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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Cyno
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Henan.
Martial Alliance Headquarters.
“The meeting has ended, Lord Alliance Leader.”
“Hm? Ah, oh… It’s, it’s already over?”
“Yes. You may return now.”
Namgung Soso, shaking off her drowsiness, muttered hazily as she woke from her bored slumber.
She was disguised as the Alliance Leader, wearing the human-skin mask of Sword Sovereign Geomjon.
In truth, calling it a “disguise” was almost an exaggeration.
This is… the Alliance Leader?
It was a well-known fact throughout the entire martial world that Geomjon, the Alliance Leader, was nothing more than the puppet of the Elders. Not a single person in the rivers and lakes was ignorant of it.
Still, even with that taken into account—
The entire meeting went by without the Alliance Leader saying a single word… they just exchanged words among themselves and decided everything.
In truth, the Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance did not wield power nearly as absolute as the Lord of the Black Lotus Sect. That was true not just in this era, but for most of history.
The Martial Alliance was structured as a confederation of sects. Meaning: it was not an organization where subordinate sects bowed beneath one supreme head, but rather where all member sects stood on relatively equal footing.
The Black Lotus Lord, Heuk U-gwonwang, held overwhelming authority. Whoever he wished dead was killed; he controlled the entire sect with unchecked power.
But the Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance was different. He was merely one among many sect leaders, chosen to serve, and so his voice did not carry great weight.
Even so—
Not a single person addressed the Alliance Leader? They openly ignored him, even when he was asleep before their eyes.
To treat him as if he didn’t exist at all was something Namgung Soso could hardly believe.
More astonishing still—
No one… suspects me at all.
It had already been months since she began living as the Alliance Leader Geomjon.
In all that time, she realized that no one ever came near her—except for the lowly attendants.
I should have guessed, the moment I saw the so-called Alliance Leader living at his private residence instead of the official quarters.
Geomjon was, in truth, someone deliberately ignored.
The Alliance Leader’s power had long been divided and consumed by the Elders, and not even loyal subordinates remained by his side.
Namgung Soso had once believed Geomjon to be behind the plot to frame Namgung Cheolbin—but after living in his place for months, she came to a different conclusion.
He didn’t even have the strength left to orchestrate such schemes.
Perhaps… when he lashed out at the servants that day…
She wondered if it had simply been his frustration at the Alliance erupting from him.
That was how closed-off and self-contained this Martial Alliance had become.
For Namgung Soso, however, it was a blessing in disguise. Being shunned meant no one was watching her closely.
She gathered every piece of information she could as the Alliance Leader—about Namgung Cheolbin, about the rumors, and more. Even a powerless Alliance Leader still carried weight and access.
“Huuu…”
Back in the Alliance Leader’s residence, Namgung Soso sat down heavily in a chair, exhaling a weary sigh.
Before her lay a table stacked with dozens of documents.
Among them were papers left behind by Geomjon himself.
“Geomjon… maybe he wasn’t a complete fool after all.”
She stared at the records with hollow eyes.
There were numerous documents he had left behind. Reading them all, Namgung Soso realized something: Geomjon had someone above him, directing him.
She couldn’t discern exactly who it was from the records—but there was one clear clue.
Namgung Bin.
For reasons unknown, Geomjon had collected an extraordinary amount of information on Namgung Bin.
His origins, his life history, his movements, organizations, wealth, connections… Geomjon had dug into every last detail he could as Alliance Leader, tracing even the family roots.
But Namgung Soso knew one thing Geomjon did not.
The poison that killed Kwonhwa Hwangbo Ji-yak… it was definitely Amroe Poison.
That had been months ago, but she remembered it vividly.
Hwangbo Ji-yak, one of those who had framed Namgung Cheolbin, had been found dead, his dantian blackened.
Amroe Poison was a secret venom that only direct descendants of the Namgung Clan could wield. Which was why Soso had already been planning to confront Namgung Bin once her tenure as Alliance Leader ended.
Now, with Geomjon’s records in hand, she no longer even needed to.
“Namgung Bin may be the mastermind… or perhaps just a pawn of someone higher. Either way, he’s clearly involved.”
Neglected as the Alliance Leader, Namgung Soso had managed to track Namgung Bin far deeper than she expected.
But Namgung Bin was not someone to be easily read.
After digging past the information available to the public, all she found was a maze of misdirection.
He had deliberately cut off information. Perhaps, with the true power of the Alliance Leader, she could have pierced deeper—but that was a hopeless dream.
“Haaah… What now… If I go to Namgung Bin directly, I’ll probably end up in a terrible situation.”
Her sigh came out heavy, her lips trembling.
“So far I’ve come…”
It had been a year since she met Namgung Cheolbin at Hangshan Sword Sect.
Since then, she had cast aside her name as Chil-hwa, abandoned her sect, hunted down everyone who had framed her brother—and nearly died herself when her innate true qi was completely drained.
