Chapter 183

Chapter 183: The Age of Dragons and Tigers (2)

Hae So-wol walked alone through the rear garden of the Shouzhou Branch.

It had been several months since she came to Shouzhou, yet the life here still did not feel familiar.

"Hm?"

As she walked alone through the garden, a figure caught her eye.

The man standing alone in the moonlight was one she knew well.

'Un-gyeong, Taoist.'

He was a Taoist dispatched by the Mount Hua Sect to bring back Sage Hyeon-so. But more than being from the Mount Hua Sect, it was the fact that he was Dam Ho's Senior Brother that had truly piqued her curiosity.

"Ah! Miss Hae."

Un-gyeong noticed her arrival.

"I apologize. I did not mean to disturb your contemplation…"

"Not at all. But what brings you walking alone at this late hour, Miss Hae?"

"I simply could not sleep."

"Nor can I, strangely enough."

"Are you comfortable here? There is nothing you need?"

"Thanks to you and the Branch Leader, I am staying quite comfortably. Please do not concern yourself with us."

"How are things progressing with Sage Hyeon-so?"

"Ha ha! It is embarrassing to say, but it is not easy. His resentment toward our Martial Uncle has yet to subside."

Un-gyeong wore a bitter smile.

Hae So-wol had already witnessed everything. There was no longer any need to hide.

Hae So-wol bit her lip for a moment. From her expression, Un-gyeong sensed that something was amiss.

After hesitating for a time, Hae So-wol finally opened her mouth.

"When you met with Sage Hyeon-so some time ago…"

"Yes?"

"There was a child named Ha-young with him. She told me about her uncle."

"Uncle?"

"She referred to Sage Hyeon-so's former disciple by that name."

"Ah! You mean Cheong-gyeong?"

"His name is Dam… ho, is it not?"

"She told you that as well? It is true. Cheong-gyeong's given name is Dam Ho."

"And?"

"He is better known in the world by the name Fist Demon."

Hae So-wol closed her eyes.

When she had first heard it from Ha-young, it had not made much of an impact. But hearing it directly from Un-gyeong, the shock was inexplicably deep.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere from Hae So-wol's expression, Un-gyeong asked cautiously.

"What is the matter, Miss Hae? Do you perhaps know Cheong-gyeong?"

"I have met him before."

"Is that so?"

Un-gyeong's curiosity surfaced.

Though Dam Ho was famous throughout the world under the name Fist Demon, the Mount Hua Sect itself knew precious little about him. Only fragments of his exploits were known.

"How is Cheong-gyeong? Does he still resent Mount Hua?"

"He has never once spoken of his sect."

"Hmm!"

He had suspected as much, but hearing it from Hae So-wol made his heart ache all the more.

He would have felt relieved to hear that Dam Ho resented or longed for Mount Hua. But Dam Ho had clearly forgotten the Mount Hua Sect entirely.

In the current situation, it would be a blessing if Dam Ho harbored no enmity toward the sect. Yet the elders of the sect were trying to bring in Sage Hyeon-so in order to use Dam Ho however they could.

Un-gyeong thought it was a truly despicable thing to do. But he too was a Taoist of Mount Hua. He had no choice but to obey the Grandmaster's command.

"Do you perhaps know where Cheong-gyeong is?"

"I do not. We parted ways at the Murim Alliance, and I came directly here."

"I see."

As Un-gyeong wore a bitter smile…

Whoosh!

Suddenly, flames erupted from a building near the main gate of the Shouzhou Branch.

"F-fire!"

"It's a night attack!"

Voices cried out in confusion.

The expressions of both changed instantly.

"What?"

Hae So-wol was the first to react.

She used her qinggong to dash toward the flames. Un-gyeong followed immediately after.

"How can this be!"

When they reached the gate, a fierce battle was underway between intruding martial artists and the fighters of the Shouzhou Branch.

Shing!

Every time a blade flashed, martial artists screamed and fell.

The martial artists who had invaded the Shouzhou Branch were carrying out a massacre without restraint.

"Amitabha!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Un-gyeong leaped into the fray.

Though he did not know the identity of the attackers, saving the fighters of the Shouzhou Branch was the priority.

Hae So-wol, meanwhile, watched the battlefield with cold eyes.

"The Demonic Cult."

Having clashed with the Demonic Cult on several occasions, she recognized the intruders at a glance.

The fighters of the Demonic Cult possessed a sinister aura unlike those of the Central Plains. Once experienced, it was never forgotten.

At that moment, a booming voice rang out from among the Demonic Cult fighters.

"Uahaha! I am the Great Strength Demon of the New Cult, Go San-woong! I shall sweep aside the dregs of the Murim Alliance in an instant!"

The Great Strength Demon Go San-woong was an acknowledged master even within the Demonic Cult.

The fighters he led were a vanguard force sent to break the spirit of the Shouzhou Branch.

Their orders were simply to run rampant and destroy. Go San-woong was faithfully carrying out that order by perpetrating a slaughter.

Swish!

Hae So-wol launched herself toward Go San-woong.

Her beloved sword, Byuk-sang, scattered a piercing light.

"Stinking bitch…"

Go San-woong, with no regard for danger, threw a punch toward Hae So-wol, who had dared to charge at him.

