Chapter 291 – People Who Are Meant to Meet Will Meet (1)

Every time Eum Yu-kyung's sword cut through the air, warriors of the Blood Mist Squad fell, spilling blood.

At that moment, Shin Moo-wol shouted:

"Be careful of their blood! It's made of extreme poison!"

At his cry, Eum Yu-kyung became alert and hardened her expression.

The sound of the signal arrow had guided her to this place.

Shin Moo-wol's miserable appearance stirred her killing intent. Though he sometimes showed frivolous behavior, Shin Moo-wol was one of the few people she could trust.

Eum Yu-kyung raised her internal energy and deployed her Repelling Force Shield. The blood sprayed by the enemies struck her Repelling Force Shield and was destroyed.

"Krgh!"

Cho Moo-yang's face contorted hideously.

Holy Maiden Eum Yu-kyung.

She was a target marked for death. But she was also someone who couldn't be easily approached. Befitting a Holy Maiden, her martial arts were extremely formidable.

Even for someone like Cho Moo-yang, she was an opponent whose victory or defeat was difficult to predict.

'There's no choice.'

Cho Moo-yang thought now was the time to retreat.

"But before that…"

His gaze turned toward Shin Moo-wol, who was sitting helplessly on the ground. He was in a completely defenseless state.

Swoosh!

Cho Moo-yang's sword flew toward Shin Moo-wol.

Shin Moo-wol sat powerlessly, staring blankly at the scene. Right now, he didn't have the strength to move even a finger.

'Is this the end?'

Strangely, he could see the approaching sword vividly.

CRASH!

At that moment, a black shadow in human form came crashing down.

Shin Moo-wol learned for the first time that a person could break apart like a corn stalk.

Cho Moo-yang's arm, which had been thrusting the sword, bent grotesquely, and his waist bent like a shrimp. Following that, his back burst open as if a thunderbolt had exploded, and both his legs broke with bones protruding.

"Kraaah!"

BANG!

A massive fist struck the screaming Cho Moo-yang's face.

Cho Moo-yang's screams were cut short. A person whose head had burst couldn't scream.

"Who are you?"

Shin Moo-wol stared blankly at the black shadow.

It was Dam Ho, a man who could freeze people's minds and bodies just by looking at him.

Cho Moo-yang collapsed at Dam Ho's feet like a rotten log.

"Ha… ha!"

It was so absurd that an awkward laugh almost burst out.

Dam Ho's indifferent gaze turned toward Shin Moo-wol. Even while looking at the ruined Shin Moo-wol, he said nothing. But that appearance actually brought more relief.

"How did you…?"

"Practice your energy circulation."

"Understood."

At Dam Ho's cold answer, Shin Moo-wol nodded and entered meditation.

He wasn't worried. Though Dam Ho was a fearsome master, Eum Yu-kyung's skills were also formidable. Even now, Eum Yu-kyung was slaughtering the Blood Mist Squad warriors with terrifying momentum.

Shin Moo-wol no longer worried. Instead, he devoted all his strength to circulating his energy to burn away the poison that had penetrated his body.

Hot steam rose from his forehead. Dam Ho watched this for a moment, then turned his gaze toward Eum Yu-kyung.

In the darkness, Eum Yu-kyung moved gracefully. Every time she swung her sword, someone from the Blood Mist Squad invariably lost their life. It was swordsmanship that could only be called terrifying.

Seeing Shin Moo-wol's miserable state, Eum Yu-kyung's killing intent had greatly stirred. Her techniques were cruelly merciless to a degree unimaginable under normal circumstances.

"Kek!"

"R-run away!"

Finally, the few remaining Blood Mist Squad warriors chose to flee, but Eum Yu-kyung pursued them to the last man and killed them all.

Having deployed her Repelling Force Shield throughout the battle, she had consumed tremendous energy, making her complexion pale. And it was filled with regret.

The Blood Mist Squad were also Demon Cult members like her. Though their circumstances differed and she had unleashed great killing intent, her heart couldn't be at ease.

After briefly looking at the corpses of the Blood Mist Squad, Eum Yu-kyung approached where Shin Moo-wol was practicing energy circulation.