She was only alive thanks to a mysterious fateful encounter: a stranger of unknown identity had revived her by infusing her with their own life force.
Later, she had even killed one of the Twelve Venerables of the Central Plains—the Sword Sovereign Geomjon—using two kinds of lethal poison.
For months now, she had lived as the Alliance Leader wearing his human-skin mask. Something she could never have imagined a year ago.
To say she wasn’t tired at all would be a lie.
But the false charges still haven’t been cleared.
Whenever elders of the Alliance slandered the Sword Saint—or spat his name as the very symbol of hypocrisy—
Namgung Soso felt her insides twist with pain, remembering her own days of cursing alongside them.
Whoever is behind this… that insolent wretch… I will catch you with my own hands.
And beyond that—
Brother… if only I could see you again…
Clutching to that small hope, she painted a brighter future in her mind.
A sunny spring day.
Upon a cloth patterned with blossoms, she set out a meal she had prepared with her own hands.
Namgung Cheolbin sat across from her, eating. She sat beside him, simply watching him.
That was all she wished for. Just imagining it gave her strength. For Namgung Soso, it was a lifeline of hope.
“Ah… I hope that day comes soon…”
As she sat idly in the Alliance Leader’s chamber, lost in daydreams—
Knock, knock.
Someone?
An unexpected visitor arrived.
Who could it be? This isn’t when the servants should come…
Through the window, a bright crescent moon hung in the night sky. It was far too late an hour for visitors.
Sensing something unusual, Namgung Soso extended her perception. Her qi sense brushed out lightly, catching the figure standing beyond the door.
…!
Her breath caught.
The aura she felt was strong.
Perhaps even stronger than hers. No, with such force, he had to be a master of the highest level.
Comparable to Geomjon! At least a super-class master!
Her hand moved instinctively, sliding a dagger into her sleeve. The same dagger she had used to kill Geomjon—its edge smeared with deadly poison.
“Enter.”
She spoke first, mimicking the tone of the Alliance Leader.
Creak—
The visitor gave no reply, simply pushing the door open. A blatant disregard for the Alliance Leader’s authority.
What…? No matter what, one doesn’t act rudely before the Alliance Leader…
Namgung Soso fixed her eyes on the man who stepped inside.
Broad shoulders, a towering frame nearly eight feet tall, arms and waist as thick as logs, thighs like tree trunks… His entire figure radiated sheer size and force.
“It’s been a while, Alliance Leader.”
The man immediately spoke down to her, without a shred of respect.
Not knowing who he was, Namgung Soso chose to play along and answered politely.
“Yes, it has been a while.”
“…? You’ve grown meek. Realized you can’t escape our Lord’s grasp?”
“…Yes.”
“Good. That will make this easier.”
Lord? What does he mean? Since when does the Alliance Leader have a master above him?
In all her months living as Geomjon, she had never encountered such a situation.
While questions piled up in her mind, the man reached into his robe.
Namgung Soso’s hand slid deeper into her sleeve.
“Just to be sure, let’s make this certain.”
Swish—
“What’s that…?”
“You know what it is. I heard you signed this yourself.”
The man pulled out a single sheet of paper. He held it up to Namgung Soso’s face and spoke.
“By the name written in this contract, I command you—you cannot speak falsehoods.”
Huh?? Wh-what did he just do??
“Hmph. Not sure if it worked. This is my first time using one of these….”
The man tilted his head as he looked at the paper. Namgung Soso stared back at him as though he were mad.
A super-class master suddenly appearing out of nowhere, shoving a strange piece of paper in her face and uttering incomprehensible words—who wouldn’t think him insane?
Could he be… the one behind it all? He called someone ‘Lord’—perhaps he’s just one of the mastermind’s underlings.
While she thought frantically, the man folded the paper neatly and tucked it back into his robe.
It was the very “Contract of Names” that Namgung Bin and Geomjon had once signed.
The man’s identity: Cheolhogak, the Iron Tiger, Namgung Bin’s right-hand enforcer—alongside Baek Yeong-sa, the White Shadow King, who served as his left hand.
Months ago, Namgung Bin had sent him to the Martial Alliance to secure funds. Only now had he finally arrived.
“Hmm? By the way, Alliance Leader…”
Cheolhogak’s voice was curious.
“You seem… a little different, don’t you?”
He stared hard at Namgung Soso, scrutinizing her.
“W-what do you mean?”
“Weren’t your eyes originally blue? Not red?”
“…!”
The one part her human-skin mask could not hide—her eyes.
Cheolhogak lacked wit or cunning, but his memory was exceptional. He recalled clearly, from the single time he had seen the Alliance Leader before, the color of his eyes.
Shuaaak—!
In the next instant—
Sensing danger, the poisoned dagger hidden in Namgung Soso’s sleeve flashed forth like lightning.
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