Chapter 161

Chapter 161: There Are Things You Must Never Touch (2)

His name was Namgung Jang-gyeong.

He was a martial artist of the Azure Sky Palace, a division reserved for mature warriors who had earned recognition for their martial prowess within the Namgung Family itself.

To be assigned to the Azure Sky Palace meant that one possessed martial strength ranking among the top one hundred within the Namgung Family. And Namgung Jang-gyeong held a particularly high position even among them.

The mere fact that Namgung Jang-gyeong had come out into the world was proof that something unusual was transpiring within the Namgung Family.

Namgung Jang-gyeong fixed his gaze upon Jong Ri-yeon.

Jong Ri-yeon was barely in her early twenties.

To most martial artists in the Murim, she would have been considered merely at the threshold of her journey. Yet she had already earned tremendous fame. At least within Anhui Province, there was scarcely anyone who did not know her.

No matter how supreme the Namgung Family's authority might be within Anhui Province, treating Jong Ri-yeon carelessly was an enormously burdensome matter.

Under normal circumstances, they would have approached with utmost courtesy and caution. But these were extraordinary times.

There was no room to accommodate Jong Ri-yeon's circumstances.

"I do not know who summoned the Sage, but if that person understood the Namgung Family's situation, they would surely be understanding."

"That cannot be done."

Jong Ri-yeon shook her head.

To her, all life was equal. She did not know what urgent matter pressed upon the Namgung Family, but the next patient awaiting her was equally pressed by the urgency of time.

The patient was merely a girl of ten-odd years, a child her own age who helped her father run an inn. Three years ago, she had been afflicted with the heavenly punishment of her meridians hardening like stone, and she was dying.

Jong Ri-yeon had encountered the girl around that time. But at the time, there had been no way to save her. None of the knowledge she possessed contained a cure for the girl's affliction.

Jong Ri-yeon had never abandoned her resolve to save the girl. Even as she treated those who needed her healing touch, she never ceased researching a cure.

Three years passed. During that time, the girl had been slowly dying, and now she had reached her limit. And Jong Ri-yeon had finally found a clue to treat her condition.

She was on her way to treat the girl now. This was the moment she had waited three years for.

"I will treat the patient I previously arranged to see as quickly as possible, and then I will attend to the Namgung Family's affairs."

"That cannot be done. A life hangs in the balance."

"The same applies here."

"Miss Jong Ri. This is becoming problematic."

Namgung Jang-gyeong's voice turned cold. At the shift in his demeanor, the very air seemed to freeze.

Jong Ri-yeon's expression likewise turned cold.

Though she might appear on the outside to be a frail, naive girl ignorant of the ways of the world, she was a physician who had devoted everything to the art of medicine.

'A physician must never weigh the value of a life by the status of the patient. One must first offer one's healing art to those whose lives hang in the balance.'

Those were the words her master, the Living Physician Yu Tae-ga, had spoken before teaching her the art of medicine.

Her master had since passed from this world and no longer existed within it, but his teachings remained etched deeply in her heart.

Jong Ri-yeon's gaze did not waver. Seeing her thus, Namgung Jang-gyeong realized that further conversation was meaningless.

"I must commit a wrong, Miss Jong Ri."

Namgung Jang-gyeong's voice was resolute.

The moment his words fell, the Namgung Family's martial artists surrounded Jong Ri-yeon and Hwa-no.

At that instant, Hwa-no, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward.

"At what point did the great Namgung Family become so overbearing?"

He was no longer the old man who had been exchanging casual jokes with Jong Ri-yeon just moments before.

From Hwa-no's entire being, a killing intent sharp as frost surged forth in waves.

The corners of Namgung Jang-gyeong's eyes trembled.

He was a master acknowledged even within the Namgung Family. Naturally, he possessed the discerning eye to gauge an opponent's level.

Even he had not been particularly conscious of Hwa-no before the old man stepped forward. Such was how unremarkable Hwa-no had appeared. But now that he stood at the forefront, his presence filled every corner of the room.

'An extraordinary master.'

But retreating in fear before Hwa-no's presence was not a luxury the situation afforded.

Namgung Jang-gyeong approached Hwa-no and spoke.

"Who might you be, old sir?"

"Me? Just an old man with a debt."

"A debt?"

"This young lady saved my life. Whether that debt is heavier than a mountain of stone, I don't know, but the interest keeps mounting and I still haven't managed to escape it."

Hwa-no grumbled, rotating his wrists to loosen his body.

"We have no reason to fight. If only your young lady would exercise a measure of flexibility just this once."

"I have said as much to the young lady several times. Please, have some flexibility. It is the path to an easier life. But her stubbornness is beyond compare—she simply won't listen. More stubborn than a mule, that one."

Hwa-no clicked his tongue, looking at Jong Ri-yeon.

He could see Jong Ri-yeon's flushed face. Her tightly sealed red lips as well.

She was staring with wide, fierce eyes, but her clenched fists were trembling.

'The bluffing as well…'

She was pretending to be strong to conceal her fear.

Such bluffing might work on common folk, but it was utterly ineffective against masters like Namgung Jang-gyeong.

"Then persuade your young lady. It is not yet too late."

"But here's the thing—I rather like that stubbornness of hers. She tries to uphold her own principles and beliefs no matter what. Unfortunately, such people are few and far between these days."

"So you would choose to drink the bitter cup?"

"Who drinks the bitter cup will be seen in time."

"We are the Namgung Family."

"I know."

"And yet you would still defy us?"

