Heavenly Inquisition Sword Novel - Chapter 235
.jpeg){kind=tracking}
Episode 235. We Must Share the Fate
The inauguration ceremony of the Heaven and Earth Alliance had concluded. The warriors of the Justice Alliance, who had been standing idly by, returned to their residences. Unlike other inauguration ceremonies, there were no slogans or speeches of encouragement, as aside from the common enemy, the Yoomyung Cult, there was no shared ideal among them.
Only the leader, the general commander, the generals, and the protectors stayed behind to continue the meeting. The leader, Mu Geuk, once again thanked the Protectors of the Justice Alliance.
—”…I sincerely hope there will be no more unnecessary conflicts between the Justice Alliance and the Evil Faction. The general commander will continue with the rest of the program. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him or me at any time.”
Mu Geuk bowed to the protectors and then withdrew. The general commander, Jegal Seun, then stepped forward.
—”The four Units of the former Alliance will retain their names but will now be referred to as Divisions. From now on, the Demon Expulsion Division will be called the Blue Dragon Division, the Evil Annihilation Division will be called the White Tiger Division, the Justice Division will be called the Vermilion Bird Division, and the Heavenly Division will be called the Black Tortoise Division.”
Jegal Seun glanced at the leaders of the four divisions. The names were changed because they could no longer use “Demon Expulsion and Evil Annihilation” nor “Justice and Celestial.” The division leaders nodded in understanding. Although they found it somewhat disappointing, they understood that the previous names were no longer appropriate now that they had allied with the Evil Faction.
However, what was difficult to understand was why the White Tiger and Black Tortoise Divisions, which each had only thirty or forty members, were not restructured.
Jegal Seun continued, as if responding to that implicit question.
—”We have not restructured the White Tiger and Black Tortoise Divisions because the cohesion of the four divisions is stronger than ever. Although they are divided, most of the time they will act together, so the number of members does not matter much.”
Jegal Seun spoke briefly and concisely to ensure his message was clear. The leaders of the four divisions did not protest, accepting that they would mostly act together. Perhaps they said nothing out of pride, just like the Sword Emperor, Namgung Byeok, who had silently accepted Jegal Seun’s decision at the former Justice Alliance headquarters in Nanjing.
Then, Jegal Seun turned his gaze to the six masters of the Evil Faction.
—”Thanks to Nokrim’s great decision, a hundred warriors from the Evil Faction have joined us. The reason we have more than four hundred and sixty warriors from Nokrim and the Evil Faction is thanks to you, the six masters. Surely that number will continue to grow. I sincerely thank you.”
The six masters nodded with proud expressions. With more than four hundred and sixty warriors compared to the fewer than three hundred from the Justice Alliance, it was no wonder they felt proud.
—”The warriors of Nokrim and the Evil Faction will be divided into three groups. The Protectors will be responsible for organizing them. Once the groups are formed, please inform us who the leaders of each group will be. The group names will be Taemi, Jami, and Cheonsi. If there are no objections, we will leave it at that…”
The names Taemi, Jami, and Cheonsi were taken from the three centers of the twenty-eight constellations of the sky, thus praising Nokrim as the center of the sky. However, this seemed too complicated for the people of Nokrim, as one of the Nokrim Masters immediately interrupted.
—”Those names are too complicated for us. It’s better to keep it simple with Heaven, Earth, and Man.”
Jegal Seun responded with an uncomfortable expression.
—”Understood. We will call them Heaven, Earth, and Man. Please form the three groups and choose their leaders today.”
As the meeting was about to end, the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, Wonyangjin, asked:
—”General Commander, how do you plan to handle the ongoing internal conflicts in Chilriha Village?”
—”Oh, I was going to address that. Currently, we have a patrol formed by warriors of the Justice Alliance, but it has not been effective, so we will dissolve it. Instead, we will establish an official patrol that will be in constant operation.”
Although the six masters frowned upon hearing about the official patrol, they did not object. They also wanted to avoid unnecessary conflicts between the Justice Alliance and the Evil Faction.
Jegal Seun continued speaking after observing the reaction of the six masters.
—”The patrol will be formed by elders of the six major sects and vicebosses of the thirty-six fortresses. We believe they need to have sufficient skill to handle situations in the field.”
With the approval of the leaders of the six sects and the six masters, the patrol was formed at that moment. Then, Jegal Seun spoke about a matter he had been keeping.
—”Finally, there is something we must address. Our Heaven and Earth Alliance must deal with the demons that have appeared in Cheonsan and Saeviha. Now is the perfect time since the Yoomyung Cult is quiet. Does any division wish to volunteer for this task? If not, I will assign one.”
The leaders’ gazes turned to Mu Geuk and Jang Mudeok. Originally, this task was the responsibility of the White Tiger and Black Tortoise Divisions. However, with only thirty members each, it was not possible. Although the newly created Demon Exterminator Division would assist, it was still insufficient.
Mu Geuk and Jang Mudeok hesitated to volunteer. Although it was natural for the ten great masters of the world to offer themselves, failing again would be an embarrassment.
The six masters of the Evil Faction watched with ironic smiles. Seeing the great masters evade responsibility seemed pathetic to them. Even the youngest master, the Ghost Commander, let out a chuckle.
The atmosphere in the room grew tense. Jegal Seun, nervous, quickly intervened to calm the situation.
—”If there are no volunteers, I will assign someone.”
Then, the Grandmaster Swordsman of the Uicheon Sect, Lee Eojeong, spoke.
—”The Blue Dragon Division will volunteer. We have never faced a demon, so it will be a good experience.”
—”Our Vermilion Bird Division will also volunteer. We have enough personnel and experience in eradicating demons.”
