Book 3 Chapter 14

Emergency meetings

Around a giant round table, a total of eight people were seated at the

People were sitting down. They were all looking at the

It's nice to see that you're exuding energy.

It was clear that these were men of unusual martial prowess.

In addition to the eight people around the expensive round table, made of rosewood and priced at twenty-two cigarillos, there were three seats at the head table, two of which were already occupied by their owners. The only seat left empty was the most ornate chair in the center.

While it is true that the energy of the eight figures surrounding the purple round table was not unusual, it paled in comparison to the two occupying the empty seats to the left and right of them. The energy of those two was extraordinary.

To the right of the vacant seat was a white-haired, coldly imposing duke with a single sword clutched in his hand, and to the left of the vacant seat was an unusually handsome, three-sworded Confucius named Cheng Shan. Both of their sleeves were embroidered with the same dragon emblem, a sign that they were both honored members of the Kowloon family.

They seemed to be running the meeting now. The most important seat was empty, but no one there seemed to think it would ever be filled; it was as empty as ever. As if waiting for the room to settle down, the white nobleman spoke up. He had something important to tell the eight of them now.

"Then let's get this emergency meeting started."

Confucius the Hundred declared. No sooner had he finished his proclamation than Zheng Haqing, a young woman from the Hua Shan school, sent him a question of her own.

"Why did you suddenly summon us, military?"

He had been the brains of their organization, and he would continue to be their soldier unless there was someone else who could do the job better.

"Military? That's an undeserved title, just call me Vice Lord."

The military title sounded too prestigious, and Confucius the White threw up his hands and declined.

"Of course, Deputy. I'd like to know why you've summoned us on such short notice."

"I apologize if it was abrupt, but did I interrupt your work?"

Confucius the White bowed his head and apologized, but she shook her head and looked unimpressed.

"That's not the case, but I was just asking out of curiosity, thinking that if you summoned our Nine Elemental Eight Swords at such short notice, there must be a good reason for it. How dare I commit such a ridiculous act as to doubt the abilities of one of the Nine Elemental Eight Swords, Bai Muyoung, who is also called the brains of the Xiangshan Sect."

"That's very reassuring, and I appreciate that you believe in me so much."

"You're welcome."

His words were moderate and gentle, but no one could act rashly in his presence.

He was an early member of the Hyung San school whose words were said to change the path of the entire Hyung San school. If you don't intend to obstruct the path ahead, it's never a good idea to build walls to keep yourself apart.

"The reason I've summoned you here is to do something about the two men."

Baek said.

"If there were two men… one would definitely be the Seven Deadly Sins, and the other would be……?"

Mo Yonghui was one of the biggest topics of conversation among them these days, and he was definitely one of the two people they were paying the most attention to. She wondered if there was anyone else besides Mo Yonghui that they should be concerned about. She couldn't figure it out.

"He's a man named Bi Ryuyeon."

"Bi Ryuyeon?"

For a moment, she couldn't think of the person the name referred to, and had to search her memory for a moment, until she realized that the name was the same as the name of the person who had won this year's Ascension Prize Special Entrance Examination.

"Wasn't he the one who won this year's special screening test, the one who made the vice president care?"

"I'm not sure if he's someone we should even bother with the military or not, but it's clear that he's dishonored our Gu Sect, and if we don't take action against him, people will look down on us, especially in the Eight Families and Gunwung Moon. How can we bear such humiliation?"

At the mention of Bi Ryuyeon's name, Yoo Gyu-sun, an unusually nervous Feng Mae-sword from the Volcano Sect, raised his voice. His anger was understandable, as it was his alumni priest who had given Bi Ryuyeon a jawbreaking blow to the jaw during this year's special entrance examination, leaving her with a comminuted fracture of the mandible. The priest was still surviving on porridge and water.

"You're right, we need to decide what to do with him quickly, but it's our standing in the organization that will be on the line. I think we have a chance now that their actions have backfired."

