The Martial Alliance was the ones who had attacked the main headquarters of the Hao Faction, including himself. He could not stand having to bow his head to his enemies.
In fact, it was very difficult to endure even breathing in the same space. But the reality was that he had to endure it.
As Son Muk completely left, the emotions he had been holding back exploded.
"Why did I have to suffer this... You dog bastard..."
As she clenched her fists, her whole body trembled on its own.
Mae Gang-hwa and Sama Chung were on Seo Mun-ryeon's left and right, and middle-aged men with half-white hair, who looked to be in their fifties, were standing in a row on the wall side.
Although they had committed no crime, they stood with their heads bowed like criminals and watched Seo Mun-ryeon's expression.
Hiss! Hiss!
Seo Mun-ryeon, who had been breathing heavily, shouted again.
"Even the Demonic Cult can't treat me carelessly, but the Martial Alliance dares to use me! Is our faction that ridiculous? Is the Seo Mun family in decline? Huh! Am I ridiculous! Fuck... Hoo..."
Seo Mun-ryeon, who had shouted loudly, let out a deep breath as if she were relieved and sat down in a chair.
As Mae Gang-hwa held out water again, Seo Mun-ryeon drank the water.
As Sama Chung gestured to the elders to sit down, they all sat down. Mae Gang-hwa grabbed Seo Mun-ryeon's shoulder and said with a pitiful heart.
"You've suffered a lot holding it in, Master."
She was feeling a sense of sympathy.
'It's sad. It must be sad... Hoo... You stinking Martial Alliance bastards.'
In the past, she had been pessimistic about her powerless situation because of the Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult. Mae Gang-hwa, who had only drunk for several days because of that sad heart, judged that now was the time for alcohol.
"Shall I bring some alcohol?"
"No, call Jin Sa-wol."
"Yes."
Mae Gang-hwa answered and then hurriedly went outside.
She, seeing that the room had become messy, stood up from her seat as if she had come to her senses.
"Hurry up and clean!"
As she shouted, the maids who were waiting outside rushed in and began to clean the room. Sama Chung and the other elders also cleaned up the broken dishes, watching her expression.
A short while later, Jin Sa-wol came in with Mae Gang-hwa.
Jin Sa-wol roughly guessed the reason why Seo Mun-ryeon had called him.
Seo Mun-ryeon looked at Jin Sa-wol and said.
"Our faction will now be with the Namcheonhoe. Jin Sa-wol, the leader of the Namcheonhoe. He is Leader Jin."
At Seo Mun-ryeon's story, the elders' expressions hardened.
They were surprised to hear that the Hao Faction was being entrusted to a sect they had never heard of, the Namcheonhoe, not the Martial Alliance or the Demonic Cult.
Jin Sa-wol looked at Seo Mun-ryeon and then at the faces of the elders.
He was not very interested in who they were or what power they had. Because there was a rice cake in front of him now.
There was no reason to just stand by with the rice cake of the Hao Faction in front of him. It was polite to eat it.
"I am Jin Sa-wol of the Namcheonhoe."
Jin Sa-wol stood with an indifferent face and did not even bow his head. He just introduced himself and then stood.
Sama Chung, on behalf of the elders, asked.
"What kind of place is the Namcheonhoe? Is it a place that has the power to handle us?"
"It's a place where those who follow me can live peacefully. It's also a place that has the power to protect that peace."
"All the sects in the world are made to eat and live well. All sects have a grand cause and reason. If the purpose of the Namcheonhoe is peace, it's too much like an orthodox sect."
"The orthodox sect can't be trusted."
"They're guys who are different on the inside and outside."
The elders supported Sama Chung's story.
Jin Sa-wol showed a smile, walked past Sama-ryeon, and stood in front of the window. Everyone's gaze followed him.
Jin Sa-wol, feeling the cool wind blowing, said.
"Peace? There is no such grand purpose. The Namcheonhoe is a place where those who follow me have gathered. Only those who are loyal to me and follow my orders will enjoy wealth and glory."
