Chapter 172

Despite being in his mid-fifties, Hwa Yu-cheon maintained a slender physique without a single ounce of fat.

This was thanks to his rigorous daily training and strict diet management.

Although he was over fifty, he boasted of physical strength and vigor comparable to a man in his twenties.

Normally, he would have been in a very good mood today.

Because it was the day he would meet the woman who would become his new concubine.

Moreover, the woman who was to be his concubine was not only beautiful but also young.

The fact that she was young was particularly important.

For a man like him, heading towards the twilight of his life, a young concubine could be a source of vitality.

But his son, Hwa Ok-gi, had ruined his good mood.

“You half-wit! To abandon a man like Hwangbo Chiseung just because he lost an arm.”

He knew how terrifying the sentiment at the bottom of Jianghu could be.

It might not be a problem for now, but in the future, when the Heavenly Eunuch Clan weakened or faced a crisis, this issue could worsen the situation.

No subordinate would pledge loyalty to a Clan Head who easily discards his trusted men. An accumulation of such trivial problems could bring down a colossal force like the Heavenly Eunuch Clan.

Hwa Yu-cheon couldn’t help but sigh at his son’s pathetic nature. But he couldn’t stay frowning forever.

Hwa Yu-cheon called for his Steward.

“Steward Mae!”

“Yes! Manor Lord.”

With the reply, Steward Mae Bul-gun appeared.

“How are the preparations for the banquet coming along?”

“They are perfectly prepared.”

“Can I trust you?”

“I have checked thoroughly several times. There will be no problems.”

Hwa Yu-cheon nodded at Mae Bul-gun’s firm answer.

“And the people from Snow Cloud Stronghold?”

“They are well-attended in the Guest Reception Hall.”

“Did they not complain about the banquet being postponed?”

“The atmosphere was one of reluctant acceptance.”

“Soothe them well, and make sure to compensate them properly. In matters like this, one must act with certainty.”

“I understand, Manor Lord!”

“Is there anyone on their side we should be wary of?”

“As expected, it is Great Hero Woo Jang-rak. As Yu Daehyeop’s trusted man, he has the most influence on his decisions.”

“Anyone else?”

“So far, no one else particularly stands out.”

“Keep a close watch on them, nonetheless.”

“Is there something in particular that is bothering you?”

Mae Bul-gun wore a puzzled expression.

The Hwa Yu-cheon he knew was not one to give such orders without reason.

“You are also aware that a great incident occurred in Sichuan Province, are you not?”

“Yes! I heard that the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect have become closed-off.”

“Because of that, Jianghu was in an uproar for a while.”

“It was the biggest incident to happen in Jianghu in decades.”

“But surprisingly, the details of what happened inside are not well known. Not only is Sichuan Province itself a very closed-off place, but for some reason, even those who know the truth of the incident have kept their mouths shut.”

Although the Heavenly Eunuch Clan had newly emerged as the hegemon of the Enshi area, their intelligence network was not superior.

There was a limit to the information they could obtain, and above all, they were not idle enough to pay attention to the situation in Sichuan Province.

For that reason, they were bound to be ignorant of the affairs in Sichuan.

“When I visited Righteous Sword Manor a while ago, I heard about the incident that led to the two sects becoming closed-off. It was a story hard to believe.”

“What kind of story was it?”

“Apparently, a single assassin made the two sects go into seclusion.”

“What does that mean?”

Mae Bul-gun frowned without realizing it.

The story was that unbelievable.

“I felt the same way. It was an unbelievable story. The Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect can be called the leaders of Sichuan, yet such huge sects went into seclusion because of a single assassin. But it was true.”

“So you’re saying it’s real?”

“I was told that the major sects of Jianghu have already grasped this fact. The problem is the assassin’s identity. Even the major sects haven’t been able to clearly identify the assassin.”

“Can’t we find out through the Hao Clan?”

“It seems the Hao Clan is thoroughly blocking any information.”

“Hmm! So that’s why you’re paying special attention to the people from Snow Cloud Stronghold. Because they came from Sichuan Province.”

“That’s right! And since they came from Chengdu, the heart of Sichuan, they must know something about that assassin.”

