Chapter 128

Chapter 128: Disaster Arrives Without Warning (3)

Snap!

With a crisp sound, Namgung Su's head snapped to the side. The slap left his cheek swollen and red. He glared at the man who had struck him through gritted teeth.

"Uncle! How could you—"

"Do you have any idea what you have done?"

The one burning with fury at Namgung Su was none other than Namgung Chang.

"Uncle?"

"Did I not tell you to only locate her? Who ordered you to attack?"

Under Namgung Chang's wrathful gaze, Namgung Su shrank back. But there was no trace of remorse in his eyes.

"She resisted. I had no choice."

"You?"

"Then what was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to let her kill me?"

Namgung Su raised his voice. Namgung Chang's brow furrowed as he glared at his nephew. Namgung Su did not back down, returning his stare. At the sight of his nephew's defiant eyes—showing not a hint of remorse—Namgung Chang finally let out a sigh.

"Because of you alone, the Namgung Family may face the gravest crisis in its history."

"What are you saying? Over a mere Green Forest bandit, the Namgung Family—with its centuries of history and resources—should face a crisis?"

Namgung Su simply could not understand his uncle's concern. 'Uncle was broken that day. He is not the same man he once was.' Since his right arm had been broken and the Gold Sword Guard annihilated, Namgung Chang had changed. He had become passive and cautious—nothing like the ambitious man he once was. Namgung Su was disappointed. That was why he had disobeyed his uncle's orders and acted independently.

Namgung Chang rebuked his nephew.

"This is not just anyone—this is Hwang Hye-ryeong. If word of this gets out, do you think Hwang Gyeong-mun will stand idle? 岳yang will become a battlefield."

"So what? They're just a bandit horde. Can their strength compare to a noble family with centuries of heritage?"

"That 'mere bandit horde' numbers in the tens of thousands. Even ants can kill an elephant when they gather in sufficient numbers."

"We have the Murim Alliance."

"The Murim Alliance must contend with the Demonic Cult."

"The Alliance's strength is more than sufficient. It can handle the Green Forest as well."

"You—?"

Namgung Chang's eyes wavered. His once-sharp nephew had a heart demon dwelling within him. Though Namgung Su had always been headstrong, he had never been this far gone.

Namgung Chang closed his eyes. 'What is done is done. It cannot be undone now.' He had to make a decision. In the span of a moment, countless possibilities flashed through his mind. Then, gritting his teeth, he opened his eyes.

"Request the Murim Alliance to deploy the net of heaven and earth."

"Uncle!"

"We must capture Hwang Hye-ryeong. Only then can we negotiate with Hwang Gyeong-mun."

"Understood."

"If you disobey my orders again, you will face severe punishment—no matter that you are the Family Head's son."

"Do not worry. I will not disappoint you."

Namgung Su answered confidently. A smile spread across his face. But Namgung Chang's gaze remained distrustful. He felt inexplicably uneasy. It was not simply because of Namgung Su's obstinacy. A nameless dread was seeping up from the very depths of his heart.

'Why? What is this feeling?' Even after Namgung Su left, Namgung Chang's expression did not ease.

"Whew!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong let out a deep sigh. Muk Il-gwang watched her with a pained expression. Hwang Hye-ryeong's body bore over a dozen minor wounds. This was only because Muk Il-gwang had fought with every fiber of his being to protect her. His own body was covered in wounds, large and small. It was only his powerful physique and internal energy that allowed him to endure this much. Otherwise, many of his injuries would have made movement impossible.

"Are you all right, my lady?"

"I'm fine. It's you who has suffered, Il-gwang."

"No. It is my inadequacy that has caused you suffering. I am sorry."

Muk Il-gwang bit his lip. They were currently in a small mud hut in the slums on the outskirts of 岳yang. True to the nature of a slum, the area was overflowing with filth and reeked with a foul stench. The streets swarmed with rats and vermin, and dangerous criminals lurked everywhere—a place no ordinary person would set foot.

Someone opened the door and entered.

"Sister."

It was Eun So-cheong.

"So-cheong!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong's face brightened. The mud hut was a safehouse that Eun So-cheong had secretly arranged. The day before, Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang had finally managed to make contact with Eun So-cheong. She had hidden them here and gone out to survey the situation within 岳yang.

"How does it look?"

"Bad."

"How bad?"

"The net of heaven and earth has been deployed."

"Mm!"

A sigh escaped Hwang Hye-ryeong's lips.

"At first, only the Five Great Families were moving. Now the Nine Great Sects have joined as well. It is as though the entire Murim Alliance is in motion."

Eun So-cheong's expression was dark as she answered. She had struggled to find a way to extract Hwang Hye-ryeong from 岳yang. If she could have used the Silver Saber Pavilion's resources, it would have been ideal—but she could not. The Silver Saber Pavilion was also a member of the Murim Alliance. A misstep could bring disaster upon the pavilion. Eun So-cheong could not act openly, and so she too was moving in secret.

"One thing is certain—the longer you stay here, the more disadvantageous it becomes. It is only a matter of time before this location is discovered."

"How did my whereabouts become known?"

"Someone tipped off the Namgung Family."

"A tip-off?"

Hwang Hye-ryeong's brow furrowed.

"Do we know the identity of the informant?"

"I haven't been able to find out yet."

"Mm!"

"We must leave here quickly."

