Chapter 29

Clang, clang, clang!

An emergency bell rang chaotically throughout the once-silent Qingcheng Sect.

The disciples of the Qingcheng Sect, who had been resting quietly, rushed out in surprise. To them came the shocking news that Wu Gun-sang had been killed in a surprise attack by an assassin.

“Catch the assassin at once.”

“Don’t let him get away.”

The Daoists from the Daoist Temples scattered across Mount Qingcheng all rushed out and began searching for the assassin who killed Wu Gun-sang.

An unprecedented incident had occurred: a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect—and a promising talent whose future was highly anticipated at that—had been killed by an assassin’s surprise attack within the Qingcheng Sect itself.

Naturally, the Qingcheng Sect was in an uproar.

The fury of Wu Jin-pyeong, who had lost his son, and Muryeong Jin-in, who had lost the future of the Qingcheng Sect, was particularly immense.

They gazed at Wu Gun-sang’s body with devastated eyes.

“Gun-sang!”

Wu Jin-pyeong knelt before his son’s body and sobbed.

Not once had Wu Jin-pyeong shown a moment of weakness while putting the Qingcheng Sect on solid ground. Yet there he was, sobbing defenselessly.

At this first sight of Wu Jin-pyeong in such a state, the expressions of the Qingcheng Sect’s Elders grew solemn.

“O, Yuanshi Tianzun. Why bestow such a trial upon our sect…”

Muryeong Jin-in closed his eyes tightly, his white beard trembling.

His immediate Junior Martial Brother, Mujeong Jin-in, approached his side.

“Senior Martial Brother!”

“Speak, Junior Martial Brother!”

“We must dispose of that child.”

Mujeong Jin-in’s gaze pointed to the unconscious female lay disciple.

Muryeong Jin-in frowned.

“What are you saying? That child is also a disciple of our sect. What do you mean, dispose of her?”

“Gun-sang’s honor is at stake. If it becomes known that he brought a female lay disciple in during his isolated training, Gun-sang’s honor will hit rock bottom. The boy is already dead, but shouldn’t we at least protect his final honor?”

“Junior Martial Brother!”

Muryeong Jin-in roared.

The other Elders all flinched, but Mujeong Jin-in’s expression did not change as he continued.

“What’s done is done. Gun-sang, our sect’s greatest talent, is dead, and our sect’s honor has fallen to the ground. If our honor falls any further, we will suffer a blow from which we cannot recover.”

Mujeong Jin-in’s voice was as cold as ice.

He was the one who had cherished Wu Gun-sang more than anyone.

Excluding his Martial Uncle Goyeop Jin-in, who went into seclusion long ago, he was the greatest expert in the Qingcheng Sect.

He had singled out Wu Gun-sang as the talent to succeed him and had poured his heart and soul into teaching him. Although his recent achievements had been slow due to his indulgence in women, the fact that he was the talent who would open a brilliant future for Qingcheng had not changed.

Wu Gun-sang’s death was tantamount to setting back Qingcheng’s future by at least ten years.

His death was more regrettable than anyone’s, but now was the time to minimize the damage. A single misstep could set them back not just ten years, but several decades.

“There must be someone behind this who ordered the assassin. If Gun-sang’s and the Qingcheng Sect’s honor falls any further, they will surely benefit. We must prevent such a situation.”

“Hmm!”

As Mujeong Jin-in spoke so forcefully, Muryeong Jin-in wore a troubled expression.

“Senior Martial Brother! You mustn’t. No matter how important our sect’s honor is, it is not more important than a person’s life. Besides, is that girl not a lay disciple of our sect?”

Muhwa Jin-in, the most gentle-natured of the Elders, stepped forward to stop Mujeong Jin-in. At that, Mujeong Jin-in glanced over the other Elders and spoke.

“Do you all think so too? Is it fine for our sect’s honor to fall to the ground like this? At this rate, far from catching up to Shaolin or Wudang, the gap will only widen, and we will be reduced to a mediocre sect.”

“…”

No one answered. But their gazes were not so different from Mujeong Jin-in’s. Seeing their junior martial brothers like this, Muryeong Jin-in and Muhwa Jin-in wore troubled expressions.

It was then.

“I will do it.”

Wu Jin-pyeong, who had been sobbing before his son’s corpse, stood up.

In his hand was the sword that had been embedded in Wu Gun-sang’s chest.

“Junior Martial Brother!”

Muryeong Jin-in shouted in alarm, but he could not stop Wu Jin-pyeong.

Plunge!

Before he could even be stopped, Wu Jin-pyeong had thrust the sword into the female lay disciple’s chest.

The unconscious woman coughed up blood and lost her life.

“Junior Martial Brother! What have you done?”

Muryeong Jin-in snatched the sword from his hand.

Wu Jin-pyeong collapsed on the spot and shouted.

“Uwaaah! Then what was I supposed to do? Gun-sang was not only the hope of the Qingcheng Sect, but my everything. As a father, how could I just stand by and watch Gun-sang’s honor crumble like this? You can curse me. I don’t care if you call me petty. I have dedicated my entire life to Qingcheng. If you can’t even understand this much prejudice, then I would rather leave Qingcheng.”

There was even a hint of madness in Wu Jin-pyeong’s voice.

At this point, Muryeong Jin-in and Muhwa Jin-in could do nothing. Moreover, the deed was already done.

It was more important to handle the aftermath properly.

“Hah! For now, let’s tell the outside world that the girl came to receive teachings from Gun-sang and was killed by the assassin.”

“A wise decision.”

