Chapter 119: The Threads of Fate Are Tangled in Ways No One Can Predict (1)

"Cough!"

Myeong-gyeong coughed up blood.

Fresh blood dyed his chest red.

Myeong-gyeong tried to smile. But he could not. Like a crumpled doll, he lay embedded in the remains of a boulder.

His limbs were twisted grotesquely. The sword that had once gleamed with cold light was shattered, leaving only the hilt.

It was only because Dam Ho had held back that he was still alive. Otherwise, he would have perished already.

Dam Ho was terrifying.

Watching from the side, one could not grasp his true terror. Only those who had fought him could truly understand his fear.

It was like a five- or six-year-old child standing naked before a tiger.

Myeong-gyeong was the child, and Dam Ho was the tiger. A massive tiger with enormous fangs.

Dam Ho's fifth punch had shattered the beloved sword his Master had bestowed upon him. His sixth punch had obliterated his left shoulder. And at the tenth attack, he had been seized by the collar and slammed into a boulder. Then consciousness had fled.

When he next came to his senses, Dam Ho was gone.

Only then did he realize that Dam Ho had shown him mercy.

"Heh heh! Look at you now, Myeong-gyeong. All that bravado, and this is all you amount to."

Even after deploying the Blood Plum Blossom Sword—his Master's ultimate technique—at full power, he had not managed to cut a single thread of Dam Ho's robe. The thought of his own boasts about subduing the Nine Dragons and proclaiming his Master's martial arts to the world now seemed laughable.

"He truly is strong. Terrifyingly strong."

Myeong-gyeong bit his lip hard.

Total defeat.

There was not even room for excuse.

Though he had deployed the Blood Plum Blossom Sword in its entirety, he had not even been able to gauge the extent of Dam Ho's true power.

Dam Ho was simply not someone he could deal with.

He was at least on the same level as his own Master.

The Master he respected above all.

Though he did not know how Dam Ho had obtained such power.

Myeong-gyeong struggled to his feet.

"Gah!"

A pain like his entire body was being disassembled washed over him. Fortunately, aside from his left shoulder, nothing else was broken.

"So there was still some affection between fellow disciples, after all? You didn't kill me."

Myeong-gyeong limped forward.

"I'll have to start over from the beginning. I'm going back. Back to Mount Hua."

Bang Jin-bo looked at Dam Ho with a puzzled expression.

"Hyung, where did you go last night?"

"Why?"

"I woke up because I was thirsty, but you weren't there."

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk."

"At that hour?"

"That's right."

Dam Ho's answer left Bang Jin-bo with a suspicious look, but he did not press further.

Dam Ho gazed out the window.

In the distance, he could see the hill they had crossed. By now, Myeong-gyeong should be climbing over it.

Myeong-gyeong was certainly strong. But he was raw.

His strength was not something he had claimed for himself—it had been crafted by Sage Hyeon-geom. Dam Ho, on the other hand, had become strong through his own power.

He had clawed his way out of the bottom of hell, surviving through sheer tenacity to attain his current strength. The density of power and the magnitude of resolve were different.

'He'll return to Mount Hua.'

At Mount Hua, there was a certain person. Sage Hyeon-geom, called the Number One Sword of Mount Hua.

No one could predict how Sage Hyeon-geom would react. But through Myeong-gyeong, he would learn of Dam Ho's intent.

Myeong-gyeong was, in effect, a message from Dam Ho.

Dam Ho rose to his feet.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

Bang Jin-bo nodded and stood.

They bid farewell to the farmer couple and left the farmhouse.

They rode hard for half a day, yet no villages were in sight. But neither of them felt impatient.

They were people well accustomed to sleeping outdoors. If there were no villages, they would simply camp out.

There was no need to rush, no reason to be hasty.

"Ah! This is nice."

Bang Jin-bo smiled as he took in the surrounding scenery. But his smile vanished in an instant.

The wind carried a heavy scent of blood.

Having followed Dam Ho for so long, Bang Jin-bo could now distinguish the smell of blood.

"What is it?"

Bang Jin-bo looked at Dam Ho in alarm. But Dam Ho was not looking at him. His gaze was fixed ahead.

"Hyung!"

Bang Jin-bo shifted his gaze to where Dam Ho was looking. In the distance, a flock of crows was circling.

Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo rode the Black Viper toward the scene.

"Ah!"

When they arrived, Bang Jin-bo's eyes widened.

Where the crows circled, countless corpses lay strewn about. Wolves, drawn by the scent of blood, were tearing at the flesh.

"What on earth—"

Grrr!

