Chapter 298

Pyo Wol and Dokgo Hwang’s gazes met in mid-air.

Dokgo Hwang’s eyes, as he looked at Pyo Wol, were not kind. His blade-like gaze seemed ready to gouge out his heart at any moment.

He was a man with a strong desire to collect talented individuals. Conversely, if someone would not become his, he was the type who found satisfaction only in destroying them.

Pyo Wol had flatly refused his and Jang Mu-guk’s offer. He had refused to be on their side.

If he had acted according to his usual nature, he would have immediately subdued Pyo Wol and forced him to his knees. And he would have condemned him. But right now, there were too many eyes watching him.

No matter how self-willed Dokgo Hwang was, he could not completely ignore the public’s gaze.

In Jianghu, reputation was extremely important, and those who planned great things had to be especially mindful of it.

The same was true for Dokgo Hwang.

The very reason he had come here with the Golden Sky Society was to manage his reputation. There was no need to clash with Pyo Wol now and tarnish it.

Dokgo Hwang forced himself to look away from Pyo Wol. Just then, Jang Mu-guk spoke with a faint smile.

“You did well to endure. There are many ways to deal with that man, so for now, let’s just focus on managing our reputation.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not foolish enough to let personal feelings get in the way of our grand cause.”

“Hmph! I trust you.”

Jang Mu-guk smiled faintly. But his inner thoughts were different.

‘That man is also someone I must eliminate someday.’

Pyo Wol was a hunting dog that could not be tamed.

No, looking at his actions so far, he could never be dismissed as a mere dog.

Pyo Wol was a wolf that retained its wild nature.

The time to tame him had long since passed. It was impossible to tame him now.

‘If you leave a wolf alone, it will devour the livestock in the house.’

Jang Mu-guk was a man with a strong obsession for what was his. His pride would not allow him to stand by and let a wolf devour his possessions.

However, now was not the time to hunt.

There were more important matters than Pyo Wol piled up, and only after dealing with them could he paint the bigger picture.

Jang Mu-guk said to Dokgo Hwang and the others.

“Let’s go pay our respects to Great Hero Jin Wolmyeong.”

“Hmph!”

Dokgo Hwang and the Golden Sky Society followed Jang Mu-guk toward Jin Wolmyeong’s residence.

Pyo Wol silently watched them walk away.

Pyo Wol had also felt their hostile gazes.

Dokgo Hwang, in particular, was emitting a fiercely intense Killing Intent that went beyond simple dislike.

Dokgo Hwang thought he had hidden it well, but he could not deceive Pyo Wol’s senses.

If nothing else, Pyo Wol could detect the Killing Intent of others directed at him like a ghost.

Just then, someone quietly approached Pyo Wol.

“Are you all right?”

The one who spoke to Pyo Wol was none other than Namgung Wol.

“About what?”

“You just seemed to be in a foul mood.”

“Not particularly.”

“Is that so?”

Namgung Wol stood beside Pyo Wol.

They stood side by side, watching the backs of the Golden Sky Society.

Pyo Wol said to Namgung Wol.

“Shouldn’t you be going too?”

“I joined the Golden Sky Society in the first place because of my sword friends, not because I have any special bond with them.”

“Is that so?”

“I especially don’t get along with that man, Jang Mu-guk, so I don’t want to be with him.”

Namgung Wol’s voice was filled with clear displeasure.

There are people you feel an instinctive aversion to, even upon first meeting.

For Namgung Wol, Jang Mu-guk was such a person.

He first met Jang Mu-guk at the Heavenly Martial Fortress.

He had met Jang Mu-guk when he accompanied his father, Namgung Yugeom, to the Heavenly Martial Fortress.

From the very first moment he saw him, Namgung Wol felt an inexplicable hostility toward Jang Mu-guk.

It wasn’t a simple feeling of dislike or displeasure.

It wasn’t that kind of binary feeling.

The moment he saw him, he felt a hostility so strong that it made him want to vomit.

Namgung Wol himself didn’t know the exact reason.

It was just that everything about Jang Mu-guk and the Heavenly Martial Fortress irritated him in an unpleasant way.

At the time, he thought it was because he was tired from the long journey. But even after returning to the Thousand Water Society, that feeling did not disappear.