Similarly, the second time Bi Ryuyeon was broken-he had his limbs twisted in directions that could not be broken by each of them-Liang Shanghan of the Shattering Sword Sect, who possessed a priest, also stepped forward.

The meeting had gotten a little off track due to their frustration, and they needed to get back on track.

"Now, now, calm down. Of course, I have no intention of letting him go; how can I call myself a descendant of an orthodox, prestigious Gu family if I can't rebuild my fallen reputation? But the problem is that he keeps coming into contact with strange characters."

"Who is that?"

Yoo Kyu-sun of the Volcano Sect asked, his sword skills were excellent, but his temper was short-lived.

"That's a pair of ears."

The two demons he was referring to were the Heavenly Demon Spirit Tang Qianqi and the Heavenly Demon Sea. A mixture of outright displeasure and surprise appeared on the faces of the audience.

"You mean you've met with those troublemakers?"

Zhang Changfa was also surprised. Baek Moo-young smiled bitterly.

"Don't freak out yet. If you're this surprised, you might faint if you knew the name of the club he joined."

"No way!"

Ha-kyung Jung's cheerful face instantly hardened. It reminded her of an unpleasant place she didn't want to think about. She personally hoped that the name would never enter her ears, preferably not, but Baek Moo-young was cruel.

"Yes. That's the Association."

"That's very annoying and unpleasant."

It was the worst thing that could have happened. It was the worst possible thing that could have happened.

"Then that means he's already met with Jin Sung-gon Im and Bi Yeon-tae."

Xiao Tiankun of the Qing Sheng Sect, who had been dormant until now, spoke up. He was one of the Nine Eight Swords. He was a sword master of the Four Great Swords of the Sword Marriage Society and a member of the Chinese New Year Eight Swords. He had unpleasant memories of being helped by Lin Shengjin yesterday for unexpected reasons.

"Exactly, and if things get any more tangled, there's no guarantee that even I can completely untangle that tangled thread, because we've got a fire under our feet."

Baek said in a meaningful voice.

"You mean the Seven Deadly Sins……."

When the conversation finally shifted to the topic she was hoping for, she came alive. It was a much more uplifting story than the unpleasant one about the Aesop Society.

"To exaggerate a bit, we're in the middle of a very serious crisis. If we get it wrong, we may find ourselves drinking the kool-aid of defeat at the hands of the Gung-Ho Eight."

"I don't really believe that's going to happen."

There wasn't a single person in the room who didn't think that the Gunungpalgahoe would be able to compete with their tradition, as Jung Ha-kyung said. For the past 10 years, they have been working hard and winning nothing but championships. They couldn't afford to make the mistake of toppling the tower that their seniors had worked so hard to build.

"But you don't know the world."

Baek Muyoung said in a subtle tone. He was trying to see what they were thinking.

"This is ridiculous. How can we, the Guzheng Association, which prides itself on tradition and orthodoxy, have our championship stolen by a bunch of rascals like the Gunung Palga Association? Please don't do that."

Gu Yangjin of the Kunlun Sect stood up and spoke up. However, Baek Moo-young sneakily took a step back.

"No, that's the kind of arrogance that can lead to defeat. They're scions of old families, too, late exponents of the famous and talented powerhouse Hundred Islands, and it's bad form to look down on them because they're on a different side."

The words were right, but mysteriously, the right words seemed to have a mysterious power to set the listener off.

"Isn't that kind of subsidiarity too passive?"

Baek Moo-young didn't flinch at Gu Yang-jin's counterattack. It was as if he knew this would happen. He even seemed to have time to relax. Baek Moo-young wore a humble expression. It was a look that didn't go well with his stoic persona.

"I agree with you, that doesn't look like a vice president at all."

Even Jung Ha-kyung, who is always calm and collected, felt that she was acting passive and withdrawn today.

"Oh, no, you've misunderstood me. I'm not criticizing you for being careless, or even passive-aggressive, I'm just saying that you should be able to give credit where credit is due."

