Chapter 181: The Winds of Chaos Blow from the North (3)

Dam Ho's eyes were as deep and dark as Geom-yul-cheon's. So impenetrable that one could never read what lay beneath.

"Geom… yul-cheon?"

It was a name he had certainly heard before, somewhere. But he could not readily recall where.

Watching Dam Ho's face as he seemed to search his memory, Geom-yul-cheon wore an expression of interest.

"You know of me?"

"Perhaps."

"How intriguing. There are fewer than ten people in the world who know my name."

His expression was leisurely, his tone soft, as though he had come for a casual stroll. To an outsider, the atmosphere might have seemed friendly enough to mistake them for close acquaintances. But the aura emanating from his body was anything but gentle.

In that instant, a memory flashed through Dam Ho's mind.

"Heaven… Vault Jade."

The place where he had been imprisoned for twelve years.

A single line of text carved into its walls.

[Geom-yul-cheon, here buries his friends.]

He had gazed upon those words for twelve years, so the memory remained vivid.

In that moment, a crack appeared in Geom-yul-cheon's previously composed face.

"You were in the Heaven Vault Jade?"

"You lost many friends there."

Geom-yul-cheon nodded.

For a brief while, as he sifted through old memories, his gaze sank to unfathomable depths. Long-suppressed memories resurfaced with startling clarity.

"Some ten years ago, I heard the Heaven Vault Jade collapsed. I also heard that a young Taoist of the Mount Hua Sect failed to escape in time and was buried beneath the rubble."

"……"

"So it was you."

Dam Ho and Geom-yul-cheon's gazes met in midair.

Dam Ho's eyes rippled. The turbulent light in them was so ferocious that an ordinary man would not dare meet it head-on. Yet Geom-yul-cheon showed not the slightest flinch.

"That must have been difficult. I know from experience—the life inside the Heaven Vault Jade is far from easy."

"……"

"There is no need to be so wary. I am not your enemy. At least, not now. In fact, I should be grateful to you. Thanks to you and the Divine Physician, I am about to be restored."

"……"

"My youngest is about to awaken. Now that the Divine Physician has succeeded in his recovery, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

"The Rebirth?"

"I had him take a rare elixir called the Five Yin Divine Pill beforehand. It would have been useless while he was still in a weakened state, but now that his meridians have been restored, it will produce the fullest effect. That he has been reborn is something even I did not expect."

"You used Jong Ri-yeon."

"It was the only way. If I wished to save the youngest."

"Do you care for him deeply?"

"He shares no blood with me, yet he is no different from my own flesh and blood."

"He must be from the Heaven Vault Jade as well."

At Dam Ho's words, Geom-yul-cheon's brow twitched slightly. But he admitted it readily.

"That is correct!"

"There appear to be a few others as well."

"……"

This time, it was Geom-yul-cheon who fell silent.

Dam Ho asked again.

"Is Eum Yu-gyeong among them as well?"

"Ha! I underestimated you. You are truly perceptive—to connect even Yu-gyeong to this."

"Is that right?"

"It is! She is my most fervent supporter."

"There was also a man called Shin Mu-wol."

"Ha! Blast it! You've turned my pockets inside out. That is correct! He is the third. I told them to be careful."

Geom-yul-cheon scratched his head vigorously with his large hand, muttering complaints.

Dam Ho's gaze sank deeply.

Eum Yu-gyeong, Shin Mu-wol, and Myeong-cheon—all followed Geom-yul-cheon. None among them was ordinary.

"What are you, the leader of the Demonic Cult?"

"I am not! If anything, I am one of those who despise the Cult Leader."

"Why?"

"Because I do not wish for chaos to engulf the world."

"You are not asking me to believe you, are you?"

"Whether you believe me or not is of no consequence. As I said, time will bring you to believe regardless."

"How absurd."

Geom-yul-cheon's gaze darkened.

He had detected the rough killing intent contained in Dam Ho's voice.

'He truly is a beast.'

