Chapter 140: The Wind Relentlessly Shakes the Branches of the Great Tree (3)

Mount Hua possessed several naturally formed caves. Among them, some were situated in locations so secret that even the disciples of the sect did not know of their existence.

The Violet Spirit Cave was one such place.

Only a handful within the Mount Hua Sect knew of the Violet Spirit Cave's existence. It was that secret, and that important.

The Violet Spirit Cave had been formed naturally in the distant past. But as the ages passed, artificial elements had been added.

Some had displayed their martial arts here; others had left behind insights.

The walls of the Violet Spirit Cave bore such traces in full.

The cave, which had lain empty for a long time, now held a single man.

His name was Myeong-gyeong.

He was the most promising martial artist of the Mount Hua Sect, and a member of the Nine Dragons.

He had returned to Mount Hua only a few days prior. In stark contrast to the confidence with which he had departed, he had returned with drooping shoulders.

People were surprised by Myeong-gyeong's humbling return, and even more shocked to learn that he had been defeated by Dam Ho.

Myeong-gyeong was not merely a rising talent. He was the hope and future of Mount Hua. The fact that the prodigy who would lead the sect for at least the next thirty years had been felled by Dam Ho's fist sent a shockwave through the mountain.

But the one most shaken of all was Myeong-gyeong himself.

Upon his return to the Mount Hua Sect, Myeong-gyeong had immediately sequestered himself in the Violet Spirit Cave, entering closed-door training.

He sat in meditation, recalling that day.

The Blood Plum Blossom Sword, which his Master had imparted, was perfect. And he had mastered it to its utmost limit.

Myeong-gyeong had executed the Blood Plum Blossom Sword from beginning to end with absolute perfection. It was the first time he had deployed the art with such flawless precision since learning it.

Yet despite executing it so perfectly, Myeong-gyeong had been thoroughly defeated. Without a shred of room for excuse, utterly and completely.

Had Dam Ho shown the slightest mercy, he would already be dead.

Dam Ho, faced in direct combat, was truly terrifying.

His martial arts were fearsome enough, but the man himself possessed a power that made one's skin crawl.

Myeong-gyeong bit his lip.

'The difference between him and me is desperation. The killing intent to absolutely destroy the opponent.'

Dam Ho's fists were terrifying because they were filled with killing intent. In their clash, Myeong-gyeong had learned this to his very bones.

'How can someone be like that?'

Myeong-gyeong's eyebrow twitched.

The more he recalled Dam Ho, the higher the wall he perceived. A wall as vast and towering as Mount Hua itself.

At that moment,

"Myeong-gyeong."

A low voice pierced his ears.

Myeong-gyeong turned his head quickly. There, he saw a familiar face.

A middle-aged swordsman whose aura was as sharp as a finely honed blade.

"Master!"

It was none other than Sage Hyeon-geom, Myeong-gyeong's Master.

Over the past twelve years, Sage Hyeon-geom's presence had grown even keener, exuding an atmosphere so sharp-edged that standing before him made it difficult to draw breath.

Myeong-gyeong bowed his head hastily. Sage Hyeon-geom did not accept the greeting, instead regarding him with a cold gaze.

"I have heard the account."

"Master!"

"You were defeated?"

"I am sorry."

"Cheong-gyeong… Was that child truly that remarkable?"

Sage Hyeon-geom's voice was as cold as frost.

He was disappointed in the disciple he had cultivated with such painstaking care.

It did not matter how strong Dam Ho was, or how great his renown.

That the disciple he had raised had lost to Dam Ho.

That by doing so, his own reputation had been dragged through the dirt—that was what shamed him.

'To think he lost to nothing more than a cripple.'

He still remembered with vivid clarity the limping boy of twelve years ago.

The boy who had defied his conviction that a cripple could never achieve greatness.

Sage Hyeon-geom had cast him aside without mercy. For a cripple mastering his martial arts would have been a direct challenge to his beliefs.

He had never once regretted that decision, even now that his own disciple had returned in defeat.

He was furious.

"Tell me. Was Cheong-gyeong's martial art truly so great? That you could not withstand it?"

"He is… strong. His martial arts are powerful, but the man himself is terrifyingly strong."

"Is that so?"

As he echoed the words, Sage Hyeon-geom's pupils trembled slightly.

"I cannot understand."

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you not take him as a disciple back then? Why did you choose me instead of him?"

Myeong-gyeong's voice wavered.

