Chapter 125

Chapter 125
## Chapter 125: The Mandate of the Azure Blade (2)

“Were these the scum responsible?”

Cheol Woo received no verbal confirmation. Overwhelmed by the sheer relief of seeing Cheol Woo’s face, Gwa Yu had lost consciousness completely.

“Pathetic. You’re far too easy to break.”

Cheol Woo shifted Gwa Yu’s limp body onto his shoulder.

“Relinquish the boy. Do that, and we will overlook your interference here.”

The individual who appeared to lead the group gestured toward the passed-out Gwa Yu. Even as he negotiated, his gaze shifted nervously—he was clearly terrified of this newcomer who had materialized out of nowhere and sent one of his subordinates flying with a single strike.

“Oh, I think we’re going to have a serious disagreement.”

The commander’s pupils dilated at Cheol Woo’s indifferent response.

‘He’s a monster. This man is pure trouble.’

His killer’s intuition, sharpened by a lifetime of wetwork and survival, was screaming at him to run.

The leader surveyed the area rapidly.

Including himself, seven operatives remained standing; the adversary was alone. Furthermore, the stranger was burdened by the need to protect the casualty, giving the assassins a definitive tactical edge.

Regardless, he found himself paralyzed. Their cover was blown, stripping away their primary advantage of surprise, and Cheol Woo’s arrogant yawn and beckoning hand—urging them to hurry up and strike—made him freeze in hesitation.

“Tsk, tsk. A pack of spineless fools.”

As Cheol Woo clicked his tongue and closed the distance, the commander was forced to give the signal.

“Strike!”

At that clipped order, the circle of men surrounding Cheol Woo initiated their coordinated assault.

Anxious that Gwa Yu might take a stray hit, Cheol Woo launched a preemptive punch toward the assassin lunging from his left flank.

The incoming sword, thrust with lethal intent, collided with Cheol Woo’s bare fist and shattered into fragments.

The attacker’s expression twisted into one of pure dread—he hadn’t conceived of a blade snapping against flesh. However, his reflexes, forged in blood, took over.

Springing backward with the agility of an insect, he rotated mid-air and drew the projectiles from his belt.

A fanned spread of nine throwing darts streaked through the air like beams of silver light. A smirk of certain victory touched the man’s lips.

The gap between them was less than half a jang; it was a distance far too narrow to evade. Even if the man managed to deflect them, the darts—bathed for a hundred days in concentrated toxins—carried a lethal payload. A common person would perish from a mere scratch, and even a seasoned martial artist would face a slow, agonizing end.

“Absolute garbage!”

Cheol Woo snorted with utter contempt and swept his arm through the air.

‘No!’

The assassin realized his fatal mistake as he watched his projectiles get sucked into the vacuum of Cheol Woo’s sweeping gesture.

This opponent was a master residing in a realm far beyond their own.

Without a second’s pause, Cheol Woo hurled the darts back at their owners.

They whistled through the air at twice their original velocity, blanketing the man and his cohorts.

The speed was supernatural, offering no chance for escape.

A chorus of screams rang out simultaneously, and every single attacker targeting Gwa Yu and Cheol Woo was neutralized instantly.

“Bah! I knew they looked like a bunch of rats.”

Cheol Woo made no effort to mask his loathing for the leader, who had commanded the charge only to attempt a cowardly retreat.

The commander, suddenly found himself within the reach of Thunderclap, unable to find an escape route before Cheol Woo intervened.

“Vice-leader, this is the coward who tried to bolt on his own… Gah?!”

Thunderclap flinched in shock as Cheol Woo’s fist suddenly whipped past him.

The blow merely grazed Thunderclap’s clothes and connected squarely with the leader’s jaw. The man was sent sailing three jang through the air without even time to shriek before hitting the earth.

“Disgusting parasites.”

Cheol Woo looked immensely satisfied after clearing out the leader with a single motion.

“If you’re going to start a fight, have the guts to finish it yourselves, for heaven’s sake!”

As Thunderclap began to rant in a fit of temper, Cheol Woo passed the unconscious Gwa Yu over to him.

“The kid is pretty beat up. Look after him.”

Leaving a bewildered Thunderclap holding Gwa Yu, Cheol Woo walked away with a relaxed stride.

—

“Ugh…”

With a faint, pained groan, Gwa Yu’s eyelids slowly fluttered open.

