Chapter 127

Won Gayoung gritted her teeth.

The wound on her ankle still throbbed.

It was a wound inflicted by Pyo Wol. A tiny wound, as if a needle had passed through, pierced her ankle.

The wound itself was not very serious.

Even though it had pierced her ankle, the hole was so small that it seemed unlikely to even leave a scar.

The problem wasn’t the wound on her ankle, but the wound to her pride.

‘I couldn’t even properly display the Sword Art I worked so hard to learn.’

If she had lost after a fierce battle, her pride wouldn’t have been so wounded. She would have accepted it, even in defeat.

An unbearable sense of defeat brought her a feeling of humiliation.

The alias Hwan-geom Seon-ja was not something she had obtained for nothing. After entering the Jianghu, she had fought quite a few duels and made a name for herself by punishing scoundrels and the Green Forest Way. She had lived a rather intense life in the Jianghu, and her peers, who acknowledged her, had given her the alias Hwan-geom Seon-ja.

Until now, she had accepted the alias Hwan-geom Seon-ja as a matter of course. But the alias she had taken for granted now felt unbearably heavy.

It felt as if a weight of ten thousand pounds was crushing her shoulders.

Won Gayoung now truly felt the weight of the alias she carried.

‘I was nothing. To be satisfied with such a meager reputation. I have tarnished my Master’s name.’

Her Master was the Sword Venerable, Han Yu-cheon.

He was a supreme master who was said to have achieved an unrivaled state in the art of the sword. He had never allowed a single defeat in his entire life.

Won Gayoung had thought she, too, would walk the path of the invincible.

It was something she considered natural, so she had never doubted it for a moment. But she had been defeated.

And by a young martial artist she had met for the first time in her life.

He was terrifying to the point of making her teeth chatter.

It wasn’t simply a matter of his martial arts being strong or weak.

He was like a snake.

He was as cunning as a snake hiding in the shaded grass, waiting for its prey.

Just as a snake evokes a primal fear in humans, Pyo Wol, too, evoked a dreadful fear in martial artists.

The man named Pyo Wol was, in himself, a source of fear.

His terror could only be truly felt by those who had fought him directly.

Even though two shichen had passed since the fight, Won Gayoung still couldn’t escape the feeling of defeat. Perhaps because it was her first defeat in her life, the after-effects lingered.

Still, Won Gayoung was in a better state.

Neung Sowoon, unable to bear the humiliation, had locked herself away in the Four Seas Pavilion and refused to come out.

‘Where did such a person come from?’

The thought of Pyo Wol naturally contorted her face.

She lowered her head and gritted her teeth.

Just as chaotic as Won Gayoung’s heart, the streets of Chengdu were in disarray.

Many martial artists were searching for Heuk Am. But Won Gayoung’s heart was so full of defeat that she had no room for other thoughts.

Thump!

Just then, someone passing by bumped into her.

Won Gayoung raised her head and apologized.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence.

A black hand was lunging for her face.

Her vision instantly went black, and she lost consciousness.

The black-clad fiend, having easily subdued Won Gayoung, lifted her body.

“Heh heh!”

The black-clad fiend letting out a sinister laugh was none other than Heuk Am.

Heuk Am slung Won Gayoung’s limp body over his shoulder.

Having fallen to Heuk Am’s technique, Won Gayoung couldn’t resist at all.

“You will make a fine ingredient.”

Heuk Am muttered.

His eyes were filled with resentment toward Jin Geum-woo.

He wanted more thorough destruction. But Jin Geum-woo and the Hao Clan’s response had been faster than he expected, so he couldn’t achieve the desired results.

What he regretted most was not being able to inflict a major blow on Jin Geum-woo. He should have driven him to despair by destroying everyone around him, but it ended with only the death of Ximen Pyeong.

“Because of that demon-like bastard…”

Heuk Am ground his teeth.

It was a pity that Ximen Pyeong had lost his life to Pyo Wol when he could have wreaked more havoc.

“Where did a guy like that pop out from…”

Ximen Pyeong was not an inferior being, yet he had been decapitated in an instant without being able to put up a proper fight.

Heuk Am had never seen such martial arts in his entire life.