Sage Hyeon-geom's gaze narrowed.

His disciple had to be flawless. Only then could he succeed him and protect the Mount Hua Sect from outside threats.

But that disciple was wavering.

Because of Dam Ho, whom he had cast aside twelve years ago.

'How dare he!'

A tiny crack appeared in the center of his iron resolve.

***

The Overlord's Banner, situated in the treacherous terrain of Huangshan, was a perfect fortress unto itself. While most strongholds built their walls from great timber, the Overlord's Banner had constructed its ramparts from massive stone.

The buildings rising above the walls were not crude huts woven from wood, but proper halls and pavilions. It was the majesty befitting the headquarters of the Greenwood.

"Welcome."

The moment they entered the Overlord's Banner, Yoon Chung greeted them warmly.

Yoon Chung's face was wreathed in a smile that put everyone at ease.

"Uncle Yoon!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong waved at Yoon Chung.

"Haha! Hye-ryeong, you've come."

Yoon Chung's face lit up.

Hwang Hye-ryeong was not merely Hwang Gyeong-mun's daughter. Everyone in the Overlord's Banner treated her like their own child, and Yoon Chung was no exception.

Hwang Hye-ryeong particularly looked up to Yoon Chung, calling him Uncle and frequently acting out of affection. For that reason, her manner toward him was especially warm.

"It is a relief you have returned safely. So, was your journey to the Murim enjoyable?"

"Enjoyable? Not really."

"Why?"

"There were just… too many things happening."

"Is that so? It must have been difficult. Now that you are home, rest easy."

"Yes!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong nodded.

When their conversation had concluded, Hwang Gyeong-mun spoke.

"See that these two are given quarters as well. They are honored guests. Treat them with particular care."

"Understood."

As Yoon Chung answered respectfully, Bang Jin-bo suddenly stepped forward.

"May I watch the slaughtering?"

"You may, but why?"

"I have some interest in cooking."

Bang Jin-bo said this with a blush, looking shy. Yoon Chung glanced at Hwang Gyeong-mun, who answered with a nod.

Yoon Chung then pointed to the Greenwood warriors standing nearby.

"Very well. Follow them."

"Thank you."

After bowing, Bang Jin-bo ran off toward the men Yoon Chung had indicated.

Yoon Chung's gaze fell upon Dam Ho.

"Hero Dam, please follow me."

Dam Ho nodded and followed Yoon Chung.

After watching them for a moment, Hwang Gyeong-mun turned to Hwang Hye-ryeong.

"Come with me. There is much to discuss."

"Yes!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong answered and obediently followed her father.

The look in their eyes was no longer that of a tender father and daughter.

If their meeting thus far had been a private reunion, the time had now come for a conversation of state.

The two moved to Hwang Gyeong-mun's quarters.

When they were finally alone, Hwang Gyeong-mun's expression grew somber.

"What happened?"

He asked not as a father, but as the Chief Banner Master of the Eighteen Greenwood Strongholds.

Hwang Hye-ryeong understood this, and recounted in detail what she had experienced at Dongjing Lake and Akyang.

After hearing everything, Hwang Gyeong-mun's expression stiffened visibly.

"The Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult… It is nothing but ill news. The only consolation is that the Demonic Cult has left the Alliance no leisure to concern itself with us."

"But someday, the Alliance's sword will be turned upon us."

"Indeed. It has been repeated many times. They need a scapegoat, and the Greenwood is merely a convenient prey to their liking."

Hwang Gyeong-mun rose.

Opening the window, the entirety of the Overlord's Banner spread out before him.

His life's sweat and passion were infused in this place.

It was not merely the Overlord's Banner. He had devoted his life to protecting the Eighteen Greenwood Strongholds. He had achieved their present prosperity, but he knew better than anyone how precarious it was.

Hwang Gyeong-mun approached Hwang Hye-ryeong and patted her on the shoulder.

"You have worked hard. I am glad it was not merely a leisure trip."

"Do you think I am a child forever?"

"No matter how you grow, to a father's eyes, you will always be a child."

"Hmph!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong wrinkled her nose. But even that seemed lovely in Hwang Gyeong-mun's eyes.

"In any case, the Fist Demon—you have brought a titan."

Hwang Gyeong-mun looked in the direction of Dam Ho's quarters.

"Are you one born to call forth blood? Or do you instinctively seek out the places where blood is spilled?"

His gaze deepened.