Mae Bul-gun thought Hwa Yu-cheon was a fearsome man.

If an assassin who could single-handedly force two sects like the Emei and Qingcheng Sects into seclusion truly existed, they had to establish a connection with him by any means necessary. If that wasn’t possible, they at least had to find a way to contact him. That way, they could commission him when the need arose.

“You must pay special attention. We must obtain information about that assassin.”

“I understand.”

Mae Bul-gun replied, bowing his head deeply.

When Pyo Wol came outside, Seol Ha-jin spoke to him.

“Did something happen last night?”

“Why?”

“No, I peeked in, and you weren’t there. You must have come back late?”

“That’s right.”

“Where did you go? A brothel?”

“I met someone.”

“You knew someone in Enshi?”

“I happened to get to know someone.”

“You didn’t seem like the type to be so sociable.”

Seol Ha-jin furrowed his brow. But it was only for a moment; he soon smiled and whispered in a low voice.

“You’ll be in your room tonight, right?”

“Probably!”

“Huhu!”

Seol Ha-jin gave a strange smile.

“Where’s Go Il-pae?”

“He’s with Great Hero Woo. It seems we won’t be able to attend the banquet.”

Wanderers were rarely invited to banquets.

This was because rootless wanderers were often ill-mannered and had a high potential to cause trouble.

For that reason, many sects were wary of letting wanderers inside.

The Heavenly Eunuch Clan was no different.

At the very least, one had to be of the stature of the Wolf King, Gu Jin-wang, to be formally invited to such a banquet.

The Wolf King, Gu Jin-wang, was one of the Eight Constellations.

He was a very unusual case.

Born into a prestigious family, he left his clan and grew strong on his own in the wilderness.

He was treated with respect everywhere, but most wanderers were not.

Woo Jang-rak didn’t even offer the wanderers a perfunctory invitation to the banquet. But he politely asked Pyo Wol.

“He said we’ll guard the luggage well, so you should go and enjoy the banquet.”

Seol Ha-jin winked one eye and returned to the wanderers.

Pyo Wol raised his head and looked at a tree.

Something was crouched on the highest branch.

It was a boy with disheveled hair in shabby black clothes.

The way he was crouched looked like a large crow.

Although he had entered the room with Pyo Wol, Soma had soon slipped out and spent the night on that high tree branch.

No matter how comfortable the bed was, Soma could not sleep soundly. When he couldn’t sleep, he would find a high place like that, curl up, and sleep.

Every time the wind blew, the branch swayed as if it would break at any moment, but Soma held on well. It was amazing that he could sleep in such a state.

Pyo Wol understood Soma.

The memories of hell experienced in childhood leave harsh scars deep in the heart.

Some people heal with almost no trace left behind, but most people suffer from aftereffects in one way or another.

Soma was like that.

The memory of being kidnapped and abused at the Small Thunder Sound Temple in his childhood, and the memory of his father’s arm being cut off because of him, still caused him pain.

On the outside, he acted as if nothing was wrong, laughing cheerfully, but all of it was just a disguise to hide his wounds.

It was the same for Pyo Wol.

He never let his guard down for a single moment.

Observing and being wary of his surroundings while others rested was a scar left by dark memories.

Once consumed by darkness, it was impossible to shake it off completely.

That was why Soma followed Pyo Wol blindly, and it was for the same reason that Pyo Wol took care of Soma.

Pyo Wol quietly entered his room and meditated.

At some point, meditating like this had become more helpful for his martial arts than direct physical movement.

His unique martial art, the Hungry Ghost Path, was a trace of his struggle for survival.

He created new technique forms to fit the situations he faced and added them to his existing martial arts. As a result, his martial arts were not refined into a single form and had a miscellaneous aspect.

The combination of Ghostly Rain and Soul Restraining Thread, which he had been using most frequently recently, was also like that. It wasn’t something he had conceived and created from the beginning when he made the Hungry Ghost Path, but something he had created on the spot out of necessity, so it lacked organic connection with his existing martial arts.

Pyo Wol thought that from now on, rather than creating new technique forms, he should refine his existing martial arts and complete them into a single art.