With a bitter smile, Baek Moo-young tried to appease Jeong Ha-kyung, but she didn't like that either.

"Phew, now you're even calling me passive-aggressive. I'm disappointed."

She was completely burned, and there seemed to be no way to repair it. The confrontation between Jung Ha-kyung and Baek Moo-young-almost a one-sided attack by Jung Ha-kyung-sinks the atmosphere in the hall into a sea of awkward silence, and no one is in the mood to voice an opinion. It was impossible to formulate a proper opinion in an atmosphere that sank like a lump of iron thrown into the abyss.

Baek felt the urgent need to lighten the mood, as he felt that the meeting would be very difficult to carry out otherwise. What was the point of calling an emergency meeting? However, he couldn't completely ignore Zheng Haiqing to speed up the meeting.

"Let's see, Mo Yonghui, the Seven Deadly Swords, has been the talk of the town since before he joined us. Even if the rumors were exaggerated, the sum total of what has been said about him can be considered to be rather lacking in substance. It would be unfair to ignore him."

And they were now dragon slayers, tasked with capturing the dragon, not slaying it. The last words were meant for her, to soothe her, to comfort her. Because if they offended her, it would take a great deal of effort and patience to rebuild. Baek Moo-young hoped to avoid that terrible outcome.

"No matter how great his presence is, I don't think it's enough to cause our top brass to get together and worry about what's ahead. He's still a first-grade kid. Isn't that why we're all freaking out and holding task force meetings?"

With a very unhappy face, Jeong Soo Hyung from Hyung Sanpa said.

"You'd be forgiven for thinking this is a task force meeting. But I want you to think twice about who he is."

"You're not even a first-year officer, are you?"

"Tsk, tsk, you're too quick, have you already forgotten whose grandson and successor he is?"

Her face contorted in embarrassment as Baek Moo-young reminded her of a fact. She had to admit that she had forgotten one of Kang Ho's most famous stories, and she couldn't disagree with him anymore.

"I'll have to admit I was a little hasty, he is his grandson after all."

Jung Ha-kyung meekly admitted her mistake. Baek Moo-young reassured her with a slight smile.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, though, because that would break my heart. Much to our dismay and chagrin, he is his favorite grandson and heir, and I'm pretty sure that most of the affection that comes from him is due to that talent rather than blood. We have proof of that, and I don't think I'm wrong if I say he's had an early lesson."

"So you're saying the vice lord is assuming the worst?"

Yoo Kyu-sun of the Volcano faction interjected.

"It's a hypothetical, and one I don't even want to think about. But if we're unfortunate enough to find out that it's true, we're going to have to do a lot of hard work and a lot of heavy lifting this time around, and that's not something we'd welcome on our end."

"You're telling me that this year's Three Star Festival might be dangerous."

Qinghui, who had been sitting next to Bai Muyoung and remaining silent, spoke up. He was a young man from the Shaman Sect. He was a sword master who could not be defeated by anyone except Huizhou. Bai Muyoung himself was at a disadvantage when it came to martial arts. Although he hadn't yet abandoned his bystander attitude, he knew exactly what Bai Muyoung was trying to say.

The faces of the eight people surrounding the rosewood round table visibly stiffened. Jung Ha-kyung spoke again.

"So you're thinking that the Venerable Master may have received the Revised Canon, which he received at birth, as well as the internal transmission from him."

The Revised Supreme is a type of qigong technique that is performed on newborn infants to activate the qi veins of the entire body and change the musculature to create an ascended body suitable for learning martial arts. The effectiveness of the procedure is maximized when performed in infancy, as it prevents the body's qi veins from being blocked by worldly fraudulent energy. It was a procedure to prevent fraud from entering the body.

In other words, you can achieve the achievement of internalization three to four times faster than the average person. It's a kind of blood vessel road construction. Just as a smooth paved road allows for faster travel than a bumpy cobblestone road, the Revised Taxation Supreme Court was similarly meant to smooth and pave the way for qi to travel. This is the kind of miracle that every Muriman would like to receive at least once.

