Chapter 244

Seong-un sat in the same posture he had been in while chanting the sutras.

His eyes half-closed, his appearance as he read the Buddhist scripture was the very picture of serenity. At a glance, one might even think he had fallen asleep while reading.

But his complete lack of movement was strange.

If Bo-gyeong had entered, he should have at least turned his head, but Seong-un made no move, his gaze fixed only on the scripture.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Bo-gyeong called out in a louder voice.

“Martial Uncle!”

But again, Seong-un did not answer.

Bo-gyeong rushed to check Seong-un’s pulse.

The pulse that should have been beating strongly was absent. Even when he placed a hand to his nose, he could feel no breath at all.

“Martial Uncle!”

“What is it?”

Startled by Bo-gyeong’s cry, Namgung Wol rushed inside.

He, too, was utterly shocked when he saw Seong-un’s condition. He had recognized Seong-un’s state in an instant.

“What is this?”

“It can’t be! Martial Uncle… has entered nirvana.”

Bo-gyeong muttered with a grief-stricken expression.

Namgung Wol could not hide his own bewildered expression.

“How?”

Seong-un was a first-generation disciple of the Shaolin Temple.

Though he was overshadowed by his two Senior Martial Brothers, the level of martial arts he had achieved was by no means trivial.

For such a man to lose his life in the Jin Clan of all places—it was impossible to imagine how far the repercussions would spread. One thing was certain: this incident would plunge the Henan Murim into extreme chaos.

Namgung Wol quickly examined Seong-un’s body.

He was trying to determine whether it was a natural death or an assassination.

“This is?”

A faint sword wound was visible on the back of Seong-un’s neck.

It was a faint mark, like a paper cut. Not a single drop of blood had formed, but Namgung Wol instinctively knew that this was the cause of Seong-un’s death.

Namgung Wol squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Good heavens!’

＊＊＊

The Jin Clan was in an uproar.

A first-generation disciple of the Shaolin Temple had lost his life, and within the Jin Clan of all places. And a monk who had come as an envoy, no less.

This was an event that would turn not just the Jin Clan, but the entire Jianghu upside down.

In several decades, there had never been a case of a Shaolin disciple losing their life while traveling the Jianghu. Especially not a first-generation disciple.

Jin Si-woo stared at Seong-un’s body before him with a somber expression.

Seong-un’s face was so peaceful that anyone who didn’t know better would have mistaken him for being asleep.

He didn’t look at all like someone who had been assassinated. But the fact was, he was dead.

There was no body heat, no pulse, no breath.

His expression was peaceful, but his body, grown cold and stiff, was as icy as a block of ice.

“How on earth…”

Jin Si-woo couldn’t finish his sentence.

This was far worse than one disaster piling on top of another.

It was, in a word, the worst-case scenario.

One misstep could lead to becoming enemies with the Shaolin Temple.

The conflict with Snow Blade Sword Manor was no longer the issue. No one could survive in Henan Province after making an enemy of the Shaolin Temple.

If it was revealed that the Jin Clan was involved in Seong-un’s death, no one in Henan Province would associate with them.

The people who had gathered to help the Jin Clan would surely all leave.

He couldn’t even begin to fathom how to handle this situation.

“Why do only trials like this befall the Jin Clan…”

Jin Si-woo’s mind went blank, unable to think of anything.

It was the same for the Elders gathered in the room.

In the face of this unprecedented crisis, none of them could offer a solution.

Just then, Bo-gyeong spoke.

“First, I will transport my Martial Uncle’s body to the Shaolin Temple.”

“We haven’t even identified the culprit yet…”

“Looking at the Jin Clan’s situation, it doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to find the culprit.”

Bo-gyeong’s voice was icy.

No matter how rational a person was, it was impossible to maintain one’s reason in a situation like this.

Right now, Bo-gyeong’s heart was filled with a burning fire.

‘It’s my fault. This happened because I failed to protect my Martial Uncle.’

The fact that this had happened while he was away made his sense of self-blame all the greater.

“It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”

Namgung Wol tried to comfort him from the side, but he didn’t hear a word.

Right now, his only thought was to get Seong-un’s body to the Shaolin Temple as quickly as possible. But Jin Si-woo couldn’t let that happen.

