Chapter 70

Chapter 70

“Why are you making such a fuss?”

Dan Woo-hyun looked straight at Jang Sam-tae.

Although he did not particularly frown, that alone was threatening enough to make Jang Sam-tae, who was running toward him, stop dead in his tracks.

“S… Something big has happened!”

“So, I am asking you what that big problem is.”

Jang Sam-tae stole a glance at Namgung Cheon.

He watched his reaction and opened and closed his mouth several times. He hesitated, wondering whether he should say this or not, before finally speaking.

“T… The Murim Alliance has appointed a new Alliance Leader!”

“……!”

Dan Woo-hyun nodded, accepting it as it was. Whether the Murim Alliance appointed a new Alliance Leader or not, it had nothing to do with him.

Why was this such a big deal?

The moment he let out a dumbfounded chuckle, he saw Namgung Cheon’s stiff expression.

“Are you surprised?”

“Ahem! No, I am not. It is only natural that they did.”

Hiding his surprised heart, Namgung Cheon caught his breath.

The absence of the Alliance Leader would only cause chaos in the Murim Alliance.

Since they could not confirm Namgung Cheon’s survival and had found no trace of him for nearly two months, it was only right to appoint a new Alliance Leader to restore order to the disorganized Alliance.

However, that depended on who the new Alliance Leader was.

“Is it Great Master Seonjin of Shaolin?”

Great Master Seonjin of Shaolin was a man well-suited to be the Murim Alliance Leader. He was so fair and upright, capable of rectifying the ways of the world, that Namgung Cheon had even intended to recommend him when he stepped down from the position.

However, Jang Sam-tae’s demeanor was somewhat strange.

“A… No, it is…”

“Then, is it someone from Kunlun…”

“It is the Sw… Sword Saint of the Murong Family…”

“W-What did you say?!”

Namgung Cheon stared with wide eyes, unable to continue.

The candidates he had in mind were Seonjin of Shaolin, Zhongli Quan of Kunlun, and Cheonjinja of Wudang.

Every single one of them was an outstanding expert and a capable leader who could guide the Orthodox faction.

Yet, instead of them, Murong Hyeok-mun became the Murim Alliance Leader?

Namgung Cheon could not understand it.

Since Murong Hyeok-mun was called the Sword Saint, his skills were superior to the previously mentioned individuals, but he was by no means someone who could embrace others and lead the Orthodox faction.

Looking only at the children raised under him, did they not say that there was nothing they could not do with their power and background?

How could they appoint such a person as the Alliance Leader?

“Did Zhuge Un agree to that?”

“The Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance resigned as soon as he returned to Henan, and Man Hu-ryang took his place…”

“Man Hu-ryang?!”

Namgung Cheon pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache.

Man Hu-ryang was the head of the Mangeum Merchant Guild.

His family had been disciples of the Murong Family for generations, and although he was a merchant, he was also an expert who had made quite a name for himself in the Murim Alliance with his outstanding martial arts.

Possessing resourcefulness and business acumen comparable to the Zhuge Family, he backed the Murong Family and instantly became the owner of the greatest merchant guild in the Central Plains. He was also so wealthy that forty percent of the Murim Alliance’s current funds came from his merchant guild.

Such a man became the Chief Strategist?

This was akin to giving wings to the Murong Family.

If this happened, it would mean that the entire funds of the Murim Alliance had practically fallen into the hands of the Murong Family.

“What on earth were the others doing?!”

Namgung Cheon lamented.

Murong Hyeok-mun was an old friend of his.

However, because he knew his personality well, he understood better than anyone else that he was not suited to be the Alliance Leader.

That was why he had tried not to nominate him as the next Murim Alliance Leader, but to think he had suddenly ascended to the position of Alliance Leader?

Did the Nine Sects and One Gang or the other Eight Great Families not protest at all?

Seeing how he snatched the seat of the Murim Alliance Leader all at once as if he had been waiting, it felt as though he had been working behind the scenes for a long time.

Throbbing…

Namgung Cheon felt a headache coming on.

“As if… he was waiting?”

He soon recalled something and tilted his head.

He shook his head to deny the thought that rose in his mind, but how on earth was he supposed to think about this situation, which aligned so perfectly?

“There is no way… there is no way…”

He pondered, biting his lip repeatedly.

This was because the suspicion that he might have been betrayed by the close friend he trusted so much would not leave his mind.

Every time Murong Hyeok-mun’s face came to mind, the look in his eyes and the expressions he wore while looking at him kept flickering before his eyes, torturing him.

“Sometimes, what you think is impossible turns out to be the truth.”

“That cannot be! He and I!”

“Were probably rivals competing against each other.”

Namgung Cheon’s lips trembled as he turned his head sharply. As soon as he heard Dan Woo-hyun’s words, Murong Hyeok-mun’s sharp eyes came to mind.

The way he looked at him with sharp eyes from time to time.

Sinking to the floor, Namgung Cheon clenched his trembling fists and caught his breath.

He kept believing, reminding himself, and comforting his mind that Murong Hyeok-mun could not have committed such an outrageous act.

***

Chop, chop…

The Alliance Leader’s residence, located in the deepest part of the Murim Alliance.

Murong Hyeok-mun was pruning the twigs of a tree in the yard in front of his residence.

He looked so relaxed that it made one wonder if he was indeed someone who had lost an old friend.

Murong Hyeok-mun, who had been pruning twigs for a long time, stopped his hands and turned his head.

He directed a somewhat sharp gaze toward the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Well, did you find him?”

