Chapter 43 Shadow Realm – 4

Chapter 43: Shadow Realm – 4

He, the father of Lady Cheongyeon, introduced himself before our gathered team members.

“I am Haeunbaek, the father of Qingyan.”

Hearing his words, I finally had the answer to my long-standing question.

“Ah, so Lady Qingyan’s surname must be ‘Hai’ as well. Hai Qingyan.”

She smiled faintly and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I knew it! I was sure there had to be a different surname, not ‘Cheong’.”

Just as I was rejoicing over finally solving my puzzle, Bisea-yeong beside me asked me with a blank expression.

“That doesn’t seem important right now. Doesn’t hearing that name remind you of anything?”

Bisaeng had just returned after single-handedly taking care of over twenty ghosts.

Truly, the phrase “remarkable growth” couldn’t be more fitting.

Then, Team Leader Seolpung, his face set, swallowed hard and asked.

“Could it be… the legendary Sword Saint of Heaven, Grand Hero Hae Un-baek?”

Team Leader Seolpung had single-handedly killed all nine attackers, including two at the peak of their power.

As Lady Na said, there was no need for help, let alone any chance to assist.

At the captain’s words, Lady Qingyan’s father stroked his beard and nodded.

“That is how he is also known.”

At that moment, we all froze.

The Heavenly Sword Saint…

We were too stunned to utter a sound.

The Heavenly Sword Saint was one of the absolute rulers of this era, belonging to the Three Smas of the Ise, Yi Wang, and Samsa.

That meant he was on par with figures like the Lust Demon Son Eun-sang, the Blood Demon, or the Martial Arts Alliance Leader—people we’d seen with our own eyes.

Moreover, as the title ‘Heavenly’ before his name implied, he was also famed as the world’s greatest swordsman.

He was nothing short of an idol to all heroes of the martial world—that was Hae Un-baek, the Heavenly Sword Saint.

But to think that Young Lady Qingyan was the daughter of that Sword Saint.

The frozen disciples began awkwardly speaking one by one.

“Wh-what? Qingyan was the Sword Saint’s daughter?”

“Um, sis, let’s stay close from now on.”

“Ah, um, Miss Qing… no, Miss Hae. If I’ve done anything wrong to you before, even now…”

I sighed, looking at those members with an exasperated expression.

I had always believed a person’s worth was determined by themselves.

Whether someone was a disciple of this person or that person, the daughter of this person or that person, or came from this family or that family—none of that mattered at all.

So even if Miss Qingyan was the daughter of the Sword Saint, there was absolutely no reason my behavior should change.

Isn’t that right?

Whether the other person was the Sword Saint or anyone else, I had no reason to curry favor with him or be intimidated.

I addressed him with my usual confident demeanor.

“Master Sword Saint! I’m Sun Woo-jin, the one who saved Lady Cheongyeon before! It was a bit dangerous, but nothing too serious!”

“Huh? Hahahaha! Ah, yes, I heard about that. Qingyan said she owes you a great debt.”

“You flatter me! I’ll continue to do my best!”

I decided to just ignore the stunned looks from my teammates.

After exchanging brief greetings, we now focused our attention on the leader of the attackers.

Having fought me and been bitten by a poisonous insect, he couldn’t even open his eyes. In the meantime, he had somewhat suppressed the poison’s effects through qigong breathing.

Gyeomseong addressed him.

“Do you recognize me?”

He then knelt down, tears streaming down his face, and replied.

“How could I ever forget you, Master Sword Saint?”

It turned out that the reason the Sword Saint had not killed him was because he was someone he knew.

It seemed they had a connection: the Sword Saint, who had once been an unknown warrior, had recognized his talent and introduced him to take the entrance exam for the Martial Alliance.

“Back then, when I saw you, I thought you were a talent who, with polishing, could become a brilliant gem. But why on earth are you doing this?”

Unable to answer the Sword Saint’s heartfelt question, he bowed his head deeply, tears falling silently.

Then Miss Qingyan interjected.

“He’s not doing this willingly. Just considering the tactics used during the ambush on us, it seems he doesn’t want to kill innocent people. If he enjoyed murder, he would have joined forces to kill Captain Seolpung first.”

Then she addressed him directly.

“What happens if you don’t do this?”

He hesitated briefly before finally answering.

