Chapter 62

The Gold River Gate was originally a mediocre sect based in the Geumcheon region. But when Chengdu became an unclaimed territory after the fall of the Tang Clan, they boldly moved their base.

With the support of the Qingcheng Sect, they were able to successfully settle in Chengdu. Since then, they have expanded their influence at a frightening pace, becoming the Qingcheng Sect’s most reliable partner.

The Geumcheon Sect Leader, Yeo San-wi, was a martial artist now in his mid-to-late fifties.

Though he was past his prime as a martial artist and on a downward path, his eyes were still as sharp as ever.

He gladly welcomed the Taoists from the Qingcheng Sect who had arrived unannounced, and willingly provided them with lodging.

Yeo San-wi treated the Qingcheng Sect’s Taoists with the utmost hospitality.

He had no choice, for without the Qingcheng Sect’s backing, the Gold River Gate could not have grown to its current state.

“If there is anything you lack, please do not hesitate to tell me. I will do everything in my power for you.”

“We are ever grateful for your help, Sect Leader Yeo. When I return to the main mountain, I will be sure to tell the Sect Master of this.”

“Haha! There’s no need for that…”

Yeo San-wi was pleased by Cheong-yeop’s words.

Cheong-yeop was a talent widely expected to be the next Sect Master.

Strengthening his relationship with him would only benefit the Gold River Gate; there was no downside.

Although the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect were fiercely competing, Yeo San-wi was confident of the Qingcheng Sect’s victory. That was how superior the Qingcheng Sect’s power was.

Yeo San-wi conversed with Cheong-yeop for half a shichen before departing.

Only then, having found his freedom, did Cheong-yeop let out a soft sigh.

Yeo San-wi was a good man, but the problem was that he talked too much. Because of that, talking with him felt like having all his energy drained.

“Senior Martial Brother!”

Just then, Cheong-san burst into his quarters.

Cheong-yeop shook his head to clear his mind and said.

“You’re here?”

“Yes!”

“What of the Emei Sect’s movements?”

“They’re holed up in the Hundred Flowers Room, not making a single move.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes! I’ve stationed a few disciples near the Hundred Flowers Room just in case. They will contact us immediately if there are any strange movements.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s only what a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect should do.”

Cheong-yeop smiled at Cheong-san’s reply.

Though they shared the ‘Cheong’ in their names, the first-generation disciples all had different personalities.

If Cheong-yeop was cautious, the disciple right below him, Cheong-myeong, was explosive. And Cheong-san was meticulous. Thanks to that, he could be trusted with this kind of work.

The mission Cheong-yeop had entrusted to Cheong-san was to monitor the Emei Sect’s movements.

Fortunately, the clash between the two sides had ended in a mere standoff.

If the balance had been broken and swords had been drawn, half of the Qingcheng Sect’s martial artists present here would have lost their lives.

Jeong Hwa of the Emei Sect had also found an unexpected fight burdensome, so she had taken a step back.

“Sigh! I don’t know how things have come to this.”

“Tell me about it.”

Cheong-yeop and Cheong-san sighed at the same time.

No matter how much the Qingcheng Sect coveted hegemony over Sichuan Province, the Emei Sect was an entity they couldn’t help but feel burdened by.

In their hearts, they wanted to avoid a head-on collision if possible. But since it was the martial sect’s policy, they had no choice.

“We must find the culprit who killed the Thunder Clan’s young master as quickly as possible. Only then can we grasp the truth of the situation and respond properly.”

“Of course. That’s why I’m planning to contact the Hao Clan.”

“The Hao Clan?”

“Yes! They know the movements of the underworld better than anyone. They’ll surely have identified who approached the Thunder Clan that day.”

“True, their eyes and ears are spread like a spiderweb even here in Sichuan Province.”

“It feels quite distasteful to use them, but we have no choice. To save time in a situation like this, we have no other option but to use them.”

“I’ll leave that to you.”

“I won’t disappoint you.”

“Good.”

Cheong-yeop nodded.

Cheong-san was the junior martial brother he trusted the most.

Cheong-myeong, the strongest in martial arts, was not easy to handle, so he kept him at a distance. Bringing him along would have only been a hindrance.

‘More sects are involved than I thought. The Thunder Clan, the Gold River Gate, the Hundred Flowers Room… If we don’t catch the assassin quickly, there’s no telling what kind of problems will erupt.’

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol slept pressed right up against where the bed met the wall.