The wolves snarled at Bang Jin-bo. But the moment they saw Dam Ho, they tucked their tails and fled. They instinctively recognized Dam Ho's terror.

Dam Ho dismounted from the Black Viper and walked toward the corpses.

The state of the bodies, ravaged by wolves, was truly grotesque. Flesh had been torn away in places, exposing bone. One body had its organs entirely spilled onto the ground.

A triangular flag lay torn on the ground. Though stained with blood and flesh, Bang Jin-bo could make out the characters written on it without difficulty.

"The Daewun Escort Agency? They must be escorts."

Dam Ho nodded.

It was an escort agency he had never heard of. But that was not surprising. The Central Plains were vast, and there were countless escort agencies.

"Were they killed by wolves?"

"No. They were killed by a human."

The wounds from the wolves were merely surface abrasions. The true fatal wounds were hidden within.

'A sharp energy severed all the meridians.'

No blade could have cut meridians so precisely.

It was the work of a master. One who could wield their energy with absolute control.

A martial artist of such caliber was not common.

Dam Ho stood and surveyed the surroundings.

Nearly twenty escorts lay dead. Dam Ho examined their positions, the way they lay, and their wounds in turn.

And he reached a conclusion.

'All killed… by a single sword stroke?'

It was a difficult thing to believe, but there was no other explanation.

Killing twenty people was not especially difficult. Dam Ho himself could do it in a heartbeat if he wished.

But to kill them all with a single sword stroke—to sever only their meridians—that was another matter entirely.

The internal energy manipulation of whoever had killed them was exquisitely refined beyond imagination. Dam Ho had never seen anyone who could control sword energy and internal energy with such precision.

"What on earth happened here?"

Bang Jin-bo shook his head slowly.

Dam Ho mounted the Black Viper.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

Whatever had happened here, it was not their concern. There was no reason to investigate.

The two left the scene of the corpses and rode on. After some time, Gugu Mountain came into view in the distance.

Gugu Mountain was located within the Tongshan County border, rising over five hundred zhang, with picturesque scenery that attracted visitors throughout the year.

A legend held that the famous Southern Song Taoist Zhang Daoqing had established nine palaces on this mountain, which was how it came to be called Gugu Mountain. The mountain was thus revered as a sacred site of Taoism.

Upon Gugu Mountain stood a sect called the Nine Palace Gate.

The Nine Palace Gate was also a branch of Taoism. Though not as well known as the Mount Hua or Wudang Sects, their influence in the region was considerable.

Perhaps influenced by the Nine Palace Gate, the atmosphere of Tongshan was remarkably calm. This contrasted sharply with the rest of the realm, which was abuzz with the Demonic Cult's reappearance and the Martial Alliance's founding.

Upon entering Tongshan County, the two first sought out an inn.

They asked passersby and were directed to the Fengqian Inn on the main road. Though small and shabby, it was said to have excellent cooking.

As the person had described, the Fengqian Inn's exterior was unremarkable. But the moment they stepped inside, a delicious aroma stimulated their senses.

"Wow!"

Bang Jin-bo's mouth fell open.

From the smell alone, he could tell that the inn's cook was truly skilled.

"Welcome!"

The moment they entered, a woman in her early forties greeted them. With a warm countenance and a slightly plump figure, her smile put visitors at ease.

Bang Jin-bo asked, "Do you have a room?"

"Of course. How many days will you be staying?"

"Just one day for now."

"Go to the end of the hall on the second floor, right side. You'll be eating as well?"

"Yes! What's the best dish here?"

"My husband is from Sichuan, so he's good at spicy dishes like Dry-Fried Pork with Chili."

"Really? Then we'll have the Dry-Fried Pork with Chili and the Spicy Beef Cubes with Chili Oil."

"My! You know your Sichuan cuisine."

"Heh heh! I'm very interested in cooking."

The two chatted as though they had known each other for years. Their conversation showed no signs of ending, so Dam Ho left them and went up to his room on the second floor.

As if to prove the landlady's character, the room was impeccably clean.

When he threw open the window, the main street came into full view.

He could see many people passing by—a mix of commoners, merchants, and martial artists.

Among the martial artists, Taoists were by far the most numerous. Some were members of the Nine Palace Gate, while others had come from across the realm to feel Gugu Mountain's spiritual energy.

It was a scene that made the mountain's status as a Taoist holy land feel real.

Dam Ho stood with arms folded, watching the people on the street for a time.

"Hyung!"

Some time passed before Bang Jin-bo finally came up to the room. His face was beaming.

"Turns out the owner here is an incredible cook! She said if it's quiet at night, she'll even show me the kitchen."