The quarters Yoon Chung had assigned was a small pavilion within the inner grounds of the Overlord's Banner. Though devoid of unnecessary ornamentation and quite simple, the care that had gone into its preparation was evident.

The entire panorama of the Overlord's Banner was visible at a glance.

The shape of the walls, the arrangement of the halls, and even the deployment of the warriors.

Hwang Gyeong-mun had laid all of this bare before Dam Ho, who was no more than an outsider.

'Does that mean he is that confident?'

Dam Ho's eyes narrowed.

Hwang Gyeong-mun, seen in person, was a man of considerable stature. And he seemed to dote deeply on Hwang Hye-ryeong. The affectionate expression on his face said as much.

Yoon Chung spoke with a smile.

"Please rest here, and if you need anything, do not hesitate to call. Since you are Hye-ryeong's guest, you are a guest of honor to me as well."

Yoon Chung wore an endlessly bright smile. There was not a trace of pretense in it.

Not everyone could smile so freely in the presence of Dam Ho.

Dam Ho looked at him intently. Yoon Chung discreetly averted his gaze and stepped back.

"Then I shall take my leave."

Yoon Chung smiled and departed.

Dam Ho gazed at the door through which he had vanished, a deep furrow between his brows.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

"May I come in, Brother?"

The voice belonged to Muk Il-gwang.

"Enter."

With Dam Ho's permission, Muk Il-gwang entered cautiously.

Strapped to his back were two new axes. He had taken a spare pair from the stronghold.

With his fearsome appearance further enhanced by the axes, he looked even more terrifying. But in his own way, he was wearing as cautious an expression as he could manage.

"What is it?"

"I was worried you might be lonely."

"Me?"

"If I am bothering you, I will leave."

Dam Ho regarded Muk Il-gwang for a moment. Muk Il-gwang did not flinch from his gaze.

Grit!

Muk Il-gwang bit his lip. It was an unconscious act to endure Dam Ho's stare.

Muk Il-gwang feared nothing in the world, yet in Dam Ho's presence, he inexplicably felt diminished.

Dam Ho asked suddenly.

"Do you care for Hye-ryeong?"

"What?"

In that instant, Muk Il-gwang's pupils trembled.

He was so startled he could not even answer. But Dam Ho did not press him.

Muk Il-gwang's reaction was answer enough.

"Do not let that feeling change."

"O-of course."

Muk Il-gwang answered involuntarily, his voice loud.

His face flushed crimson.

Dam Ho looked at him in silence.

Appearance did not matter. What truly mattered was the heart of the person.

Muk Il-gwang possessed a heart that would not waver.

That was enough.

'Yes. More than enough.'

Bian Bu spoke half-jokingly, half-seriously.

“I swear to heaven, if I ever try to kill you, I will definitely declare that I’m going to kill you before doing so. So please don’t just leave such things lying around carelessly near me. I don’t want to die pointlessly from accidentally touching something out of bad luck.”

“I understand.”

Whether he truly understood or not, Jin Ja-gang answered halfheartedly and prepared to leave.

Bian Bu hurriedly stood up.

“W-wait, I’ll come with you too…”

“I’ll signal you when it’s safe to leave.”

“Even though my body is inconvenient, I don’t want to just sit here and die.”

At his words, a smile appeared on Jin Ja-gang’s face for the first time.

“You’re quite particular about how you die.”

“A real man should choose where he dies.”

Bian Bu anxiously nudged his luggage with his toes, checking it over, and once he thought it was safe, he shouldered it on his back.

Just as he was about to follow Jin Ja-gang out, leaning on his staff.

Jin Ja-gang was pulling something else out from the floor near the doorway. It was a long needle of a length that was chilling just to look at.

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“…That’s not what I think it is, is it?”

“It probably is.”

Bian Bu finally exploded after holding back.

“You really go too far!”

Jin Ja-gang smiled slightly.

Seeing Jin Ja-gang’s smile, Bian Bu was certain. There were probably more things he hadn’t shown besides what he’d just seen.

The reason for conspicuously showing the retrieval of the poison needle was clear. It was a warning not to act rashly.

Bian Bu raised both hands in surrender. Only then did Jin Ja-gang turn his back to Bian Bu for the first time and take the lead.

* * *

Creak, creak.

A hunched old woman passed in front of the alley, pulling a small handcart.

She was a typical country woman with a red nose and cheeks, her face covered with age spots, showing signs of long work under the scorching sun.

