Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Disaster Arrives Without Warning (2)

Bang!

Namgung Chang slammed his fist upon the table. Objects on the table flew off from the impact and clattered to the floor.

"What did you say? They clashed? Did I not tell you to only locate her?"

"Well… Young Master Namgung Su insisted on capturing her directly…"

"Su…"

A tremor ran through Namgung Chang's shoulders. Though the vast majority of the Green Forest's bandits were nothing more than a rabble, their numbers exceeded tens of thousands. The one who held the life-and-death authority over all those tens of thousands was none other than the Overlord, Hwang Gyeong-mun. Hwang Hye-ryeong was his only daughter. If a direct confrontation with the Green Forest occurred, the Murim Alliance could be shaken before it even found its footing.

"Where is Su now?"

"He is in pursuit of Hwang Hye-ryeong."

"Grr!"

Namgung Chang gritted his teeth. This made a clash with the Green Forest inevitable.

'I made a mistake. I should not have sent Su.'

After Dam Ho had broken his right arm, Namgung Su had been dispirited. Namgung Chang had given him this mission to restore his confidence. He had never dreamed that Su would cause such a disaster.

"Send someone to order Su to withdraw immediately."

"Well…"

"What is it?"

A sense of foreboding made Namgung Chang's eyes waver.

"Young Master Namgung Su has requested assistance from warriors of the other families as well."

"He dragged warriors from the other families into this?"

"It seems the enemy's martial power exceeded his expectations…"

Muk Il-gwang, who was protecting Hwang Hye-ryeong, had displayed martial might far beyond what Namgung Su had anticipated. He had single-handedly broken through the Namgung Family's encirclement and escaped. Had Namgung Su's right arm been intact, or had this been before his fight with Dam Ho, he would have tried to handle the matter with the Namgung Family's strength alone. But after suffering a humiliating defeat and injury at Dam Ho's hands, his once-iron resolve had cracked. Terrified by Muk Il-gwang's overwhelming power, Namgung Su had called upon warriors from the Five Great Families with whom he had pre-existing ties. Those warriors, already fired up by the Alliance's founding, had rallied to his cause, and the situation was spiraling out of control.

"I was too complacent."

Namgung Chang rose abruptly. He had to contain the situation before it escalated further. A look of urgency crested on his face.

"Haaah!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong gasped for breath. She wore a look of deep distress as she gazed at Muk Il-gwang, who stood guard beside her. His entire body was covered in minor wounds. Though none were fatal, they must have been quite painful—yet his expression had not changed in the slightest.

"Are you all right, my lady?"

He was more worried about her than himself.

"I'm fine."

"That is good."

"But can we really escape 岳yang? Their forces are already spread across the entire city."

"I will do my best. One thing I can promise is that you will not be hurt or killed before I am."

"Il-gwang!"

"To escape 岳yang, we need the help of an ally."

"An ally?"

"Currently, 岳yang is filled with warriors from countless sects. If they form a net of heaven and earth, we will never escape. We must find an ally and secure their help before that happens."

"Then let us go to So-cheong."

"Miss Eun So-cheong of the Silver Saber Pavilion?"

"Yes! So-cheong will help us."

"Understood."

Muk Il-gwang nodded. He knew better than anyone how close Hwang Hye-ryeong and Eun So-cheong were. At present, there seemed to be no other option.

At that moment, rough voices echoed from outside the alley.

"Block this side and set up a perimeter."

"That woman must not leave 岳yang."

The expressions of the two changed. As they had feared, a net of heaven and earth was already being cast over all of 岳yang.

"Let us go quickly."

"Yes."

Hwang Hye-ryeong followed Muk Il-gwang. Suddenly, she raised her head and looked up at the sky. At that moment, the person who came to mind was not her father, Hwang Gyeong-mun, nor her close friend Eun So-cheong. It was the face of a man she barely knew.

***

Dam Ho had ridden a horse over the mountains to come to Wuhan, but he returned to 岳yang by boat. Wuhan and 岳yang were connected by the Yangtze River. The boat he took was not an ordinary Cloud Horse Ferry—it was a small vessel arranged by the Haowu Gate. Though not as large as the ferry, it was faster. The captain was also a member of the Haowu Gate, a seasoned sailor who had navigated the Yangtze hundreds of times. His orders from Jang So-chul were simple: by any means necessary, get Dam Ho to 岳yang as quickly as possible.

The captain glanced at Dam Ho. 'Who on earth is that man?' The Jang So-chul he knew was a man of immense pride. He had never cowed before any martial artist—even when meeting the elders of the Nine Great Sects, he spoke his mind. Yet after meeting Dam Ho, Jang So-chul had appeared with a pale face, insisting in a voice that brooked no argument: ―Under no circumstances are you to anger him. Under no circumstances…

The captain could not fathom what aspect of Dam Ho had so frightened Jang So-chul. He shook his head slightly and focused on piloting the boat.