He didn’t know how long it would take. But he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

For that reason, Pyo Wol meditated and refined the Hungry Ghost Path whenever he had time. When he was engrossed in the Hungry Ghost Path like that, time flew by.

When Pyo Wol opened his eyes, the sun was already setting beyond the wall.

Just then, Woo Jang-rak’s voice came from outside the door.

“Great Hero! It is time to attend the banquet.”

“I’m coming out.”

Pyo Wol got up from his spot and went outside.

Although he had been sitting cross-legged for almost half a day, Pyo Wol showed no sign of his legs being numb.

When he came out, Woo Jang-rak and his subordinates were waiting for him.

“Big brother!”

Suddenly, Soma’s voice was heard from the air.

Soma was falling, his clothes fluttering like a jackdaw.

He landed lightly in front of Pyo Wol.

“Were you on the tree the whole time?”

“Yup!”

“Any particular movements?”

“It seems guests arrived when the sun was at its highest. The entrance was noisy.”

Being on a high tree, one could see everything happening within the Heavenly Eunuch Clan. Of course, that was only if one had very good eyesight.

Fortunately, Soma possessed Eye Power and hearing that surpassed the limits of an ordinary person. To others, he was just an eccentric spending time idly on a high tree, but in fact, Soma was observing all the events in the Heavenly Eunuch Clan and gathering information. And the information he gathered was passed on to Pyo Wol. Pyo Wol would then grasp the situation based on the information Soma brought.

It was truly a fantastic synergy.

Woo Jang-rak felt a chill run down his spine as he listened to Pyo Wol and Soma’s conversation.

From what he had felt while traveling here with them, these two never let their guard down.

Even during rest times when everyone else was off guard, they constantly surveyed their surroundings and identified potential variables in advance.

The sight of those two was enough to overwhelm Woo Jang-rak.

He didn’t think anything special would happen at the Heavenly Eunuch Clan. They were here as guests, after all, and would leave after one more day.

‘Then again, how can an ordinary person understand his thoughts?’

Woo Jang-rak gave up on understanding Pyo Wol and started walking.

The banquet was held in the Heavenly Eunuch Clan’s largest great hall.

Inside the spacious great hall, where thick pillars supported a high roof, countless dishes were already set out, and people were busily moving about.

“Those from Snow Cloud Stronghold may be seated here.”

Steward Mae Bul-gun personally guided them.

It was a seat close to the grand chair presumed to be for the Manor Lord. Being seated close to the Manor Lord’s seat was proof that they were being treated with special consideration.

Pyo Wol and Soma sat at the very back of the seats assigned to Snow Cloud Stronghold.

In the meantime, people trickled in.

Most of them were martial artists of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan. They mostly took seats behind where Pyo Wol was sitting.

Seeing that the front seats were left empty, it seemed that more guests would be coming from outside besides Snow Cloud Stronghold.

Pyo Wol’s prediction soon became a reality.

“Please be seated this way.”

Mae Bul-gun guided a group of martial artists to the seats right next to Snow Cloud Stronghold.

A man and a woman, both handsome and beautiful.

The clothes they wore were all made of precious silk that shimmered, and they wore valuable-looking swords at their waists.

Just by their attire, one could tell they were children of a good family.

Their heads were held slightly high, and their gazes were directed downwards.

It was a common posture for those with great pride in themselves or an arrogant disposition.

Mae Bul-gun introduced them to Woo Jang-rak.

“Great Hero Woo, these are Young Hero Im Tae-mun and Miss Geum Ju-hwa. They are friends of Young Master Hwa Ok-gi.”

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Woo Jang-rak of Snow Cloud Stronghold.”

“Snow Cloud Stronghold, isn’t that the manor where Great Hero Yu of the Taewon Trading Company is in seclusion?”

At Im Tae-mun’s reaction, Woo Jang-rak tilted his head slightly.

“How do you know that?”

“How could I not know? It is an honor to meet you, Great Hero Woo. I am Im Tae-mun of the Divine Blade Manor.”

“Divine Blade Manor?”

A look of puzzlement appeared on Woo Jang-rak’s face.

It was a sect he had never heard of before.