Chapter 212: The Wind Constantly Shakes the Trees (3)

The head of the Hao Sect Shouzhou branch was a middle-aged courtesan named Hae Won. Despite her profession, her face exuded elegance.

“It’s an honor to meet the renowned martial artist, Fist Demon, Dam Ho.”

“Are you the head of this branch?”

“Yes, I am Hae Won, the head of the Hao Sect Shouzhou branch.”

“You seem to know me.”

“Who in the martial world doesn’t know Master Dam? Especially since Yehwa, the head of the Yueyang branch, has instructed all branches to treat you with special care.”

Yehwa was known for her intelligence among the Hao Sect branch heads. She had specifically mentioned not to antagonize Dam Ho.

“Yehwa?”

“Yes! Thanks to her, everyone in Hao Sect knows about you.”

“How is she?”

“Well…”

“It seems there’s a problem.”

“It’s a bit complicated. I can’t tell you more, even if you are Dam Ho. Please understand.”

Dam Ho nodded at Hae Won’s polite words. Even Dam Ho couldn’t interfere in Hao Sect’s internal affairs.

“So, what brings you here? Is it a request?”

“Yes!”

“Unfortunately, we are not in a position to accept requests right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…”

Hae Won hesitated, then met Dam Ho’s eyes. The depth and darkness of his eyes made her shiver.

Hae Won, who had experienced many hardships, froze at Dam Ho’s gaze.

‘This is more intense than Yehwa’s words. The rumors don’t do him justice.’

She struggled to maintain her composure amidst the overwhelming fear.

Hae Won decided it was better to tell the truth to someone like Dam Ho.

“Hao Sect is currently under severe threat from the Murim Alliance.”

“Threat?”

“Yes! Due to threats from the Murim Alliance’s intelligence organization, all our activities are restricted.”

“Whose idea is this?”

“It seems to be the idea of Namgung Chang, a military leader of the Murim Alliance. Our leader is also very troubled by this.”

“Namgung Chang?”

Dam Ho’s eyes sparkled.

“He wants to absorb Hao Sect to expand the Murim Alliance’s intelligence network. But we have no intention of being absorbed.”

Hao Sect was an organization formed by courtesans and other lower-class people for survival, unrelated to the grand causes or interests of the established sects.

The idea of absorbing Hao Sect into the Murim Alliance’s intelligence network was akin to denying Hao Sect’s existence.

“So, even if you make a request, we can’t guarantee its completion.”

“Then I’ll cancel the request.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Dam Ho stood up.

Originally, he intended to request information about Dragon Sword House from Hao Sect. But given their current struggle with the Murim Alliance, it seemed unlikely to yield good results.

It might even alert the enemy. It was better to reconsider everything from the beginning.

Hae Won was surprised by how easily Dam Ho gave up.

“Wait a moment. Are you leaving just like that?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just…”

Hae Won stammered.

Dam Ho was known for never giving up once he set a goal. His easy retreat made her uneasy.

“Please don’t hold any grudge against Hao Sect for not accepting your request. We have our reasons…”

“I won’t hold a grudge.”

“Then…”

Hae Won’s face finally relaxed.

Dam Ho looked at Hae Won for a moment before stepping outside.

Although he didn’t achieve his goal, Dam Ho didn’t feel much regret. Learning that the Murim Alliance was trying to absorb Hao Sect was a significant gain.

As Dam Ho walked down the street, he felt someone watching him. Turning his head, he saw an unfamiliar old man among the crowd.

When their eyes met, the old man quickly lowered his head and disappeared into the crowd.

Though the eye contact was brief, Dam Ho recognized the old man.

Dam Ho followed the direction where the old man disappeared. He saw the old man’s back in the distance, walking briskly.

The old man turned back and, seeing Dam Ho following, showed a startled expression.

The old man entered an alley in Shouzhou, known for its seclusion. As soon as Dam Ho entered the alley, he sensed a damp smell.

The old man entered a house at the end of the alley.

Dam Ho’s eyes darkened.

‘Is this a tiger’s den?’

The old man could have easily evaded Dam Ho. Yet, he deliberately exposed his trail, clearly luring Dam Ho.

Dam Ho approached the house the old man entered.

The door opened, revealing the interior of a house surrounded by high walls. In front of the house was a wide platform, where a boy of about seventeen or eighteen was brewing tea. The old man who lured Dam Ho stood respectfully behind the boy.

Sensing Dam Ho’s presence, the boy looked up.

