Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Guhwasata (Abbess of Nine Calamities)¹ was the head of the Emei sect.

When she became the head, the Emei sect was in decline. Due to the long seclusion, the members of the clan were poor.

There were some formidable warriors such as Baekwol Samseung² who’s stronger than Guhwasata, but unfortunately, her political power and sense of reality were not up to par.

She focused on learning martial arts rather than expanding the influence of the clan. As she did not accept an external disciple, the Emei sect naturally declined.

When Baekwol Samseung realized that fact, the Emei sect had shrunk to nothing. Even if she died and reincarnated with her powers, she could not lead the revival of the Emei sect.

So the one who was chosen to become the sect leader was Guhwasata.

In the case of the Guhwasata, her martial arts might be mediocre, but her sense of reality and leadership was outstanding. With her overwhelming presence, she was supported by her students.

When she became the head, Guhwasata boldly opened their gates and began to accept disciples from the outside.

The Emei sect was originally an exclusive sect where an overwhelming number of its members were female monks.

In Jianghu, more than two-thirds of the prominent characters were men. This was because it was physically more advantageous for men to learn martial arts.

So with that, she had to choose a disciple among the leftover population of less than one-thirds in Jianghu, but even then, most women did not want to become monks.

Because of that, the Emei sect had to struggle with lack of members. That was one of the reasons for the rapid decline of the Emei sect.

After identifying all these problems, Guhwasata decided to boldly open their doors to everyone.

She selected talented disciples from among men as well as women. In addition, the restriction that only one great disciple must become a monk was also lifted.

The biggest obstacle that prevented the influx of talented members was removed.

Even Guhwasata herself changed.

This was because if the sect leader herself was a monk, external members would have a preconceived notion that the Emei sect was an exclusive clan. After that, the Emei sect began to expand rapidly.

At present, the Emei sect was closer to a secular sect than a Buddhist sect.

All of these changes were the achievements of Guhwasata.

Guhwasata was the vanguard that destroyed all the elements that had defined the Emei sect for hundreds of years.

Even though her staff was covered with the blood of Gu Juyang, she did not even blink an eye.

Guhwasa looked around the inside of the mansion with cool eyes.

Screams were resounding everywhere.

Most of them belonged to assassins.

The assassins were helpless in the face of the formidable force of the Emei disciples. When the Captain, Gu Juyang died, their power and spirit further weakened.

“Kggh!”

He knelt down with a single sword pierced through his chest.

In front of him stood a dazzlingly beautiful woman. She was the master of the sword that pierced the chest of the First sword.

The woman was wearing a pale blue top with a peacock feather print on it. First sword thought that the peacock pattern went well with her gorgeous appearance.

“What is your name…?”

“Yong…Seol-ran.”

“I heard that among the disciples of Abbess of Nine Calamities, there is a disciple whose appearance is like that of a fairy and has a talent that pierces the sky… it must have been you.”

“Those are all just exaggerated rumors.”

Yong Seol-ran shook her head slightly.

The First Sword thought that she was beautiful.

“Ha…hah! I guess being an assassin for decades was useless.”

He felt that decades of his life had been denied.

First sword died in despair.

Yong Seol-ran looked at the First Sword with sad eyes for a moment, and then moved towards the Guhwasata

Around the Guhwasata, all the great disciples of the Emei Sect had gathered.

Jeonghwa, Cheolsim, Doyeon, Dansim, Unmong.

All of them were direct disciples of the Guhwasata and the senior sisters of Yong Seol-ran.

As the Yong Seol-ran approached, Jeonghwa opened her mouth.

“You’re late, youngest. What kind of conversation did you have with an assassin?”

“I’m sorry, senior sister.”

Yong Seol-ran replied calmly.

Jeonghwa’s eyebrows twitched slightly at Yong Seol-ran’s attitude. However, she didn’t say anything more because it was in front of the Guhwsata.

Yong Seol-ran was a very important figure in the Emei sect in many ways.

She would be playing the largest role in the future plans of the Guhwasata. So Jeonghwa couldn’t treat her like that.

That was then.

Two of the Emei sect’s disciples dragged a person in the front of Jeonghwa.

It was the Fourth Sword who had both of his arms and legs cut off. The Emei disciples threw the Fourth Sword in front of Jeonghwa as if he was trash.

“This is the person in charge of leading the newly trained assassins to the vicinity of Qingcheng mountain.”

Guhwasata looked at the Fourth Sword with contemptuous eyes.

The kind of people she hated the most were the assassins. Humans who only need money to kill and do not need any other cause or justification.

Assassins were the most unworthy of living among the many types of human beings in the world.

“Exactly how many assassins did you take with you?”

