Chapter 268

A tremendous amount of poison powder was scattered, obscuring Jin Ja-gang’s body in a hazy cloud.

Like sand and dust from the Gobi Desert blowing on a very severe day, milky white powder spread in billowing clouds. The sect leaders and warriors could only flee to avoid the poison powder and dared not approach carelessly.

Several had already collapsed after inhaling part of the poison powder.

Baek Li-jung was about to chase Jin Ja-gang but stopped and stood still, watching.

Zhuge Ming lightly touched some poison powder that had fallen to the ground with the tip of his fan and tasted it with his tongue. Zhuge Ming tilted his head questioningly and soon spat it out.

Zhuge Ming moved to the side and again touched and tasted the poison powder. But this time his expression immediately changed as he spat it out. In the meantime, blood mixed with his saliva.

“It’s some kind of mixed poison I can’t identify. I don’t know what makes each part so different… but one thing is certain. It’s quite vicious.”

Zhuge Ming also saw that Jin Ja-gang was getting farther away. However, he didn’t give orders to pursue.

A valley wind was blowing.

The light poison powders were being carried by the wind from the bottom of the mountain upward. Jin Ja-gang was wrapped in poison powder, ascending the mountain following the wind. If they pursued Jin Ja-gang, they would have to continue breathing poison powder while following.

Being in the mountains with trees blocking the view, it was difficult to shoot spears or arrows. Even if they shot, Jin Ja-gang wouldn’t obediently get hit. Unless Mount Emei masters helped, but they were only guarding their assigned areas and not stepping forward.

“Mount Emei isn’t coming.”

Even with such commotion, their not coming showed Mount Emei’s clear intention not to intervene. This was completely opposite to their initially active stance.

“It might be because all the Qingcheng sect disciples fled and there’s nothing to eat. Then we should also just pretend to follow so Poison Dragon uses up his poison powder. Following him would only cause damage. It’s not poison that amateurs can withstand.”

Zhuge Ming raised his fan and ordered them to only pretend to chase Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang continued to flee while scattering poison powder.

Zhuge Ming stood beside Baek Li-jung and said.

“That fellow has used mountain valley winds before. He’s truly a bold one.”

Baek Li-jung didn’t respond to Zhuge Ming’s words. He just muttered while glaring at Jin Ja-gang’s retreating figure with fury.

“How dare he.”

Jin Ja-gang had crossed the line again.

He had used Baek Li-jung. As a chess piece in his own plan.

From the beginning, targeting the barracks might not have been done knowing Baek Li-jung was there. If Baek Li-jung hadn’t been there, he might have targeted Zhuge Ming or other sect leaders.

But he knew that if he attacked Baek Li-jung, the strongest master, others wouldn’t intervene. Whether for face or pride, inferior fighters couldn’t interfere in a master’s battle. In other words, no matter how many warriors were around, he could somehow fight one-on-one.

In a one-on-one situation, what Jin Ja-gang aimed for was one thing.

To somehow use poison needles to poison Baek Li-jung even just once.

If Baek Li-jung, the strongest master, was poisoned to that degree, who else would dare attack Jin Ja-gang!

That’s also why he was visibly scattering milky white poison powder. The purpose wasn’t poisoning to death but making them too scared to approach.

Then he was leisurely ascending the mountain, matching his speed to the poison powder fluttering along the valley wind.

Jin Ja-gang had even gained information about Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art as a bonus because his opponent was Baek Li-jung. Jin Ja-gang had been able to take everything he intended.

“Confidence… or gambling?”

Attacking Baek Li-jung had been a gamble, and stabbing Baek Li-jung with poison needles had also been a gamble.

But being confident that he could definitely poison even a master like Baek Li-jung just by stabbing him with poison needles was behavior born from confidence.

Zhuge Ming glanced at Baek Li-jung and said.

“He seems to have more formidable poison than expected. If mountain winds blow tonight, it’ll be troublesome.”

