[Grandfather, it is Seolhwa.
The long, harsh cold has passed, and now the season of budding has arrived.
I am doing well.
I have not neglected my martial arts training, and I can feel that I am already close to the Peak of Peak Realm.
Though I wander, unsure of what exactly I still lack, I continue my cultivation with focus, recalling your teachings.
I plan to return before the clan assembly in a month and a half.
When we meet again, I will do so having reached that realm.
Stay healthy.
—Namgoong Seolhwa]
Rustle.
Namgoong Mucheon set the letter down and turned his gaze toward the window.
A gentle smile played at the corners of his lips.
“What did the young miss say that has you so pleased?”
“She says she will return soon.”
Chief Steward Namgoong Mun exclaimed in surprise.
“Will she truly return to the main house? At last?”
“Yes. She said she would be here before the clan assembly.”
“My word...”
A warm smile spread across the steward’s face as well.
“It has already been four years since the young miss left the household. She never even appeared once during the previous gatherings. The other clans have grown quite curious about her.”
“What good could possibly come from mingling with those who only seek to tear you down.”
“That is true, but still...”
Rumors that the Namgoong Clan’s eldest granddaughter had once wandered the streets had already spread throughout the entire Central Plains.
Naturally, the other clans’ curiosity about her did not come from a place of goodwill.
“Do you truly believe Lady Seolhwa is the kind of person to be shaken by such rumors? She is the one who would break the pride of those self-important fools with a single blow!”
The steward laughed heartily with delight.
When Namgoong Mucheon raised an eyebrow and looked at him, he hastily cleared his throat and suppressed his laughter.
“But more importantly, she will likely seek out the Bipung Sword. What if she discovers the truth we kept hidden...?”
“Was it not Mugwang himself who asked us not to tell her? If she finds out after returning, there is nothing we can do.”
“Yes, that is true.”
There was no way she would not notice.
After all, the man was gone.
“In any case, it is a joy that the young miss is returning. I must finally prepare a gift she would truly like.”
The steward laughed again, unable to conceal his delight.
Namgoong Mucheon’s smile, too, remained unbroken.
He turned his gaze back to the clear sky beyond the window.
“To reach near the Peak of Peak Realm before even reaching full adulthood...”
Who could believe it? That child’s martial talent.
How much had she grown in all this time?
What sort of sky was the one she saw?
“Spring is coming.”
Yes... A spring worth waiting for.
****
Part 2, Chapter 1 – Four Demon Alliance
Fwooo...
A crimson aura softly surged around Seolhwa and her sword.
As she guided her internal energy, the red energy rapidly condensed around the blade the moment she opened her eyes.
Around it, flickering sparks of a light that was at times white and at others golden sparked intermittently.
Fwooom— FWOOOSH—!
Seolhwa swung her sword.
A crimson afterimage trailed wherever her sword passed.
It flowed through the air gracefully, like a sword dance—fluid, elegant, refined.
Then, all at once, her eyes sharpened—and her movements grew faster, sharper.
Zzzt! SHRAK!
Fwoooom— PABAK!
As though cleaving the very air, she slashed through the void, and shockwaves burst from every point she thrust her blade toward.
Tat— Tatat, SHRAK— Tat!
With even firmer footwork, she struck the ground rapidly, driving her sword techniques forward.
Wherever her blade reached, space wavered as though distorted, and the cutting wind of her sword rang out without pause.
From the sword’s tip, bursts of energy exploded as though from a palm strike, and before the explosion could dissipate, the blade had already slashed through that very space.
A technique of her own, born from the explosive martial power of the Thunder and Wind Divine Art and the weighty yet buoyant intricacy of Namgoong swordsmanship.
Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword (Cheonroe Singeom).
SHRAAAAAK—!
With the final diagonal slash, Seolhwa halted.
She had wielded her blade while enveloped in sword qi for quite some time, yet her breath did not falter in the slightest.
Rustle...
A serpent slithered down from a nearby rock, approaching as it observed her.
[Unbelievable. How long has it been since you reached the Peak of Peak Realm, and you are already showing signs of comprehension of the ultimate state?]
Seolhwa looked at the fat serpent, now plump and round.
“Because I trained that hard.”
[There are things that effort can and cannot achieve. I have seen countless martial prodigies, but never a monster like you.]
“Being called a monster by a serpent is... a bit much.”
[Is it not a bit much that you mastered all ten forms of the Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword the moment you hit Peak Peak?]
“I am still far off.”
The forms were complete—but the intent had not yet reached perfection.
A sword technique not brought to true mastery by its founder was not something she could yet reveal to the world.
“I do not know what it is that I lack.”
[You have done your utmost. Even I acknowledge that. To desire more would be excessive greed.]
