Chapter 276

Pyo Wol opened the door to the brothel and stepped inside.

Instantly, everyone’s gaze focused on him.

The courtesans, in particular, looked at him with sparkling eyes. But before they could even cast flirtatious glances, the brothel’s Steward rushed out to greet Pyo Wol.

“Welcome.”

The brothel’s Steward was the temporary branch manager of the Hao Clan.

“Where is Hong Yushin?”

“The Captain is currently with a guest inside.”

“A guest?”

“Yes! A guest who arrived suddenly…”

The Steward fell silent, as if it was difficult to say more.

Pyo Wol didn’t press further.

His alliance with the Hao Clan was one of necessity, not a hierarchical relationship.

For both their sakes, a certain line had to be maintained.

Pyo Wol stood outside the door, waiting for the first guest to emerge.

The Steward whispered softly.

“The meeting seems to be dragging on. Instead of waiting out here, why don’t you wait in a room? I’ll send So-ok in.”

“That’s not necessary!”

“So-ok seems to be waiting for you, Great Hero. If you don’t mind…”

It was then.

Creeak!

The rusty hinges screamed as Hong Yushin’s door opened. Then, someone came out.

It was a handsome Young Master with a gentle impression.

Though not as beautiful as Pyo Wol, he had looks that would stand out anywhere.

Following the man, Hong Yushin came out to see him off.

At that moment, the man turned his head and looked at Pyo Wol.

His gentle eyes instantly turned sharp.

“You didn’t have to come all the way here. No, is it because you came here that we met?”

The man muttered words of unknown meaning.

The expression of Hong Yushin, who was behind him, hardened.

Shwiak!

Suddenly, the man drew his sword and attacked Pyo Wol.

Neither Hong Yushin behind him nor the Steward who had guided Pyo Wol could stop him in time.

The man instantly closed the distance to Pyo Wol, and the sword in his hand was thrusting toward Pyo Wol’s Throat Blood Point.

“Aack!”

The courtesans who saw the scene screamed.

In their eyes, it looked as if the man’s sword had pierced through Pyo Wol’s head. But it was merely an illusion.

Tssss!

Pyo Wol’s body, which had seemed to be pierced by the man’s sword, slowly dissipated like steam melting into the air.

“An afterimage?”

The man’s eyes grew even sharper.

It was an Ambush Attack without any warning.

The lightning-fast strike was so sharp that no Expert would have dared to evade it. But his opponent, as if mocking him, had vanished, leaving only an afterimage.

He had moved so fast that an afterimage was left behind.

An ordinary martial artist would have been flustered by the afterimage, but the man was different.

The man’s head turned backward.

Pyo Wol was revealing himself there.

Shwiak!

The man’s sword flew at Pyo Wol.

It was a natural follow-up attack, like flowing water.

It was a truly dazzling reaction.

His judgment, adaptability, and martial arts—there was nothing to fault.

Kang!

But his attack was blocked by the small flying dagger Pyo Wol held. Pyo Wol had blocked his attack with the Ghostly Rain.

“Chahat!”

Even though his attack was blocked, the man was not flustered and continued to unleash his Sword Stances.

His Sword Art flowed without interruption, just like water.

“Wow!”

Hong Yushin let out an exclamation of admiration without realizing it.

Although Hong Yushin had met and experienced countless martial artists, it was the first time he had seen a martial artist who displayed such a fluid Sword Art.

Just as small water droplets gather to pierce a large rock.

Similarly, there was nothing in all under heaven that water, with its power concentrated, could not cut.

The man’s sword strikes were like that.

They were as gentle as water, yet contained immense destructive power.

An ordinary martial artist would probably have witnessed his own body being sliced to pieces before three stances had passed.

The man’s Sword Art, which gently penetrated vital points, was truly formidable.

In contrast, Pyo Wol was deflecting the man’s fluid attacks by brandishing his short flying dagger.

It was a feat made possible because he had raised his body’s reaction speed with Black Lightning.

An ordinary person would have asked, “Why are you attacking me? What is this rude behavior?” Or they would have panicked and made a series of mistakes.

But Pyo Wol was no ordinary person.

