Chapter 148

Baekseon Gate was a newly risen sect located in Yibin, Sichuan Province.

It was founded by the Martial Artist Lee Seon-yeop, who had achieved great merit during the Great Demonic War, upon his return to his hometown of Yibin. Young people who admired Lee Seon-yeop’s fame gathered, forming a great power.

Baekseon Gate was classified as one of the Three Clans of Sichuan Province, along with the Thunder Clan and Geumcheon Gate. While the Thunder Clan and Geumcheon Gate were based in and around Chengdu, Baekseon Gate was able to avoid the Blood Mist because it operated far away, centered in Yibin.

Although classified as one of the Three Clans, its power was greatly lacking compared to the Thunder Clan or Geumcheon Gate. Paradoxically, the reason Baekseon Gate was able to survive until the end was that it knew its own lack of power and acted with prudence.

When the Blood Mist occurred in Chengdu, the Sect Leader of Baekseon Gate, No Gang-pyeong, did not move his forces until the very end.

This was because his original personality was cautious, and he hated taking risks. That prudence saved Baekseon Gate.

Even though the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect, followed by the Thunder Clan and Geumcheon Gate, had fallen, Baekseon Gate was able to remain intact.

Lee Seon-yeop, the first Sect Leader of Baekseon Gate, had always urged No Gang-pyeong to be cautious. He had taught him that prudence was the only weapon that could save him in the harsh Jianghu.

No Gang-pyeong never forgot his master’s teachings for a moment, and thanks to that, he was able to reap the benefits of others’ conflict.

Many sects in Sichuan Province were swept up in the Blood Mist and became Closed-off or suffered great blows. Naturally, a tectonic shift occurred in the Sichuan Murim.

Qingcheng and Emei chose to be Closed-off, and the Thunder Clan and Geumcheon Gate fell. Naturally, the surviving Baekseon Gate became the new center of Sichuan Province.

It was a case of wiping one’s nose without lifting a finger.

However, No Gang-pyeong did not let his guard down.

He knew that although he had become the center of Sichuan Province by benefiting from others’ conflict, it was only a superficial appearance.

He was in Chengdu.

The man who had shaken and overturned the order of Sichuan Province, which had been firmly established for hundreds of years, and set a new board.

No matter how much people praised Baekseon Gate, No Gang-pyeong knew it would all be over if that man made a move, so he acted with prudence.

‘If I get on his bad side for no reason, Baekseon Gate will be swept away too.’

No Gang-pyeong strictly forbade his disciples from recklessly entering Chengdu. He was afraid of unknowingly forming a grudge with him.

No Gang-pyeong knew the exact measure of his own capacity.

No matter how much people flattered him, saying he was the center of the Sichuan Murim or that he should lead the Sichuan Murim in the future, he did not listen.

‘If you get greedy beyond your station, you’re bound to be ruined.’

No Gang-pyeong just wanted to live a long life as things were.

His gaze suddenly turned to a candlestick placed next to the table. A large scented candle was lit on the candlestick, and as the candle burned, a very pleasant fragrance flowed out.

“Hmph!”

No Gang-pyeong took a deep breath of the candle’s scent.

It felt like his mind and body were stabilizing.

It was then.

“Sect Leader, I have brought tea.”

A maid’s voice was heard from outside.

At the familiar voice, No Gang-pyeong gave permission without any suspicion.

“Come in.”

“Yes!”

With the reply, the maid carefully entered.

In that moment, a strange light appeared in No Gang-pyeong’s eyes.

The maid’s Body Scent had sharply pierced his nose. The sweet scent, which he was smelling for the first time, made his heart pound.

The maid placed the teacup and pitcher she had brought on the table.

As she bent over, the cleavage of her chest was slightly revealed.

No Gang-pyeong was flustered by the unexpected situation.

‘Has this child matured so much?’

The maid who brought the tea was a child he knew well.

He knew she was popular among the Baekseon Gate martial artists because of her rather cute face and fair skin. But he had seen her since she was very young, so he had no interest.

It was just like looking at a daughter or a niece. But today, for the first time, his heart pounded at the sight of the maid.