At night, wind blows from the mountain down to the foothills.

Generally, one moves against the wind direction to avoid revealing one’s scent or sound. But if he comes down scattering poison powder, the story changes. The wind carries the poison powder, making it a powerful weapon.

“Tonight. We must be careful. We should prepare everyone for combat.”

Soon Zhuge Ming called the sect leaders and ordered them to prepare thoroughly.

* * *

Throb!

Mang Ryo was passing time in Supreme Pure Palace carving a walking stick when his body flinched.

He touched the eye patch over his left eye.

“Hmm…”

Mang Ryo immediately got up and climbed onto the palace roof to look down below.

A smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

“As expected.”

There was commotion below.

Mang Ryo immediately went to Dan Ryeong-gyeong and said.

“It’s time to part. Poison Dragon is coming up. I’ll step aside now.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong looked at Mang Ryo quietly and asked.

“Where do you plan to go?”

Mang Ryo smiled.

“I have a place to escape to. I can’t let the escape fail because his emotions get heated seeing me. Anyway, Mount Emei won’t interfere with you all, so don’t worry.”

Mang Ryo pointed north with his walking stick.

“Just avoid that direction. I’ve already given word to Mount Emei.”

After pointing to where Mount Emei was located, Mang Ryo immediately left.

The Shandong Evil Sect members gathered upon hearing that Jin Ja-gang was coming up.

About one hour later, when the sun was setting over the western mountains, Jin Ja-gang came up from the mountain gate to the stairs of the main entrance. He wasn’t sneaking but coming up boldly from the front. They could also see Martial Alliance warriors who had been chasing from far at the mountain gate turning back.

Gam Chung chuckled “heh heh.”

“Well well, he really came.”

Eight Flying Demon Hero Gu Ryun also clicked his tongue incredulously.

“He’s making all that commotion and entering properly through the main gate?”

Bian Bu was delighted.

“I knew he’d come! If it’s Poison Dragon, I knew he would! What mystical technique did he use?”

Soso ran out and greeted Jin Ja-gang with a smile in front of him. Jin Ja-gang’s clothes were somewhat torn and dirty, but there were no major injuries. Soso gave him water to drink and a towel.

Soso’s expression was flushed. She had heard about the Martial Alliance Guizhou branch. But she wanted to hear it directly from Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang knelt down to meet Soso’s eyes and said.

“Soso, Golden Fortune Merchant is dead and the Martial Alliance Guizhou branch has been annihilated. This may not fully repay the Medicine Sect’s grudge, but at least you can rest in peace now.”

Tears welled up in Soso’s eyes. Soso hugged the kneeling Jin Ja-gang once before stepping back.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong came out from inside. Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s eyes were very deep and clear, but her sunken cheeks made her look very haggard.

“You’ve worked hard. Thank you for coming.”

Jin Ja-gang just bowed his head slightly in greeting without words. Having learned of past secrets through Yelu Huan and anticipating Venerable Woo-am’s death, he could understand how much Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s heart must ache.

Moreover, the number of Evil Sect members had visibly decreased greatly from when he left. Even all together, there were just over twenty people. Fire Snake Divine Lady and Remnant Wind Guest were nowhere to be seen, and Gu Ryun’s right leg was also missing.

Though the corpses had been cleared away, bloodstains were scattered everywhere on the ground.

Bian Bu approached and said.

“Say there. Didn’t you bring any food? We’re dying here with nothing to eat.”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t think that far ahead.”

Other Evil Sect members scolded Bian Bu.

“Aren’t you asking too much from someone who broke through that siege?”

Bian Bu got angry.

“People have to eat to live! We’ve been trapped here for over two weeks, so we can be hungry!”

Jin Ja-gang smiled calmly and said.

“Please endure for just one day.”

“Huh? One day?”

The Evil Sect members were surprised and crowded around Jin Ja-gang.