“Warriors without prestigious lineage or background must serve ten years in the Shadow Corps before qualifying for the main strike force. And every warrior in the Shadow Corps has signed a pledge stating they won’t complain if executed for disobeying orders. So…”

Upon hearing his words, the Sword Saint let out a low groan.

“What… How can the Martial Alliance…”

But Young Master Qingyan nodded and said.

“It’s a method to cultivate warriors who maintain secrecy while eliminating any capacity for personal judgment, ensuring absolute loyalty only to the organization. Moreover, it serves to weed out troublemakers early on. For them, it must have been a method that killed three birds with one stone.”

Then she turned back to the Sword Saint.

“Father bears some responsibility for this man becoming what he is.”

Startled, the Sword Saint asked.

“Huh? My responsibility?”

“If Father had stood behind him as his patron, Uncle Zhuge wouldn’t have been able to send him to that place called the Shadow Corps, would he? To Uncle Zhuge, he must have seemed like a truly covetable talent. A talent whose ability was guaranteed by none other than the Sword Saint, yet he had absolutely no backing.”

“That… Are you saying this situation was inevitable precisely because I recommended his admission?”

“Yes. Uncle Zhuge knew better than anyone that Father would deliberately cut off any interest.”

It seemed true.

It was a well-known fact that the Sword Saint was fair and impartial. Within the Martial Alliance, the Sword Saint would deliberately cut off ties with warriors he recommended, fearing his name might become an unfair advantage.

But it seemed that very practice had ended up making the warriors vulnerable to exploitation.

“And this person here—seeing how he hasn’t been able to look Father in the face properly since earlier, it seems he joined the Martial Alliance out of admiration for Father, doesn’t it?”

He couldn’t answer Miss Qingyan’s question and bowed his head even lower.

But everyone could tell that meant yes.

As the Sword Saint looked at him with a pained expression, Young Lady Qingyan spoke firmly to him.

“Therefore, from now on, Father must take responsibility for this person.”

At those words, Sword Saint—and indeed all of us—were utterly stunned. The man named Sak Muheun also looked up, his eyes wide with surprise.

Gyeomseong asked with a puzzled expression.

“Take responsibility? What exactly am I supposed to be responsible for?”

“You must take responsibility. You let someone who joined the Martial Alliance just to see your face get this far. Whether you use him as an attendant or raise him as a disciple, you must take responsibility somehow.”

At her words, Sak Muheun bowed his head deeply again and muttered.

“A disciple? How could I possibly…”

Yet, a faint glimmer of life flickered in his eyes as he spoke.

The Sword Saint stared at him silently for a moment.

He seemed troubled.

Even to my eyes, Young Lady Cheongyeon’s words seemed unreasonable.

After all, whatever the situation, every choice had been his own, and the deeds he had done all this time wouldn’t just vanish.

Yet, Young Master Cheongyeon, who surely understood this, had made such a statement. It seemed he had some intention behind it.

I asked her.

“Do you have some other idea in mind, Miss?”

She smiled faintly and nodded.

“Yes. Things were about to get rather complicated, but if this person cooperates with us, it should be handled quite simply.”

Hearing her words, Gyeomseong sensed something and told Sakmuhun he would first take him as an unnamed disciple and observe him.

He naturally wept tears of gratitude.

Young Miss Qingyan then instructed Sak Muheun, now on the same side, to report to Zhijie Jiang that he had succeeded in killing her.

Then, together with Sword Saint, she went to find the unit commander, Hyeon Yeong-bo, and had him report that she had been kidnapped by the Blood Cult.

Of course, Xian Yingbo, having learned she was Jiancheng’s daughter, could not refuse.

Thus, she was officially declared dead.

“This should temporarily blind them. In the meantime, Father, please quietly gather some information. This matter has been in motion for at least ten years, since the establishment of the front lines. So you absolutely must not act rashly either.”

At her words, Geomseong let out a low hum and asked.

“Hmm, are you saying this isn’t just about Jegal Jigang alone?”

“Of course. In fact, it’s more likely Father was the only one unaware. Nearly everyone involved in the establishment of the front lines is likely connected.”

Therefore, Qingyan Xiaoze repeatedly emphasized that they must absolutely pretend ignorance and slowly gather evidence first.

Gyeomseong looked uneasy, but decided to follow his daughter’s judgment.