The woman wore a shabby headscarf pulled low over her head and stopped her cart at her usual selling spot. She took out wooden blocks to prop under the cart so it wouldn’t move, then spread a wide board on top of the cart to make a stall.

On top of it, she placed crispy dumplings called broken-crisp buns.

Perhaps from working in the fields before doing business, she moved with the tired motions of someone exhausted from a day’s labor. Anyone seeing the woman would think of a vicious husband who worked his wife all day and sent her out to do business even in the evening.

However, amid those slow movements, the woman’s eyes were constantly surveying left and right from inside her headscarf.

Then at one moment, the woman discovered bloodstains in the direction leading into the alley. They were faint bloodstains barely visible to the eye. It looked like someone had tried to rub them out with their foot!

The woman confirmed there were no people passing by nearby, then immediately entered the alley.

No more bloodstains were visible, but there was a faint smell of blood.

The woman entered the alley as if business meant nothing to her.

After turning two corners, she discovered four corpses dumped in a secluded corner.

The woman’s face contorted. All four corpses were people the woman knew.

However, she noticed that one of the dead bodies was holding something in its hand.

The woman was about to approach the corpse when she stopped in surprise. Suddenly there was a sour smell.

Poison!

What they had been chasing was Snake Scorpion Poison King, who had devastated Yunnan’s poison sects with poison.

The woman hastily covered her mouth with her sleeve. However, she couldn’t ignore the precious evidence that her comrade had left behind even while dying.

The woman held her breath and approached the corpses.

A bamboo tube clutched in the hand of a corpse that had died spewing blood foam from its mouth.

The woman pulled out the bamboo tube tightly gripped in the corpse’s hand, put it in her bosom, and quickly retreated.

Then she ran back quickly to her original stall location.

The stall where she had laid out the broken-crisp buns was in disarray. In the meantime, people had apparently taken some at will, as some were missing, and what remained was crushed or broken into powder.

However, the woman didn’t care at all. She roughly swept up the remaining broken-crisp buns and cleaned up the stall. Powder rose in clouds.

“Cough!”

The woman was startled by a sudden fit of coughing.

Blood droplets splattered on the stall.

‘Poisoned!’

The woman’s face turned ashen. Had she been poisoned when she smelled that sour smell earlier!

The woman pushed everything remaining into the handcart and hurriedly left.

Shortly after the woman left.

Jin Ja-gang emerged from the adjacent alley.

Bian Bu also came out, dragging his injured foot. The woman was so flustered in her departure that she didn’t know Jin Ja-gang and Bian Bu were watching her from behind.

Bian Bu looked at Jin Ja-gang with admiration.

“Your poison techniques have a way of striking at people’s weak points.”

Jin Ja-gang had actually used poison not near the corpses but on the woman’s cart. Broken-crisp buns have a crispy texture and break into small pieces easily. He had made it look like people had stolen the broken-crisp buns from the stall by scattering them about and crushing a few to mix poison powder into the crumbs.

So when she hurriedly cleaned up, she would inevitably inhale the poison powder.

He hadn’t used poison where the corpses were. Anyone would naturally be careful in such a place. Therefore, even if poison had been placed there, it would have been difficult to poison someone easily.

“But why did you specifically sprinkle sour-smelling vinegar near the corpses?”

What he had sprinkled near the corpses was ordinary vinegar. It had nothing to do with poison.

“To make her believe she was also poisoned by the poison remaining on the corpses. That way her comrades would think it wasn’t that the colleagues committed suicide on their own, but that I did it.”

However, Bian Bu looked worried.

“They’ll now think their identity has been exposed. If they thought you killed them, they might think everything was revealed.”

“That’s what I wanted.”

Bian Bu’s face contorted.

“That’s what you wanted? Once their identity is exposed, they’ll start attacking this village immediately!”

This village had been under their control for a long time.

Since even Bian Bu had been under surveillance from the moment he entered, there was no way to sneak out secretly when leaving.

To escape, they would have to be prepared for at least some fighting.

But to actually provoke an attack?

“Ah, you’re planning to follow that woman and launch a surprise attack on the hideout where the spies have gathered?”

“That’s right.”

However, even though Bian Bu was waiting, Jin Ja-gang showed no intention of moving.

He was just quietly watching the direction the woman had disappeared.

“Since my leg is like this, I won’t follow this time. Go quickly.”

“We don’t need to follow now. She’ll probably take a roundabout route.”