His senses had become so keen that he could now detect any being approaching with concealed presence in advance. However, he couldn’t shake the habit of leaning his back against a wall and sleeping in snatches, a habit formed from long years of protecting himself.

Even if his martial arts grew stronger and his senses sharper, he would never be able to erase such a habit.

Pyo Wol slept curled up like a shrimp, his back against the wall.

His breathing was so quiet and long that one could not discern the change between inhalation and exhalation without focusing all their senses.

Even in his sleep, Pyo Wol was instinctively employing the Breath Concealment Art. As the Breath Concealment Art reached its peak, it would naturally manifest even during sleep.

Because of this, it was nearly impossible for anyone outside to detect Pyo Wol’s presence or breathing.

A perplexed expression appeared on Maun’s face.

It had been two shichen since he received the order from Daoshi Go to monitor Pyo Wol.

Immediately after receiving the order, he had come to the inn where Pyo Wol was staying with three of his comrades.

Jang Muryang had designated Pyo Wol as a first-class surveillance target.

Within the Black Cloud Corps, a first-class surveillance target was a term used to refer to the most dangerous among the experts of Jianghu.

A first-class surveillance target was assigned at least four members who would take turns watching them. The one who oversaw it all was Maun.

Maun was so exceptionally skilled at this type of work that one could say he was specialized in it.

He wasn’t just skilled in surveillance, tracking, and stealth, but he also had an innate ability to grasp the target’s movements, psychological state, and intentions. That was why Jang Muryang always entrusted this kind of mission to Maun. And Maun had never once disappointed Jang Muryang.

Maun had daringly taken up a position in the room right next to Pyo Wol’s.

The rest of the men were on standby at an inn across the main road.

They were not as skilled in stealth as Maun, so the probability of them being discovered was high. Instead, they were diligently monitoring Pyo Wol’s movements through the inn window.

‘I confirmed he was inside…’

Maun’s eyes narrowed.

He pressed his ear flat against the inn wall, trying to hear Pyo Wol’s breathing. But no matter how much he enhanced his hearing with internal energy, he could not hear Pyo Wol’s breath.

‘Does this make any sense?’

Maun carefully opened the window and looked at the inn across the street. His eyes met with those who were watching from the opposite inn.

Using pre-arranged hand signals, Maun asked if Pyo Wol had ever gone outside. The men in the opposite inn replied that there had been no movement at all.

‘Then he must be inside.’

Maun sensed that he had met the greatest challenge of his life.

“Damn it!”

He let out a sound without realizing it and slapped his hands over his mouth in alarm.

He quickly pressed his ear against the wall of the room where Pyo Wol was sleeping again. But no presence could be felt from within the room.

‘Is he in there or not?’

The only remaining method was to drill a hole in the wall and check for himself. But that method had a high probability of being discovered.

In the end, Maun had to spend the night with his ear pressed against the wall.

Time passed tediously.

Now, less than a shichen remained until dawn.

He had to report on the first-class surveillance target’s movements.

‘Well, I doubt there’s anything to report…’

Maun looked at his comrades who were watching from the inn across the street. His comrades nodded with expressions of understanding.

One of them stealthily slipped out of the inn.

It was the youngest of those monitoring Pyo Wol, a man named Jong-pyeong.

Jong-pyeong was as swift as Maun, but being still young, he did not have much experience. For that reason, he mainly served as a messenger, going back and forth between the two locations.

‘He has to get there and back as quickly as possible.’

Monitoring a first-class surveillance target all day was by no means an easy task.

The four of them had to work together organically, taking turns.

The time Jong-pyeong was away increased the burden on the remaining men. Because of this, Jong-pyeong sprinted through the dawn streets of Chengdu with all his might.

The inexperienced Jong-pyeong did not know.

That someone was secretly following him.

Even if he had been experienced, it would have been impossible to notice the tracker’s presence.

The one secretly tracking him was none other than Pyo Wol.

The moment Jong-pyeong began to move, Pyo Wol moved too.

In the room right next door, Maun was watching with his nerves on high alert, but he could not detect his movement.

Pyo Wol slipped out as silently as a snake, assimilated with the darkness, and followed Jong-pyeong.

Unaware of this fact, Jong-pyeong ran diligently toward the inn where the Black Cloud Corps was staying.

The inn was far too small to accommodate the three hundred and fifty members of the Black Cloud Corps. The reason the Black Cloud Corps was renting an annex of the inn was that not all of them had joined up yet.

Of the three hundred and fifty members of the Black Cloud Corps, only about fifty had entered Chengdu. The rest would arrive near Chengdu within a few days and be on standby.