Jin Sa-wol's coercive prayer pressed down on the shoulders of everyone sitting in the room.
"It's the Demonic Cult."
At Sama Chung's words, Jin Sa-wol nodded. Because he thought he was no different from the Demonic Cult Leader.
"The grudge of the Namcheonhoe is my grudge, and the blood of the Namcheonhoe will be my blood. It is the law of the martial world to repay blood with blood. All the enemies of the Namcheonhoe will die."
Jin Sa-wol cast a cold gaze and then showed a smile.
"If the Hao Faction joins me, they will receive the price of blood."
At Jin Sa-wol's words, Sama Chung showed a hardened expression and glanced at Seo Mun-ryeon.
Sama Chung, as if he had discussed it with Seo Mun-ryeon beforehand, stood up from his seat and said.
"We can't judge what kind of place the Namcheonhoe is and whether it will really become our shield on behalf of the Demonic Cult and the Martial Alliance. Show us the power of the Namcheonhoe."
"What do you want?"
"Blood."
At the expected answer, Jin Sa-wol nodded. Sama Chung said again.
"We want the heads of the traitors who have betrayed our faction and the blood of those who have deceived and despised our faction. We also need the blood of the master of the Salmun who sent assassins to kill our master and the one who commissioned the Salmun."
Sama Chung was making a murder for hire.
Jin Sa-wol, thinking of killing with a borrowed sword, felt as if Seo Mun-ryeon were trying to use him.
He closed his mouth for a moment.
Although Sama Chung's proposal was impossible for the Hao Faction, it was not a difficult task for Jin Sa-wol.
"We will provide all the necessary information."
As Sama Chung spoke again, Jin Sa-wol looked at Seo Mun-ryeon and answered.
"You want a lot of blood."
"Our faction has shed a lot of blood recently."
"What do I get after killing all the lives that the Hao Faction wants?"
"Everything of the Hao Faction."
At Sama-ryeon's answer, Jin Sa-wol crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. He had thought it was a good rice cake to eat, but as expected, there was no such thing as a free rice cake.
Seo Mun-ryeon quickly said.
"There's no need to think complicatedly. To put it simply, the orthodox sects and the evil sects, including the Martial Alliance, have harassed and killed us. But the Demonic Cult has found and killed the guys who harassed us on our behalf. That's why we were loyal."
To put it simply, they were being beaten up here and there, but a powerful friend called the Demonic Cult had appeared, protected them, and had taken revenge on their behalf.
It was not a difficult task for the Hao Faction to bow their heads to those with great power.
Jin Sa-wol nodded.
"Prepare a kill list by evening."
At Jin Sa-wol's words, Seo Mun-ryeon showed a smile. Jin Sa-wol slowly went outside and then headed for the garden.
The Hao Faction had several military groups. But their power was not large enough to face the Martial Alliance, and it was not enough to face the orthodox sects or the evil sects of a certain scale.
Their opponents were foreigners or the black path crowd who did not know martial arts.
As Jin Sa-wol's figure completely disappeared, one of the elders asked.
"Is that person really the one who drove out the former Demonic Cult Leader? He looks too young..."
"It's true."
"Can he replace the Demonic Cult?"
When another elder asked, Seo Mun-ryeon showed a smile.
"Of course. The reason I left the Demonic Cult is because the Demonic Cult is no longer as powerful as it used to be. Many masters have died due to internal divisions in the Demonic Cult. On top of that, my father died like that, but the Demonic Cult couldn't do anything."
Seo Mun-ryeon trembled her shoulders as she recalled the death of Seo Mun-gajeong.
That grudge was directed at the Demonic Cult.
"Trust me. We're keeping the number one person in the world by our side."
At Seo Mun-ryeon's words, everyone was suspicious, but they nodded for now.
Although Sama Chung and Mae Gang-hwa were absolutely loyal to Seo Mun-ryeon and followed her orders, the other elders had suspicious expressions.
There was no need to force them to be persuaded.
In any case, it was a matter of whether to follow or betray. And it was not too late to judge after seeing the results.
