Chapter 111

When Mang Ryo looked at the bamboo hat wearer, the bamboo hat wearer nodded slightly.

Only then did Wei Zong understand. He wondered why they had bothered to keep him alive and bring him here – it was to have the bamboo hat wearer confirm his identity.

Mang Ryo raised his foot. Wei Zong sensed his death approaching.

‘Can I really die so meaninglessly like this?’

There were still so many things left to do… so many things that needed to be done…

But when Wei Zong casually turned his head to the side, he witnessed a strange sight.

Thud. Thud.

The righteous faction martial artists were falling one by one.

And continuously at that.

The sight of them falling like wooden posts one after another without even screaming amidst the sound of rain was very eerie.

Wei Zong thought he was seeing things wrong.

But it was indeed the righteous faction people who were dying. They were in chaos, surprised at each other.

Wei Zong let out a sigh.

It wasn’t because of the reason why they were dying, but because of what would happen afterward that came to mind.

Who were the people gathered here?

Most of Yunnan’s poison sects and the majority of righteous faction sect leaders.

All of them dying in one place?

“Ha…”

Wei Zong let out a bitter laugh.

He realized that things were proceeding on a much grander scale than he had thought.

Was this only happening in Yunnan, or was this something that started in Yunnan?

He didn’t know. But he felt like he knew that the entire martial world would suffer from turbulent waves in the future.

“Hahaha… uhahahaha!”

When Wei Zong laughed, Mang Ryo tilted his head while keeping his foot raised.

“Hmm? Have you gone mad now that it’s time to die? Why are you laughing?”

Wei Zong looked up at Mang Ryo and twisted his lips.

He couldn’t help but say one more thing to Mang Ryo, who had jumped into affairs too difficult to handle.

“Crazy b*st*rd…”

Mang Ryo’s brow furrowed.

“I get it already.”

Mang Ryo’s foot, infused with internal energy, covered Wei Zong’s face.

Crunch.

* * *

The bamboo hat wearer’s three guard martial artists began massacring the righteous faction martial artists.

The righteous faction martial artists had been poisoned by the Poison Avoidance Pills – no, by the real poison hidden within the Poison Avoidance Pills – and died helplessly like straw without being able to resist properly.

The poison sect personnel who had been captured as prisoners, as well as the poison sect servants and maids, met the same fate. The guard martial artists killed everyone they saw without discrimination.

The bloody smell that had been briefly washed away by the rain began to waft intensely again.

Mang Ryo looked at the dying righteous faction martial artists, then at Chu Hyo who had fallen to the ground. Chu Hyo was still looking at Mang Ryo desperately with an expression of disbelief.

Chu Hyo was already in no state to assess the situation.

They say that when a person experiences too many great calamities in succession, even a sound person finds it difficult to maintain their sanity.

From Chu Hyo’s eyes looking at Mang Ryo becoming hazy, one could tell that his mind was no longer intact.

Mang Ryo approached Chu Hyo, put down his staff, and crouched down. Then with a sad expression, he gently stroked Chu Hyo’s face affectionately.

“Seeing your friends dying, it seems you distributed the Poison Avoidance Pills I gave you well. Good job.”

“Uh, uhhh… br-brother.”

Blood began flowing from Chu Hyo’s eyes, nose, and mouth as well.

Mang Ryo patted Chu Hyo’s face as if it was okay.

“Sorry. Does it hurt a lot? Just endure a little more. Soon it won’t hurt anymore.”

The sight of Mang Ryo comforting Chu Hyo with sad eyes was truly like that of an older brother facing his younger brother’s death. However, for those who knew what Mang Ryo had done, it would be a chilling scene.

“Br-brother. My son… what did my son look like when he died?”

“Sajin went very manly and dignified, and peacefully. There would have been no pain.”

“Ah… thank goodness…”

But Chu Hyo’s face, which had been speaking, contorted.

“But the one who killed Sajin…! The one who killed Sajin!”

“Oh my, why do you keep talking about heartbreaking things? Stop that and go now.”

Mang Ryo’s two hands wrapped around Chu Hyo’s head.

Without hesitation, he twisted his hands.

Crack.

Chu Hyo’s neck turned.

Mang Ryo closed Chu Hyo’s eyes.

Tears flowed from Mang Ryo’s eyes.

That surely wasn’t because of the falling rain.

