Chapter 279

‘Ugh?’

Black Tiger’s body staggered.

Suddenly, his vision turned black, and dizziness made it impossible for him to stand properly.

Thud!

He knelt on one knee, looking at Pyo Wol.

As he forced his Internal Power to rise, his vision slowly returned.

He saw the silver snake that had bitten his ankle slither up Pyo Wol’s body and coil around his forearm.

“A snake…… you command a snake, too?”

It was so dumbfounding it was almost absurd.

Pyo Wol’s face, which had momentarily turned pitch-black, had already regained its usual color.

The potent poison on the fine needles was utterly ineffective.

Pyo Wol put on his Dark Dragon Robe again and walked toward Black Tiger.

Black Tiger tried to stand and point his sword at Pyo Wol. But his hand lacked strength.

Tremble!

His entire body was convulsing.

The snake’s venom had penetrated deep into his body.

His eyes were already bloodshot, and he was foaming at the mouth.

The snake’s venom was beyond imagination.

He had prided himself on having a certain degree of Poison Resistance, but it was useless against the venom of the snake that had just bitten him.

The poison instantly invaded his nervous system.

The tips of his fingers and toes turned black and trembled uncontrollably.

‘Wh-what?’

Cough!

Black Tiger vomited blood.

His blood had already turned pitch-black.

Black Tiger couldn’t comprehend the current situation at all.

The one who should have been poisoned by the Cheonilhae was perfectly fine, while he, who had Poison Resistance, was the one poisoned.

“You, you……”

He tried to say something, but his lips wouldn’t move properly.

Even his lips had turned black.

Pyo Wol raised his forearm and said,

“Its name is Gwia. A friend I just made.”

“Krrgh!”

“As you can see, its body is small, but its venom is vicious.”

It wasn’t Pyo Wol’s will that made Gwia bite Black Tiger.

It had detached itself from Pyo Wol’s body, used Stealth, and then bitten Black Tiger. The fact that it had made such a decision on its own was astonishing.

Pyo Wol wondered if Gwia might be what people called a Mystical Creature.

It was then.

Pyo Wol lifted his head and looked at the roof of the mansion.

Men in black martial arts uniforms appeared on the roof.

There were well over a hundred of them.

Every single one of them radiated a brutal killing intent.

At their center was a familiar face.

“Jang Muryang!”

It was none other than Jang Muryang, the leader of the Black Cloud Corps.

Jang Muryang had led the Black Cloud Corps to surround Pyo Wol.

“Pyo Wol!”

He glared at Pyo Wol with eyes that looked like they could devour him.

Not just Jang Muryang, but the entire Black Cloud Corps stared at Pyo Wol with eyes full of killing intent.

Pyo Wol looked at Jang Muryang and said,

“So Black Tiger was just a sacrificial lamb.”

“Steward Lee thought he would never listen to his words. So he told us that if we kept an eye on him, an opportunity would arise. And it turned out just as he said.”

Lee Yul had anticipated that Black Tiger would act on his own.

If he couldn’t be controlled, he judged it better to use him to set a trap. So he had called Jang Muryang to watch Black Tiger.

While Black Tiger bought time by attacking Pyo Wol, Jang Muryang mobilized the entire Black Cloud Corps to complete the encirclement.

Another advantage was that since Black Tiger had killed everyone in the nearby houses, they didn’t need to worry about prying eyes.

Chk-chk-chk!

The archers of the Black Cloud Corps all drew their bowstrings in unison, aiming at Pyo Wol.

The street that had been filled with dolls just a moment ago was now packed with the Black Cloud Corps.

There was no visible escape route for Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol sensed that he had fallen into a perfect trap.

The problem was that he felt Lee Yul’s schemes wouldn’t end at just this.

He had a feeling that someone like Lee Yul would have planned with a much broader perspective.

‘If it were me…’

But his thoughts were cut short.

Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip!

Countless arrows rained down on him.

“We end this with a Quick Battle Quick Resolution.”

“Yes, sir!”

