Chapter 227:


    The cold winter has passed and spring has arrived, so the demonic forces must have begun their advance again.


    ‘The Murim Alliance would have dispatched elite warriors to help the Murim people who had gathered together in themunal faction.’


    If I remember correctly, the person who led the dispatched warriors was none other than the Great Lord of the Blue Dragon.


    But the Blue Dragon Lord was now in front of me.


    It meant that history was progressing differently from the previous life.


    ‘Was someone else dispatched for some reason?’


    I narrowed my eyes and rubbed my chin, then quickly shook my head.


    A lot has already changed from my previous life.


    There was no way I could find an answer just by thinking about it alone.


    ‘It would be quicker to ask someone who knows the situation.’


    “…….”


    Coincidentally, among the warriors brought by the Great Blue Dragon, there was one familiar face.


    He was the man who was in charge of evaluating me during the third round of the Yongbong branch preliminaries.


    A martial artist from the Namgung family.


    In the past, when the ck swordsmen hired by Changin Dojang attacked me, he was also the person who appeared as if he had been waiting.


    “Hmm! greatness!”


    It seemed like he knew he had done something wrong, as he nced at me like a scared puppy.


    I approached him with a smile and spoke to him.


    “Long time no see. “Mr. Musa.”


    “It’s been a while… Io. “Sacheon Branch Manager.”


    The man answered with a very stiff expression.


    Augh came naturally.


    [So, you are from Hwangryongmugwan? Didn’t he even graduate?]


    [Yes.]


    [I wonder how he got here.]


    I wondered if he was the same examiner who showed such an arrogant attitude.


    Where on earth did the endless pride in my family of origin go?


    “I think this is the first time we’ve seen each other since the Yongbong branch meeting.”


    “I see. “Time seems to pass so quickly.”


    “Would you mind talking to me for a moment?”


    “I’m sorry, but I’m on a mission right now…” “


    If you do, I’ll ask the High Lord for permission. “Wouldn’t that work?”


    “……her?”


    The man’s face instantly turned an earthy color.


    The faces of the Blue Dragon Team members watching nearby were filled with envy.


    I asked the Great Blue Dragon in a loud voice as if driving a wedge.


    “Can I borrow Master Namgung for a while?”


    “Did the two of you know each other?”


    “yes. “At the time of the Yongbong branch, I met him as a match official and participant.”


    “I see. Normally we can’t, but we’ll make an exception this time. “This is a request from the Sacheon branch manager, not from anyone else.”


    “thank you.”


    As I narrowed my eyes and nced to the side, a pitifully stiff figure of a man came into view.


    I gestured with my hand in the direction of the guest room.


    “Please go.”


    * * *


    We were able to obtain a lot of information through Namgung Gong, a member of the Blue Dragon Team from the Namgung family.


    “Is that true?”


    “exactly.”


    “That’s surprising. “I thought they would start moving right after winter.”


    “They probably have no choice but to be cautious. “There are quite a few warriors who have gathered in themunal faction.”


    “…….”


    No one other than the Great Blue Dragon was dispatched to Gansu.


    They didn’t even send reinforcements in the first ce.


    Because the Demonic Cult’s forces have not shown any significant movement yet.


    ‘History has changed greatly.’


    It wasn’t difficult to guess why.


    This may be because the Iron Blood Demon Army that was preparing the artificial ruins was subdued, and as a result, the cult leader’s n copsed.


    In original history, when the demonic army that had swallowed up Cheonghae finished reorganizing and began marching east, rumors spread by the Iron Blood Demon Army struck the entire central ins.


    < The secret monument of the Muyeongshintu was discovered. >


    < The actual visions of the Nine Great Gates and the Five Great Families rest in the monument. > In a situation where it was


    not enough for the martial powers of various regions to focus on the war against the Demonic Cult, the elites of the Four Masters were sent to Guizhou.mitted the atrocity of dispatching


    The Demonic Cult took advantage of that opportunity and swallowed Gansu whole.


    ‘As the n went awry, the timing of the advance had to be adjusted. It would be reasonable to think so.’


    Honestly, I was surprised.


    I thought that the Demon Cult leader would ignore one or two minor variables.


    Nangonggong seems to think that the Demonic Cult is showing a passive attitude because they are wary of the warriors who have gathered in themunal faction, but my thoughts were different.


    I knew because I had memories of my past life.


    The power currently gathered in themunal faction will never be able to stop the advance of the Demonic Cult.


    The power possessed by the Demonic Cult was much greater than what the Baekdo martial arts people vaguely imagined.


    The reason the Iron Blood Demon Army was dispatched to Guizhou to create artificial ruins was an arrangement to reduce the sacrifices on the Demon Cult side and hasten the conclusion.


    It was nothing more and nothing less.


    ‘I don’t know what the n is.’


    There was no way the religious leader would stop his advance and be satisfied with having swallowed up Cheonghae.


    There had to be something going on.


    “thank you. “It was very helpful.”


    “What is this?”


    “Anyway, I’ve just returned from South Manchuria, so I’m at a loss for news.”


    “Is this all you have to say?”


    “Is that possible? Even if you get valuable information, you can’t just keep your mouth shut. Please eat. “I will pay for the food.”


    Nangungong picked up his chopsticks with a nervous expression.


    As he nced at me, it seemed like he didn’t like the foodid out on the table.


    Should we really say that he is from the Five Generations?


    I had a very picky appetite.


    I ordered only the most expensive foods sold at the restaurant.


    “Did anything else special happen?”


    “Something special?”


    “I’m asking if something happened while I was away. ”


    “Nothing special happened. Ah, recently, a new member of the group had his life threatened by an assassin. “There was a lot of noise because of that for a while.”


