Chapter 184

Manors were common in the great cities of Jianghu, or in places with spectacular scenery.

The wealthy who had amassed some fortune, retired high-ranking officials, and successful merchants were the main ones who built manors, and among them were some that boasted a scale comparable to the great sects of Jianghu.

The Three Manors were a prime example.

The three manors that represented Jianghu.

New Moon Manor.

Demon Sword Manor.

Righteous Sword Manor.

These three manors possessed martial power no less than that of any decent sect in Jianghu.

Among them, the Righteous Sword Manor was the most well-known in Jianghu.

The Righteous Sword Manor was established decades ago by the Sword Hero Jang Ju-sin upon his retirement, and the swordsmen who followed him gathered to form a great power in a short period.

Qianshan, where the Righteous Sword Manor was located, was near the Great Lake, and its scenery was so beautiful that the footsteps of poets and artists never ceased throughout the four seasons.

Those who came to Qianshan for the first time were surprised once by the scale of the Righteous Sword Manor, and twice by its beauty.

The Righteous Sword Manor, constructed by inviting renowned artisans from all under heaven, was in itself a work of art.

For that reason, artists in particular frequented the Righteous Sword Manor, and the Manor Lord, Jang Pyeong-san, treated them with the utmost hospitality.

The artists who received hospitality at the Righteous Sword Manor naturally left behind poems, songs, and paintings praising Manor Lord Jang Pyeong-san, and because of this, Jang Pyeong-san’s fame grew even greater.

Jang Pyeong-san was not just a Sword Hero strong in martial arts. Thanks to his exchanges with numerous artists, he was able to cultivate an excellent artistic eye, and he himself had outstanding skill in painting.

Furthermore, his appearance was so remarkable that he could not be seen as middle-aged, and in the region, he was revered as a perfect martial artist, accomplished in both literary and martial arts.

Jang Pyeong-san sat in the pavilion in the rear garden and looked at the artificial mountain.

The large lake, big enough to float a boat on, and the well-tended, high artificial mountain were Jang Pyeong-san’s favorite views at the Righteous Sword Manor.

The artificial mountain, planted with a collection of all sorts of rare flowers and plants, boasted a unique beauty with each changing season.

Sitting in the pavilion with a full view of the artificial mountain’s scenery, it felt as if all his worries and anxieties disappeared.

Jang Pyeong-san looked back and forth between the large paper placed on the pavilion and the artificial mountain.

Next to the paper were well-ground ink and a large brush. However, he could not bring himself to pick up the brush and just stared at the mountain.

How long had he waited?

As the sun slowly set over the western mountains, the whole world was dyed in a golden light.

A smile appeared on Jang Pyeong-san’s lips.

It was the moment he had been waiting for.

As if the heavens were helping, at that moment, a pair of mandarin ducks flew in and played in the pond.

It couldn’t get any better than this.

Swish, swish!

Jang Pyeong-san swiftly picked up the brush and began to paint.

With every movement of the large brush, a vibrant picture was completed on the paper.

Rustle! Rustle!

Just then, someone quietly approached from behind Jang Pyeong-san.

A hint of annoyance clouded Jang Pyeong-san’s face.

He hated it most when someone disturbed his time. He especially hated being disturbed when he was immersed in painting like this, so even his trusted subordinates did not dare to approach.

Thud!

Jang Pyeong-san threw down the brush and turned around. He saw a beautiful middle-aged woman ascending the pavilion.

A beautiful woman who, despite being in her early forties, retained the beauty of someone in her mid-to-late twenties.

She was Jang Pyeong-san’s second wife, Hwa Geum-seon.

Hwa Geum-seon’s lovely face was stained with tears.

The moment he saw her face, Jang Pyeong-san instinctively knew that something had gone wrong.

“What is it? My lady!”

“My family’s home……. My family’s home…….”

Hwa Geum-seon could not continue and fell to her knees.

Jang Pyeong-san hurriedly embraced her and asked.

“What is it? Did something happen to the Heavenly Eunuch Clan?”

“Sob! They say the Heavenly Eunuch Clan has met with disaster.”

“What?”

“They’re all dead. My Orabeoni, and Ok-gi too……. How am I supposed to live now? Sob!”

Hwa Geum-seon wailed loudly in Jang Pyeong-san’s arms.