For the past four years, Seolhwa had dedicated herself wholly to strengthening the foundation of the Four Demon Alliance and advancing her cultivation.
As promised, she had found the Hao Clan Leader’s daughter and, in return, gained access to the Hao Clan’s intelligence network, which she used to absorb underworld factions across Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Guangxi, and even Yunnan, the Blood Demon Cult’s base.
Her influence now reached nearly one-third of the Central Plains.
[Did you not raise the Four Demon Alliance into one of the three major underworld powers? And beyond that, you achieved personal breakthroughs. Truly outstanding. No, considering your age, it defies reason.]
Seolhwa agreed.
Even she believed she could not have achieved more than she already had—but that lingering sense of incompletion could not be helped.
“Time to go down.”
She began gathering her belongings, preparing to descend the mountain.
The serpent slithered lazily to her side.
“But seriously, are you not a bit too fat now? You are more a boa than a serpent.”
[I am an Imoogi!]
“You should probably cut back on the danggwa.”
[W-wait...! Cut back on danggwa?! What nonsense is this?!]
Watching the serpent slowly slither after her, Seolhwa shook her head and began walking.
The serpent shouted in desperation.
[Wait! Wait, I say! Danggwa is sacred! You are cruel!]
****
When she reached the small hall built atop the mountain ridge, Ryeong was already waiting to greet her.
Seeing her, Ryeong ran forward.
In the span of four years, Seolhwa had grown taller—now standing about a cheok taller than Ryeong.
She had grown faster and stronger than in her past life, thanks to her intensified training.
“You have returned, Alliance Lord.”
Seolhwa took the damp cloth Ryeong offered and wiped her face as she entered the hall.
“Nothing happened, I hope?”
“The Black Cloud Gang was attacked.”
Seolhwa turned sharply toward Ryeong, a trace of doubt in her gaze.
“Specifically, Elder Sambong of the Black Cloud Gang and his subordinates were ambushed.”
Her expression turned cold.
“By whom?”
“By the Iron-Blooded Hall.”
Iron-Blooded Hall.
The ruler of the southeastern region bordering the Four Demon Alliance’s domain in the southwest—one of the three major underworld forces vying for dominance of the Central Plains.
‘They have long been on edge due to the Alliance’s expansion.’
And now they had ambushed Sambong?
“Everyone is waiting for you, Alliance Lord.”
“Understood. I will prepare.”
“We have prepared a bath for you.”
“Thank you.”
****
“The Alliance Lord is arriving!”
Upon hearing of her return, the subordinates of the main sect rushed out and lined both sides of the path in neat rows to greet her.
Soon, a °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° figure in splendid black robes and a black mask adorned with gold stepped into the headquarters of the Four Demon Alliance.
Following behind him was the Grand Guardian, wearing a half-mask.
They were none other than Seolhwa and Ryeong, having returned from training.
Since Seolhwa had grown to match Ryeong in stature, she no longer appointed Ryeong as her proxy and had begun acting as Alliance Lord herself. Nearly a year had already passed since that change.
“The Alliance Lord is arriving!”
The moment Seolhwa stepped in, all those present rose and bowed.
Among them were Okmyeon Seonsaeng, now the Alliance’s chief strategist; the former Black Cloud Gang leader, now Supreme Commander; the Hao Clan Leader; and several faction heads.
As Seolhwa seated herself on the throne, the others began returning to their seats.
But before all could sit, someone knelt and prostrated himself before the dais.
“Alliance Lord! Please spare my younger brother!”
It was Ilryong, the eldest of the three brothers who had left the Namgoong Clan with Seolhwa four years ago.
Raising her hand to calm him, Seolhwa asked:
“Tell me what happened to the Black Cloud Gang leader. Where was he ambushed?”
Ilryong, having inherited the title of Gang Leader from the previous chief, now served as the second-generation Black Cloud Gang leader.
He shouted, his voice thick with grievance.
“My brother was visiting branch outposts of the Gang! But those Iron-Blooded bastards ambushed him on the road...!”
He choked and fell silent.
His face was red with rage.
“Five of our men were killed, and my brother was taken by them! We must go after him at once!”
Ilryong slammed his forehead against the floor with a loud thud.
“Please, let me avenge them! Let me kill every last one of the bastards who did this and bring my brother home...!”
Watching him lose control of his emotions, Seolhwa felt her mind turn cold.
Ilryong. Imoe. Sambong.
They had been instrumental in the founding of the Four Demon Alliance.
Though the road had not been smooth, now, they were unmistakably hers.
‘They touched one of mine...?’
Her hand clenched the armrest of the throne, and veins stood out along her knuckles.
A cold, murderous intent began to rise from around her.