He had to at least determine the cause of Seong-un’s death and receive confirmation that the Jin Clan bore no responsibility. If he let Seong-un’s body be taken away just like this, the Jin Clan would end up taking all the blame.

“I will leave the Jin Clan as soon as the sun rises.”

“Please wait just a moment.”

“I cannot. I must get him to the Shaolin Temple as soon as possible. We will find the culprit through the cause of death.”

“We can find the culprit here as well.”

“By what means?”

“We just need to summon him.”

“Him?”

“Pyo Wol! He should be able to uncover the cause of Master Seong-un’s death.”

At Jin Si-woo’s cry, Bo-gyeong flinched.

The moment he heard the name Pyo Wol, he felt a chill as if he’d been doused with ice water.

Pyo Wol was an assassin.

And one of the most renowned assassins in All Under Heaven.

Perhaps he could uncover the cause of Seong-un’s death. Yet, the reason he felt a sense of rejection was because he was an assassin.

‘Could it be?’

A seed of doubt sprouted in Bo-gyeong’s heart.

He was not as deeply devoted to Buddhism or as calm as Seong-un.

Though he belonged to the Shaolin Temple, he thought of himself more as a martial artist than a disciple of Buddha. Perhaps because of that, he had a strong tendency to rely on instinct rather than rational judgment.

The moment he heard Pyo Wol’s name, Bo-gyeong suspected that Pyo Wol might have been the one who assassinated Seong-un.

He shook his head, momentarily casting the suspicion aside, but he couldn’t uproot the sprout that had bloomed deep in his heart.

Namgung Wol, who was beside him, agreed with Jin Si-woo’s opinion.

“That’s a good idea. He’ll surely be able to figure out how Master Seong-un was assassinated. He might even be able to find the assassin.”

“What if he is the assassin who killed my Martial Uncle?”

“He’s not that kind of person. I think you’re being overly sensitive.”

“Brother Namgung, try to be in my shoes. Right now, I’m in a situation where I can’t easily trust anyone.”

“I understand. But just this once, trust me and leave it to him.”

“I… understand.”

In the end, Bo-gyeong accepted Namgung Wol’s opinion. But the glint of suspicion in his eyes had not yet disappeared. Unable to say anything about that, Namgung Wol could only let out a sigh.

It was the same for Jin Si-woo and the others.

Jin Si-woo, while keeping an eye on Bo-gyeong, sent a person to Pyo Wol.

As of now, Pyo Wol was the only person he could trust.

‘It’s truly one mountain after another.’

Jin Si-woo closed his eyes.

If he could, he wanted to be free from this pressure.

He wanted to pass this heavy burden on his shoulders to someone else. But unfortunately, there was no one to pass it to.

The moment he gave up, the fate of the Jin Clan would also end. That was why he couldn’t give up.

A short while later, Pyo Wol entered the room.

The first thing Pyo Wol felt after entering the room was Bo-gyeong’s hostile gaze. Not only that, but the Jin Clan’s Elders were also looking at him with uncomfortable expressions.

They were uncomfortable with the fact that a matter of great importance, on which the fate of the Jin Clan hung, had to be entrusted to a mere assassin.

Pyo Wol’s gaze turned to Seong-un, who was lying on the floor.

His pale complexion, contrasting with his peaceful expression as if he were in a deep sleep, felt incongruous.

Having already heard that Seong-un was dead, Pyo Wol was not surprised and sat down in front of him.

As he was about to examine the wound, Bo-gyeong spoke.

“If you’re not confident, you can back out now.”

“……”

“To me, you are also a suspect.”

Bo-gyeong did not hide his hostility.

Pyo Wol stared intently at him, then opened his mouth.

“I’ll back out.”

“Are you not confident?”

“You’ll suspect me either way, won’t you? Am I wrong?”

“……”

“Do as you please. I don’t want to touch a corpse while being suspected either.”

“Can you guarantee that you can find the culprit if you do it?”

“No!”

“Are you trying to joke with me right now?”

“What are you trying to do? Don’t shift the responsibility for your failure to protect him onto others. It’s too transparent.”

“Keuk!”

Bo-gyeong flared up and clenched his fists.

Pyo Wol showed no reaction even as he watched him.

Bo-gyeong was truly about to lunge at Pyo Wol. But the moment he saw his eyes, his mind cleared.

