Chapter 49
The moment the words “Golden-Robed Divine Maiden” were spoken, the grand hall of the Alliance Master fell silent — as though cold water had been poured over it.
That was because neither the Five Great Clans nor the Nine Sects held a favorable opinion of the Golden-Robed Divine Maiden.
In fact, very few — like the Namgung Clan — spoke positively of her at all.
Most of them regarded the Golden-Robed Divine Maiden as nothing more than “a strange woman who once healed the Demon Lord.”
Especially those sects and clans who had not received her healing fifty years ago — they held deep resentment.
They thought, “Instead of wasting time healing the Demon Lord, shouldn’t she have saved at least one more warrior of the righteous sects?”
“Is it true that the Golden-Robed Divine Maiden has appeared again? Where is she now?”
“…”
“She has said nothing about it,” another voice added. “Almost as if she’s hiding her.”
Instead of replying, Namgung Seonyul turned her gaze toward the Beggar Sect Master, who had been quietly observing.
The Beggar Sect — Gaebang — was the largest information network in the martial world, its members mostly beggars.
In other words, any beggar roaming the land who knew martial arts likely belonged to the Beggar Sect.
So the one who told the Alliance Master about the Golden-Robed Divine Maiden must have been Hong Siyoung, that wretch.
Hong Siyoung, the Beggar Sect Master, grinned at Namgung Seonyul.
The sight of his black, unwashed teeth made her mood even worse.
Filthy though he appeared, one could not look down on him — for Hong Siyoung was one of the Seven Masters Under Heaven.
His epithet was The Drunken Beggar.
Ordinarily, his martial energy seemed unremarkable, but once he drank and became truly drunk, the inner power he kept hidden exploded forth.
Thus the saying: “When Hong Siyoung is drunk, step back a hundred paces.”
“Clan Head, please answer,” said the abbot, Dharma Master Beomeum, instead of the silent Beggar Chief.
Namgung Seonyul exhaled deeply.
If Hong Siyoung had already told the Alliance Master about the Golden-Robed Divine Maiden, then most of the truth was likely already revealed.
There was no longer any point in concealing it.
She decided to first ease their greatest concern.
“That young lady merely possesses healing ability. She cannot simply be assumed to be the same Golden-Robed Divine Maiden from fifty years ago.”
But no one seemed convinced.
A heavy silence fell — until Hwangbo Dowoong spoke bluntly:
“But it is true that she has healing powers, is it not? If the demonic cult were still quiet, I wouldn’t care — but the Heavenly Demon has revived! What if history repeats itself as it did fifty years ago?”
The radical Hwangbo Dowoong looked ready to draw his blade and cut the Divine Maiden’s throat that very instant.
Namgung Seonyul’s eyes widened, and she immediately retorted,
“You need not worry about that. That young lady is a benefactor of the Namgung Clan — and a close friend of my son, Jin. There’s no reason for concern.”
“A close friend? The Three-Eyed Dragon Namgung Jin… wasn’t he— I mean— didn’t he shun women and devote himself only to martial cultivation?”
Did that bastard just try to call my son a eunuch?!
Namgung Seonyul’s aura flared viciously.
“Watch your tongue, Clan Head.”
“I only speak the truth. What, are you looking for a fight?”
The two masters — both at the peak of inner cultivation — radiated such fierce energy that nearby objects trembled and rattled across the floor.
Once again, it was Dharma Master Beomeum who stopped them.
With a deep voice infused with inner power, he commanded, “Enough, both of you.”
The weight of his voice was such that the two who had been glaring daggers at each other slowly retracted their auras.
“I respect both of your positions,” Beomeum said gravely. “Therefore, I believe we must reveal that young lady’s true identity in full.”
“Alliance Master…!”
“I say this not because I doubt her, but precisely so that I won’t have to. Once her identity is clear, there’ll be no reason for suspicion, will there?”
“…”
Namgung Seonyul, who had been about to argue, closed her lips. There was nothing to refute in that reasoning.
The abbot’s gaze shifted to a man who had not yet spoken — a scholarly-looking figure wearing a square scholar’s hat.
“What does Sir Scholar think?”
The man’s eyes curved into a crescent shape as he rose and bowed respectfully.
“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Baek Garim, here as strategist in place of Lord Jegal, head of the Jegal Clan.”
Baek Garim’s aura was calm, his demonic energy completely sealed — only a pure, scholarly energy could be felt from him.
That was thanks to the technique he practiced — The Dual-Polarity Heart Method, a rare art that allowed two opposing energies to coexist within one body.
Before he had fallen to the Demonic Path, Baek Garim had been a martial artist of the righteous sects.
Thus, a reservoir of pure inner energy still remained within his dantian.
To return to the matter — the Grand Strategist of the Martial Alliance had originally been Jegal Cheon, the head of the Jegal Clan.
But as Jegal Cheon’s health had recently declined, Baek Garim had been sent in his stead, bearing his endorsement.
“How could I, a junior, contradict the great elders here?” he began smoothly. “Yet, since the Alliance Master has asked, I must speak plainly.”
“Go on,” Beomeum said.
“I share the Alliance Master’s view. When something is mysterious, it is another way of saying its true nature is unclear.”
“Indeed.”
“And one whose origins are unknown cannot be trusted completely. We must uncover and define who she truly is — and ensure she does no harm to the martial world.”
“…”
“And so,” Baek Garim continued, “why not invite the Golden-Robed Divine Maiden into the Martial Alliance, granting her an official position? That way, not only could we keep track of her whereabouts, but also monitor her closely.”
Hwangbo Dowoong clapped his knee in approval.
“Oh! Now that’s a fine proposal. Baek Garim, was it? I like the way you think.”
“Thank you, Clan Head.”
Namgung Seonyul, however, remained uneasy.
Those who bore hostility toward the Divine Maiden might use such an invitation as a trap — she feared they might harm her instead.
“Namu Amitabul,” intoned Dharma Master Beomeum, “I too agree with Strategist Baek’s proposal. Then, Clan Head Namgung, please contact the Divine Maiden on our behalf.”
He even seemed to know that the Divine Maiden was currently traveling with Namgung Jin.
There was no use resisting someone who already possessed nearly all the facts.
“…Very well,” Namgung Seonyul replied quietly.
And with that final answer, the sudden emergency council of the Martial Alliance came to an end.
The main hall of the Alliance was soon empty.
Left alone, Dharma Master Beomeum sat deep in thought.
His mind was filled with the image of the Golden-Robed Divine Maiden.
If that young lady truly possessed the same power as the one from fifty years ago — the power to cure madness…
“Namu Amitabul… Then I must be the first to receive her treatment.”
A faint, dangerous light flared red in Beomeum’s eyes — just for a moment.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he closed them in serene meditation.
