Chapter 356

Chapter 356 – A Single Small Pebble Creates Ripples Across the Entire Pond (3)
Time passed quickly.
The season had entered summer, and the heat was at its peak. During this time, many changes had occurred.
Among them, the greatest change was that Hunan Province had completely fallen into the hands of the Demon Cult. The Demon Cult, which had occupied Yueyang, seized all of Hunan Province with terrifying momentum. In this process, countless sects either suffered annihilation or closed their gates.
Hunan Province had now become complete property of the Demon Cult. The Demon Cult thoroughly blockaded Hunan Province. Cut off from external contact, Hunan Province was completely isolated, making it impossible for outsiders to know any news from there. Only a few merchant groups based in Hunan Province could enter and exit, secretly conveying internal news.
Having seized Hunan Province, the Demon Cult further strengthened its forces. They began gathering the forces they had secretly scattered throughout the world to Hunan Province.
The Demon Cult forces that entered Hunan Province in small groups of three to five converged at the main headquarters in Yueyang. The forces gathered this way were countless.
For the past several decades, the Demon Cult had ground its teeth and cultivated numerous forces. Until now they had thoroughly hidden them, but now there was no longer any need to do so.
Hunan Province was their world. Demon Cult branches were established everywhere, and they expanded their influence at a terrifying speed.
They preached to countless people and accepted those with useful talents among them. Having expanded their influence so rapidly, the Demon Cult rode this momentum to invade Jiangxi Province as well.
Jiangxi Province, adjacent to Hunan Province, had no large sects like the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families. It was also beyond the Martial Alliance's sphere of influence. Therefore, Jiangxi Province fell into the Demon Cult's hands too easily.
With Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces, corresponding to the Central Plains' waist, being seized by the Demon Cult, southern Central Plains became isolated.
Most of the Central Plains' prestigious great sects were located in northern Central Plains, so they couldn't intervene in the southern danger. The only alternative was the Martial Alliance, but they too had moved to the north where Shaolin Temple was located, making southern Central Plains an undefended territory. And the Demon Cult gradually seized this undefended south piece by piece.
The Demon Cult had nothing to fear. The sects in the places they seized resisted with all their might, but what returned was merciless retaliation and violence.
Countless people died and were captured. It was truly the advent of a dark age.
With the situation like this, martial artists in the south abandoned their sects and fled north. They intended to somehow join the Martial Alliance and then recapture the south.
The world's chaos was reaching its peak, just like the hot summer days. People wanted the Martial Alliance and Nine Great Sects to end this chaos as quickly as possible. The Martial Alliance was also doing its best to stop the Demon Cult's expansion, but it still seemed insufficient.
While the Martial Alliance was failing to fulfill its role like this, previously unnoticed martial artists appeared from unexpected places.
Four young martial artists who put the brakes on the Demon Cult's advance that had been seizing the south like breaking bamboo. Those who suddenly arose in troubled times and dealt fatal blows to the Demon Cult were called the Four New Stars by martial world people.
Martial artists who revealed their presence in troubled times like brilliantly shining stars in the sky. They weren't from famous sects like the Nine Martial Dragons. But they were martial artists who had walked only the path of martial arts mastery. Those armed with skill rather than fame.
They became stars of the troubled times as soon as they appeared in martial world history.
Heavenly Bow Archer Yeom Cho-wol.
Life-Taking Guest Oh Gyeong-ui.
Demon-Slaying Blade Guest Dae Gun-sang.
Phantom Fairy Nok Su-bing.
People praised them by calling them collectively the Four New Stars.
The appearance of the Four New Stars became new hope for people. And starting with their appearance, countless young martial artists began to distinguish themselves. Their appearance breathed new vitality into the martial world.
New winds were also blowing in Ruyang County. Ruyang County was located only about a hundred li south of Dengfeng County where Shaolin Temple was situated.
Being positioned at one of the important crossroads leading to Shaolin Temple, countless martial artists visited and passed through here daily. Thanks to this, Ruyang County was enjoying unprecedented prosperity.
