The Ruler of Darkness

Book 6: Chapter 3

“2nd Young Miss! You must not leave here!”

The one who blocked the path of the 2nd Young Miss as she strode out was the woman who had brought the Kongtong Sect warrior.

“Training Hall Master. Step aside.”

Despite her resolute words, the woman called the Training Hall Master showed no signs of budging.

“This is a direct order to us from your master, the Head Priestess!”

“I don’t care.”

A martial arts scholar restlessly tried to dissuade the 2nd Young Miss.

“Be-2nd Young Miss! If you leave this closed cultivation chamber now, the effect of the formation will drastically decrease!”

“Lay it again.”

“2nd Young Miss! The spirit medicine…! The spirit medicine…!”

“Concoct a new batch.”

Woosh. The personnel rushed forth to try to physically restrain the 2nd Young Miss, but there was no way the hands of those who knew no martial arts could even graze the hem of her clothes.

“2nd Young Miss.”

What greeted 2nd Young Miss as she passed through the corridor and emerged at the entrance was a group of warriors.

“Step aside.”

“That is….”

The warriors awkwardly avoided her gaze but did not retreat.

The Training Hall Master, who had hurriedly followed, shouted in a sharp voice,

“Warriors of the main sect! Remember the orders you received!”

At those words, the leader of the warriors stepped forward.

“2nd Young Miss, do you not know where this order came from? This is not merely an order from your master, the Head Priestess, alone.”

The 2nd Young Miss’s brow twitched.

“….”

As she said nothing, the warrior gained some courage and strongly persuaded her.

“Moreover, this closed cultivation involved the bone-carving efforts of countless people and immense funds, a truly crucial….”

The 2nd Young Miss let out a short sigh.

“Too many words.”

She drew her practice sword from its sheath.

“Since when do the warriors of the great Luoyang Sword House spout eloquence with their tongues instead of their swords?”

“…!”

At her words, the warrior flushed and retreated.

However, that did not mean he chose to back down meekly.

“All personnel, form sword formation!”

Just as the 2nd Young Miss said, he had merely resolved to handle it like a warrior of the Luoyang Sword House.

“Anyone unfamiliar with the main sect’s sword formation, step back!”

At that command, the Kongtong Sect warrior hurriedly stepped back and took a stance.

‘Just what is this situation….’

His expression was the epitome of bitterness.

From his perspective, the 2nd Young Miss telling them to draw swords and the Luoyang Sword House warriors actually drawing swords and rushing forth at her words were equally incomprehensible.

‘Are they mad?’

The Luoyang Sword House was entirely different from the past sects that operated strictly according to allocation and hierarchy.

The complex power structure of this far too enormous sect combined with the Luoyang Sword House’s martial spirit gave birth to a unique culture exclusive to Luoyang Sword House warriors.

It was only natural for him, practically a newcomer, to be unable to understand it.

Once the warriors finished lining up, the leader shouted,

“Open formation!”

The Kongtong Sect warrior did not know what sword formation the Luoyang Sword House warriors had created, but he was certain its level was leagues above his former sect’s.

“Urk!”

His knees buckled from the pressure the sword formation exerted even on him standing outside it.

Surprisingly, the 2nd Young Miss standing in the center of the fiercely moving sword formation displaying endless variations and spine-chilling sharpness was laughing madly.

“Hahahahaha!”

She raised her practice sword and shouted,

“Yes. I thought this even normally….”

She bared her teeth.

“This seems much more conducive to cultivation.”

That moment.

The Kongtong Sect warrior used all his strength to unleash movement techniques backward.

It was a reflexive motion relying on the senses 2nd Young Miss had previously praised as quite usable.

And that judgment saved him.

Sword House Secret Sword,

Sword House Sixty-One Sword Methods, One Thousand Mad Winds and Thunder.

A thousand sword lights became thunderbolts, sweeping the surroundings like a mad gale.

Sword House Secret Sword,

Sword House Sixty-One Sword Methods, Roaring Silent Thunder.