When Eum Yu-gyeong had told him about Dam Ho, he had thought some of it was exaggerated. But facing him now, Dam Ho's presence was even more savage and menacing than the stories had suggested.

"Whether you believe me or not changes nothing. As I said, time will make things clear."

"You will not be given that time."

Crack!

Dam Ho stepped toward Geom-yul-cheon.

The roof tile beneath his foot shattered like dust.

Scrape! Thud! Scrape! Thud!

Dam Ho dragged one foot as he approached. An unbearable pressure, as if plunging into the depths of the sea, crushed down upon Geom-yul-cheon's entire body.

Geom-yul-cheon's expression shifted subtly.

'Just as I heard.'

He did not know how Dam Ho had attained such strength from within the Heaven Vault Jade. But his power surpassed anything Geom-yul-cheon had imagined.

'Can I manage in my current condition?'

Geom-yol-cheon briefly assessed his own state.

Dam Ho's savage killing intent made his skin feel as though it were being gouged with an awl. Even for Geom-yul-cheon, this was the first time he had experienced such killing intent.

It made his flesh tremble more than facing Shaolin's One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation.

'If it is this man…'

Geom-yul-cheon's eyes gleamed.

It felt as though a single ray of light had pierced the darkness where no exit could be found.

Having steeled his resolve, Geom-yul-cheon gripped the saber hanging at his waist.

Shing!

The smooth blade revealed itself in the darkness. It was a weapon crafted by a renowned master with painstaking care. The saber had no name. What mattered to Geom-yul-cheon was not the name of the blade, but whether it was sturdy enough to withstand his internal energy.

Thud!

In that instant, Dam Ho kicked off the roof tiles.

The force of the impact caused the ceiling of the mansion beneath his feet to collapse entirely.

Crash!

A storm surged inward.

The veins on Geom-yul-cheon's hand bulged as he gripped the hilt.

"Hyah!"

Whoosh!

Geom-yul-cheon's saber cleaved through the air.

Blood Slaughter Rain.

A technique that had once toppled Shaolin's legendary One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation now unfolded toward Dam Ho.

Crash!

Sword energy rained down like a downpour.

In that instant, Dam Ho's body blurred. His protective shield had activated. Like the wings of a beetle, his body trembled violently.

And upon that trembling form, the rain of sword energy poured down.

Th-th-thud!

Dam Ho's body shook violently.

His hair became disheveled, and blood burst from his nose and mouth. His eyes, ruptured capillaries rendering them a deep crimson, looked as though they might burst at any moment.

The sword energy that struck Dam Ho directly was deflected or dissipated. The energy had been blocked, but the physical impact accumulated within his body.

His organs resonated, and his qi and blood surged. Yet Dam Ho did not stop his charge.

Breaking through the rain of sword energy, Geom-yul-cheon came into view.

The Fortress Breaking Fist was unleashed.

Geom-yul-cheon bit down hard on his lip.

It was too late to dodge.

'Can I withstand it?'

The saber in his grip was on the verge of breaking. But Geom-yul-cheon had no choice.

He swung the blade with everything he had.

Dam Ho's fist and Geom-yul-cheon's saber collided.

BOOM!

In that instant, the compressed air burst outward with a deafening report.

The storm that swept in all directions demolished the mansion and devastated the area.

From the dust that rose in thick clouds, Geom-yul-cheon's voice echoed.

"Friend! We shall meet again."

Immediately after, Geom-yul-cheon soared over ten zhang into the sky. Rising like a divine dragon, he then sliced through the air like a meteor and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Dam Ho stood with clenched fist, watching him go.

Blood dripped from his hand, and at his feet lay the shattered fragments of the saber.

Geom-yul-cheon's saber had failed to endure Dam Ho's Fortress Breaking Fist and had broken.

Pssss!

Intense heat radiated from Dam Ho's entire body, and his eyes blazed with ferocity.

The power displayed by the two men in this place was truly matched.

Just as Dam Ho had not revealed everything, Geom-yul-cheon had not fought at full strength either.

If one had to call it, it would be a draw.

