Chapter 37

“Elder!”

Mang-ryo suddenly turned around.

The warriors were terrified by Mang-ryo’s appearance.

“Urgh!”

In that brief moment, Mang-ryo’s single eye had become bloodshot, and blood was trickling from his nose. Blisters had formed all over his face. This happened despite him drawing upon his internal energy as a precaution. If he had been exposed to the smoke just a little longer, Mang-ryo would certainly have become one of the corpses on the ground.

But Mang-ryo didn’t care. Instead, he began to laugh maniacally.

“Hahahahaha!”

Chills ran down the spines of the watching warriors.

Mang-ryo shouted with wild eyes:

“It’s him. It’s him! He’s come back!”

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

Thud, thud!

Mang-ryo vigorously hobbled on his cane into the Sect Leader’s reception room.

“Sect Leader! He has come!”

Miao Ligoujao, the leader of the Extreme Poison Sect, had been receiving reports about the fire at the main gate from a warrior when he saw Mang-ryo and his face froze.

“What is Elder doing here? And why does your face look like that?”

Mang-ryo ignored Miao Ligoujao’s reaction and said:

“He has come! He has! He has returned!”

“Elder Mang, please calm down.”

Mang-ryo raised his voice, spitting as he spoke:

“How can I calm down when he’s back! He’s here, I tell you, he’s here!”

Mang-ryo extended his hand toward Miao Ligoujao. In Mang-ryo’s hand was soil with drops of blood soaked into it.

“What is this?”

“Bloodstains.”

“Yes, but why—”

“These bloodstains were heading inward! He has already entered our gates!”

Miao Ligoujao slammed his palm on the table.

Bang!

“I understand, so shut up!”

Mang-ryo closed his mouth, but his eyes still burned fiercely.

Miao Ligoujao glared at Mang-ryo and thundered:

“What proof do you have that those bloodstains belong to him, causing all this commotion! I clearly told the Elder to exercise restraint!”

“He’s back! He’s the one who set the fire!”

“Why do you keep obsessing over him? It could just be an ordinary fire.”

“If it were just an ordinary fire, why would my face be in this state! I verified it myself. He used poison!”

Mang-ryo’s face was covered with blisters, and blood was forming at his nose and mouth.

“There must have been some toxic substance in the burned area.”

“That’s impossible.”

Miao Ligoujao clutched his throbbing head.

“Good grief. As if I wasn’t anxious enough with no word from Sa Heung-sam!”

Mang-ryo declared firmly:

“They are already dead.”

Miao Ligoujao looked at Mang-ryo in disbelief.

“Elder Mang. Do you know how many people Sa Heung-sam has dealt with? And Relentless Dagger? Together they’ve handled at least forty or fifty. Are you saying Sa Heung-sam and Relentless Dagger were killed by a poisoned boy and one child?”

“Then why has there been no contact for three days?”

“There must be some reason.”

Miao Ligoujao spoke as if trying to pacify Mang-ryo.

“And because you said the boy uses poison, we sent twenty warriors and Elder Long with them. That’s half our strength. And you’re saying they were all killed by a mere child?”

“They’re still dead.”

“This is ridiculous! Why on earth would that boy come back here? Tell me. Why would he return? Is he crazy? What’s here for him? He’s already taken all their secret manuals.”

Miao Ligoujao’s face turned red with anger.

“Exactly! What kind of madman would openly spread poison and start fires to announce his return! Please use your head, think! If it’s the boy as you claim, wouldn’t he try to sneak in quietly rather than blatantly setting fires!”

At these words, Mang-ryo’s bloodshot eye glowed even redder.

“Hehehe.”

“You’re laughing?”

“He’s come to kill us all. That’s why he doesn’t care if he’s discovered and set the fire.”

Miao Ligoujao was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak.

“Ha, I see. So you’re saying a ten-year-old boy has returned here to annihilate our entire Extreme Poison Sect?”

“This is no joke!”

“Good grief.”

Miao Ligoujao threw up his hands in surrender.

“Fine. Let’s say you’re right. How could he possibly kill our entire Extreme Poison Sect? And what about me? How could he possibly…”

Mang-ryo interrupted Miao Ligoujao.

“The well.”

Silence.

“What if he puts poison in the well?”

At these words, even Miao Ligoujao couldn’t respond hastily. He was about to speak but frowned instead.

Miao Ligoujao was naturally suspicious and cunning. He still didn’t believe Jin Ja-gang had started the fire. No one in their right mind would escape only to return.

Who would possibly believe that?

But Jin Ja-gang did possess deadly poison. If by some remote chance, he had infiltrated the Extreme Poison Sect and poisoned the well, the consequences would be truly horrific.

Once such suspicion arose, it wouldn’t easily disappear.

“Hmm.”

“We don’t have time to deliberate, Sect Leader.”

Urged by Mang-ryo, Miao Ligoujao let out a low sigh.

“Fine. Just this once, I’ll trust you, Elder. But if you’re wrong… I cannot be so lenient this time.”

Miao Ligoujao stroked the sharp iron hook at his waist.

Mang-ryo didn’t back down.

“I’ll bear the consequences.”

“Good.”

Miao Ligoujao stood up.

“I’ll come too.”

Miao Ligoujao instructed another elder to handle the aftermath of the fire, then departed with Mang-ryo for the well.

* * *

Four warriors were guarding the well. They were not stationed there because of Jin Ja-gang but had been assigned to guard the well from the beginning.

There are many people in the Extreme Poison Sect who handle venomous creatures. The warriors are there to prevent any poisonous substances from entering the well. The well was covered with a thick lid to guard against any unforeseen incidents.

