Chapter 128: Disaster Arrives Without Warning (3)

Snap!

With a crisp sound, Namgung Su's head snapped to the side. The slap left his cheek swollen and red. He glared at the man who had struck him through gritted teeth.

"Uncle! How could you—"

"Do you have any idea what you have done?"

The one burning with fury at Namgung Su was none other than Namgung Chang.

"Uncle?"

"Did I not tell you to only locate her? Who ordered you to attack?"

Under Namgung Chang's wrathful gaze, Namgung Su shrank back. But there was no trace of remorse in his eyes.

"She resisted. I had no choice."

"You?"

"Then what was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to let her kill me?"

Namgung Su raised his voice. Namgung Chang's brow furrowed as he glared at his nephew. Namgung Su did not back down, returning his stare. At the sight of his nephew's defiant eyes—showing not a hint of remorse—Namgung Chang finally let out a sigh.

"Because of you alone, the Namgung Family may face the gravest crisis in its history."

"What are you saying? Over a mere Green Forest bandit, the Namgung Family—with its centuries of history and resources—should face a crisis?"

Namgung Su simply could not understand his uncle's concern. 'Uncle was broken that day. He is not the same man he once was.' Since his right arm had been broken and the Gold Sword Guard annihilated, Namgung Chang had changed. He had become passive and cautious—nothing like the ambitious man he once was. Namgung Su was disappointed. That was why he had disobeyed his uncle's orders and acted independently.

Namgung Chang rebuked his nephew.

"This is not just anyone—this is Hwang Hye-ryeong. If word of this gets out, do you think Hwang Gyeong-mun will stand idle? 岳yang will become a battlefield."

"So what? They're just a bandit horde. Can their strength compare to a noble family with centuries of heritage?"

"That 'mere bandit horde' numbers in the tens of thousands. Even ants can kill an elephant when they gather in sufficient numbers."

"We have the Murim Alliance."

"The Murim Alliance must contend with the Demonic Cult."

"The Alliance's strength is more than sufficient. It can handle the Green Forest as well."

"You—?"

Namgung Chang's eyes wavered. His once-sharp nephew had a heart demon dwelling within him. Though Namgung Su had always been headstrong, he had never been this far gone.

Namgung Chang closed his eyes. 'What is done is done. It cannot be undone now.' He had to make a decision. In the span of a moment, countless possibilities flashed through his mind. Then, gritting his teeth, he opened his eyes.

"Request the Murim Alliance to deploy the net of heaven and earth."

"Uncle!"

"We must capture Hwang Hye-ryeong. Only then can we negotiate with Hwang Gyeong-mun."

"Understood."

"If you disobey my orders again, you will face severe punishment—no matter that you are the Family Head's son."

"Do not worry. I will not disappoint you."

Namgung Su answered confidently. A smile spread across his face. But Namgung Chang's gaze remained distrustful. He felt inexplicably uneasy. It was not simply because of Namgung Su's obstinacy. A nameless dread was seeping up from the very depths of his heart.

'Why? What is this feeling?' Even after Namgung Su left, Namgung Chang's expression did not ease.

"Whew!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong let out a deep sigh. Muk Il-gwang watched her with a pained expression. Hwang Hye-ryeong's body bore over a dozen minor wounds. This was only because Muk Il-gwang had fought with every fiber of his being to protect her. His own body was covered in wounds, large and small. It was only his powerful physique and internal energy that allowed him to endure this much. Otherwise, many of his injuries would have made movement impossible.

"Are you all right, my lady?"

"I'm fine. It's you who has suffered, Il-gwang."

"No. It is my inadequacy that has caused you suffering. I am sorry."

Muk Il-gwang bit his lip. They were currently in a small mud hut in the slums on the outskirts of 岳yang. True to the nature of a slum, the area was overflowing with filth and reeked with a foul stench. The streets swarmed with rats and vermin, and dangerous criminals lurked everywhere—a place no ordinary person would set foot.

Someone opened the door and entered.

"Sister."

It was Eun So-cheong.

"So-cheong!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong's face brightened. The mud hut was a safehouse that Eun So-cheong had secretly arranged. The day before, Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang had finally managed to make contact with Eun So-cheong. She had hidden them here and gone out to survey the situation within 岳yang.

"How does it look?"

"Bad."

"How bad?"

"The net of heaven and earth has been deployed."

