Chapter 26
In the Black Lotus Sect (1)
Voices he had never heard before suddenly joined in.
[Now, now, gentlemen—! Instead of making such a fuss, how about we decide the order fairly?]
[Hahaha—! What in the world is all this racket? I went through all that trouble to enter the Celestial Vault just to see this nonsense?! Unbelievable—!]
[Damn it—! Hey, Dharma! Quit yapping. If you want something, say it quick, before that kid changes his mind—!]
[Hey, Sambong. Don’t you have anything you’d like to leave for your descendants? Keep holding back like that and your turn will get pushed way to the back. Hurry up—!]
Dharma!
And Sambong!
Kang Yong-un’s jaw dropped wide open.
Could it be—the Venerable Bodhidharma and Zhang Sanfeng they were talking about?!
[Amitabha! Child, forgive me, but… if you ever have the time, could you perhaps go to Songshan on my behalf…]
[Phew—! Primordial Celestial Venerable, forgive me. Yet what else can I do? This is the last lingering wish I have left. Child, if you ever have the time, could you perhaps go to Mount Wudang…]
It seemed to be true.
Calling upon Amitabha and the Primordial Celestial Venerable, then suddenly mentioning Songshan and Wudang—what else could it mean?
[Child, are you listening? I, during my earthly years, was known by the secular name…]
[Boy, in the mortal world, I was once called…]
For quite some time afterward, the beings of the Celestial Vault continued to pour out their requests to Kang Yong-un.
He just sat there, dumbfounded, unable to say a single word—only listening.
By the time nearly half an hour had passed, silence fell.
‘So the battle must be over already.’
Indeed, it was.
“From this day forth, I proclaim a new iron law of the Black Lotus Sect—!”
The Red Dragon King emerged, roaring.
He had won.
“The Black Lotus Sect is not mine alone, but the homeland of both the Black Lotus Cult and the old Black Night Moon Sect. Therefore, the position of successor will be open and fair to all who are worthy!”
It was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
But Sub-lord Yeom Jung-ho and Young Master Yeom Gi-jin didn’t even blink.
The Red Dragon King’s roar continued.
“Work hard, all of you! Prove your strength honorably and fairly. Then the path will open to you. Understood?”
“Uwoooahhh—!”
“Long live the Black Lotus Sect—!”
“Long live the Red Dragon King—!”
A thunderous cheer exploded.
Even greater than the joy of victory—it was the ecstasy of those who had thought themselves doomed.
The warriors of the old Black Night Moon lineage, who had believed they were all about to be slaughtered, now realized they had been spared.
Their roars of relief and elation fused together as one.
“Well done, Father.”
“I’ll give it my all too—!”
“Hah. I know you will. I believe in you.”
Rather than sulk, Yeom Jung-ho and Yeom Gi-jin were burning with fighting spirit.
‘So this is why, along with the Martial Alliance, the Black Lotus Sect divides the martial world of the Central Plains in two…’
Kang Yong-un couldn’t help but nod. His chest burned hot.
***
The purge within the Black Lotus Sect was carried out quietly, and with restraint.
Only the Patrol Hall Lord and a few key figures who had sided with the Great Elder and handed Yeom Gi-jin over to betrayal were removed.
‘Phew—! Harsh, yes, but unavoidable.’
Their martial arts were crippled, and they were cast out of the sect.
A fate crueler than death.
But in accordance with the agreement made with the Great Elder, that was all the blood the sect shed.
‘By martial world standards, that’s actually merciful.’
If the Red Dragon King had been a more violent or cruel man, every last warrior of the old Black Night Moon line might have been wiped out.
They were, in fact, grateful the purge had been no worse.
Three days passed.
Kang Yong-un felt the time had come.
“I’ll be taking my leave now, Sub-lord.”
“Son-in-law! You brat.”
“Ah! Yes, Father-in-law.”
His declaration of departure earned only a scolding.
