Chapter 134

Zhuge Ming spoke while thinking of Zhuge Yan.

“Yan had learned the Blue Gate Qigong, so her martial arts were by no means low. She was clever and intelligent, not a child who would fall for petty tricks. Moreover, before departure, she had received poison avoidance pills provided by the Martial Arts Alliance and even carried Spirit Capturing Pills.”

“Yet she returned as a cold corpse. We never thought for a moment that such a thing could happen.”

“It was a painful mistake. To think she lost her life to some insignificant fellow who merely learned poison techniques in the frontier martial world of Yunnan.”

Zhuge Ming frowned.

“That b*st*rd has some trump card we don’t know about. But seeing that Shin Yung survived, it’s not a move he can use multiple times. So there’s absolutely no reason for us to move hastily and get caught by it. We can wait until he’s exhausted and then move. No matter how fine he pretends to be on the outside, his insides must be burning with anxiety.”

Zhuge Ming paused in his speech and thought for a moment.

“But… I don’t like just staying like this. Besides, it’s also annoying that the evil faction b*st*rds are just leaving Snake Scorpion Poison King to be dealt with without doing anything. I think we need to throw some appetizing bait at least once.”

Zhuge Ming’s decision to use the Nine Palace Eight Trigram Formation with sufficient time leeway in dealing with Jin Ja-gang also had the purpose of understanding the evil faction’s movements.

The Zhuge family was also aware that war with the evil faction was imminent.

The signal had been fired when the evil faction’s Snake Scorpion Poison King destroyed Yunnan’s orthodox factions.

This was essentially a preliminary battle to gain the initiative against the evil faction, and also a probing battle.

“Let’s see how they come out. If they abandon Snake Scorpion Poison King, that abandonment will be advantageous to us, and if not, it wouldn’t be bad for our Zhuge family to lead the start of the war with this opportunity.”

Just taking revenge for Zhuge Yan’s death wouldn’t be befitting of the Zhuge family.

The niece who was already dead couldn’t be brought back to life no matter what they did. So revenge was natural, and if they could also cast a net to draw out the rest of the evil faction as well, wouldn’t that be the Zhuge family way of handling things?

* * *

It had been almost half a month since Jin Ja-gang stayed in Lan Family Village.

The surveillance eyes remained, but since no one bothered Jin Ja-gang, he was rather relaxed.

Why the Zhuge family wasn’t pressing him was becoming more strange.

Every day he practiced martial arts, made weapons, and chewed poisonous herbs. This was the most suitable time for Jin Ja-gang to recover his body and train to handle internal energy.

The more he trained internal energy, the more painful it became, and he could feel the durability of his meridians gradually weakening, but he became that much more familiar with how to handle internal energy.

In that process, his meridians continued to be injured and heal repeatedly due to the violent movement of internal energy. His right side would have blood vessels burst from shock, and even his eyes would become bloodshot from burst capillaries.

Pain becomes familiar, but the pain itself doesn’t decrease.

Rather, it worsened, so there were times when he couldn’t sleep at night, sweating cold sweat.

However, Jin Ja-gang didn’t mind.

He wasn’t in a position to live looking ahead several years.

Even right now, if not now, he might never have time to train again.

So while he was alive, he had to do his best.

Enduring and bearing any pain, he would just run toward his destination until the end.

Jin Ja-gang no longer had anywhere to return to.

Thwack! Crack!

Jin Ja-gang spread his right hand fingers and struck down several times at a sack of beans placed in front of him in the inn room.

Crane Sect’s grappling technique, Capturing Dragon Strike!

Once familiar with it, he could drive his fingers into thick tree trunks, but for now, making marks on the bean sack was all he could manage. His fingertips stung and ached.

Even after practicing for half a month, no calluses formed and they remained smooth. His constitution that healed skin quickly even when cut by blades seemed to prevent even calluses from forming.

“Hup!”

Jin Ja-gang gathered his internal energy to the extreme and attempted Capturing Dragon Strike once more.

Thud!

With a heavy sound, Jin Ja-gang’s fingers embedded themselves in the bean sack.

When Jin Ja-gang pulled out his fingers, beans spilled out through the hole and rolled around on the floor.

But in the meantime, Jin Ja-gang’s face had become covered with sweat. Using internal energy made his right side meridians feel like they were tearing.

“Huff, huff. Huff.”

A slight smile appeared at the corners of Jin Ja-gang’s mouth.

What remained for Jin Ja-gang was an unpredictable future and the arduous path of revenge.

But in that process, he at least had the small pleasure of seeing himself gradually becoming stronger.

Jin Ja-gang rested briefly, then picked up a sickle.

He was also practicing Medicine King Sect’s Moon-Severing Sickle Blade daily without fail.

Though the room was narrow, it was sufficient for swinging the sickle and learning the movements.

* * *

Bang!

Mang Ryo struck the table with his fist. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

“Of all things, I had to pierce the meridians with Mad Acupoint Piercing!”

Mad Acupoint Piercing was a technique used by evil faction assassins.

It was also the method Mang Ryo had used when piercing Jin Ja-gang’s right side meridians.

Mad Acupoint Piercing was a technique that accepted damage to the meridians while greatly expanding the flow of energy to momentarily increase the destructive power of internal energy.

The process of meridians being destroyed was so agonizing that nine out of ten would go mad, hence the character “mad” was attached. Even assassins trained to be insensitive to pain were like this, so how much more would ordinary people suffer!

Of course, when Mang Ryo learned about the Mad Acupoint Piercing technique, he was pleased that it was perfect to use on Jin Ja-gang.

But this Mad Acupoint Piercing technique had a fatal flaw.

