Chapter 190

The good-natured Daoist Master’s face, which had been grinning and chuckling until now, vanished, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

Tae-gwang, who had been snickering beside him, also saw his face harden like a stone statue.

Just a moment ago, he had been quick to talk back to his Master, but now he didn’t say a word.

Gurgle!

Woo Pyeong Dojang filled his own cup to the brim with alcohol. But he did not drink.

He rubbed the cup with his finger and continued speaking.

“When I first heard the news, I couldn’t easily believe it. So all the leaders of the Wudang Sect thought it was a groundless, empty rumor.”

It had already been a year since they heard the news that a bloody star had appeared in Sichuan Province. And it wasn’t even official information, but something they’d heard from a merchant traveling to and from Sichuan Province.

It was entirely plausible to dismiss it as a baseless rumor.

This was because there was almost no news brought by merchants that wasn’t a case of making a mountain out of a molehill.

A single assassin forcing the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect to become closed-off.

It was a hard-to-believe story, and it seemed just as absurd.

However, the Wudang Sect’s reaction was different.

“My Senior Martial Brother said we needed to look into it in detail. So we requested information from the Hao Clan. But for some reason, the Hao Clan was reluctant to sell us the information. Can you believe it? Those money-grubbers, reluctant to sell information. That’s when it started. When we recognized the gravity of the situation.”

In the last few hundred years, few sects had experienced as many ups and downs as the Wudang Sect.

They had suffered enough damage to worry about the sect’s survival and had become closed-off, and they had also been condemned by all under heaven.

Each time they faced such a crisis, the Wudang Sect broke through head-on by displaying the strength they had accumulated since their predecessors.

Thanks to this, they were able to regain most of their former glory, but they learned never to be complacent.

It was deeply ingrained in their bones that all the crises the Wudang Sect had ever faced began with complacency and ignorance.

Although they couldn’t create a separate organization for information due to the nature of being a Daoist sect, they always kept their ears to the ground regarding the trends of all under heaven. That’s why they didn’t just brush off the unbelievable news from Sichuan Province, but investigated it in detail.

“It was surprising. The rumors were true. For one assassin to simultaneously force two of the old Nine Great Sects to become closed-off. If we hadn’t investigated it ourselves, we wouldn’t have believed it.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang’s eyes were fixed on Pyo Wol’s face.

“We searched high and low to identify the assassin. But no one in Chengdu was willing to talk about the unidentified assassin. Can you believe it? That the countless people of Sichuan Province are so crushed by the fear of a single person that they are reluctant to even mention him. No matter how closed-off the terrain of Sichuan Province is, and how much they reject outsiders because of it, for them to not speak of him as if they had all made a promise.”

“……”

“We invested a lot of manpower and funds, but we only found out a few things. The first is the assassin’s appearance. They say he has a beauty more fatal than a woman’s. And now, the man in front of me also has such a beautiful appearance.”

“Is there a second?”

“We found out the assassin’s name with great difficulty. His name is Pyo Wol, they said. Isn’t it a coincidence? That your name is the same.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang looked straight at Pyo Wol’s face.

Pyo Wol also met Woo Pyeong Dojang’s gaze without a word.

“When I first heard the name, I couldn’t immediately recall that he was the same person as the Reaper of Sichuan. But seeing your face, I know for sure. There can’t be another face like his in all under heaven, and there certainly wouldn’t be another person with the same name. Isn’t that right?”

“You already know everything, so why ask?”

“I just want to confirm. I don’t want to be vaguely certain. You may not know this, but our sect has shed blood more than once or twice by being so ambiguous. Are you the assassin Pyo Wol who stained Chengdu with blood?”

“I am!”

“Hah!”

The moment Pyo Wol answered, Woo Pyeong Dojang let out a sigh of unknown meaning.

Complex emotions were clearly visible on his face.

‘So the rumors were true.’

He couldn’t believe how absurd it had sounded when he first heard the news about him.

Still, the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect were once great sects that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Wudang Sect. As members of the old Nine Great Sects, the Wudang Sect couldn’t help but feel a special sentiment towards them.

The Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect were by no means weak sects.

Although their fame had diminished because they did not participate in the Great Demonic War, their underlying strength was as great as that of the Wudang Sect. He couldn’t help but be shocked by the fact that those two sects had suffered such a heavy blow that they chose to become closed-off because of a single assassin.

