Chapter 68: A Late Greeting

“What the hell, why isn’t this bastard coming back?”

The senior blacksmith cursed harshly while holding a sword, directing his foul language at the new assistant who had disappeared.

That crazy bastard had vanished without a word and hadn’t shown up for a long time.

At first, he thought maybe the boy had gotten lost, but at this point, there was more than enough time to deliver all the repairs to every training ground and return.

When the senior blacksmith glanced to the side, he saw a mountain of piled-up repair requests.

“Haa.”

A sigh escaped him.

It looked like he would have to go himself at this rate.

He had tried to shove the task onto another assistant, but they were already busy carrying repair goods for the other senior blacksmiths.

Helplessly, he rose to his feet.

It was about the time when Dae Noya would be returning to the forge.

He planned to head there, complain about this absurd situation, and the moment that crazy new assistant returned, he would kick him out.

But the closer he got to Dae Noya’s furnace—

‘…Huh?’

The senior blacksmith sensed something unusual.

It was too quiet.

Dae Noya’s hammering sounds were completely absent.

Normally, whenever Dae Noya returned from outside duties like today, he would throw himself into his work even more frantically than usual.

As if he was trying to make up for the wasted time, he would work with a terrifying obsession.

But now—

What… what was this?

Today’s Dae Noya was undeniably strange.

“This… what is this?”

“What the hell… impossible…”

“Who on earth would…”

Dae Noya muttered incoherently, his eyes cloudy and unfocused, repeating words that made no sense.

He looked like a man possessed by a ghost, his eerie state sending chills down the senior blacksmith’s spine.

And then, he noticed something in Dae Noya’s hand.

A practice sword. One of the blades the blacksmiths had been repairing.

In that instant, he realized it must be that sword which had driven Dae Noya into such furious rage.

But who in their right mind would dare to place their weapon at Dae Noya’s station—

‘Ah!’

Only then did the senior blacksmith recall the crazy new assistant walking away from Dae Noya’s workspace.

Just then, Dae Noya whipped his head around and glared straight at him.

Startled, the senior blacksmith froze as Dae Noya barked,

“You.”

“Y-yes??”

“Who put this here?”

“I-I-It wasn’t me! It was that new… that new assistant earlier…”

“…New assistant?”

Bang!

Before the trembling senior blacksmith could finish, the door of the forge burst open with explosive force.

A group of martial artists stepped inside.

Under normal circumstances, such an intrusion would never have been allowed, but—

The icy, blade-like gazes of the warriors made it impossible for anyone to object.

“Where is the one called Unhwi?!”

“…!!”

When the new assistant’s name left their mouths, the senior blacksmith felt his vision spin and go dark.

The Murim Alliance’s Grand Conference Hall.

Azure Dragon Hall.

‘What in the world is going on…?’

Sitting at the head seat was the Alliance’s Chief Strategist, Jaegal Hoon.

With the Alliance Leader absent, he had been urgently called to preside over this emergency meeting.

The massive conference table shaped like the character for “boundary” (冂) dominated the hall, with Jaegal Hoon seated at its center.

“To think a spy could infiltrate the main compound of the Murim Alliance in broad daylight!”

“This is utterly absurd!”

“Lord Moyong, how could you manage the outer walls so carelessly!”

On the right sat the Elders of the Elder Faction.

“And how is this Lord Moyong’s fault!”

“Wasn’t the task of recruiting new blacksmith assistants and verifying their backgrounds transferred to Lord Hwangbo’s department?”

“Not only that, you even cut manpower to save costs, and now that trouble arises, you’re quick to shift the blame?”

On the left were the Elders of the Alliance Leader’s Faction.

Lastly, the three neutral Elders—

“Keheh, what a spectacle. Truly a mess.”

The only one among them who had shown up was Beggars’ Sect’s Long-Headed Branch Leader, Hong Ilshin, known as the Drunken Freak.

He had spread a straw mat on the floor, lying down while chuckling as he watched the chaos unfold.

Just as he said, the meeting was a complete disaster.

Despite an unprecedented crisis where a spy had infiltrated the Alliance’s forge and even assaulted Mount Hua’s great disciple, the Elder Faction wasn’t seeking the truth of the incident.

They were acting as if they had finally found leverage, going wild with accusations.

“Ahem, what’s more important is that the Alliance Leader is absent in a situation like this!”

“Indeed! What if Lord Namgung hadn’t acted swiftly to secure the spy’s capture?”

Instead of investigating, they focused on condemning Yoo Jinhak, the Alliance Leader, for being away on travels.

At that moment, anger flashed in Jaegal Hoon’s eyes.

‘So this is your scheme, Namgung Myeong—you intend to use this incident to topple the Alliance Leader!’

As the one regarded as the greatest mind of the Murim Alliance, Jaegal Hoon quickly saw through the hidden intent behind the Elder Faction’s words.

Yet Namgung Myeong, despite Jaegal Hoon’s seething glare, only smiled warmly, as if nothing was amiss.

Creak!

Just then, the doors of Azure Dragon Hall opened.

A squad of warriors in black martial uniforms, their shoulders embroidered with the character for “law,” entered while escorting a prisoner.

It was the warriors of the Court of Justice, the Alliance’s disciplinary arm.

“Court Lord Somoon Gyeong reporting. We have brought the criminal.”

Leading them was the Heartless Sword of Blood, Somoon Gyeong, who bowed respectfully to Jaegal Hoon.

But Jaegal Hoon could not immediately respond.

‘W-what in the world…?’

It was the condition of the prisoner that shocked him.