"But how?"

"I have a carriage waiting on the outskirts of 岳yang."

"A carriage?"

"It was arranged by the Haowu Gate, so you can trust it."

"Thank you, So-cheong. You must have gone through a great deal of trouble."

Hwang Hye-ryeong grasped Eun So-cheong's hand. Though the entire world had turned against her, this young sister had not abandoned her loyalty. Hwang Hye-ryeong was deeply moved.

"Do not thank me yet. If we cannot leave this place, the carriage will be of no use."

"Right!"

As Hwang Hye-ryeong nodded with a resolute face—

"My lady!"

Jong Ri-su, who had been standing guard outside, burst in.

"What is it?"

"Martial artists from the Murim Alliance have begun searching the slums. It is only a matter of time before they find us. We must leave immediately."

Jong Ri-su's face was frantic. The enemy's net was tightening like a fishing net sweeping the floor. Even as they spoke, the enemy was drawing closer. Hwang Hye-ryeong looked at Eun So-cheong.

"You must go, So-cheong."

"But…"

"If they discover your connection to me, the Silver Saber Pavilion will not escape unscathed. Go."

"Sister!"

"I am all right. You have done more than enough."

Hwang Hye-ryeong patted Eun So-cheong's shoulder. Eun So-cheong's shoulders trembled. She was frustrated by her own helplessness and grieved that she could do no more.

"Let us meet again someday."

Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang left first, to ease Eun So-cheong's burden. Eun So-cheong stared blankly at the door through which they had departed. Jong Ri-su urged her.

"My lady! We must go."

"Yes."

In the end, Eun So-cheong left the mud hut with Jong Ri-su. Shortly after they departed, the Murim Alliance's tracking party burst into the hut.

"They have already escaped."

The young man in his late twenties who led the tracking party spoke. It was Namgung Su.

"Rats."

Namgung Su gritted his teeth. The slums were a place he never wished to visit again—filthy beyond measure. For a man who prized cleanliness, it was a living nightmare. On the way here, the stench and filth had made him shudder more times than he could count.

"I will not let them go. How dare a mere Green Forest bandit cause trouble in the very heart of the Murim Alliance."

To Namgung Su, who had always regarded Green Forest bandits as vermin, Hwang Hye-ryeong was an object of pure hatred. Because of her, he was suffering in this wretched place with his clothes soiled. Just as Namgung Su was burning with fury—

"This is it! They are here!"

Suddenly, the entire slum erupted in commotion. Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang's presence had been exposed. Namgung Su's expression changed.

"Pursue them!"

He hurriedly led his tracking party toward the disturbance.

"Ugh!"

His face twisted in horror. The slums had been devastated. The mud huts, crudely constructed from wood, had been reduced to mere traces. Bodies lay scattered everywhere. They were all members of the tracking party dispatched by the Murim Alliance—and most of them were men Namgung Su knew personally.

"Ho-cheong, Mun-il…"

Though the Murim Alliance had not been officially inaugurated, these were men who had gathered under its banner and shared drinks together. The last time they had shared a drink was only a few days ago, and now they lay as cold corpses on the ground. These were men who should never have died like this. The muscles in Namgung Su's jaw twitched. He was already consumed by rage.

"I'll kill them."

His hand tightened on his sword when—

"Kyaaah!"

A scream rang out nearby.

"This way!"

Namgung Su led his tracking party around the corner. In a clearing, they saw Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang locked in a fierce battle with the Alliance's warriors. Hwang Hye-ryeong's movements were agile and formidable, but it was Muk Il-gwang who truly dominated the field. Wielding his two massive axes with ease, he butchered the Alliance warriors like a human butcher. Thick blood dripped from the great axes—most of it belonging to the Alliance warriors, though some was Muk Il-gwang's own.

"Haaah!"

Muk Il-gwang's rough breath escaped through gritted teeth. He had tried to break free, but they had been caught by the Alliance warriors after all. The result was the scene before him. He had already felled dozens of enemies, but the enemy kept pouring out like ants from a nest.

"Kill that brute!"

Namgung Su ordered the tracking party.

"Uwaaaah!"

"He is exhausted too!"

The tracking party charged at Muk Il-gwang and Hwang Hye-ryeong in unison. In that instant, Muk Il-gwang summoned every last shred of his power and swept his axes in a great arc.

Hooong!

A powerful wave of axe qi erupted and swept across the surroundings. It was the Blood Moon Piercing Slaughter technique. As devastating as it was, it consumed an extraordinary amount of energy—but this was no time to be selective.

"Kuaaah!"

"Guh!"

In an instant, over a dozen warriors were cut in two and tumbled to the ground. The severed torsos spilled their entrails, blood pooled on the ground, and men groaned in agony. It was a vision of hell itself. But the one who had created this hellscape—Muk Il-gwang—was ashen-faced. The sheer volume of energy expended had pushed him into a state of temporary exhaustion. His massive body swayed for a moment, and in that instant, a figure crept up behind him.

"Il-gwang!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong screamed at the sight. Muk Il-gwang tried to turn around, but—

Thud!

A searing pain suddenly shot through his waist. The lurking figure had plunged a dagger into him.

"Grrk!"

Muk Il-gwang staggered and swung his axe at the shadowy figure. But the ambusher had already retreated.

"Heh heh."

The one who had struck was none other than Namgung Su.