    “Are you saying that an assassin targeted a new member of the group who was not an executive of the group?”


    “If it had been an ordinary terminal, the incident would not have be such a big deal. “They said the victim was a promising yer who made it to the finals of the Yongbong branch.”


    “…!”


    “Did you say his name was Mo Yong Hyowon?”


    Even after listening to this point, I couldn’t not know.


    The identity of the evil beast that attacked the rookie Maengdo is none other than Seo Ho-seon.


    It was I who ordered Seo Ho-seon to be assassinated in the first ce.


    “You’re wee. “It ended up being an attempt, but they say it led to a very dangerous situation.”


    “…….”


    “Now that I think about it, I guess I’m on the same page with the branch manager. “Didn’t we face each other in apetition?”


    “yes. Thirty-two faced each other at a strong level. …So what happened to the pleural effusion?”


    “I heard you missed it unfortunately. They said that Baek Soo-kwon, who was involved in the chase, was not an ordinary assassin. “He is presumed to be an expert who has at least reached the pinnacle of excellence.”


    I internally sighed with relief.


    At least, it seemed like there would be no chance of reuniting with Seo Ho-seon in the Murim Alliance’s underground prison.


    ‘Anyway, that’s strange.’


    Seo Ho-seon failed his mission.


    Considering that Namgung-gong used the expression ‘it ended up being an attempted attempt,’ there was a high probability that the target, Mo Yong-hyo-won, was alive and well.


    I felt puzzled.


    For the current Seo Ho-seon, assassinating Mo Yong-hyo-won would not have been a task.


    I couldn’t figure out what variable urred that caused things to go wrong.


    ‘Well, you can hear the details directly from Seo Ho-sun himselfter.’


    * * *


    Arrived at the headquarters of the Murim Alliance.


    After informing the warrior guarding the entrance of their arrival and waiting, a man wearing a military uniform symbolizing the Jujakdaewon (朱雀隊員) appeared and guided the group.


    The woman’s face was familiar to my eyes.


    It was a middle-aged woman who had previously served as a guide when the leader called and visited the headquarters.


    “Please use this ce during your stay in Meng.”


    “Thank you for the guidance.”


    There is a conversation that feels like déjà vu.


    While the rest of the group was resting at the lodgings, I headed straight to Maengjubu (盟主部) under the guidance of a member of the main team.


    Unlike before, he did not go alone, but apanied Hwayeon Woo.


    “Wee.”


    As I entered the spacious conference room, about a dozen pairs of eyes turned towards me.


    The old Murim lord, Hwabaek Joo, who was sitting at the head table, offered me a seat with a bright expression.


    After politely bowing and taking a seat, I gestured to Woo Hwayeon sitting next to me and said.


    “This is Woo Hwa-yeon Sojeo, the natural blood rtive of the Beast Pce Lord and the maternal granddaughter of the Doggok Lord.”


    As soon as the introduction was over, exmations came from everywhere.


    A murmur of noise filled the conference room.


    “Huh.”


    “You really brought me here.”


    “Should I really call it a heavenly dragon? “You’ve done something big this time.”


    In particr, the response from Taoist Noh, who was sitting on the left, was great.


    It was my first time seeing this face, but I was able to guess its identity from the pattern drawn on its sleeve.


    ‘A pattern symbolizing the Jeomchang faction.’


    It seems that the chief schr of the Jeomchang faction had contacted an elder monk who was a monk in advance and asked him to give me strength.


    It was truly something to be thankful for.


    It was worth the hard work and debt to the Jeomchang faction.


    “…….”


    On the other hand, the face of the wiry old man sitting on the right was very distorted.


    Nam Hak-geom (嵐虐劍), a senior member of themunal faction.


    He was the culprit that made me go on an unnned trip to South Manchuria.


    It seemed like he was concerned about Hwang Ho-jin’s well-being, as he went out of his way to show up in an ufortable ce.


    “What about the non-aggression pact?”


    “here it is.”


    I took out the documents from my pocket and ced them on the table.


    Zhuge-hwan quickly approached and picked up the document and handed it to Joo Hwa-baek.


    After checking the contents of the document, a satisfied smile appeared on Hwabaek Joo’s lips.


    “They really did a great job.”


    “no.”


    “There is no need to be humble. Thanks to you, the Jungwon Murim can no longer worry about what’s going on and can focus entirely on the fight against the Demon Cult.”


    “…….”


    “He has made a great contribution, so he should be rewarded appropriately.”


    I inwardly raised the corner of my mouth.


    Thanks to the mission’s activities, Yunnan’s factions and families, including the Jeomchang faction, were able to join the front lines.


    No one here could deny my credit.


    Hwabaek Joo looked around and asked.


    “I’d like to ask your opinion. What kind of reward do you think should be given to the Sacheon branch leader?”


    Sohyeongeom (昭賢劍) narrowed his eyes and swept his beard.


    Wan Liquan twitched the corner of his mouth as if he wanted to say something.


    He cleared his throat, saying, “The sword of great weight is great.”


    “There is one thing I want to tell you first.”


    As I slowly raised my hand and spoke, the murmur of noise subsided in an instant.


    All eyes in the crowd were focused on me.


    I took a deep breath and said what I had prepared.


    “I didn’t do this alone. Thanks to the help of many people, I was able to sessfullyplete the mission. So, I think the award should be given to all members of the delegation.”


    “You don’t have to worry. “I have no intention of ignoring their hard work.”


    Joo Hwa-baek, who burst intoughter once, nodded and answered.


    The gaze he was looking at was full of goodwill.


    There was a warm atmosphere in the conference room.


    At that time, Namhakgeom, who was watching the situation, quietly opened his mouth.


    “How about something like this?”