Among them, especially inns and restaurants were crying with joy from the crowds of people.
Clear Flow Inn was also one of the places crying with such joy. Clear Flow Inn was particularly favored by guests who came on horseback because it had a spacious courtyard and stables.
Ah-ho was a servant at Clear Flow Inn.
Having entered his third year as a servant, one of Ah-ho's jobs was managing the horses of martial artists staying at the inn.
Martial artists treasured their horses like their own bodies, so thunder would fall if their condition worsened even slightly. Therefore, the inn owner specially managed the martial artists' horses.
Having spent his childhood in stables, Ah-ho knew more about horses than anyone. He could grasp their condition and problems just by looking at their breathing and tail movements.
"Good grief!"
Such Ah-ho clicked his tongue while looking at the horse before his eyes.
It was a pure white horse without a single mixed hair. Its muscles were well-developed, and it was also large in size, looking down far below at ordinary horses.
It was surely a rare famous horse. But the problem was that its temperament was too nasty.
Because too many horses had come in, they had to put two or three horses in one stall. But the white horse wouldn't tolerate other horses being in the same space. When other horses were put in, it would bite and kick them out.
"Its personality is as nasty as its owner's. Tsk!"
Ah-ho recalled the white horse's owner.
He was a middle-aged martial artist who had lodged this afternoon. He was a very famous martial artist with tremendous intimidating presence. Because of this, the moment he appeared, all the martial artists staying at Clear Flow Inn had to watch his mood.
Indeed, he had an explosive personality and tremendous martial arts, so among those staying at the inn, no one existed who could match him. And the white horse he rode also had a nasty temperament, resembling its owner.
He didn't want to feed the white horse if he had his way. But if the owner knew his horse was starving, who knew how much of a fuss he would make.
Ah-ho shook his head and walked toward the furnace on one side of the stable. Above the furnace hung a large pot, and inside the pot, beans and oats were cooking. They were feed for the horses.
Neigh!
As soon as he opened the lid, the notorious white horse went wild. It was causing a ruckus, demanding to be fed first.
When the white horse caused a commotion, other horses joined in.
Neigh! Whinny!
The stable became noisy in an instant. Some horses even kicked at their doors.
"That demon…"
Ah-ho's face crumpled like paper. But the white horse, the actual culprit of the chaos, paid him no mind and went wild like crazy.
"Ahh!"
The chaos in the stable didn't settle at all. Ah-ho's expression looked like he was about to cry.
That's when it happened.
"Can I leave my horse here?"
Suddenly a low voice was heard from behind.
"Huh?"
Ah-ho was startled and turned around. Then he saw a man holding the reins of a jet-black horse. Like his horse, the man was wearing black clothes.
The moment the servant saw the man with disheveled black hair and body covered in a pitch-black long robe, he felt his entire body rapidly shrinking. Strangely, his breathing became blocked and cold sweat flowed.
Ah-ho answered carefully.
"Yes! That's right, but it's difficult to take in horses right now."
"Why?"
The man's gaze turned toward the space where the white horse was. Compared to other spaces that had two or three horses, that place had only the white horse, so there was plenty of room.
Ah-ho hurriedly made excuses.
"That fellow has such a nasty temperament that it doesn't want other horses to be together. It bites and kicks, so your horse might get hurt."
"It's fine."
"We can't take responsibility if your horse gets hurt."
"Alright!"
The man answered and simultaneously handed the reins to Ah-ho. Then he went straight into the inn.
"Well! I don't know either."
Ah-ho scratched his head and looked at the black horse whose reins he had received.
"Ah!"
Instantly an exclamation burst from his mouth.
It was a horse with muscles as well-developed as, no, even better than the white horse inside.
"What kind of horse is this?"
Ah-ho prided himself on having seen quite a few horses while at Clear Flow Inn. Among them were many that could be called famous horses. Like the white horse currently causing a ruckus in the stable. But none of the horses he had seen could compare to the black horse whose reins he now held.