After gazing for a time at the place where Geom-yul-cheon had vanished, Dam Ho turned and walked toward Myeong-cheon's house.

The area where Dam Ho and Geom-yul-cheon had clashed was devastated as though a thunderbolt had struck. Nearly a dozen mansions had collapsed, raising only clouds of dust.

With this level of destruction, everyone in the vicinity should have perished. Yet strangely, no corpses lay among the rubble.

Myeong-cheon's house was also half destroyed. The walls had collapsed, exposing the interior.

Dam Ho entered and found Jong Ri-yeon lying on the floor. Fortunately, she appeared uninjured.

When Dam Ho gently infused her with internal energy, Jong Ri-yeon's long lashes fluttered, and she soon regained consciousness.

After looking about in confusion for a moment, Jong Ri-yeon surveyed the devastation around her and gasped.

"How… how did this happen?"

"Where is Myeong-cheon?"

"What?"

At Dam Ho's question, Jong Ri-yeon could only blink, momentarily unable to answer.

Her memory returned.

"The old man suddenly apologized and pressed a pressure point…"

"So that is what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

Dam Ho rose to his feet.

Nowhere in the house could he find Myeong-cheon or the old man. They had already vanished.

From the beginning, Geom-yul-cheon had never intended to fight Dam Ho in earnest. He had merely been buying time for Myeong-cheon and the old man to escape.

Dam Ho dragged his foot and searched through the rubble of nearby collapsed houses. But he found no corpses anywhere. They had been empty from the start.

'Had he purchased the entire area and kept it vacant?'

Geom-yul-cheon was astonishingly meticulous.

By buying every house in the district, he had perfectly shielded Myeong-cheon from outside eyes. That was how important Myeong-cheon was to him.

Dam Ho looked at Jong Ri-yeon, who was staring blankly at her surroundings.

"What on earth…?"

For Jong Ri-yeon, this must have been like a bolt from the blue.

"How did you come to know Myeong-cheon? Who is he?"

"I… I don't know. My master simply said he was someone who had to be treated at all costs."

"And where is your master?"

"She… passed away some years ago."

A deep furrow formed between Dam Ho's brows.

"Myeong-cheon's treatment was mostly devised by my master. I asked about their relationship, but she never gave me an answer."

Come to think of it, her master had been a most enigmatic woman. She possessed medical skills that reached the heavens, yet nothing was known of her background or origins.

She had even kept her identity entirely hidden from her sole disciple, Jong Ri-yeon.

"My master wanted me to live freely. That is why she never told me anything about her past. She said that if I knew, I would become entangled in karma…"

In other words, she knew nothing at all.

Dam Ho could see from Jong Ri-yeon's expression that everything she said was the truth.

In the end, he had been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Geom-yul-cheon.

"How interesting!"

Dam Ho growled.

His gaze turned to the place where Geom-yul-cheon had vanished.

Geom-yul-cheon had already disappeared and was nowhere to be seen, yet in Dam Ho's eyes, his figure seemed vividly present.

Their bond was only beginning.

He felt this with absolute certainty.

The scholar who had run off with the bamboo slip earlier returned and handed Mang Ryo a small box. The scholar opened the box to show him. Inside the box was a very small gourd bottle about the length of a finger.

“This is Ligustrum Tiger Heart Liquid. It’s good for disabled bodies where the limbs have been severed and qi doesn’t circulate properly. If you drink it, it will have the effect of improving your internal energy by twenty years.”

It was a spiritual medicine worth dozens of taels of gold in the martial world, yet he was giving it away so easily that Mang Ryo was even bewildered.

“Well, if you’re giving it to me, I’ll gratefully accept it.”

Even while speaking, Tang Qing picked up one of the bamboo slips he had been reading and threw it aside.

“Dispose of the thirty young men and women in Songzhou as well. Tell them to clean up the base and return.”

In that brief moment, the fate of another thirty people had been decided.

Several scholars were sitting there, and one of them picked up the bamboo slip and asked.