His emotionless gaze felt as if it were digging through his innermost thoughts.

Bo-gyeong felt a sense of shame.

He couldn’t accept the fact that he was no different from any other human, and that he had been intimidated by Pyo Wol.

Bo-gyeong shook his head.

“On second thought, I don’t think I can entrust my Martial Uncle’s body to him. I would rather send a carrier pigeon to the main temple and summon someone. My Martial Grand-uncle Woon-hae at the main temple is skilled in medicine, so he will surely be able to find the culprit through the cause of death.”

“Hey!”

Namgung Wol tried to persuade him, but it was no use.

Bo-gyeong, his lips pressed firmly together, refused to listen to him.

At his stubbornness, Namgung Wol closed his eyes.

‘If the Shaolin Temple sends its full force, things will definitely get more complicated.’

Seong-un’s death was certainly a sad event, but it gave the Shaolin Temple a pretext to intervene in the affairs of Snow Blade Sword Manor and the Jin Clan.

The Shaolin Temple would likely send not only Woon-hae but also their elite forces to become deeply involved in this situation.

Namgung Wol had never imagined that things would get so complicated.

It was then.

“Young Clan Head!”

Someone’s urgent voice came from outside.

In that instant, everyone inside the room felt their hearts drop. They instinctively sensed that something unusual had happened.

Jin Si-woo asked urgently.

“What is it?”

“It’s terrible news. We’ve received word that the patrol team sent to monitor Snow Blade Sword Manor’s movements has been annihilated.”

At the subordinate’s report, everyone in the room shot to their feet in surprise.

Jin Si-woo urgently threw open the door and went out.

“Is that true?”

“Yes! It’s said there was a clash with Snow Blade Sword Manor’s martial artists, and not a single one returned.”

“How could this?”

Jin Si-woo’s face turned deathly pale.

“We cannot stand by and do nothing. If we are attacked and do not respond, the martial artists who came to help the main family will desert us.”

“That’s right. We must send troops at once and punish those bastards.”

The Elders all insisted on a hardline response.

If they showed any sign of weakness here, they were bound to lose the battle of momentum.

‘Of all the times…’

Jin Si-woo glanced at Bo-gyeong.

Bo-gyeong was already uninterested in the Jin Clan’s affairs.

His only concern was finding the culprit who killed Seong-un. It seemed useless to plead the Jin Clan’s innocence to him, who had already closed his eyes and ears.

In the end, Jin Si-woo decided to postpone the matter of uncovering the truth about Seong-un’s death for a little while.

What was important now was to gain the upper hand in the fight against Snow Blade Sword Manor.

“Summon the Iron Sword Squad immediately.”

“Yes! Young Clan Head.”

At Jin Si-woo’s command, the Jin Clan began to move.

The Iron Sword Squad was a response unit created in preparation for such incidents.

Their purpose was thorough retaliation and revenge.

The martial prowess of the Iron Sword Squad, composed of the Jin Clan’s elites, was truly outstanding.

The summoning of the Iron Sword Squad was only the beginning.

The entire Jin Clan began to move.

“How can it be so coincidental… To think a clash with Snow Blade Sword Manor would happen at a time like this.”

Namgung Wol muttered with a dazed expression.

Others might not know, but he knew for certain.

He knew that Seong-un’s death could not be vaguely buried and moved on from.

Imperfect suturing was bound to cause bigger problems.

They might be able to avoid the problem for now, but someday they would have to face the truth. No one could dare to predict what a great price they would have to pay then.

Pyo Wol said to Namgung Wol.

“You think it’s a coincidence?”

“Are you saying it’s not?”

“Nothing that happened today was a coincidence. From one to ten, it was all meticulously planned by someone.”

“Who on earth?”

“……”

Instead of answering, Pyo Wol looked at Seong-un’s body.

He could tell the cause of Seong-un’s death without even needing to examine it closely.

The work of an assassin.

Among those who had entered Runan, only a few possessed this level of skill.

‘The assassins of the Hundred Wraith Union have started to move.’

By using them to kill Seong-un, he had dragged even the Shaolin Temple into this mess. Pyo Wol realized that the picture he was painting was much larger and more complex than he had anticipated.

‘He doesn’t simply want supremacy in Runan.’