Ah-ho's expression became ecstatic.
"How can this be!"
Without realizing it, he reached out and stroked the black horse's neck.
Snort!
The black horse didn't move and accepted Ah-ho's touch. Even in the way it calmly accepted Ah-ho's touch, dignity could be felt.
Only then did the servant realize the stable was quiet. When he hurriedly looked around, the horses that had been causing a ruckus were wagging their tails with heads lowered as if nothing had happened.
Ah-ho hurriedly looked at the white horse. While other horses had their tails tucked, only the white horse was glaring at the black horse. It was burning with fighting spirit while looking at the black horse.
"Well! I don't know either."
Ah-ho squeezed his eyes shut and put the black horse in the same stall as the white horse.
Rumble!
The stable shook as if it would collapse at any moment.

The man who had left his horse entered the inn.
"Welcome, guest."
The inn owner greeted him.
"Room?"
"You're very lucky, guest. There happen to be a few clean rooms remaining. Among them, the single room is the best, but it's a bit expensive."
Clink!
At that moment, the man took out a silver coin.
"Haha! This is more than enough. Will you also have a meal?"
The owner quickly pocketed the silver coin and asked.
When the man silently nodded, the owner guided him to an empty seat by the window.
"Please wait here for a moment and I'll bring dinner. Hehe!"
After confirming the man had sat down, the owner quickly ran to the kitchen to place the order.
The man sat and slowly looked around.
More than half the tables on the first floor were occupied. Most of those occupying seats had weapons at their waists. Proof they were martial artists.
They paid no attention to the newly entered man and were absorbed in conversation among themselves.
"It's really chaos. For the Demon Cult to seize southern Central Plains so quickly."
"Indeed. All the routes to southern Central Plains have been completely blocked. It's really serious."
"Whew!"
"But people like the Four New Stars have appeared to oppose the Demon Cult, haven't they? It's proof that hope still exists in the world, so there's no need to be too discouraged."
"Right! We must believe that."
They were martial artists who had voluntarily stepped forward to lend strength to Shaolin Temple and the Martial Alliance.
Most of the martial artists staying at Clear Flow Inn were like them. Though their individual martial prowess was weak, they still wanted to lend a hand before the martial world's crisis.
The figures commonly appearing in their conversations were precisely the Four New Stars. Their appearance had awakened many people's chivalrous spirit.
While people were chattering like this, rain suddenly began pouring outside.
Patter!
The rain fell fiercely as if it would sweep away the world. Rainwater splashed through the open window, but the man had no thought of closing it and indifferently looked outside.
At that moment, several people burst through the inn door.
"Oh my! The rain started pouring just as we arrived."
"What kind of rain… Damn it. We're all soaked."
They were completely drenched like drowned mice. Shaking off the water on their shoulders, they approached the owner.
"Do you have any spare rooms?"
"Of course."
"How much is the cheapest room?"
They haggled with the inn owner.
After that, several more people entered the inn to escape the rain. Thanks to this, the inn quickly became bustling with people.
Then the owner came carrying a tray of food.
"I'm sorry. Guests suddenly crowded in, so the food was delayed. Please enjoy."
"Mm!"
The owner placed the food on the man's table and returned to his place.
Even though freshly made food was placed on the table, the man didn't give it a single glance. Like a stone statue, he looked outside for quite a while.
It was then that a gleam appeared in the eyes of the man who hadn't moved at all.
A group was walking toward the inn through the rain. They wore bamboo hats on their heads and waterproof cloaks over their bodies.
As soon as they entered the inn, they removed their bamboo hats and cloaks. Then their faces were revealed.
They were all swordsmen emanating sharp momentum. Even though soaked by rain, blade-like sharp energy flowed from their entire bodies.
In their midst was a woman.
A beautiful woman with hair tinged with blue energy and purple cotton clothes that were particularly impressive.
Instantly, the gleam in the man's eyes became even more intense.