Shin Moo-wol could be seen practicing energy circulation. The steam rising from his forehead had become thicker, and foul-smelling liquid was flowing from his pores.

Eum Yu-kyung unconsciously frowned. She could feel terrifying poison emanating from the liquid flowing from Shin Moo-wol's pores.

"For a disciple with immunity to a hundred poisons to be poisoned… Just how vicious must this extreme poison be?"

Of course, immunity to a hundred poisons didn't mean immunity to all poisons. But reaching this level of mastery usually meant being able to withstand ordinary poisons to some degree. For such a Shin Moo-wol to be poisoned meant it had to be an extremely vicious poison.

Eum Yu-kyung watched from a distance as Shin Moo-wol practiced energy circulation. Since he had already entered meditation, there was nothing she could do to help. She could only hope he would safely complete his energy circulation and drive out all the poison.

Whether his energy circulation had reached its peak, Shin Moo-wol's body trembled violently. At the same time, his entire body was enveloped in thick mist.

As the poison from his body spread into the air, the trees and grass in the area turned yellow and withered.

"Ah!"

Seeing this, Eum Yu-kyung suddenly remembered something and looked at the Blood Mist Squad corpses. Everything touched by the blood flowing from the Blood Mist Squad corpses was turning yellow, withering, and dying.

"Poison people? What kind of poison did they use to raise these people?"

The history of the Demon Cult already exceeded several hundred years. During that time, countless martial arts, techniques, and strange arts had been created. Naturally, poison arts that used poison to build strength were also created.

The method of using poison arts to build internal energy was simple. One would consume or absorb poison, then digest it as one's own using special mental techniques.

The problem was that the balance between the two had to be right. If the poison was stronger than expected, or if the mental technique wasn't excellent enough to digest the poison, the practitioner of poison arts would instead die or be injured.

Therefore, even within the Demon Cult, only an extremely small number practiced poison arts. There had never been a case where an entire organization practiced poison arts like this. Most importantly, there didn't exist poison that could allow so many people to practice poison arts.

"What on earth…"

Eum Yu-kyung bit her lips until they bled.

When she was within the Demon Cult, such things didn't exist, so her suspicions only grew.

That's when it happened.

Dam Ho suddenly knelt on one knee, dipped his finger in the Blood Mist Squad's blood flowing on the ground, and brought it to his tongue.

"It's dangerous!"

Eum Yu-kyung belatedly realized this and tried to stop him, but Dam Ho had already tasted the blood.

As soon as it touched his tongue, it instantly went numb and poison penetrated his body. When the poison penetrated, the Dark Soul Cultivation Method activated. The powerful internal energy generated by the Dark Soul Cultivation Method instantly burned away the poison that had penetrated Dam Ho's body.

Eum Yu-kyung asked:

"Why on earth are you doing that?"

She couldn't understand Dam Ho's actions. But Dam Ho seemed to have no intention of answering, remaining still with his eyes closed. He looked as if he was savoring the taste of the poison.

After a moment, he opened his mouth.

"It's the same!"

"What do you mean?"

"The same as the poison used by the soul-lost people."

"Then?"

It was the moment when her worst fears became reality.

The Tang Sect and the Demon Cult had joined hands.

For some unknown reason, they were secretly collaborating while sharing each other's secret techniques.

It was truly the worst situation.

Eum Yu-kyung looked at Shin Moo-wol, who was still practicing energy circulation, with a confused expression.

As if proving the hardships he had endured, he was truly in a complete mess. Pus was flowing from wounds that hadn't yet healed.

Shin Moo-wol's complexion during energy circulation wasn't very good. Normally, after this much energy circulation, he should have driven out the poison to some degree. But the poison that had penetrated his body was so terrifying that it wouldn't budge.

Large beads of sweat formed on Shin Moo-wol's forehead, and his body trembled. Blood vessels protruded all over his body, and his face had turned pitch black.

"Krgh!"

At this point, Shin Moo-wol had no choice but to practice energy circulation desperately. He gritted his teeth and fought against the poison.

Dam Ho and Eum Yu-kyung watched silently.

It was Shin Moo-wol's battle. There was nothing the two could do to help him.

