Chapter 97 : Dialogue

Chapter 97: Dialogue

Murim Alliance Main Hall.

Alliance Leader’s Chamber.

At the same time Namgung Myeong and the Elders were secretly conversing in whispers,

another meeting was also taking place in the Alliance Leader’s Chamber.

However, unlike the Elder Faction, only two people were meeting in private.

“Tell me, does the tea suit your taste?”

One of them, as expected, was none other than the master of this chamber, the Sword Emperor, Yoo Jinhak.

“Yes, it seems to be green tea, but both its fragrance and flavor are excellent.”

The one who had caused the recent turmoil, the Young Lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Tang Sewoon, sat opposite him.

A subtle and unusual atmosphere lingered between the two men,

as Yoo Jinhak raised his teacup and began to speak.

“It is shaped like a pointed needle, so it is called Maojian Tea. It is a famous tea with a long history here in Xinyang of Henan Province.”

“Yes, the taste surely lives up to its reputation.”

“I am glad you enjoy it.”

“Lady Geum Hwa once said we should enjoy tea together with the Divine Physician, but I still have not paid them a visit. I feel ashamed.”

“Ha ha, if you wish to meet that friend, it would be better to bring wine instead of tea.”

“I see, I did not know that. Thank you for the advice.”

Though the conversation appeared ordinary,

the air in the room was filled with a deadly tension,

as though a duel with real blades was unfolding.

“I have already arranged for the Frozen Wheel to be delivered today. Treatment should begin as soon as possible.”

“I am grateful for your consideration.”

“However, creating the Celestial Flame Furnace may take some time. The Shrine Maiden Sect Leader might be intrigued, but gathering craftsmen capable of constructing such a furnace will take at least a month.”

At those words, Sewoon shook his head.

“Craftsmen are unnecessary. Please just send me the materials as soon as they are ready.”

“Oh? And who, then, will carry out the construction—?”

“I intend to handle everything myself.”

It had once taken over three months, even with the most renowned craftsmen of the jianghu, to construct the Celestial Flame Smithy within the Murim Alliance Main Hall.

The same was true for Baekya Steel Workshop.

Yet Sewoon had just declared he would do it all alone.

Had anyone else said such a thing, it would have been dismissed as madness.

“You already have the entire design for the furnace in your mind, do you not?”

“Yes. From that day forth, the greatest furnace in the jianghu will no longer belong to Baekya Steel Workshop, but to our Tang Clan.”

“Ho ho! That will be a sight worth seeing. I must visit.”

As Yoo Jinhak let out a hearty laugh—

—his voice suddenly rang in Sewoon’s ear through telepathy.

The conversation up to now had been deliberately spoken aloud for others to hear.

It had been a performance.

Now, as Yoo Jinhak said, it was time for the real discussion.

“Alliance Leader, I have an urgent matter to discuss. Would you dismiss all other presences in this room?”

At Sewoon’s words, Yoo Jinhak’s eyes gleamed strangely.

Then, feigning ignorance, he replied,

“Hm, and who else is here in this room besides us?”

As Yoo Jinhak glanced around the seemingly empty chamber, Sewoon answered without hesitation.

“Ten outside. Four above the ceiling. And…”

Sewoon finally pointed at the floor beneath him.

“There is one directly under my feet.”

Though the floor was only wooden planks,

Yoo Jinhak’s face showed genuine surprise at Sewoon’s words.

But only for a moment. Then, once again, he burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! To think you even detected the Commander of the Celestial Dragon Guard, who was hiding beneath the ground using Earth Burrowing Concealment Technique. Your progress is truly astonishing.”

“I am ashamed. It is but a trifling skill.”

“But what are you all waiting for? If the target has already named you, then your mission has failed.”

At his final words—

Thud! Tap!

Four figures in black dropped from the ceiling and landed on the floor.

They were the Celestial Dragon Guard, the Alliance Leader’s personal shadows,

who protected him from the darkness.

And then—

Crack! Crackle!

The floor beside Sewoon twisted as someone burst forth from the ground.

It was indeed a person, who had been hiding beneath the earth using the rare Earth Burrowing Concealment Technique.

She was the Commander of the Celestial Dragon Guard, Jaegal Seoa.

“……Forgive me, Alliance Leader.”

Clad in a tight black stealth uniform, she bowed her head to Yoo Jinhak.

It was an apology for having failed her duty, having been discovered by Sewoon.

As Sewoon watched her without offering a single excuse, his eyes shone.

‘So even after my regression, her loyalty to the Alliance Leader remains unchanged.’

Earth’s Black Shadow, Jaegal Seoa.

Although she was an unrivaled peak-level master at the pinnacle of the Transformation Realm,

and the second disciple of the Murim Alliance Leader, whose future was guaranteed,

she had renounced all positions of power to remain by her master’s side for life.

Even in Sewoon’s past life, she had remained with the Alliance Leader until his final breath.

“Since I must discuss something important with Young Lord Tang, take all your forces and withdraw. Ensure that no one approaches within ten jang of this chamber.”

“As you command.”

Jaegal Seoa gave a respectful bow and led her subordinates out of the chamber.

When silence settled once more, Yoo Jinhak spoke.

“I am impressed. You pinpointed even the Commander. When she fully employs Earth Burrowing Concealment, even the Elders fail to notice her.”