“What shall we do with Quan Weng, who is the person in charge?”

“Leave him be. Let’s see his ability to handle the aftermath.”

A waiting scholar picked up the fallen bamboo slip and took it away. This was one aspect that showed why Tang Qing was called the King of Hell.

Tang Qing spoke to Mang Ryo without even raising his head.

“Now go.”

But Mang Ryo didn’t listen to Tang Qing’s words. He had a purpose for coming this far. He couldn’t return without achieving that purpose.

“I have something to tell you.”

Tang Qing said.

“The reason I wanted to meet you and gave you the Ligustrum Tiger Heart Liquid is because you brought Silent Dragon. There’s been absolutely no opportunity to research the constitution related to the Baek Li family’s hereditary mental cultivation methods. IndestructibleHeavenly Sword is so meticulous, you see. Thanks to you, it became a good opportunity.”

Mang Ryo felt like he had heard something he shouldn’t have heard. Though Tang Qing was speaking nonchalantly, if Baek Li-jung learned of this, Mang Ryo would be as good as dead. Even to save his own life, he had to keep his mouth shut about what he had just heard.

“Isn’t the Ligustrum Tiger Heart Liquid insufficient as payment for my life?”

“Twenty taels worth of Ligustrum Tiger Heart Liquid is sufficient. Don’t be greedy.”

“I’m not trying to be greedy. I’m trying to make a deal.”

Tang Qing threw another letter aside.

“Sell the merchant group in Hebei. Sell if it’s fifty thousand taels of silver or more. Below that is not acceptable.”

Someone else immediately took the letter, made an entry, received a seal from a scholar, and left. Tang Qing was acting as if Mang Ryo wasn’t there. Giving detailed explanations to such a person would only have the opposite effect.

“I don’t make deals. I just decide. I decide the trade items and I decide the prices. That’s all.”

Mang Ryo spoke directly.

“I would like to become an Old Man Under the Moon.”

An Old Man Under the Moon is a matchmaker. He was saying he wanted to arrange a marriage.

However, even though it probably didn’t mean conventional matchmaking, Tang Qing paid no attention and only looked at the bamboo slips. That indifference made the atmosphere even more dry.

Mang Ryo added another word.

“With Young Lady Tang Ha-ran.”

Tang Qing hesitated. The atmosphere changed slightly.

Mang Ryo quickly continued.

“How about Poison Dragon?”

Only then did Tang Qing raise his head to look at Mang Ryo.

Tang Qing’s entire face, which hadn’t been visible until now, was revealed. A round face with small eyes, and a bizarre face with a mouth torn all the way to his ears.

With that face, Tang Qing suddenly laughed.

“Hehehehe! He-hehehe!”

It was laughter with an eerie voice. Mang Ryo felt goosebumps for the first time in a very long while. Though he had met countless madmen until now, this was the first time he had encountered such a madman.

Every time Tang Qing laughed, the air in the hall rippled.

“Hehehehe! Hehehe-heh!”

Tang Qing was surrounding the entire hall with his internal energy. In the midst of this, when he caused emotional changes, the entire energy barrier shook.

Mang Ryo felt unpleasant as he sensed his own internal energy reacting to Tang Qing’s internal energy and bubbling.

However, except for a few scholars, the rest of the workers and those sorting letters showed no disturbance at all. Even if the scholars were masters, what about the rest?

When Mang Ryo looked at them strangely, Tang Qing said.

“They’re mutes and deaf. Hehehehe!”

As expected. Given Tang Qing’s meticulous work handling that had made him go around the same place three times, this was quite possible.

Tang Qing couldn’t stop laughing easily as he spoke.

“Amazing! I never expected it. You’re the first person in ten years to bring me a deal that I, Tang Qing, would find interesting.”

Tang Qing pushed all the bamboo slips and letters in front of him to both sides, sweeping them away. Immediately, servant girls came and brought tea and teacups.

Tang Qing picked up a small hourglass and set it up.

“I’ll give you one watch period.”