“Oh! You’re here.”

The boy smiled and greeted Dam Ho.

“It’s you.”

“It’s been a while, brother.”

The boy, named Myung Cheon, was the one treated by Jong Ri-yeon in Yangtze River. The old man who lured Dam Ho was Myung Cheon’s loyal servant, Yano.

Dam Ho’s eyes flickered. Normally, just meeting his gaze would leave people breathless, but Myung Cheon smiled brightly without any sign of fear.

“Please sit here. I prepared tea knowing you would come. Would you like some silver needle tea from Gunsan?”

Myung Cheon spoke warmly, as if they were old acquaintances.

For some reason, Dam Ho sat on the platform. Myung Cheon approached and placed a teacup in front of him, pouring freshly brewed tea.

The small teacup filled with a faint green tea.

“This is my favorite tea. I hope you like it too.”

Dam Ho brought the tea to his lips. Seeing Dam Ho drink without hesitation, Myung Cheon’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

“Aren’t you afraid I might have poisoned it?”

“If you did, you wouldn’t be standing there.”

“Haha! You got me.”

Myung Cheon laughed heartily, looking somewhat relieved.

He sat in front of Dam Ho.

“I’m sorry for leaving like that before. After my transformation, my energy was unstable. I needed to recuperate in a quiet place.”

“…”

“Did I mention you resemble our big brother? You two are very alike, even in your occasional silence.”

“Geom Yul-cheon, Shin Mu-wol, Eum Yu-gyeong, and you. What’s your relationship? Did you all meet at Heavenly Forbidden Demon Prison?”

“It’s a bond that goes back much further. Why, are you curious?”

Dam Ho didn’t answer, but Myung Cheon continued excitedly.

“I would be too. Alright, I’ll tell you. After all, you’re not entirely a stranger.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re also from Heavenly Forbidden Demon Prison. We were all there, though at different times.”

“…”

“That’s why I feel a kinship with you. Survivors of that hellish place share a bond. You survived there alone for twelve years, right? How did you endure it? You must have lacked food.”

Realizing his mistake, Myung Cheon laughed awkwardly.

“As you might guess, we’re all from the Divine Cult. Only Yu-Gyeong remains there now.”

“Eum Yu-Gyeong?”

“Yes! She has tasks to complete in the sect. She stayed behind alone. She’s having the hardest time.”

“Why did she stay in the Demonic Cult?”

“Someone had to. Besides, Yu-Gyeong is the Divine Cult’s saintess. As a symbolic figure, she couldn’t leave easily.”

“Saintess?”

“If the leader symbolizes the sect’s military power, the saintess represents its doctrine and spiritual support. Though her authority is currently low without the sacred artifact, she can keep the leader’s power in check if she finds it.”

“Keep the leader in check?”

Dam Ho’s eyes deepened.

Despite Myung Cheon’s seemingly random chatter, his words contained much information. He was deliberately conveying information.

“The leader’s authority in the sect is at its peak in a hundred years. Many would willingly die at his command. That’s why it’s dangerous.”

“What’s dangerous?”

“The murim… the Divine Cult… and the whole world… The leader’s wrath will burn everything. He dreams of a world ruled by the Divine Cult, not just through force but by its doctrine, creating a perfect theocracy. That’s his vision for the central plains.”

“…”

“Isn’t it chilling? Such a world would eliminate all diversity, leaving only a rigid order centered on the Divine Cult.”

“So, you plan to find the sacred artifact to check the leader? Is that it?”

“Exactly.”

Myung Cheon smiled.

His smile seemed pure and clear, but Dam Ho didn’t trust appearances.

Myung Cheon was a genius. Such geniuses never act for a single reason. They always have multiple layers of motives.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I thought you should know.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have doubts, don’t you? Or am I wrong?”

Dam Ho’s brow furrowed. Myung Cheon smiled meaningfully.

“I thought so. Despite what the world thinks, you have a brilliant mind and cold logic. When I heard you visited the Hao Sect branch, I knew. That’s why I had Yano bring you here.”

“Continue.”

“Isn’t it funny? When the Murim Alliance was being established, the Forbidden Demon Envoy appeared to justify its creation. Then, the Divine Cult conveniently provided a pretext for the Great War. It’s too contrived. You must have found it strange too.”

“Are you saying there’s a third party?”

“Exactly.”

“Any evidence?”