Baek Dokyeong replied vigorously to Lee Yul’s command.

The moment the Black Cloud Corps moved, Snow Blade Sword Manor’s forces were also on the move.

Lee Yul always prepared for the unexpected.

Although Black Tiger had acted on his own, he was not flustered in the slightest. Instead, he decided to use this opportunity.

Even for Pyo Wol, it would be difficult to escape from Black Tiger and the Black Cloud Corps.

Both shared a deep grudge against Pyo Wol. They would likely cling to Pyo Wol tenaciously, even if it meant taking damage themselves.

If Black Tiger and the Black Cloud Corps fought in the city, it was certain that many civilians would die.

That was their way of fighting.

They paid no heed to the circumstances of others, thinking and acting only for their own benefit.

Snow Blade Sword Manor was already the target of public criticism. If many civilians died, public sentiment would completely turn against them. By then, it would be too late.

He had to settle the score now, while he still had the strength, while he still had the power to fight back. At this very moment, when no one expected it.

Lee Yul asked Baek Dokyeong,

“What about the Slayer of Ten Thousand?”

“He is on standby. He will move as soon as we move our forces.”

Baek Dokyeong looked at Lee Yul with a firm expression.

Snow Blade Sword Manor’s forces had already finished their preparations to move.

Now, upon Lee Yul’s command, they would advance toward Jin Clan. And the night in Runan would turn into a living hell.

Lee Yul gave the order.

“Begin!”

“As you command!”

Baek Dokyeong replied and went outside. Then, leaving only a minimal force behind, Snow Blade Sword Manor’s martial artists flowed out like an ebbing tide.

A silence fell over the once-bustling Snow Blade Sword Manor.

It wasn’t just Snow Blade Sword Manor’s forces that Lee Yul set in motion.

“They should be able to block the eyes and ears of the Hao Clan.”

“What do you mean? Snow Blade Sword Manor’s forces are on the move? Are you sure you didn’t get it wrong?”

“No, sir. The report came from the kids monitoring Snow Blade Sword Manor.”

“Crazy! A night raid at this hour?”

At his subordinate’s report, Hong Yushin shot up from his seat.

It was the dead of night when everyone was asleep.

Military units might be an exception, but most sects did not move their forces at this hour.

No matter how lawless the Jianghu was, there were still lines that should be respected.

Though not a codified law, most martial artists of the Jianghu utterly despised surprise attacks at night. They considered it an act unbecoming of a martial artist.

Of course, not everyone was like that.

There were indeed many sects that conducted night raids.

The problem was that sects that committed such cowardly acts became the target of the Jianghu’s condemnation. For that reason, unless the situation was extremely critical, the sects of the Jianghu tended to avoid night raids.

All eyes were on Runan.

That was how many people were watching the fight between Snow Blade Sword Manor and Jin Clan. Winning was important, but it was also important not to give them anything to criticize.

One wrong move and they could be branded as something akin to a public enemy of the Jianghu, even in victory. For that reason, a night raid at this hour was taboo unless the situation was dire.

Snow Blade Sword Manor had just broken that taboo.

Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Hong Yushin couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.

“How large is the moving force?”

“That has not yet been determined.”

“You fool! Tell them to figure that out first.”

“Yes, sir!”

The subordinate replied and rushed outside.

In the meantime, all the Hao Clan members in the brothel had woken up.

Although they were disguised as ordinary courtesans, they were all martial artists who had learned martial arts.

Normally, they focused on gathering information, but when an unexpected situation like this occurred, they revealed their true nature as martial artists.

Just then, a woman’s voice came from outside.

“May I come in?”

“Come in!”

“Yes!”

The door opened and a woman with a petite frame entered.

She was So-ok, the most popular courtesan in the brothel run by the Hao Clan.

So-ok had a sword at her waist.

There was no trace of a courtesan in her appearance.

So-ok’s true identity was the Silver Flower Squad Leader of the Hao Clan.

The Silver Flower Squad was a military group composed of courtesans.