From then on, Namgung Wol pondered why he felt that way. And he figured out the reason.

The cause was the atmosphere of the Heavenly Martial Fortress and Jang Mu-guk.

It was steeped in a unique, arrogant attitude of looking down on everything in the world.

That this was the atmosphere of the entire Heavenly Martial Fortress, not just the leadership or core martial artists, was a serious problem.

His father, Namgung Yugeom, had an attitude of “what’s the problem?”

He thought that for a sect that vied for the title of the strongest in Jianghu alongside the Radiant Martial Gate, such an atmosphere was natural. But Namgung Wol could not accept his father’s words.

He had also been to the Radiant Martial Gate.

The Radiant Martial Gate he saw was different from the Heavenly Martial Fortress.

They had pride, but no trace of an arrogant atmosphere could be found anywhere.

Rather, the relaxed atmosphere unique to the strong made those who entered feel a sense of envy.

“I don’t know what lies in Jang Mu-guk’s heart, but one thing is certain. I will never work with that man in the future.”

“You seem too certain.”

“This isn’t a feeling that developed in a day or two. From the moment I first saw him, I thought we could never go down the same path. And that thought hasn’t changed.”

“So you’re telling me to be careful?”

“It looks like you’re already more wary of him than I am, so what’s the point!”

At Namgung Wol’s jest, Pyo Wol found himself smiling faintly.

Suddenly, Namgung Wol’s gaze turned to the Heavenly Flower Acrobatic Troupe performing on the stage.

“Anyway, their skills are truly amazing. They’ve completely captured the audience’s attention and won’t let go.”

He wore an expression of genuine admiration.

“Woooah!”

“The best!”

The audience was continuously cheering for the Heavenly Flower Acrobatic Troupe.

The Heavenly Flower Acrobatic Troupe seemed to know exactly how to make people go wild.

They mesmerized people with beautiful music and songs, and their performances made the audience roar with laughter.

People were completely engrossed in the performance, focusing on the troupe’s every move.

“Jin Clan seems to have used his head really well. I never thought he would draw public sentiment to his side like this. If our Thousand Water Society is ever in the same position, we should call on them.”

Namgung Wol was genuinely impressed.

The Heavenly Flower Acrobatic Troupe’s performance was that incredible.

The mere fact that they could captivate the hearts of so many people meant they deserved respect.

Pyo Wol also watched the Heavenly Flower Acrobatic Troupe’s performance with admiration.

Gahyang, who had subtly flirted with him last night, had an excellent singing voice, and the Vice Unit Leader, Lee Ok-ran, had a powerful command over the entire troupe. But So Gyeoksan was nowhere to be seen.

Although it wasn’t necessary for So Gyeoksan, the Unit Leader, to appear in the performance, the fact that he hadn’t shown himself for so long kept nagging at Pyo Wol.

Even though they had lived together for a long time in the underground cavern during their childhood, Pyo Wol had no special affection left for So Gyeoksan.

The children raised as assassins by the Bloody Shadows Guild saw each other as competitors, not comrades.

So Yeowol had managed to gather the children and form a group, but Pyo Wol was not included in it.

Pyo Wol was always an outsider, lingering on the periphery.

That tendency hadn’t changed even after so much time had passed.

Because of that, even though he had met So Gyeoksan after a long time, he felt more wary than happy.

The Heavenly Flower Acrobatic Troupe performed until late in the afternoon without a sign of fatigue.

They took turns resting or eating, ensuring the flow of the performance was never broken.

Their dedication deserved respect.

Just as their performance reached its climax, the martial artists of the Golden Sky Society, who had gone to meet Jin Wolmyeong, reappeared.

A satisfied smile graced Jang Mu-guk’s lips, as if he had achieved his desired outcome.

Jin Wolmyeong had said that Jang Mu-guk was a man worthy of succeeding his son as the Society Leader of the Golden Sky Society.

Although it wasn’t an official statement, Jang Mu-guk was sufficiently satisfied.

With this, he had built all the justification he wanted.

All that was left was to enjoy the performance.

Jang Mu-guk and the martial artists of the Golden Sky Society settled in a corner of the Training Ground and enjoyed the Heavenly Flower Acrobatic Troupe’s performance.

Pyo Wol’s gaze swept over the Golden Sky Society’s martial artists one by one.