He had merely mentioned Jin Ja-gang, yet without asking anything, he immediately gave time. This meant he was already interested in Mang Ryo’s story and at the same time meant he already knew about Poison Dragon to some extent.

At this point, the deal was almost as good as concluded.

Tang Qing spoke first.

“Poison Dragon is being pursued by the Martial Arts Alliance and is currently traveling with the evil faction’s Shandong Enchanting Flower. If we accept Poison Dragon as our family’s son-in-law, we’ll have to make enemies of the Martial Arts Alliance. The solution?”

“Poison Dragon is originally from Yunnan’s Medicine Sect Hundred Flower Valley and can be said to be originally orthodox. If we just reveal that to the world, accepting him as the Tang family’s son-in-law wouldn’t be impossible.”

Tang Qing quickly asked back.

“If he’s from Hundred Flower Valley, he’s related to the Extreme Poison Sect where you were involved. That’s also a case that Indestructible Heavenly Sword became the arbitrator and judged. Poison Dragon probably has tremendous bad blood with Baek Li-jung too, doesn’t he?”

“That’s right. I also have a connection with him that needs to be resolved, but what Poison Dragon ultimately wants is precisely Indestructible Heavenly Sword Baek Li-jung.”

Tang Qing looked into Mang Ryo’s eyes for a moment, then asked again.

“Indestructible Heavenly Sword is from Taoist Haewol’s lineage, so making enemies with Baek Li-jung is the same as making enemies with the Martial Arts Alliance. Now, our Tang family is a family that has joined the Martial Arts Alliance, so we need to resolve our relationship with the Martial Arts Alliance. The solution?”

“We split apart the relationship between Baek Li-jung and Taoist Haewol.”

Though he made no sound, Tang Qing’s smile deepened.

“And then?”

“We support Baek Li-jung as alliance leader.”

“Then there would be no need to break with the Martial Arts Alliance?”

“No.”

Mang Ryo paused briefly and chose his words carefully in his mouth. If he spoke wrongly, Mang Ryo might not leave alive today.

Moistening his lips with dry saliva, Mang Ryo said.

“That would be precisely the right time to break with the Martial Arts Alliance.”

“Hehehehehe! He-hehe-he!” Tang Qing’s laughter deepened. He opened his small eyes wide and laughed loudly with his torn mouth.

“I like it! I like it very much! You’re only half right, but I still like it.”

Mang Ryo didn’t relax his tension and answered.

“Why was the Medicine Sect attacked by the Poison Sects? What was behind it? Since our Extreme Poison Sect was just a subordinate, we had no choice but to follow Poison Valley’s orders.”

Mang Ryo spread his hands to indicate the surroundings and said.

“Coming here, I came to realize it. Without receiving your permission, even the Poison Sects couldn’t have carried out such affairs across the entire Central Plains.”

“Hehehehe!”

“Moreover, I just learned what the Poison Sect could gain by attacking the Medicine Sect. That is…”

Tang Qing glanced at the hourglass placed in front of him.

“Time’s up. There’s no need to waste time on stories I already know.”

Tang Qing drank the remaining tea in his teacup. Simultaneously, a hemispherical barrier formed around Mang Ryo and Tang Qing.

Whoosh! Whooosh!

He had deployed so many energy barriers that even the colors outside looked hazy.

Tang Qing spoke as if talking to himself.

“Last year, there were many corrupt officials in the country, so the water management projects proceeded terribly.”

He couldn’t miss a single word. Mang Ryo focused on Tang Qing’s words with all his attention.

“Also, this winter twice as much snow fell compared to the previous year, so deep snow accumulated in the mountains, and that snow will melt when spring comes. During this summer’s rainy season, the severe torrential rains that come every four years will pour down. The Yellow River will overflow, houses will be submerged in water, and countless people will die. Rats will devour corpses and swarm, while conversely, people will starve to death from lack of food.”

Tang Qing looked at Mang Ryo and smiled.

“This summer… in the Central Plains, a terrible plague that has never been experienced even once before will spread, causing the greatest casualties in history.”

