Chapter 5

To be recognized

"Madman!"

"Kill him!"

They were the companions of the man nearby.

Rushing forward with their faces full of rage, the boy did not move, still having his sword embedded in the ground.

He only stared intently at the Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect.

'Whether I die now or later.'

It was the day he realized the shocking fact that his life was limited.

The pillar that had been supporting his sanity had completely broken, and it seemed he would never return to his former self.

"Stop."

A thick voice seemed to echo from the bottom of the cave.

The voice of the Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect carried the same momentum as before. The movements of those rushing forward halted.

"Your courage."

The Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect gazed at the boy.

With eyes as deep as an abyss, he stared intently, and Jeong Yeonshin met his gaze, as if offering his chest to be split open.

"Better than all the people in this manor combined."

The warriors of the Defeated Sword Sect visibly wavered.

It was immediately clear that it was rare for this man to praise someone.

"Silence! If we kill him to seal his mouth, even if he is from the Ruined City, we cannot ask a bloodied man for the culprit!"

He spoke of murder and extermination.

The man seemed to be a companion of the red-haired woman who had died last.

With roughly cut red hair and a red martial uniform, he appeared to be a warrior of the Blood Flame Sect who had come with the Defeated Sword Sect.

'I hope they don't know there's no connection.'

At this moment, Jeong Yeonshin was acutely aware of the fear of the Thirteen Thousand.

The sudden attack had been meticulously planned, considering all factors. The methods of the major sects that span the land were like this.

Knowing that the son of a minor place like Jeong Family Manor had ties to the Ruined City.

"Chief!"

Jeong Yeonshin shouted loudly. A man lying in the doorway far away flinched.

He had been feigning death.

"Yes, young master."

The chief, who answered while struggling to stand, was no ordinary person. Jeong Yeonshin spoke again.

"You said you were completing a network of informants that covers the entire region. They didn't even set up a siege and tried to massacre the manor with just a dozen people. Surely, the ears and eyes of the Jeong Family Manor don't reach as far as Xiangyang?"

"No, Xiangyang... Xiangyang is just a stone's throw away."

Xiangyang, located at the northern end of Huoguang City, was a border city of Nanyang, to which Xinye County belonged.

No matter how vast the Central Plains were, this distance was close.

A martial artist trained in information gathering could reach it without major mishaps if determined.

'They might have gone to the Ruined City to seek help.'

It was unknown whether the family had considered Jeong Yeonshin's maternal side in their crisis response.

But even the Defeated Sword Sect would not have a thorough understanding of the family affairs of a place like the Jeong Family Manor, no matter how powerful they were.

"If you can't kill me."

Jeong Yeonshin tightened his grip on the sword.

"Stop using your hands."

A sword was pulled out from the back of the dead man. A long trail of blood covered the manor in silence.

A boy, likely around fifteen, had taken control of the situation in the presence of the leader and subordinates of a major sect.

The Blood Flame Sect warrior cursed.

"Since you've already made an enemy of me! How can you not kill me when you know I'll talk!"

His words were directed at Jeong Yeonshin, but his protest seemed to be aimed at the Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect.

The situation was now critical. The atmosphere had shifted, with the strong and the weak reversed.

Jeong Yeonshin spoke sharply.

"Stupid fool. Even if the Ruined City is the best in the martial world, would they directly confront the Thirteen Thousand? To avenge the grievances of the grandson of a former leader? Do you think that makes sense?"

If he were the grandson of the Ruined City's leader, it might be possible.

The leader of the Ruined City, recognized by the emperor as equal to a king, was the guardian of the 'Heavenly Tree,' which bears the fruit of immortality.

But Jeong Yeonshin was not the blood relative of the Ruined City's leader.

"Grandson of the former leader of the Ruined City's Divine Sword Corps?"

Dangaejian of the Zhongnan Sect, who was examining the state of Yeyixin, muttered.

A boy with a retired leader of the Ruined City's martial organization as his maternal grandfather.

His identity made it difficult to predict the aftermath of his death more than the potential troubles of his survival.

The Thirteen Thousand were the names of major forces that claimed dominance across the land.

