I sat inside the tent, wiping the Silver Mist Sword with a cloth.
In truth, the Silver Mist Sword stayed razor-sharp without ever needing to be honed, and blood never clung to its blade.
There was no real need to clean it. I was only doing it to help sort out my thoughts.
Swish, swish.
Sitting on the simple cot, I continued wiping the Silver Mist Sword as I turned over the matter that had been bothering me.
It was the ransom Blood-Eyed Sword Demon had demanded for the hostages.
Thirty thousand seok of rice, I could understand.
But demanding a hundred slaves and the right to govern their territory autonomously made no sense at all.
After traveling as a merchant for decades and dealing with Forest Bandits throughout the entire empire, I could confidently say I knew how they operated.
They were far more perceptive and calculating than most people realized.
They didn't bother making demands they knew had absolutely no chance of being accepted.
Except in one situation.
When they wanted to provoke a fight or manufacture a justification for one.
Think about it.
There was no chance we would agree to their demands.
Which left us with only one option.
Organize a rescue force and save the people being held in the cave.
But what if I hadn't used the Path-Revealing Map to get the captives safely out of that cave?
Even if the rescue force managed to reach the cave, they wouldn't have been able to save the people trapped inside.
Then even if we wiped out every Forest Bandit in this area, the result would have been nothing more than a hollow victory.
A considerable number of those hostages came from influential sects throughout Sichuan.
And if all of them died during the campaign against the Forest Bandits?
Their sects would be devastated, and there was no chance they'd come away from it with favorable feelings toward the authorities.
After all, whatever the circumstances, those people had answered the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and Crown Prince's request for cooperation, joined the operation under the Hundred-Man Commander's orders, and then died because of it.
Worse still, Qingcheng Sect had already suffered considerable losses in the recent earthquake. If Sichuan's Orthodox Sects lost another large group of younger generation prodigies on top of that, the entire Orthodox martial world in Sichuan would be weakened.
And if Sichuan's Orthodox martial world weakened while its relationship with the authorities and Imperial Family turned cold…
I didn't even want to imagine it.
That only made me even more certain.
This could never have been Blood-Eyed Sword Demon's idea.
He deliberately made demands like that when a single mistake could lead to his entire stronghold being annihilated?
It made no sense.
Someone who had done him some kind of ‘favor’ must have ordered him to do it.
And there was an extremely high chance that someone was the Asura Blood Cult.
The Asura Blood Cult also must have offered Blood-Eyed Sword Demon something valuable enough to lure him into accepting.
But what could they have offered him?
“What has you thinking so deeply?”
Pulled from my thoughts, I looked to the side.
Escort Guard Seo Wu had finished inspecting his weapon and was sliding his sword back into its sheath.
I shook my head and answered.
“Ah… I've just had a lot on my mind.”
“I see. I hope I didn't interrupt you unnecessarily.”
“Not at all. Actually, there's something I'd like to ask you.”
“Please do.”
My Escort Guards already knew about the Asura Blood Cult, so I spoke freely.
“My guess is that Blood-Eyed Sword Demon isn't acting alone. There's a good chance the Asura Blood Cult is manipulating him from behind the scenes.”
“Them again.”
“Yes. They must have known Blood-Eyed Sword Demon's stronghold would be targeted for extermination, yet they still told him to make those demands. If that's the case, they must also have offered him something valuable enough to make him agree.”
“That would make sense.”
“What I've been wondering is this. What could they possibly have offered Blood-Eyed Sword Demon?”
Escort Guard Seo Wu thought for a moment before speaking.
“I've heard about Blood-Eyed Sword Demon before. In fact, he was originally one of the Forest Bandits in a nearby stronghold led by a man known as Sugar Pig.”
“Now that you mention it, I remember hearing about him. They called him that because he had an incredible fondness for sweets, didn't they?”
“Yes, that's right. Then Blood-Eyed Sword Demon killed him and became the new Chieftain.”
The Forest Bandits had an unusual rule.
If one of the subordinates wanted to become Chieftain, he had to challenge the current Chieftain of his stronghold and kill him.
Then all he had to do was take the dead Chieftain's head to the Forest Bandit King and be recognized as the new Chieftain.
“Afterward, he absorbed the nearby strongholds, gathered more men, and eventually built his forces up to their current size.”
“I see.”
“Before my body was ruined, I once traveled to Yunnan on an escort mission and happened to meet an old acquaintance. He had served under Sugar Pig, but when Blood-Eyed Sword Demon became the new Chieftain, he fled and started a new life. I heard a few things about Blood-Eyed Sword Demon from him.”
“Go on.”
