Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 165

A Useless Hound is Meant to be Discarded (2)

The residence of the Martial Sword Troupe’s leader, Yu Mun Sang, was the Blue Heart Hall.

The history of Blue Heart Hall had been intertwined with that of the Haenam Sect. It had been the dwelling of the leaders of the Haenam Sect.

Although it was now called the Martial Sword Troupe, its roots and core inevitably lay with the Haenam Sect. That was also the reason Blue Heart Hall had become the residence of the leader of the Martial Sword Troupe.

Blue Heart Hall, as if to prove its centuries of history, exuded an antique charm. Rare and exotic flowers that were hard to find on the mainland blossomed on the hill in front of Blue Heart Hall, and in the large pond, fish with colorful scales swam.

Yu Mun Sang stood at the pavilion by the pond, hands clasped behind his back, watching the fish swim.

At that moment, Yu Mun Sang’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He sensed someone’s presence.

The only person in Blue Heart Hall was him. However, the path leading to Blue Heart Hall was guarded by the Martial Sword Troupe’s masters, making it impossible for anyone to enter recklessly.

This applied to his disciple, Mad Dragon Woo Mun Pae, and the leadership of the Martial Sword Troupe as well. They would have sent a notice before setting foot here.

There was only one exception.

Yu Mun Sang slowly turned around and saw a woman stepping into Blue Heart Hall.

The woman wore a large bamboo hat that covered her face. However, Yu Mun Sang already knew her identity.

In the Martial Sword Troupe, there was only one woman who went around wearing such a bamboo hat.

“Have you come, Sister?”

“Yes!”

The woman took off her bamboo hat, revealing her waterfall of triple-banked hair and a beautiful face.

She had thick eyebrows, deep black eyes, a sharp nose, small red lips, and pure white skin, all of which were the hallmarks of beauty.

There was a considerable age gap between Yu Mun Sang and Sa Yeon-hee. Though they had different masters, their status was equal, due to the unique position and status that the Sword Sect held within the Martial Sword Troupe.

Yu Mun Sang smiled faintly.

“Leader.”

“Why so formal? Just call me senior brother. After all, do we not share the same roots?”

“I’m sorry, leader. I’m not yet accustomed to it.”

“If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. So, Sister, what brings you here?”

“I have something I wish to ask the leader.”

“What is it?”

Yu Mun Sang’s gaze deepened.

To an ordinary person, just meeting his gaze could cause a chill down their spine due to the imposing aura. However, Sa Yeon-hee showed no change in expression when facing his gaze.

“The Nine Life Stealing Sword.”

“Hm?”

Yu Mun Sang’s eyebrows twitched slightly at the unexpected mention, and Sa Yeon-hee did not miss that minute change.

Realizing his mistake too late, Yu Mun Sang composed himself and asked, “What do you mean?”

“There are indications that the Nine Life Stealing Sword of our alliance has been leaked to the outside.”

“Is that even possible?”

The Nine Life Stealing Sword was originally a supreme technique of the Haenam Sect.
However, it was so difficult to master that it had almost become a lost martial art after the establishment of the Martial Sword Troupe.

Because of this, there were hardly any within the Martial Sword Troupe who knew about the Nine Life Stealing Sword.

“I have personally verified the records. While the other martial arts were in their place, the Nine Life Stealing Sword and a few other martial arts manuals were missing.”

Yu Mun Sang’s brows furrowed deeply. Sa Yeon-hee stared intently at Yu Mun Sang’s face.

“Could there have been a mistake? Our alliance’s manuals couldn’t possibly have been leaked to the outside, could they?”

Every sect strictly manages its secret martial arts, especially an organization like the Martial Sword Troupe, which is one of the ten sects. The disappearance of a manual represented a serious issue.

Sa Yeon-hee shook her head.

“I’ve checked it myself.”

“If that’s really the case, it’s a big problem. I’ll talk to the Enforcement Division to investigate.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“What?”

“I’ve already secured the access records of the repository. By investigating the movements of people who have entered the repository over the past few years, we should be able to identify the culprit who leaked the manuals.”

“Is that so? It will be quite troublesome if you handle it directly.”

“I don’t have much to do in the Martial Sword Troupe anyway, so I might as well do this.”

