Chapter 253

The fight between Jin Clan and Snow Blade Sword Manor had escalated into a life-or-death struggle.

At first, there was some probing and mutual consideration, but as casualties mounted day after day, ill feelings reached a boiling point.

Jin Clan’s martial artists were sometimes annihilated in Snow Blade Sword Manor’s ambushes, and conversely, Snow Blade Sword Manor’s martial artists were sometimes wiped out in Jin Clan’s encirclements.

Such situations repeated several times, and the damage on both sides snowballed.

If only the martial artists of the two factions had died, the situation would not have grown so large. The problem was that numerous casualties also occurred among the martial artists who had joined both sides.

As a result, the martial sects of the deceased martial artists, or people connected to them, also entered Runan and declared vengeance.

The fight between Snow Blade Sword Manor and Jin Clan had surpassed the scope of a small war over regional supremacy.

Many wise men warned that the fight between the two sects could escalate into a Great War for All Under Heaven. But human desire was not something that could be easily suppressed by someone’s warning.

For decades, the Jianghu had been peaceful.

Most of the martial artists who had experienced the horrors of the Great Demonic War were old or retired, and the memories of that time had faded from people’s minds.

The old martial artists who held on without retiring warned of the horrors of war, but their warnings did not reach the ears of the young martial artists.

All this time, the young martial artists had desperately wanted a chance to make a name for themselves.

The best way for a martial artist to make a name for themselves was to play an active role in a great war.

Snow Blade Sword Manor and Jin Clan.

Who was right and who was wrong was not important.

What was important to them was that a stage of chaos had opened for them to make a name for themselves.

Martial artists from all over the world headed for Runan.

Runan was thus becoming the eye of the storm.

The ones most flustered by this were not Jin Clan or Snow Blade Sword Manor. It was the Shaolin Temple.

The Shaolin Temple believed it could fully control the fight between Jin Clan and Snow Blade Sword Manor. That was why they sent monks to mediate the fight between the two sides. But contrary to their expectations, the scale of the fight grew uncontrollably.

If left unchecked, it could truly provide the spark for a Great War for All Under Heaven, so the worries of Great Monk Woon-hae and the Shaolin monks who had entered Jin Clan only grew.

Jin Si-woo had ordered them to leave. But the Shaolin monks had not left Jin Clan and were still remaining. Their pride was hurt, but they had concluded that it was better to remain in Jin Clan and watch the series of events, even if it meant enduring a little humiliation.

Because of that, they had to be mindful of Jin Si-woo, but they could endure that much disgrace.

“Amitabha! Amitabha!”

Late at night, Great Monk Woon-hae couldn’t sleep and wandered the rear garden alone.

Seong-am, who had been so full of vigor when he entered Jin Clan, was now holed up in a small room, shocked by his encounter with Pyo Wol.

His staff, made with a mixture of dark iron, had been broken in two, and he himself had suffered no light internal injuries.

It was the first defeat for Seong-am, who had run wild like his alias, the Mad Buddha.

What bewildered him more than anything was the reaction of Jin Clan and Namgung Wol.

He had thought that the cornered Jin Clan would naturally be unable to say anything. But reality was different.

Jin Si-woo openly showed hostility towards him, and Namgung Wol of the Thousand Water Society openly rebuked him.

Such an experience was very new to Seong-am.

Until now, he had lived as he pleased.

He had the martial arts talent and the backing of his martial sect to do so.

Because of that, no one had ever dared to tell him he was wrong. Even his senior martial brothers always encouraged him instead of reprimanding him.

That was why Seong-am couldn’t help but become arrogant and conceited, and he always came to think that he was right.

But for the first time, he began to suspect that his thoughts might be wrong.

That was the reason Seong-am was holed up in his room.

Great Monk Woon-hae’s mind became complicated as well.

Nothing had been resolved, and only problems were piling up.

“Amitabha! What is to be done about this?”

He too had eyes and ears.

He was aware of how the situation in Runan was unfolding.

If things went wrong, a Great War for All Under Heaven could break out in Henan, where the Shaolin Temple was the Alliance Leader. He had to prevent that worst-case scenario at all costs.

It was then.

“The sound of a bald monk racking his brain can be heard all the way over here.”

A cold voice echoed in his ear.

‘Who?’

Great Monk Woon-hae looked towards where the voice had come from.

Where his gaze landed, there was a small pavilion. A middle-aged man was leaning against the pavilion’s railing, drinking.

