The Demonic Supreme Sword Novel - Chapter 61

Chapter 61
## Chapter: 61

## Chapter Title: Turning Point (1)

—

Following a violent struggle for dominance, Neung Cheong Kang, who had successfully claimed the mantle of overall chief of the Eighteen Green Forest Bandit Strongholds, slumped heavily into a massive throne upholstered in tiger pelts.

In contrast to his mane of silver-streaked hair, his bronze-toned face remained eerily smooth and devoid of wrinkles, obscuring his true age. However, his tightly set mouth, prominent jawline, and the network of jagged scars marking his features told the brutal story of his history. His prosthetic eye, carved from dark obsidian, lent him a particularly unsettling aura.

“Haa!”

Neung Cheong Kang exhaled a heavy, weary breath and spoke with a flat, drained voice.

“Proceed with that arrangement.”

“Are you certain that is wise?”

Go Eung, the Bi Jo Hall Leader, questioned him with visible hesitation.

“What choice do I have? I would give anything to take those fools’ heads myself, but our hands are tied. We haven’t even finished suppressing the dissent within our own ranks. Curse it all! To be humiliated and outmatched by those water-dwelling rats.”

Neung Cheong Kang was burning with resentment over the territorial ground he had surrendered to the Yangtze Waterway Alliance so soon after taking command.

Yet, reality was cold. The reigning leader of the Yangtze Waterway Alliance, Cloud Mountain Light Dragon Yu Ak, had maintained an iron grip on the river bandits for three decades. Neung Cheong Kang, by comparison, was a newcomer to his throne. With several strongholds still refusing to lower their banners of defiance, losing a confrontation against the established alliance was a mathematical certainty.

Suddenly, Neung Cheong Kang shifted upright and downed a large gulp of spirits to drown his simmering rage.

“Yes, Father.”

The entrance opened, and Neung Ja Jin walked in.

“What brings you here?”

Neung Cheong Kang, his mood soured by the alcohol and his wounded pride, barked the question.

Stepping into the room, Neung Ja Jin maintained a respectful tone.

“A message arrived from the Haomen.”

“The Haomen? What business do they have with us?”

“They have delivered the findings of their inquiry.”

Neung Ja Jin presented a parchment.

“An inquiry?”

Neung Cheong Kang took the letter, looking perplexed.

“Have you already put your brother and the youngest out of your mind?”

The irritation on Neung Cheong Kang’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a dark intensity.

“True. I let those river-dwellers distract me.”

With eyes promising murder, Neung Cheong Kang began to scan the document. It was a dense report, and it took considerable time to digest.

Finally, he crumpled the paper in a fit of pique and turned his gaze toward his son.

“Have you reviewed this?”

“I have.”

“Your assessment?”

“To be frank, I find it difficult to process.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand; it was simply that the information felt impossible.

Neung Cheong Kang didn’t lash out at Neung Ja Jin’s skepticism. He shared the sentiment.

“Bi Jo Hall Leader.”

“Present, Overall Chief.”

“You previously voiced a suspicion that those butchers were responsible for the youngest’s death. Do you recall?”

“I do, sir.”

“You also concluded they likely weren’t the killers. Even though the true culprits remained a mystery.”

“That is… accurate.”

Go Eung replied, carefully monitoring Neung Cheong Kang’s reaction.

“Peruse this.”

Neung Cheong Kang hurled the balled-up letter at him.

Go Eung snatched it from the air and raced through the text. As he read, his face drained of color, and his eyes began to twitch.

“The Haomen estimates an eighty percent probability that those shopkeepers are the killers. What do you make of that?”

“I—well…”

Go Eung found himself speechless.

He checked the lines again and again, but the Haomen’s logic was so sound and their evidence so granular that he couldn’t find a flaw. He was even staggered by the fact that they had interviewed Namgung Clan swordsmen to dig up secrets hidden from the public eye.

“I’m not holding your past error against you. Even if you had insisted they were the murderers, I wouldn’t have credited it. It defies logic that the people who butchered our high-ranking elders—and my youngest—would be spending their days running a common butcher shop.”

“Do you accept it as fact now?”

Neung Ja Jin inquired.

“It’s hard to swallow, but I cannot ignore the evidence.”

