Chapter 43: The Wind Always Blows from Unexpected Places (3)

"Please!"

Geum Jung-gwang and the laborers watched with anxious expressions from within the pen. Inside, Heuk-gwi—the Black Demon—stood with an air of noble indifference. A sleek white mare circled around him.

She was the finest-bred mare in the Golden Horse Ranch's collection, and she happened to be in heat, requiring a mating.

Though the mare flicked her tail and circled nearby, Heuk-gwi stood with an expression of complete disinterest. Geum Jung-gwang looked as though he might stop breathing from the tension.

Over the past several days, they had brought countless mares into Heuk-gwi's enclosure. But Heuk-gwi had not mated with a single one.

Geum Jung-gwang wondered whether the mares they had offered simply did not meet Heuk-gwi's standards, so he had brought in the finest mare they possessed.

"Please… this time…"

Geum Jung-gwang desperately wanted Heuk-gwi's bloodline. If he could breed even one horse carrying Heuk-gwi's lineage, he would make a fortune—and the Golden Horse Ranch's reputation would soar as well.

It was commonly said that "boats ruled the south and horses the north." The southern regions, with their developed waterways, relied heavily on boats, while the north, lacking such便利, depended on horses—hence the saying.

Horse ranches were concentrated primarily in the northern regions of the continent, and many competed fiercely to breed superior stock.

A ranch's competitiveness lay in cultivating horses of superior bloodline. Unfortunately, the Golden Horse Ranch did not yet possess a bloodline significantly better than its rivals.

That was why this mating was so critical. If they could obtain even one horse with Heuk-gwi's bloodline, they could use it to breed many more offspring.

After just one generation, the Golden Horse Ranch could stand shoulder to shoulder with any of the continent's leading ranches.

"Please! Please!"

Geum Jung-gwang prayed until his hands were worn.

Whether his pleas were finally answered, Heuk-gwi at last mounted the mare. Color returned to Geum Jung-gwang's face.

"At last, we too…"

He resolved to repay Dam Ho handsomely.

Dam Ho sat on an ordinary boulder in the center of the horse pasture, gazing toward the well.

At the well, Bang Jin-bo was preparing food. The ranch folk, having already sampled his remarkable culinary skills, had become fervent devotees.

Over the past several days, Bang Jin-bo had showcased his talents, producing an array of dishes. The dishes he created were ones rarely seen here, delivering a profound shock to people accustomed to sparse fare.

In the end, Geum Gwan-cheon granted Bang Jin-bo permission to cook to his heart's content during his stay and opened the stores of ingredients.

Bang Jin-bo used this opportunity to recreate the recipes recorded in the cookbook his father had left behind. With limitless ingredients at his disposal, there was no reason to hesitate.

A smile blossomed on Bang Jin-bo's face. Not a forced smile, but one born of genuine enjoyment in the act of cooking.

The women helped him, learning by observing over his shoulder.

Another devoted follower trailed after Bang Jin-bo.

"Hyung!"

It was Geum So-hye, the precious jewel of the Golden Horse Ranch.

Smitten by Bang Jin-bo's cooking, Geum So-hye followed him around like a little chick. Bang Jin-bo, in turn, found her utterly adorable.

It was a picture-perfect scene of happiness. But there was no place for Dam Ho within it.

No one dared approach Dam Ho easily. The laborers gave him a wide berth. They too instinctively sensed that Dam Ho was different from ordinary people and maintained their distance.

At that moment…

"Great Hero!"

Geum Jung-gwang came sprinting toward Dam Ho, breathless.

Seeing the joy painted across his face, Dam Ho intuited that he had obtained what he desired.

"It is done. At last, Heuk-gwi has mated with the mare…"

He did not need to hear the rest.

Geum Jung-gwang announced with a beaming expression that Heuk-gwi had successfully mated. His face was a garden of smiles.

"This is all thanks to the Great Hero. I will repay you handsomely."