Long ago, the Fist Demon single-handedly drove the massive force of the Demonic Cult out of Jianghu.

More recently, there was the Sect Leader of the Radiant Martial Gate.

They changed the landscape of all under heaven with their own strength.

Like this, beings that could not be understood by common sense sometimes appeared in Jianghu, changing the flow that had been taken for granted until then.

Each time, Jianghu would be greatly shaken and greet a new era.

Those individuals or sects that adapted to the new flow flourished greatly, while those that could not were eliminated.

The Wudang Sect had a memory of almost being eliminated. That was why they reacted more sensitively than anyone to the birth of a new current.

It was unknown whether Pyo Wol would truly become a new current in Jianghu. But it was clear that he was a new type of martial artist that had not existed before.

‘An assassin.’

When people thought of assassins, they usually thought of cowards who hid and launched sneak attacks. In reality, most assassins preferred ambushes.

The people of Jianghu looked down on such assassins, and also feared them.

To martial artists who preferred a fair duel, assassins could only be seen as cowardly beings.

Because of this, opinions on Pyo Wol were divided within the Wudang Sect. Some said there was no reason to rate him highly because it was a gain obtained through cowardly acts, while others said it was amazing because even carrying out an ambush was a skill.

Woo Pyeong Dojang was in the latter camp.

Ambushes were also part of one’s own ability.

If one’s personal abilities didn’t back it up, no matter how much one hid and launched an ambush attack, one could not achieve the desired results.

Whatever cowardly means he used, Pyo Wol had dealt a blow so great that it forced the massive forces of the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect to become closed-off.

It was a feat that an ordinary assassin would not even dare to attempt. That was why Woo Pyeong Dojang rated Pyo Wol highly.

He was the type of person who would become the worst kind of existence if turned into an enemy.

‘If I make an enemy of such a person, the repercussions will be endless.’

Some might belittle him, asking what there was to fear about a mere assassin, but that was too complacent a thought.

Woo Pyeong Dojang asked cautiously.

“Why did you come to Baokang? Do you perhaps have business with the Wudang Sect?”

“I’m just passing through.”

“Is that true?”

“There’s no reason to lie.”

“That’s a relief. For you, and for the Wudang Sect.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang let out a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t that he was simply afraid of Pyo Wol, but there was no reason to clash if there were no problems.

The burden the Wudang Sect would have to bear to intimidate or subdue Pyo Wol simply by raising the banner of exorcising demons and destroying evil was too great.

“Then where are you headed now?”

“Mount Tianjung.”

“Mount Tianjung is where the Jin Clan is. Are you perhaps related?”

“I am!”

“Hmm!”

Woo Pyeong Dojang let out an involuntary groan.

The Jin Clan of Mount Tianjung was one of the most famous clans in all under heaven. This was because Jin Wolmyeong, one of the Eight Constellations, existed in the Jin Clan.

Jin Wolmyeong’s alias was the Setting Sun Divine Sword.

He possessed such a great Sword Art that stories were passed down of him felling the sun with a swing of his sword.

In the early days, it was Jin Wolmyeong who made the Jin Clan widely known, but recently, the Iron Blood Martial Guest, Jin Geum-woo, had once again raised the fame of the Jin Clan.

People believed that the Jin Clan would flourish once again because of Jin Geum-woo.

“…But he is dead.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang closed his eyes gently.

He, too, had seen Jin Geum-woo.

This was because Tae-myeong, a second-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect and called Wudang’s Finest, had interacted with Jin Geum-woo.

Tae-myeong was also Tae-gwang’s Senior Martial Brother, and a prodigy with the greatest talent in the Wudang Sect.

Although he did not join the Golden Sky Society, he consistently interacted with Jin Geum-woo. Through that connection, Jin Geum-woo also visited the Wudang Sect often.

“Do you know Jin Geum-woo?”

“How could I not? Although we weren’t close due to the difference in our ranks, we still greeted each other warmly when we met. He was particularly close with Tae-myeong, and all the second-generation disciples liked him. This fellow liked him too.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang looked at Tae-gwang.

At the mention of Jin Geum-woo, Tae-gwang’s expression became noticeably gloomy. Although they weren’t close, Jin Geum-woo had always treated Tae-gwang warmly whenever he visited the Wudang Sect.