The moment he saw him, Great Monk Woon-hae felt his heart sink. He felt a sharp aura from the middle-aged man, as if it were gouging out his chest.

Great Monk Woon-hae immediately recognized the middle-aged man’s identity.

“Amitabha! It was you, Senior Sword Venerable.”

The one drinking alone so leisurely was none other than the Sword Venerable, Han Yu-cheon.

At Great Monk Woon-hae’s greeting, Han Yu-cheon stood up from the railing and said,

“The sound of you racking that head of yours was quite loud. It’s so noisy I can’t even drink.”

“Why is a senior like you drinking alone? You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“Isn’t it all because of you lot?”

“Pardon?”

“Meddling unnecessarily and making the problem bigger…”

“Amitabha! This humble monk does not know what you are talking about, Senior.”

“You sly bastard! Are you going to feign ignorance to the end?”

“I truly do not know. Besides, weren’t you in the position of wanting Jin Clan to be ruined? Have you had a change of heart now?”

“No! My thoughts remain unchanged. I wish this useless clan would just go to ruin.”

“Then why?”

“Because you people chased that guy away.”

“That guy?”

“Pyo Wol, I mean.”

“Pyo Wol? Why is a senior like you interested in that assassin?”

Great Monk Woon-hae wore a questioning expression.

He couldn’t understand why someone like Han Yu-cheon would be interested in a mere assassin.

“If he were an ordinary assassin, I would have no reason to be interested. But he is no ordinary assassin. You know that too, don’t you?”

“That is…”

“Do you think it was a coincidence that Seong-am was disgraced?”

“…”

Great Monk Woon-hae couldn’t bring himself to say no.

Not only Seong-am, but also the disciples who came with him had surrounded Pyo Wol, yet they couldn’t do anything to him. Furthermore, Pyo Wol broke through the encirclement of the heroes and vanished.

His martial prowess was too excessive to be seen as a mere assassin.

Han Yu-cheon asked again.

“If he were to launch a surprise attack, are you confident you could block it?”

“The Shaolin Temple is not so weak as to be taken down by a mere assassin.”

“Nonsense!”

“Even if you are the Sword Venerable, please refrain from insulting Shaolin.”

“So you do have some pride, do you? Heh heh!”

“Senior!”

“Did you attack him knowing his identity?”

“I knew.”

“You knew, and yet you attacked so carelessly? Haha! The great Shaolin has really gone to the dogs. It’s all over.”

“Do not insult Shaolin, Senior!”

“If you didn’t want to be ridiculed, you should have acted properly. What was that? Bald monk. Setting aside the fact that you rashly touched him without evidence, you couldn’t even properly subdue him and let him get away. I don’t know what Woon-ji was thinking sending you and Seong-am. What a truly terrible combination, isn’t it? If he had sent Un-song instead, the problem wouldn’t have gotten this big.”

“That is…”

His excuses were lame.

In the end, Great Monk Woon-hae trailed off.

Watching him, Han Yu-cheon clicked his tongue.

It wasn’t that Han Yu-cheon liked Pyo Wol either.

He was impertinent to a fault, and he showed no respect for his deceased seniors. Nevertheless, the reason he left Pyo Wol alone was because of the hope that he might uncover the truth related to his disciple’s death.

But by the Shaolin disciples chasing Pyo Wol away, his hopes had also turned to bubbles.

For that reason, Han Yu-cheon’s irritation was at its peak.

“Tell that fellow Seong-am. Not to let me see him. The moment he appears before my eyes, I will show him what hell is.”

“Senior! Please calm down.”

It was when Great Monk Woon-hae was trying to calm Han Yu-cheon down.

“Quickly, move them this way.”

“Damn it!”

“Physician, physician!”

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the entrance of Jin Clan.

Han Yu-cheon and Great Monk Woon-hae frowned at the same time.

They had sensed an unusual atmosphere.

Without a word, they both ran towards the entrance.

Countless dead and injured were being brought into the entrance of Jin Clan on carts.

The number of dead alone was over a hundred, and the injured were all seriously wounded. The state of the bodies on the carts was truly gruesome. Slashed, broken, and with their tongues bitten off, their appearances were so dreadful one would fear seeing them in a dream.

It was the first time they had seen such a tragedy since they had stayed at Jin Clan.

Although many had died or been injured until now, this was the first time so many casualties had occurred in a single night.

“Amitabha!”

“Hmph!”

Great Monk Woon-hae squeezed his eyes shut, and Han Yu-cheon let out a groan.