The warriors stood at attention and greeted Sect Leader Miao Ligoujao and Mang-ryo.

“Everything alright?”

The guards answered in unison:

“Yes! Nothing unusual has happened!”

Miao Ligoujao looked at Mang-ryo as if to say, “See?” However, Mang-ryo carefully scanned the surroundings and said:

“He has a bad leg. It seems he hasn’t arrived yet.”

Miao Ligoujao clicked his tongue in displeasure and ordered the warriors:

“One of you stay, the rest hide some distance away.”

“What?”

The warriors were confused but followed orders, leaving only one at the well. Mang-ryo personally positioned the warriors in bushes or behind buildings. Similarly, both Miao Ligoujao and Mang-ryo also concealed themselves in bushes within sight of the well.

At a glance, it appeared that only one warrior was guarding the well.

‘He will come. Definitely!’

Mang-ryo believed his thoughts without a doubt. He believed that even the fire at the main gate had been set to create a commotion so Jin Ja-gang could enter the inner area of the Extreme Poison Sect.

This was the exact opposite of Miao Ligoujao’s thinking, who wondered what kind of person would make such a commotion when infiltrating.

‘He can’t use martial arts and limps so he can’t run. He had no choice but to set a fire to get through the main gate.’

Why would someone who had already secured the Hundred Flower Secret Scripture struggle so hard to re-enter the Extreme Poison Sect?

When you think about it, there’s only one answer.

Revenge!

‘He bears a grudge against our Extreme Poison Sect. He must have gained confidence after killing Sa Heung-sam and the others. He judged that there’s a gap in our forces and decided to attack directly. That stubborn brat is capable of that and more!’

It’s unknown how Jin Ja-gang managed to deal with Sa Heung-sam, Relentless Dagger, Elder Long, and twenty warriors.

With their strength, they could wage war against most small sects. Even when they had attacked Hundred Flower Valley and the Medicine King Sect, they had deployed a similar level of force.

But Mang-ryo believed that Jin Ja-gang had somehow killed them all.

‘Well, when will you come?’

Mang-ryo was almost enjoying himself. He felt as if he had become Jin Ja-gang.

‘From tomorrow, security will be tighter, so his only option is today… and the time would be…’

Usually, the deepest part of the night is the Hour of the Ox (1-3 AM), after midnight. It’s said that even trees and grass are asleep at this time. Additionally, the bright moonlight after midnight gradually diminishes, so most would choose this time for a stealth attack.

‘But he’s different!’

Today, most members of the Extreme Poison Sect are awake due to the series of incidents. By the Hour of the Tiger (3-5 AM), they would feel tired from lack of sleep and be at their least alert.

‘The end of the Hour of the Tiger, the beginning of the Hour of the Rabbit!’

Mang-ryo was certain. Not the darkest time, but the time when vigilance is most lax.

That’s when Jin Ja-gang would make his move.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang arrived at the well with difficulty. He hid behind a tree on the side path with a view of the well and caught his breath for a moment. His wounded sole throbbed, and his body felt extremely heavy from being tense the entire time.

After catching his breath, Jin Ja-gang poked his head out to check the well. Fortunately, the well was guarded by only one warrior.

‘Good.’

If he could just deal with that one warrior and put poison in the well…

But he couldn’t act rashly.

Jin Ja-gang swallowed dryly.

Even with just one warrior, an adult man posed a significant threat to Jin Ja-gang. Earlier, he had nearly died being strangled by a poisoned warrior, so in his current poor physical condition, there was no guarantee he could overcome this warrior.

‘I should lure him away…’

But at that moment.

Jin Ja-gang sensed something off about the warrior on guard.

‘Huh?’

The warrior seemed somehow anxious.

He kept looking left and right, his legs trembling. Though he stood in one place, he fidgeted with his arms and legs, appearing restless.

He also kept looking around nervously. There were no natural movements like walking casually from side to side or stretching.

Jin Ja-gang became rapidly uneasy.

‘Something’s wrong.’

It wouldn’t be strange if the commotion from the fire at the main gate had reached here.

But connecting that commotion to the well is a separate issue.

The warrior’s behavior was as if he knew that an intruder would definitely come to the well.

Jin Ja-gang pressed against the tree and observed the warrior a bit longer.

Watching carefully, he noticed that the warrior kept glancing at a specific spot. It was as if he was conscious of something.

Jin Ja-gang carefully examined the area the warrior kept glancing at.

Though he couldn’t be certain, occasionally the bushes seemed to move even though there was no wind.

‘Someone’s there!’

Jin Ja-gang’s instinct warned him.

‘They know I’m coming. The plan to poison the well has failed.’

Jin Ja-gang observed the warrior for a while longer, then gritted his teeth and quietly retreated.

* * *

Dawn broke and day arrived.

Though the atmosphere was unsettled due to the fire incident that had claimed dozens of casualties the night before, the day at the Extreme Poison Sect began nonetheless.

Many warriors who had spent the night detoxifying the fire scene returned and were replaced by other warriors, and workers got up to start cleaning, washing, and preparing breakfast.

Workers also came to the well with water jugs to draw water for cooking rice.

Even after they had drawn water and left, nothing unusual happened at the well.

It was now fully morning with the sun clearly risen.

Miao Ligoujao was the first to rise.

“That should be enough. Everyone, come out.”

The other warriors stretched their stiff bodies and emerged from their hiding spots. Only Mang-ryo remained in shock.

‘This can’t be right?’