Tang Qing didn’t continue his words but only muttered with his mouth movements, but Mang Ryo understood the words and got goosebumps.

“Even the masters of the Nine Great Sects will be no exception…”

Mang Ryo flinched in surprise.

When he had come to receive supply of the Five Fall Death Pills from the Tang family, the words Mang Ryo had heard were as follows:

“We’ll supply unlimited quantities. If you use the maximum amount to prove effectiveness, we promise even more support.”

It wasn’t simply trying to powerfully improve the Five Fall Death Pills to use as weapons.

A tsunami much larger than he had thought was approaching right before his eyes.

He hadn’t even noticed when the energy barrier had been released.

This wasn’t simply plotting rebellion or civil war. It was ambition writhing to seize supreme power.

When Tang Qing snapped his fingers, servant girls came and cleared away the teacups.

Tang Qing threw Mang Ryo a jade plaque. It was a plaque carved with Tang Qing’s seal and the Tang family’s symbol. This meant receiving special orders from the Tang family’s leadership. He could truly receive all the Tang family’s support.

“It’s the King of Hell Plaque. It’s the support I promised earlier. Make good use of what I just told you. I’ll support you to the maximum, so rampage to your heart’s content. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re going too far.”

“Does going too far include matchmaking as well?”

Tang Qing gathered the bamboo slips and documents in front of him and began preparing to work again as he answered.

“Shall I be honest? I like you more than Poison Dragon. I’ve been watching you with interest from before. That’s why I accepted your deal of bringing Poison Dragon as bait.”

That’s why Tang Qing knew about Hundred Flower Valley in Yunnan’s frontier from nine years ago.

Mang Ryo felt a strange feeling as he waited for Tang Qing’s words. Tang Qing generously met Mang Ryo’s expectations.

“So do whatever you want with that fellow – marry him off, raise him, whatever. No permission needed. I’ll take all responsibility.”

Authority to even decide the marriage matters of Tang family daughters!

As if suddenly remembering, Tang Qing said while unfolding a bamboo slip.

“And Haewol might call for you soon. When that time comes, show off your abilities a bit.”

The Martial Arts Alliance leader would call for him?

“Hmm…”

Mang Ryo touched the King of Hell Plaque with his fingers. Tang Qing had given Mang Ryo tremendous power. He had kept his promise to support him.

However, Mang Ryo had some thought and walked up to the table.

Thud, thud.

Then he suddenly put down the King of Hell Plaque on the table. Though he put it down, he didn’t completely let go of it.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not the type who likes working under others.”

Tang Qing stared at Mang Ryo intently. His torn mouth tore even more as he giggled and laughed.

And what Tang Qing said was…

“Ah, my memory keeps trying to fail as I get older. Oh right, I was grateful for the advice you conveyed to me back then. Thanks to that, from the next production batch, the Five Fall Death Pills will be plated with gold instead of silver. It was a great help.”

It was completely irrelevant words that didn’t match the current situation.

Nevertheless, Mang Ryo also didn’t mind the response.

Rather, Mang Ryo smiled and picked up the King of Hell Plaque again.

“Not at all. It was a good deal.”

Tang Qing returned to his previous indifferent expression and began looking at the bamboo slips.

His expression was nonchalant, as if asking what had just happened.

Mang Ryo didn’t bow or greet and just turned around.

Mang Ryo had just tested something.

How far he could “go too far” with the King of Hell Plaque.

And Tang Qing had confirmed it.

How far Mang Ryo could “go too far.”

This was truly the best deal for Mang Ryo.

Mang Ryo straightened his chest and left the hall leaning on his crutch.

Thud, thu-thud!

In fact, Tang Qing might have wanted to make the first move before meeting Taoist Haewol. He might have simply wanted to scheme between Taoist Haewol and Baek Li-jung through Mang Ryo.

But it didn’t matter.

Now King of Hell Tang Qing would be Mang Ryo’s reliable strength until at least Mang Ryo went against his wishes and was expelled by his decision.