“Ugh! Why do you ask…?”

The Fourth sword could barely raise his blood-stained face and looked at the Abbess of Nine Calamities.

“You don’t need to know why. Just answer the question.”

“Huh! I don’t know.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“Even if I know, I can’t tell you. You don’t think I’m going to tell the truth to the person that made our base this way, do you?”

“Heh! A mere assassin dared to pretend to be quite strong.”

Guhwasata snorted and stretched out her hand.

Her wrists, reminiscent of an old tree, were exposed.

She grabbed the Fourth Sword’s wrist with her fingers.

Chuhongyeong-gigong.³

It was one of the Emei sect’s best martial arts.

It was a kind of penetration which boasted a more brutal and vicious power than any other torture method. It was said that those who suffered from the said technique would end up having their entire body paralyzed while enduring a hell-like suffering.

As if gnawed at by an insect, the body and mind would be cut off and the person would end up suffering extreme pain until death.

“AGRH!”

The Fourth sword screamed.

He was an assassin who had gone through all sorts of battles.

The Chuhongyeong-gigong was so painful that he, who did not even blink an eye from any kind of torture, let out a devastating scream.

It wasn’t just the pain of an animal scratching his flesh. As if hot candle wax was poured along his blood vessels, the pain that melted and hardened the whole body made the Fourth sword felt extreme pain.

The pain was so severe that his body ended up being twisted in a bizarre angle, even though all the muscles in his limbs had already been cut off.

At the terrible appearance, the disciples of Emei, including Jeonghwa, turned their heads away. Guhwasata did not flinch and continued to torture the Fourth Sword using the Chuhongyeong-gigong.

In the end, the Fourth Sword could not endure the pain and succumbed.

“Twenty…ei…ght. N..Now ki-kill—”

“Hmph.”

After hearing the desired answer, Guhwasata took her hand off from the body of the Fourth Sword.

The Fourth Sword was still alive.

He was still breathing, but he was better off dead.

Chuhongyeong-gigong completely destroyed the inside of his body and continued to inflict extreme pain. The Fourth sword had felt the pain vividly until he stopped breathing.

Guhwasata’s gaze turned to Jeonghwa.

“How many people have you killed so far?”

“Twenty-four people.”

“There are four people left. I want to get rid of all the variables.”

“By your order!”

As Jeonghwa left with the answer, Guhwasata looked at the Yong Seol-ran.

“Seol-ran, your role from now on is crucial. You know that, right?”

“Yes, master.”

“As soon as this case is settled, I will send someone to the Qingcheng sect to set a date. Until then, prepare your heart and body for the wedding.”

“Yes, master.”

Yong Seol-ran answered briefly. Her attitude was a little annoying, but Guhwasata did not bother to scold her.

Instead, she said something to herself.

“Everything is for the sake of the sect”

* * *

The War of Demons and Heaven⁴ brought a great change to the ruling system of the Jianghu. As many sects collapsed and new sects emerged, abrupt changes took place in the topographical map of Jianghu.

The sects that participated in the War of Demons and Heaven experienced explosive growth with the support of the world, while the clans who did not join the war face difficulties.

The sects of Sichuan belonged to the latter. Sichuan Province was less influenced by foreign powers because of its closed topography. Since they were not influenced by the outside world, there was no reason to go out of their way to participate in the Great War.

Once established in an isolated environment, the hierarchy of the sects did not change easily.

After the fall of the Tang sect, the leadership of Sichuan Province was held by the Emei sect and the Qingcheng sect. Between the two, it was the Qingcheng sect that took the lead.

This was largely due to the fact that they opened their gates earlier than the Emei faction, and that Muryeongjin⁵, the sect leader of the Qingcheng sect, had superior judgment.

Muryeongjin thought that in order for the Qingcheng sect to revive, those who excelled in world affairs were more needed than those who were strong in martial arts.

So, Woo Jinpyeong,⁶ a former disciple of the Qingcheng sect, was brought to the headquarters.

The family of Woo Jinpyeong soon became close with the Qingcheng sect by having a disciple enter for numerous generations.

They established Sangjae using the identity of the Cheongseongpa sangga, and they grew rapidly by combining the vision of Sangjae, Mujae, and Daeguk (그들은 청성파의 속가라는 신분을 이용해 상단을 설립했는데, 상재와 무재, 대국을 읽는 시야가 어우러져 급속한 성장을 했다.)

Muryeongjin gave Woo Jinpyeong the position of second-in-command of the Qingcheng sect.

It was the first time in hundreds of years of history that a subordinate disciple who was not a main disciple became the elder and second-in-command of the Qingcheng sect.

That was proof that Woo Jinpyeong was excellent.