No Gang-pyeong was startled by his own reaction.

He thought his libido had decreased a lot lately due to having many things to worry about, but his heart had unexpectedly pounded for the maid.

“Come here.”

Without realizing it, No Gang-pyeong grabbed the maid’s hand.

“Oh my!”

The maid flinched in surprise. But that very action held a strange sensuality, exciting No Gang-pyeong even more.

“How old are you this year?”

“S-seventeen.”

“A good age.”

No Gang-pyeong buried his face in the maid’s neck.

The maid was so surprised she couldn’t resist at all.

She had served No Gang-pyeong for a very long time. But until now, No Gang-pyeong had never once crossed the line or acted rudely. She didn’t know what to do when he suddenly turned into a beast like this and treated her roughly.

“Stay still.”

Rip!

No Gang-pyeong roughly tore the maid’s clothes.

The maid did not dare to resist. But at some point, the look in the maid’s eyes changed.

The maid, who had been looking at No Gang-pyeong with dazed eyes, soon began to actively cooperate with his actions.

The two entangled like snakes, letting out rough breaths.

Their act continued late into the night.

“Hah!”

Finally, with a rough breath, No Gang-pyeong poured all of himself into the maid.

The maid closed her eyes tightly and hugged No Gang-pyeong.

No Gang-pyeong held the maid and calmed his ragged breathing. He could feel the maid trembling in his arms.

“Hoo!”

No Gang-pyeong smiled contentedly. Like that, he fell into a deep sleep while holding the maid.

The maid, too, was unable to resist and fell asleep in his arms.

While both of them were in a deep sleep, the candle that had been faintly illuminating the room also ran out of life and went out.

The deep night passed, and morning came. But the two people, holding each other, did not stir.

When No Gang-pyeong did not come out even though the sun was up, his disciple, Gwak Jeong-han, wore a puzzled expression.

It was something that had not happened even once in several years.

“Master! It is your disciple, Jeong-han. May I enter?”

He spoke cautiously, but there was no answer from inside.

Unable to wait any longer, Gwak Jeong-han opened his master’s door with his junior martial brothers and entered.

“What is this?”

“Good heavens!”

They saw No Gang-pyeong asleep, holding the young maid, and turned their heads away.

For a man of power like No Gang-pyeong, taking a maid to bed was a common occurrence. It was common for powerful men of this era to have three wives and four concubines.

The problem was that No Gang-pyeong was not that kind of person at all.

No Gang-pyeong was a man who could have any woman he wanted if he just set his mind to it. If the fact that such a man had forcibly taken a maid who had not even fully ripened became known, his reputation would be greatly tarnished.

Gwak Jeong-han had a headache thinking about how to handle this. He had to prevent his master’s reputation from being damaged as much as possible.

Suddenly, Gwak Jeong-han thought something was strange.

If he and his junior martial brothers had entered, No Gang-pyeong should have woken up long ago.

It made no sense that No Gang-pyeong was still in a deep sleep when so many people had entered.

“Master! Please wake up.”

“Master!”

He and his junior martial brothers rushed over and tried to wake No Gang-pyeong. But No Gang-pyeong did not stir. It was the same for the maid.

Both of them had stopped breathing.

“Good heavens! Death by overexertion during sex?”

“How can this be!”

Gwak Jeong-han and his junior martial brothers were horrified.

They couldn’t believe that the great Sect Leader of Baekseon Gate had died from overexertion while having sex with a maid.

If this fact became known to the public, the reputation of Baekseon Gate and No Gang-pyeong would hit rock bottom.

That, at all costs, had to be prevented.

“Damn it! What happened today must be known only to us. If this fact leaks out, we will never be able to show our faces in the Jianghu again. Do you understand?”

“Yes! Senior Martial Brother.”

The junior martial brothers answered in unison.

The maid’s death was of no concern to them.

No one cared about her death, nor were they curious about why she died.

For the honor of their master and Baekseon Gate, they thoroughly concealed this incident.

It was publicly announced that No Gang-pyeong had died from Qi Deviation while practicing his Martial Arts.

Many people mourned No Gang-pyeong’s death, and a grand funeral was prepared.

