Chapter 183

“Gah!”

Ak Chusan looked up at Pyo Wol with an expression of disbelief.

His neck, nearly half-severed, was gushing blood.

Blood was also pouring from his nose and mouth. That was why he couldn’t ask.

He couldn’t ask what had been used to slice his throat.

The fact that the being who had delivered his death was now looking down on him with emotionless eyes filled him with terrifying fear.

The Dark Dragon Robe wrapped around Pyo Wol’s body fluttered like the wings of a giant bird.

‘A… reaper!’

That was Ak Chusan’s last thought.

His body crumpled to the ground.

Even though his breath had stopped, the fear etched on Ak Chusan’s face did not fade.

Pyo Wol silently gazed down at Ak Chusan’s corpse.

Although he could have launched a surprise attack, he had deliberately faced Ak Chusan head-on to test his own martial arts.

He wanted to confirm how much he had grown and what level of expert he could now face.

Pyo Wol was walking a different path from ordinary martial artists.

He thought of himself as an assassin and was establishing a system of martial arts suited for one.

Through his confrontation with Ak Chusan, Pyo Wol became certain that his Hungry Ghost Path was not a mistake.

Pyo Wol left Ak Chusan’s body behind and walked out of the Forest of the Dead.

Corpses were visible everywhere.

Some were the bodies of those who had killed each other, and others were those Pyo Wol had killed.

When Pyo Wol waved his hand, the bodies hanging by their necks from the trees fell with a thud. Although he had used their bodies out of necessity, he couldn’t dishonor them forever.

The Forest of the Dead had literally become a forest of the dead.

It was clear that even more people would be reluctant to enter the Forest of the Dead in the future. But Pyo Wol had no reason to concern himself with that.

Before leaving the Forest of the Dead, Pyo Wol stopped by a stream for a moment to wash Ak Chusan’s blood from his face.

The droplets of blood were quickly diluted in the water and disappeared, and Pyo Wol’s face was reflected on the surface.

It was a terribly pale and beautiful face.

At first, he had thought his face was a nuisance. It drew too much attention from people. But now, his thoughts had changed to it not being so bad after all.

Because it had its uses.

People showed favor to things that were handsome and beautiful.

This was especially true for women.

They would see Pyo Wol’s beautiful appearance and approach him with their guard down. And through them, Pyo Wol could obtain high-quality information.

It was a great advantage for an assassin. Pyo Wol had no intention of giving up such an advantage.

Pyo Wol splashed water on his face one last time and left the Forest of the Dead.

Outside the Forest of the Dead, Woo Jang-rak and his group were waiting for him.

Next to Woo Jang-rak were Sin Mu-geom and Mok Ga-hye.

Sin Mu-geom had still not regained consciousness. It was only because Woo Jang-rak had administered first aid that he was still breathing; otherwise, he would have died long ago.

“Hyung-ah!”

As soon as Pyo Wol appeared, Soma was the first to approach.

“How’s your body?”

“I’m fine!”

Soma answered, grimacing.

He said that, but the pain was immense.

Pyo Wol patted Soma’s head once, then looked at Mok Ga-hye.

Mok Ga-hye bowed her head in greeting.

“Thank you so much.”

“Thank Soma. The beef jerky you gave him is what saved you.”

“Thank you!”

Mok Ga-hye expressed her gratitude, looking at Soma who was beside Pyo Wol.

“I told you I’d kill them all. Hehe!”

“We survived thanks to you.”

“What will you do now?”

“I’m going to go somewhere with Mu-geom Orabeoni where no one will recognize us. He has sacrificed for me until now, so now I must live for him.”

Mok Ga-hye gazed at Sin Mu-geom with profound eyes. Then, as if she just remembered, she held out a long object wrapped in white cloth to Pyo Wol.

“Please take this. It’s the Gongpo Sword.”

“I don’t need it.”

“We don’t need it either. It will only bring disaster if we keep it.”

“Then give it to Soma.”

“Pardon?”

“It will suit Soma well.”

“Alright.”

Mok Ga-hye immediately placed the Gongpo Sword in Soma’s hands.

The Gongpo Sword was over two feet long.

It was a bit small for an adult like Pyo Wol to use, but it felt incredibly large to Soma. Even so, Soma seemed to like the Gongpo Sword very much, hugging it tightly to his chest.

“Are you really giving this to me?”

“Yes!”

“Wow! I’ll use it well.”

Soma beamed.

The Gongpo Sword was the first gift he had ever received from someone else.