Crash!

A powerful fist energy tore through the air. But Hae So-wol did not dodge Go San-woong's punch and instead brought her sword down.

Shing!

The sword energy condensed upon her blade exploded.

The two clashed.

Even then, they did not know. That their battle had set in motion a great war upon which the fate of the Murim would hang.

That the fight begun here would spread like wildfire across the entire martial world.

***

Luoyang was an ancient city with a thousand years of history.

It was said that nine dynasties had made it their capital. It was renowned as the center of learning and culture, and had produced countless scholars and luminaries of the age.

The Longmen Grottoes, home to over a hundred thousand Buddha statues, and the White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in the Central Plains, were famous landmarks.

Above all, Shaolin Temple, the foremost power of the Central Plains martial world, stood near Luoyang. Because of this, the city was steeped in a Buddhist atmosphere.

The Zhenhua Inn was a fairly large establishment located just outside the South Gate of Luoyang. Though it stood at the outskirts, it boasted a spacious stable and courtyard, and many trading companies had made it their base.

The Zhenhua Inn's stable boy spotted two horses entering through the main gate and rushed over.

"Welcome!"

Two people sat atop the horses. Both had their faces and necks wrapped in scarves, obscuring their features. But from their builds, it was easy enough to guess that one was a man and the other a woman.

The one presumed to be a woman spoke.

"Do you have rooms?"

"Of course."

"Then prepare two."

"Not one?"

"We will be sleeping separately."

"Very well. I shall prepare two small rooms."

"Thank you."

"Please go on inside. I will show you the way after the horses are settled in the stable."

At the stable boy's answer, the two dismounted and entered the inn.

"My, they are magnificent!"

The stable boy muttered to himself as he looked at the two horses.

He had worked at the Zhenhua Inn for three years and had seen countless horses. But none had been as striking as the black horse just handed over.

With every movement, its black coat rippled like silk. The sight was mesmerizing.

"Ah!"

The stable boy had unconsciously reached out to stroke the horse's shoulder.

When the horse entered the stable, the other horses, intimidated by its presence, neighed and stamped restlessly.

In an instant, the stable was filled with the sound of horses crying out.

The woman removed the scarf covering her face and neck the moment she entered the inn. A beautiful face was revealed.

"Hah!"

She was Jong Ri-yeon.

The man beside her was none other than Dam Ho. Dam Ho too removed his scarf and surveyed the interior of the inn.

Numerous people sat in small groups at the tables, but no one paid any attention to the two newcomers.

Jong Ri-yeon led Dam Ho to an empty seat.

"Let us sit over there."

Dam Ho followed her in silence.

It had been six days since they left Yugang, and they had now arrived in Luoyang. Jong Ri-yeon's face was drawn with fatigue.

Myeong-cheon's disappearance had left Jong Ri-yeon in the most difficult position. Unable to decide where to go, she had simply followed Dam Ho to this place.

For reasons he did not explain, Dam Ho had not turned her away and had permitted her to accompany him.

"This is truly exhausting."

Jong Ri-yeon shook her head.

There had been no particular incidents on the journey. But riding nonstop without rest had drained her stamina considerably. Hence the exhaustion etched upon her face.

Dam Ho looked at Jong Ri-yeon in silence. She blushed with a bashful expression.

It was then.

"Have you heard the news?"

Voices from a nearby table reached their ears.

The speakers were merchants staying at the inn for the night.

"What news?"

"They say the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Cult clashed in Shouzhou."

"When has that not happened? Was there not a fight in the White Silver Market last year?"

"This time is different."

"How so?"

"The scale and brutality of the fight are different, they say."

"In just a single night of fighting, there have already been hundreds of casualties. It means the Shouzhou Branch was nearly annihilated."

"Hmm!"

"It was only thanks to the help of Un-gyeong of the Mount Hua Sect and Miss Hae of the Hainan Sect, who were both in Shouzhou, that they were not completely wiped out."

"Is that true?"

Dam Ho's gaze turned involuntarily toward the merchants. Two people he knew had been mentioned. The merchants, unaware of this, continued chattering excitedly.

"So it is true."

"Oh my! If that is so, things will only grow more dire in Shanxi Province."

"It does not stop there. They say the Murim Alliance has dispatched more experts to Shouzhou."

"Then the Demonic Cult as well?"

"Presumably. We may not know, but reinforcements must have already been sent, have they not?"

"It will be a living hell."

The merchants shuddered.

They were traders who traveled the world. In times of upheaval, they could earn more wealth, but their lives were at risk.

A place like Shouzhou, where open warfare was raging, required extraordinary resolve to enter.

"For the time being, we should suspend trade in Shanxi and wait to see how things develop."

"I think the same. No matter how important money may be, it is useless if you lose your life."

"Hah! Let us have a drink. What is this world coming to?"

"My words exactly."

"Those without power should just die quietly."

The merchants raised their cups with bitter expressions.

Dam Ho felt an inexplicable stirring in his chest.

It was not because of the Taoist called Un-gyeong, nor because of the name Hae So-wol. It had begun the moment he heard the name Shouzhou.

Dam Ho's brow furrowed deeply.