Although he hadn’t faced him directly, Pyo Wol’s gaze was enough to send a chill down his spine.

The moment he saw Pyo Wol’s eyes, he knew.

That man was a being of the same kind as himself.

A man who belonged in the shadows rather than the light.

A being who would not hesitate to commit any vicious act to achieve his goals.

If he prepared slowly over time, he would have the advantage, but if they met unexpectedly, he couldn’t be confident of victory.

Pyo Wol was that terrifying of a being.

“I have no choice but to retreat for now, but I will definitely return.”

Heuk Am did not consider escaping to be shameful at all.

On the contrary, he thought it was more efficient to escape, make thorough preparations, and then take revenge. But simply escaping did not suit his temperament.

Even if he had to escape, he had to inflict a major blow on Jin Geum-woo. That was the reason he had remained in Chengdu. And now, he had achieved his initial goal.

He had been watching Won Gayoung with covetous eyes.

He was certain she was someone precious to Jin Geum-woo, and above all, her qualities seemed good.

Heuk Am enjoyed controlling the minds of others.

When the Soul-Seizing Eye, Gu Poison, and Monghon-dan were combined, they displayed their greatest power, and those properly subdued became his puppets. But Heuk Am had no intention of being satisfied with just that.

He researched ways to make his puppets even stronger and found such a method in the secret transmissions of the Small Thunder Sound Temple.

The problem was that all the ingredients to carry out that method were at the Small Thunder Sound Temple. Therefore, there was the prerequisite that he had to take Won Gayoung to the Small Thunder Sound Temple in a perfect state.

But Heuk Am was willing to endure the trouble.

‘I’ll make you regret daring to interfere with my event.’

If it meant he could torment Jin Geum-woo, he was prepared to do even more arduous things than this.

Heuk Am stared ahead with gloomy eyes.

In the distance, he could see a group of martial artists searching Chengdu with murderous looks.

It was obvious who they were looking for.

Heuk Am sneered at them.

Until now, Heuk Am had never once shown his true appearance to others. He found it amusing that people who didn’t know his real face thought they could find him.

Leaving only a sneer behind, Heuk Am disappeared without a sound.

＊＊＊

Tang Sochu frowned as he looked out at Chengdu.

“Will there ever be a peaceful day?”

Chengdu had suffered a great ordeal last year as well.

Just when things seemed to be settling down, a wind of destruction was once again sweeping through the entire city.

At this point, he was beginning to suspect that Chengdu might be cursed.

Fortunately, the chaos seemed to be somewhat under control by dawn. The people’s screams had subsided, and the flames that had soared to the sky had calmed down.

Thankfully, Tang Sochu’s workshop was unharmed. Still, Tang Sochu couldn’t shake off an ominous feeling.

His feeling soon became reality.

Pyo Wol had come.

“Brother?”

Tang Sochu’s expression hardened when he saw the suddenly appeared Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol’s expressionless face seemed unusually serious.

“What’s wrong?”

“It seems I must go on a long journey.”

“Brother?”

“Pack the things I’ll need.”

“Where are you going?”

“Tibet!”

“Tibet?”

Tang Sochu’s eyes wavered.

Tibet was a place that could only be reached by crossing the western highlands of Sichuan Province and walking for more than a month. It was only natural to be puzzled by his sudden decision to go on such a long journey.

“Is it because of what happened today?”

Pyo Wol nodded silently.

Tang Sochu looked at Pyo Wol with a pitying gaze for a moment.

Pyo Wol just wanted to live quietly, but his surroundings wouldn’t leave him alone and kept shaking him.

After looking into Pyo Wol’s emotionless eyes for a moment, Tang Sochu said.

“Wait a moment.”

He went inside the workshop.

Left alone, Pyo Wol looked out at the city of Chengdu.

The scent of blood was carried on the wind.

Heuk Am hadn’t lifted a finger himself, but had controlled people like Ximen Pyeong. As a result, countless people had died today.

Pyo Wol himself had once plunged Chengdu into terror, but he had never dragged in people unrelated to the Jianghu like Heuk Am did.

Heuk Am’s methods were truly the worst. Once you were caught by him, you would suspect each other and be unable to trust anyone.