"Whew!"

Eum Yu-kyung sighed while remaining alert to their surroundings. She was preparing for any possible surprise attacks.

Clearly, Shin Moo-wol had been moving with Geom Yul-cheon. Yet here he was, far from Muli, being hunted by the Blood Mist Squad.

Something had definitely gone seriously wrong.

Though she had countless questions, for now she could only wait for Shin Moo-wol to awaken.

'Yul-cheon.'

She remained on guard while thinking of Geom Yul-cheon.

Shin Moo-wol's energy circulation didn't end until the next morning. When he finished his energy circulation, his entire body reeked of a terrible stench. It was the smell of poison expelled from his body through his pores.

"Are you alright?"

"No."

At Eum Yu-kyung's question, Shin Moo-wol shook his head and answered. His complexion was extremely haggard.

It couldn't be helped. He hadn't completely expelled the poison from his body. Part of it was wrapped in internal energy and pushed to one side of his body. There hadn't been enough time to completely drive out the poison.

Eum Yu-kyung asked urgently:

"What on earth happened? Weren't you supposed to be with Yul-cheon?"

"I was."

"Then why?"

"There was no choice. To disperse the forces concentrated on the elder brother."

"Tell me in detail."

"Dan Woon-hyang moved."

"Don't tell me…"

"That's right."

"She really moved personally?"

Eum Yu-kyung's lips trembled. Even at such a reaction from Eum Yu-kyung, Shin Moo-wol wasn't surprised. He had expected this from the moment he mentioned Dan Woon-hyang's name.

Dam Ho silently looked at Eum Yu-kyung. For Eum Yu-kyung, who never lost her reason, to show such an intense reaction was extremely unusual.

"Are you alright? Fourth Sister."

"She wouldn't have moved alone."

"…"

"Don't tell me?"

Eum Yu-kyung, who had thought of something, opened her eyes wide. Then Shin Moo-wol spoke in a sunken voice:

"That 'don't tell me' is correct. The Ten Soldiers were mobilized."

"Ah!"

Eum Yu-kyung burst into lamentation. Her eyes had already become red with blood. Shin Moo-wol made a dark expression as if he understood her feelings.

"That's why the elder brother was cornered. If it weren't for them, there would have been no reason for the elder brother to flee to Muli."

"Haah!"

"Are you alright? Fourth Sister."

"I'm… fine."

Eum Yu-kyung answered with difficulty. But her expression wasn't as comfortable as her answer. Her fingertips trembled subtly.

Shin Moo-wol said nothing more. He knew the psychological shock Eum Yu-kyung would have received. He himself had shown the same reaction when he heard that the Ten Soldiers had been mobilized.

Dam Ho silently watched the two.

Their emotions were at their worst, as if they had fallen into a bottomless swamp. They were feeling as if their mood and body were both falling into an abyss.

It was quite some time before the two regained their composure.

Eum Yu-kyung looked at Dam Ho and apologized:

"I'm sorry. We were talking among ourselves."

"Who is Dan Woon-hyang?"

At Dam Ho's question, Eum Yu-kyung briefly closed her eyes.

It felt as if thorns had sprouted in her mouth, making it difficult even to move her tongue. It was Shin Moo-wol who spoke on her behalf.

"She is the former Holy… Maiden of the Divine Cult."

"Holy Maiden?"

"Yes! And she was also the master who once taught Fourth Sister."

At Shin Moo-wol's explanation, Eum Yu-kyung's shoulders trembled.

In the Demon Cult, the role of the Holy Maiden was absolutely crucial.

If the Cult Leader handled military force, the Holy Maiden handled the religious aspects. Many in the Demon Cult believed in and relied on the Holy Maiden for this reason.

The domains ruled by the Cult Leader and Holy Maiden were clearly different, so there was a strong tradition of mutual respect. This tradition that had continued for hundreds of years was broken during the time of the former Holy Maiden, Dan Woon-hyang.

"Master… no, the former Holy Maiden had very strong worldly desires. And she loved one man."

"Are you saying he was the Cult Leader?"

