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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Cyno
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There are such people in this world.
People who live shackled to a single intense memory from their childhood, driven by a near-obsessive conviction.
You could call it resolve, stubbornness, or even madness.
I’d call it foolishness.
‘What a pointless mood-ruiner.’
Okhwa is exactly that type of person.
To put it nicely, she’s steadfast in her beliefs—to put it bluntly, she’s narrow-minded.
‘She talks about eradicating evil without even knowing what evil is? What a joke.’
Okhwa is someone who can’t live without evil.
That’s the purpose of her life. Unlike the Divine Monk, who seeks to lead the world with righteousness, or me, who strives to save the world, Okhwa is a delusional woman who lives ‘to destroy evil.’ She doesn’t realize it herself.
That very delusion was the driving force that propelled her to her current level, but it’s also the reason she’s stagnating, unable to step into the realm of Hwajing.
‘…How irritating.’
The reason she arbitrarily labeled me as evil was probably because of that.
She’s someone who can’t live without evil to destroy.
With the Blood Cult, whom she could freely condemn and slaughter for a full decade, now gone, she’s subconsciously tormented by the compulsion to find a new evil.
And since I happened to be right in front of her, she must have conveniently decided I was evil.
‘Pathetic woman.’
She is not righteous. It’s even harder to call her a Taoist cultivating the Way.
Despite reaching such heights, she remains trapped in her past, comforting herself by calling herself righteous while becoming another kind of evil—that’s Okhwa.
Of course, compared to the other hypocrites of Murim, she’s still better. At the very least, she has a fundamental belief that evil must not be committed.
But that doesn’t justify her subconscious hypocrisy. At least from my perspective, I can’t help but feel skepticism and disappointment.
Especially when I think that this is how she repays me for my regression.
‘This…!’
On the day I left the Kunlun Sect, Okhwa showed me mercy. At least, by her standards, it was immense mercy. Even if it was just her own arbitrary decision, she spared someone she considered evil.
‘You wretched insect of a woman…!’
But the treatment I deserved was never something so meager.
I didn’t expect much. I wasn’t asking for a feast fit for kings.
All I wanted was for her not to treat me with hostility.
‘There’s no way she doesn’t know I’m not evil…!’
Am I supposed to be grateful just because she showed me some semblance of kindness? That’s one thing, but this is another. Being told to ‘get lost’ by the friend who stood by me the longest, threatened with death if we ever meet again—that’s an experience I can’t forget.
‘Ha, why am I like this again…?’
Until just recently, I thought I felt nothing toward Okhwa, that she was just an uncomfortable presence.
They say the human heart is like a reed—seems like they weren’t entirely wrong.
‘How… how could she, of all people, do this to me?’
Okhwa may be delusional, but she’s no fool.
After watching me for a full decade, there’s no way she’d believe the rumors circulating about me.
Yet if she still accepted them as truth… it must be because her own nature wanted to believe them.
Because she’s someone who can’t live without evil to destroy, she used me as an emotional punching bag.
A convenient target she could beat on anytime.
Even if the Blood Cult is gone, there’s still plenty of evil in the world. She must know that.
But in the past three years, I haven’t heard any news of her hunting down evildoers.
No doubt, it was her instincts at work.
From Okhwa’s perspective, it’s simple.
During the war with the Blood Cult, she always had evil she could freely slaughter.
But then, in an instant, that evil vanished.
Unlike me or the Divine Monk, evil is indispensable to her.
Because without evil, she has no purpose in life.
Even as she shouts about eradicating evil, deep down, she’s afraid.
Afraid that evil might disappear again.
If she wipes out all the evildoers in the world, her reason for living will vanish, just like when the war with the Blood Cult ended.
In fact, after the war, she often seemed lost, stumbling aimlessly.
‘She’s probably desperately ignoring the fact that she herself is committing evil. A delusional, hypocritical woman.’
That’s why she labeled me as evil.
Because I, the Sword Saint Namgoong Cheolbin, am a wall she can never overcome.
A wall she can never destroy, a target she can curse at for the rest of her life as an emotional trash can.
And even then, I won’t disappear.
‘Don’t tell me… she let me live for that very reason?’
She thought it was mercy, but in reality, was it because she was afraid of losing her ‘evil’?
If that’s truly the case, then she’s a genuinely vile human being.
She’s become the very type the Divine Monk always feared and guarded against.
‘Disgusting.’
My exhale carries force.
My emotions feel excessive. I should kill her. But once ignited, these emotions won’t settle.
‘I’m disgusting too. Everything is disgusting. Why did I even save people like this?’
I’m furious at the peace I devoted myself to creating, at how it treats me.
I’m disillusioned by the hypocrisy, ugliness, and wretchedness of a human like Okhwa.
—Ah, your old temper’s flaring up again.
“……”
The usual mocking voice of Jin Wooyong reaches me.
—You’ve been bottling up so much rage that it keeps bursting out like a dam. Tsk tsk. Pitiful.
“Are you going to tell me again that Okhwa did nothing wrong? That I should just endure?”
—Don’t misunderstand. I’m not scolding you, son-in-law. That bitch Okhwa—I’ve seen all the shit she’s pulled too.
“…Must you be so vulgar?”
—You’re the only one in this era who cares about manners, you dumb, gullible fool.
“……”
But unlike before, even after hearing his voice, my emotions don’t settle easily.
I feel wronged and suffocated.
—Looking at you, it seems something’s about to explode soon.
“Is that so?”
—Yeah, you can’t hold it back forever. Emotions like this will erupt eventually. I don’t know why, but the docile personality you had during those three years at the Namgoong Estate is fading. It was never something you could suppress anyway. You have to accept it.