“Typical of you, Sister. Excellent!”

“Thank you.”

“Then, I’ll leave this matter to you, Sister. Make sure to find the person who leaked the manuals and hold them accountable.”

“While I’m at it, I will also capture the one who has learned the Nine Life Stealing Sword.”

“What?”

This time, even Yu Mun Sang couldn’t maintain his composure. Sa Yeon-hee’s words had struck a nerve.

“I’m currently tracking someone suspected of having mastered the Nine Life Stealing Sword.”

“Can you tell who it is?”

“It’s premature to say anything now. It’s not certain whether he has truly mastered it. But I will definitely inform you once it’s confirmed.”

“Understood. Proceed as you see fit.”

Yu Mun Sang nodded.

Sa Yeon-hee saluted Yu Mun Sang with her fist.

“Then, I’ll take my leave, leader.”

“Good work, Sister.”

“Yes!”

With that, Sa Yeon-hee turned and left Blue Heart Hall. Yu Mun Sang quietly watched her receding figure.

Until then, his face showed no change in expression. But as soon as Sa Yeon-hee disappeared beyond the gate, his eyes emitted a chilling glare.

“Ho-Gyeong.”

“Yes! Leader.”

Responding, a man dressed in gray martial attire appeared like a ghost before Yu Mun Sang.

He was Yeon Ho-Gyeong, the leader of the Sea Sword Squad, the personal guard of the troupe leader.

Yeon Ho-Gyeong was not just a martial artist of exceptional skill. His mind was sharp, and his loyalty was strong, making him a trusted aide whom Yu Mun Sang could entrust with tasks in the shadows.

Yu Mun Sang, looking at the pond, continued.

“It seems the fish we let loose have shed too many scales. There’s a stench coming from everywhere.”

“I’ll clean it up thoroughly.”

With that, Yeon Ho-Gyeong disappeared.

***

Outside the Blue Heart Hall, Sa Yeon-hee let out a deep breath that she had been holding in.

Although she didn’t show it, she was tense throughout her conversation with Yu Mun Sang.

Yu Mun Sang was the supreme leader of the Martial Sword Troupe. Though they were technically senior and junior disciples, it was a relationship that couldn’t be taken lightly.

Since Yu Mun Sang took over as leader, the Martial Sword Troupe had developed tremendously. But behind that growth lay an ugly truth.

It involved operating a pirate fleet known as the Nine Shadows Fleet, which looted merchant ships.

Initially, Sa Yeon-hee hadn’t even suspected it. The Nine Shadows Fleet only looted in the distant seas away from Haenam Island, and they left no survivors, so their existence was hardly known.

However, as the damage to merchant ships grew, the existence of the Nine Shadows Fleet became known to the world, and Sa Yeon-hee became interested.

Sa Yeon-hee had urged Yu Mun Sang to take action against the Nine Shadows Fleet, but Yu Mun Sang always responded with a lukewarm attitude. That’s when Sa Yeon-hee began to doubt him.

Sa Yeon-hee secretly investigated the Nine Shadows Fleet and Yu Mun Sang but couldn’t find any connection between them.

She had suspicions but no concrete evidence.

Then, the Azure Maritime Company arrived in Haenam Island, having survived an attack by the Nine Shadows Fleet.

After gathering information from the survivors of the Azure Maritime Company, Sa Yeon-hee went to see Lee Gwak. The enemy leader’s martial arts, as described by Lee Gwak, were surprisingly similar to a martial art she knew.

The Nine Life Stealing Sword.

Sa Yeon-hee immediately went to the Martial Sword Troupe’s repository.

To enter the repository, one had to sign the register. However, there was one person who could enter without signing the register: Yu Mun Sang, the supreme leader of the Martial Sword Troupe.

Sa Yeon-hee learned from the guards of the repository that Yu Mun Sang had visited the repository several years ago, around the time when the Nine Life Stealing Sword manual was presumed to have disappeared.

But this alone was not enough to confront Yu Mun Sang. Without any evidence, Yu Mun Sang could easily deny everything. To find conclusive evidence, she had to investigate more
thoroughly.

Still, Sa Yeon-hee mentioning the Nine Life Stealing Sword to Yu Mun Sang was intended to elicit some reaction from him.