He didn’t know why the man was attacking him, but it was clear that the man held animosity toward him.

Attacking with animosity meant they were entangled by a grudge. There was nothing more foolish than questioning the reason of such a person.

The man was a raging torrent.

If one got swept away, one could be dragged from the valley down to the lower reaches of the river in an instant.

He had to break the opponent’s momentum here.

Pyo Wol knew very well how to break an opponent’s momentum.

Sshat!

Suddenly, the range of the Ghostly Rain increased.

The palm-length Ghostly Rain flew a whole zhang to attack the man.

“Keuk!”

For the first time, a look of bewilderment appeared on the man’s face.

The Ghostly Rain that had attacked him was already back in Pyo Wol’s hand.

Only then did the man realize that a thread of qi, barely visible to the naked eye, was attached to the end of the Ghostly Rain.

It was the Soul Restraining Thread.

Sshaaat!

As Pyo Wol waved his hand, the Ghostly Rain, attached to the Soul Restraining Thread, danced freely as if it were a Sword Control Art.

Kakakang!

The Ghostly Rain and the man’s sword clashed repeatedly.

The problem was that there wasn’t just one Ghostly Rain.

Before he knew it, another Ghostly Rain raised its head like a viper. The second Ghostly Rain was also being controlled by a Soul Restraining Thread.

The two Ghostly Rain daggers moved vertically and horizontally through the air, attacking the man.

“Damn it!”

For the first time, the man felt regret.

He had attacked without hesitation in his joy at finding his target, but his opponent’s martial arts were far greater than he had expected.

It seemed impossible to break through the defense of the two Ghostly Rain daggers, controlled by two Soul Restraining Threads, in a short time.

Kaaang!

The man swung his sword wide, deflecting all the Ghostly Rain daggers, and leaped back.

By the time Pyo Wol tried to attack again, he had already retreated onto the roof of the brothel.

The man sheathed his sword and said.

“Pyo Wol! That’s right, isn’t it? My name is Jang Ho-yeon.”

“……”

“You don’t seem to know. Perhaps you’ll know if I put it this way? I am the older brother of Jang Mu-yeon, whom you killed.”

“The Righteous Sword Manor.”

“That’s right!”

The man, Jang Ho-yeon, nodded.

Jang Ho-yeon crossed his arms and asked.

“Where is the Gongpo Sword?”

“Did you come all the way here chasing that sword?”

“I did. If you just hand over the Gongpo Sword, I will not hold you accountable for the crime of killing my younger brother.”

“Is the Gongpo Sword more important than your brother? The deceased Jang Mu-yeon would be disappointed to hear that.”

“He was not a good younger brother. If I had to say, he was more of an annoying competitor. The death of such a fellow is none of my concern.”

A cold smile appeared on Jang Ho-yeon’s lips.

Unlike his gentle impression, he was extremely cold-hearted.

He had visited this place today to check if the Hao Clan was carrying out his request properly.

The request he had made to the Hao Clan was to find Pyo Wol.

When he had asked Hong Yushin a moment ago, he had said he hadn’t found him yet. But here he was, meeting Pyo Wol in front of his residence.

It was exposed that Hong Yushin had intentionally not told him of his whereabouts.

“Tsk!”

Hong Yushin wore a troubled expression.

He had told Jang Ho-yeon to wait a little longer, but he had not expected to run into Pyo Wol right away.

There was no room for excuses.

This incident would cause a huge crack in the Hao Clan’s credibility.

Hong Yushin would have to take responsibility for it.

Jang Ho-yeon said.

“If you just hand over the Gongpo Sword, I will drop everything that has happened so far. So hand over the Gongpo Sword. That sword is only sturdy, it has no other special properties. It’s of no use for you to have it.”

“Don’t you think you’re being too shameless, considering the Gongpo Sword isn’t yours?”

“A Devilish Creature is destined to have a specific owner.”

Jang Ho-yeon replied calmly, his expression unchanging.

At his shameless attitude, Hong Yushin and the courtesans who were watching clicked their tongues.

‘I never knew the eldest young master of the Righteous Sword Manor could be so shameless.’

‘He’s got a face of steel.’