"That is unnecessary."

"A horse carrying the bloodline of the Heavenly Blood Demon—sects like the Mount Hua Sect or the Tongtong Sect would covet it greatly. They have been aggressively expanding their influence lately."

"Mount Hua Sect?"

"Every year, we travel to the Central Plains to sell horses. Since Gansu and Shaanxi provinces are the closest, we stop by each time."

"…"

"In recent years, the sect that has grown the most is none other than the Mount Hua Sect. Naturally, we pay close attention to them."

Geum Jung-gwang chattered on about the Mount Hua Sect without even being asked.

"Since Sage Hyeon-cheon became Grandmaster, this may well be the sect's greatest era. A remarkable young martial artist named Myeong-gyeong has emerged, ascending to the ranks of the Nine Martial Dragons. The sect's prestige has grown immeasurably compared to before."

Myeong-gyeong was the finest young martial artist the Mount Hua Sect had produced in recent times.

He was one of the Nine Martial Dragons—a distinction he held with pride.

"The Nine Martial Dragons?"

"It refers to the nine most outstanding young martial artists in the Murim."

The people of the Central Plains called this era a blessed age.

Nine heaven-sent prodigies had appeared in a single generation—an unprecedented phenomenon.

Each had already achieved a level placing them among the Murim's greatest masters. With nine such individuals, the Murim was experiencing its greatest golden age.

After the war with the Demonic Cult, the Murim had recovered from its devastation and was now developing with greater vitality than ever before.

Countless martial academies had opened, and self-proclaimed masters emerged in droves. The Nine Martial Dragons stood among them as the most dazzling new powers.

Wudang had poured everything into forging the unparalleled swordsman Jin Mu-yeong, while Shaolin's undefeated monk So Cheon—known as "One Fist Crumbles the Mountain"—represented the pinnacle of their tradition.

Myeong-gyeong was among their number.

Known as the "Lone Sword of Mount Hua," he had earned a formidable reputation throughout the Murim.

Geum Jung-gwang continued to speak of the Nine Martial Dragons, but his words no longer reached Dam Ho's ears.

"How are things within the Mount Hua Sect?"

"How do you mean?"

"The movements of the Grandmaster and the Elders."

"Well, unless one is a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, how would one know? But I hear they are getting along without any particular problems."

For the first time, Dam Ho's gaze wavered.

That was enough, he thought. Even if his Master was a figure of little presence, as an Elder of the Mount Hua Sect, he must be doing well.

Geum Jung-gwang's eyes lit up.

Having spent his entire life with horses, Geum Jung-gwang had met countless people and overcome tremendous adversity in his quest to sell them. Naturally, his ability to read people had developed to an exceptional degree.

*He definitely has some connection to the Mount Hua Sect.*

Though he had said many things, the only word that had elicited a reaction from Dam Ho was "Mount Hua Sect." But Geum Jung-gwang did not dwell on it.

The Mount Hua Sect was a colossal sect belonging to the Nine Great Sects. As one of the nine great sects that dominated the Central Plains, the Mount Hua Sect had established connections everywhere. Even if one of those countless ties extended to Dam Ho, it would be perfectly natural.

Dam Ho rose from the boulder.

He left Geum Jung-gwang behind and walked away.

Geum Jung-gwang watched Dam Ho's retreating figure. His back, solid as an ancient cliff, seemed somehow lonely. Perhaps the slight limp made it appear even more so.

"Ho! To think that such a rugged man could have that look about him…"

***

"Pant… pant!"

Ragged breaths and the scent of blood escaped Shim Ok's lips. Her face was flushed crimson, and her chest heaved dramatically.

Shim Ok steadied her breathing and looked back.

In the pitch-black distance, several lights flickered. They were closing in on her at alarming speed.

The sound of barking dogs and human shouts mingled in the air.

"This way."

"Release the dogs."