"Is it that exciting?"

"Yes!"

Bang Jin-bo was grinning from ear to ear.

Anything related to cooking made him lose all composure. He set down the bundle containing his cooking utensils that he carried on his back.

"Let's go down. The food should be ready by now."

"Mm!"

Dam Ho descended with Bang Jin-bo to the dining hall on the first floor.

Only a short time had passed, but the hall was already quite full. The most eye-catching group was a gathering of Taoists.

Around a Taoist in his early fifties sat seven young Taoists, occupying a table.

The elder Taoist's eyes were sharp. The occasional glint of divine light suggested that the spiritual power he possessed was no ordinary thing.

But Dam Ho quickly lost interest.

If there were Taoists, he had encountered enough of them at the Mount Hua Sect to last a lifetime. He knew best what kind of people they were.

Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo sat in an empty seat.

After a brief wait, the landlady emerged carrying a tray of food.

"Here are the Dry-Fried Pork with Chili and the Spicy Beef Cubes with Chili Oil. And to quench your thirst, I brought a jar of my own homemade red liquor."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Enjoy your meal."

The landlady set the dishes and liquor bottle on the table.

Dam Ho gazed at the liquor bottle for a moment.

He did not particularly enjoy liquor, but he did not wish to refuse a kindness.

'He would have liked this.'

Dam Ho thought of his friend, who was especially fond of liquor, and poured a cup.

"Wow!"

The fragrant aroma of the liquor drew an immediate reaction from Bang Jin-bo.

Even having never tasted liquor before, he could tell that its bouquet was extraordinary.

Dam Ho brought the cup to his lips. The moment the liquor touched his tongue, he was genuinely surprised. It was more delicious than any liquor he had ever tasted.

The way the liquor seemed to cling to his tongue was fascinating.

'So this is why Master drinks liquor.'

As Dam Ho was discovering the pleasures of liquor—

The inn's door opened, and someone stepped lightly inside. In an instant, every person in the inn turned their gaze that way.

"Ah!"

A gasp escaped from more than one mouth.

The beautiful woman continued her story.

“There was a man in the martial world called a chivalrous hero. He was both a gallant hero and a righteous man, so many women admired him. The young maiden I want to tell you about was also one of those many women. But surprisingly, the man rejected all the other women and approached the young maiden.”

The beautiful woman’s story continued.

“However, the man’s purpose was the secret manual that the maiden’s family possessed. After obtaining the secret manual, the man not only coldly cast aside the maiden, but also completely massacred her family.”

The beautiful woman continued while drinking tea.

“And during that calamity, the maiden’s family was branded as a group of demonic heretics and drew the public anger of the martial world, and the few remaining descendants are living in hiding from people’s eyes, unable to find an opportunity to restore their honor.”

The beautiful woman’s expression was extremely cold.

“What do you think? Your impression?”

Jin Ja-gang answered matter-of-factly.

“That man should be killed.”

At Jin Ja-gang’s overly simple words, the beautiful woman suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha—!”

Strangely, the sound didn’t spread outward but only echoed around the rock area.

Jin Ja-gang tried not to be tense, but dry saliva went down his throat.

An unimaginably skilled master.

He had only heard in words since childhood about masters who could block sound with qi barriers, but this was the first time he had actually seen it.

“Ah! It’s been a long time since I felt truly delighted. Yes. But that’s not an easy task, is it?”

The beautiful woman’s expression became much softer. When she smiled, she was definitely a beauty.

“No, such words would be rude to you, young hero. To you who, as a descendant of the Medicine Sect, annihilated Yunnan’s Five Great Poison Sects without any special assistance.”

Just how much did this beautiful woman know from where to where? Did she know and want confirmation?

Jin Ja-gang thought there was no need to hide anymore and answered honestly.

“That’s correct. I am a member of the Medicine Sect and the successor of Hundred Flower Valley. This is my personal revenge, my sect’s revenge, and revenge for Yunnan’s Medicine Sects who died unjustly and tragically.”

“Then, was your revenge finished when you annihilated the poison sects?”

“No. It’s not finished yet.”

The beautiful woman put down her teacup and said.

“Isn’t this enough? Stop now. This is purely advice for your sake.”

Of course, Jin Ja-gang didn’t accept those words.

“If I was going to stop, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”

Even though her goodwill was rejected, the beautiful woman didn’t get angry.

Rather, she smiled again.

The beautiful woman asked.

“Have you never had doubts about the fact that you’re still alive?”

Jin Ja-gang frowned.

Because of the words “You worked hard…” that still remained in his ears.