Dam Ho stood at the bow, gazing at the mighty currents of the Yangtze.

'Jo Yun-san.'

He had finally obtained the answer he sought. Yet he felt no excitement. On the contrary, his heart and mind were colder and calmer than ever.

'He was hiding in the Black Water Fortress.' The bandit had taken refuge with the Green Forest. In a way, it was the natural progression. Once one took the first step into that world, there was no returning to a normal life—just like Dam Ho himself.

"Hyung!"

Bang Jin-bo approached.

"The horses are safely secured in the hold. Don't worry."

"……"

"Hyung?"

"What is it?"

"It's nothing."

He could not bring himself to say that he was terrified. Dam Ho's face and demeanor appeared the same as always. But something was different. Bang Jin-bo, who had spent a long time with Dam Ho, could sense the subtle difference.

'So… scary!'

He had thought he had built up some tolerance to Dam Ho. But Dam Ho's current state shattered that tolerance entirely. Already, his breathing was constricted and every hair on his body stood on end. He could not bring himself to draw any closer.

"Whew!"

Bang Jin-bo let out a quiet sigh and retreated. Only when he was halfway back across the boat could he breathe properly. If Bang Jin-bo felt this way, the other crew members were in an even worse state. Though it was a small vessel, nearly a dozen crew were aboard. But none dared approach even the vicinity of Dam Ho.

The boat sped south at a pace several times faster than when they had left 岳yang. Yet even this was not fast enough for Dam Ho. He watched the sun rise and set from the deck, moving not a single step except when Bang Jin-bo brought him food. Three days passed in this manner. Dam Ho's boat finally entered Dongting Lake.

Though they had been away only about half a month, the surrounding scenery looked strangely unfamiliar.

"Ah!"

Bang Jin-bo gasped at the sight of the magnificent palace complex on the lakeshore near 岳yang—the Murim Alliance. 'Incredible!' The speed of construction defied belief. They were building roughly one palace per day. The amount of human and material resources invested was beyond estimation. Though there were still many details to polish, the overall impression was impressive.

Thud!

The boat finally touched dock. Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo disembarked with their horses.

"Whew!"

"The nightmare is over."

Only then did the exhausted captain and crew collapse on the deck. Their faces showed utter weariness. It could not be helped—they had cut a five-day journey to three. In that time, they had barely slept and had eaten standing up. Dam Ho's suffocating presence had pressed upon them in silence, driving them to pilot the boat like madmen without anyone having to order them.

The captain watched the retreating figures of Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo with unfocused eyes. Black attire and a black horse. Only then did the captain recall his identity.

"The Fist Demon—he was the Fist Demon."

A sigh of relief escaped him involuntarily. The Fist Demon's reputation in the Murim was filled with unspeakably vicious deeds. There were even rumors that he killed indiscriminately, drank blood, and feasted on human flesh. To think that such a terrifying demon lord had been aboard his ship the entire time—it sent a chill down his spine.

'A storm of blood is about to break.'

The captain had been on edge the entire time he ferried Dam Ho. The atmosphere emanating from Dam Ho was anything but ordinary. The feeling of watching a volcano on the verge of eruption—only someone who had experienced it could understand.

"I don't know. It's none of my concern anymore."

The captain simply lay on the floor, gasping for breath.

Meanwhile, Dam Ho headed straight for Cheonsang Tower upon disembarking.

"Daehyeop!"

Un-jeong greeted him the moment he arrived.

"The Branch Manager is waiting inside."

Dam Ho did not wait for Un-jeong's guidance and strode inside. The moment she saw his face, Un-jeong's complexion paled.

"Gasp!"

Dam Ho wore the same expressionless face she had seen before. But now something was different. An indescribable eeriness stabbed at her heart like a knife.

'Wh-what kind of eyes are those…'

Un-jeong stared after Dam Ho's retreating figure with a dazed expression. Beside her, Bang Jin-bo let out a quiet sigh.

Dam Ho walked down the corridor and entered Gi Ye-hwa's quarters without hesitation.

"Welcome."

Gi Ye-hwa greeted him cautiously. Dam Ho did not even sit.

"Where are they?"

"They are in 岳yang. We have already secured their location, so there is no need to worry."

Gi Ye-hwa spoke calmly. Dam Ho's gaze sank deep.

"You want something."

"That's right."

"What?"

"Just save one person. Then I will tell you their whereabouts."

"……"

"In exchange, I will tell you the location of the Black Water Fortress bandits currently in 岳yang. This was agreed upon previously, so it is by no means a breach of contract."

She added quickly. She feared that Dam Ho might resort to force as he had last time.

"Who?"

"Hwang Hye-ryeong… the only daughter of Hwang Gyeong-mun, the Supreme Chieftain of the Eighteen Fortresses of the Green Forest. If she dies here, all of 岳yang will become a battlefield."