But harming the grandson of a Ruined City elder was a different matter.

It was as burdensome as taking the family of a university scholar in the capital as hostages.

"The royal martial sect established by the noble families to prevent plots in the martial world. Indeed, it's troublesome."

The Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect spoke.

"But I'm not sparing you for that reason."

"Master!"

Crack!

The head of the Blood Flame Sect warrior exploded.

He couldn't even sense the attack; an invisible sword energy had exploded.

"Blood Flame Sect. I told you to stop."

The Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect spoke to the corpse.

The remaining red-haired warrior trembled, but the master's dark eyes returned to Jeong Yeonshin.

"You appeal to me. Your talent and courage. You are a vessel capable of reaching the heavens as a martial artist. If you had no connection to the Ruined City, I would have taken you as a disciple."

"Ah!"

"That Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect... "

Gasps and shock erupted from all around.

Not only his subordinates but even the experts of the Zhongnan Sect could not hide their surprise.

The Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect continued without hesitation.

"I will accept a duel anytime. Come to avenge your grievances."

"..."

Jeong Yeonshin sheathed his sword, turned around, and walked towards the surviving family members, whose breaths were faint but still alive.

The Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect, looking at the boy with a strange expression, turned to the warriors of the Zhongnan Sect.

"This land. I will not allow any other sect to enter. Give them one day."

He looked at the distorted face of Yeyixin.

"Leave."

* * *

"Young master."

"Chief."

There was no time to exchange pleasantries with the approaching chief.

Cleaning up the bodies could wait.

There were doctors, but none as skilled as Hua Tuo, so the best they could do for the severely injured was to lay them down comfortably.

He saw his eldest brother, Jeong Namsan, and his sister-in-law. They were dead.

Carefully pushing them aside, he stomped hard on the floor where his brother and sister-in-law had fallen.

Creak.

The underground opened. It was the secret room where he and his brothers used to play and giggle when they were very young.

Sure enough, a five-year-old girl was curled up, her eyes closed.

She had been struck at a pressure point. The acupoint at the back of her neck had been pressed by a hand filled with inner energy, forcing her to sleep.

"Hyea."

Jeong Yeonshin picked up his niece and left the room.

A young man, who was talking to the chief, turned his head.

Jeong Zhongshan, the second son of the Jeong Family, who was designated as a named disciple of the Zhongnan Sect.

Their eyes met, and he averted his gaze, indicating he had been hiding somewhere.

Without a word, he approached and took Hyea from Jeong Yeonshin.

"Raise her in the Zhongnan Sect. Use any means necessary."

"You, you?"

"I'll be busy enough taking care of myself."

Jeong Yeonshin said firmly.

"Raising her in the Zhongnan Sect. That's impossible... "

He couldn't meet Jeong Yeonshin's eyes, unlike before.

It seemed he had watched his half-brother's battle from a hiding place near the main house.

Pathetic. Jeong Yeonshin finally noticed the foreign sensation on his face and wiped away the blood with the back of his hand.

"Do you know the Nine Schools better than me? The main force of the sects are the disciples who grow up from the age of five or six. Beg somehow. Hyea's intelligence is better than theirs, so they'll accept her."

"Y-Yes."

Zhongshan bit his lip and looked at his niece.

Jeong Yeonshin observed him for a moment but, fortunately, he seemed to feel more responsibility than humiliation.

At that moment, the experts of the Zhongnan Sect approached.

As always, Yeyixin was in the lead, followed half a step behind by Dangaejian and Wulingquan.

They helped clean up despite their own injuries, showing they were indeed righteous martial artists.

"Little Hero."

The title had changed. He had been called the head of the family just yesterday.

Yeyixin's expression was complex.

Apart from self-reproach, there was also admiration for a talent that surpassed imagination when she looked at Jeong Yeonshin.

"Are you going to the Ruined City?"

"I have to. There's no other place to rely on and grow stronger."

"The path isn't limited to Xiangyang."

"..."

"Would you consider climbing Mount Zhongnan with me? I formally invite you."

"Ah!"

Only the chief and Jeong Zhongshan were surprised.