While very powerful for momentarily drawing up strength, it was impossible to use continuously. The more you use it, the more your body deteriorates, making it the worst compatibility for a Heaven’s Net and Earth’s Trap where battles could continue for days without rest.

Mang Ryo wondered if Baek Li-jung, knowing Jin Ja-gang’s condition, had deliberately induced the Zhuge family to use Heaven’s Net and Earth’s Trap.

He had pierced the half-body meridians with Mad Acupoint Piercing so Jin Ja-gang would suffer pain forever, not so he would be immediately caught and killed by Heaven’s Net and Earth’s Trap!

Grind grind grind!

Mang Ryo ground his teeth furiously.

He couldn’t stay like this. He had to somehow extract Jin Ja-gang from the Heaven’s Net and Earth’s Trap.

He was burning with desire to run directly and rescue Jin Ja-gang right now.

However, Mang Ryo was tied to the Martial Arts Alliance Guizhou Branch.

Baek Li-jung had not permitted Mang Ryo to travel outside.

He had assigned him only a pile of useless paperwork.

It was clearly an intention to tie his feet, thinking Mang Ryo might do something. Since if left alone, Mang Ryo would definitely do something. Of course, for the Zhuge family too, this was very important revenge, so they wouldn’t want interference from others.

However, that rather inflamed Mang Ryo’s obsession.

Mang Ryo pondered while holding his head for a long time, then finally stood up.

* * *

Strategist Sim Hak’s office.

Sim Hak, who had been glancing around nervously, finally burst out in anger.

“Ah, really! Let’s do some work!”

Mang Ryo replied listlessly.

“Go ahead. Am I interfering or something?”

“You sitting there like that makes me self-conscious while I’m trying to work.”

“Don’t be self-conscious.”

When he said don’t be self-conscious after being told it was distracting, Sim Hak made an incredulous expression.

“You’ve been staring at me all day from there, how can I not be self-conscious?”

“Strategist, do your work. I’m just curious about rumors from Yunnan, so I just need to see that.”

Sim Hak, being Baek Li-jung’s strategist in name, had the authority to receive all kinds of information. Even now, intelligence agents were coming and going several times, leaving confidential information.

“Do you think I would carelessly show you such things?”

Tap, tap.

Mang Ryo approached Sim Hak with his staff and spoke fiercely with wide eyes.

“Just in case I’m saying this… Strategist? Strategist Sim isn’t one of those… what, worthless fellows who just put their spoon on rice others have prepared, right?”

Sim Hak’s eyes widened greatly.

“What, what are you taking me for! Hey, look here. If I had such intentions, would our pavilion master have kept me around all this time! I’m a person who persists with loyalty to the pavilion master alone! I have not even a hair’s worth of greed for wealth or achievements. I didn’t see Advisor Mang that way! Don’t carelessly slander people!”

Sim Hak expressed his grievance, even spitting.

“Oh… if I misunderstood, I’m sorry. As Strategist Sim knows, the effort I’ve put into Yunnan isn’t small. Unlike Strategist Sim, I’m materialistic, so I’m very interested in worldly wealth. Even now I’m very anxious that someone else might steal my achievements.”

When Mang Ryo revealed his inner thoughts and made a pitiful expression, Sim Hak’s expression softened.

“Well, the pavilion master said he’d give you a castle if you just stay still. But why are you so anxious?”

“Strategist Sim is trusted by the pavilion master so there’s no problem, but I’m already a marked person, aren’t I? I’m in a position where I could be cast out at any time. So what meaning does a castle not currently in my hands have?”

“That’s why you should have behaved better normally…”

“Please help me a bit. At this rate, I’m going to have my achievements stolen by the Zhuge family b*st*rds. Their eyes are bloodshot trying to steal my achievements, but I’m blocked in sight and hearing, so how can I prepare?”

While speaking, Mang Ryo slyly pushed an ornament onto Sim Hak’s desk.

Sim Hak looked at Mang Ryo as if asking what this was.

Mang Ryo spoke in a subtle, low voice.

“I hear a courtesan with Guizhou’s finest beauty has newly entered Luocheng Tower ahead. If you go to Luocheng Tower and show this ornament, they’ll guide you to that courtesan.”

“Really?”

Seeing Sim Hak’s eyes slightly narrow, Mang Ryo smiled knowingly.

“I won’t do anything that would harm Strategist Sim. Just let me know what’s happening. Just don’t let me get caught unaware. People like us should help each other live. Isn’t that right?”

“If Advisor is saying this much… ahem.”

Sim Hak reached toward the ornament, but Mang Ryo covered that hand with his thick hand.

Click.

When Sim Hak looked up in surprise, Mang Ryo smiled while holding Sim Hak’s hand.

“Enjoying pleasures is good, but don’t overdo it and get scolded by the pavilion master. If you carelessly say I lent you this, I might get scolded too… keep it secret that I gave this.”

“Secret.”

Sim Hak nodded.

“It’s a secret between us.”

“Understood. A secret between us.”

Only then did Mang Ryo remove his hand. Sim Hak’s mouth split almost to his ears.

Perhaps afraid Mang Ryo might change his mind, Sim Hak quickly put the ornament in his sleeve and pushed a box forward.

“What’s in this box is information from Yunnan. Don’t even open what you don’t need and just leave it… no, if you don’t open it you can’t see, so open it and only look at what you need. They all have numbers written on them, so you can’t take even one out.”

“Oh, thank you. I won’t forget Strategist Sim’s kindness.”

Mang Ryo smiled and emphasized once more.

“It’s a secret between us.”

“Hehe, of course. They say even among men, matters between the legs aren’t shared with each other.”