Chapter 108: Uninvited Guests Always Crash the Banquet (2)

San-wol Manor was a modest estate located on the outskirts of Yoyang. It was one of the properties belonging to Sa-ma Gyeong-won, the master of the Yoyang Sword Gate.

"How pleasant."

Han So-yu murmured as she surveyed San-wol Manor.

As befitting the estate of Yoyang's overlord, Sa-ma Gyeong-won, San-wol Manor was immaculately maintained and beautifully landscaped. Thanks to this, the martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect were able to rest in comfort.

Receiving meticulous hospitality and resting thoroughly, the fatigue accumulated during their journey had washed away.

"I wish my senior brothers and sisters could have been here too."

She regretted that Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong had been unable to come with them. But Han So-yu knew better than anyone that it could not be helped.

Mu-gyeong was the senior disciple who would lead the next generation of the Mount Hua Sect, and Un-gyeong was the prodigy who would help Mu-gyeong restore the sect to its former glory. If they were to leave their posts, the Mount Hua Sect's operations would suffer a serious blow.

They were already the pillars of the sect. They were central figures who could not, and should not, leave their positions lightly.

Han So-yu had come here in their stead. She could not help but feel the weight of that responsibility.

It was then.

"Martial Sister."

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke her reverie.

Han So-yu turned her head and saw Myeong-gyeong.

"What deep thoughts are you lost in? I called you several times and got no answer."

"Just this and that. But what is it, Junior Brother?"

"Nothing in particular."

Myeong-gyeong smiled brightly.

Looking at him, Han So-yu shook her head slightly.

Myeong-gyeong, who had become a first-generation disciple late in his training, was brimming with curiosity. Even after entering San-wol Manor, he was itching to go outside at every opportunity.

It seemed he had tried to endure for a day, but in the end, his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"You want to go out?"

"Wouldn't Martial Sister like to see the city of Yoyang?"

"Well…"

"Come on. Let's go together, Martial Sister."

"Sigh!"

At Myeong-gyeong's innocent words, Han So-yu let out a soft sigh. But she quickly nodded. She recalled Sage Hyeon-geom's instruction to allow Myeong-gyeong to gain as much experience as possible.

"All right. Let's go."

"Thank you, Martial Sister!"

Myeong-gyeong's face lit up. His joy lifted Han So-yu's spirits as well.

The two walked side by side as they exited San-wol Manor. Their destination was the bustling downtown of Yoyang.

Myeong-gyeong looked around and spoke.

"There are so many people here."

"All the eyes of the Murim are focused on this place. It can't be helped."

"Because of the Martial Alliance?"

"Shh!"

"Ah! It's still a secret, isn't it? I'm sorry."

"It will be known soon enough, but we still need to be careful for now."

"I understand."

Myeong-gyeong nodded obediently.

Though his martial arts were formidable, Myeong-gyeong was still more innocent than not. That was why he needed even more care and guidance.

In Myeong-gyeong's demeanor, Han So-yu saw the image of someone.

The image of a boy who had now been forgotten within the Mount Hua Sect.

'Cheong-gyeong.'

Thinking of him, she could not help but feel a lingering melancholy in one corner of her heart.

'When I return to Mount Hua, I should visit Sage Hyeon-so.'

She had not once visited Sage Hyeon-so's residence, always using busyness as an excuse. But Han So-yu knew. That it was nothing more than an excuse.

The truth was, she was afraid to face him.

Han So-yu knew well how deeply Sage Hyeon-so had cherished and loved his disciple Cheong-gyeong.

She did not have the courage to face the immense sense of loss he must have felt. That was why she had been avoiding him until now.

It was not only Han So-yu who felt this way.

Any disciple of the Mount Hua Sect—and particularly any first-generation disciple or above—would feel the same as she did.

"Martial Sister, let's go over there."

Once again, Myeong-gyeong's voice broke her reverie.

The place Myeong-gyeong pointed to was a fairly large restaurant near Dongting Lake. It was packed with customers.

The voices of the patrons filled the street, and a vitality that was difficult to describe emanated from within.

Myeong-gyeong was naturally drawn to such places.

"All right. Let's go."

Han So-yu followed Myeong-gyeong's lead.

"Welcome!"

The moment they entered the restaurant, a server greeted them.

"Are there any seats available?"

"There are some in the back, but as you can see, it's a bit noisy. Will that be all right?"