*Bark! Bark!*

Shim Ok's face turned pale.

She was already suffering from severe internal injuries and significant external wounds. She had somehow managed to flee this far, but Heuk-no had not been granted such fortune.

If Heuk-no had not used every ounce of his strength to hold back Eun Ha-seong, she could never have escaped the Blood Demon's Tomb.

*Young Miss, flee!*

Heuk-no's desperate cry still echoed vividly in her ears.

Though Shim Ok was confident in her martial arts, Eun Ha-seong was not an opponent she could hope to match. If Heuk-no had not given his all to restrain Eun Ha-seong, escaping the Blood Demon's Tomb would have been impossible.

What had become of Heuk-no, Shim Ok did not know.

"I am sorry, Heuk-no!"

Shim Ok wiped her eyes.

Though normally fearless, now that she was suddenly alone, she could not even grasp what she needed to do.

Only now did Shim Ok realize how much she had relied on Heuk-no.

First, she had to throw off her pursuers and return to the Blood Forest Assassination Bureau. But they had cunningly cut off her escape route.

Realistically, breaking through their cordon and reaching the Blood Forest Assassination Bureau was impossible.

Shim Ok steeled herself.

"First, I must shake off their pursuit."

With the western route completely blocked, her only option was to move east.

"Heuk-no, wait just a little longer. I will return soon."

Shim Ok resumed her flight.

She employed her movement arts and dashed eastward. Her figure vanished into the darkness in an instant.

Long after Shim Ok had disappeared, a group arrived at the spot where she had been.

"This is the place."

They were the warriors of Seocheon Mountain Villa, hot on Shim Ok's trail.

At their head stood Jo Hyeol-san, Eun Ha-seong's trusted confidant.

"Vicious woman. To flee this far with those injuries…"

Jo Hyeol-san clicked his tongue.

Even accounting for her status as the young mistress of the Blood Forest Assassination Bureau, her abilities exceeded his expectations.

"If that woman reaches the Blood Forest Assassination Bureau, matters will become complicated. We must eliminate her before that happens."

What Eun Ha-seong had obtained thus far was only the Blood Demon's saber. The true legacy remained unclaimed. If Eun Ha-seong acquired the saber technique as well, completing his martial arts, he would have no need to fear the Blood Forest Assassination Bureau.

Eun Ha-seong's ambition extended far beyond merely becoming the overlord of the barren Xinjiang. He intended to enter the Central Plains and establish his own sect. If he mastered the Blood Demon's ultimate technique, even the Nine Great Sects would not frighten him.

He needed to buy time until then.

Jo Hyeol-san asked his subordinate.

"What lies in that direction?"

"Nothing until Jiayu Pass. Ah, there is a horse ranch in between."

"A horse ranch?"

A look of urgency crossed Jo Hyeol-san's face.

If Shim Ok obtained a horse at the ranch, it would be disastrous. If she somehow crossed Jiayu Pass and entered the Central Plains, there would be no way to pursue her.

"If we are not careful, that woman could turn the entire board upside down."

They had already fallen considerably behind. At this rate, he could not guarantee they would catch her before she reached the ranch.

Even in this urgent situation, Jo Hyeol-san's mind was functioning with sharper clarity than ever before.

He recalled that there were useful reinforcements nearby.

"Send a message hawk. Tell everyone to converge on the horse ranch. If that woman crosses Jiayu Pass, the entire game is over."

"Yes, sir. I will send the message hawk immediately."

The subordinate answered in a fluster.

Whoosh!

Mang-ryo flew right up to the front of the mansion and stopped.

His crutches sank deep into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

Gulp.

The household members swallowed nervously as they stared at Mang-ryo. He quickly surveyed them and frowned.

“Aish, I’m too late.”

Mang-ryo’s voice was so hoarse it was unpleasant to hear, similar to the sound of a rake scraping an old tree.

Soon Mang-ryo sniffed the air.