The Sword Emperor, Namgung Byeok, also volunteered. Jegal Seun looked at Namgung Byeok with a complex expression. He had planned to send the Vermilion Bird Division anyway, but by volunteering, he felt a slight disappointment.
—”Then, the demon eradication will be assigned to the Blue Dragon Division and the Vermilion Bird Division. The Blue Dragon Division will take care of Cheonsan, and the Vermilion Bird Division of Saeviha. We will send the Leader of the Demon Exterminator Division to coordinate the details with him.”
—”Understood.”
—”Agreed.”
With that, the meeting ended. The Protectors of the Justice Alliance returned, leaving only the leader and the general commander in the room.
Mu Geuk, reviewing the documents with a worried expression, asked:
—”Wouldn’t it have been better to reorganize the four divisions?”
If they had done so, he would have volunteered for Cheonsan himself. He thought it was not possible with just thirty members, but still felt embarrassed.
—”As I said, the cohesion of the four divisions is strong. The divisions must share the fate.”
Mu Geuk, nodding absentmindedly, felt a twinge upon hearing those words. “The divisions must share the fate” sounded deeply significant to him.
Zhengzhou Department of the Heaven and Earth Alliance
Namgung Family Residence
The unexpected visit of Yeon Jeokha brought great commotion to the usually quiet Namgung Family Residence.
Most of the commotion was caused by Namgung Cheon.
—”Everyone! Jeokha has come! Yeon-ah! Father! Come, Jeokha is here!”
With so much commotion, Yeon Jeokha blushed. But he could do nothing, as Namgung Cheon was genuinely excited and happy to see him.
Soon, Namgung Byeok and Namgung Yeon came out to greet him.
—”Are you Jeokha? You look just like your father. Come in, come in.”
Namgung Yeon simply smiled by her father’s side. Yeon Jeokha bowed to Namgung Byeok before taking off his shoes and stepping onto the porch.
Namgung Yeon approached and whispered a welcome.
—”Welcome.”
—…
Yeon Jeokha, embarrassed, just scratched his head without looking directly at her.
After Yeon Jeokha sat down, Namgung Byeok smiled and said:
—”I have heard many stories through Cheon and Yeon. You must have gone through a lot at Waryong Manor.”
—”It’s nothing compared to those who practice in seclusion.”
Namgung Byeok nodded at Yeon Jeokha’s positive response.
—”That is also true. I should have visited more often, I’m sorry. But you’ve grown well, your parents in the other world must be pleased.”
…
The mention of his parents left Yeon Jeokha speechless, so he remained silent.
—”I heard you took care of the Demon Warriors of Nokrim. How did that happen? Can you tell us?”
—”Ah, well, you see…”
Yeon Jeokha began recounting how he had traveled through the fortresses and rivers.
—”…At that moment, three Taoist masters appeared and helped me. They call themselves the Three Immortals of Kunlun. If it weren’t for them, I would have had a hard time.”
He added a bit of exaggeration to his story.
Namgung Byeok, listening attentively, pointed to the sword at Yeon Jeokha’s waist.
—”Is that the Waryong Sword?”
—”This? It’s just a sword. Although it has ‘Waryong’ engraved on the blade…”
Yeon Jeokha tilted his head, not understanding why his uncle called his sword the “Waryong Sword.”
—”I heard that the Three Immortals of Kunlun said you have a Waryong Sword, a treasure. So people started calling it the Waryong Sword. Does it have another name?”
—”I don’t know. I received it from someone else.”
Yeon Jeokha lied, as he couldn’t say he had taken it from someone.
—”Did you know it’s a treasure?”
Namgung Byeok directly called it a treasure, trusting the judgment of the Three Immortals of Kunlun.
—”No, I didn’t know.”
Yeon Jeokha shook his head. Namgung Byeok sighed.
—”Ah! Then you’ve found a great opportunity. Don’t part with that sword. You know that in the battle against the Yoomyung Cult, treasures are invaluable.”
—”Yes.”
Yeon Jeokha nodded, not wanting to contradict his uncle’s advice, who was only concerned for him.
—”Fortunately, the Heaven and Earth Alliance has been formed. Even if it’s late, it’s good to be able to fight together. Will you join Nokrim? After all, you’re the Grand Inspector, so you should do that, right?”
—”I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”
Although he was concerned about the Five Peaks, he didn’t want to return there.
—”If you don’t have a place in mind, consider joining our Vermilion Bird Division. We’re in the same alliance, no one will complain.”
—”Okay.”
Yeon Jeokha agreed readily. The idea of being with Namgung Cheon and Namgung Yeon again made him happy.
Half an hour later, Namgung Cheon, who had been quietly observing, asked:
—”Father, can I take Jeokha for a walk? I want to show him around and catch up.”
—”Go ahead.”
Namgung Byeok nodded with a smile. He felt relieved to see his children and Yeon Jeokha getting along well. The relationship between the two families should not end in their generation.
Soon after, Namgung Cheon and Namgung Yeon took Yeon Jeokha to an adjoining room. Namgung Cheon, sitting in a chair, complained:
—”Ugh! I’m tired. Jeokha, you must have had a hard time listening to my father’s complaints.”
—”Haha.”
Namgung Cheon’s sincere attitude made Yeon Jeokha laugh.
Namgung Yeon, watching both relax, also smiled.
—”What’s this about showing him around?” Namgung Yeon asked, puzzled.
—”It was just a figure of speech. You always take everything so seriously.”
—”Oh.”
Namgung Yeon was stunned to hear her brother.
Namgung Cheon, who was sitting like a cat in a chair, suddenly straightened up.
—”Ah! Jeokha, I have something to tell you. I hope you don’t take it the wrong way.”
English