Resonant sword cries became pale lightning, ripping the surroundings to shreds.

Sword House Secret Sword,

Sword House Sixty-One Sword Methods, Myriad Mountains Primordial Thunder.

There was thunder that struck down myriad mountains when it opened the heavens in the primordial times.

The Sword House Sixty-One Sword Methods, which were called perfect only in theory before 2nd Young Miss actually mastered them.

The fantastical sword methods born from the Luoyang Sword House collecting and improving the profound principles of sixty-one martial arts from each sect.

The moment three profound principles of the Sword House Sixty-One Swords unfolded in an instant, in one breath.

Only one thing remained where the sword lights and sword cries faded.

2nd Young Miss Yeon Seo-rin alone.

“You.”

She stood tall amidst the unconscious warriors and smiled sardonically at the lone Kongtong Sect warrior.

“My thoughts were right. You have good senses.”

The 2nd Young Miss spoke as she brushed past the warrior.

“You would indeed do better to learn the Martial Image Sword Form from Mount Heng or the main sect’s Sword Heart Sword Bright.”

Only after the 2nd Young Miss’s figure disappeared into the distance did the warrior gain the “freedom” to collapse onto his knees.

“…!”

Unable to even steady his rough breathing, he gazed in the direction the 2nd Young Miss had vanished.

‘Is that the true face of “Heaven’s Seamless Attire” Yeon Seo-rin, whom all martial artists call a once-in-an-era genius!’

One of the top warriors of the Luoyang Sword House.

Having already surpassed the threshold at her marvelous age, she had been hailed as the overwhelmingly number one among the rising stars from the past without ever participating in the Gathering of Dragons and Phoenix even once.

And as her moniker indicated, she was already a being who had infinitely transcended the standard of rising stars.

***

Amidst the pouring sunset glow, the procession of the investment group was climbing the hill road leading to the Luoyang Sword House.

Originally, the plan was to pass through Luoyang’s city gates, take a brief tour, and then head to the Luoyang Sword House.

However, due to the ambush, the procession was moving directly to the Luoyang Sword House without entering Luoyang.

“Ooh! Everyone, look at all these invitations!”

The youngest Daseollang hugged an armful of invitations with a joyful expression.

The invitations had been delivered and left by people dispatched from various Luoyang clans who had somehow known the route they would pass, waiting at the road leading to the Luoyang Sword House.

“They’re all invitations sent by renowned families. I was a bit worried, but Luoyang is a far more hospitable city than we thought.”

The tall Daseollang nodded with a smile.

“Our name seems to hold enough sway even in Luoyang!”

Seeing the delighted Daseollang, Cheongsu, who was sitting in the corner of the carriage, smiled.

‘Even for renowned entrepreneurs, they’re like children in their prime when seen like this.’

Gazing around the carriage interior with that heartwarming feeling, her eyes met Sanggwan Nanhwa’s.

“You said your name is Cheongsu?”

She spoke to Cheongsu with an elegant smile.

“Do you perhaps have no interest in accessories?”

She seemed to say that after seeing Cheongsu with not a single accessory.

“Ah, well. It’s not that I have no interest. It’s just that my previous workplace had strict regulations….”

While she had much interest in both accessories and makeup, the special nature of the agency as an organization had practically controlled her entire life.

“If you don’t mind, please accept this. It’s a new product we’ll be unveiling this spring.”

Sanggwan Nanhwa abruptly presented a pair of earrings to the embarrassed Cheongsu.

“What? I can’t. I can’t just accept such a precious item.”

Cheongsu knew well how valuable Daseollang’s accessories were.

“It’s alright.”

Sanggwan Nanhwa carefully grasped her skirt with one hand and sat beside Cheongsu.

“Please accept it. It’s nothing compared to the grace of you helping us.”

“No, that was just my mission….”

Sanggwan Nanhwa personally put the earrings on Cheongsu’s ears.

“They suit you well. You look elegant.”