“What’s this manure smell?”

Mang-ryo raised his crutch and pointed at one of the servants. The servant, intimidated by Mang-ryo’s frightening appearance, answered:

“Earlier, some madman carrying manure passed by and spilled it in front of the gate.”

“Spilled manure?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“Then you closed the gate?”

“We cleaned it up, but the s-smell remained… so naturally we closed it.”

Thud, thud.

Mang-ryo hobbled on his crutches to the gate. Indeed, there were patches of manure still visible in front of the gate.

“Since the gate was closed, Seo Gil-pung must have knocked when he returned from work?”

A strong young man among the household members grew angry.

“Don’t speak so casually about my father!”

“Just answer me. Unless you want to find the murderer.”

“Eek!”

As another household member restrained the young man, the servant who had first seen Seo Gil-pung answered:

“That’s right. He knocked using the door knocker.”

Mang-ryo, still holding his crutches, took a small vial from his sleeve. He opened the lid and sprinkled the liquid inside onto the bronze door knocker.

Hiss.

Though faint, something reacted and bubbled, creating a transparent vapor.

“Hehehe. Just as I expected.”

The household members’ eyes widened. Even without understanding what it was, they could tell something was wrong.

Mang-ryo showed the vial to the household members.

“This is lye. When you apply it to the poison he uses, it produces gas.”

Mang-ryo summarized the situation again.

“He spread manure in front of the gate to coincide with Seo Gil-pung’s return time. When the gate was closed due to the smell, he set up poison on the door knocker. And when Seo Gil-pung touched it, he was poisoned and died.”

Mang-ryo gestured to the doctor and said:

“Without even checking, I’m sure it’s arsenic poisoning.”

The doctor was surprised and opened his eyes wide.

“Y-you’re right.”

The young man, Seo Gil-pung’s son, shouted at Mang-ryo:

“Who exactly is this person!”

Mang-ryo answered with a satisfied smile:

“Jin Ja-gang.”

“Jin… Ja-gang?”

“A demon-like being who can kill hundreds of people without batting an eye.”

“W-why would such a person target my father!”

Mang-ryo was no longer listening to the young man.

“His methods are becoming more and more meticulous. He’s becoming accustomed to killing people with poison! Kuhehe.”

“Excuse me!”

Mang-ryo turned to the young man with an annoyed expression.

“My father has just passed away! The murderer might still be nearby.”

“So?”

Mang-ryo was indifferent.

“Please go after him and catch him!”

Despite the young man’s desperate cry, Mang-ryo just snorted.

“Once, you know. Several masters led twenty subordinates in pursuit of him. Do you know what happened to them?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“They vanished. In just one day. They probably ended up like this.”

Mang-ryo gestured with his chin toward the dead Seo Gil-pung, leaving the young man filled with indignation but unable to respond.

“To catch him, you shouldn’t chase after him. You need to anticipate where he’ll be and wait for him.”

“Ah…”

“If you’re really determined to catch him, you should petition the Martial Arts Alliance. Though those fellows probably won’t believe you anyway, hehehe.”

Mang-ryo had claimed several times to the Yunnan Branch that Jin Ja-gang was the culprit who had annihilated the Extreme Poison Sect. However, the Yunnan Branch had dismissed his words.

From the beginning, the idea that a ten-year-old boy could annihilate an entire sect was incomprehensible.

Even the Extreme Poison Sect hadn’t believed Mang-ryo’s words until they experienced it themselves. Instead, they had pointed fingers at him, calling him insane.

In any case, since the Petition Supervisor was dead, the Martial Arts Alliance would certainly investigate. But they would waste time searching for non-existent hidden forces or conspiracies.

Mang-ryo couldn’t afford to get involved and waste time with them.

‘He came looking for Seo Gil-pung, who knew the location of the mine, so his next destination will likely be the mine where the prisoners from Hundred Flower Valley are being held.’