＊＊＊

Yu Gicheon frowned deeply.

“Great Hero No is dead?”

On his desk lay a letter asking him to attend the funeral.

Yu Gicheon had shared a deep friendship with No Gang-pyeong for a long time.

Yu Gicheon was a successful merchant, and No Gang-pyeong was the master of a large sect called Baekseon Gate. Naturally, they had no choice but to be considerate of each other.

After returning to his hometown, Yu Gicheon formed a close relationship with No Gang-pyeong and supported him. He no longer had any intention of growing his Trading Company, but it was better to be on friendly terms with a powerful man like No Gang-pyeong to live comfortably in Sichuan Province.

“He died from Qi Deviation?”

Yu Gicheon muttered with a look of disbelief.

He had met No Gang-pyeong just a fortnight ago.

No Gang-pyeong had been very healthy and had shown no signs of Qi Deviation whatsoever.

When Yu Gicheon had even asked how his recent achievements were, No Gang-pyeong had said that he was living without paying much attention to it.

He no longer clung to achievements in Martial Arts. Naturally, he did not practice his Martial Arts diligently either. So, it was only natural to be puzzled that such a man had suffered from Qi Deviation.

Because Qi Deviation was something that only afflicted those who practiced their Martial Arts diligently.

That was also why it was hard to believe that No Gang-pyeong, who had almost given up on Martial Arts, had died from Qi Deviation.

“Wait a minute…”

Yu Gicheon suddenly paused.

Something had come to mind.

He hurriedly opened a drawer. Inside, a pile of invitations he had recently received was stacked.

Yu Gicheon took out a few of them.

Just like in No Gang-pyeong’s case, they were written to invite him to a funeral.

“Great Hero Ok of Golden Fist Manor, Hall Master Jin of Returning Star Martial Hall. Both are known to have died from Qi Deviation.”

Both men were close friends of Yu Gicheon. And they had recently lost their lives to Qi Deviation.

Yu Gicheon tapped the desk with his finger.

“Is it a coincidence? For three people to die from Qi Deviation in just the last few days?”

A deep furrow naturally formed on his forehead.

He was not a man who believed in coincidences.

One of the lessons he had learned from decades of working as a merchant was that when something happens, there are always corresponding signs or omens.

There were no signs whatsoever in the deaths of these three men.

It was as if something that should not have happened had happened.

“What if the deaths of these three men are an omen of some event? Or what if someone is intentionally faking their deaths?”

In an instant, several hypotheses came to mind.

An ordinary person would have dismissed it as a useless thought, but Yu Gicheon did not miss even the most trivial things.

After pondering for a moment, Yu Gicheon summoned the Martial Artist guarding his residence.

“Come in.”

“What is it, Manor Lord!”

The Martial Artist was in his early thirties with a strong impression.

He was a Wanderer rumored to be highly skilled in Martial Arts in the Jianghu, whom Yu Gicheon had recruited for a large sum of money to protect himself.

Yu Gicheon said.

“Go with me to Baekseon Gate.”

“Now?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s late at night.”

“Sect Leader No of Baekseon Gate has passed away.”

“No, how did he pass away?”

“They say he suffered from Qi Deviation. Let’s go quickly.”

“I understand. I will go out and prepare first, so please come out.”

“Alright.”

After the bodyguard went outside, Yu Gicheon changed into his outdoor clothes.

When he went outside, the bodyguard had the troops on standby.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

Yu Gicheon hurriedly left Snow Cloud Stronghold with his bodyguards.

As he opened the gate, someone saw him and shouted loudly.

“Oh, it’s Gramps.”

The one who shouted loud enough to make the alley ring was none other than Soma.

Soma jumped up and down upon seeing Yu Gicheon. But next to him was a man he had never seen before.

A man with his face half-covered by a scarf.

Yu Gicheon instinctively realized the man’s identity.

‘It’s him.’

The man who had stained the nights of Chengdu with blood.

He was surely the ruler of the night whom all the martial artists of Sichuan Province feared.

Yu Gicheon’s face froze without him realizing it.

“Gramps, where are you going?”

Unaware of this fact, Soma asked innocently.