"Mm!"

A sigh escaped Hwang Hye-ryeong's lips.

"At first, only the Five Great Families were moving. Now the Nine Great Sects have joined as well. It is as though the entire Murim Alliance is in motion."

Eun So-cheong's expression was dark as she answered. She had struggled to find a way to extract Hwang Hye-ryeong from 岳yang. If she could have used the Silver Saber Pavilion's resources, it would have been ideal—but she could not. The Silver Saber Pavilion was also a member of the Murim Alliance. A misstep could bring disaster upon the pavilion. Eun So-cheong could not act openly, and so she too was moving in secret.

"One thing is certain—the longer you stay here, the more disadvantageous it becomes. It is only a matter of time before this location is discovered."

"How did my whereabouts become known?"

"Someone tipped off the Namgung Family."

"A tip-off?"

Hwang Hye-ryeong's brow furrowed.

"Do we know the identity of the informant?"

"I haven't been able to find out yet."

"Mm!"

"We must leave here quickly."

"But how?"

"I have a carriage waiting on the outskirts of 岳yang."

"A carriage?"

"It was arranged by the Haowu Gate, so you can trust it."

"Thank you, So-cheong. You must have gone through a great deal of trouble."

Hwang Hye-ryeong grasped Eun So-cheong's hand. Though the entire world had turned against her, this young sister had not abandoned her loyalty. Hwang Hye-ryeong was deeply moved.

"Do not thank me yet. If we cannot leave this place, the carriage will be of no use."

"Right!"

As Hwang Hye-ryeong nodded with a resolute face—

"My lady!"

Jong Ri-su, who had been standing guard outside, burst in.

"What is it?"

"Martial artists from the Murim Alliance have begun searching the slums. It is only a matter of time before they find us. We must leave immediately."

Jong Ri-su's face was frantic. The enemy's net was tightening like a fishing net sweeping the floor. Even as they spoke, the enemy was drawing closer. Hwang Hye-ryeong looked at Eun So-cheong.

"You must go, So-cheong."

"But…"

"If they discover your connection to me, the Silver Saber Pavilion will not escape unscathed. Go."

"Sister!"

"I am all right. You have done more than enough."

Hwang Hye-ryeong patted Eun So-cheong's shoulder. Eun So-cheong's shoulders trembled. She was frustrated by her own helplessness and grieved that she could do no more.

"Let us meet again someday."

Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang left first, to ease Eun So-cheong's burden. Eun So-cheong stared blankly at the door through which they had departed. Jong Ri-su urged her.

"My lady! We must go."

"Yes."

In the end, Eun So-cheong left the mud hut with Jong Ri-su. Shortly after they departed, the Murim Alliance's tracking party burst into the hut.

"They have already escaped."

The young man in his late twenties who led the tracking party spoke. It was Namgung Su.

"Rats."

Namgung Su gritted his teeth. The slums were a place he never wished to visit again—filthy beyond measure. For a man who prized cleanliness, it was a living nightmare. On the way here, the stench and filth had made him shudder more times than he could count.

"I will not let them go. How dare a mere Green Forest bandit cause trouble in the very heart of the Murim Alliance."

To Namgung Su, who had always regarded Green Forest bandits as vermin, Hwang Hye-ryeong was an object of pure hatred. Because of her, he was suffering in this wretched place with his clothes soiled. Just as Namgung Su was burning with fury—

"This is it! They are here!"

Suddenly, the entire slum erupted in commotion. Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang's presence had been exposed. Namgung Su's expression changed.

"Pursue them!"

He hurriedly led his tracking party toward the disturbance.

"Ugh!"

His face twisted in horror. The slums had been devastated. The mud huts, crudely constructed from wood, had been reduced to mere traces. Bodies lay scattered everywhere. They were all members of the tracking party dispatched by the Murim Alliance—and most of them were men Namgung Su knew personally.

"Ho-cheong, Mun-il…"

Though the Murim Alliance had not been officially inaugurated, these were men who had gathered under its banner and shared drinks together. The last time they had shared a drink was only a few days ago, and now they lay as cold corpses on the ground. These were men who should never have died like this. The muscles in Namgung Su's jaw twitched. He was already consumed by rage.

"I'll kill them."

His hand tightened on his sword when—

"Kyaaah!"

A scream rang out nearby.

"This way!"