At those words, Cheongsu’s mouth gaped all the way to her ears.

“E-Elegant, you say? Haha. My oh my.”

The Daseollang young ladies, who had been watching that scene at some point, clapped and rejoiced together.

The martial monk who had been silently sitting in the opposite corner, introduced as a self-defense instructor, was also watching that scene with a pleased expression.

“Thank you for your help!”

“Sister Cheongsu! You’re so pretty!”

Cheongsu scratched the back of her head and smiled bashfully.

“How embarrassing. Haha….”

Right then, as if on cue.

The person who rode a horse up to the window issued a reprimand.

“Are you making a fuss frivolously again?!”

It was the Head Priestess nun.

However, unlike before, the Daseollang young ladies were not startled because Cheongsu had notified them in advance with a gesture.

Instead, that reprimand fell upon the self-defense instructor who had been sitting still.

“Martial monk! What are you spacing out for instead of controlling the children?!”

The self-defense instructor lowered his head with an abashed expression.

“I apologize, Head Priestess. I will be more attentive.”

The Head Priestess nun’s gaze turned to the invitations the Daseollang young ladies were holding.

“Hand over all those invitations to the Head Priestess.”

The youngest Daseollang young lady’s eyes widened.

“What?!”

“These are necessary for our business…!”

“Silence!”

They tried to resist, but the Head Priestess nun was relentless.

After confiscating all the invitations, she spoke to the Daseollang young ladies in a sharp voice.

“This is not Sichuan. Everyone you visit or meet in Luoyang will be managed by the Emei Sect, which is responsible for protecting the students. Understand?”

“….”

The Daseollang young ladies lowered their heads without answering, and the Head Priestess nun pressed them once more.

“You must keep in mind thanks to whom your families back home are living in wealth and glory.”

Her gaze turned to Sanggwan Nanhwa.

“You too must remember that Madam Administrator shares the Emei Sect’s cause even if you receive Administrator’s protection.”

Sanggwan Nanhwa’s eyebrows twitched, but she did not reply and only gazed forward with a composed posture.

To such a Sanggwan Nanhwa, the Head Priestess spoke in a low voice.

“Even if you are under the Administrator’s protection, for the sake of your fellow students, you must never act presumptuously. Understood?”

It was a blatant threat.

As Cheongsu clicked her tongue and tried to intervene, the self-defense instructor spoke first.

“…Head Priestess. These children have understood plenty with that much.”

Even after pouring sharp words at the self-defense instructor several more times, the Head Priestess nun finally withdrew.

“Probably….”

Cheongsu gave a wry smile and brought up in the heavy atmosphere inside the carriage.

“Those who will deliver the invitations from truly major clans will be waiting inside the main sect, so don’t be too discouraged….”

“It’s alright.”

Sanggwan Nanhwa quietly smiled at her words.

It was a surprisingly composed smile considering what she was going through today.

Enough to inwardly surprise Cheongsu.

“Because they can’t take away the most important invitation.”

She firmly pressed her chest.

“You had a hidden invitation?”

At Cheongsu’s question, she quietly shook her head and spoke.

“They could not stop us from joining the investment group heading to Luoyang.”

It was a venture of the Luoyang Sword House’s fourth young master, who inherited the blood of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

No matter how much the Emei Sect opposed, stopping Daseollang from joining the investment group would only provide justification for the Sichuan Tang Clan to intervene.

“And now that we are already heading to the Luoyang Sword House, they also could not stop the eldest young master’s invitation.”

Unless one was the Swordless Adept Yan Xiaoxuan, now that he had ended his seclusion, the Emei Sect, a mere “external force,” could not obstruct the eldest young master’s will in Luoyang.

Seeing such a Sanggwan Nanhwa, Cheongsu unknowingly nodded.

“Indeed….”

She nodded several times.

‘They’re not just lucky young ladies who succeeded without knowing the ways of the world, I suppose.’

After all, if they were, there was no way her lord would have “chosen” them.