"That's fine."

"Then please follow me."

At Myeong-gyeong's response, the server led the way with a broad smile.

The server led them to a corner of the restaurant. As he had said, it was extremely noisy.

But Myeong-gyeong looked rather pleased. Han So-yu, on the other hand, let out a soft sigh.

"What would you like to order?"

"One noodle soup and one roast duck, please."

"Very well. Please wait a moment."

The server hurried to the kitchen.

After placing the order, Myeong-gyeong looked around with a curious expression. At every table, numerous patrons sat gathered in conversation.

Among them, the conversation of the merchants at the nearest table was particularly clear.

"Isn't it absolutely extraordinary?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Fist Demon, of course."

"Ah! The Fist Demon."

"He's completely unstoppable, isn't he?"

"Such a villain is extraordinary? Are you out of your mind?"

The gaunt merchant rebuked the stout merchant who had spoken first. But the stout merchant replied with a nonchalant expression.

"What? Do you disagree?"

"He destroyed the West Heaven Mountain Stronghold and inflicted great damage on the Crimson Cliff Mountain Stronghold. And now he has even killed the master of the Hyungsang Sect. He is clearly a great demon who will bring harm to the Murim. I cannot fathom why the Nine Great Sects do not rid the world of such a monster."

"Hmph! And do they have the ability?"

"Ability? If the Nine Great Sects lack ability, then what sect has it?"

"What have the Nine Great Sects done recently? After the great war against the Demonic Cult, they have done nothing but protect themselves. Can such people truly deal with the Fist Demon with their full strength?"

"Hmph! In the end, the Fist Demon is merely a single individual. Such a man cannot possibly challenge the Nine Great Sects, who stand at the pinnacle of the current Murim."

"You seem to have forgotten. Nam Hak, the senior disciple of the Kongtong Sect—one of the Nine Great Sects—was humiliated by him. If a few more years pass, he will surely achieve an attainment that surpasses the Grandmasters of the Nine Great Sects."

"Nonsense."

"Then shall we make a wager?"

"Very well! Let's wager."

The merchants' voices stimulated Myeong-gyeong's nerves.

He murmured in a low voice.

"The Fist Demon…"

"That name has been heard quite often lately."

A look of interest surfaced on Han So-yu's face as well.

Since entering Yoyang, the nickname she had heard most often was the Fist Demon.

The servants and warriors who managed San-wol Manor, as well as countless others, were all talking about the Fist Demon's martial prowess.

Though martial artists of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families were converging on Yoyang and Dongting Lake, to the people who actually lived here, the man called the Fist Demon was the bigger topic of conversation.

Whenever two or more people gathered, they talked about the Fist Demon, and the entire street was filled with his story.

What captured interest above all else was that he had defeated Nam Hak of the Kongtong Sect.

Nam Hak was one of the Azure Dragon.

He was a man who was recognized as a member of the Azure Dragon, just like Myeong-gyeong. By defeating such a man, the Fist Demon had earned a blazing reputation.

As a member of the Azure Dragon himself, Myeong-gyeong could not help but feel unsettled.

Moreover, his Master, Sage Hyeon-geom, had instructed him to subdue all of the Azure Dragon and proclaim the greatness of the Mount Hua Sect to the world.

"He, too, is one I must defeat."

Watching the competitive fire blaze in Myeong-gyeong's eyes, Han So-yu wore a troubled expression.

Behind that innocent face lurked a fierce competitiveness and a combative nature.

This had not been Myeong-gyeong's original personality. It was a temperament that had been forged after the fact.

By Sage Hyeon-geom himself.

Though he was her Martial Uncle, there were times when he was nothing short of terrifying.

'What on earth is Martial Uncle trying to do…?'

The product of Sage Hyeon-geom's obsession.

Every time Han So-yu looked at Myeong-gyeong, she had that thought. But she never allowed it to pass her lips.

After all, Myeong-gyeong was her junior brother and the future of the Mount Hua Sect.

Shortly after, the food arrived.

The noodle soup was clean and simple, and the roast duck was light and savory.

'I should bring others here sometime.'

Han So-yu thought this as she picked up her chopsticks. Myeong-gyeong also tasted the food with a faint smile.

"It's delicious."

"Mm!"

"What kind of person was Senior Brother Cheong-gyeong?"

"Hm?"