"Originally, the Cult Leader and Holy Maiden cannot become husband and wife. If they did, the cult's discipline would collapse. So she stepped down from being Holy Maiden. To be with the Cult Leader. And she called herself the Demon Mother."

It was a hidden secret. Even within the Demon Cult, only a few in the leadership knew this fact. Most cult members believed that Eum Yu-kyung became the Holy Maiden because Dan Woon-hyang had died. But that wasn't the truth.

Originally, it was the former Holy Maiden who educated the new Holy Maiden. Dan Woon-hyang was Eum Yu-kyung's master and had been like a mother to her. Dan Woon-hyang's betrayal had also been a great wound to Eum Yu-kyung.

It was no different from a mother she had believed in and relied on all her life abandoning her child after falling in love with another man.

Now Eum Yu-kyung's reaction made sense. But there was still something that didn't make sense.

"The Ten Soldiers?"

"The Ten… Soldiers are our friends. No, they were people who used to be our friends."

The old man staggered backward.

Since the poison needle had properly lodged in his heart, no matter how much he blocked his blood flow, he couldn’t last long.

Along with dizziness, he felt difficulty breathing. Nausea and the urge to vomit welled up.

At the same time, his chest became tight.

Ugh! Sharp!

Cold sweat instantly formed.

The old man grabbed and pulled off his own severed wrist that was attached to his chest. Though it didn’t help much, he pressed acupoints around the area to delay the poison’s spread as much as possible.

However, if his heart stopped, everything would be useless.

He had to decide quickly. Either die fighting like this or bite his poison tooth.

Poison Dragon was stronger than expected. Especially his unique grappling techniques combined with projectile skills made him extremely difficult to deal with.

The sensation of internal energy felt when their hands and feet clashed was also strange. He must have learned supreme internal energy techniques.

The old man glared at Jin Ja-gang with bloodshot, reddened eyes and said.

“Kekeke. They say the Yangtze’s rear waves push the front waves… The rear waves of the Yangtze River push out the front waves.”

Jin Ja-gang asked back.

“As a senior who’s been pushed aside, do you have any advice to leave for a junior who will soon become the front wave?”

The old man smiled wickedly as if he’d been waiting for this.

“None. You’ll get nothing from me. You’ll become a cold corpse without ever knowing what or whom you’ve touched.”

“I figured as much. Then go ahead.”

Jin Ja-gang replied so readily without regret that the old man became displeased. It sounded like he was saying he didn’t care whether he died or not.

Since Jin Ja-gang showed no regret at all, somehow his own death felt too meaningless.

“This bastard… how dare you see this old man as…”

“You’re the one who said you didn’t want to tell me.”

The old man’s face, already suffering from difficulty breathing, became even more contorted.

“Insolent brat! This old man was in the martial world when you weren’t even born…!”

Jin Ja-gang coldly cut off the old man’s words.

“Shut up.”

“What?”

The old man was dumbfounded and soon became furious.

“You brat! Where did a young one like you get a little power and become so arrogant beyond measure! Do you see the martial world as such a joke!”

“I don’t know much about the martial world. But you are utterly ridiculous.”

“Young one! Nothing in the world lasts forever. In the blink of an eye, everything changes the same. You who pushed out the front wave will also soon become the front wave. When that time comes, don’t forget that you had a day like today!”

However, Jin Ja-gang instead pointed at the old man with his finger and shouted as if scolding.

“You’re doing such dirty work that you can’t even reveal your own name, yet you dare to lecture someone!”

The old man was speechless.

“D-dare?”

Unable to contain his anger, he vomited blood. Only after vomiting blood twice did his mind clear a bit and his voice became calm.

“Heh… hehe, you want to provoke this old man with such tactics to extract information? Young one, there are great causes in this world that your small head cannot understand.”

The old man pointed downward while staggering.

“Kneel and apologize. Then who knows? This old man might pretend to be crazy before dying and show mercy by opening his mouth.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at the old man with contemptuous eyes.

“I refuse. You don’t deserve such courtesy.”

The old man asked with increasingly labored breathing.

“Huff, huff. Then you won’t be able to find out anything?”

A sneer appeared at the corner of Jin Ja-gang’s mouth.