“Not yet. They’re very secretive. They have eyes and ears everywhere. It’s not easy to approach their true identity. But the longer the tail, the easier it is to catch. We’re gradually getting closer.”

Dam Ho’s eyes darkened further.

Myung Cheon’s words fueled Dam Ho’s suspicions.

Dragon Sword House, which led the attack, was destroyed by someone. If he was truly recruited by the Divine Cult, there was no reason to annihilate Dragon Sword House. It would have been easier to take over the entire group.

Someone erased Dragon Sword House to sever the connection. The question was, who erased Dragon Sword House from the world?

“Assuming you’re right, why are you telling me this?”

“You’re not asking because you don’t know, right?”

Dam Ho stared at Myung Cheon. Feeling the pressure, Myung Cheon sighed softly.

“I’ll answer that.”

A heavy voice came from outside.

Turning his head, Dam Ho saw a man, a head taller than most, entering through the main gate.

His leisurely steps resembled a large tiger.

The world called him Geom Yul-cheon.

Mang Ryo had been in a good mood until ten days ago, but now he was feeling restless.

It was because Tang Qing had put Jin Ja-gang in the Library Pavilion. He was told to find secret manuals and come out.

“Does it make sense that the Tang family’s secret manuals would be placed in something like the Library Pavilion?”

The supreme secret manuals are oral transmissions passed from mouth to mouth. However, martial families with long histories like the Tang family worry more about martial arts being lost or future generations being incompetent and unable to learn them properly than about others stealing them.

Therefore, even if they skip a generation, they create secret manuals for transmission to prevent martial arts from being learned incorrectly or leaving room for misinterpretation in the incantations.

Of course, such secret manuals would never be placed in the Library Pavilion where everyone can see them.

Nevertheless, putting Jin Ja-gang in the Library Pavilion to test him had various meanings.

Whether it was really testing him to make Jin Ja-gang into a Tang family member, or simply having a hobby of tormenting him.

Whichever way Tang Qing was thinking, this could never be an easy test. In the worst case, Jin Ja-gang might die during the test.

Then what would he become?

Wouldn’t he just become like a dog that was chasing chickens!

Although he had orchestrated this affair with the purpose of making Jin Ja-gang a Tang family member, he didn’t want Jin Ja-gang to die. He didn’t want to let him enter dangerous tests without any safety measures.

Nine days had already passed. Tomorrow, some kind of conclusion would come no matter what.

Mang Ryo needed a safety measure. So that Jin Ja-gang could survive no matter what situation arose!

Mang Ryo couldn’t sleep and kept worrying.

But then… suddenly his left eye throbbed.

“Hmm?”

Then suddenly a commotion could be felt.

An unusual commotion that couldn’t happen in the always quiet Tang Family Great Compound could be felt.

Mang Ryo’s heart pounded and he opened his room’s window.

He could see smoke rising up into the dark night sky.

And the smell of burning too.

The pain felt in his eye intensified. But Mang Ryo’s mouth turned up as if it would tear.

“Kek kek kek kek! Kek kek!”

It’s Jin Ja-gang! That bastard has done something again!

He didn’t think “surely not.” If it was Jin Ja-gang, he was the type who would set fire to the Library Pavilion and then some.

Mang Ryo was looking at the smoke when he suddenly came to his senses.

From now on, he would be busy. There wouldn’t be a moment’s rest.

Mang Ryo dressed himself and immediately ran out of his room. Then he ran to the workshop of the craftsman who made hidden weapons. It was the workshop of the old craftsman who had made Mang Ryo’s prosthetic leg and installed hidden weapons in that prosthetic.

The workshop’s fire never goes out during all twelve hours of the day. The old craftsman who was tending the fire saw Mang Ryo and stood up in surprise.

“How, how at this time…”

“It’s urgent, urgent. How about what I asked for last time?”

“That will take time to get out…”

Mang Ryo frowned and looked around the workshop. On one side was the old craftsman’s dull-looking disciple.

Mang Ryo immediately ran to the old craftsman’s disciple and kicked his shin.

Crack!

The shinbone broke immediately and the disciple collapsed.

“Uaaaaah!”

“Next is the right foot, then the left arm, right arm. I’ll give you one double-hour. There’s no time. Don’t ask or question, just bring it.”

“Look here! What right do you have to do such a thing…!”

The old craftsman shouted in surprise, but Mang Ryo kicked the disciple’s right foot. The foot broke again and the disciple shed tears in agony.

Mang Ryo glared and urged.

