Chapter 127: Disaster Arrives Without Warning (2)

Bang!

Namgung Chang slammed his fist upon the table. Objects on the table flew off from the impact and clattered to the floor.

"What did you say? They clashed? Did I not tell you to only locate her?"

"Well… Young Master Namgung Su insisted on capturing her directly…"

"Su…"

A tremor ran through Namgung Chang's shoulders. Though the vast majority of the Green Forest's bandits were nothing more than a rabble, their numbers exceeded tens of thousands. The one who held the life-and-death authority over all those tens of thousands was none other than the Overlord, Hwang Gyeong-mun. Hwang Hye-ryeong was his only daughter. If a direct confrontation with the Green Forest occurred, the Murim Alliance could be shaken before it even found its footing.

"Where is Su now?"

"He is in pursuit of Hwang Hye-ryeong."

"Grr!"

Namgung Chang gritted his teeth. This made a clash with the Green Forest inevitable.

'I made a mistake. I should not have sent Su.'

After Dam Ho had broken his right arm, Namgung Su had been dispirited. Namgung Chang had given him this mission to restore his confidence. He had never dreamed that Su would cause such a disaster.

"Send someone to order Su to withdraw immediately."

"Well…"

"What is it?"

A sense of foreboding made Namgung Chang's eyes waver.

"Young Master Namgung Su has requested assistance from warriors of the other families as well."

"He dragged warriors from the other families into this?"

"It seems the enemy's martial power exceeded his expectations…"

Muk Il-gwang, who was protecting Hwang Hye-ryeong, had displayed martial might far beyond what Namgung Su had anticipated. He had single-handedly broken through the Namgung Family's encirclement and escaped. Had Namgung Su's right arm been intact, or had this been before his fight with Dam Ho, he would have tried to handle the matter with the Namgung Family's strength alone. But after suffering a humiliating defeat and injury at Dam Ho's hands, his once-iron resolve had cracked. Terrified by Muk Il-gwang's overwhelming power, Namgung Su had called upon warriors from the Five Great Families with whom he had pre-existing ties. Those warriors, already fired up by the Alliance's founding, had rallied to his cause, and the situation was spiraling out of control.

"I was too complacent."

Namgung Chang rose abruptly. He had to contain the situation before it escalated further. A look of urgency crested on his face.

"Haaah!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong gasped for breath. She wore a look of deep distress as she gazed at Muk Il-gwang, who stood guard beside her. His entire body was covered in minor wounds. Though none were fatal, they must have been quite painful—yet his expression had not changed in the slightest.

"Are you all right, my lady?"

He was more worried about her than himself.

"I'm fine."

"That is good."

"But can we really escape 岳yang? Their forces are already spread across the entire city."

"I will do my best. One thing I can promise is that you will not be hurt or killed before I am."

"Il-gwang!"

"To escape 岳yang, we need the help of an ally."

"An ally?"

"Currently, 岳yang is filled with warriors from countless sects. If they form a net of heaven and earth, we will never escape. We must find an ally and secure their help before that happens."

"Then let us go to So-cheong."

"Miss Eun So-cheong of the Silver Saber Pavilion?"

"Yes! So-cheong will help us."

"Understood."

Muk Il-gwang nodded. He knew better than anyone how close Hwang Hye-ryeong and Eun So-cheong were. At present, there seemed to be no other option.

At that moment, rough voices echoed from outside the alley.

"Block this side and set up a perimeter."

"That woman must not leave 岳yang."

The expressions of the two changed. As they had feared, a net of heaven and earth was already being cast over all of 岳yang.

"Let us go quickly."

"Yes."

Hwang Hye-ryeong followed Muk Il-gwang. Suddenly, she raised her head and looked up at the sky. At that moment, the person who came to mind was not her father, Hwang Gyeong-mun, nor her close friend Eun So-cheong. It was the face of a man she barely knew.

***

Dam Ho had ridden a horse over the mountains to come to Wuhan, but he returned to 岳yang by boat. Wuhan and 岳yang were connected by the Yangtze River. The boat he took was not an ordinary Cloud Horse Ferry—it was a small vessel arranged by the Haowu Gate. Though not as large as the ferry, it was faster. The captain was also a member of the Haowu Gate, a seasoned sailor who had navigated the Yangtze hundreds of times. His orders from Jang So-chul were simple: by any means necessary, get Dam Ho to 岳yang as quickly as possible.