Holding the sword, which was as thick and large as his own torso, Soma ran around like a squirrel.

Watching Soma, Mok Ga-hye smiled gently.

Her heart was finally at ease.

It was then.

Suddenly, with a rustling sound from the bushes over there, a group of people appeared.

“Who’s there?”

“Who are you bastards?”

Woo Jang-rak and the wanderers drew their weapons, on guard. Then, from the newly appeared group, a woman wearing a veil stepped forward and spoke.

“We are the martial artists of Bamboo Sea Manor.”

She was none other than Yeo Hwa-yeong, the young Manor Lord of Bamboo Sea Manor.

Yeo Hwa-yeong and the Bamboo Sea Manor martial artists had gotten lost and wandered in the Forest of the Dead, and had only just now made it out.

The bewilderment in Yeo Hwa-yeong’s eyes, visible above her veil, was plain to see.

It was because there was a large group of people right where they had exited the Forest of the Dead.

A few of the Bamboo Sea Manor martial artists recognized Woo Jang-rak’s group and informed her of their identities.

In that instant, the look in Yeo Hwa-yeong’s eyes changed.

A few individuals in Woo Jang-rak’s group caught her eye.

‘Mok Ga-hye.’

The first woman to catch her eye was, of course, Mok Ga-hye.

Although they had never exchanged a single word, she knew that Mok Ga-hye was the owner of the Gongpo Sword.

She felt a pang of guilt toward Mok Ga-hye.

Although it was due to unavoidable circumstances, it was true that she had driven her into a corner.

But she didn’t want to apologize. Apologizing was the same as admitting her own mistake.

Yeo Hwa-yeong’s gaze passed over Mok Ga-hye to Pyo Wol, who was standing beside her.

Pyo Wol had not yet raised the scarf he had pulled down to wash his face. Because of that, his face was clearly visible.

Yeo Hwa-yeong recognized Pyo Wol at a glance.

It was the first time she had seen his face, but his unique decadent atmosphere and gaze were still vivid in her memory. But she had never dreamed she would see him here.

She saw Soma next to Pyo Wol, running around holding the Gongpo Sword.

The moment she saw the Gongpo Sword, Yeo Hwa-yeong understood the whole situation.

‘It was… him.’

There was only one person here who could have been a variable.

Pyo Wol!

The one who had made Yeo Hwa-yeong feel uneasy from the very first moment she saw him.

Looking at him now, he reeked of a dangerous scent. A thick Blood Scent was steeped within it.

Yeo Hwa-yeong unknowingly approached Pyo Wol.

Even as he watched her approach, Pyo Wol did not move.

Yeo Hwa-yeong asked.

“What about Ak… Great Hero?”

“…”

“Is he dead?”

She wasn’t asking because she knew Pyo Wol had fought Ak Chusan.

She had guessed it with a woman’s intuition. And yet, she was approaching the truth.

Pyo Wol silently nodded.

In that moment, a complex expression that could not be put into words clouded Yeo Hwa-yeong’s face.

She couldn’t be happy even though her guess was correct, nor was she entirely unhappy—caught in a strange feeling, she couldn’t say a word.

The death of Ak Chusan, whom she had put so much effort into recruiting, was a huge blow to her. Yet, she did not rashly show her anger.

“You’re the one who led the raid on the Heavenly Eunuch Clan, aren’t you?”

“…”

“What about the Heavenly Eunuch Clan’s Manor Lord? What happened to Hwa Ok-gi?”

“They will never leave the Forest of the Dead again.”

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Yeo Hwa-yeong’s legs gave way.

The nemesis that had tormented Bamboo Sea Manor for decades had been eliminated overnight by the man before her.

The driving force that had made her persevere so tenaciously was now gone, so she had shown a moment of weakness without realizing it.

If those two had really been killed by Pyo Wol, then even with Ak Chusan’s sacrifice, it was not a loss for Bamboo Sea Manor.

If anything, she should be grateful to Pyo Wol. But she could not officially express her thanks.

Because regardless of the outcome, Pyo Wol had killed Ak Chusan, whom she had recruited.

Ak Chusan was a renowned expert in Jianghu.

An expert who enjoyed immense fame at the very top of Jianghu.

Many would take note of his death, and they would find out that the culprit was Pyo Wol. If she were to carelessly express her gratitude to such a man, Bamboo Sea Manor would come under suspicion of being involved.

She had to prevent such a situation at all costs.