Woo Pyeong Dojang asked cautiously.

“Are you perhaps going to Mount Tianjung because of Jin Geum-woo’s death?”

“……”

“It seems so. Were you very close? Enough to leave Sichuan and head to the distant Mount Tianjung because of his death.”

“We weren’t particularly close.”

“Then why?”

“It’s just that there are lingering attachments.”

“Lingering attachments?”

“There’s something like that.”

“Well, everyone has their own circumstances.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang did not press further.

At first glance, one might wonder what connection there could be between Pyo Wol, an assassin, and Jin Geum-woo, a renowned prodigy, but all under heaven was vast and fates were unpredictable, so one never knew when or where a connection might be formed.

Jin Geum-woo wandered all under heaven as if he had a wanderlust. There was much talk about him wandering aimlessly through all under heaven despite having a perfectly good home on Mount Tianjung.

Given Jin Geum-woo’s wanderlust, he would have certainly stopped by Sichuan, and it was clear that he had formed a connection with Pyo Wol then.

Hearing the name Jin Geum-woo in a completely unexpected place, Pyo Wol’s eyes wavered for a moment.

He had never imagined he would hear his name here. Nor that his once-cold resolve would be slightly shaken because of that name.

Woo Pyeong Dojang continued, as if reminiscing.

“He was a good person. Both as a human and as a martial artist. He was a man who lacked nothing. I still can’t believe that such a person is dead.”

“Do you know how he died?”

“I don’t. The Jin Clan was so secretive about it… They held the funeral very quietly, too. Without inviting any of the people who were close to him in life.”

“You don’t know the reason?”

“Compared to the fame of the Jin Clan, very little is known about their internal affairs. At most, what’s known is about Jin Geum-woo’s grandfather, the Great Hero Jin Wolmyeong.”

“They’re secretive.”

“They are! But that’s not strange. It’s common for clans united by blood to have such a closed-off nature.”

The places commonly called Noble Families were precisely those created by blood relatives.

The Five Great Noble Families, which once ruled Jianghu along with the old Nine Great Sects, were a prime example.

They had an extremely closed-off disposition.

Now, there were almost no clans large enough to be called a Noble Family. They had all fallen or disappeared during the two great wars of Jianghu.

However, quite a few smaller clans survived, and most of them had a closed-off nature. They would not acknowledge anyone who did not share the same surname.

Because of this, the internal affairs of such clans were rarely known to the outside world. Unless one was a blood relative of that family, one could never know.

Jin Geum-woo’s family, the Jin Clan, was no different.

“So in the end, I won’t know until I go to Mount Tianjung.”

“Even if you enter the Jin Clan, it won’t be easy to know the truth. They will never reveal their shame to an outsider.”

“Are you saying Jin Geum-woo is their shame?”

“I’m saying Jin Geum-woo’s death is their shame. In any case, a prodigy of the Jin Clan died in a foreign land and returned, so there’s a palpable atmosphere of them considering it a disgrace.”

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

Soma suddenly shouted.

Even Soma, who lacked common sense, knew how ridiculous that was.

“Jianghu is a place where such nonsensical things happen all the time.”

“It’s filthy!”

“It is filthy! It’s like a swamp. So once you fall in, you can never get out.”

Woo Pyeong Dojang muttered bitterly.

He soon changed his expression and looked at Pyo Wol.

“Be careful! For now, the Hao Clan is holding onto information about you, so it’s not widely known, but sects that are interested in you and paying attention, like the Wudang Sect, will appear. Don’t think they’ll be like our Wudang Sect. The reality is that the profession of an assassin is not treated as a proper martial artist in Jianghu.”

Assassins were treated almost as public enemies in Jianghu.

This tendency had become more severe, especially after the Hundred Wraith Union gained power.

The Hundred Wraith Union had committed numerous killings so far, and among those they killed were many giants of Jianghu.

Because of this, many people openly shuddered at the mention of assassins, and once one was revealed to be an assassin, they became a target for pursuit and execution.

“You too will surely face difficulties if the fact that you’re an assassin is revealed. So hide yourself as much as possible.”

“Why are you telling me this? If what you say is true, the Wudang Sect’s perception of assassins shouldn’t be good either.”

“I tend to trust my own eyes more than the rumors of Jianghu.”