The captain glanced at Dam Ho. 'Who on earth is that man?' The Jang So-chul he knew was a man of immense pride. He had never cowed before any martial artist—even when meeting the elders of the Nine Great Sects, he spoke his mind. Yet after meeting Dam Ho, Jang So-chul had appeared with a pale face, insisting in a voice that brooked no argument: ―Under no circumstances are you to anger him. Under no circumstances…

The captain could not fathom what aspect of Dam Ho had so frightened Jang So-chul. He shook his head slightly and focused on piloting the boat.

Dam Ho stood at the bow, gazing at the mighty currents of the Yangtze.

'Jo Yun-san.'

He had finally obtained the answer he sought. Yet he felt no excitement. On the contrary, his heart and mind were colder and calmer than ever.

'He was hiding in the Black Water Fortress.' The bandit had taken refuge with the Green Forest. In a way, it was the natural progression. Once one took the first step into that world, there was no returning to a normal life—just like Dam Ho himself.

"Hyung!"

Bang Jin-bo approached.

"The horses are safely secured in the hold. Don't worry."

"……"

"Hyung?"

"What is it?"

"It's nothing."

He could not bring himself to say that he was terrified. Dam Ho's face and demeanor appeared the same as always. But something was different. Bang Jin-bo, who had spent a long time with Dam Ho, could sense the subtle difference.

'So… scary!'

He had thought he had built up some tolerance to Dam Ho. But Dam Ho's current state shattered that tolerance entirely. Already, his breathing was constricted and every hair on his body stood on end. He could not bring himself to draw any closer.

"Whew!"

Bang Jin-bo let out a quiet sigh and retreated. Only when he was halfway back across the boat could he breathe properly. If Bang Jin-bo felt this way, the other crew members were in an even worse state. Though it was a small vessel, nearly a dozen crew were aboard. But none dared approach even the vicinity of Dam Ho.

The boat sped south at a pace several times faster than when they had left 岳yang. Yet even this was not fast enough for Dam Ho. He watched the sun rise and set from the deck, moving not a single step except when Bang Jin-bo brought him food. Three days passed in this manner. Dam Ho's boat finally entered Dongting Lake.

Though they had been away only about half a month, the surrounding scenery looked strangely unfamiliar.

"Ah!"

Bang Jin-bo gasped at the sight of the magnificent palace complex on the lakeshore near 岳yang—the Murim Alliance. 'Incredible!' The speed of construction defied belief. They were building roughly one palace per day. The amount of human and material resources invested was beyond estimation. Though there were still many details to polish, the overall impression was impressive.

Thud!

The boat finally touched dock. Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo disembarked with their horses.

"Whew!"

"The nightmare is over."

Only then did the exhausted captain and crew collapse on the deck. Their faces showed utter weariness. It could not be helped—they had cut a five-day journey to three. In that time, they had barely slept and had eaten standing up. Dam Ho's suffocating presence had pressed upon them in silence, driving them to pilot the boat like madmen without anyone having to order them.

The captain watched the retreating figures of Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo with unfocused eyes. Black attire and a black horse. Only then did the captain recall his identity.

"The Fist Demon—he was the Fist Demon."

A sigh of relief escaped him involuntarily. The Fist Demon's reputation in the Murim was filled with unspeakably vicious deeds. There were even rumors that he killed indiscriminately, drank blood, and feasted on human flesh. To think that such a terrifying demon lord had been aboard his ship the entire time—it sent a chill down his spine.

'A storm of blood is about to break.'

The captain had been on edge the entire time he ferried Dam Ho. The atmosphere emanating from Dam Ho was anything but ordinary. The feeling of watching a volcano on the verge of eruption—only someone who had experienced it could understand.

"I don't know. It's none of my concern anymore."

The captain simply lay on the floor, gasping for breath.

Meanwhile, Dam Ho headed straight for Cheonsang Tower upon disembarking.

"Daehyeop!"

Un-jeong greeted him the moment he arrived.

"The Branch Manager is waiting inside."

Dam Ho did not wait for Un-jeong's guidance and strode inside. The moment she saw his face, Un-jeong's complexion paled.