“Apparently, Blood-Eyed Sword Demon has an unusually strong desire for fame. He's rather different from ordinary Forest Bandits in that regard.”
A strong desire for fame…
“They say he's especially obsessed with epithets.”
Well, an epithet was another form of fame.
I thought I finally understood what they had offered Blood-Eyed Sword Demon.
“Thank you. I think you've given me a good idea of what this is about.”
“I'm glad I could help. I'd had the feeling I'd heard something useful about him before, but it only came back to me a little while ago. I was actually about to mention it.”
“That was extremely useful information. Thank you.”
I continued.
“That man sacrificed his own subordinates just to lure in the suppression force. And he must have received the arrow we fired earlier as well.”
“Yes. He should have.”
“On top of that, the Asura Blood Cult has promised him a suitable reward. So how do you think a man like that will act now?”
Escort Guard Lee Pil, who had been silently listening to our conversation, answered.
“Obviously, he'll run.”
“That's what I think as well.”
I rose from my seat.
“Then shall we play the vanguard?”
* * *
It was the dead of night, with darkness covering everything.
Blood-Eyed Sword Demon quietly left his quarters.
“Ah! Chieftain!”
“Where are you going?”
At the sentries' questions, Blood-Eyed Sword Demon coldly shot back.
“Do I need to report every place I go to you now?”
“Gasp! N-no, of course not!”
“Forgive us!”
As they hurriedly dropped to the ground and apologized, Blood-Eyed Sword Demon's expression softened into one of benevolence.
“I was too harsh. My apologies.”
“We overstepped ourselves.”
“Actually, I'm going to have a look at their temporary camp.”
“What?”
“Are you going to scout it personally, Chieftain?”
“Yes. It's dangerous work, and I need to see the situation with my own eyes before I can come up with an accurate plan.”
“Ch-Chieftain…”
The sentries looked genuinely moved, and Blood-Eyed Sword Demon waved a hand at them.
“Carry on, then.”
“Yes!”
“Ah, and don't tell anyone else you saw me. Understood?”
After repeatedly warning them to keep quiet, Blood-Eyed Sword Demon left the stronghold. The sentries watched him go, tilting their heads slightly.
Their confusion came from the enormous bundle strapped to Blood-Eyed Sword Demon's back. Even at a glance, it looked extremely heavy.
But they soon assumed it must contain supplies he needed for reconnaissance.
Meanwhile, Blood-Eyed Sword Demon smirked.
‘They're so easy to fool.’
He had absolutely no intention of scouting the suppression force's temporary camp led by the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.
He intended to head straight for the safe house.
The bundle on his back was filled with all the gold, silver, and valuables he had accumulated over the years.
The suppression force would attack if the stronghold hadn't surrendered by 1 PM tomorrow, but there was no way the men still inside knew that.
So the subordinates he left behind would be exterminated without ever realizing what was happening.
But he had no intention of saving them.
‘Forgive me. But I swear your sacrifices won't be in vain. I'll use them to make my name resound even farther.’
He crossed the mountain and eventually reached the safe house.
The place had been thoroughly cleaned, and it looked as though he could stay there for quite some time without inconvenience.
“Is anyone there?”
Just then, someone's voice reached him.
“…!”
His body immediately stiffened with tension.
There was only one group that would come looking for him here.
But they had specifically told him to wait here for several days, so there was no reason for them to arrive this soon.
He cautiously moved to look out into the courtyard.
“Is anyone there?”
The voice came again.
“I know you're inside. I've brought something sent from above.”
He flinched at those words. It was the phrase ‘sent from above’ that caught his attention.
He opened the door and stepped into the courtyard.
“A pleasure to meet you.”
Someone standing in the darkness cupped his fists toward him. When the man raised his head, Blood-Eyed Sword Demon saw that he wore a smiling mask.
Only the white mask stood out clearly in the darkness.
“Ahem. And who might you be?”
“My identity isn't something I can reveal.”
“Then how am I supposed to trust you?”
“Why would you need to trust me?”
“Hm?”
“You should trust the people who sent me, not me.”
“…”
The masked man reached into the bundle he was carrying and pulled something out.
“Please take this.”
“What's this box?”
“The person who sent me said you would need to make some preparations.”
“Preparations?”
“Yes. I don't know the details myself. I was only instructed to tell you to take these while staying here and prepare yourself.”
With that, he opened the box.
Inside were six pills.
“Take one every two hours.”
Click.
He closed the box and held it out.
“Please take it.”
Blood-Eyed Sword Demon accepted the box, hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
“Look at me.”
“Yes.”