Mang-ryo could easily predict Jin Ja-gang’s target.

‘The Martial Arts Alliance is out of the question, but I do need some pawns… I guess I have no choice but to rely on the power of a poison sect.’

Mang-ryo looked around. There was nothing more for him to do here.

“My business here is done.”

As Mang-ryo turned to leave, the young man desperately called after him.

“W-wait!”

But Mang-ryo paid no attention and departed.

Thud—thud!

With each thrust of his crutches, his body advanced swiftly.

Mang-ryo’s internal energy had nearly doubled compared to six months ago.

This was thanks to having sole access to the remaining elixirs after the Extreme Poison Sect’s downfall.

He had searched through Miao Ligoujao’s hidden vault and the elders’ rooms to find elixirs, killing anyone who got in his way by any means necessary.

As a result of consuming all those elixirs, Mang-ryo had survived like this. Though he had lost the use of both legs due to the aftereffects of poison, he had gained an enormous internal energy reaching nearly two gapja.

Of course, due to the mixture of various elixirs, his body’s balance was poor. Occasionally, when seizures occurred, he would writhe in pain for days.

But this was rather like lying on firewood and tasting gall—the ancient Chinese idiom about enduring hardship to achieve revenge.

The deeper and more intense his pain became, the deeper his anger and desire for revenge against Jin Ja-gang grew.

‘Just wait, you b*st*rd!’

Mang-ryo smiled with a face full of murderous intent, thinking of the joy of the day when he would tear Jin Ja-gang to pieces…

* * *

Jin Ja-gang fled as far as possible from the mansion and crawled into a dilapidated temple.

“Whew.”

He felt somewhat better after escaping the cold wind. He finally managed to stretch out his legs and sit down.

Winter had come soon after he had left the Extreme Poison Sect.

Faced with the arrival of winter while his body was in such a terrible state, Jin Ja-gang felt helpless. Revenge or not, he was on the verge of freezing to death on his way to the Yunnan Branch.

Therefore, Jin Ja-gang had no choice but to stop his journey to the Yunnan Branch and spend the winter along the way.

Living near a village, he begged for food or used poison to hunt animals for meat.

Focusing primarily on surviving the winter, he finally reached the Yunnan Branch only about half a month ago when the weather improved.

Since then, he had spent all his time gathering information about Seo Gil-pung.

He learned everything from Seo Gil-pung’s commuting schedule and the location of his home, to the route he took and the number of escorts. He also discovered that no matter how busy he was, Seo Gil-pung always returned home.

After learning that he had a strong attachment to his family, Jin Ja-gang immediately formulated a plan.

That’s why he carried out his scheme near Seo Gil-pung’s home.

Because of this, even though his plan had succeeded, he didn’t feel particularly satisfied. Rather, he felt somewhat conflicted.

‘No. I can’t let my heart weaken. They are the enemies of our Hundred Flower Valley.’

Jin Ja-gang recited mantras to calm his mind.

‘Externally, train the muscles, bones, and skin; internally, train the breath of qi…’

This was from the internal energy cultivation method in the Hundred Flower Secret Scripture.

The Hundred Flower Secret Scripture, the secret manual of Hundred Flower Valley, wasn’t particularly valuable as a martial arts manual. It contained just one internal energy cultivation method, instructions on how to use internal energy, and a few hand techniques and methods.

Meanwhile, the Medicine King Sect’s secret manual, Herbal Cultivation Method, contained internal energy cultivation methods, acupuncture techniques, herb combination methods, and elixir production techniques. Excluding martial arts, the Herbal Cultivation Method was actually much more useful for everyday life.

Since the content was too difficult to fully understand, Jin Ja-gang diligently memorized the mantras and burned the books. They could be stolen by others, and it wasn’t easy to carry two books with his disabled body.

Jin Ja-gang recited the mantras every day to ensure he wouldn’t forget them.