Yeo Hwa-yeong forced a cool expression and said,

“We will retrieve Great Hero Ak’s body.”

“Do as you please.”

“And we will compensate Miss Mok and her escort warrior. It was not our intention, but it is true that we troubled them.”

“Aren’t you greedy for the Gongpo Sword?”

“Not at all. We are satisfied that it did not fall into the hands of the Righteous Sword Manor.”

Yeo Hwa-yeong shook her head firmly.

She truly had not a single lingering attachment to the Gongpo Sword. But there was one thing she wanted to say.

“Great Hero Jang Pyeong-san of the Righteous Sword Manor has a great obsession with swords. He never gives up on a sword he has set his eyes on. So you’d better be careful.”

“I will.”

Pyo Wol nodded.

“We’ll be going now.”

Yeo Hwa-yeong gave Pyo Wol a fist-palm salute and then re-entered the Forest of the Dead with her subordinates.

Pyo Wol silently watched Yeo Hwa-yeong’s retreating back.

＊＊＊

A seismic shift occurred in Enshi.

In just one day, half of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan’s power had been wiped out.

If it had been a simple loss of limbs, they might have been able to recover. The problem was that the Manor Lord and young Manor Lord of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan, who should have been managing the situation, had lost their lives at the same time.

Because of this, the Heavenly Eunuch Clan fell into internal strife.

The survivors coveted the Heavenly Eunuch Clan’s assets and fought amongst themselves for them. Swept up in internal conflict, the Heavenly Eunuch Clan collapsed in an instant.

On the other hand, Bamboo Sea Manor, which had been pushed away from the hegemony of Enshi by the Heavenly Eunuch Clan, made a dramatic comeback.

While the Heavenly Eunuch Clan was embroiled in internal strife, they expanded their influence at a frightening pace. And they reclaimed the business rights and various interests that had been taken by the Heavenly Eunuch Clan until now.

Having lost both its Manor Lord and young Manor Lord, the Heavenly Eunuch Clan was helpless and could not even put up a fight.

Yeo Hwa-yeong of Bamboo Sea Manor displayed the temperament of a master strategist.

Like a fish in water, Yeo Hwa-yeong ran wild to her heart’s content, and in the end, was able to restore Bamboo Sea Manor’s former glory.

This series of events sent a great shock through Jianghu.

Enshi had long been a place neglected by the interest of martial artists. Although the Heavenly Eunuch Clan and Bamboo Sea Manor were fighting, the scale of the two manors was minuscule when looking at Jianghu as a whole.

There was no reason for large sects to be greedy. But apart from that, the fight between the two manors was quite exciting.

The clash between a traditional sect and a newly emerging power was enough to draw the attention of Jianghu’s gossips.

The gossips thought that the Heavenly Eunuch Clan would eventually crush Bamboo Sea Manor and seize hegemony over Enshi. But contrary to their expectations, the entire situation was overturned overnight, and Bamboo Sea Manor took control of Enshi.

Because of this, many became interested in the situation in Enshi.

They were curious as to how the situation had been reversed. Among the interested factions was the Hao Clan.

There was no place under the heavens where a disciple of the Hao Clan did not exist. Disciples of the Hao Clan existed in Enshi as well. But their numbers were insignificant.

The Hao Clan disciples hurried to grasp what had happened in Enshi. But by then, Pyo Wol and Woo Jang-rak’s group had already left Enshi.

The Hao Clan disciples belatedly turned Enshi upside down trying to figure out the information. But gathering information was by no means easy.

For some reason, the martial artists of Bamboo Sea Manor and the Heavenly Eunuch Clan would not open their mouths about what had happened in the Forest of the Dead that day.

In Bamboo Sea Manor’s case, it was understandable since Yeo Hwa-yeong had enforced silence, but the martial artists from the Heavenly Eunuch Clan, despite having lost their Manor Lord and young Manor Lord, did not speak.

The martial artists from the Heavenly Eunuch Clan were terrified.

Even though several days had passed, they still had not escaped the memory of that day.

Some of them were in such a serious state that they even showed symptoms of mental derangement. Still, the Hao Clan persistently dug into what had happened that day.

As a result, they found out that besides the martial artists of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan and Bamboo Sea Manor, there had been others in the Forest of the Dead.

[A cultivation delegation dispatched from Snow Cloud Stronghold in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, passed through the Forest of the Dead at the same time. Confirmation of members required.]

A carrier pigeon flew to the Hao Clan headquarters.