However, there was some reluctance on the part of the practitioner, as it required the assistance of at least three highly skilled practitioners to perform the procedure. In addition, this revised method is much easier and more effective when performed in infancy, because the body of a normal adult has accumulated and accumulated morale and wastes in the body, and it takes a tremendous amount of strength and effort, twice as much as that of an infant, to break through the blockage. In addition, even after the treatment, the effect is insufficient, so all the effort is wasted.

Mo Yonghui was the one who had received the tax-saving treatment, which was said to be given to one in 50,000 people, as soon as he was born. But to make matters worse, if he had been trained in the inner arts, he would have been the most powerful obstacle to their progress.

"I think some, if not all, of them are very likely, because no matter what anyone says, he is the favorite grandson of one of the three Heavenly Martial Saints, the Sword Saint Mo Yongzhengtian."

"That's a really bad assumption."

Gu Yangjin said through gritted teeth. He hadn't realized that Baek Moo-young was taking the situation so seriously. If so, it was no wonder that Baek Moo-young, the vice chairman and brains of the Guzheng Council, was making a fuss.

"If Mo Yonghui, the heir to the great Sword Saint Mo Yongzheng, the number one among the Heavenly Martial Kings, has inherited a portion of the inner workings of the same Sword Saint, then the situation is indeed dire. We'll have to defend our honor. Who knows when we'll fall to the ground?"

"You're jumping to conclusions, take it easy."

"It's very exciting to have the heir to Gumseong participating in the Samsung Festival, which is all about honoring Cheonmusung and choosing his successor."

Even the volcano first lady has weighed in. Does she want to make things worse?

"Even though our sect has a grim past of not producing a single one of the Heavenly Musashi, we have devoted the past hundred years to washing away that shame. As a culmination of our efforts, we have not lost a single championship in the Samsung Festival since a decade ago. This undefeated honor must be protected no matter what. If the reputation and honor that our seniors have built up is destroyed in a single day, how can we hold our heads up to our masters and seniors, I don't think I will have the courage to do that."

"I agree. We need to be more disciplined and determined."

It was an indelible shame for the Gu Family to not be able to produce a single one of the Heavenly Martial Kings who saved the Martial Kingdom from the dark days of the Heavenly Fear Tax a hundred years ago. Although everyone is quiet about it, the mental shock and damage the Gu Family suffered at that time was just as great as that suffered by the Heavenly Frightening Spirit.

The impact left a deep, bloody hole in his heart. It would not be erased by the passage of time, and so from the day the spirit and blood body vanished, Gu Fa stepped up his disciples' training. The scourge of lost honor had begun. They wanted to wash away the disgrace they had suffered as pillars of the Order and its traditions.

After fifty years of persevering in the endeavors of the Shakyamuni and the Washinsha, and having regained his former strength, which had been lost to the Eight Segas, the Kufa was not satisfied with that, but spurred on further.

Finally, after eighty years of shame and disgrace, they were able to suppress the Eight Great Segments and other great sects and rise to the pinnacle of the Martial Realm once again. For the Eight Great Families and the other great sects who had become complacent, this was like a blessing in disguise.

After being stripped of their vested interests and left penniless, the Eight Great Houses and the prestigious factions came to their senses and prepared to fight back, but they could not catch up because they had already raced to the top of the mountain. So the tables were turned, and the Eight Great Houses were now chasing the shadows of the Old School. Once again, the scramble to regain the top began. The only difference from eighty years ago was that the players had switched sides.

Having been beaten once before, Gu Fei didn't want to get caught again, so it was only natural that they would always be on the lookout for him, eagerly chasing after them.

"Then Mo Yonghui must be competing in the Sword Battle."

"I'd say yes."

"So do you think he'll be in the Samsung game?"

"That hasn't been finalized, but I think it's something to keep in mind based on the precedent that we've seen, and I think you have to accept that as a given, until he gets a very, very bad injury."

What is Samsung Daejeon?