Their main duties were information gathering and emergency response in special situations.

So-ok performed a Fist-Palm Salute and said,

“The entire Silver Flower Squad is on standby. What are your orders?”

“Let’s wait a little longer until new information comes in.”

“Understood.”

So-ok replied with a calm expression.

It was extremely rare for the Silver Flower Squad to actually be deployed.

Their mission was, after all, to prepare for any contingency.

In her entire life with the Hao Clan, the number of times the Silver Flower Squad had moved directly could be counted on one hand.

So-ok thought this time would be no different, and so did Hong Yushin.

Hong Yushin stared at So-ok for a moment before speaking.

“You’re too tense. Let’s have some tea.”

“Ah! Yes!”

So-ok hurriedly tried to make tea. But Hong Yushin moved before she could.

“No, I’ll do it.”

“But how could I?”

“I can’t ask you to make tea after waking you at this hour. The tea I make is quite delicious, you’ll find.”

“Yes! I will drink it with gratitude.”

In the end, So-ok took a step back and watched Hong Yushin prepare the tea.

He was quite skilled as he placed the water on the brazier and prepared the tea leaves.

Sometimes, it didn’t seem so bad to drink tea made by a respected superior.

So-ok leaned her tense back against the chair and waited leisurely for the tea.

It was then.

Thud!

A dull sound was heard.

So-ok shot to her feet, and Hong Yushin put down the tea set he was holding.

Thump!

At that moment, the sound was heard again.

The color drained from both of their faces.

Once could be a mistake, but for such a noise to ring out twice meant that a serious problem had occurred inside the brothel.

So-ok drew her sword and said,

“I will go and check. Captain, please wait here.”

“Mm!”

The moment Hong Yushin nodded.

“Gack!”

“Ack!”

This time, low screams were heard.

Hong Yushin grabbed So-ok’s shoulder and whispered,

“It’s a raid.”

“But who?”

So-ok’s eyes wavered.

Only a handful of people knew this place was a Hao Clan branch.

This was because it was disguised as a brothel and had only recently arrived in Runan.

Tinkle! Tinkle!

At that moment, a small bell hanging in a corner of Hong Yushin’s room rang out.

It was an emergency contact network used only in emergencies.

One ring meant an enemy had infiltrated; two rings meant to escape at once.

In other words, an overwhelming enemy had invaded the brothel.

Hong Yushin said,

“We’re escaping.”

“I can’t do that. My comrades are here. I can’t just leave them behind and escape alone. Captain, you should get out of here at once.”

“It’s an enemy we can’t handle.”

“Then shouldn’t I at least stay behind and buy some time?”

So-ok replied with a resolute expression.

It was unthinkable for the Silver Flower Squad Leader to abandon her subordinates and flee.

They were a community of fate.

If they died, they died together; if they lived, they lived together.

But Hong Yushin was different.

Hong Yushin was one of the most important figures in the Hao Clan.

As such, he had to survive.

“Escape through the emergency passage. That’s the only way we can get revenge on those who attacked us today, isn’t it?”

“I pray we meet again, alive.”

Hong Yushin touched a decoration on the wall. A secret passage hidden behind the bookshelf revealed itself.

Without a backward glance, Hong Yushin jumped into the emergency passage.

While there is no hierarchy in the value of human life, there was a clear difference based on one’s position.

Hong Yushin was a person who had to survive.

‘Just who in the world has attacked us?’

He felt so powerless, having to flee like a coward with his tail between his legs without even confirming the identity of the attackers.

Then, Pyo Wol’s words suddenly came to mind.

—You seem so interested in other people’s affairs, yet you don’t seem to know that you yourselves are being watched.

‘Was what he said true?’

After hearing Pyo Wol’s words, Hong Yushin had his subordinates secretly search for the watchers. But by then, the watchers had already vanished.

Because of that, Hong Yushin had thought Pyo Wol’s words might be a lie and had forgotten about them. But now, being attacked by an unknown enemy, he felt a loathing for himself for having ignored his words.

“Damn it!”