“Do you think so? If you knew what poison I used on you, you wouldn’t be able to say such things.”

The old man was seriously affected by poison, with the area under his eyes turning black. Death was imminent. There was nothing more frustrating than dying without hearing an answer.

“You… killed two of my subordinates. They said nothing. So what and how did you find out?”

Jin Ja-gang took out a sprig of mistletoe from his sleeve and chewed it.

“It’s mistletoe. Especially the kind that grows parasitically on mulberry trees is called Sang Qi Sheng.”

“Mistletoe? With just that?”

Mistletoe was extremely common in this area. You could see mistletoe all over Gubuk Village right now.

The old man shouted.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Mistletoe is a non-poisonous plant that’s actually used to neutralize poison!”

“Sang Qi Sheng harvested in winter is like that. But Sang Qi Sheng that grows in spring is the opposite and contains poison. And it reacts greatly in specifically certain situations.”

The old man’s pupils shook.

“What is this specific situation?”

The desire to hear an answer before dying was greater than feeling shameless.

“In normal cases, when poisoned by Sang Qi Sheng, one receives a shock like being struck by lightning, causing the face to turn pale and blood to stop circulating, leading to death. However, if someone with no rheumatism at all encounters Sang Qi Sheng poison, they experience severe chest pain before their heart stops and they die.”

Rheumatism refers to living in humid places where moisture seeps into the body. Depending on the person, joints hurt, they feel dizzy, and they may develop fever.

The old man’s expression became uneasy.

The old man looked down at his own hand clutching his chest.

“Last winter, there was a lot of snow. So most people barely feel chest pain even when poisoned by Sang Qi Sheng.”

Jin Ja-gang continued.

“In other words, you clutching your chest means you’re experiencing severe heart pain, and it means you’ve lived long in a dry place without moisture.”

The old man quickly turned his head.

He checked just in case, and indeed it was as expected. Among those disguised as ordinary soldiers, hardly any could be seen holding their chests while dead.

Those were bandit groups they had recruited who had been wandering around as riffraff. It was clearly different from his own condition.

The old man’s eyes sank deeply. He no longer had the strength to deny it.

“Heh, hehe. To figure out that much… with just something like Sang Qi Sheng… At this level, this old man has nothing to say.”

His legs trembled violently. It was a miracle he was still standing.

Jin Ja-gang said.

“Most people would have difficulty lasting even half an hour, but you’ve endured over an hour. It’s time for you to go now.”

“Huff.”

The old man used his last strength to press acupoints around his pelvis and hip joints with his fingers. His legs stiffened so he wouldn’t fall to his knees.

“To think that I, Remaining Soul Blade, would meet my end in such a state…”

The old man didn’t bite his poison tooth. However, like a master, he raised his internal energy and committed suicide.

Pop!

A sound like a pumpkin bursting came from the old man’s head as blood instantly filled his eyes. Melted brain matter mixed with sticky blood flowed down his beard from his nostrils.

He died standing up.

Jin Ja-gang looked at the old man for a moment.

The old man was a considerable master. He probably seemed similar to Zhuge Son-gi or perhaps one level ahead.

However, Jin Ja-gang didn’t feel much intimidation from the old man. This was because Jin Ja-gang had already risen to a much higher level than the old man.

Like looking down from above to below, Jin Ja-gang had somehow reached such a position.

Jin Ja-gang turned around to look behind him.

There was no need to do more. The scene was already cleaned up.

Oh Tae, whose right hand had become a rag, approached Jin Ja-gang with his hand bandaged.

“Remaining Soul Blade, I remember hearing that name. He’s a master from the Northern Heaven who disappeared long ago. There was once talk that he was among the top five in Zhejiang…”

Oh Tae stopped talking and stared at Jin Ja-gang.

Didn’t that mean if Jin Ja-gang went to Zhejiang, he’d be within the top five?

“Well, this side is Yunnan’s top master after all.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. Just talking to myself. But I thought Northern Heaven’s Evil Sect was driven north by orthodox sects long ago, when did they enter the martial world?”

“It seems they were in the western desert, not the north. If it’s a dry place without moisture, there’s only the western desert connected to Qinghai, Gansu Province, and Shanxi Province.”