Sima Hyeon, who had been meticulously cleaning the boy’s face with a wet rag, brightened instantly and called out.

“You’ve finally returned to us?”

Gwa Yu offered a fragile nod.

Prompted by Sima Hyeon’s shout, the rest of the group from the adjacent room flooded into the space.

“Is he awake?”

Cheol Woo was the first to cross the threshold.

“He just opened his eyes.”

Sima Hyeon moved aside with a wide smile.

“Hey, do you recognize me?”

Gwa Yu croaked a response to Cheol Woo’s blunt inquiry.

“Yes… Big Brother Cheol Woo.”

“At least your brain isn’t scrambled. You were out for the count all night. Even the physician from Clear Heart Clinic stopped by, but you were dead to the world. We were worried sick. And that temperature you had…”

Sima Geon physically shoved Cheol Woo’s babbling face out of the way.

“Stop pestering the boy while he’s still recovering.”

“Big brother.”

Gwa Yu struggled to sit upright at the sight of Sima Geon.

“Rest easy. Stay down.”

Sima Geon placed a gentle, grounding hand on Gwa Yu’s chest to keep him reclined and felt his brow.

“The fever has broken, so as long as those gashes close up properly, you’ll pull through.”

“I see. Thank you for everything.”

“Save the gratitude. Tell us what happened. Cheol Woo mentioned those pursuers were professional assassins.”

Gwa Yu’s features turned grim as he answered.

“That’s right. They were killers dispatched by the Four Blood Woods.”

“The Four Blood Woods? But isn’t that your own organization?”

Thunderclap piped up in disbelief.

“Not anymore.”

Gwa Yu shook his head with finality. The sheer coldness in his eyes caused the room to fall silent.

“There was an internal coup. Those monsters… they murdered my father and my brothers.”

His voice wavered under the weight of his grief.

“From the moment I returned home, I could feel the rot. Everything seemed fine on the surface, but there was this suffocating pressure, like a bowstring about to snap. Then the truth came out, and the massacre began.”

“A revolt?”

“Yes. It was orchestrated by my uncle. He was passed over for the position of Master of the Four Blood Woods in favor of my father, and he never let go of that resentment. Father must have suspected something was coming, but Uncle had planned this with terrifying precision. It was heartless. Most of the elite members had already shifted their allegiance in secret, so we were caught completely off guard. Many of the defectors were men my father had trusted with his life.”

Gwa Yu winced, the memories of his father being butchered by his own inner circle and his brothers’ desperate, failed attempts to hold the line flashing through his mind.

Steeling his nerves, Gwa Yu finished his report with forced calm.

“…And that is how I ended up on your doorstep. I am truly sorry for bringing this trouble to you.”

“There’s no reason to apologize. We’re just glad you’re alive.”

Cheol Woo offered a clumsy bit of reassurance before a realization struck him.

“But why is the Four Blood Woods so hell-bent on hunting you down? You’re basically a lone survivor with no power. There’s no logical reason to chase you this far across the map.”

“Haven’t you heard the saying ‘when pulling weeds, dig up the roots’? I’m a loose end that could tangle their plans later, so they want me buried,” Thunderclap remarked.

Cheol Woo looked at Gwa Yu with a thoughtful, squinted gaze.

“Hmm.”

That single sound carried a wealth of skepticism.

“I am well aware that I don’t pose much of a threat on my own,” Gwa Yu admitted with a self-deprecating smile. “But they aren’t hunting me just to prevent future revenge.”

“Oh? There’s a bigger secret involved, isn’t there?”

Cheol Woo asked, leaning in as if he’d been waiting for the real story.

“Brothers… have any of you heard of the Blood Cult?”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.

“Where on earth did you hear that name?”

Cheol Woo was visibly shaken. He had never expected to hear the “Blood Cult” mentioned by someone like Gwa Yu.

“I don’t know much. I only heard my father whisper it as he fell to their blades.”

“And the enemies knew you overheard him?” Sima Geon asked, his voice dropping to a low, serious rumble.

“Yes. The man leading the squad chasing me confirmed it. He said that because I heard things I shouldn’t have, I forfeited my right to live.”

“Oh, you mean that rat-faced coward? I turned his face into a pulp.”

“And I nearly got caught in the crossfire while holding the idiot,” Thunderclap grumbled, though he and Cheol Woo shared a dark chuckle.

