Chapter 60

Mang Ryo was able to deduce one additional detail from the scene at the Stone Forest Gang’s manor.

The fact that Jin Ja-gang had used not only arsenic but also cinnabar poison together suggested that he didn’t have much arsenic left to use freely.

If he had an abundance of arsenic, there would have been no need for additional elements like tea leaves or mugwort; he could have simply killed everyone with arsenic alone.

Jin Ja-gang’s arsenic was not ordinary arsenic. It was an arsenic poison so potent that even Mang Ryo shuddered at its strength. The fact that almost none of this poison remained was, in itself, an advantage for Mang Ryo.

Mang Ryo stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Well then, the key now is to figure out where you went after leaving the Stone Forest Gang.”

His gaze fell on the corpse lying closest to the entrance.

It was Jo Yang, who had served as the leader of the Stone Forest Gang.

“Jo Yang, dead Jo Yang. Tell me, where did Jin Ja-gang go?”

The corpse, of course, remained silent.

Mang Ryo continued to ponder deeply.

‘How much did Jo Yang reveal? How much of the full story did Jin Ja-gang manage to uncover?’

The answer to that would determine Jin Ja-gang’s next move. Mang Ryo needed to predict Jin Ja-gang’s path and prepare accordingly.

‘The place he’ll head to next is…’

Jin Ja-gang was the type to repay in kind what he received.

If Jin Ja-gang had obtained enough information to act, there was a high likelihood that his next target would be Poison Valley, the faction that had ordered the destruction of the mine shaft.

In comparison, Iron Umbrella Sect and Shadow Bureau would likely be lower on his priority list, as they had less direct connection to Hundred Flower Valley.

However, attacking Poison Valley would be extremely difficult for Jin Ja-gang. Poison Valley was, in essence, the de facto leader of Yunnan’s Five Great Poison Sects. It was on an entirely different level from eliminating the rabble of the Stone Forest Gang.

But then, a sudden thought struck Mang Ryo.

Jo Yang had an unexpected streak of stubbornness. One could call it tenacity in a positive light, or recklessness in a negative one. Mang Ryo had exploited that very trait to incite Jo Yang into rebellion.

This led to a new question.

‘Did Jo Yang actually talk? Did he reveal that Poison Valley gave the order?’

If he hadn’t spoken, Jin Ja-gang’s path would need to be reconsidered from scratch.

‘This is getting unnecessarily complicated.’

Mang Ryo wandered the scene, lost in thought.

Before long, however, his musings were interrupted by the arrival of others.

Three experts from Yunnan’s poison sects entered the manor.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Elder Mang, the first from Yunnan to rise to prominence in the Martial Arts Alliance,” said Do Nam-gi, an elder from Iron Umbrella Sect, one of Yunnan’s remaining Three Great Poison Sects after the fall of Stone Forest Gang.

Iron Umbrella Sect was a faction that used iron umbrellas as weapons, and its members, regardless of rank, always carried umbrellas of varying sizes.

Gu Sang-wol, an expert from Shadow Bureau, also nodded in greeting to Mang Ryo. Shadow Bureau was known for its assassin-like operations, renowned for moving in secrecy compared to other poison sects.

Their presence here today was, in itself, unusual. Perhaps it reflected the gravity they assigned to the annihilation of Stone Forest Gang.

Lastly, Noh Yuk, an expert from Poison Valley, looked at Mang Ryo and offered a greeting.

Mang Ryo straightened up, tucking his crutches under his arms, and returned a fist-and-palm salute to the three experts.

“Ho ho, so all of the Three Great Poison Sects have come out.”

Do Nam-gi from Iron Umbrella Sect sniffed audibly. He had a peculiar appearance with a fist-sized nose, and he had a habit of frequently sniffing and touching it.

“You’ve practically become a full-fledged member of the Martial Arts Alliance, haven’t you?”

He was referring to Mang Ryo’s fist-and-palm salute. Members of poison sects typically kept their hands hidden in their sleeves.

Their sleeves often concealed all sorts of poisons and hidden weapons, and performing a fist-and-palm salute with both hands would leave them unable to react quickly in an emergency, so they habitually avoided it.

Mang Ryo let out a hearty laugh.

“I’m just offering a greeting, not using my hands for anything else. Is there any reason I can’t perform a salute?”