“Then the Sang Qi Sheng story is real?”

“It’s real.”

“But the desert is vast. Unimaginably vast. Moreover, all directions look the same. Everywhere you look it’s all sand, and when wind blows, the terrain changes, so those unfamiliar with it lose their way and die.”

“It would be difficult to find them with just this information.”

“Moreover, in the worst case, we can’t help but consider the possibility that Northern Heaven has joined hands with the Western Tibet Demon Cult.”

Oh Tae spoke regretfully.

“We should have kept him alive for torture.”

“He didn’t seem like he would open his mouth under torture.”

One had bitten his poison tooth himself, and the old man disguised as a military captain had silenced the mouth by beheading someone who wasn’t yet dead. They weren’t the type to open their mouths under torture.

“That’s true though.”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang look at Oh Tae and ask.

“Is your hand alright?”

Oh Tae was incredulous.

“You’re asking quite quickly. Does this look alright to you?”

“You told me not to show pity.”

“Pity is pity, but not even asking if a person is in pain…”

Oh Tae stopped talking and closed his mouth.

Seeing him argue with Remaining Soul Blade just now, his eloquence was no ordinary thing. If he continued talking, only he would suffer.

After the situation was sorted out, Oh Tae tortured the captured men.

However, no particular information came out.

They were simple hired hands. They had participated just because they were offered a lot of money, but knew nothing.

Oh Tae cut their necks and offered them on a sacrificial table, comforting the souls of the dead Gubuk Village gang members.

“With what’s left of us, we can’t face those who employ people like Remaining Soul Blade as subordinates. If we stay, we’ll just be massacred overnight.”

Oh Tae decided to disband Gubuk Village and leave. Even with help from the Hao Sect, if masters beyond Remaining Soul Blade came, they would be the ones to die anyway.

“Isn’t it a waste to give up the black market you’ve been operating?”

At Jin Ja-gang’s question, Oh Tae laughed.

“Black markets feed on forbidden desires. As long as there are people, black markets won’t disappear.”

“I see.”

“Well, and since things have turned out this way, I’ll have to bring out my retirement plan.”

Oh Tae grumbled regretfully and said.

“Go to Chongqing.”

Chongqing was an area connecting Sichuan and Huguang. Especially Huguang Province was full of prestigious sects including Wudang Sect. It would be like stepping forward right in front of a tiger’s den.

“Did the stolen goods go to Chongqing?”

“Almost all stolen goods related to martial sects are processed there.”

“Chongqing is unfamiliar.”

“Don’t worry. The Hao Sect is there too. And most importantly.”

Oh Tae paused and asked.

“I said I could guarantee ninety percent victory in card fighting. What did I say the remaining ten percent depended on?”

“You said it depended on the cards.”

Oh Tae said.

“The Hao Sect has been working on Chongqing for a long time. Hehehe.”

At Oh Tae’s confident tone, Jin Ja-gang felt grateful once again. Not only the clothes he was wearing now, but Oh Tae had been taking particular care of Jin Ja-gang.

“Thank you. I’ve received a lot of help.”

“You saved our lives. If you hadn’t stayed here to learn gambling, we would all already be corpses. That’s enough, what in the world is more important than your own neck? Let’s just consider it even trading.”

Oh Tae raised his bandaged hand and laughed heartily.

“It was a short time if short, long if long. Then go quickly. I have nothing more to give you. If you still insist on staying, I’ll curse you as someone who picks bean sprouts from a beggar’s asshole.”

Jin Ja-gang smiled without realizing it.

“Thank you for all your care during this time.”

Oh Tae pushed Jin Ja-gang away.

“No need to say goodbye like we’ll never see each other again. Those who meet will part, but those who part will surely return. The Hao Sect exists everywhere in the martial world. We’ll meet again sometime. Moreover, I have no intention of retiring yet.”

Those who meet will part, but those who part will surely return.

When there are meetings, there are also partings, but those who must meet will surely meet again.

Jin Ja-gang cupped his fists toward Oh Tae and the Gubuk Village gang members who were seeing him off, then immediately set out on the road.