”

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly, Namgung Cheong’s face turned just as red as Baek Sang-ah’s.

I instinctively knew that redness wasn’t from anger—it had to be something else.

‘No way… is he…?’

I stood from my seat and slowly approached Namgung Cheong.

Then, I respectfully cupped my fists and bowed.

“My apologies. Our young lady has a bit of a fiery temper and must’ve reacted strongly to a trivial comment.”

“Ah…”

Namgung Cheong missed the timing to reply and trailed off.

That was when a sharp voice cut in from nearby.

“And who might you be?”

I turned my gaze toward the voice.

She had a sharp aura, distinct from Cheon Yura, and wore unmistakable green garments that indicated her identity.

“You must be Lady Dang Seryeong, the Poisonous Enchantress of the Four Phoenixes.”

“Hmph, at least your eyes work properly.”

Despite her sharp tone, she scoffed in a coy way. As a member of the Four Phoenixes, she did have her charm.

Though in every way, she still didn’t compare to Cheon Yura!

“I’m Lady Baek’s bodyguard.”

“…And a mere bodyguard dares to speak here?”

“True, but as a fellow member of the Southern Heavens, it’s my duty to clean up after the one I serve.”

Smiling gently, I turned to Namgung Cheong and made a suggestion.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? If you’re alright with it, would you care to join us?”

Namgung Cheong’s ears twitched at the word “join.”

“C-Cough! J-Join, you say?”

“The Namgung and Namcheon Clans may have their issues, but that’s a matter for our elders. As fellow successors of the Seven Great Noble Clans, shouldn’t we at least try to get along? Come, please—join us.”

I casually took Namgung Cheong’s arm and guided him over to sit beside Baek Sang-ah.

Once he realized where we were heading, he didn’t resist and let himself be pulled along.

“……”

And Baek Sang-ah, watching all this unfold, looked utterly dumbfounded.

“H-Hey!”

Changing his status to a bodyguard was one thing, but now the grand young lord of a Demonic noble clan was lying so shamelessly?!

And introducing her as someone from the Namcheon Baek Clan?!

“Y-You con arti—!”

Just before she could cause another scene—

Cheon Yura cut her off with a sharp remark.

“It’s your karma. Handle it properly.”

“……”

Baek Sang-ah’s mouth clamped shut.

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