It wasn’t an incorrect statement, but inwardly, Mang Ryo smirked. The reason he performed the salute was out of confidence that he could handle these three even with both hands occupied. Of course, they had no idea of Mang Ryo’s true thoughts.

Gu Sang-wol from Shadow Bureau spoke up.

“As you can see, the Stone Forest Gang has been completely annihilated. We arrived the day before and have been observing since, but we’ve found nothing new.”

Do Nam-gi asked Mang Ryo directly.

“Sniff, what’s the Martial Arts Alliance’s view on this?”

At that, both Gu Sang-wol and Noh Yuk turned their attention to Mang Ryo.

The Stone Forest Gang was both a Yunnan poison sect and a member faction of the Martial Arts Alliance. To annihilate the Stone Forest Gang was tantamount to declaring war on both entities simultaneously.

For the Martial Arts Alliance, which encompassed over seventy percent of the current martial world’s factions, failing to resolve this matter would be a significant blow to their reputation.

But for Yunnan’s poison sects, it was far more serious than a mere matter of face. This wasn’t the first time a Yunnan poison sect had been attacked.

Less than ten years after the Extreme Poison Sect’s annihilation, the same thing had happened again. Who could say whether their own sect would be next?

“Hmm.”

As Mang Ryo appeared to be on the verge of speaking but remained silent, Do Nam-gi pressed him.

“Elder Mang, now’s not the time to hold back. Though you’re with the Martial Arts Alliance now, you’re still of poison sect origin, aren’t you? Tell us straight-what does the Alliance think? Sniff.”

There was a reason Do Nam-gi kept pressing for the Martial Arts Alliance’s stance. He believed the attack on the Stone Forest Gang was tied to the Alliance’s internal politics.

Mang Ryo laughed inwardly.

‘If you think that way, it makes things easier for me.’

But outwardly, he said something different.

“Of course, I’m of poison sect origin. That’s a fact that won’t change until the day I die…”

At that moment, Mang Ryo suddenly realized something.

Jin Ja-gang’s next move.

Mang Ryo stopped mid-sentence and looked down at his own arm.

Goosebumps rose on his skin!

It was a kind of evidence proving that his thoughts were not mistaken.

Abruptly, Mang Ryo turned the question back to Do Nam-gi.

“By the way, how did you come to be here, Brother Do?”

“I came on the sect leader’s orders after hearing there was trouble at the Stone Forest Gang.”

Mang Ryo asked the same question of the other two. They gave similar answers.

Do Nam-gi, puzzled, asked why he was inquiring.

“Is it strange that we’re here? The Stone Forest Gang is like our brothers. If we, fellow poison sects, didn’t come when they were attacked, wouldn’t that be the strange thing?”

“Indeed, indeed. As brothers, it’s only natural for you all to come check on the Stone Forest Gang after they’ve been harmed.”

Mang Ryo nodded.

It was a word that could help predict where Jin Ja-gang’s arrow of vengeance would point next. Unconsciously, Mang Ryo let out a faint smile.

Noh Yuk from Poison Valley frowned and urged him.

“Don’t just smile to yourself-say something. What’s the Martial Arts Alliance’s stance?”

“Ah, my apologies.”

Mang Ryo pretended to choose his words carefully before speaking slowly.

“It seems this incident was orchestrated by opposing forces within the Martial Arts Alliance. That’s the view from the Alliance.”

Since Mang Ryo was an investigator representing the Martial Arts Alliance, his words carried weight.

Noh Yuk from Poison Valley ground his teeth.

“Didn’t they say all the disloyal elements within the Alliance had been purged?!”

Mang Ryo continued to smirk inwardly.

After all, eight years ago, no one had believed Mang Ryo’s claim that Jin Ja-gang was responsible for the destruction of the Extreme Poison Sect.

So, Mang Ryo had changed his approach.

He gave them the answer they wanted to hear.

More precisely, it was the answer Baek Li-jung wanted.

Mang Ryo had altered his testimony, claiming that the opposing faction within the Martial Arts Alliance had attacked the Extreme Poison Sect instead of Jin Ja-gang.

In return, Baek Li-jung had eliminated his opposition, and Mang Ryo had gained entry into the Martial Arts Alliance.

Noh Yuk’s earlier comment about the disloyal elements within the Alliance being purged referred to exactly that.

