Exactly one day had passed since Unhwi followed the Heavenly Wayfarer to attend the meeting of Heaven Beyond Heaven.
Chief Seong approached Unhwi, who was staying in his residence within Blood Spirit Hall.
“Y-Young Master.”
When Unhwi turned his head, Chief Seong held out a letter.
“A letter has arrived from the master of Viper Valley—the Poison Marquis Witch.”
Unhwi’s eyes twitched.
The Poison Marquis Witch, of all people?
He accepted the letter and unfolded it.
Its contents were very brief.
To the Blood Heaven Arbiter,
A matter has arisen within the valley. Should your time permit, I ask that you honor us with a visit.
Respectfully,
The Poison Marquis Witch
Considering the minor friction at the appointment ceremony, as well as everything that had happened before it, the wording was far more courteous than expected.
The Poison Marquis Witch, Yang Uiji.
She was one of the Heavenly Wayfarer’s protectors, had held the position of elder, and now served as the master of Viper Valley.
Judging by the posts entrusted to her, there was no doubt that she was among those who enjoyed the Heavenly Wayfarer’s confidence.
Even in Unhwi’s previous life, Yang Uiji had been one of the Heavenly Wayfarer’s closest confidantes.
At the appointment ceremony, she had displayed a trace of hostility toward Unhwi.
There was certainly no one his age who could compare to Unhwi after he reached Unity of Heaven and Man.
Though barely twenty, he already possessed the ability to debate the sword with the martial world’s veteran masters, stake his life in battle against them time and again, and emerge victorious.
But what mattered was his present realm.
He was still at Unity of Heaven and Man.
Even if he had slaughtered martial artists from higher realms, a man at Unity of Heaven and Man had risen above his peers and assumed the position of Blood Heaven Arbiter, commanding even those who stood in realms above his own.
Even if the decision had been made with his future value in mind, resentment was inevitable.
Yang Uiji had been among those who felt it.
Moreover, Unhwi had encountered her before, back when he was in Yangryeong.
They had even crossed swords, but she had been humiliated in front of the Heavenly Wayfarer. Unable to say what she wished, she had lowered her sword and withdrawn.
It would have been stranger for her to harbor good feelings toward him.
Yet the Poison Marquis Witch had sent him a letter first?
And had even shown him the respect of asking him to honor the valley with a visit?
It was puzzling.
What could have happened for her to summon him?
Unhwi looked at Chief Seong.
“Have you heard anything about Viper Valley?”
Chief Seong thought for a moment.
“...Only rumors I picked up in passing, but I heard that things inside the valley have been unsettled lately.”
“Unsettled?”
“Yes. Because of the vice master.”
“The vice master?”
“A man named Heo Jinsa.”
Unhwi’s eyes shifted slightly.
“Has he caused trouble?”
“I do not know the details, but there were rumors that he had defied the Poison Marquis Witch’s will and begun acting independently.”
“Independently.”
“Yes. There was also talk that he had grown dissatisfied and was contacting outside forces, and that he had started conducting business using poison.”
Unhwi sank into thought.
Everyone knew that the positions of master and vice master of Viper Valley had changed hands. Trouble arising in one form or another was only natural.
But the Poison Marquis Witch had sent him a letter?
This could not be merely about Heo Jinsa’s resentment. The Poison Marquis Witch could deal with mere dissatisfaction herself.
For her to contact him personally meant that something greater had occurred.
“Chief Seong.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“There is somewhere I must go.”
Chief Seong blinked.
“...What?”
“Viper Valley. I intend to pay it a visit.”
“...All of a sudden?”
“The Poison Marquis Witch is personally asking for help. There are more than a few people within the Blood Heaven Sect who are dissatisfied with me. For her to send a letter like this means the situation must be urgent, or that she specifically needs my assistance.”
“...”
“I cannot simply ignore it.”
Chief Seong sighed inwardly.
“...Then I will prepare at once.”