“A natural phenomenon, you mean? Then why did you try to stop it before?”
—Because it was too extreme. Haven’t you heard? If a person changes too suddenly, they die.
“I feel like I’m changing pretty suddenly right now too.”
—This isn’t as light as you think. Blood will be spilled. The cruelty of your regression days, the pain you endured, and the rage bottled up over these three years—they’ll overlap and explode all at once. You’ve experienced it twice before, haven’t you? Even if the circumstances were different.
“…? What do you mean?”
—When you tried to die by Okhwa’s hand, when you tried to drown yourself in the river after leaving the Namgoong Estate. You think you did those things for no reason? A normal person, when rage builds up, wants to vent it on others. Not self-harm. Of course, suicide wouldn’t even cross their minds.
“……”
—Back then, you were a fool. There’s a reason fools are called ‘tiger’s mouths.’ You didn’t know how to direct your anger at others, only how to swallow it. That’s why you tried to kill yourself. You wanted blood, but you had no justification to unleash it on others. If you’d been a disciple of the Evil Path or the Demon Path, you’d have killed Namgoong Bin right away. But as a righteous martial artist, killing without justification is unthinkable. Isn’t that what you were taught?
I can’t say anything. Each word strikes deep, impossible to deny.
Then, when you say blood will be spilled…
—I don’t know what happened at the Namgoong Estate, but you’ve been changing since you left. You know it yourself, don’t you? The personality from your regression days—the ruthless, emotionless one that valued true justice over appearances—is returning.
“Are you saying I’ll kill someone?”
—I can’t say for sure. It’s just speculation based on your memories. But one thing is certain: the rage you’ve been directing at yourself for the past three years will turn outward. That monstrous anger won’t dissipate without bloodshed.
“What… should I do?”
—Do nothing. Just be careful. Pray that the blood you spill… belongs only to the wicked. Because you could end up just like Okhwa.
“This world is full of insects. Pathetic, wretched humans. Ignorance may not be a sin, but these people have sinned against me. Would it really be a problem if they died?”
—I’m not saying this for their sake. I’m saying it for yours. Once it happens, your old personality might return—though I can’t be sure. It might fluctuate. Who knows? But if it does… could you live with yourself after spilling innocent blood? You, who even spared the daughter of your father’s enemy, insisting on her innocence?
“…Damn it. I’m starting to resent the Namgoong family’s upbringing. They raised me to be too moral.”
—Just remember one thing. I’m on your side. Our descendant is too. The human heart is fickle—even a single pillar of support can keep it from collapsing. Just remembering that will keep your mind from breaking.
“…Ah, right. It’s almost time for the young lady to wake up.”
—You call yourself a bodyguard and forget your master’s waking hours?
“I lost my composure and forgot.”
Still, this isn’t normal either.
After reaching this level of mastery, I should have transcended emotions, entered a state of detachment. So why have I been so emotional lately?
I’ll have to look into it later.
For now, I should wake Jin Gayoung…
Rustle—thud!
“Mister! You’re still not up?”
Oh, she’s already awake.
“No, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“Really? What could you possibly be brooding over?”
“It’s nothing. More importantly, have you given any thought to yesterday’s matter?”
“Yesterday’s matter? What happened?”
“Okhwa’s proposal.”
Jin Gayoung tilts her head, looking genuinely confused.
After a moment, she makes an ‘Ah!’ expression, as if remembering.
“Don’t tell me… you forgot?”
“Ahaha, I already decided to refuse, so I put it out of my mind. My brain’s too small to remember useless things like that.”
“You’re refusing? Even though it’s Okhwa’s proposal?”
“Hmm… At first, I considered accepting. It’s Okhwa, after all, and the cause is good. It might be tiring, but acting for justice is worth it, so I was willing.”
“Then why refuse?”
“Well…”
Jin Gayoung pauses, resting her chin on her hand, deep in thought. Then she leans in and whispers cheerfully into my ear.
“That Okhwa woman… her eyes were too sharp.”
“…Pfft.”
Whether it’s her breath tickling my ear or just her words, a chuckle escapes me.
“They weren’t the eyes of someone cultivating the Tao. More like… a white rose? Too harsh, too venomous?”
“Pfft.”
Thanks to Jin Gayoung scratching the itch in my heart, I feel a little lighter.
—As expected of my descendant. She’s got a sharp eye.
****
A hidden back alley somewhere in Murim.
A place most martial artists don’t even know exists—and the few who do avoid it at all costs.
The land where the most blood has been spilled in the world.
The Salgak (Killing Pavilion) branch headquarters.
“Is everyone here?”
A girl with pink hair resembling a lotus flower addresses the assembled executives of Salgak, seated in two rows.
The elderly man at the front answers respectfully.
“Yes, all the top-tier assassins, first-class assassins, and branch leaders have responded to the Star Lord’s summons.”
His epithet is the Thousand-Kill Sword King. Three years ago, before losing to the current Killing Star, he was the Star Lord of Salgak and one of the Five Supreme Masters of the world.
“Good. Before we get to the main topic, let’s address the matter I entrusted you with earlier. Red-Clad Sword Demon, have you located the Sword Saint?”
Her pink eyes gleaming, the Killing Star speaks.
The man seated to her left jumps to his feet and shouts.
“Yes! He’s currently living under the alias ‘Baek Do-gaek’ with the Taiyuan Jin Family and is at the Wudang Sect, where the Seven Blossoms War is being held!”
“Good. Very good.”
Satisfied with her subordinate’s loyal response, the Killing Star smiles and begins the main discussion.
“Then preparations are complete… The reason I’ve summoned you all today is to issue a special order.”
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