Suddenly, a peculiar light flickered in Pyo Wol’s eyes.

All the talented individuals he had seen at the Celestial Origin Tower were there, but one person was missing.

‘Eom So-so!’

Dokgo Hwang’s trusted subordinate was not in sight.

Racking his memory, he realized Eom So-so hadn’t come here from the beginning.

His brow furrowed on its own.

Even though she was Dokgo Hwang’s subordinate, her martial prowess was not inferior to the other martial artists of the Golden Sky Society.

She thoroughly concealed her level, but Pyo Wol already knew she was very strong.

Excluding Jang Mu-guk or Dokgo Hwang, there was no martial artist in the Golden Sky Society who could defeat her. Even Jang Ho-yeon of the Righteous Sword Manor couldn’t guarantee a victory against her.

‘Did she not come on purpose? Or could she not come?’

＊＊＊

Ah-bok was a martial artist who worked at Jang Noya’s gambling den.

His martial arts were nothing special.

He could intimidate the people who frequented the gambling den, but against a proper martial artist, he was of a level that couldn’t do a thing.

He once dreamed of entering a large martial arts academy, but after clearly realizing his limits, he gave up on such futile thoughts.

Instead, he worked at Jang Noya’s gambling den and was content with his reality.

Jang Noya was harsh on gamblers, but he was a good superior to the subordinates who followed him.

Thanks to following him, making a living was not a problem.

The more loyal they were, the better he treated them, so Ah-bok and the other trusted subordinates were blindly loyal to him.

“Huh, that woman is definitely from the Golden Sky Society…”

Suddenly, Ah-bok’s eyes lit up.

He had seen a familiar woman in a secluded alley.

A beautiful face with mysterious, blue-tinged eyes.

She was none other than Dokgo Hwang’s trusted subordinate, Eom So-so.

Having seen Eom So-so while monitoring the Golden Sky Society, Ah-bok recognized her instantly.

‘What’s going on?’

This was a rather remote back alley even for Runan.

It was dirty and reeked, not a place a beautiful woman like Eom So-so would come to.

‘Something is up.’

Like someone who had lived in the shadows for a long time, Ah-bok was extremely sharp. He intuitively sensed that something big was happening and hid himself.

Fortunately, Eom So-so didn’t seem to have noticed Ah-bok’s presence.

Ah-bok held his breath as much as possible and spied on Eom So-so.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

His legs grew numb from crouching for so long. It felt like his legs would fall off, but Ah-bok gritted his teeth and endured.

His patience was just about to reach its limit.

Creeak!

With the sound of rolling wheels, someone appeared opposite Eom So-so.

The one who appeared, pulling a cart, was a hunchback with a slightly bent back.

The hunchback seemed to have gone through a rough ordeal, as his whole body was stained with blood.

On top of the cart was a rather large box.

As the hunchback appeared, Eom So-so strode toward him.

The hunchback opened the lid of the box and showed the contents to Eom So-so.

Eom So-so smiled as if she was pleased.

‘What’s inside?’

Ah-bok peeked out slightly. But from his position, he couldn’t see what was inside the box. However, judging by the two’s attitudes, he could tell that something quite important was inside the box.

After letting Eom So-so check the item, the hunchback pulled the cart and disappeared down the opposite end of the alley.

‘I should report to Noya first.’

Ah-bok thought his role ended here.

He was about to quietly slip out of the alley, holding his breath.

“You there, alley cat.”

Suddenly, Eom So-so’s cold voice rang out.

In an instant, Ah-bok’s body froze as if it had turned to ice.

‘I’ve been caught.’

Ah-bok’s heart pounded like crazy.

There was no time to think.

He ran for his life in the opposite direction of Eom So-so.

He had to get out of the alley first.

He thought that since there were many people on the main street, she wouldn’t be able to harm him recklessly.

He ran at the fastest speed he ever had in his life.

The main road was now not far away.

It was the moment a look of joy appeared on Ah-bok’s face.

Slice!

With a sharp cutting sound, his left leg was severed from the calf down.

Eom So-so had unleashed her Sword Qi.

“Uwaaack!”

Eom So-so approached Ah-bok as he screamed, rolling on the ground.

“Why were you spying on me? Alley cat.”

Eom So-so’s cold voice made Ah-bok freeze.