‘When one thing moves, nothing remains unmoved; when one thing stops, nothing remains unstopped.’

Though he didn’t understand the meaning, reciting them somehow made him feel more at ease.

Jin Ja-gang fell asleep after reciting the mantras for a long time.

When dawn broke, he would have to embark on the long journey to Tuanshan Village.

Eventually, he would need to punish Baek Li-jung as well, but that would come after rescuing the survivors of Hundred Flower Valley.

For now, he could only hope that the survivors of Hundred Flower Valley were still alive…

**”

Two warriors and the Petition Supervisor had been poisoned to death.

Naturally, the Yunnan Branch of the Martial Arts Alliance was in an uproar.

The attack on members of the Martial Arts Alliance was an even bigger incident than the annihilation of the Extreme Poison Sect.

Due to being far from the Central Plains, the Yunnan Branch was merely a nominal outpost. However, this was still a matter of honor and pride for the Martial Arts Alliance.

Especially since they had recently been struggling with the issue of admitting poison sects, this had the potential to develop into a more complex problem.

Opinions were divided on whether it was the work of evil sects, poison sects, or an insider.

There was no disagreement that it was the work of a significant force, particularly when considered alongside the annihilation of the Extreme Poison Sect. However, the testimony that Mang-ryo had previously given to the Yunnan Branch was deemed worthless and completely ignored.

It took a full month for the Yunnan Branch to inform the Martial Arts Alliance Central Headquarters in Jiangxi Province about the incident and request the dispatch of masters, for the Central Headquarters to form an investigation team and send them out.

Just as Mang-ryo had predicted.

Naturally, Mang-ryo was no longer at the Yunnan Branch by then.

By the time the Martial Arts Alliance was organizing its investigation team, he had already arrived at Jianshui County in Nanhua.

Mang-ryo went straight to the Stone Forest Gang, which managed the mines in Jianshui County. The Stone Forest Gang was one of the Five Great Poison Sects of Yunnan and was in charge of managing the prisoners from the medicinal sects.

The leader of the Stone Forest Gang, Jia Hei, welcomed Mang-ryo. Jia Hei was surprisingly ordinary-looking middle-aged man.

“I’ve heard about the Extreme Poison Sect. It’s truly unfortunate. Tsk, tsk, who would have thought that Brother Miao would depart like that.”

Mang-ryo gruffly accepted Jia Hei’s greeting and then spoke:

“I want you to entrust me with managing the mine at Tuanshan Village.”

Jia Hei looked Mang-ryo up and down and then chuckled.

“I can’t just agree to such a request out of the blue. It would put me in a difficult position. There are people already in charge there.”

Mang-ryo took out a book from his bosom and handed it over. It was the secret martial arts manual of Miao Ligoujao.

“I have nowhere to go and want to find temporary lodging. A person needs to work to live, doesn’t he?”

“Well, even so…”

Mang-ryo added a few gold nuggets to the offer.

Jia Hei’s eyes gleamed with greed.

* * *

Mang-ryo was assigned to manage one of the many mines in Tuanshan Village.

The pretext was that, as a former Grand Elder of the Extreme Poison Sect, he deserved proper treatment. However, he wasn’t given command of the Stone Forest Gang’s masters; instead, he was given moderate treatment with around a dozen guards and warriors under him.

But for Mang-ryo, that was enough.

His goal wasn’t to run the mine but to set a trap for Jin Ja-gang.

Mang-ryo entered the mine to inspect the prisoners.

He noticed the survivors of Hundred Flower Valley and a few other minor medicinal sects.

This was because the attack on the medicinal sect faction wasn’t carried out by the Extreme Poison Sect alone but by all poison sects in a coordinated effort.

‘Five survivors from Hundred Flower Valley, sixteen prisoners from other medicinal sects.’

There were fewer survivors from Hundred Flower Valley than expected.

But Jin Ja-gang would still come.

Mang-ryo smiled with satisfaction.