At Myeong-gyeong's unexpected question, Han So-yu stopped eating.

Myeong-gyeong smiled as he watched Han So-yu blink.

"I just heard about it by chance. That there was a man named Senior Brother Cheong-gyeong. He was someone who was here before I became a first-generation disciple, and I heard he was particularly close to you?"

"Sigh!"

At Myeong-gyeong's innocent question, Han So-yu let out a soft sigh.

She had never dreamed she would hear Cheong-gyeong's name from Myeong-gyeong's lips.

For some time, the name Cheong-gyeong had been something of a taboo within the Mount Hua Sect. The disciples were reluctant to mention it and simply treated him as though he had never existed.

"Who told you about it?"

"I told you, I just happened to hear it. But whenever I ask about it, everyone has the same reaction as you, Martial Sister."

"What reaction?"

"The expression that says you heard something you shouldn't have. That exact expression right now."

Han So-yu's pupils were trembling, and her teeth were clenched. It was an involuntary reaction.

Myeong-gyeong watched Han So-yu's face with evident amusement.

It was not often that cracks appeared in Han So-yu's usually composed expression.

Myeong-gyeong was enjoying the novelty of the experience.

After a long while, Han So-yu finally managed to speak.

"Cheong-gyeong is… the Mount Hua Sect's sore finger. No, I suppose I should say a finger that has been cut off."

"I'd like to hear more."

"Later."

"What?"

"I don't want to talk about it yet. Not yet… Just know that much."

"I see?"

"I'm sorry!"

"No, it's quite all right."

Myeong-gyeong smiled and shook his head. But his curiosity remained.

'Well, I'll find out eventually. It's not exactly important.'

While Myeong-gyeong was convincing himself—

"Sister! Martial Uncle!"

Suddenly, the restaurant door burst open and a second-generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, Won Yul, rushed in.

"There you are! I've been searching every inn in Yoyang without knowing you were here."

Seeing him rush in breathlessly, the two looked at him with puzzled expressions.

"What is it?"

"There's been a disaster."

"A disaster?"

"The martial artists of the Northern Peng Family, who were on their way here, have been ambushed and suffered near-total annihilation. Grand Sage Hyeon-mu has ordered you to come at once."

The two rose without another thought.

“Huh?”

“Where is that sweet fragrance coming from…?”

With a stifled groan, one person clutched his chest and collapsed.

“Kheok!”

Another person next to him also grabbed his chest with an extremely pained expression.

“When, when! Keu, keuuuk!”

These were people trained to endure pain. Yet the agony was so severe they couldn’t suppress their screams.

The remaining two martial artists were flustered.

The bamboo hat wearer spoke in an irritated tone.

“Give them Hand-Pinch Powder. You two as well. If you leave them like this, blood will leak from their heart and spleen and they’ll die.”

“Yes!”

The two martial artists quickly took out small bottles containing medicine and mixed Hand-Pinch Powder with rainwater. One portion they took themselves, and one portion they gave to their collapsed comrades.

The two poisoned martial artists kept vomiting blood before they could finally take the medicine.

The bamboo hat wearer watched them for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the direction Wei Zong had fled.

Wei Zong had secretly deployed Descending Poison before unleashing Great Roc Spreads Wings. It was truly a sinister move.

Since he had just deployed poison techniques simultaneously with Great Roc Spreads Wings against the limping one, no one thought that when Wei Zong unleashed Great Roc Spreads Wings, he would use poison, or that he would deploy Descending Poison beforehand.

Wei Zong had pretended to unfold Great Roc Spreads Wings, concealing his hand movements with his sleeves, then used internal energy to shoot invisible fine powder.

It was a hidden projectile.

He had mixed fine powder with the hidden projectile and fired it.

The bamboo hat wearer hadn’t seen it precisely either. He had simply drawn up his internal energy and blocked his breathing the moment he smelled it.

After that – that is, after the poison had already been scattered – the martial artists had entered, so two of them ended up poisoned.

If it hadn’t been raining, the poison would have spread much more widely and all four might have been poisoned.

The bamboo hat wearer rolled the poison energy he had slightly inhaled around in his mouth, gathered it in his saliva, and spat it out.

“Ptui.”

A little blood came out mixed with it.

“Not bad.”

Nevertheless, the bamboo hat wearer didn’t pursue Wei Zong and was merely watching his retreating figure.