Namgung Su led his tracking party around the corner. In a clearing, they saw Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang locked in a fierce battle with the Alliance's warriors. Hwang Hye-ryeong's movements were agile and formidable, but it was Muk Il-gwang who truly dominated the field. Wielding his two massive axes with ease, he butchered the Alliance warriors like a human butcher. Thick blood dripped from the great axes—most of it belonging to the Alliance warriors, though some was Muk Il-gwang's own.

"Haaah!"

Muk Il-gwang's rough breath escaped through gritted teeth. He had tried to break free, but they had been caught by the Alliance warriors after all. The result was the scene before him. He had already felled dozens of enemies, but the enemy kept pouring out like ants from a nest.

"Kill that brute!"

Namgung Su ordered the tracking party.

"Uwaaaah!"

"He is exhausted too!"

The tracking party charged at Muk Il-gwang and Hwang Hye-ryeong in unison. In that instant, Muk Il-gwang summoned every last shred of his power and swept his axes in a great arc.

Hooong!

A powerful wave of axe qi erupted and swept across the surroundings. It was the Blood Moon Piercing Slaughter technique. As devastating as it was, it consumed an extraordinary amount of energy—but this was no time to be selective.

"Kuaaah!"

"Guh!"

In an instant, over a dozen warriors were cut in two and tumbled to the ground. The severed torsos spilled their entrails, blood pooled on the ground, and men groaned in agony. It was a vision of hell itself. But the one who had created this hellscape—Muk Il-gwang—was ashen-faced. The sheer volume of energy expended had pushed him into a state of temporary exhaustion. His massive body swayed for a moment, and in that instant, a figure crept up behind him.

"Il-gwang!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong screamed at the sight. Muk Il-gwang tried to turn around, but—

Thud!

A searing pain suddenly shot through his waist. The lurking figure had plunged a dagger into him.

"Grrk!"

Muk Il-gwang staggered and swung his axe at the shadowy figure. But the ambusher had already retreated.

"Heh heh."

The one who had struck was none other than Namgung Su.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Shin Yung woke up feeling suffocated as if his throat was completely blocked by blood.

Inside the damp and dark cave. He was sitting leaning against the wall.

Zhuge Yan was lying beside him.

“Young… Young Lady…”

Shin Yung tried to move but felt terrible pain and clutched his stomach. His internal organs felt like they were being torn apart. His dantian was in ruins as expected. It was damaged to the point where he could barely use internal energy.

Dizziness washed over him and his mind became hazy.

“Urgh!”

When he retched, pitch-black blood clots the size of fingernails came spewing out.

“Huff, huff…”

“It’s been two days.”

At the suddenly heard voice, he raised his head with sunken eyes and saw Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang was coming in with a blade of grass in his mouth and a bunch of medicinal herbs in his hands.

Jin Ja-gang set down the herbs in front of Shin Yung.

“If you chew them, the pain will lessen somewhat.”

Shin Yung didn’t even touch them.

“Young Lady is…”

“Alive. For now.”

“Why… didn’t you kill us?”

“I’m not the one who poisoned you.”

Shin Yung thought Jin Ja-gang was still spouting nonsense even in this situation.

“Ridiculous. If Snake Scorpion Poison King denies using poison, you expect me to believe that…”

“I don’t know what poison you were affected by. That’s why I intend to save you.”

“What nonsense!”

Shin Yung ground his teeth and glared at Jin Ja-gang, then suddenly understood the meaning of what Jin Ja-gang was saying.

“Don’t tell me… you mean someone else tried to kill me and Young Lady?”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t answer, but Shin Yung could understand that it was sufficient agreement.

“Why?”

“That’s what I’ve been waiting to find out.”

“Someone targeted us? Who would dare target people of the Zhuge family!”

Shin Yung’s voice trembled with anger. But after shouting, he coughed and vomited blood.

“Cough, cough!”

It was unfortunate, but this wasn’t something Jin Ja-gang could answer for him.

“Since you’ve awakened, I’m thinking of going down to the village now. I’m considering calling a physician.”

Shin Yung, who had vomited blood once more, asked incredulously.

“You’re saying you’ll call a physician for us… cough, cough.”

“If we’re lucky, someone in the village will see me, and then contact might reach the Zhuge family so you might survive. Even if not, if a physician comes, your chances of survival will be much greater.”

Since watchers were spread throughout every village, that would naturally happen.