Jang Pyeong-san frowned and looked at Hwa Geum-seon in his arms.

Hwa Geum-seon was not in a state to explain calmly. She wept sorrowfully as if the sky had fallen, then fainted.

Jang Pyeong-san carefully laid Hwa Geum-seon down on the pavilion floor and stood up.

“Jeong-hak!”

“Yes! Manor Lord.”

A middle-aged man entered from outside the rear garden with hurried steps.

He was Yang Jeong-hak, the Steward who managed all the affairs of the Righteous Sword Manor.

“What happened? You explain.”

“An urgent message just arrived from Enshi.”

“An urgent message?”

“Yes! It says the Heavenly Eunuch Clan has met with disaster.”

“Tell me in detail.Jang Pyeong-san’s voice became deep and heavy.

“The detailed circumstances are unknown, but it seems both the Heavenly Eunuch Clan’s Lord and the Young Lord have lost their lives.”

“Is the culprit Juk Hae-jang?”

“It is clear that Juk Hae-jang has benefited, but they do not have the power to kill those two.”

“Then a third party’s intervention?”

“As of now, it seems reasonable to think so.”

“What are the countermeasures?”

“We have placed a request with the Hao Clan for now. Identifying the culprit is the priority.”

Yang Jeong-hak answered calmly.

Even though Hwa Geum-seon lay fainted right next to them, he did not show any emotion of pity.

It was the same for Jang Pyeong-san.

“The Gongpo Sword?”

He was more curious about the whereabouts of the famous sword he had failed to obtain than the state of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan.

“It seems the culprit took it.”

“Tsk!”

In that instant, killing intent flickered across Jang Pyeong-san’s face.

The fall of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan, or the death of its lord, could not deal him a great psychological blow.

Hwa Geum-seon might feel a pain as if the sky had fallen since her family’s home was gone, but it had nothing to do with Jang Pyeong-san.

The only thing in the world that interested Jang Pyeong-san was famous swords of renown.

Although he had collected numerous famous swords so far, his thirst was not quenched.

The Gongpo Sword was an item he had coveted for a long time.

One of the three great swords made by an ancient master craftsman.

Though few even remembered it now, Jang Pyeong-san coveted the Gongpo Sword.

All the famous swords of antiquity had passed through the hands of emperors.

Jang Pyeong-san also wanted to possess the authority of an emperor by owning the Gongpo Sword.

He had several famous swords that surpassed the Gongpo Sword. But none of them had the same legend and authority as the Gongpo Sword.

He couldn’t describe how happy he was when Hwa Yu-cheon first said he had found the Gongpo Sword and would soon present it to him.

Although he couldn’t show it for the sake of his reputation, he felt like dancing a joyful jig.

After that, he waited and waited, wondering when the Gongpo Sword would come into his hands. But what returned was the tragic news that Hwa Yu-cheon had met with disaster.

“Send the second son to retrieve the Gongpo Sword.”

“Do you mean the Second Young Master?”

“Yes! He has the justification of avenging his maternal family, so the picture will look quite good. If you attach the White Tiger Sword Unit, he won’t be easily pushed back anywhere in the martial arts world.”

The White Tiger Sword Unit was the elite of the Righteous Sword Manor.

It was composed of thirty Sword Heroes, and each individual’s martial prowess surpassed that of a First-Rate Expert in Jianghu.

What was frightening about them was their proficiency in combined attacks.

The combined attack of thirty swordsmen was enough to make even the old experts of Jianghu tremble.

On top of that, the Second Young Master, Jang Mu-yeon, was also a Sword Ghost of high repute in the martial arts world. His swordsmanship, in particular, was so cruel that it instilled fear in many.

Above all, Jang Mu-yeon was Hwa Geum-seon’s son.

Hwa Yu-cheon of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan was his maternal uncle, and he was also related by blood to Hwa Ok-gi.

He had sufficient justification for revenge, and he also had the ability to do so.

Yang Jeong-hak bowed his head and replied.

“Understood. I will convey the Manor Lord’s command to the Second Young Master.”

“And call someone to take this woman to her bedroom. It seems she’ll be making a scene for a while, so tell them to keep a close watch on her.”

“I will see to it.”

Yang Jeong-hak replied and withdrew.

Jang Pyeong-san picked up the brush he had thrown on the floor again.