"Did I not say it? My life was saved. I am living a second life with the one I was given—do you think I fear death?"

Hwa-no's voice was remarkably calm. His demeanor, as though he had seen through the world, only further fueled Namgung Jang-gyeong's fury.

"Mark this well. From this moment on, everything that happens in this inn is the responsibility of the Sage and yourself."

"Oh my. How frightening."

"As you should be."

Namgung Jang-gyeong's gaze turned to the martial artists who had accompanied him.

"From this point forward, there will be no witnesses to what transpires here. Kill them all and destroy the evidence."

"As you command!"

The Namgung Family's martial artists drew their swords in response. At this, the expressions of both Jong Ri-yeon and Hwa-no changed completely.

"Surely… you do not mean to kill everyone inside this inn?"

"You forced this upon yourselves."

"Madman!"

Hwa-no spat the curse, but Namgung Jang-gyeong's expression did not change in the slightest. Jong Ri-yeon, on the other hand, had turned deathly pale.

She had only wished to uphold her principles, yet the matter had escalated far beyond her expectations.

From one corner of the inn, the innkeeper and the girl could be seen trembling. Hwa-no might be strong, but he could not protect them as well.

Jong Ri-yeon bit her lip.

"W-wait. If I go with you, will you let them live?"

"That cannot be done."

"Why?"

"Once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back. Everyone in this inn heard me say to kill them all. Do you think the secret would be kept? People never keep their mouths shut to the end, and no matter how solemn a promise, with the passage of time it becomes lighter than a feather."

The Namgung Family stood at the apex of Anhui Province.

They possessed unchecked power and martial strength, and enjoyed the wholehearted support of the people of Anhui.

What would happen if the people of Anhui learned that the Namgung Family's martial artists had ordered the slaughter of everyone inside an inn?

They would surely be unable to escape moral condemnation.

It would be an enormous burden for the Namgung Family.

"These people die because of you."

"That is…"

"Begin!"

Namgung Jang-gyeong's command fell.

The Namgung Family's martial artists raised their swords and advanced toward the people inside the inn.

"Urgh!"

"This is absurd. Why us?"

The faces of those who had been watching the entire scene from within the inn turned ashen.

They screamed and tried to flee, but the entrance was already blocked by the Namgung Family's martial artists.

In the end, the people huddled together in a corner of the inn, and the Namgung Family's martial artists slowly tightened their encirclement.

The girl pressed her trembling lips against her father's chest.

"Father?"

"It's alright. It will be alright."

The father stroked his daughter's back in comfort, but his voice held no strength.

'This is why I never wanted to become entangled with martial artists.'

He held his daughter's small body tightly. It was the desperate wish of a father to somehow save his young daughter.

At that moment—

Boom!

Suddenly, the air inside the inn exploded outward, and a fierce gale swept over the people like a wild beast.

"Ugh!"

"What—?"

Not only the guests but even the Namgung Family's martial artists staggered, unable to hold their ground against the violent surge of energy.

"What is that?"

Both Jong Ri-yeon and Namgung Jang-gyeong's expressions changed completely as they looked toward the source of the thunderous sound.

"Ughhh!"

There, a Namgung Family martial artist was staggering.

One shoulder completely caved in.

The martial artist could not take even three or four steps before toppling backward like a fallen log.

Thud!

A dull thud echoed throughout the inn, and the figure behind the fallen martial artist came into view.

A man sat there.

He was a man with coarse black hair, clad in tattered black robes.

The martial artist who had received Namgung Jang-gyeong's order had naturally moved to eliminate the man. That was the order he had been given.

The instant the martial artist's blade was about to touch Dam Ho, a violent storm engulfed him. And then the world went black.

That was the martial artist's last moment.

Silence descended upon the hall.

The corners of Namgung Jang-gyeong's eyes trembled.

The convulsion spread to his shoulders, but Namgung Jang-gyeong was not even aware of it.

'Why did I not notice this man?'

This intense presence, this savage aura—it spoke of an opponent who was anything but ordinary.

Namgung Jang-gyeong had never once felt such a rough and frenzied aura.

Had he known such a person was here, he would not have rashly issued the order to kill.

Namgung Jang-gyeong reproached himself for his hasty decision and spoke.

"Who are you?"

"Does that matter?"

The moment he heard Dam Ho's voice, Namgung Jang-gyeong felt every hair on his body stand on end.

Dam Ho rose to his feet.

In that instant, not only the Namgung Family's martial artists but even Hwa-no flinched and retreated. Such was the terrifying magnitude of Dam Ho's presence.

Jong Ri-yeon's eyes widened.

She was bold enough to stand against the Namgung Family directly, but she had never seen anyone radiate such an intense spirit as Dam Ho.

A single person's presence overwhelmed everyone gathered in the inn.

Dam Ho took a step toward Namgung Jang-gyeong.

His left foot dragged slightly across the floor.

The moment he saw that, Namgung Jang-gyeong recalled a name.

A name of two characters that sent shudders through the current Murim.

"So you are Dam Ho."

The reverberation of his cry was tremendous.

"Dam Ho? The Fist Demon?"

"The Fist Demon was in this inn?"

The Namgung Family's martial artists murmured among themselves.

How could they not know that name?

The colossal wall that had time and again blocked the Namgung Family's path—none other than Dam Ho. Namgung Su, the Second Young Master of the Namgung Family, had lost his life at his hands.

Dam Ho was nothing less than the Namgung Family's sworn enemy.

"How dare you…"

Namgung Jang-gyeong's furious roar erupted.