“I am deeply grateful for your praise.”

“Tell me, was this thanks to the new martial arts you gained from the New Monk?”

Sewoon’s eyes widened like lanterns.

As expected of the Sword Emperor.

Though Sewoon had spoken no word, Yoo Jinhak already knew he had gained a new martial art.

The look in Yoo Jinhak’s eyes carried certainty, not mere speculation.

Thus Sewoon spoke truthfully, without thought of deception.

“That is correct. Ever since I received the Three Beast Scriptures from the New Monk, my qi sense has increased beyond comparison.”

“I see. Indeed, without something like the Three Beast Scriptures, you could not have surpassed the wall of the Transformation Realm.”

Yoo Jinhak nodded knowingly.

“Does the Abbot know of this?”

“No, he does not know.”

“Huuh… I see. You did well. The Venerable Master is not normally such a person, but in his current state, you might have been harmed.”

“I will keep that in mind. That is why, in the future, I intend to accumulate enough teachings to return them to him.”

“What a truly admirable thought.”

Once again, silence filled the chamber.

Yoo Jinhak let out a heavy sigh as he spoke.

“Huuh… then let me ask you this.”

“Yes.”

“What truly happened with Elder Namgung?”

Sewoon slowly met Yoo Jinhak’s eyes.

He was not asking why Sewoon had betrayed him and sided with the Elder Faction.

In his gaze, there was only concern.

It was a genuine worry that Sewoon might have been caught in Namgung Myeong’s treacherous scheme.

In a firm voice, Sewoon replied.

“Alliance Leader, Namgung Myeong will render the Murim Alliance an empty shell, and afterward, he will certainly leave with his own faction.”

Yoo Jinhak’s eyes trembled violently as if struck by an earthquake at Sewoon’s bombshell declaration.

But Sewoon’s words continued like a raging storm.

“If I had not cast the nullifying vote today, he would have blamed the failure of the vote entirely on you, Alliance Leader. He would have slandered you even more harshly before the martial artists and further inflamed division within the Alliance.”

“In that case, the internal strife of the Alliance would no longer have been confined to the Elders, but would have spread like a plague down to the lower ranks of warriors.”

“If we collapse from internal disorder before we even face our enemies, then we have no hope. That is why…”

At that moment, Yoo Jinhak let out a short sigh.

An unhidden sorrow seeped through.

“…So you resolved to become a double agent.”

Sewoon nodded without the slightest hesitation.

Facing the shocked Yoo Jinhak, he continued without pause.

“They believe they now hold the initiative. They assume that because of my actions, the Elders who follow you will turn suspicious and falter.”

“Since their tension has eased, instead of moving swiftly, they will be lulled into believing time is on their side. They will indulge themselves in raiding enterprises and seizing secret interests within the Alliance.”

“But because we already know how they will act, we can instead observe and prepare for the most effective counterattack.”

Listening quietly, Yoo Jinhak spoke weakly.

“So you are not trying to prevent their departure… but are already assuming they will leave.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“If their actions stemmed from some different ‘belief,’ then I too would not have been able to give up on them, just like you, Alliance Leader.”

“But their sole purpose is to profit themselves. If they were truly moved by conviction, they would have fought to the end, even against my nullifying vote today.”

“They actually hope for even greater chaos in the jianghu. Whether the truth behind the Kaifeng Blood Massacre lies with the Demonic Alliance or some unknown force—it matters nothing to them.”

Ssshh.

A chilling silence spread through the chamber.

Sewoon’s blunt words pierced Yoo Jinhak’s heart like a sharp blade.

Yet within that unbearable pain came a sense of clarity.

Bowing his head, Yoo Jinhak muttered to himself.

“I thought they would at least preserve the last conscience of the orthodox sects…”

The division of the Murim Alliance was now inevitable.

If the Sword Emperor’s Alliance was to maintain enough power to fight the Blood Cult after the split, then unlike before Sewoon’s regression—when Yoo Jinhak had been swayed by emotion—he must now move colder and more decisively.

And then, from the Sword Emperor’s lips:

“You are right.”

At last, the very words Sewoon had awaited came forth.

The Sword Emperor Yoo Jinhak’s eyes no longer wavered in the slightest.

“You have opened the eyes I had clouded. From now on, I will lead the way you walk.”

“Yes, Alliance Leader!”

Sewoon dropped to one knee and bowed in respect.

At that moment, Yoo Jinhak spoke again, his tone cautious and deliberate.

“But before that, there is something I wish you to accept.”

“Please command me.”

As Sewoon listened intently, Yoo Jinhak continued.

“I will grant you the authority to remain outside the Alliance, free of its positions. The Sichuan Tang Clan will suffer no harm.”

“If you wish, we can proceed without anyone else knowing, in absolute secrecy.”

“And lastly, with your clan’s approval, I will pass on to you the Alliance’s ultimate techniques and supreme martial arts.”

‘Could it be…!’

Only then did Sewoon realize what Yoo Jinhak truly desired of him.

The overwhelming qi that Yoo Jinhak radiated now filled the entire chamber.

“Become my disciple. This is the command of the Alliance Leader.”

Once again, the Sword Emperor extended to Sewoon the offer to become his disciple.