"Gasp!"

Dam Ho wore the same expressionless face she had seen before. But now something was different. An indescribable eeriness stabbed at her heart like a knife.

'Wh-what kind of eyes are those…'

Un-jeong stared after Dam Ho's retreating figure with a dazed expression. Beside her, Bang Jin-bo let out a quiet sigh.

Dam Ho walked down the corridor and entered Gi Ye-hwa's quarters without hesitation.

"Welcome."

Gi Ye-hwa greeted him cautiously. Dam Ho did not even sit.

"Where are they?"

"They are in 岳yang. We have already secured their location, so there is no need to worry."

Gi Ye-hwa spoke calmly. Dam Ho's gaze sank deep.

"You want something."

"That's right."

"What?"

"Just save one person. Then I will tell you their whereabouts."

"……"

"In exchange, I will tell you the location of the Black Water Fortress bandits currently in 岳yang. This was agreed upon previously, so it is by no means a breach of contract."

She added quickly. She feared that Dam Ho might resort to force as he had last time.

"Who?"

"Hwang Hye-ryeong… the only daughter of Hwang Gyeong-mun, the Supreme Chieftain of the Eighteen Fortresses of the Green Forest. If she dies here, all of 岳yang will become a battlefield."

What would happen if the Zhuge family warriors died?

The Zhuge family would use all their power, mobilize all their connections to capture Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang would be pursued under false accusations!

What was even more terrifying was that this wasn’t the first time.

The residents of the village where Stone Forest Gang’s manor was located had been massacred, and the nearby residents of Shadow Bureau had also met mysterious deaths.

Five Birds Sect’s Chu Sajin had also been killed and framed as if Jin Ja-gang had murdered him, and even at Poison Valley, all the orthodox faction warriors had been slaughtered.

And now the Zhuge family too.

The series of incidents that kept occurring seemed as if someone was deliberately pushing Jin Ja-gang into a death trap.

Wasn’t this like a spider’s web that tightened more the more one struggled?

‘Why to this extent!’

He had only thought someone was using him, but it wasn’t simply that. They were setting traps as viciously as if harboring deep resentment.

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t understand it at all.

“You… survived… didn’t you…” The only clue was a faint voice that he couldn’t even tell if it was a hallucination or not.

Then should he let them go like this?

No.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t think so. If he sent them back, nothing would remain.

If his thoughts were correct, even if he let them go, they wouldn’t be able to return alive safely.

After thinking briefly, Jin Ja-gang made his decision.

He took a deep breath and drew up his internal energy. As the internal energy began circulating, his right eye became burning hot and stabbing pain like being gouged with an awl came to his right shoulder, chest, abdomen, and leg.

Thud, thud.

Blood vessels had already burst from forcibly using Parting Hand Arrow Shot and Great Skull Tiger Energy earlier, causing blood to seep out.

Shin Yung’s expression darkened.

Dirt and sand were swirling weakly beneath Jin Ja-gang’s right foot. His clothes fluttered as if blown by wind.

He could tell internal energy was being drawn up.

Shin Yung had been continuously swallowing the blood that kept rising, but the poison had already spread beyond what could be stopped.

“You don’t intend to let us go.”

“The situation has changed.”

“Did I misspeak?”

“In some ways.”

“You plan to fight with that body?”

“It doesn’t seem like I’m the one at a disadvantage.”

Shin Yung couldn’t move to protect Zhuge Yan. If he couldn’t subdue Jin Ja-gang in one stroke, he would have to only block attacks instead.

Shin Yung drew his sword. He already knew that using internal energy would worsen the poison’s effects.

‘I must stake everything on one sword strike.’

However, Jin Ja-gang pointed his finger at Shin Yung.

Parting Hand Arrow Shot!

Shin Yung’s expression hardened. Of all things, finger wind.

This meant he couldn’t charge forward.

However, Jin Ja-gang’s face was equally contorted with pain.

The remaining half drop of pinellia poison was released and circulated through his right side according to Parting Hand Arrow Shot’s internal energy operation method. He stopped his breathing to block the internal energy’s movement, inflated it, then released it all at once.

Swoosh!

Shin Yung’s eyes widened greatly.

Even if he didn’t know the power, the trajectory was simple.

‘To use the same technique again!’