It was a psychological pressure to provoke a response.

“Senior brother!”

A melancholic light appeared on Sa Yeon-hee’s face.

Yu Mun Sang was undoubtedly a great person. The Martial Sword Troupe as it exists today was due to him. The alliance had expanded its influence several times since Yu Mun Sang became the leader.

People’s lives became more prosperous, and they could walk proudly as part of the ten sects. However, as Yu Mun Sang’s authority strengthened, so did the side effects within the Martial Sword Troupe.

One notable issue was the discrimination based on status. A hierarchy had inadvertently formed between the core sects of the Martial Sword Troupe and those that were not.

The martial artists from the core sects occupied important positions, while the others were treated as expendable.

Although the Sea Martial Festival was held to promote unity and mitigate these side effects, the Martial Sword Troupe was already deeply troubled from within. If left unaddressed, the alliance would undoubtedly splinter.

Sighing again, Sa Yeon-hee felt overwhelmed by the immense pressure. She wanted to give up everything and seclude herself in the Sword Sect to focus solely on martial arts. However, if she gave up, there would be no one left to keep Yu Mun Sang in check within the Martial Sword Troupe.

She had never imagined she would face such issues when she first joined the Sword Sect to learn martial arts. But now, she had ventured too deep to simply withdraw.
Sa Yeon-hee had no choice but to move forward, whether to live or die.

She calmed her thoughts and continued walking.

Suddenly, she smelled the sea and realized she had unconsciously arrived near the harbor.

She had always loved the harbor since she was young, drawn to its unique vitality. So, she often visited this place whenever she had time. It seemed she had unconsciously gravitated here now.

“Who is that?”

Then, she noticed a man walking towards her from the opposite side.

He was taller than most by a head and had an ordinary-looking face with thick eyebrows, but his eyes appeared gentle.

It was Lee Gwak.

As Lee Gwak approached, Sa Yeon-hee’s nose wrinkled, feeling a chill.

“What’s this?”

Sa Yeon-hee’s gaze turned cold.

This feeling was different from when she first saw Lee Gwak. He had seemed extraordinary then, but not to the extent that he could chill her senses like this.

Her hand instinctively reached for her sword.

The closer Lee Gwak got, the greater the pressure Sa Yeon-hee felt.

It wasn’t like this when they met before. Lee Gwak hadn’t made Sa Yeon-hee feel tense at that time.

Sa Yeon-hee had thought it was because Lee Gwak’s martial prowess was inferior to hers. While his defense of the Azure Maritime Company from the Nine Shadows Fleet was commendable, she hadn’t considered his martial arts a threat to her. It was true that Lee Gwak didn’t seem particularly outstanding then.

But now, the aura emanating from Lee Gwak was intense enough to make Sa Yeon-hee tense.
Her internal energy stirred in her dantian, reacting to the aura Lee Gwak emitted.

The Ocean Heart Technique.

It was a secret internal technique that only the Sword Sect master could learn.

When perfected, the Ocean Heart Technique granted one deep and vast internal energy, like the ocean. Now, it was reacting involuntarily, indicating the stimulation from the opponent was intense.

Sa Yeon-hee considered suppressing the surging internal energy but then let go of control.

Lee Gwak seemed lost in his thoughts, staring at the ground as he walked. He appeared to be in his own world, oblivious to everything else around him, including Sa Yeon-hee.

Their distance gradually closed.

When Lee Gwak was about ten meters away, Sa Yeon-hee felt an invisible resistance.

“Is this the space around this man?”

Sa Yeon-hee’s pupils quivered slightly.

The perception of a martial artist who had reached a certain level of mastery differed from that of ordinary people. They could sense and react to subtleties that would be imperceptible to a non-practitioner.

The space around a master signified the area within which their senses could perceive and react. This meant that nothing happening within this space could escape Lee Gwak’s eyes or senses.

Lee Gwak’s space was no less significant than Sa Yeon-hee’s.

“A master. Beyond what I had anticipated…”

Several times, Sa Yeon-hee felt the temptation to unleash her sword towards Lee Gwak.

Lee Gwak passed by her side indifferently.

At that moment, Sa Yeon-hee felt a cold breeze brush against her skin, as if the wind was swirling around Lee Gwak.