“I know someone is using me. But if they get in the way of my path, I’ll kill them all.”

“I acknowledge your will. Erasing the Five Great Poison Sects is also a great achievement. But if you don’t end it with Yunnan’s poison sects, difficulties that you can hardly dare to handle await you from here on. If revenge is your purpose, lowering yourself for the sake of revenge is also the way of a gentleman.”

“I’ve never challenged anything because I could handle it so far.”

Jin Ja-gang had to fight risking his life every time because he lacked ability. He had always fought against those stronger than himself on the blade’s edge, killed them, and survived.

“You’re going to continue to the end?”

“Yes.”

The beautiful woman smiled, raising the corners of her mouth.

“Then I’ll have to use you a bit from now on. Because as you said, there are things that need to be killed.”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t back down at all.

“You may use me, but you’ll have to pay a price.”

“I’ll pay the price now.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I’ll give you the power to take revenge.”

Suddenly the air changed. The surrounding scenery distorted and everything that surrounded Jin Ja-gang began whispering toward him.

Jin Ja-gang had the strange illusion that he was in a marketplace with hundreds of people chattering around him. The grass, trees, and even the air itself seemed to be under someone’s control, beginning to regard Jin Ja-gang, who was a separate existence, with suspicion.

All the scenery surrounding Jin Ja-gang was under someone else’s control except for Jin Ja-gang himself. It was blatantly revealing that if Jin Ja-gang said one wrong word, everything would instantly turn hostile.

Depending on what Jin Ja-gang did, he would have to fight against nature itself, or the being that controlled that nature.

The woman right in front of him.

The beautiful woman spoke to Jin Ja-gang.

“My name is Dan Ryeong-gyeong. In the martial world, they call me Wishful Fairy Maiden!”

Hot heat blazed from the beautiful woman’s entire body and the air heated up.

Jin Ja-gang’s breath was cut off.

He never expected to hear that name here.

It was a name he had heard even when he was young living at Hundred Flower Valley.

Xilin Sword Sect’s Wudang Sect Leader.

Shandong Yaohua’s Wishful Command Lord…

They said that if there was Wudang Sect as the best among the sword sects of the hundred paths west of Taihang Mountain, then on the eastern Shandong evil faction side there was a lord with omnipotent power.

The former referred to Taoist Haewol of Wudang Sect, who was the current Martial Arts Alliance leader, and the latter referred to Wishful Fairy Maiden, the absolute matriarch and heroine of the evil faction based in Shandong.

Although eight more years had passed since then, where would the prestige of a figure who made a name in an era go?

Jin Ja-gang got chills.

‘This is more dangerous than I thought.’

He had simply thought she was a high-ranking official of the evil faction, but she was a bigger figure than expected. To the extent that it wouldn’t be strange for her to know about him.

Such a big shot had come looking for him.

“My name, the organization I possess, and also my martial arts will be on your side. You take the revenge you want, and I take my revenge. How about it?”

Joining hands.

Receiving help.

From such a master?

How could this be refused!

However, Jin Ja-gang didn’t answer.

Since she was no longer using respectful terms like “young hero,” Dan Ryeong-gyeong seemed to have completely revealed her true nature.

While doing so, the aura she emitted grew stronger and stronger, making Jin Ja-gang’s skin begin to heat up.

Inside the qi barrier that circularly surrounded Jin Ja-gang and Dan Ryeong-gyeong, heat rose to the extent that breathing became difficult. The heat was rising only inside the qi barrier without being discharged outside.

Huff… huff…

Jin Ja-gang’s breathing became rough.

Sweat flowed from his forehead and his back became damp. Sweat flowed and dripped from his nose and chin.

Was she planning to suffocate Jin Ja-gang like this?

The beautiful woman herself, though her hair was fluttering and her collar was rising, was fine without a single drop of sweat.

Jin Ja-gang knew.

It wasn’t because Jin Ja-gang was important. What would such a master lack that she would bother to recruit Jin Ja-gang?

‘Bait…!’

It was bait.

She was trying to use Jin Ja-gang as bait to set a trap and draw out the real mastermind behind this incident.

It seemed to refer to those who had already succeeded in using Jin Ja-gang to make Yunnan’s poison sects masterless territory. Those people were likely the ones Wishful Fairy Maiden was targeting.

However, Dan Ryeong-gyeong had said she would pay a price in exchange for using Jin Ja-gang herself.

The tangled and complicated relationships of the martial world were drawing Jin Ja-gang into the center of a whirlpool.

Even though he was being threatened to the point of suffocating from hot heat, it was a sweet temptation.