“Did you hear something from down there?”

“It’s not that those guys will launch a general offensive tomorrow, is it?”

Jin Ja-gang shook his head.

“No.”

“Then?”

“We’ll go down tomorrow.”

The Evil Sect members were puzzled.

“By what means? The numbers are enormous.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong asked.

“You seem to have something in mind. Tell us about it.”

“I think it would be best to go down from here just before dawn tomorrow morning.”

The Evil Sect members tilted their heads again.

Just before dawn would be the end of the Hour of the Tiger. It was slightly past the time when people sleep most deeply. And just before sunrise at that.

“Not tonight but tomorrow morning?”

“At the end of the Hour of the Tiger, the sun will rise within half an hour at the fastest. Are you saying we can escape when the sun is bright?”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“We’ll be discovered.”

“It would be stranger if we weren’t discovered right away!”

“The Zhuge family is here. From my experience, when they deploy the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Formation, it’s difficult to escape without being detected.”

“Are you saying we should face the formation when it’s bright rather than when it’s dark…”

“But the formation will weaken when the sun rises.”

The Evil Sect members became even more puzzled.

“Stop beating around the bush and tell us. We’re curious.”

“I poisoned their food supplies.”

“If you tampered with their food, wouldn’t they know too? They wouldn’t eat it knowing…”

“I didn’t go to this place but directly to where the food supplies are sent from.”

“What?”

“After watching for several days, I saw they were short on food and either hunting for self-sufficiency or receiving small amounts of food from their respective sects. So I tampered with food coming from three places: Purple Mountain Sect, Taishan Sect, and Wang Li family.”

“But is there a guarantee they’ll eat the food?”

“Since they’ll think I’m going down tonight using mountain winds, they’ll likely eat heartily to prepare for the night.”

Bian Bu asked.

“No, so if they eat the poison, shouldn’t we go down now? Won’t they notice they’re poisoned after the night passes?”

“They won’t know until morning.”

Jin Ja-gang explained about the poison.

“It’s leaf poison from Poison Parsley Flower. When they see the sun, their eyes will be dazzled and their vision will be greatly impaired.”

“So that’s why you’re targeting when the morning sun rises, when the sunlight is weak but most dazzling.”

The Evil Sect members stirred.

“Brilliant. To think of using such a thing.”

Bian Bu tilted his head and asked back.

“But was there a need to make it so complicated? Can’t we do it the way you broke through the siege to come up?”

“When coming up, I used the wind to scatter poison powder and broke through the siege, but…”

“Then it would be better to do the same when going down. Except for me and Soso, the friends remaining here are skilled masters who should be able to follow you.”

“I think it would be too much.”

The Evil Sect members jokingly booed with “ooh.”

“You’re really looking down on us?”

“Acting all high and mighty and looking down on people?”

“We were all somebody back in our day, you know?”

Bian Bu asked.

“Did you use up all your poison powder?”

“I can make enough poison powder. But I don’t have antidotes.”

“…You should have brought some.”

“I originally don’t have any.”

“…”

Bian Bu and the Evil Sect members fell silent. Usually when using poison, one carries antidotes as well.

“So when we go down tomorrow, I plan to avoid the path I took coming up.”

This meant that Jin Ja-gang had done the troublesome work of poisoning food supplies because of them.

The Evil Sect members also agreed.

“Right, that makes sense.”

“How poisonous must the poison be for him to do that.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at the Evil Sect members with a calm smile.

“We can’t avoid fighting just because I poisoned their food supplies, but for now, this is the only way.”

There would be casualties, but if they could blind the enemy’s eyes, they could fight a very advantageous battle. It was better than fighting completely intact.

“We should also steel our hearts.”

The Evil Sect members strengthened their fighting spirit thinking of the decisive battle.

As everyone scattered to make their individual preparations, Dan Ryeong-gyeong called Jin Ja-gang.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”