‘The Blood Cult.’

Sima Geon’s expression had turned to stone the moment the words left Gwa Yu’s lips.

‘The Heavenly Demon Cult, Shaolin Temple, and now the Four Blood Woods. It’s exactly as the Sword Lord predicted. They’ve been pulling strings from the darkness for a long time.’

He thought back to the Sword Lord’s departure for the Zhuge Clan, specifically his dire warnings about the Blood Cult’s resurgence.

Remembering the Sword Lord inevitably brought Neung So Hwa to mind.

On the day the Sword Lord left to consult with the Zhuge Clan regarding the Blood Cult, Neung So Hwa had paid him an unexpected visit. She mentioned she would be traveling with her master toward the Sword Lord Branch lands and, after a moment of visible hesitation, had handed him a small silk pouch.

In that brief exchange, he had agonized over the meaning behind it. How should he have reacted?

He had spent days cursing his own social incompetence for letting her walk away without a proper response.

But when he finally opened the pouch and realized it merely contained formal invitations for the Sword Lord to distribute throughout the Sword Lord Branch territory, he had wanted to disappear into the floor.

‘I actually convinced myself it was a confession of love.’

Sima Geon felt his face heat up, a sheepish grin tugging at his lips.

“Boss, why are you making that weird face?”

“What? What face?”

“Your face is bright red.”

“It’s just… the Blood Cult. The Sword Lord did warn us they were moving,” Sima Geon said, trying to regain his composure.

Cheol Woo nodded, his memory jogged by Thunderclap’s comment.

“Right. He did mention that.”

“Exactly.”

Just as Sima Geon was attempting to steer the conversation away from his blushing face…

Man Chu returned from a quick morning excursion.

“Ah, you’ve finally woken up.”

Man Chu’s face brightened when he saw Gwa Yu sitting up.

“I have.”

“And where have you been wandering off to since the sun came up?”

Man Chu looked offended by Cheol Woo’s accusation.

“You were the one who said that being stuck in the middle of nowhere makes information our most valuable asset. You told me it was my primary responsibility. So, I went out to see what the world is saying.”

“Oh, did I say that?”

Cheol Woo looked away, pretending he had no memory of the conversation.

“So, what’s the word on the street?” Thunderclap asked with a smirk.

“The Nangong Clan has officially declared the Blue Sword Command.”

“The Blue Sword Command?”

Sima Geon’s focus sharpened instantly.

“Yes.”

“How long ago?”

“I can’t say for certain, but if the news has reached this far, it was likely issued within the last few days.”

“Hm.”

A heavy, concerned sound escaped Sima Geon.

He had been told by Ha Hu Yeon at the Ha Hu Clan exactly what the invocation of the Blue Sword Command signified.

“If they’ve resorted to the Blue Sword Command, the situation must be dire, right?”

“Indeed. If my sources are correct, an all-out strike by the Heavenly Demon Cult is imminent.”

“The intelligence from the Beggars’ Sect is rarely wrong.”

“So, will the Ha Hu Clan mobilize to help?”

Man Chu shook his head in response to Cheol Woo’s question.

“I couldn’t get a confirmation. Most likely, they’ll maintain a neutral stance for now. They only just finished a major funeral, and the Ha Hu Clan doesn’t technically belong to the southern martial circle anyway.”

“They’re situated south of the Yangtze, isn’t that basically the same thing?”

“Not at all. The Yangtze region is vast. The Ha Hu Clan is essentially the ruler of the eastern bank’s martial world. Similar to how the Nangong Clan dominates the south. Even if ‘east bank’ isn’t a formal term most people use.”

“But they’re the ones who started this mess. It feels like they have an obligation to help,” Cheol Woo argued, convinced the Ha Hu Clan would naturally support Nangong. Man Chu, however, remained skeptical.

“The Beggars’ Sect will definitely align with Nangong. Orders have already been dispatched to every southern branch: they are to support the Nangong Clan in the conflict against the Heavenly Demon Cult.”

“What about the Martial Alliance? Actually, never mind. Don’t even tell me.”

Cheol Woo dismissed the thought as if it were a bad omen. The rest of the room shared his sentiment. It seemed that every warrior in the land now held the same low opinion of the Alliance.

With a literal war at their doorstep, the state of the Martial Alliance could be described quite simply: a complete and utter disaster.