***
Around evening, Mae Gang-hwa, who had entered the private room, approached Jin Sa-wol, who was sitting in a chair.
"It's a kill list."
The kill list that Mae Gang-hwa handed over was a thin booklet of about five pages. As he opened the first page, the name Salmun appeared.
"The Demonic Cult must have been in a hurry. To think they even dragged in the Salmun."
The Salmun was an organization created by the masters who had received the order of assassination from the Demonic Cult about fifty years ago and had remained in the Central Plains without returning after completing their mission.
Of course, they were traitors who should have been killed, but the Demonic Cult had made a request to them.
Mae Gang-hwa explained.
"It seems the Demonic Cult has proposed to lift the grudge and the kill order with the Salmun if they kill the master."
Hearing Mae Gang-hwa's story, as he turned the next page, the heads of the evil sects belonging to the Hao Faction in the north of the river were written.
"They are the ones who have gone over to the Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult."
As Mae Gang-hwa spoke, he turned the next page. Mae Gang-hwa said as if she had been waiting.
"Wang Hong was a gisaeng that the master cherished, but she fell in love with Gwak Ji and betrayed our faction. Wang Hong has brought a lot of information that was in the main headquarters to the Martial Alliance."
The target to be listed at the very front was Wang Hong.
"The Martial Alliance..."
Wang Hong was currently staying deep in the rear garden of the Martial Alliance under the protection of the Martial Alliance.
Except for the Salmun Master and Wang Hong, they were tasks that Jo-rim and the Flower Ghosts could handle sufficiently.
Seo Mun-ryeon also knew that. She had written the Salmun Master and Wang Hong to persuade the elders.
With a sreureuk! sound of sliding, Jo Geom-ok, wearing a black martial arts uniform, appeared in the room.
Seeing her, Mae Gang-hwa stood up.
"If you have any questions, please call me."
As Mae Gang-hwa went out, Jo Geom-ok approached Jin Sa-wol's side and looked at the kill list.
"What is it?"
Jin Sa-wol handed the kill list to Jo Geom-ok and said.
"A kill list made by the Hao Faction."
Jin Sa-wol answered and then asked Jo Geom-ok, who was examining the kill list and sitting down.
"What about Gung Tae-yeong?"
"He has returned to the alliance. It seems he has urgent business."
Jo Geom-ok, who had visited the Jo family estate with Gung Tae-yeong, had come to Jin Sa-wol as he had returned.
Jo Geom-ok, who had examined the kill list, closed the book and asked.
"The Salmun Master is blank. Does the Hao Faction also not know?"
"We'll know when we go to the Salmun."
Jin Sa-wol seemed not to care much.
In that instant, Jin Sa-wol's expression hardened. A strong wind blew from afar.
Immediately after, a boom! sound echoed from the direction where the council of elders was being held.
"Huh?"
Jo Geom-ok, who had stood up with a startled face, hurriedly left the room when she saw that Jin Sa-wol's figure had disappeared.
With a boom! sound, a man in black who had broken through the wall extended a palm towards Sama Chung.
Sama Chung was startled and was staring with a dazed face. In that instant, with a chwiak! sound, a blood thread fell into the room like a net.
"Get down!"
Seo Mun-ryeon's shout erupted, and the blood thread wrapped around the man in black's whole body. But another man in black who had come in through the window extended his sword towards Seo Mun-ryeon.
He was stabbing, having grasped the exact location.
"Hmph!"
Seo Mun-ryeon was startled and jumped up, breaking through the ceiling.
Boom!
The roof tiles flew, and dozens of hidden weapons flew towards Seo Mun-ryeon, who had landed on the roof. Some of the hidden weapons were sparkling red, as if they were coated with poison.
Seo Mun-ryeon rotated and unfolded the blood thread membrane of the Changing Hand Blood Thread Art. Numerous blood threads were entangled and wrapped around her body like a net.
The hidden weapons that were flying in the air were deflected by the blood threads with a tting! tting! sound.
"Who are you!"
(End of Chapter)