Since the Samseong Festival was founded to honor the martial prowess and achievements of the Three Kings of Heaven and Earth, it was divided into three parts: the Sword Competition, the Sword Competition, and the Sword Competition to select the descendants of the Three Kings of Heaven and Earth, the Sword King and the Sword Queen, and the only woman among the Three Kings, the Sword Queen. Because of the commemorative nature of the event-it is, of course, very large-weapons were limited, meaning that only men who wielded swords were allowed to participate in the Sword Battle, only men who wielded swords were allowed to participate in the City Battle, and only women who wielded swords were allowed to participate in the Sword Battle.

These restrictions naturally led to complaints from all quarters, especially from the Sichuanists. They wanted to participate in any way they could, but the strict conditions and restrictions wouldn't let them. No matter how hard they tried, there was no room for them, who used poison, memorization, and the only official weapon, the whip. So they eagerly tried their hand at subterfuge. They could not accept the fact that they were marginalized in the Samseong system. The Sachendang family's share in the powerhouse was high, so their underhanded schemes were surprisingly easy to pull off.

"The Samsung system is about connecting the spirit of Cheonmusamseong, not connecting weapons, and we shouldn't forget that."

Their blood-curdling pleas were accepted by the Martial Arts Academy and the Heavenly Martial Academy. Thus, a compromise was reached, and while the Sword Battle, the City Battle, and the Sword Battle still existed, there was one more unrestricted martial arts competition called the Samsung War.

It was an all-hands-on-deck competition, where anyone could enter and use anything. Occasionally, those who had participated in the Three Great Crusades would also participate. This was because the bimu tournaments were held every few days, with the Three Great Tournaments being the last to be held. It was customary for almost everyone who had competed and won in the Sword, Dao, and Hu competitions to compete here. That is, until they were severely injured and incapacitated. However, since the tournament was organized by the academy, killing was absolutely forbidden, and the use of harsh herbs was also forbidden, so the number of serious injuries was small.

"Who are you going to push in this sword fight?"

The Shaolin native's question made Baek pause for a moment, as he didn't have a clearly defined plan yet.

"Well, that's a tough question."

Bai Muyoung's gaze flickered towards the Volcano First Maiden, but he quickly looked away.

"First of all, it's going to be very important to see who they send out on the other side, and the first person to watch out for is her counterpart, Nam Gongxiao, who is a master swordswoman, and right now, she's their favorite to win. Oh, and don't worry, I'm not doubting the skill of our side's swordsmen."

Once again, Baek Moo-young's gaze turned to her, accompanied by a strange smile, telling her that he was counting on her and that she shouldn't let him down.

"On our side, of course, we'll have Zheng Haiqing Sojae, one of the Eight Swords of the Lunar New Year, and Amifa's Jinling Sojae, one of the Seven Peaks."

"She'd better not think about it."

At the mention of Qin Lie's name, Zheng Haqing shouted sharply. It seemed that she usually had a lot of complaints about her.

"She left the Order on her own accord and joined this weird organization, and I don't want you to compare her to me because she's hanging out with a bunch of frat boys in this weird place called the Rosary Society or something."

She was so angry that her anger reached the top of her head. It's only a fool's errand to mess with a woman's temper at a time like this, so I decided to keep quiet.

"Let's do that."

Baek readily agreed.

"The purpose of this meeting was to draw your attention to those two, and to ask you to be more diligent in your preparations for Samsung. It's time to let your guard down. Please feel more of a sense of urgency and practice harder. This year will not be easy, and it will require everyone's efforts. After the meeting, please stay behind, Mr. Cheng, I have something else to say."

Sitting next to him, the three-armed swordsman Cheng Hsiao nodded. He was referring to Qing Shui, Bai Muyoung's closest friend, and the pillar of the Nine Kingdoms Council. This was a formal occasion, so he was careful with his title.

After the emergency meeting, everyone left to return to their respective positions. The only people left in the empty room were Qinghe and Bai Muyoung from the Diary of Hyungsan. Quietly and deeply, Bai Muyoung looked at Qinghui.