Neung Cheong Kang began to mutter the primary points of the report under his breath.

“Destroyed the Golden Fox Bandit Lair, fought the Namgung Clan’s Dark Heaven High Sword to a standstill, effortlessly slaughtered our Green Forest elders, triumphed in the Hahu Clan’s tournament, and even formed a bond with the Sword Freak? And these men are selling meat? It’s preposterous.”

“The report mentioned their features varied slightly each time. Could it be a case of mistaken identity?”

Neung Cheong Kang gave a sharp, mocking laugh.

“You saw the report. The Haomen is convinced it’s the same group. Eighty percent in their world is a certainty. You can mask a face, but you can’t hide a physical build. Their investigation highlighted a consistent detail: one man of monstrous proportions.”

“How do we proceed?”

A freezing aura of bloodlust radiated from Neung Cheong Kang.

“Retribution. In full.”

“If the report is accurate, they have the Hahu Clan behind them. Furthermore, the Sword Freak is personally acting as a sentry for that shop.”

“Precisely. Unless he’s completely lost his senses.”

Neung Cheong Kang shook his head, unable to fathom why a legend of the martial world would be guarding a storefront.

“Furthermore, their prowess is staggering. To match the Dark Heaven High Sword is no small feat. The Namgung Clan is too arrogant to inflate someone else’s skill. Taking them out will cost us dearly in blood.”

“Mm.”

Neung Cheong Kang let out a low, guttural sound.

He held the title of chief, but his control over the Green Forest was not yet absolute. Committing to a revenge mission with a high casualty count was a dangerous gamble.

“May I offer a suggestion?”

Go Eung spoke up with trepidation.

“Out with it.”

“That man Sima Geon has a sister who is quite ill.”

“Your point?”

“We leverage her.”

Neung Cheong Kang scowled, not following the logic.

“Explain.”

“She suffers from the Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian—a rarity, but functionally similar to the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. The Haomen couldn’t verify a total cure, but her health is improving.”

“Get to the heart of the matter.”

Neung Ja Jin prodded, seeing his father’s patience wearing thin.

“Y-yes.”

Go Eung wiped sweat from his brow and spoke rapidly.

“I don’t know the specifics of the Heavenly Yin condition, but everyone knows a girl with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians is both a cursed soul and a priceless prize for certain practitioners.”

“The point!”

Neung Cheong Kang finally roared.

“There is a faction known as the Hong Ik House.”

Go Eung raised his voice to match the energy.

“Hong Ik House?”

“Yes. A slave-trading organization.”

“I know the name. A splinter group from the Yangtze Waterway Alliance, aren’t they? And?”

“They are predators who hunt anything of value. They are heartless, persistent, and highly skilled. What if we feed them rumors about a Nine Yin girl? Especially one who is ‘recovering’ and only protected by some lowly butchers.”

“They would lose their minds with greed.”

Neung Cheong Kang caught the vision and nodded, though his brow soon furrowed again.

“Even if they leave their post, with the Sword Freak present? For just one girl? I doubt they’d take the risk.”

“Everyone is aware the Yangtze Waterway Alliance provides the muscle for Hong Ik House, even if they pretend to be unrelated.”

“True. Their leader is the sibling of that crazy old man, the Cloud Mountain Light Dragon.”

“If we play this correctly, we can pull the alliance into the fire with them.”

Neung Cheong Kang’s expression brightened at the prospect of entangling the Yangtze Waterway Alliance.

“You want to point a grieving brother’s sword at the alliance?”

“Exactly.”

“Intriguing. Better than your usual ideas.”

A dark, satisfied grin appeared on Neung Cheong Kang’s face as he barked the final order.

“Construct a foolproof strategy.”

—

“Ugh! I’m exhausted.”

Cheol Woo stretched his massive limbs as he descended the stairs, his mouth wide in a persistent yawn. Customers nearby flinched at his size and gave him a wide berth.

“You’ve slept half the day away and you’re still complaining?”

Sima Geon rebuked him with a frown.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like seasonal lethargy, just something’s off.”

Cheol Woo slumped into a chair, his eyes heavy as he scanned the room.

“Why is it so packed this early?”

“Early? It’s the middle of the day.”

“No way, is it really?”

