Chapter 148

Baek Li-jung was furious.

“That fool. Losing his mind over a woman…!”

Baek Li-gwon had disappeared from the Martial Arts Alliance Guizhou Branch.

They said he had received some communication from somewhere during the day, then locked himself in his room all day drinking without coming out.

Then that night, he suddenly left the Guizhou Branch.

Baek Li-jung had given clear orders about what unpredictable actions Baek Li-gwon might take. He was not to leave the Guizhou Branch until he returned.

Yet he had abandoned his post and left?

Baek Li-jung pressed his lips tightly together and listened to the warrior’s report.

According to his trusted aide who had been ordered to monitor him, the contents of the letter Baek Li-gwon received were…

‘Chae Ridge Mountain, Lan Family Village’

Just those six characters.

No further explanation was needed. Those short place names were far more effective than if a long story had been written.

If it had openly stated that the one who killed Zhuge Yan was there or something like that, it would have reeked strongly of being a lure. Even Baek Li-gwon would have been on guard first.

However, a letter with only that place name written on it must have given Baek Li-gwon room for all kinds of imagination and delusion.

Perhaps the enemy who killed Zhuge Yan might be there. He probably rushed out after rationalizing to himself that he would just go confirm whether they were there or not.

But the moment Baek Li-gwon rushed out, it was no longer a matter of simply confirming. The one who sent the letter must have had intentions, and Baek Li-gwon had fallen into their trap.

Baek Li-jung made a rumbling sound like lava boiling from anger.

“Where did the letter come from?”

The warrior who brought the urgent news answered with a pale face.

“They say there were not one but two letters that went out from the Guizhou Branch previously. One went toward Shandong’s secret lines, and the other went out but then came back into the Guizhou Branch under circumstances where tracking was impossible…”

Gulp, the warrior swallowed dry saliva and continued.

“That is believed to be the letter the eldest disciple received.”

Baek Li-jung glared at the warrior.

“Fools who can’t even properly track the routes information travels.”

“We’re sorry!”

Grind grind grind.

Baek Li-jung ground his teeth.

Originally, the trap Baek Li-jung had set was to catch someone else.

Wishful Fairy Maiden.

If she knew that Baek Li-jung was interested in Jin Ja-gang to the extent of giving him the grand title of Snake Scorpion Poison King, she would definitely appear.

She had been too bold and made contact just before Zhuge Yan appeared, ultimately failing, and the second time she didn’t fall for it even when he sent the Zhuge family…

But unexpectedly, now it seemed not Jin Ja-gang but his own eldest disciple would become the bait.

Right when he was in Jiangxi Province!

Wishful Fairy Maiden wouldn’t let this opportunity pass by.

Because she knew how much he cherished Baek Li-gwon.

Conversely, Baek Li-jung had to devise every means at his disposal to protect Baek Li-gwon.

“Immediately contact the Guizhou Branch and tell them to send all available forces. And tell the main family to provide support too. Hurry!”

The warrior couldn’t bring himself to say that even if they sent carrier pigeons now, Guizhou’s forces couldn’t arrive at Yunnan’s Lan Family Village in time. He just had to do as ordered.

“Yes sir!”

Even after the warrior rushed off, Baek Li-jung couldn’t suppress his anger.

He had a vague idea of who had sent such a letter to Baek Li-gwon.

Baek Li-jung emitted killing intent strand by strand.

Creak, crack.

He ground his teeth hard enough to shatter them.

“I’ll kill him…”

There was no need to say who that was directed at.

* * *

Clatter, clatter.

Mang Ryo was riding in a carriage, leaving Guizhou and heading somewhere.

“I wonder if he’s arrived by now?”

A pleased smile came to his face.

Baek Li-jung had used what the Zhuge family cherished most as bait to make the Zhuge family participate, and tried to draw in the evil faction’s Wishful Fairy Maiden by using what Mang Ryo cherished most as bait.

Jin Ja-gang was the precious prey that Mang Ryo cherished most, hated most, and simultaneously had deliberately left alone to eat last. That thing which had now somehow become almost identical to his own life – Baek Li-jung had tried to carelessly waste it like throwing away trash.

That was a very unpleasant and infuriating thing.

So Mang Ryo had also drawn out what Baek Li-jung cherished most.

“If you covet others’ things, you should know to offer up your own too.”

Mang Ryo laughed heartily.

He had leaked information to the evil faction, but at the same time sent a letter to Baek Li-gwon. He deliberately sent it around and around so Baek Li-jung couldn’t easily trace the letter’s source.

Thanks to this, now Baek Li-jung would have no choice but to move. Of course, he would have learned too late, and would definitely not be much help in this matter.

Instead, a new variable would be created. That would become an opportunity to save Jin Ja-gang.

Perhaps this incident would bring a bloody storm to the martial world…

Either way, it didn’t matter to Mang Ryo.

The martial world he had embraced had already disappeared along with his legs ten years ago.

“What a fine day. A perfect day for someone to shed tears of blood.”

Kekekeke!

Mang Ryo laughed loudly and lifted a gourd filled with alcohol, gulping it down.

In the distance ahead of the carriage, black smoke could be seen rising.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang thought he needed to escape from this place first.

The moment he faced him, his spine went cold.

It had been truly a long time since he felt this level of pressure.

Jeok Yul, whom he had faced earlier, had high martial arts but he hadn’t thought he couldn’t win. But this one was different.

An empty expression as if he had lost everything, with anger and killing intent contained within.

It was just like… his old self from long ago!

Other masters had regarded Jin Ja-gang very lightly. They thought trading Jin Ja-gang’s life for even one of their fingers was a waste. They acted without even considering risking their own lives. That’s why Jin Ja-gang could exploit those gaps to attack his opponents.