The faces of the onlookers were turning red, but the person in question, Jang Ho-yeon, did not look ashamed.

He genuinely thought that way.

That treasures have their rightful owners, and the owner of the Gongpo Sword was the Righteous Sword Manor.

Pyo Wol raised both his hands and said.

“As you can see, I don’t have the Gongpo Sword.”

“Hmph! That little kid you hang around with must have it. You’d better tell that kid to hand over the Gongpo Sword obediently. The moment you refuse, the Righteous Sword Manor and I will side with Snow Blade Sword Manor.”

The corners of Jang Ho-yeon’s mouth curled up.

He was no fool.

He had already grasped how the war between Snow Blade Sword Manor and Jin Clan was unfolding, and the fact that Pyo Wol had a close relationship with Jin Clan.

The fight between Snow Blade Sword Manor and Jin Clan was spiraling into the worst possible situation, beyond control.

Numerous sects were involved in the fight between the two factions, and even the Shaolin Temple had declared its participation.

It was already a chaotic mess, but now it had become a complete pandemonium.

The situation was already impossible to predict, but if the Righteous Sword Manor were to join the fray, a true hellscape would unfold.

It was a situation that anyone would be reluctant to face.

Most people would want the situation to settle down to some extent, not to escalate any further. At least, any sane person would.

Jang Ho-yeon was aiming for that very point to threaten Pyo Wol.

“In return, if you give me the Gongpo Sword, I will withdraw completely from Runan. How about it? My proposal.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t withdraw.”

“Are you saying you’ll willingly put yourself at a disadvantage?”

“We’ll have to see it through to the end to know who’s at a disadvantage.”

“Hmph! Going to cling on tenaciously like an assassin? Anyway, I’ll give you a day, so think it over carefully. About what decision is truly for the sake of Jin Clan.”

Jang Ho-yeon then launched himself into the air and left the brothel.

After he had vanished from people’s sight in an instant, Hong Yushin approached Pyo Wol.

“Tsk! This has become troublesome. To think that even the Righteous Sword Manor might jump into this mess.”

“It won’t happen that easily.”

At Pyo Wol’s answer, Hong Yushin made a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean?”

“That man is too smart to act recklessly.”

“Smart?”

“Those with sharp minds never act without a plan. They review the same matter several times and even prepare countermeasures before intervening. They avoid rashly intervening and making things bigger if they can help it.”

“Are you sure?”

“His goal is the Gongpo Sword. Until he gets his hands on it, he has no choice but to be cautious.”

“What on earth is the Gongpo Sword?”

“It’s literally just a slightly sturdy sword.”

“Why such a sword, then?”

“I suppose the history contained within it has piqued their interest.”

“Hmm! Then it seems Jang Ho-yeon’s father, Jang Pyeong-san, is the one coveting that sword.”

As befitting the Surveillance Chief of the Hao Clan, Hong Yushin also knew the details about the Righteous Sword Manor’s Lord, Jang Pyeong-san.

Although Pyo Wol said the Righteous Sword Manor would not easily intervene, the worry on Hong Yushin’s face did not disappear.

If, by any chance, the Righteous Sword Manor were to intervene, the battle in Runan would spiral into an uncontrollable situation.

“Phew! How on earth did it come to this… By the way, what brings you here so early in the morning? Is it because of Seol Gwangho, as expected?”

“Are the rumors true?”

“They are! The main branch has already confirmed it. Snow Blade Sword Manor has been completely turned upside down because of it. They say Snow Blade Sword Manor is a crucible of chaos right now. Rumor has it that Manor Lord Seol has completely lost his mind.”

“What about Namgung Wol?”

“We’ve determined that he sustained injuries that are not light.”

“Is that so?”

“Hoo! Namgung Wol says he participated in his personal capacity, but most people won’t believe him. They’ll probably think he came representing the Thousand Water Society.”

Hong Yushin’s face darkened.

He felt that the troubled times had already begun.

The Shaolin Temple, the Righteous Sword Manor, and now the Thousand Water Society.

The fight between the two factions was drawing in the sects of the Jianghu like a whirlpool.

Now, it was frightening to even think about how large the whirlpool would become.