Cheol Woo craned his neck to check the sun outside, rubbing his face.

“When did the boss get down here?”

“A moment ago.”

“Has he eaten?”

“Just a light snack.”

“This mountain of grass for breakfast? Hey!”

Cheol Woo looked at the stir-fried greens with disgust and summoned a bustling server.

“Not this. I need meat.”

“We can do mutton, pork, or a chicken stir-fry quickly. Anything else will take time…”

“Doesn’t matter. What’s the best?”

“People usually go for the mutton stir-fry, sir.”

“Bring that, some rice, and some liquor…”

Cheol Woo glanced at Sima Geon’s stern face. He started to hold up three fingers for the bottles but quickly tucked one away.

“Two… no, one bottle. Make it happen. What kind of liquor?”

“The house favorite.”

“Go on then.”

The waiter disappeared instantly. Cheol Woo let out a long sigh.

“That boy is on the ball. Young, but he knows how to read a room.”

“He does. Unlike a certain blockhead who has the social grace of a brick.”

“Are we still on that? You’re dragging this out. And I didn’t lack tact—that woman was a fox. Anyone would have been caught off guard by that approach.”

As Sima Geon gestured toward him, Cheol Woo gave a defiant snort.

“Let’s be honest. I just had a quick reflex. Even the boss was fooled.”

Cheol Woo grumbled, but Sima Geon ignored him, calmly sipping his tea.

“Argh, you’re impossible!”

Cheol Woo thumped his chest, venting his frustration.

Setting aside the Blue Orchid Commander’s cleverness, it was his own blunder that had blown their cover that bothered him most.

Sima Geon, who had been enjoying the teasing, suddenly turned his head toward a noise nearby.

A group of boisterous traders were finishing their meal and gathering their belongings to depart.

Once they had cleared out, Sima Geon leaned across the table.

“It sounds like that clever lady is causing quite a stir.”

“Stir? What are you talking about?”

Cheol Woo asked, sounding bored.

“I picked up some talk from those merchants. The capital is in turmoil. There are reports of violence every day.”

“In the capital? It figures. After that disaster, staying quiet would be moronic. I’d be cleaning house too.”

“Which is why everything is a mess right now.”

“Why is it a mess? If the emperor is on their side, what’s the problem?”

“It doesn’t seem to be that straightforward.”

“How so?”

Cheol Woo’s brow knit in confusion.

“They say politics requires a valid excuse. Even with the throne’s favor, you can’t just start a purge without a formal justification.”

“No justification? They tried to assassinate Il Hwang Suk. There were plenty of people there.”

“And they’re all dead.”

“What? No way.”

“The witnesses they were escorting were eliminated. The ambush itself is a known fact, so Il Hwang Suk’s faction used it to trim some branches, but they couldn’t strike at the root.”

“Ha! What a load of garbage. The truth is sitting right there, but they’re paralyzed by paperwork!”

Cheol Woo grabbed the bottle of liquor that had just arrived and drained half of it, waving for another.

“So what’s with all the killing if they can’t even draw their swords in the open?”

“You know how it works. The shadow wars are often bloodier than the ones in the light.”

Cheol Woo understood immediately.

“Ah, I see. Right. It’s not a face-to-face fight. Lots of people dying in the dark. Poor bastards caught in the middle. Tsk tsk.”

“It has to end eventually, doesn’t it? The Blue Orchid Commander I met wasn’t just ‘clever’ like you claim.”

Sima Geon drank his tea, his mind drifting back to their meeting with her a few weeks prior.

After her sharp mind and Cheol Woo’s clumsy reaction had revealed them, they had been forced to speak with Il Hwang Suk’s party. As time passed, her competence became undeniable. He realized that she, though not yet a public figure, was the engine behind Il Hwang Suk’s influence.

“Besides, the knowledge of the Blood Killer Cult makes her even more driven.”

“Now that I think about it, weren’t they targeting Blue Orchid—the girl—and not Il Hwang Suk?”

“Likely both. You can’t overlook Il Hwang Suk, he’s a pillar of the empire…”

Detecting a new presence, Sima Geon lowered his volume. Cheol Woo stopped his complaining and dug into his food. However, the chatter from the adjacent table suddenly drew all of his attention.