Still with arms crossed… The rain was falling fiercely, and the fighting was intense.

Because of this, even though Wei Zong had shamelessly fled, he didn’t attract much attention.

Wei Zong ran at maximum speed using lightness skill.

He planned to cross through the inner courtyard of Poison Valley and escape over the mountain behind.

Splash! Splash!

Puddles had already formed everywhere due to the rain, so water splashed every time Wei Zong stepped.

Those last ones – the bamboo hat wearer and the four martial artists.

He felt like he had seen them somewhere before. But the blue thin-skin gloves they were wearing were too unfamiliar.

They were extremely expensive and special-looking gloves. Not the kind of gloves commonly used when handling poison in Yunnan.

‘Outsiders!’

This meant Wei Zong’s speculation that the righteous faction had brought in people from outside was correct.

The problem was who they were.

He couldn’t tell immediately. Perhaps they were people Wei Zong knew well.

In any case, since he had been properly backstabbed, he had no choice but to focus on escaping for now.

“These bastards are completely determined to eliminate our poison sects.”

Otherwise, the situation couldn’t have reached such an extreme point.

Where did it start going wrong?

What had they done wrong to end up in this state?

Wei Zong wiped his eyes with his hand as he ran. Since he had no eyebrows, rainwater kept flowing into his eyes.

He was bursting with rage.

His face being in this state. Poison Valley being destroyed. The Yunnan poison sects he had cultivated over many years being completely wiped out.

“I will never let this go! I’ll find them one by one and pickle them all!”

Wei Zong ground his teeth.

Grind, grind.

Fortunately, no pursuers were visible behind him yet.

There were few people around as well. It seemed everyone had fled when the fighting started.

Except for one servant leisurely carrying an A-frame in front.

‘Is that guy deaf? Why hasn’t he run away yet?’

The servant was wearing a rough straw raincoat made of woven hemp stalks, supporting himself with an A-frame pole, and wearing a bamboo hat woven from dwarf bamboo.

Wei Zong had absolutely no desire to let the pursuers know which direction he was fleeing. He couldn’t leave a witness.

Wei Zong flew like lightning and struck a palm blow at the back of the servant’s head.

Wei Zong had no particular thoughts. He just figured he’d smash the head in one blow and flee.

Wei Zong’s palm strike hit the bamboo hat.

Bang!

Rainwater splashed in a round sphere.

But there was nothing in front. He hadn’t hit anything. Wei Zong’s palm had only struck empty air.

Wei Zong couldn’t believe his eyes.

The person in the straw raincoat, whom he had thought was an ordinary servant, had twisted his body to avoid the palm strike.

Moreover, he hadn’t just avoided it but tried to grab Wei Zong’s forearm. Hook-like curved fingers climbed up Wei Zong’s hand.

“What?”

There are many dangerous blood vessels from the forearm to the elbow. If that part is grabbed, strength drains from the entire body and one is instantly subdued.

Wei Zong quickly bent his arm and spun his wrist in a circle. The person in the straw raincoat also spun his wrist following along, pressing his hand close.

Because of the rainwater, their touching hands slipped smoothly.

Wei Zong suddenly flicked his wrist and struck the person’s hand with the back of his own hand.

Smack!

The backs of their hands collided, but it sounded like hard wood hitting each other. Wei Zong’s face contorted.

‘What is this!’

The opponent’s martial power was considerable. Far from being an ordinary servant, he was a master beyond Wei Zong’s expectations.

Wei Zong flipped his palm and conversely tried to grab the person’s wrist. The person twisted his wrist to the side and pressed Wei Zong’s palm with his hand blade.

Wei Zong tried to curl his fingers to poke the person’s palm center. The person gathered his fingers as if making a fist and grasped tightly. Wei Zong and the person’s fingers became entangled.

Click.

Their hook-like hardened fingers caught each other.

Wei Zong applied force and pulled his fingers. With internal energy infused, it was enough force to pull out an ordinary person’s finger bones.

However, the person’s strength was also extraordinary.

Creak! Creak!

Both their fingers, with tendons protruding, made dull sounds as they caught against each other.

Wei Zong released the force from his hand. Like water draining between fingers, Wei Zong’s hand slipped out of the person’s grasp. The person immediately followed Wei Zong’s hand and flicked his fingers.

Wei Zong also curled his fingers and flicked his index finger together.