But Shin Yung was thinking something else.

If there were people who were determined to kill them, they wouldn’t just let Jin Ja-gang call a physician.

They would surely try to clean things up somehow before that happened.

“While leaving us here like this?”

“I won’t leave you unprotected.”

“I’m fine either way. But Young Lady alone…”

Jin Ja-gang set down a sword that the Zhuge family warriors had been carrying in front of Shin Yung.

“What’s this?”

“After I leave, you’ll have to take care of things yourself.”

At Jin Ja-gang’s firm words, Shin Yung gritted his teeth.

“What exactly… are you? What are you to be doing such absurd things?”

“I already told you. A descendant of Hundred Flower Valley.”

It was an answer he’d heard several times.

“I don’t understand. How someone as weak as you got involved in something like this. How you could have done such things to the poison sects! No matter how messed up the poison sects were, it doesn’t make sense that they died to you.”

“By your standards, I’ve never fought an enemy weaker than myself until now.”

Shin Yung gritted his teeth from pain and continued speaking.

“With that level of skill, you would have died a hundred times over not just at Poison Valley but even at Shadow Bureau.”

“Of course luck helped too. But even with luck on my side, I had to risk my life every time. I could only kill my opponents and survive by pushing myself to the limit.”

“Didn’t you kill them cowardly by putting poison in food or something?”

Jin Ja-gang stared directly at Shin Yung.

“Would that not be allowed?”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang looked at the bewildered Shin Yung and said.

“Isn’t the division of strength and weakness by martial arts alone just the standard in the martial world?”

“What sophistry.”

“Before being a martial artist or someone of the jiangh, I was in a relationship of enmity where I had to kill or be killed by my enemies. Besides surviving, do I need to prove my strength in any other way?”

Shin Yung silently stared at Jin Ja-gang.

He had no choice but to acknowledge Jin Ja-gang’s words.

In martial arts, Zhuge Yan and himself were several times stronger than Jin Ja-gang, but now and later, the only one who could stand intact was Jin Ja-gang alone.

Whether that was because he had fallen into someone’s scheme or not.

This time Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Did you think you were strong?”

“What do you mean?”

“While thinking I was strong enough to annihilate Poison Valley and Shadow Bureau, did you think you were strong enough to come capture me with just this number of people?”

Shin Yung frowned and answered.

“Even so, Yunnan is just a frontier martial world. If we just watch out for poison…”

“So you took hostages. To prevent me from using poison freely.”

Shin Yung was too ashamed to answer. It was something he had continuously thought orthodox faction people shouldn’t do.

“Where did the Poison Avoidance Pills you ate come from?”

“Those were issued before departing from the Alliance.”

Shin Yung’s eyebrows contorted.

“What are you suspecting? Don’t tell me what you said about Hero Baek was true?”

Jin Ja-gang sensed a strange nuance in Shin Yung’s tone.

“Do you have reason to suspect Baek Li-jung?”

“Hmm.”

Shin Yung pondered whether to speak or not, then said.

“Originally, Young Lady and Hero Baek’s eldest disciple Baek Li-gwon admire each other.”

“But why did you think Baek Li-jung might have done harm?”

“The Baek family… originally had someone else in mind as Baek Li-gwon’s match.”

“In the Central Plains, is it okay to just kill people if you don’t like their arranged match?”

“That can’t be! What do you think the martial world is…”

“A hungry ghost hell.”

Shin Yung closed his mouth at Jin Ja-gang’s chilling statement.

Jin Ja-gang continued.

“I can only hope it’s not. Even if it makes my revenge somewhat more difficult.”

“You’re insane.”

Instead of answering, Jin Ja-gang wore a bitter smile.

“After I go outside, you may flee if you want, or just stay. Either way, do as you please.”

Shin Yung closed his eyes.

He was lost in thought.

Jin Ja-gang waited until Shin Yung finished thinking.

After a long while, Shin Yung opened his eyes and asked.

“I’m ashamed to ask, but I’ll request this. If you want to save Young Lady… what would be best?”

“If it were me, I would stay here. But I can’t guarantee even that.”

“What should I do?”

“Try your best.”

“At what?”

“To survive.”

“To survive…”

When would someone from the Zhuge family have heard such words? The fact that he was cornered enough to have to fight to survive came to him with skin-piercing reality.

“I understand.”