“Just now I deliberately broke it so the bone would heal well. Say one more word and I’ll stomp and crush it completely.”

The disciple couldn’t bear the pain and fear and fainted.

The old craftsman swallowed bloody tears and asked.

“Al-alright. Wh-what exactly do you want?”

“I told you. Poison that could even kill the Three Martial Supremes.”

Mang Ryo waved the King of Hell token in front of the old craftsman.

“One double-hour. If you’re late, this fellow’s life is gone.”

[TL NOTE- One double-hour is basically two hours.]

The old craftsman gritted his teeth and went outside without asking more.

A little before one double-hour was up, the old craftsman came in sweating profusely, holding a bottle about the size of a finger.

“Sit and extend your prosthetic leg.”

Mang Ryo sat in a chair and extended his prosthetic leg.

“See, it works. You could do it but pretended you couldn’t.”

The old craftsman silently injected the poison into the prosthetic leg. Then he carefully closed the lid and sealed it. Only then did he wipe his sweat and catch his breath.

“What about the antidote?”

“There isn’t one. This is a poison without an antidote.”

“What’s the poison’s name?”

“Absolute Yellow Corpse Poison!”

“Oh ho, quite a nice name.”

“Rotting Sinew, Putrid Blood… If this poison grazes the skin, muscles rot and fester, and if it touches blood vessels, the blood rots.”

“Enough with such explanations.”

Mang Ryo asked again.

“The Three Martial Supremes, can you kill them or not?”

“Can kill…”

The old craftsman looked at the fainted disciple. His legs were broken and hanging in directions they couldn’t be twisted.

The old craftsman swallowed his grief and answered.

“It can kill them.”

“Good.”

“If you got what you wanted, leave now!”

But Mang Ryo didn’t leave immediately and received the poison, opening the lid.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“I was fooled once, so I need to check whether it’s real or not.”

Mang Ryo grabbed the back of the old craftsman’s neck and pulled.

“Don’t, don’t do it!”

Mang Ryo didn’t care that the old craftsman was screaming in terror and dropped one drop of yellow poison liquid into the old craftsman’s mouth.

“That’s why you hesitated to answer. It’s not trustworthy.”

“Kuk! Keok!”

“One, two, three…”

The old craftsman held his throat and glared at Mang Ryo who suddenly started counting. Soon the old craftsman’s face turned red and blue, then holes appeared in his lower jaw and neck as bloody pus began flowing down.

The old craftsman went to the inner part of the workshop and opened a small box with a key.

“Te-ten, eleven…”

Mang Ryo just kept counting with his mouth regardless of what the old craftsman was doing.

The old craftsman took out a round ring from the small box and tried to put it on his hand. However, he couldn’t put it on his hand properly and his hand trembled as he dropped the ring.

Clang.

The old craftsman was already not in a condition to use his hands properly. The old craftsman looked at Mang Ryo and his disciple alternately with resentful eyes, then collapsed and struggled before dying.

Only then did Mang Ryo’s counting end.

“Twenty.”

Mang Ryo’s expression frowned.

“Damn. How can this kill the Three Martial Supremes?”

But there was no time now, and this was the best for the moment. Mang Ryo kicked the corpse of the old craftsman whose face was almost completely melted and rotting.

“I told you. If this fails, you all die. You’ll have to see in hell whether my words were true or not.”

Mang Ryo even spat on the old craftsman’s corpse. Then he picked up the ring the old craftsman had tried to put on his hand and left the workshop.

At that moment, a shadow blocked Mang Ryo’s path. It was a warrior dressed in black night clothes all over his body. He seemed to be a warrior patrolling the workshop area.

“What was that sound from the workshop just now…”

Mang Ryo struck the shadow’s head with his hand blade without any words. It was tremendous speed. The moment the warrior in night clothes reacted, the hand blade was already embedded in his head.

Crack!

The head split in half and the shadow staggered.

“I’m busy, so move aside.”

Mang Ryo kicked the warrior with his prosthetic leg to push him away and quickened his pace.

The smoke rising outside had become thicker than before, and the people’s murmuring had also become much more severe.

Tang Ha-ran had been pacing in her room for quite a while.

An unknown atmosphere was circulating within the Tang Family Great Compound.

Something that only she didn’t know.

And the one who knew the full picture of the current situation was none other than Mang Ryo.

‘I should go find him!’

Going to find Mang Ryo was something that hurt her pride. However, at this time when she was excluded from all missions, she couldn’t know anything without going through him.