Snap!

Their finger joints collided. It hurt as if they would break, but he couldn’t stop.

The person continuously flicked his fingers, and Wei Zong met them in return.

Snap! Smack!

Wei Zong gritted his teeth. Though only their fingers had collided, his entire body resonated with vibrations.

Still, he couldn’t retreat.

Wei Zong and the person continued flicking their fingers.

Snap! Click! Click!

Their finger joints continuously collided in mid-air.

Bang! Pop!

Since their fingers contained internal energy, each collision sent the falling raindrops bouncing away in round waves.

What was even more surprising was that the person was still using only one hand. With his other hand, he was supporting himself with a staff used as an A-frame pole. Yet he was blocking Wei Zong’s two hands.

Snap! Click!

The impact reverberating through his fingers made all his body hair stand on end.

The first to let out a groan was not the person but Wei Zong.

“Kuk!”

A bone-breaking sound came from Wei Zong’s finger joints.

Crack!

Wei Zong’s index finger’s middle joint bent in a direction it shouldn’t bend. Then the middle finger joint that collided next also broke.

There was a clear difference in internal energy.

Wei Zong realized his spine was growing cold.

‘A master superior to me!’

This was an opponent he couldn’t defeat in normal hand-to-hand combat. Moreover, Wei Zong had to worry about pursuers. If he dragged out the time, it would be even more disadvantageous for Wei Zong.

Wei Zong quickly pressed below his cheek with the thumb of his good hand. A small molar broke with a snap. A poison pill that had been embedded under the broken molar rolled out.

Wei Zong dissolved the poison pill in his saliva and rolled it around in his mouth with the broken molar.

Gurgle.

Then he took a long breath and puffed his cheeks like blowing a whistle, then applied force all at once to try to spit out the molar… This was a move Wei Zong had prepared for the most urgent situations, and its power was not to be underestimated. He could pierce thick pig hide with the broken tooth and embed it in flesh. Human skin would be incomparable.

The sharply shot tooth would embed itself in the opponent’s vital point and instantly poison them.

But there was something Wei Zong hadn’t considered.

Because his face had melted, his lips had burned away, so he couldn’t gather air in his mouth.

Whoosh!

Air leaked through the hole in his cheek.

The moment Wei Zong realized his mistake, his hair stood on end.

Before he could even spit out the molar, the person’s palm touched Wei Zong’s face.

The iron-hard hand violently gripped Wei Zong’s face. Wei Zong’s face, with his nose already crushed and flesh melted, was very slippery. But the person’s fingers firmly embedded themselves in Wei Zong’s temples, forehead, and cheekbones.

The person pushed forward like this and slammed Wei Zong’s head into the ground.

Bang!

He struck so hard that Wei Zong flipped backward with his legs lifting up.

The person lifted Wei Zong again while still gripping his face.

Then slammed him down once more.

Bang!

When the person released his hand, Wei Zong could finally scream.

“Kheuk!”

The molar in his mouth had almost gone down his throat.

While Wei Zong couldn’t regain his senses, the person kicked Wei Zong’s side.

Wei Zong rolled over and fell face down. The person followed and grabbed Wei Zong’s left forearm. He gripped the Curved Pool acupoint that was indented beside the elbow.

His arm stiffened and Wei Zong lost strength throughout his body. In just one breath’s time, strength would drain from his entire body and he would be completely subdued.

Wei Zong forced himself to lift his waist and struck his left shoulder with his right hand.

Click, his shoulder dislocated.

Wei Zong had forcibly dislocated his left shoulder to prevent strength from draining from his entire body. At the same time, Wei Zong bit the broken molar with his front teeth. Then he gathered internal energy and concentrated it on his tongue, then strongly flicked the molar.

He had shot the molar by flicking his tongue, not with air.

The target was the knee of the person right in front of him. If the molar embedded itself between the cartilage below the knee, poison would spread instantly.

But absurdly, the molar Wei Zong had painfully spat out bounced off the person’s knee and flew away uselessly.

Click!

“Huh?”

A strange sound.

The person whose knee had been hit by the molar tilted his head.

“Hmm?”

Wei Zong stared at the person’s leg in bewilderment.

Something was strange.

The leg extending under the straw raincoat somehow looked hollow.

Soaked by rain and clinging to the leg… it somehow seemed like only bones remained.