Whether it was because of compatibility with Flying Wing Sword, Shin Yung could clearly see the finger wind’s trajectory.

Shin Yung drew up sword energy and deflected the finger wind with his sword.

At that moment, the finger wind’s angle subtly curved.

Jin Ja-gang had mixed the principles of Flying Thread Twelve Branches into Parting Hand Arrow Shot’s operation method.

‘Oh no!’

Shin Yung’s spine grew cold.

He could have dodged if he wanted to. But Zhuge Yan was behind him.

Shin Yung blocked Jin Ja-gang’s finger wind with his shoulder.

Thwack!

The poison energy carried in the finger wind instantly spread through Shin Yung’s body. Shin Yung pressed acupoints around his shoulder to prevent the poison energy from spreading.

However, there was no way to do more than that. Besides the poison energy carried in the finger wind, the poison already eroding his insides made even standing difficult.

Shin Yung forcefully drove his sword into the ground. Then he used his last strength to put internal energy into his toes and kicked the sword blade.

Clang!

The sword broke and sharp blade fragments flew toward Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang belatedly twisted his body. The sword fragment scraped past Jin Ja-gang’s thigh.

That was the last move Shin Yung deployed. However, the poisoning was too severe and he couldn’t even produce half the power he had intended.

“Hoo…”

Shin Yung let out a light sigh.

“I’m sorry… Young Lady.”

Retch.

Shin Yung also soon vomited blood and collapsed.

Jin Ja-gang staggered and barely managed to stand properly.

“Urgh, urrgh!”

His entire right side felt like it was being torn off. If Shin Yung hadn’t fallen from this one move, it would have been Jin Ja-gang who died.

Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth and endured the pain. His whole body was soaked with sweat, and the blood that had seeped out flowed down. His right hand and right foot tingled.

Jin Ja-gang looked around the courtyard with a pained expression.

The warriors with weak martial arts had already become cold corpses.

There was no time to rest until the pain subsided. Jin Ja-gang endured the pain and moved to check Zhuge Yan and Shin Yung’s pulses.

Their breathing was so faint that it seemed they would stop breathing at any moment if he didn’t act quickly. There were almost no external injuries, but blood continuously flowed from their mouths and noses.

It was extreme poison. It wasn’t at a level Jin Ja-gang could detoxify like with Mr. Jang.

‘I must at least keep them breathing.’

Since they weren’t dead yet, there was a possibility of survival.

Jin Ja-gang forced his painful body to move.

He turned their heads so they wouldn’t choke on the blood they were vomiting and gave them yellow earth water.

After some time passed, Zhuge Yan and Shin Yung vomited enormous amounts of blood clots even in their unconscious state.

Then he made them drink water boiled with walnut leaves and dividing heart wood to calm their insides, and fed them Purple Gold Pills. Since they were Purple Gold Pills made with proper medicinal materials, they should be able to delay the worsening of their condition for a while.

After putting out the immediate fire, Jin Ja-gang searched through Zhuge Yan and Shin Yung’s belongings.

He found money pouches and one leather pouch. Opening the leather pouch, he found powdered medicines wrapped in paper and external medicine that looked like ointment.

Since she was the Zhuge family’s young lady, she wouldn’t carry around shoddy medicine.

Jin Ja-gang tasted them one by one. As expected, he could tell they were all made from the finest medicinal materials.

Among them, the elongated pills in a small wooden case had an extraordinary fragrance. It was the pill Shin Yung had fed to Zhuge Yan earlier.

Seeing the red dot marked on the end of the pill, it was definitely the Zhuge family’s spirit medicine, Spirit Capturing Pill.

The renowned sects and families in the martial world had spirit pills passed down as secret traditions. Jin Ja-gang had heard about them too.

Jin Ja-gang fed the remaining Spirit Capturing Pill to Shin Yung.

Then he searched through the warriors’ belongings too. From the warriors, only ointment and dried jerky came out.

“The Poison Avoidance Pills they held in their mouths earlier aren’t here.”

He remembered them being silver-foiled pills, but no matter how much he searched, they weren’t there.

It seemed each person had only carried one.

Jin Ja-gang thought for a moment, then stood up.

Zhuge Yan and Shin Yung were still bleeding, but they looked better than before.

It seemed they had barely passed the immediate crisis.