Tang Ha-ran left her room.

But the outside atmosphere was somehow unsettled. A smoky burning smell wafted over as if there was a fire somewhere.

“Fire! There’s a fire!”

Shouts that there was a fire could be heard from all directions.

‘Noisy. I have a bad feeling.’

Then there was a presence from the garden side.

Thud-thump, thud-thump!

A shadow entered the garden near Tang Ha-ran’s quarters.

It was Mang Ryo appearing with a crutch on one side and something wrapped in a bundle on the other side.

Tang Ha-ran looked at Mang Ryo coldly and said.

“You came at just the right time.”

“Were you looking for me?”

“I’ll ask directly.”

“No, before that.”

Mang Ryo threw the bundle to Tang Ha-ran. The bundle was stained with blood. No, not just the bundle but blood was splattered all over Mang Ryo’s body. There were also sword cut marks here and there.

“You…!”

Mang Ryo grinned.

“Flies were swarming.”

Tang Ha-ran opened the bundle. Inside the bundle was one side of an arm guard made like a round ring to be worn on the wrist and several small bottles. Tang Ha-ran immediately recognized the arm guard.

“Soul Seizing Thread!”

Since there was blood on the Soul Seizing Thread too, it wasn’t something given by someone!

Tang Ha-ran glared at Mang Ryo with killing intent.

“I know the Soul Seizing Thread was left for repairs, so why is it in your hands? You… did you dare commit murder and theft in our family?”

“Ah, this is called Soul Seizing Thread? The old man had hidden it deep in the workshop, so I took it thinking it might be something good.”

Soul Seizing Thread was one of the Tang family’s Ten Great Strange Weapons like Tang Ha-ran’s Blood Scale Whip. In the Tang family, the Ten Great Strange Weapons were items worthy of being called divine weapons even in the martial world.

“Good timing. Give it to that bastard.”

“That bastard?”

“Poison Dragon.”

At the mention of Poison Dragon, flames ignited again in Tang Ha-ran’s eyes.

“What exactly are you scheming!”

Mang Ryo only said what he had to say.

“The bottle next to it has antidotes for various poisons and Muscle Strengthening Heart Liquid. I didn’t have time to write labels, so distinguish them well and feed them to him.”

Tang Ha-ran tried to take out her Blood Scale Whip. Mang Ryo raised his hand to stop Tang Ha-ran’s action.

“Now is not the time for that.”

“What?”

Whoosh!

Behind Mang Ryo, flames could be seen rising in the distance. The smoke had also become much worse than before.

“If you don’t go now, that bastard will die.”

“…!”

“This is also the only time you can save Poison Dragon while avoiding grandfather’s eyes.”

“…”

“And this is the only chance I can help. I’m going to leave like this. No, I have no choice but to leave.”

When Tang Ha-ran only glared at Mang Ryo without answering, Mang Ryo shrugged his shoulders.

“If you don’t like it, do as you please.”

Only then did Tang Ha-ran ask.

“What do you really want?”

Mang Ryo’s answer was completely unexpected, something Tang Ha-ran had never thought of.

“I want Poison Dragon to be happy.”

Tang Ha-ran examined Mang Ryo’s eyes. However, Mang Ryo was serious.

“A-are you sincere?”

“I’d like him to have a family, have children, and be well raised in a household. Ah, of course since there’s no household left, I hoped the Tang family would take good care of him, but…”

Mang Ryo pointed to the increasingly fierce flames.

“As you can see, he did this. No matter how much the King of Hell likes him, I don’t think he’ll forgive someone who burned down the entire Library Pavilion.”

“The Library Pavilion…”

If Jin Ja-gang had burned down the Library Pavilion, no matter how much the King of Hell cherished Jin Ja-gang, he would absolutely never forgive him. Even if there were no supreme secret manuals, the Tang family’s history was there. All of the Tang family’s history would be gone!

“The person who put Poison Dragon in such a place to try to break his spirit was wrong to begin with. Tsk.”

Mang Ryo looked at the flames with regret, then turned his head.

“Anyway, that’s my sincerity. Understand?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

“If you don’t believe it, there’s nothing I can do, but… ah right, before leaving, let me mention one thing I saw while coming here: I saw a nun. Demon Buddha… what was it…”

“Demon Buddha?”

Mang Ryo, who had deliberately trailed off, smiled.

“Right, Demon Buddha. That very nun was wandering around looking for Poison Dragon.”