“…Huh?”

“I know where she’s going.”

Bian Bu looked at Jin Ja-gang silently.

“Even if you’ve been holding out for a month… you found out their hideout while avoiding their eyes?”

Bian Bu looked Jin Ja-gang up and down with suspicious eyes. Jin Ja-gang answered calmly.

“They’re the ones who had to avoid being seen, not me.”

“Huh?”

Bian Bu twisted his beard while tilting his head left and right.

Hearing it, it made sense. Those doing surveillance generally don’t want to be caught surveilling. If Jin Ja-gang came toward them, they would have avoided Jin Ja-gang instead.

“That seems right too…”

Since Jin Ja-gang wandered around so much, the spies must have avoided him for fear their faces would become familiar. In the meantime, gaps appeared that allowed Jin Ja-gang to see everything he wanted to see.

Of course, it was easy to say, but was that something that could actually be done?

Being in the position of being watched, yet not being intimidated?

“You’re really an incomprehensible person. But I think I understand a little.”

Though they had only been together briefly, Bian Bu felt as if he had glimpsed a part of what Jin Ja-gang’s life had been like.

“Hmm.”

Bian Bu’s expression toward Jin Ja-gang softened somewhat.

“Ah, but what was that bamboo tube you put in the corpse’s hand?”

Jin Ja-gang had been carrying a bundle since leaving the inn. He took out a bamboo tube from it and placed it in the corpses’ hands.

“Manure pressed down and sealed with glue and beeswax.”

“How old is it?”

“About six days.”

Bian Bu grimaced. He could imagine what would happen when that was opened.

“What a strange fellow. You’re dirtier than I thought.”

“In matters of life and death, isn’t cleanliness not the important issue?”

“I understand, so stop forcing strange philosophies on me. I might get infected too.”

Jin Ja-gang said.

“Let’s go together.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Didn’t I say I would confirm it? How they plan to handle this village. If my prediction is correct, their hideout isn’t far from here.”

* * *

The woman hurriedly walked past the row of shops to the fabric store at the very end. It looked like an ordinary fabric store from the outside.

The woman looked around as if conscious of people’s gazes, then left her cart and entered the fabric store.

Inside the fabric store, goods were scattered about, making it very cluttered and narrow. The fabric store owner, who had been sitting, made eye contact with the woman and pointed toward the back.

There was a door leading to a warehouse inside the fabric store. When the woman opened the door and entered, several spies were already gathered in the warehouse.

“What’s the matter?”

“Cough!”

When the woman coughed and showed blood at the corner of her mouth, the spies were startled and stepped back.

The woman wiped the blood and spoke while covering her mouth.

“Wang Hu’s gang of four are all dead. It appears they were killed by Snake Scorpion Poison King’s poison.”

“What?”

The spies looked at their leader in surprise.

“The guy who’s been quiet all this time?”

“It seems he’s planning to take some action.”

The leader asked the woman.

“Any signs of torture?”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t check thoroughly because of the poison gas. This is all I managed to bring.”

The woman carefully placed a blood-stained bamboo tube on the central table while covering her mouth. One spy grabbed the palm-sized bamboo tube and examined it carefully.

“There don’t seem to be any particular mechanisms, and the lid is tightly sealed. It looks like a bamboo tube used for holding ink…”

“Wang Hu was holding it in his hand until he died. I don’t know what it is either.”

It seemed suspicious somehow, making it difficult to handle carelessly.

Then a scream came from outside the warehouse, from the fabric store.

“Aaaaah!”

It was the fabric store owner’s scream.

The spies’ hair stood on end.

“It seems he’s attacking!”

The spies looked at the woman, but she was just as flustered.

“I came back taking a long detour…”

“The reason he came here is obvious. He plans to completely eliminate us and disappear!”

The leader gritted his teeth. The leader’s gaze fixed on the bamboo tube.

“Is it because of this?”

To send a carrier pigeon, they had to confirm the tube’s identity.

The leader immediately cut open the bamboo tube’s lid with a knife.

At that moment.

Bang!

The bamboo tube exploded, sending black chunks and small poison needles flying in all directions.

“Aaaaah!”

The leader who had opened the tube had his face turned into a porcupine. Those nearby couldn’t avoid the shower of poison needles either. Moreover, filthy debris was splattered everywhere, making even the smell nauseating.

The rotted manure inside the tube had expanded beyond its limits and exploded the moment the lid was opened.