After looking back and forth between the painting and the brush for a moment, Jang Pyeong-san swung the brush.

In an instant, ink splattered from the brush and struck the mandarin ducks.

The pair of mandarin ducks died on the spot without a single flap of their wings.

“I wonder what mayfly has appeared to throw Jianghu into chaos again……. Tsk!”

Looking at the corpses of the mandarin ducks floating in the pond, Jang Pyeong-san threw the brush down again.

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol raised his head and looked around.

A beautiful mountain range and rugged valleys unfolded before his eyes.

It was a place called Xingshan.

It was a place he had reached four days after leaving Enshi, and a place he had to pass through to get to his destination, Dengzhou.

Woo Jang-rak said to the group.

“Once we pass Xingshan, Baokang will appear. We’ll rest well when we arrive in Baokang, so let’s just push on a little more until then.”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

Woo Jang-rak’s subordinates and the wanderers answered at the same time.

Their faces were full of fatigue.

It was because they had come all this way without a moment’s rest since leaving Enshi. But no one voiced any complaints.

It was because of Pyo Wol.

They were stealing glances at Pyo Wol like stray cats.

Although they hadn’t confirmed it with their own two eyes, they were well aware that many people had died in the Forest of the Dead. And that a significant number of them had died by Pyo Wol’s hand.

They had thought he was just a man with a beautiful face, but in reality, he was a fiend beyond imagination.

The wanderers still hadn’t figured out Pyo Wol’s identity, but most of Woo Jang-rak’s group had.

They had lived in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, of all places.

There was no way they wouldn’t know about the assassin who had turned Sichuan Province upside down last year and the year before.

They instinctively realized that Pyo Wol was the rumored assassin who had forced the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect to become closed-off.

Only then did they understand why Woo Jang-rak had shown such a reverent attitude towards the young Pyo Wol.

The wanderers, noticing that Woo Jang-rak’s subordinates seemed to have figured out Pyo Wol’s identity, approached them to ask questions. But Woo Jang-rak’s subordinates all kept their mouths shut, not a single one speaking.

Mentioning Pyo Wol’s name in Sichuan Province was akin to a taboo.

It might be different if one lived outside Sichuan Province, but if one lived within it, one had to be careful.

“What on earth is his identity?”

“For now, we have no choice but to be careful….”

The wanderers avoided approaching Pyo Wol altogether. But there was one person who was different.

“Hey!”

The one approaching Pyo Wol without hesitation was Seol Ha-jin. As she moved, the sword hanging at her waist moved with her. And the golden tassel attached to the sword also fluttered in the wind.

Seol Ha-jin asked.

“How is it?”

“What is?”

“How’s your body?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Why? You know why……. Hehe!”

Seol Ha-jin let out a sly laugh.

Although she had learned that Pyo Wol was a more terrifying existence than she had thought, Seol Ha-jin still treated him informally.

Sometimes, she said things that were so blunt they startled the wanderers. But Pyo Wol, the person in question, didn’t pay much mind to Seol Ha-jin’s words.

They had slept together several times on the way here, but Seol Ha-jin had maintained a clear line.

She might speak bluntly, but she never crossed a certain line. In that respect, she was better than the men.

Seol Ha-jin’s gaze suddenly turned to the rear of the group.

“By the way, how long are you going to leave that kid like that?”

Her gaze was directed at Soma.

Soma was repeatedly swinging a large sword that looked much bigger than his own torso.

“Haat! Hat!”

The Gongpo Sword, one of the three great swords, cut through the wind fiercely.

Soma seemed to be very fond of the Gongpo Sword.

He never let it out of his hands, swinging it until he got used to it.

Thanks to that, sweat never had a chance to dry on his body throughout the journey. Yet, Soma never once showed a tired expression.

“Heehee!”

When he got tired from swinging the sword, he would hug it tightly and laugh.

Soma’s attachment to the Gongpo Sword was frightening.

Even the wanderers, who feared nothing in the world, shook their heads at Soma’s obsession.

Soma caressed the sword and muttered.

“Swinging the sword alone isn’t fun anymore. I wish some bandits would show up.”

It was then.

“Stop! You bastards.”

From somewhere, a group of men appeared with a booming voice.

One look was enough to tell they were bandits.

In that instant, Soma’s eyes gleamed.

“They’re here.”