These poison sect members believed the destruction of the Extreme Poison Sect was the work of a faction within the Martial Arts Alliance opposed to the poison sects.

Mang Ryo adjusted his tone and spoke.

“I thought so too. But it seems some remnants remained.”

Do Nam-gi also expressed his anger. Fiddling with his nose, he shouted.

“Why do they keep targeting us! They use us when it suits them, and now this!”

Mang Ryo, too, put on an angry expression as he spoke.

“Brothers, trust me. I will get to the bottom of this and ensure that the traitors within the Martial Arts Alliance who targeted our Yunnan poison sects are brought to justice. If I can’t appease the wronged spirits of the Stone Forest Gang’s warriors, I’ll offer my own neck!”

Mang Ryo’s resolute declaration was highly effective. The three poison sect experts, moved by his pledge to stake his life on the matter, nodded silently with tight lips.

“So, I ask the three of you to do your utmost to protect the evidence here from being tampered with by anyone. As soon as my investigation is complete, I will return to the Alliance and submit my report immediately.”

“Understood.”

“With us here, no one will tamper with the evidence.”

However, Mang Ryo had no interest in Baek Li-jung’s opposition or his position within the Martial Arts Alliance.

For Mang Ryo, the only thing that mattered was Jin Ja-gang.

Everything that would unfold from now on would revolve solely around Jin Ja-gang.

If it meant tormenting Jin Ja-gang to death, Mang Ryo was willing to sacrifice the entire martial world as an offering.

The grand beginning of his revenge.

Very soon, that starting point would open.

Mang Ryo glanced at the three poison sect experts surveying the scene and stroked the eye he had lost to burns.

It had been stinging since earlier.

The reason for that was obvious, even without saying it.

“Well now, who will be the first?”

Fortunately, none of the three heard Mang Ryo’s muttering.

* * *

The experts from Iron Umbrella Sect, Shadow Bureau, and Poison Valley weren’t the only ones dispatched to the Stone Forest Gang.

Warriors tasked with various duties were also sent, some guarding the lodgings while others roamed the village, questioning residents about anything they might have witnessed.

Two warriors from Poison Valley were among them.

The warriors kicked at the door of a house.

“Anyone in there, come out!”

A middle-aged man emerged, trembling with fear, and opened the door.

“W-what’s the matter?”

“Have you seen any suspicious people recently?”

“Suspicious people? N-no, I haven’t. On the day the manor burned, I was so scared I just hid.”

The warrior with slit-like eyes glared at the man intimidatingly.

“Speak properly, will you?”

“I-I don’t even know what happened that day!”

The bald warrior from Poison Valley beside him bared his teeth and joined in the intimidation.

“Think hard. These are the people who dared to attack our brothers. If you’re hiding anything, you’ll regret it.”

“Eek! Why would I lie?”

At that moment, a young warrior from Iron Umbrella Sect dressed in green passed by. His face was so covered in soot that it was hard to make out his features, as if he had been doing something messy.

The young warrior noticed the two from Poison Valley and spoke to them.

“You’re working hard. Have you found anything out? I… I got scolded for not finding anything.”

“Tsk Tsk. Poor young friend from Iron Umbrella Sect. We haven’t found anything yet either. We’re shaking down everyone one by one.”

“Sigh, I see.”

The soot-covered young warrior from Iron Umbrella Sect nodded to the Poison Valley warriors and continued on his way.

Limp, limp.

At that moment, the middle-aged man, watching the young warrior’s retreating figure, seemed to recall something and spoke up.

“Ah… Now that I think about it, there was a beggar from out of town a while back. Hardly any outsiders come to our village, so I thought it was odd…”

“What? A beggar? Not a group, just one person?”

“Yes. Just one.”

“Tell us more!”

“Well…”

The man grimaced as if struggling to remember, then continued.

“He looked completely like a beggar… but seemed young…”

“And?”

“I remember he was limping.”

“Limping?”

“Yes. Like that warrior who just passed by.”

“What? The one behind us?”

A chill ran down the spines of the slit-eyed warrior and the bald warrior from Poison Valley, and they turned around simultaneously.

The young warrior from Iron Umbrella Sect, whom they thought had passed by, was standing behind them, looking up at them.

Smiling, with white teeth gleaming.