‘If I receive Wishful Fairy Maiden’s help, I can take revenge much more easily!’

But it was fatal.

Jin Ja-gang realized the fatal danger hidden in Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s proposal.

‘The moment I receive Wishful Fairy Maiden’s help, I will no longer be able to deny my relationship with the evil faction.’

This was the devil’s temptation. To put a sharp dagger with poison in Jin Ja-gang’s hands and constantly reach out to put shackles on Jin Ja-gang’s ankles that would follow him forever.

Thud.

Jin Ja-gang’s body tilted forward as he found it hard to endure the severe pressure.

“Huff… huff…”

But even so, while sweating profusely, he looked up at Wishful Fairy Maiden.

And said.

“I refuse.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong asked as if it was hard to understand.

“Why? Do you dislike hearing that you’re associating with the dark path?”

Jin Ja-gang closed his eyes, opened them, and answered.

“I learned something just before being dragged to hell. That revenge shouldn’t be entrusted to others’ hands.”

“Do you think you’re in a position to choose?”

A bluish energy slowly formed at the corners of Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s eyes. Instantly, the heat inside the qi barrier reached its peak.

The view was shaking due to heat haze.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong said in a low voice.

“Being insolent should also be done in moderation.”

“I don’t think I’m being insolent. Ah? No. Perhaps that’s my… huff huff, delusion.”

“Hmm?”

Jin Ja-gang, while sweating profusely, contorted his face and smiled.

“Because everyone who tried to say such things to me is dead.”

Jin Ja-gang drew up one drop of pinellia poison he had accumulated. One skein of pinellia poison was enough to kill more than ten healthy adults.

Poison liquid flowed through the torn flesh of the Shaoze acupoint on his little finger that he had cut in the morning. The poison liquid instantly vaporized due to the heat inside the round qi barrier.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, poison spread inside the qi barrier. The inside of the qi barrier became hazy as if filled with steam. This was a situation that even Dan Ryeong-gyeong hadn’t anticipated.

Pinellia poison paralyzes breathing and causes limbs to convulse and become paralyzed. Because it was the essence of poison liquid refined and purely concentrated, its effect was very fast!

Jin Ja-gang also felt stinging in his eye membranes as the poison penetrated, causing tears. His throat swelled and the sensation in his nose disappeared.

Still, it was only temporary. If he endured the brief side effects, he could overcome the poison.

But Dan Ryeong-gyeong…!

“So this is what you were relying on to act so arrogantly, just believing in this one trick.”

At that moment, Jin Ja-gang witnessed an amazing sight.

“Sssssslurp!”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong was glaring at Jin Ja-gang with fierce eyes while sucking in air through her mouth.

She was sucking in the poison along with the air.

“Ssslurp—!”

The qi barrier rapidly shrank.

“Wh-what! …Gack!”

Jin Ja-gang’s breath was completely blocked. He couldn’t breathe!

This wasn’t because of the pinellia poison but because Dan Ryeong-gyeong was fiercely sucking in air.

“Gack, grack!”

He tried to hold his breath, but as if even the air inside his body was being taken away, he rapidly became short of breath.

Blood vessels bulged prominently in Jin Ja-gang’s neck and eyes, and his blood vessels became clearly visible.

Thinking he would die like this, Jin Ja-gang bit his lips hard. He wondered for a moment whether he should use internal energy.

The blood from biting hard floated in the air and even that was sucked into Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s mouth.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s eyes squinted.

Whoosh.

Instantly, the qi barrier covering Jin Ja-gang and Dan Ryeong-gyeong disappeared.

“Huff! Huff!”

Jin Ja-gang gasped for breath, then gritted his teeth. He grabbed the teapot in front of him with both hands and smashed it on the ground.

Crash!

The teapot broke and tea water splashed. Jin Ja-gang gripped pieces of the broken teapot in both hands and quickly breathed to generate internal energy. His right side hurt as if it would break… Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth and divided one breath of internal energy in two, sending it to his right foot and right hand. When he kicked off with his right foot infused with internal energy, explosive speed was attached. It was an intense speed that Jin Ja-gang had never produced before.

He planned to collide with his body to make her lose balance, stab Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s neck with his left hand, and cut her waist from below where it couldn’t be seen with his right hand.

Jin Ja-gang’s surprise attack was almost perfect. It was much faster than before, and it completely caught Dan Ryeong-gyeong off guard, who had thought he wouldn’t dare attack after she revealed her name.

But Dan Ryeong-gyeong, who had been puffing up both cheeks, this time blew out wind instead.

Phooooooo—!