Chop, chop…

He asked, pruning the twigs again.

The man who approached bowed slightly to show his respects, then silently shook his head.

He had searched the vicinity thoroughly for quite a long time while avoiding the eyes of the Namgung Family, but he could not find even a single trace.

“Hmm, we should have at least recovered his corpse.”

Murong Hyeok-mun muttered with a somewhat regretful expression.

‘If you hadn’t become the Murim Alliance Leader, this wouldn’t have happened.’

The number one of the Eight Great Families, the one titled the Sword Emperor, the man whom he had never beaten even once since childhood, had climbed even higher.

To the position of Murim Alliance Leader, the highest seat of the Orthodox path.

Murong Hyeok-mun had wanted to become the Murim Alliance Leader since childhood, and he nurtured his dream, swearing that he would never lose that position to Namgung Cheon.

However, he ruined everything to the very end.

Namgung Cheon, who had acquired everything from start to finish, ended up shattering even the dream he had harbored since childhood, thoroughly trampling Murong Hyeok-mun.

He was even looking at someone else as the next Alliance Leader.

Of course, since it was decided by a majority vote, it was impossible with Namgung Cheon’s opinion alone, but the recommendation of the Murim Alliance Leader and the Sword Emperor would inevitably influence many people.

So he waited for the right time.

The matter of Gunja Island was unexpected, but in the end, it drew the Sword Emperor, who had been cooped up inside the Murim Alliance, to the outside, and for Murong Hyeok-mun, it was nothing short of a golden opportunity.

He prepared the thunder fire bombs and the qi-dispersing poison, planning and preparing thoroughly.

It was a move to completely eliminate the existence he could never catch up to.

“He was hit by the qi-dispersing poison and his left arm was severed. If he fell off the cliff in that state, he could never have survived.”

The man who bowed, the current head of the Murong Family, Murong Gwan-cheon, spoke carefully.

Since he had executed all the plans and made a mistake in the process by failing to secure Namgung Cheon’s body, he was cautious even when speaking.

Slap!

Sure enough.

Murong Gwan-cheon’s head immediately whipped to the side.

Perhaps because Murong Hyeok-mun had swung the twig he held in his hand, a long scratch appeared on his right cheek. Although it must have caused severe pain, Murong Gwan-cheon quickly corrected his posture and stood there blankly.

He did not even wipe the blood flowing from his cheek.

“You foolish bastard. When doing anything, I told you time and again that you must be perfect from start to finish! Do you still not know that in things like this, you must completely eliminate even the buds that might grow later?”

“I am sorry, Father.”

Murong Hyeok-mun clicked his tongue in disapproval.

None of his children were to his liking. Whether it was the sword, power, or even the fortune of having children, Murong Hyeok-mun felt like there was nothing he could win against Namgung Cheon.

That must be why he felt no affection when dealing with his children.

“What is the Namgung Family doing?”

“It seems they still remain in Hunan, trying hard to find any traces. Of course, they haven't discovered anything.”

Murong Gwan-cheon smiled.

Bloodstains indicating someone’s death were left in abundance. But even if they searched high and low, they would not be able to find any traces left by Namgung Cheon.

Because they had retrieved not only the severed hem of his robe but also his cut-off left arm and burned them.

The Namgung Family was just wasting their time now. And that was a very good opportunity for the Murong Family.

It gave them time to quickly take control of the Murim Alliance and suppress those who did not submit.

Zhuge Un resigned from the position of Chief Strategist, and Man Hu-ryang was promoted.

Was there no conflict in this process?

No.

The Nine Sects and One Gang and the other Eight Great Families protested fiercely, but some were silenced with money, and others were suppressed with power.

This was possible because the momentum of the Nine Sects and One Gang was not what it used to be. That was why Wudang actively intervened in the remains of the Three Heavens found on Gunja Island.

Now, the Orthodox path is the world of the Eight Great Families.

Therefore, the power of the Murong Family was stronger than ever.

“The Namgung Family is one thing, but the problem is Zhuge Un.”

Pruning the remaining twigs, Murong Hyeok-mun narrowed his eyes. He was not afraid of a Namgung Family without the Sword Emperor.

However, the Zhuge Family was an opponent they could not let their guard down against.

In fact, even Man Hu-ryang had to yield to Zhuge Un when it came to intelligence, as the Zhuge Family itself was a place where no one in the Central Plains could match them in terms of extraordinary intellect.

Zhuge Un resigned as Chief Strategist and left the Alliance.

Why?

Originally, Zhuge Un had not intended to take the position of Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance. The reason he changed his mind and took the position was because Namgung Cheon, whom Zhuge Un had long admired, became the Alliance Leader.

The reason he resigned without any fuss as soon as Namgung Cheon disappeared was likely because he had caught on to the full scope of the situation to some extent.

Nothing was more threatening than that.

If the suspicion in Zhuge Un's head leaked out and reached the ears of the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Namgung Family, the Murong Family would face a crisis like they had never experienced before.

It made no sense not to cut off such a rebellious bud.

“Where is he now?”

“…He has currently left Henan and is heading toward Hunan. It seems he intends to join the Namgung Family and find the Sword Emperor.”

“Is that so?”

Murong Hyeok-mun let out a short groan.

Pruning the last remaining twig, he spoke slowly.

“Isn't the Murim turbulent lately? To the point where it wouldn't be strange for anyone to die at any time.”

At his words, Murong Gwan-cheon bowed his head.

Having grasped Murong Hyeok-mun’s intention, it was now time to move.

Because he could not stand by and watch the Murong Family fall due to his survival.