This was no simple escort of a bound man.

The prisoner’s arms were shackled—

Both legs were shackled.

His face was bound with a device that covered his eyes, ears, and mouth, leaving only a small hole to breathe through.

“Court Lord! A Snow Spirit Stone restraint? That is a method only used when escorting Great Demonic Leaders who committed massacres!”

Snow Spirit Stone, mined in minute quantities from the icy grounds of the North Sea, was an ore imbued with extreme yin energy.

Restraints crafted from it had the highest effectiveness, but they inflicted pain so severe it was akin to torture.

Because of this, after Yoo Jinhak became Alliance Leader, such items had been banned.

So Jaegal Hoon raised his voice, but Somoon Gyeong answered in a tone as devoid of emotion as his moniker.

“I apologize, Chief Strategist, but Elder Namgung has already given his permission.”

“…!!”

Jaegal Hoon’s eyes shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake.

Had even the Court Lord fallen into Namgung’s grasp?

“Hmph, it’s obvious he’s a spy from the Demonic Alliance. He’s no different from a demonic practitioner.”

“It is far too early to conclude this is the Demonic Alliance’s doing! If we torture someone whose guilt is unproven, how are we any different from heretical scum?”

“What did you just say?! Heretical scum?”

When Hwangbo Geon sneered, Jaegal Hoon’s eyes blazed with fury.

As his opponent flinched, Jaegal Hoon pressed on.

“The personal information submitted to enter the forge was full of flaws. After his skills were tested and he was placed as an assistant, the Alliance was supposed to verify the truth. Even claiming Kaifeng as his origin was suspicious—anyone could see it was set up to be uncovered quickly. It’s as if he wanted to be caught!”

“Clicking his tongue, Hwangbo Geon retorted, “A stupid bastard made a mistake, what’s so suspicious about that?”

“Then how will you explain what he did inside the forge?”

“What is there to explain? He just touched practice weapons…”

“That man created a Treasure Weapon and placed it at Dae Noya’s station.”

“?!”

“What… he made what?”

“He created a Treasure Weapon??”

At Jaegal Hoon’s words, even Namgung Myeong could not hide his surprise.

It was something Dae Noya and Dong Cheonrip had only confided to him.

“D-Dae Noya, is this true?”

“You’re saying that man… truly created a Treasure Weapon?”

The Elders’ eyes gleamed with greed.

Even artisans leading massive powers like the Nine Sects and One Gang could not hide such primal desire, for Treasure Weapons held unimaginable value.

As silence fell and everyone awaited Dae Noya’s reply, the man himself, attending as a witness, stiffly nodded.

Many gasped sharply.

“See for yourselves. What spy would infiltrate to bring benefits?”

“…”

“And Mount Hua’s great disciple—strictly speaking, he was not injured in battle. The man was only arrested by the Court while carrying the unconscious disciple in his arms.”

“…”

“When Elder Cheon returns from checking on his disciple—”

“Hmm, this is strange.”

At that moment, Namgung Myeong interrupted with a voice that cut like a blade.

Until now he had been silent, but now he fixed Jaegal Hoon with a chilling gaze.

Though he used no qi, everyone present felt a crushing pressure.

Dominating the hall with a single phrase, Namgung Myeong spoke again.

“The more I listen, the more it seems you, Chief Strategist, are ignoring the facts and speaking only delusions.”

“What do you—”

“While the Alliance Leader is absent—”

Namgung Myeong cut him off.

“—a spy breached the Alliance’s defenses.”

“…”

“That spy attacked Mount Hua’s great disciple, yet we have no means of contacting the Alliance Leader.”

“…!”

“Worse still, not one of us even knows where the Alliance Leader is, nor what he is doing.”

“…!”

“Yet you defend the spy, Chief Strategist. Why is that?”

“That’s not—”

“Or perhaps you spin fancies to cover for the Alliance Leader’s failings?”

“Lord Namgung!!”

“Since when was the Alliance Leader’s seat one that allowed idle travels abroad?”

“!!”

Like a serpent’s tongue, Namgung Myeong’s words lashed out.

Yet his performance was that of a loyal subject, concerned only for the Murim Alliance.

“If this man is truly a spy of the Demonic Alliance or a demonic practitioner, neither I nor the Elders will stand idly by!”

“And if you will not stand idly by, what will you do?”

Sword King Paeng Taesan, Head of the Hebei Paeng Clan, loyal follower of the Alliance Leader, glared with fiery eyes.

But Namgung Myeong dismissed his fury as if it were nothing.

“The times have changed. If the Alliance Leader has lost his former wisdom and no longer fulfills his duty, then we must establish a new order…”

“Hmph, I had hoped to hold my tongue out of respect for seniority. But it seems that is no longer possible.”

“!!”

An intruding voice cut through the chamber.

Everyone felt not just shock, but dread.

Ssssshh!

Craaaack!

Every martial artist in the hall drew qi up from their dantian, turning toward the source of the sound.

At the center of the hall.

The prisoner’s face, once concealed beneath the restraints, was now completely visible.

While all had been distracted by the debate between Namgung Myeong and Jaegal Hoon, the bindings had vanished without a trace.

And in that instant, the reason became clear.

“You…!”

“My apologies for the late greeting.”

Chiiiiii!!

A dark green miasma of poison mist erupted from the prisoner’s body in an instant, melting away the shackles,

the leg irons—

“I am Tang Sewoon, rightful heir of the Sichuan Tang Clan.”

—dissolving even the Human-Skin Mask in a single breath.

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