Unhwi shook his head.
“I intend to go alone. Keep the preparations light.”
“...Young Master, Viper Valley has been at odds with us since our days in the Snow Palace, and you intend to go there alone?”
“That friction is precisely why I should go alone.”
“...”
“It will make the situation easier to handle.”
Chief Seong let out a deep sigh. This time, he could not swallow it as he had before.
“I am going.”
Chief Seong could not stop Unhwi when he spoke with such finality.
“Besides, had they intended to harm me, they would not have sent a letter.”
“...Understood.”
“I am leaving now. Rest here in Blood Spirit Hall while I am gone.”
“...Yes, Young Master. You must be careful.”
Unhwi smiled gently.
***
A day had passed since Unhwi departed for Viper Valley.
Chief Seong was circulating his energy as usual in the guest quarters, now empty in Unhwi’s absence.
Concern still lingered in his heart, though not as much as before.
Unhwi’s new martial art.
It would not be an exaggeration to call it the art of a martial god.
His current realm was Unity of Heaven and Man.
A technique performed at that level could not possibly reveal the art’s true power.
As Unhwi’s realm rose, the strength of his new martial art would only grow.
It was quiet.
And that quiet did not last long.
Chief Seong slowly opened his eyes.
There were presences outside the guest quarters.
Not one.
Three.
He listened closely.
There were no footsteps.
He could sense them, yet he heard nothing. They were not concealing their steps. Their movements were so natural that concealment was unnecessary.
Their footwork had become instinct.
At the very least, they were all at the late Heaven-Human realm.
Chief Seong rose.
Whatever the case, they must have business here if they were standing outside like this.
He shifted his stance slightly so he could draw his dagger at any moment, then opened the door.
A man stood in the courtyard.
The other two presences had vanished. Chief Seong could not tell where they had gone. They had dispersed while he was opening the door.
The man was tall.
Long-limbed and lean.
Yet he was not merely thin. His body looked carved down, every unnecessary thing stripped away.
It was a physique honed to its absolute limit.
His eyes were narrow, his lips thin.
Most notably, he was not wearing the martial robes of the Blood Heaven Sect.
He wore a black robe.
There were no markings on it.
A single sword hung at his waist.
The man looked at Chief Seong.
From top to bottom.
Then he spoke.
“Seong Yangho. Formerly of the White Snow Spirit Regiment. Commonly called Chief Seong, I hear.”
He knew his name.
Chief Seong asked, “Who are you?”
The man did not answer.
Instead, he stepped closer.
“I heard you were the Blood Heaven Arbiter’s right hand.”
“...”
“Your realm is rather low for a man called his right hand.”
Chief Seong’s eyes narrowed.
He could not remember the last time he had encountered someone so utterly lacking in courtesy.
“State your affiliation.”
Unexpectedly, the man answered at once.
“The Heaven-Law Platform.”
He spoke without hesitation.
He did not conceal it.
As though there were no reason to.
“My name is Baek Ryeon. Seventh Seat of the Heaven-Law Platform.”
His name and even his rank.
Chief Seong had never heard of the Heaven-Law Platform in his life.
Is it a hidden force within the Blood Heaven Sect?
Directly under the Vice Leader? Or the Cult Leader?
He did not know.
Though Chief Seong had only recently arrived at the Blood Heaven Sect, he had already identified nearly every organization of note.
His eyes narrowed.
“I have never heard of an organization called the Heaven-Law Platform. More importantly, what business brings you to Blood Spirit Hall?”
“Business?”
Baek Ryeon smirked.
“The master of a place is the one who asks another’s business.”
“...”
“Is there a master in these guest quarters while the Blood Heaven Arbiter is absent?”
The Blood Heaven Arbiter.
Setting aside the fact that he had not shown respect, the way he said it was practically belittling.
He tossed out the title as casually as though referring to some passerby from the street.
Chief Seong’s fist tightened.
Still smirking, Baek Ryeon took another step forward.