Dangaejian and Wulingquan, standing behind her, looked at Jeong Yeonshin without any change in expression, as if it were a natural invitation.

Their faces were filled with the desire for a prodigy.

It meant that the boy was an extraordinary swordsman, worthy of a direct invitation to join the sect by the grandmaster.

"Invited by the grandmaster of the Nine Schools... I truly don't know where to go."

Despite his words, Jeong Yeonshin's expression was calm. He had already decided his destination.

Yeyixin seemed anxious and added.

"I plan to recommend you as a direct disciple. You, Little Hero, are capable of it."

"..."

This time, everyone was surprised.

The position of a direct disciple of the head of the Zhongnan Sect was a place to learn and master world-class martial arts.

Not to mention the vast background of the Nine Schools.

Moreover, the current head of the Zhongnan Sect was one of the Ten Great Swordsmen of the world.

His powerful sword skills, enjoyed by the masses, had been witnessed many times.

'The people of Shaanxi praise him as one of the Five Great Martial Artists of the Central Plains!'

The chief inwardly screamed.

He must go. No matter how large and powerful the Ruined City is, Jeong Yeonshin is the grandson of a retired martial artist.

The upper limit is unknown, but the lower limit is better as a direct disciple of the Zhongnan Sect.

It was the Jeong Family Manor's unique way of thinking, valuing the head of a snake more than the tail.

'Young master! Please!'

His silent plea did not reach Jeong Yeonshin.

The boy made a bow.

"I will remember the senior's offer in my heart."

A polite refusal.

Yeyixin's noble face showed resignation, as if she had expected it.

"You have confidence in yourself. Confidence to rise in the Ruined City."

"..."

"That vessel tempted me. The Sword Master of the Defeated Sword Sect must have felt the same."

"I am sorry."

"No, it's not. Just remember that the doors of the Zhongnan Sect are always open."

Yeyixin looked at Jeong Yeonshin.

"I understand that the grandmaster is one of the most senior among the noble families. Do you, by any chance, know a way to obtain the fruit of the Heavenly Tree?"

"The fruit of the Heavenly Tree! So, you are indeed...!"

Yeyixin's face showed realization, then she said with a hint of regret.

"You haven't even lived half your allotted lifespan. I have no authority over the Heavenly Tree. Only the leader of the Ruined City can transfer it to others."

"I must go to the Ruined City, then."

"It's not easy. It's a sacred item even among our noble families."

"I have no other choice. I must achieve great deeds and become the leader of the Divine Sword Corps."

"I will support you from afar."

Yeyixin returned the bow. Her upright character would remain in Jeong Yeonshin's memory for a long time.

"Then."

The exchange between the two was a farewell.

The path to Mount Zhongnan in Xianyang, Shaanxi, and Xiangyang were completely different, and she wanted to leave quickly to inform her sect.

The lightness of the qinggong of Dangaejian and Wulingquan was inferior to that of the grandmaster.

Jeong Zhongshan decided to leave the next day with the remaining two.

He had to stay to watch over the dying.

The head of the family was still alive, on the verge of death.

"I am the third son."

He knelt on one knee and supported the head. Jeong Yeonshin's eyes trembled slightly.

The sword mark on the abdomen of the heartless head of the family was irreparable.

If he was going to end up like this, he should have treated him better.

"Why are you so, so strong? How can you...?"

His strength was almost gone, his lips trembling.

Jeong Yeonshin knew time was running out. A premonition. The head of the family, Jeong Daming, would die after a few more words.

"I created and mastered it. It's called Jeong Family Donggong."

He boasted rather than expressing resentment or sorrow.

It was his share, regardless of how the head of the family received it.

Jeong Yeonshin, who had long been tired of his family, decided to leave it to the head of the family's heart, whether it was a gift or a sign of filial impiety.

"Jeong Family Donggong. I see."

The head of the family's trembling lips moved.

"A divine skill created by the Jeongs. This foolish and ignorant... Jeong Daming, I, have a son who, a third son of a mediocre head of the family, has created a divine skill."

"..."

The boy listened silently. His father spoke his last words.

"You have... the potential... to be a grandmaster..."