“Since things have been settled well enough, I should take my leave.”
“No.”
The Sub-lord blocked him outright.
“Why not?”
“Why? Your Grandfather-in-law is still in seclusion circulating his energy. You’re just going to leave like this?”
“Ah—!”
“See him first, or he’ll be so hurt he might chase after you.”
“Ha ha ha. Surely not…”
But Yeom Jung-ho’s expression was firm.
‘Surely not? …Really?’
Would the mighty Red Dragon King, Lord of the Black Lotus Sect, truly chase after him just because his newly acknowledged grandson-in-law left without a proper farewell?
“Father may be magnanimous, but when it comes to things like this, he really holds grudges, Brother,” Yeom Gi-jin warned.
‘Damn.’
There was no choice. He would have to wait until the Red Dragon King’s cultivation session was complete.
“Very well, Father-in-law.”
“Wahaha! That’s the right decision.”
Yeom Jung-ho laughed heartily in triumph.
Then, as though it were nothing, he handed Kang Yong-un a small slip of paper.
‘What’s this?’
Unfolding it casually, Kang Yong-un froze. It was news from the Martial Alliance.
‘Ah—!’
A breath escaped him in astonishment.
It was about the renegade sorcerer, who had been trapped within the Alliance’s encirclement.
– Report: The enemy leader known as the Apostate Sorcerer has broken through the Martial Alliance’s encirclement.
The Alliance’s main net, composed of the Four Dragon Divisions of Azure Dragon Hall—Heavenly Dragon, Earthly Dragon, Mysterious Dragon, Yellow Dragon—each with one hundred warriors, was pierced effortlessly.
Enemy forces: One unidentified renegade master, five phantom-summoners, one hundred seventy-five ronin.
Casualties: Fifteen dead and thirty-five seriously wounded from four Azure Dragon sub-groups.
Kang Yong-un’s mouth fell open.
The scale of damage was far worse than he had imagined.
‘To deal such losses to the Martial Alliance and escape intact…’
He had known the Apostate Sorcerer was formidable—after all, the writhing, sinister blood-energy in his dantian had been almost comparable to the Red Dragon King’s.
‘Was it just bad luck?’
But still—how had he alone broken through the great Heavenly Net formation that the famed Grand Strategist of the Alliance must surely have deployed?
‘And the Alliance Leader and Elders—where were they, that they let him slip away?!’
It was astonishing.
The phrase “Man proposes, Heaven disposes” kept echoing in his head.
‘At this rate, the Martial Alliance will have no choice but to keep insisting I’m their strategist.’
That was the only way his plan—to put the Black Lotus Sect in the Alliance’s debt—could succeed.
Yeom Jung-ho confirmed it, drawing the line firmly.
“Be proud, Un. The true credit this time belongs to you alone.”
“You really are incredible, Brother. I heard from Grandfather that you pinpointed the enemy leader’s location exactly, and arrived there ahead of time!”
Not the Martial Alliance—him.
It meant the Black Lotus Sect owed its debt solely to Kang Yong-un.
Which put him in a bind.
‘They think so highly of me…’
But he wasn’t truly the Alliance’s strategist. He couldn’t saddle the Black Lotus Sect with a false debt to the Martial Alliance.
‘Phew—! I need to make this clear.’
Conscience wouldn’t let him pass it over.
“Father-in-law, there’s something I must say.”
“Oh?”
“I am not the strategist of the Martial Alliance. I only sat for the Military Department’s examination at the Hero Tournament, and left before the results were even announced.”
He told the truth.
Yeom Jung-ho immediately chuckled.
“I didn’t know the details, but I already guessed you weren’t really the Alliance’s strategist.”
Then he added something surprising.
“Hahaha. If you truly were, would you have been wandering Honghobian alone, loitering in front of the renegades’ formations without any guards?”
That was intuition.
As the Sub-lord of the Black Lotus Sect, Yeom Jung-ho had shown sound judgment.