Jong-pyeong sought out the Vice Unit Leader, Yang Woo-jeong.

Yang Woo-jeong was exceptionally intelligent and served as the Second-in-Command of the Black Cloud Corps.

Jong-pyeong knelt on one knee before Yang Woo-jeong and reported.

“The first-class surveillance target has shown no movement all night. As the sun will soon rise, we plan to switch from long-range surveillance to close-quarters surveillance.”

“Understood. You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all.”

“It seems the Unit Leader is quite concerned about him. Tell them to watch him without letting their guard down for even a moment.”

“I will relay the message.”

“You may go.”

“Yes!”

Jong-pyeong bowed his head to Yang Woo-jeong and withdrew.

Yang Woo-jeong watched Jong-pyeong’s retreating back for a moment before returning to his own quarters.

On his desk lay a single map.

It was a map of Mount Qingcheng that Yang Woo-jeong had made himself.

When he went to negotiate with the Qingcheng Sect, he had identified the main checkpoints of Mount Qingcheng and the deployment of their martial artists, committing it all firmly to memory. Then, as soon as he returned to the inn, he had transferred what he remembered onto the map.

If the negotiations with the Qingcheng Sect had gone well, this map would have been useless. But since the negotiations with the Qingcheng Sect had broken down and they had ended up joining hands with the Emei Sect, this map would be put to good use.

“These three checkpoints at the entrance of Mount Qingcheng are the problem. The Black Cloud Corps can’t use its strength at these checkpoints. To make effective use of the two hundred cavalry, we have to lure them down the mountain.”

She formulated a plan, assuming a full-scale war with the Qingcheng Sect.

After staring at the map for a long time, Yang Woo-jeong furrowed his brow.

He suddenly put a hand into his robes and then swung it toward the ceiling.

Thwack-thwack-thwack!

Three flying blades pierced the ceiling and embedded themselves in the roof.

Yang Woo-jeong followed the flying blades up to the ceiling. But nowhere on the ceiling could any unusual traces be found.

Yang Woo-jeong raised his eye power and scanned every nook and cranny. Again, nothing was found.

As he retrieved the flying blades stuck in the roof, he muttered.

“Was I being too sensitive? I’m sure I felt a gaze. I suppose I was mistaken since my nerves are on edge.”

Yang Woo-jeong went back down. He then began to devise military tactics while staring at the map again.

It was then.

From a corner of the ceiling, Pyo Wol slowly revealed himself.

The gaze Yang Woo-jeong had felt was by no means a delusion.

Pyo Wol had been looking at the map from the exact same perspective as him, right above his head. It was just that he had been looking at the map for too long, which caused Yang Woo-jeong to feel the gaze.

Yang Woo-jeong had thrown his flying blades and even come up to the ceiling, but he had failed to notice the presence of Pyo Wol, who was concealed right in front of him.

He had failed to recognize him even though he was right under his nose.

It wasn’t that her eyes were faulty. It was just that Pyo Wol’s stealth skill and assimilation were too outstanding.

Pyo Wol had not moved from his spot even once, and had even looked directly into Yang Woo-jeong’s eyes. Yet, Yang Woo-jeong had not noticed Pyo Wol’s presence at all.

Unaware that Pyo Wol was still watching him, Yang Woo-jeong continued to formulate his plan.

It was a quarter of an hour later that Pyo Wol slipped out.

Having judged that there was nothing more to be gained from Yang Woo-jeong, Pyo Wol returned straight to the inn.

At the inn, Maun and his comrades were still watching his room. But they had not noticed at all that Pyo Wol had gone out and returned.

Pyo Wol organized his thoughts based on the information he had gathered overnight.

“Total personnel is three hundred and fifty, of which two hundred are cavalry. Being cavalry, they are especially skilled in open-field battles.”

Above all, the biggest gain was discovering that the Black Cloud Corps had sided with the Emei Sect.

The fact that a prestigious orthodox faction like the Emei Sect had joined hands with a group of wanderers like the Black Cloud Corps meant that they were that cornered.

Pyo Wol thought things were getting interesting.

Although he hadn’t intended it directly, various situations had intertwined, creating a situation where one could not predict even a step ahead.

Sects like the Qingcheng Sect or the Emei Sect might not find this situation agreeable, but for an assassin like Pyo Wol, a chaotic situation that could create many variables was extremely advantageous.

The atmosphere he had been hoping for was ripening.

Now, if he just tossed in a spark, it would explode on its own.