"Cheung Hoon, what do you think?"

Baek asked quietly.

"You mean dealing with him?"

"I hope I'm wrong, but I have an ominous feeling it's going to be tough without you."

"If your hunch, which has never been wrong, says so, then I'd better get ready."

Cheung Hsin conceded meekly. He hadn't yet seen a case where his hunch was wrong, and he knew the odds were stacked against him.

"You may need your fourth sword."

The young man called Qinghun was stunned by the sound of Bai Muyoung's voice. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me?"

"That's a good possibility. That's why I've called you here. We all know your third sword is terrifying, but we don't even know about your fourth."

"Only the Master and you know that."

No one else knew about it. The map was barely finished, and there was nothing to write home about.

"I will always be grateful for your friendship and faith. You're the only person I know who can deal with my coldness."

There were always people around him trying to distance themselves from him.

"What are you talking about now? Do not worry, my faith and friendship will not change."

"Thank you."

Baek Moo-young smiled sincerely. He had always been a believer in her.

"By the way, why didn't you bring up the city walls earlier? You know very well that our Gu Family is strong with swords, but weak with the Way."

If Baek doesn't know that, no one else in the world will.

"Of course. I've never forgotten that we've always been on the brink of a siege, and that we've always been in a tug-of-war to win."

Suddenly, Baek Moo-young looked at Cheonghyeon and smiled. It was a rare type of smile for him.

"That means you have a plan."

"Your eyes are much improved, is it because of her?"

Suddenly, Qing Shui's face turned red. With a glance, I could read the panic that had sprouted in his mind.

"So you're one step away from being a statue now that you can tell a joke?"

For embarrassing Baek Moo Young, Cheong Hyeon also got his revenge.

"Haha, I lost."

Baek Moo-young, the only friend he could open up to was Cheong Hyeon. Baek liked how casually he approached him, armed with cold reason, and how he seemed to forgive him for his flaws.

"What's he been up to lately?"

Speaking of girls, Qingfeng asked once. Bai Muyoung's complexion suddenly darkened.

"It's the same."

Baek Mu-young's answer made Cheonghyeon's complexion harden.

"Yeah. You're still circling around her."

"How did we get to that point when we weren't even friends……."

"This is getting worse, and that's not good."

Baek Moo-young couldn't understand his behavior. He couldn't understand his behavior, chasing after a woman like a maniac and staying with her under the name of escort. He was praised as one of the top talents of the Qing Sheng Sect, so why would he do such a thing? Baek Moo-young didn't like his behavior.

"The problem is, he's not the only one."

"You must have heard about it, too. They say there's a bodyguard called the Bingfeng Film Guard."

"And he's the head of it."

"I guess she really didn't have anything better to do. As much as I appreciate her magical beauty and charm, it's just a little too much lately."

I don't think I could get into the heads of the fanatics who would support her even if she were reborn three times.

"Still, it's not her fault; the flower's only fault is that she's beautiful and fragrant."

He didn't necessarily blame the flowers for their innate beauty; he just regretted the consequences.

"That scent and beauty can also be a deadly poison, whether she wants it to be or not. She seems to idolize her completely, and if anyone so much as touches her, it's going to be an all-out war."

"Is there anyone here who has the nerve to touch her?"

Cheong Hyeon was skeptical.

"If you do, you'll be condemned straight to the pits by the zealots, and you'd better watch out."

As the topic headed straight into a darker and darker pit, Baek quickly reined it in.

"Don't worry. I have her."

Cheong-Heon said the embarrassing words with aplomb.

"Well, that's a good thing, because I don't want to lose you to a woman, too. One lost friend is enough for me to lose to a woman."

"Don't worry, and my she is different."

Cheonghyeon exclaimed. It was only in front of Baek Moo-young that he could say such shameful things. He couldn't have done it in front of anyone else.

"I don't know."

Baek wisely gave up.