“That’s why I said earlier—the credit belongs to you alone.”
Kang Yong-un could only give a sheepish laugh.
“Ha ha ha. It feels like I’ve been stripped bare, Father-in-law.”
“Hahaha. Think nothing of it. I’m glad you showed me your sincerity.”
His tone grew warmer.
“I repeat—the merit is yours alone.”
Meaning, it had nothing to do with the Alliance.
Kang Yong-un felt at ease.
“As they say: man makes plans, Heaven decides. I may have used my head a little, but truly it was Grandfather and Father-in-law who brought success.”
What use is the best strategy, if the decision-maker makes a foolish choice? Then tactics and plans become nothing but empty words.
He truly believed that.
Most people ignore even the soundest advice.
“Haha! My father’s eye for people was indeed spot-on. I’m glad. Misfortune turned to blessing—after nearly losing Gi-jin, we gained another son like you.”
Yeom Jung-ho laughed long and loud.
At length, he sobered, and asked in a serious tone:
“Tell me, is there anything you desire?”
He was offering a gift.
Kang Yong-un tilted his head.
A gift?
What did he lack right now? Nothing came to mind.
Gold? Fame? Medicine? None of that mattered to someone cultivating the Grand Celestial Divine Art.
There was only one thing he truly wished for—
Jin Yeong-hwi.
‘That’s right. I’ve been seeking a way to meet her.’
Perhaps through the Black Lotus Sect, he could connect.
The retired Provincial Commissioner of Hunan, perhaps?
Cautiously, he asked:
“Would you be able to arrange a meeting for me, Father-in-law?”
“A meeting?”
“Yes.”
Not gold, nor martial arts, nor medicine?!
Yeom Jung-ho’s eyes went wide.
“If it’s someone connected to our sect, of course I can arrange it.”
He looked keenly at Kang Yong-un, eager to hear the name.
“Well, it’s just that…”
Blushing slightly in embarrassment, Kang Yong-un finally spoke.
***
Night had deepened.
In her guest residence, Strategist Jeongal Hye-ryeong sat quietly in thought.
‘Truly remarkable.’
Her mind was full of Kang Yong-un.
‘To stand boldly against the Apostate Sorcerer with nothing but a third-rate sword art?!’
If it were only courage, it would have been reckless bravado.
But Kang Yong-un had not only withstood the enemy’s assault—he had even struck back beautifully, with the Three Talents Sword Art.
‘And more than that—he instantly grasped the meaning of my hastily shouted words, and acted accordingly.’
She had been shocked.
Who would have imagined that, at the heart of the encirclement, she would find not the enemy or the Red Dragon King, but Kang Yong-un?
‘He took the exam, but left before even seeing the results. Why did he appear here?’
The reason was unknown.
But she had to prepare for every possibility.
He was too valuable. After all, he had sat for the Military Department’s strategist exam at the Hero Tournament.
‘If the Red Dragon King truly intends to make a move, there’s nothing I can do. But still, I claimed aloud that he was a Martial Alliance strategist, just to make him hesitate…’
He could have panicked—but instead, with just a look into her eyes, he adapted naturally.
‘And another thing…’
It had been nearly a hundred years since the renegades vanished.
Yet somehow, Kang Yong-un saw through their sorcery at a glance.
‘Even in the early battle, the Red Dragon King was ensnared in their illusions and achieved little.’
But Kang Yong-un had stood against one of the renegades’ top masters and endured.
Even more shocking—without his advice, Chief Fanggeuk and Captain Yu Seong-jin would already be dead.
‘Just what other secrets is he hiding?’
Her curiosity grew larger and larger.
And as if to answer it, a voice came from outside.
“Deputy Strategist. It’s Kang Yong-un. May I see you for a moment?”
He had come himself.
“Ah! Pl-please, come in—!”
Jeongal Hye-ryeong hurried to her feet, flustered, and opened the door to welcome him.