The bamboo hat wearer spoke as if incredulous.

“Are you sad? Earlier you were so cruelly beating him… I’m curious which is Advisor Mang’s real face.”

Mang Ryo stood up leaning on his staff and wiped away his tears.

“How could an older brother not be sad when his sworn younger brother dies? Still, it was fortunate that I could apologize before he died. Now I can sleep comfortably at night with my legs stretched out.”

“That’s even more chilling.”

Mang Ryo’s expression, which had been crying, suddenly changed and he laughed.

“Kekeke! Is that what the Young Master should say to me?”

“I understand, so stop it now. Even sarcasm becomes unpleasant when it’s excessive.”

The bamboo hat wearer spoke in a somewhat stiff tone and turned his head away.

“I understand. I should also go up to Sichuan Province soon to make my report.”

The situation was now almost being wrapped up.

The bamboo hat wearer gave another order to his guard martial artists.

“Make sure there are no survivors, whether servants or whatever. Check thoroughly.”

“Yes!”

Now the only survivors from the poison sect assembly would be Mang Ryo, the bamboo hat wearer, and the three guard martial artists.

No.

There was one more person.

If there was one, Mang Ryo looked around and walked toward the main hall.

Mang Ryo wandered around the main hall and found the person he was looking for.

Jin Ja-gang was collapsed, covered in poison all over his body.

So much poison had been poured on him that the poison powder was sticking thickly. Even Mang Ryo was reluctant to carelessly touch Jin Ja-gang.

“Why can’t he get up yet?”

Mang Ryo dipped his hand in the poison on Jin Ja-gang’s clothes and tasted it slightly.

His face immediately frowned.

He understood why Jin Ja-gang couldn’t regain consciousness.

“Did he mix in Soul-Confusing Medicine too? What a meticulous personality.”

Even those who pride themselves as considerable masters can endure poison but often fall to Soul-Confusing Medicine.

When one falls to Soul-Confusing Medicine and their mind becomes unclear, they often can’t even think of using internal energy to overcome the poison.

Wei Zong had seen Jin Ja-gang pouring poison on his own body to fight. So he had mixed in Soul-Confusing Medicine in case Jin Ja-gang might resist his poison as well.

Unfortunately, in the end he was caught not by Jin Ja-gang but by Mang Ryo.

In any case, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t overcome even the Soul-Confusing Medicine. Rather, the effect of the Soul-Confusing Medicine erupted rapidly, causing his cognitive abilities to drop completely in an instant.

Jin Ja-gang was breathing heavily in a semi-conscious, confused state.

“Soul-Confusing Medicine…”

A smile formed on Mang Ryo’s lips.

Mang Ryo hooked Jin Ja-gang’s clothes with his staff and dragged him out of the main hall. He placed Jin Ja-gang under the eaves of the main hall where rainwater was dripping steadily.

When the poison was somewhat washed away by the rainwater, Mang Ryo brought his mouth close to Jin Ja-gang’s ear and spoke.

With a very satisfied smile.

“You worked hard. I’ll look forward to the future too.”

However, whether Jin Ja-gang understood those words or not, he just stared blankly with hazy eyes.

“Advisor Mang.”

The bamboo hat wearer called Mang Ryo. Before he knew it, the guard martial artists had returned after killing everyone in Poison Valley.

They were collecting their comrade’s corpse and erasing traces, but with so much rain and blood flowing, it seemed there was no need to erase traces.

“We should head back now.”

“Ah, have a safe trip. Don’t go too far. I’ll take care of this guy myself, so don’t worry.”

The bamboo hat wearer spoke in a somewhat irritated tone.

“An advisor wouldn’t do something stupid like leaving future troubles behind. Can I trust that?”

“Future troubles?”

Mang Ryo stroked the hazy Jin Ja-gang’s head and grinned, showing his teeth.

“Future troubles are something living people fear while thinking of the future, aren’t they? I’m already a body that died nine years ago.”

The bamboo hat wearer snorted and shook his head, then immediately turned around.

“Let’s go.”

The guard martial artists carrying their comrade’s corpse followed behind.

The bamboo hat wearer and guard martial artists disappeared from Poison Valley in an instant using lightness skill.

Swoooosh…

The desolate sound of rain.

The only two survivors remaining in Poison Valley.

One of them, Mang Ryo, spoke to Jin Ja-gang in a warm tone.