At first, the elders opposed Woo Jinpyeong’s appointment, but after experiencing his formidable abilities, they became an ardent supporter.

Woo Jinpyeong took advantage of the gap that the Emei sect had not opened their gates yet and rapidly expanded the power of the Qingcheng sect.

In Sichuan Fortress, where the Tang sect was destroyed and the Emei sect was in seclusion, the Qingcheng sect has no rival. As if robbing a house, the Qingcheng faction possesses all the major interests of Sichuan Province.

The Qingcheng sect was truly at their most prosperous era.

Both the Qingcheng and Emei sects were classified as Two Factions [이파(二派)]. It was followed by small and medium-sized sects such as the three gates [삼문(三門)], the four rooms [사방(四房)], and the five halls [오관(五館)].

Many of them were mobilized in the hunt for assassins.

It was an incident aimed at the Qingcheng sect, the unrivaled stronghold of Sichuan, not elsewhere. Considering the other sect’s future relationship with the Qingcheng sect, the assassins had to be found and annihilated.

For that reason, the sects of Sichuan Province sent numerous disciples to support them.

Since the Battle of the Blood Heaven [혈천대전(血天大戦)] when Jeongma clashed for the fate of the world a long time ago, it was the first time that so many warriors in Sichuan Province were again mobilized.

They didn’t expect this to happen.

Over the past years, Sichuan has been very peaceful where time has passed through without any major incidents.

Peace was a blessing to ordinary people, but it was a curse to the warriors who wanted to show off their power. Numerous warriors appeared in Sichuan Province, but they did not have the opportunity to use their force.

After spending a long boring time because of the peace, when the assassins appeared, it brought great vitality to the daily life of the martial artists of Sichuan.

The martial artists of Sichuan Province voluntarily participated in the quest of hunting the assassins.

It was a moment of entertainment that appeared after a long time.

If they missed this opportunity, they will not know when another moment would come when they could show their power to the fullest.

The warriors persistently pursued and killed the children.

The surviving children were scattered. They chose to escape from Sichuan Province.

The warriors were waiting for the children while occupying the road leading to the outside.

When all eyes of Sichuan were focused on the children, the Qingcheng sect, the target of the assassins, was quiet.

The Qingcheng sect did not show any movement as if to show that they were different from the other sects. The appearance of the Qingcheng sect, which did not tremble, was like the gate-house that ruled the Sichuan Province.

Even though it was night, the Qingcheng sect was bright enough to be reminiscent of a night castle.

Many corners of the Qingcheng sect were lit by torchers, and many men stood on a tight-knit vigil. Although the sect did not send out troops to catch the assassins, the internal security were more thorough, reminiscent of a fortress.

There was a man holding his breath in the shade of a large tree overlooking the Qingcheng sect.

It was Pyo-wol who looked at the Qingcheng Sect. He was in perfect assimilation with the darkness.

While the other children were struggling to distance themselves from the Qingcheng sect, here he was secretly hiding near them.

Those who spread the inescapable net only thought of blocking the road to the outside, they did not even consider blocking the road towards the Qingcheng sect.

Pyo-wol outwitted them by completely acting in the opposite direction.

Since all of their focus and power was dispersed to spread the inescapable net, now was the perfect opportunity to carry out the assassination.

Pyo-wol muttered.

“If they want to die as natural enemies of the Jianghu, then I’ll just become one.”

The target of his assassination is Woo Gunsang.

Pyo-wol’s first solo assassination was just the beginning.

Editor’s Notes

This is the end of Volume 1 of the Reaper of the Drifting Moon.

This was also the most difficult chapter to write. There were so many names and Chinese characters used. I did my best to provide the right translation, but I’m still not sure of it so I still added the raw text in between. If anyone has any suggestions to make the translation better, let me know in the comments. Thank you ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

Hope you enjoy reading this chapter!

1. Guhwasata. Abbess of Nine Calamities. 구화사태 (九鍋師太). She’s the old lady who’s also the sect leader of the Emei sect.
2. Baekwol Samseung. 백월삼승 (白月三俗) .
3. Chuhongyeong-gigong. I’m not exactly sure how to translate this so I left it as is. Here’s what appeared when I tried to machine translate it.
   • 추혼경기공 Autumn Wedding Ceremony
   • 追魂動氧功 Soul Chasing Aerobic Exercise
4. War of Demons and Heaven was the name used in the manhwa. 마천대전(魔天大戦). But in the novel, it was translated as the Great War, Macheon War, Macheon Daejeon.
5. Muryeongjin. 무령진인이. He’s the sect leader of the Qingcheng sect.
6. Woo Jinpyeong. 우진평의. He’s the second in command of the Qingcheng sect.