“I came to deliver one message.”
“...”
“To the Blood Heaven Arbiter.”
Baek Ryeon’s gaze pierced through Chief Seong.
“The commander of the Heaven-Law Platform bows only to the Heavenly Lord. He does not bow to the Blood Heaven Arbiter.”
“And?”
“The Blood Heaven Arbiter sits in that position by the Heavenly Lord’s will. We respect that will.”
“...”
“But respect and obedience are different things.”
Baek Ryeon raised a hand.
Lightly.
Energy flowed.
Chief Seong’s body reacted. He tried to draw his dagger.
It was not slow.
Chief Seong’s blade was fast.
He stood at the peak late Heaven-Human realm.
It was the fastest move he could produce at his level.
But Baek Ryeon’s hand moved first.
Before Chief Seong could draw his dagger, Baek Ryeon had already seized his wrist.
“...!”
Strength pressed down.
He was not crushing the wrist.
He was applying pressure.
It felt as though a mountain had descended upon him. Chief Seong’s knee buckled, and one knee struck the ground.
Chief Seong gritted his teeth.
This man.
At first, he had thought they were in the same realm.
They were not.
There was at least one full level between them.
No—judging purely by ability, the difference was closer to two.
It was absurd.
Chief Seong tried to rise, but he could not.
He could not even unleash the formidable martial arts of the Heavenly Sun Sword Sect.
Baek Ryeon looked down at him.
“Deliver the message.”
His voice was calm.
“The Heaven-Law Platform can enter Blood Spirit Hall whenever it wishes.”
“...What is that supposed to mean?”
“What else could it mean? It means the Blood Heaven Arbiter should not act rashly, and that he should understand his situation properly.”
Baek Ryeon’s grip tightened.
Crack.
Chief Seong furrowed his brow. He could not move.
The energy extending from Baek Ryeon’s hand had seized control of his entire body.
His mastery of energy control was extraordinary.
It was shocking.
“We came only to issue a warning. I hope we will not have to meet again.”
Baek Ryeon released him, and Chief Seong collapsed forward.
He caught himself with his palms against the ground.
By the time he raised his head, Baek Ryeon was already gone.
Chief Seong stood alone in the courtyard.
Pain lingered in his wrist.
He clenched his teeth.
***
While Chief Seong struggled to contain his fury, Namgung Wonyang was heading toward Blood Spirit Hall.
Toward Unhwi’s residence.
Before leaving, Unhwi had asked her for a favor.
He wanted her to return several books he had borrowed from the library.
He had also told her she was welcome to read them before returning them.
So she had spent an entire day and night reading.
Twenty books in all.
She assumed Unhwi must have had a reason for reading them, and their titles were anything but ordinary.
Differences Between Imperial and Martial-World Martial Arts.
A History of Internal Energy.
The Fall of the Nine Sects and One Gang.
The Martial World’s Hidden Forces.
They had been worth reading.
In any case, after finishing her training as usual, Namgung Wonyang arrived in front of Blood Spirit Hall. She intended to return the books today.
She was about to open the closed doors when a voice came from behind her.
“Stop.”
Namgung Wonyang turned.
A man stood there.
He was small, the exact opposite of Baek Ryeon, who had sought out Chief Seong.
He was short, with narrow shoulders.
But his eyes were sharp.
Like the eyes of a bird.
The eyes of a raptor fixed upon its prey.
“Who are you?”
The man smirked.
“Ninth Seat of the Heaven-Law Platform. Seop Gyeong.”
He, too, revealed himself without hesitation.
Namgung Wonyang’s eyes narrowed.
The Heaven-Law Platform.
She had never heard the name before.
But she could feel that this man’s energy was anything but ordinary.
He asked, “What business do you have at the Blood Heaven Arbiter’s residence?”
How should she even describe this?
Was this what it meant for guest and host to trade places?
An outsider had suddenly appeared and was asking such a question of someone who belonged here.
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