“You’ve really grown a lot. Now you’re really all grown up.”

Like a couple who had been separated for a long time and met again, Mang Ryo carefully caressed Jin Ja-gang’s body.

He wasn’t touching him with ugly thoughts… He was checking Jin Ja-gang’s physical condition.

Suddenly.

“Hmm?”

Mang Ryo was puzzled as he felt around Jin Ja-gang’s left shin area.

“Why is this guy’s foot like this?”

Though not perfectly clean, the bone was properly attached. To this degree, he could walk like a normal person without much discomfort.

“His leg is this intact but he was still limping?”

For Mang Ryo, who had watched him limping when he came forward to Wei Zong from afar, this was truly amazing.

A smile gradually formed on Mang Ryo’s lips as he quietly looked at Jin Ja-gang’s leg.

“Mischievous fellow.”

Though he spat out a curse, Mang Ryo’s face was smiling throughout.

It was because he somewhat understood why Jin Ja-gang was still limping.

Mang Ryo pushed internal energy into Jin Ja-gang’s body and confirmed that Jin Ja-gang’s right side meridians were somewhat open.

To have done this much by himself without anyone’s help, one could imagine how much he had suffered and worked hard.

“How can I not have expectations for you when you’re like this? How can I not cherish you? What person in the world could be as sinister and vicious as you?”

Continuous soliloquy came out at the long-awaited reunion.

“That’s why ordinary pain doesn’t suit you. To make every single hair thoroughly miserable and painful, you can’t just die like this now.”

Having Jin Ja-gang in front of him brought out laughter.

“Hehe. Just as you’re not the little kid from before, I’m not the stupid and ignorant old man from before either. I worked very hard to give you a very good gift.”

Mang Ryo took out a long needle from his chest.

Then he carefully inserted the needle into Jin Ja-gang’s Brain Door acupoint. It was the topmost part of the back of the head, a dangerous acupoint close to the Hundred Meetings point. This Brain Door acupoint is connected to the brain, so if handled wrongly, one becomes mute or an idiot.

Some sects use this Brain Door acupoint as a mute acupoint sealing method to prevent speech.

However, right now Mang Ryo was touching the Brain Door acupoint to induce Jin Ja-gang’s comatose state, neither of those purposes. He caused a concussion by flowing internal energy weakly into the needle connected to the Brain Door acupoint.

Jin Ja-gang’s hazy eyes rolled back and he completely fainted.

Mang Ryo rubbed his palms together.

“Now, it’s time to give a gift to a good child.”

Mang Ryo grabbed Jin Ja-gang’s wrist and placed his palm on the Life Gate acupoint on his back.

Then he fully activated his internal energy. His clothes swelled tightly and his hair stood up toward the sky.

Mang Ryo’s internal energy penetrated into Jin Ja-gang’s body. It wasn’t the level that barely exceeded one cycle from before. Mang Ryo’s internal energy exceeded three full cycles.

Although there was a significant difference in purity compared to martial artists from famous orthodox sects who had trained through proper methods for long periods, the power was by no means low.

Pop! Pop-pop-pop!

Sounds of bursting came from inside Jin Ja-gang’s skin along his right side meridians. Blood vessels burst and blood spurted up like fountains in various places.

If there’s no need to carefully operate internal energy to avoid damaging the meridians, paths can be created whether by forcibly tearing open blocked meridians or whatever. That’s the power of three cycles of internal energy.

It’s difficult to carefully fix while maintaining the original form so it doesn’t break, but what does it matter if you’re not worried about it breaking?

Forced Breakthrough!

“You’ve gained the foundation to use more powerful martial arts through Marrow Cleansing and Hair Cutting. You’ve become the body that any martial artist dreams of. Though it’s only half, and even that will be quite painful every time you use it, so I’m not sure if you’ll be grateful to me. Ha, hahaha! Hahahaha!”

Urk!

Mang Ryo stopped laughing and vomited a handful of blood.

Due to using all kinds of elixirs and evil methods, Mang Ryo was suffering from various side effects. On top of that, he had permanently lost part of his internal energy and even true qi from performing the Forced Breakthrough.

Still, it didn’t matter. This guy would soon become like him too. The more he used his power, the more his own body would gradually deteriorate.

When could he laugh to his heart’s content if not at such a joyful time!

“Uhahahahaha!”