He seemed to place immense trust in her extraordinary abilities.

With that, we could finally close the case of the attack on Young Lady Cheongyeon.

But until this moment, I hadn’t realized.

That in dealing with matters entirely new to me, I had neglected to pay attention to things that had happened in my past life.

***

Mayu Gyeom pondered the note from Mae Ye-gyeong summoning him to a secluded place.

He had been deliberately pretending not to notice, but he knew she was practically becoming a recluse lately.

Her inability to accept their parting frustrated him, but the sudden realization that he himself couldn’t forget Dang Yeo-eun made him unable to ignore her as coldly as before.

‘No, it’s not the same. How dare I, the grandson of the Blood Demon, ignore anyone?’

Perhaps it was because his own confidence had recently vanished.

So, as he pondered what to do with a bitter smile, he suddenly recalled the secret manual left by the Blood Demon.

The cryptic method written within it.

A thought struck him.

‘What if I could leave her a suggestion that she could live well even without me? Wouldn’t that be good for her too?’

It was a possibility.

Besides, it was said to work well on those with open hearts or broken spirits, and she couldn’t be a more suitable candidate.

‘Even if it’s a technique of the Blood Sect, if it can be used for good, it’s not necessarily bad. After all, whether a sword is good or evil depends on who wields it and how.’

Having thought this far, Mayu Gyeom opened the secret manual again and began memorizing and mastering the暗示法.

But he soon realized it wasn’t necessary.

For some reason, he already knew everything written there by heart. Not just the暗示法, but everything else too.

He let out another bitter laugh, wondering if his mind had ever been this sharp.

But he hadn’t yet considered that this very thought might itself be a hint from the Blood Demon.

The place Mae Yeo-kyung had summoned him to was behind a small rocky hill deep in the jungle—a secret spot where they had occasionally enjoyed clandestine meetings in the past.

It was a hidden space, completely concealed from outside view by thick undergrowth surrounding a sunken area.

There, Mae Yeokyeong waited for Mayu Gyeom with an anxious expression.

As Mayeokyeong entered, she cried out with an expression of overwhelming emotion, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

“Captain Jo, you came!”

Her intense reaction made Ma Yu-gyeom sigh inwardly.

Her blindly loyal, puppy-like welcome felt overwhelmingly burdensome and suffocating.

But he decided to hide that feeling for now.

To cast a spell, he needed to either subdue and neutralize his target or catch them completely off guard when their guard was down.

He forced a smile and told her.

“You don’t look well, Ye-kyung. Are you eating properly?”

Caught in that concerned tone, Officer Mae finally burst into tears.

“Sniff… Team Leader.”

Mayu Gyeom slowly approached and embraced the crying woman.

Then, she collapsed into his arms, all her strength drained from her body.

It seemed as if there were no walls in her heart.

Mayu Gyeom thought this was enough.

Now, all he had to do was look into her eyes and cast the suggestion.

As Mayugyeom concentrated on this thought, Mae Yeokyeong, still in his arms, suddenly murmured through her tears.

“Captain, I love you. Even if you are the grandson of the Blood Demon, I don’t care at all. I will only ever be by your side.”

In that instant, Mayu-gyeom’s entire body trembled violently, as if struck by lightning.

It felt as if his heart might stop.

His face drained of color as he asked Mae Ye-gyeong.

“Wh-what did you just say?”

Then, with tears streaming down her face, Ma Yuejing answered with a bright smile.

“It doesn’t matter to me, Captain. I’m only yours.”

Only then did Mayu Gyeom recall that she had the key to his room.

And he remembered how, on the day he first saw his mother’s letter, he had carelessly left it on the bed and rushed out of the room.

His vision went white.

Mae Ye-gyeong spoke again, as if to reassure him.

“Don’t worry, Captain. As long as you don’t abandon me, I will never betray you.”

She knew.

She knew his secret.

That he was the grandson of the Blood Demon…

For a moment, Mayu Gyeom felt as if his mind had exploded.

Nothing was visible to her eyes.

No thoughts entered her mind.

He was only afraid.

The thought of his true identity being exposed to others…

***

It was several days after resolving the case of Young Lady Cheongyeon that Mae Ye-gyeong was discovered, her body shriveled and twisted as if drained of blood by a demon.