But this one was trying to kill Jin Ja-gang even if it meant sacrificing everything he had, not caring even about losing part of his body or his life.

That’s why Jin Ja-gang momentarily lost his fighting spirit.

Because he knew that if he faced him directly, he absolutely couldn’t win.

Even mobilizing everything he could do… even pushing himself to the extreme, there was no guarantee he could survive this opponent.

Jin Ja-gang burst out of the tea tree field and fled to a burning barn.

Then he transferred fire to straw piles that hadn’t caught fire yet to make the flames more fierce. Thinking the fire would hide Jin Ja-gang, he concealed himself behind it.

Soon the young man appeared.

Though filled with tremendous killing intent, his staggering walk was unmistakably that of a drunkard.

His face was very gaunt and he reeked of alcohol from heavy drinking, still not fully sober.

Jin Ja-gang drew in a breath and raised his internal energy.

Tremble.

His body shook.

Since he had already used it once before, all his muscles were screaming in pain.

Jin Ja-gang endured the pain and drew out long needles and skin needles in both hands, regulating his breathing.

The moment the target entered the range of his hidden weapon techniques, he threw four needles consecutively using Flying Thread Twelve Branches technique.

However, his figure suddenly disappeared.

Whoosh!

The poison needles that lost their target all missed. The young man was already floating in the air. He had leaped up a distance of six or seven zhang in one bound, flying all the way above Jin Ja-gang’s head!

Then he dropped straight down as if weights were attached to his legs.

Jin Ja-gang hastily rolled his body to escape from that spot.

CRASH!

There was tremendous impact and vibration as if a boulder had fallen from above. The burning straw scattered in all directions as if it had exploded.

Where the young man stood, the ground was deeply dented and the burning straw spread in a circle, scattering sparks as it burned.

“My name is Baek Li-gwon.”

The young man, Baek Li-gwon, spoke with somewhat slurred pronunciation due to alcohol.

Jin Ja-gang recognized that name.

Shin Yung had said it. Zhuge Yan and Baek Li-jung’s eldest disciple Baek Li-gwon were in love with each other.

That Baek Li-gwon had appeared here.

When Jin Ja-gang’s eyes wavered, Baek Li-gwon nodded.

“As expected, you know me. I’m glad I didn’t mistake the person…”

The rest was heard after Jin Ja-gang was sent flying.

Bang!

Jin Ja-gang didn’t even see it but felt something fly into his cheek, and immediately after realized the scenery was spinning round and round.

Crash thud thud!

Jin Ja-gang rolled several times. His cheek was numb and he saw stars.

“…Wow.”

Baek Li-gwon was lowering the leg he had used to kick Jin Ja-gang’s face.

Then he again carved a sword mark on his left chest.

Jin Ja-gang regained his senses amid the dizziness and saw that scene.

Why had Baek Li-gwon been continuously cutting his perfectly fine chest since earlier?

This time Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Why are you doing such a thing?”

Baek Li-gwon answered expressionlessly but with anger in his tone.

“Sister Yan… must have hurt much more than this.”

Hearing those words, Jin Ja-gang got up.

“Uaaaah!”

Suddenly Jin Ja-gang rushed at Baek Li-gwon like a madman. Even so, since he was limping and not using internal energy, it wasn’t great speed.

Jin Ja-gang drew his short knife and slashed at Baek Li-gwon’s stomach. But it was blocked by Baek Li-gwon all too futilely. His right hand was caught by Baek Li-gwon’s left hand. Jin Ja-gang hooked Baek Li-gwon’s knee.

Thwack! Thwack!

But Baek Li-gwon’s leg was as hard as an iron club. It didn’t budge. Baek Li-gwon twisted his body while lowering his posture and lifted Jin Ja-gang’s waist with his side.

Whoosh! Jin Ja-gang spun once in the air and was planted straight into the ground.

BANG!

“Kugh!”

Since his hand was caught, he couldn’t break his fall and took the full impact.

Baek Li-gwon kicked Jin Ja-gang’s side just like that. Jin Ja-gang rolled on the ground several times. His breath was completely blocked and he couldn’t breathe, just gasping.

Baek Li-gwon again carved a cut on his left chest. Blood flowed down like thread from the chest wound, staining his clothes.

Jin Ja-gang gasped for breath and barely managed to stand up.

Baek Li-gwon asked.

“Is this all you can do?”

Jin Ja-gang wiped the saliva and blood flowing from his mouth and looked straight at Baek Li-gwon.

“Do you think I harmed your lover?”

At those words, Baek Li-gwon’s eyes widened as if lit on fire.

“Don’t move your mouth carelessly. If you put Sister Yan’s name in that dirty mouth again, I’ll pull out your tongue first.”

“Don’t you want to know the whole story, but came to kill me?”

“That’s right.”

“Then I don’t need to bother persuading you.”

The corners of Baek Li-gwon’s mouth twitched.

“How dare…”

However, Jin Ja-gang wasn’t intimidated by Baek Li-gwon’s gaze.

He had just found Baek Li-gwon’s only weakness.

Jin Ja-gang suddenly turned and ran away.

Baek Li-gwon showed a murderous sneer.

“Clever… let’s see you try everything you can.”

But Jin Ja-gang wasn’t running away – he was going to find a position where he could win.

His cheek was burning and his mouth was torn. His ribs also ached as if cracked. But he hadn’t sustained any major injuries.

So he had deliberately rushed in to test him just now.

And he was certain.

That guy wasn’t using internal energy when hitting him!

Whether from arrogance or because he wanted to enjoy his revenge, that was certain. He was just striking with pure physical strength to cause Jin Ja-gang pain.

That was Baek Li-gwon’s weakness.

The only escape route for the current Jin Ja-gang to survive depended on that.