“You must not die yet.”

Anger appeared in Jin Ja-gang’s eyes.

“I need to find out which b*st*rd wants to use me as bait.”

* * *

Mr. Jang’s wife and Rangrang hadn’t fled far.

They probably couldn’t abandon Mr. Jang and flee by themselves.

Thanks to this, Jin Ja-gang was able to find them nearby.

Not long after, Mr. Jang, who had taken Water Drop Powder, also regained consciousness, so Jin Ja-gang called the three of them inside the house to talk.

Mr. Jang, with a haggard complexion, looked at Jin Ja-gang while being supported by his wife and Rangrang.

“Can’t you come with us?”

“I can’t go.”

“Whatever kind of person you were in the past doesn’t really matter. The you I’ve seen is absolutely not the kind of person who would carelessly kill people and do such bad things.”

“I’m grateful for your words, but…”

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t bring himself to say “That was indeed what I did.”

Mr. Jang tried to persuade him again.

“Come with us. If we hide deep in the mountains and live farming, nothing will happen.”

“I…”

The words that he too wanted to do that rose to Jin Ja-gang’s throat.

Wouldn’t Jin Ja-gang also want to live an ordinary life with them?

But Jin Ja-gang had already entered the path of an Asura. From now on, only paths filled with blood and death would welcome Jin Ja-gang. Warm affection and ordinary life didn’t suit that path.

Jin Ja-gang forced a smile.

“I have things left to do. When it’s finished, I’ll follow you.”

Mr. Jang knew he couldn’t dissuade Jin Ja-gang.

“When I get better, we’ll go live in Guangdong. By the coast where Hainan Island is visible…”

Mr. Jang, who had briefly stopped speaking, looked at Jin Ja-gang and continued with difficulty.

“I really… hope we can meet again.”

“Guangdong. I’ll remember. Someday I hope I can go there too…”

Rangrang wiped Jin Ja-gang’s blood-stained face with a towel. Tears glistened in her large eyes.

Jin Ja-gang smiled slightly at Rangrang.

Then he looked at Mr. Jang and his wife and said.

“When I leave with them, wait half an hour then go in the opposite direction.”

Mr. Jang held Jin Ja-gang’s hand several times, showing his reluctance.

Jin Ja-gang nodded.

The last remaining connection to daily life was being severed at this moment.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang washed his body at the well.

The wounds from Zhuge Yan’s soft sword stung.

When touched by water, blood seeped out again. If it wasn’t cut by sword energy, it would heal within a few days anyway.

The problem was internal injuries.

The damaged blood vessels were throbbing, and the bones pierced by iron needles still hadn’t healed.

A complete mess.

But he still couldn’t rest.

If his expectations were correct, Jin Ja-gang would have to fight once more soon.

Jin Ja-gang searched the storage shed and made a stretcher.

Not for carrying, but for dragging. Since Mr. Jang was a carpenter, there were sufficient materials.

He wove straw ropes like belts around three bamboo poles and laid Zhuge Yan and Shin Yung on them.

He packed necessary items on top, then dragged the stretcher up toward the mountain.

Rattle rattle.

His whole body ached from not resting properly, but Jin Ja-gang slowly climbed step by step, dragging the stretcher.

He climbed for half a day. His body was soaked with sweat and blood flowed from wounds that hadn’t healed.

A natural cave he had spotted while going back and forth on the mountain came into view ahead.

Jin Ja-gang brought the two people inside the cave and laid them down.

Then he took a bag and went outside, climbing up to the ridge overlooking the cave. Only then did he settle down and rest.

By now, the Jang family would have left their house. He could only hope they would be able to escape safely.

Jin Ja-gang looked around and picked a handful of motherwort growing here and there. Motherwort is a plant that has effects of relieving blood stasis and pain.

Any wild plant has its own utility and medicinal effects. Or toxicity too.

The dandelions and pasque flowers growing beside the motherwort were also common plants, but could be used as both medicine and poison.

Depending on how they’re used, anything can become medicine or poison.

Jin Ja-gang chewed the motherwort while looking toward the cave.

He needed to recover his body quickly so he could chew poison again.

What poison should he use this time?

How should he use it to subdue his opponent?

As always.

He had to prepare everything he could do now to survive this time too.