No matter how many battles the old veterans of Jianghu had been through, the scene before them was so horrific that they couldn’t maintain their composure.

“What happened here?”

A Jin Clan martial artist, who had rushed over after hearing news of the disaster, asked an injured martial artist.

“We were ambushed.”

“Ambush?”

“Yes! They were people we had never seen before. They were more like soldiers than martial artists.”

“You mean Snow Blade Sword Manor had such people?”

“They called themselves the Black Cloud Corps.”

“Black Cloud Corps?”

“Yes! Like soldiers, they were skilled in mounted warfare and group combat. We must come up with a countermeasure quickly.”

The injured martial artist said, coughing up blood.

Seeing this, Han Yu-cheon’s gaze sank deep.

“It seems Snow Blade Sword Manor has even brought in a group of wanderers.”

“That…”

“Bald monk! Do you still have the confidence that you can mediate the fight between Snow Blade Sword Manor and Jin Clan? Can your paltry three-inch tongue truly persuade them?”

“…”

“If you truly want to stop their fight, you will have to mobilize the elites of the Shaolin Temple and forcibly suppress them. That is the only way to reduce the damage even a little.”

“Amitabha!”

“Make a choice, bald monk!”

At Han Yu-cheon’s words, Great Monk Woon-hae could not give any answer.

Unlike the stagnant Jin Clan, the atmosphere at Snow Blade Sword Manor was highly charged.

It was because they had won a great victory in the battle that took place a shichen ago.

Originally, the fight was disadvantageous for Snow Blade Sword Manor.

The martial artists of Jin Clan attacked fiercely, and they were on the verge of being annihilated.

That was when the Black Cloud Corps appeared.

Appearing out of nowhere, they launched a surprise attack on Jin Clan’s rear.

Thanks to them, the Snow Blade Sword Manor martial artists were able to escape the crisis, and by joining forces with the Black Cloud Corps, they were able to inflict great damage on Jin Clan.

It was the greatest victory they had achieved since the fight between Jin Clan and Snow Blade Sword Manor began.

Snow Blade Sword Manor’s morale naturally rose, and Seol Gang-yeon provided alcohol and food for his victorious subordinates. Thanks to this, the atmosphere at Snow Blade Sword Manor soared to the heavens.

The entire Snow Blade Sword Manor was bustling, but there were also places that were not.

The Guest Reception Hall, where Geum Siyeon was being protected, was one such place.

As Geum Siyeon’s condition was critical, the atmosphere in the Guest Reception Hall was unusually subdued.

Since Geum Siyeon was such a big shot, the security at the Guest Reception Hall was thorough. Seol Gang-yeon had specially sent elites to protect Geum Siyeon and also informed the Golden Mountain Manor of this news.

Upon hearing of Geum Siyeon’s injury, Geum Shinchung flew into a rage and said he would send his elites.

Until they joined, Geum Siyeon’s protection was Snow Blade Sword Manor’s responsibility. For that reason, the security was made even tighter.

As the Snow Blade Sword Manor martial artists guarding the Guest Reception Hall were glaring, someone opened a door and came out.

“Ah! It was you, Brother Im.”

“How is your body?”

The martial artists, who had initially looked on with wary eyes, soon relaxed their guard.

The man who opened the door and came out was the one who had carried the near-death Geum Siyeon on his back. Despite his own not-so-light injuries, he had protected Geum Siyeon all the way here.

As a fellow martial artist, it was an act worthy of respect.

That was why the Snow Blade Sword Manor martial artists looked at the man who had carried Geum Siyeon here with a favorable gaze.

He had identified himself as Im Gwon-ok.

Im Gwon-ok touched his injured shoulder and replied,

“It’s much better. How is the Miss?”

“Physician Jang is constantly looking after her, so don’t worry.”

“Is that so?”

“You have performed a great service. The Manor Lord of your clan will probably give you a great reward.”

“I don’t wish for a reward. By the way, I’ve been in my room all day, and my whole body feels stiff. Would it be alright if I walked around for a bit?”

“Go ahead. The Manor Lord has just put out alcohol and food, so go and get some.”

“Is that so?”

“If you go to the training ground in the outer courtyard, there will be people there. Go eat with them.”

“Thank you. I’ll be on my way then.”

Im Gwon-ok gave a fist-palm salute to the martial artist who had kindly explained and started walking.

On his way to the training ground, he encountered Snow Blade Sword Manor’s martial artists several times, but no one suspected Im Gwon-ok.

Im Gwon-ok quietly blended in among the people of Snow Blade Sword Manor.