Shin Yung, who had answered, coughed. Blood appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Jin Ja-gang looked at Shin Yung briefly, then left the cave as he was.

* * *

Eyes glinting in the bushes followed Jin Ja-gang’s movements.

It had been two days since the masked person had been watching Jin Ja-gang’s actions from here.

Seeing that Jin Ja-gang wasn’t carrying a bag unlike usual, it was certain he wasn’t going to gather herbs. With light attire heading toward the village below the mountain, he was probably going to call someone.

Then he wouldn’t return in a short time.

Now was the time to carry out the order.

The masked person confirmed Jin Ja-gang’s figure disappearing down the mountain, then stood up.

Walking carefully without making footsteps, he went to the cave entrance.

It was bright outside and dark inside the cave, so the interior wasn’t visible. In such cases, one could be ambushed, so entry had to be cautious.

Hesitation.

The masked person suddenly stopped walking. A terribly rotten smell was rising from beneath his feet. It was a smell like decaying animal carcasses.

‘Poison?’

Various grasses were scattered on the floor of the cave entrance, and the smell was rising from there. The masked person immediately drew up internal energy and blocked his breathing.

That Jin Ja-gang had scattered poison before leaving was not a bad sign. It was proof that Zhuge Yan and Shin Yung were still alive. He could take this opportunity to kill them completely.

‘To think he didn’t kill them but kept them alive.’

The masked person, who had been thinking briefly, moved his head left and right making cracking sounds.

Then he just strode inside. Since they were opponents who couldn’t move properly due to poisoning anyway, he thought there was no need to waste too much time.

The moment he entered the darkness of the cave, a sword came flying.

Swish!

The masked person saw the brief flash of sword light and quickly used footwork. He twisted his body diagonally and stuck to the cave wall.

Slash! Shin Yung’s attack barely missed. Since it was an attack with all his strength, it was very threatening even though he had anticipated it. If he had been a little late, his stomach would have been split.

Shin Yung gasped for breath and retreated.

“Huff, huff! Huff… huff!”

The masked person also briefly closed and opened his eyes to accustom them to the darkness. Shin Yung had fled to the inner part of the cave, and behind him, Zhuge Yan could be seen lying down.

“To be able to move this much when all five organs must be damaged is impressive. Is it thanks to the Spirit Capturing Pill?”

The masked person was speaking when he felt the rotten smell again and closed his mouth. The cave was full of an unidentifiable rotten smell. Rather than doing the stupid thing of getting poisoned by talking unnecessarily, he decided to keep his mouth shut entirely.

“You… who are you!”

Shin Yung ground his teeth.

He had been half-believing Jin Ja-gang’s words. But an assassin had really appeared to kill Shin Yung and Zhuge Yan.

“Was sending us here planned from the beginning for this?”

The masked person approached Shin Yung without answering. Since he was holding his breath, he was thinking of finishing this as quickly as possible.

The masked person extended his fist toward Shin Yung.

“I won’t die quietly!”

Shin Yung forcibly drew up internal energy. The poison that had been quiet flared up, twisting his internal organs and causing blood to flow backward up his throat.

It wasn’t healed but just barely holding back the poisoning.

Shin Yung’s body swayed as he vomited blood clots.

Thwack!

The masked person’s fist struck Shin Yung’s shoulder. The fist was driven into his shoulder.

“Kheuk!”

Even in the midst of this, Shin Yung switched the sword to his other hand and swung it. The masked person stepped on the cave wall and leaped, avoiding the sword and reaching down from above. Shin Yung’s head was caught in the masked person’s hand.

If the masked person applied just a little force to his hand, Shin Yung’s neck bones would snap immediately.

Then Zhuge Yan opened her eyes.

Zhuge Yan sprang up like lightning and swung her soft sword toward the masked person hanging upside down in the air.

“Die!”

Clatter clatter clack!

The masked person couldn’t kill Shin Yung and did a backflip. The masked person put his hand in his chest while in mid-air and pulled it out.

Ping!

Three thin thread-like lines crossed the cave. Shin Yung fell backward like sitting down hard to avoid them. The thread-like line grazed past his nape.

However, Zhuge Yan couldn’t avoid it. The thread-like lines pierced long into Zhuge Yan’s thigh and forearm.

They were definitely poison needles. But Zhuge Yan disregarded her own injuries and charged at the masked person.

“Die! Die!”

“Young Lady!”