At that instant, light gleamed from his crimson eyes. The masked man's gaze immediately became dull and unfocused.
“Who sent you?”
“That person's name… cannot be revealed.”
“Were these pills really sent by them?”
“Yes.”
“Can I trust them?”
“Of course. Those people would never deceive you. To have been chosen by them is an immense honor.”
“I see. Now come back to your senses, and forget that I used the Soul-Bewitching Art on you.”
“Yes.”
Thump!
Blood-Eyed Sword Demon stamped his foot, and clarity returned to the masked man's previously clouded eyes.
“Uh… did I make some kind of mistake?”
“No. You didn't.”
Blood-Eyed Sword Demon shook his head and promptly dismissed him.
“I've received it safely. Convey my thanks to them.”
“Yes.”
The masked man departed, and Blood-Eyed Sword Demon grinned.
There was a limit to the Internal Power gained from a pill capable of raising someone from the Peak Realm all the way to the Transcendent Realm.
If that power was used for more than fifteen minutes, the body could no longer endure the strain and would begin to break down.
That was why those people had promised to provide him with a way to compensate for that weakness in the near future.
And now they had given him these pills.
There was no doubt about it.
These had to be the solution to his unstable power.
* * *
“Whew…”
I let out a quiet breath as I removed the mask.
“How did it go?”
“Fortunately, I think he fell for it completely.”
I answered Escort Guard Jin Yu, then placed the mask inside the Hidden Vault.
That's right.
I'd just returned from personally delivering the pills Elder Myriad-Cure Divine Physician had made for me to Blood-Eyed Sword Demon.
There had been several reasons I managed to stop Maeng Hyeon when he took the Extreme Martial Awakening Pill at Zhurong Palace and suddenly became vastly stronger.
First, I had happened to learn the Extreme Ice Sword through Patriarch's arrangement.
Second, I'd already fought against a Transcendent Realm expert before.
Third, the Extreme Martial Awakening Pill had severe side effects.
Because those side effects prevented Maeng Hyeon from maintaining a prolonged battle, I had ultimately been able to defeat him.
In fact, once the Extreme Martial Awakening Pill became known in my previous life, research had been conducted on it.
It wasn't an official Murim Alliance project, but research spearheaded by the Sichuan Tang Clan.
According to what I'd learned, there was a Spirit Herb that could neutralize the effects of the Extreme Martial Awakening Pill's key ingredient. If someone who had taken the Extreme Martial Awakening Pill consumed that herb, they would have difficulty drawing out the Internal Power accumulated through the pill.
Of course, it had no harmful effect whatsoever on anyone who had never taken the Extreme Martial Awakening Pill.
That Spirit Herb was the White Tiger Spirit Herb.
It was one of the many Spirit Herbs that had once grown all around the stronghold on Mount Wutong.
So I had Geumryeong bring some White Tiger Spirit Herb from Father, then asked Elder Myriad-Cure Divine Physician to use it to make pills.
Six pills in total.
A single pill would have been more than enough to produce the desired effect, but giving him only one might have made him suspicious, so I'd prepared six.
I'd already subdued Maeng Hyeon after he took the Extreme Martial Awakening Pill and suddenly gained tremendous strength. There was no reason I shouldn't be able to subdue Blood-Eyed Sword Demon as well.
But if there was a way to make the fight easier and reduce the danger to myself, why wouldn't I use it?
Some might call using medicine cowardly, but why should I care?
One wrong move could get me killed. Who cared about fighting fair when my life was on the line?
Besides, if anyone was a coward here, it was Blood-Eyed Sword Demon for using a pill to take a shortcut into a higher realm in the first place.
Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am spoke.
“I was quite worried when you went there personally.”
“There was no helping it. There was a good chance he would use the Soul-Bewitching Art.”
I continued.
“And just as I expected, he really did use it.”
“Is that true?”
I nodded.
Apparently uneasy that someone he'd never seen before had come to the safe house, he had used the Soul-Bewitching Art on me and questioned me to uncover the truth.
So I deliberately pretended to fall under its influence.
My acting must have been fairly convincing, because he believed everything I told him.
“I'm looking forward to tomorrow.”
.
.
.
Morning came.
And eventually, it was noon, the time we'd agreed upon.
Just as expected, despite the letter we had sent to the stronghold, not a single weapon had been tied to a pole as a sign of surrender.
When the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner received the report, he rose from his seat.
“The time has come to begin the suppression.”
Everyone present immediately sharpened their gazes.
The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner called for me first.
“Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho.”
“Yes.”
“You said you would take the vanguard.”
“That's correct. But before that, there's something I need to tell you.”
–TL Notes–
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