The incident that occurred in Chengdu proved this fact.

Most of the people who died were killed by those they trusted. Because of that, the chaos and distrust had reached their peak.

Still, it wouldn’t have mattered.

If only he hadn’t touched someone related to him.

The one who drove Su-hyang to her death was Ximen Pyeong, but the one who made Ximen Pyeong that way was Heuk Am.

If he let Heuk Am live, there was no telling when something like this would happen again.

That was the reason Pyo Wol was making his move.

After a short wait, Tang Sochu came out holding something.

What he brought was a rolled-up bundle of black leather.

Tang Sochu unrolled the leather and said,

“It’s a Wind Cloak. It’s been treated with a specially processed oil, so it’s waterproof and can block a certain amount of intense heat. It has several compartments inside, so you can store simple items.”

Pyo Wol took the Wind Cloak from Tang Sochu and put it on.

As if it had been measured for Pyo Wol, the Wind Cloak fit perfectly.

Just as Tang Sochu had said, there were pockets inside the Wind Cloak for storing various items. And inside the pockets, the items Pyo Wol needed were already stored.

“You probably won’t need them, Brother, but there are a few basic hidden weapons inside. You might need them, so just take them. And take this too.”

This time, Tang Sochu took out a small porcelain bottle from his clothes and handed it to Pyo Wol.

“What’s this?”

“White Phosphorus Fire! It’s an item that was lost long ago in the Tang Clan, but I managed to revive it this time. It’s a flame that will never go out once it catches on a body.”

“Is the flame inside this?”

“Not exactly. It contains the oil that acts as a medium for the White Phosphorus Fire. If you sprinkle it and light it, the White Phosphorus Fire will blaze. There are only a few drops, so use it sparingly. It would be even better if you don’t use it at all.”

Pyo Wol took the porcelain bottle and put it in the deepest compartment of the Wind Cloak.

“I’ll use it well.”

“It’s hard to make. Try not to use it if you can.”

“I’ll consider it.”

“Damn it! From the way you talk, you’re going to use it.”

“You gave it to me to use.”

“Anyway, have a safe trip. I have a lot of work to do, so I have to go back in.”

Tang Sochu waved his hand once and went back into the workshop.

Pyo Wol looked at the firmly closed workshop door for a moment, then turned around.

When he came out onto the main street, a man was waiting for him.

It was Jin Geum-woo.

Jin Geum-woo scanned Pyo Wol’s entire body with a sharp gaze.

“A Wind Cloak I haven’t seen before? Are you planning to go to the Small Thunder Sound Temple?”

“Did you come here just to say something like that?”

“Gayoung has disappeared.”

“Gayoung?”

“The woman who was wounded by you. We are very close.”

Jin Geum-woo’s expression was grave.

Won Gayoung had not been seen from last night to this morning. There was no reason for her to disappear without saying anything to him.

After thoroughly investigating her whereabouts, Jin Geum-woo was convinced that she had been kidnapped or murdered by Heuk Am.

“That man is after me. He chose Pyeong and did that to him to torment me. And now he’s kidnapped Gayoung. He’s trying to get revenge on me.”

“So you’re saying you’ll follow me?”

“He must have gone to the Small Thunder Sound Temple. With my abilities, I can’t find the Small Thunder Sound Temple, nor can I track him, so I’ll have to impose on you.”

“You haven’t forgotten that I killed Ximen Pyeong, have you?”

“I will forget my grudge for a while.”

Jin Geum-woo looked straight at Pyo Wol.

A stubbornness to follow Pyo Wol no matter what was evident in his eyes.

Pyo Wol turned and said,

“You’ll have to follow me closely. If you fall behind, I’ll leave you.”

“Don’t you worry. More importantly, how will you find him? He must have already left Chengdu.”

Even after mobilizing all the martial artists of the Hao Clan’s Chengdu branch, they had failed to find Heuk Am.

The Shadowless Hermit, Yoo Shinpoong, had also mobilized his entire wide network of contacts, but he couldn’t even find a shadow of Heuk Am.

He was curious how Pyo Wol intended to track Heuk Am in this situation.

Pyo Wol started walking and said,

“No living thing can escape from me.”