“I don’t know if it’s a truly wise decision. I really don’t know.”

As Muryeong Jin-in let out a deep sigh, Mujeong Jin-in’s eyes glinted sharply as he spoke.

“Isn’t there something more important right now?”

“Right! We must catch the assassin, the culprit behind this whole incident.”

“We must capture him and force him to confess who is behind this.”

“Send a request for cooperation to all the sects in Sichuan Province. Tell them that any sect that refuses to cooperate will be taken as expressing a desire to no longer exist in Sichuan.”

“The Emei Sect, the Three Clans, the Four Rooms, the Five Halls, and all other sects, I will convey the Sect Master’s words to them all. We will find and punish everyone involved in this assassination.”

“Mm!”

With Muryeong Jin-in’s permission, Mujeong Jin-in led all the Elders outside.

They conveyed Muryeong Jin-in’s words to all the sects, and the entire Sichuan Province was thrown into an uproar.

Guhwa Satae’s eyes trembled.

In her hand was a letter that had been tied to the ankle of a carrier pigeon from the Qingcheng Sect.

The letter contained a request for cooperation from the Qingcheng Sect.

It was called a request, but considering the Qingcheng Sect’s influence in Sichuan, it was as good as an order that could not be refused.

The problem wasn’t the Qingcheng Sect’s request for cooperation.

It was the news that Wu Gun-sang had been assassinated by an assassin.

“Is this really true? An assassin really killed Wu Gun-sang?”

It was unbelievable news. But there was no way not to believe it.

It was a letter sent directly from the Qingcheng Sect, of all places. There was no reason for them to lie to the Emei Sect.

“How can this be!”

Guhwa Satae clenched her fist, and the letter shattered into pieces and scattered.

“Master! Was Young Hero Wu really assassinated?”

Jeong Hwa asked cautiously.

She was one of the few people who shared secrets with Guhwa Satae. Naturally, she knew the full story of this incident.

“Damn it! A Celestial Net was spread to catch them, yet they instead snuck back into the Qingcheng Sect and assassinated Wu Gun-sang.”

Crash!

Guhwa Satae slammed her fist on the desk.

At her fury, Jeong Hwa, Cheol-sim, and Yong Seol Lan held their breath.

Wu Gun-sang’s death had completely ruined the picture Guhwa Satae had been painting.

The reason Guhwa Satae had commissioned the Bloody Shadows Guild to assassinate Wu Gun-sang was because of his immense talent.

There was already a difficult gap to close between the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect, and a sense of crisis that they would never be able to catch up if a talent like Wu Gun-sang came into full bloom had made her take a reckless step.

Five hundred thousand gold nyang was by no means a small sum. Especially not in the Emei Sect’s current situation. The reason she invested such a huge sum was because she recognized Wu Gun-sang as that much of a threat.

She had thoroughly investigated Wu Gun-sang’s activities.

In the process, an unexpected fact was revealed. He had an insatiable lust for women.

That’s when the thought occurred to her.

If played right, she might be able to use Wu Gun-sang to the Emei Sect’s advantage. If that happened, the five hundred thousand nyang paid to the Bloody Shadows Guild would be nothing.

Guhwa Satae had a beautiful disciple named Yong Seol Lan.

Yong Seol Lan was beautiful and smart.

She also possessed a cool-headed reason and a razor-sharp judgment that other disciples lacked.

She felt that it wouldn’t be too difficult for her to control Wu Gun-sang.

Even while pushing for the marriage between Yong Seol Lan and Wu Gun-sang, Guhwa Satae did not stop the assassination plan.

If Wu Gun-sang refused the marriage, the plan was to proceed with the assassination.

Wu Gun-sang’s father, Wu Jin-pyeong, was by no means an easy man to deal with.

He did not easily accept the marriage with the Emei Sect.

He too had realized that a marriage with the Emei Sect would bring more harm than good.

The situation had changed recently.

Wu Gun-sang had caused a major incident, and Wu Jin-pyeong had clearly realized that he could not be left alone. That was why he accepted the Emei Sect’s marriage proposal.

As soon as the marriage talks between Wu Gun-sang and Yong Seol Lan were settled, Guhwa Satae called off the assassination plan. And to destroy the evidence, she mobilized the martial artists of Sichuan to attack the Bloody Shadows Guild and the assassins.

“The meal was all prepared, and they dared to sprinkle ash on it…”

Ghost Fire seemed to burn in Guhwa Satae’s eyes.

If Yong Seol Lan and Wu Gun-sang had married as planned, she would have been able to control the Qingcheng Sect within ten years.

That entire plan had been ruined because of a mere assassin.

The entire picture, planned over seven long years, had been shattered.

Jeong Hwa said,

“We cannot let the assassin who killed Wu Gun-sang live. He might know the secret, so we must eliminate him.”

“Take the disciples and join the Celestial Net at once. You must kill that assassin.”

“Leave it to me.”

Jeong Hwa led her junior martial sisters and went outside.

Yong Seol Lan was also about to naturally follow them out.

“You must be happy, now that the marriage is off.”

Guhwa Satae’s sharp-edged voice caught her.

When Yong Seol Lan turned back, Guhwa Satae was staring at her with cold eyes.

Yong Seol Lan replied nonchalantly.

“How could that be? I’ve lost my husband-to-be, there’s no reason to be happy.”

“Husband-to-be?”

“We were to be married, so he was my husband-to-be.”

Yong Seol Lan bowed her head to Guhwa Satae and went outside.

Mount Qingcheng itself had turned into an enemy.

A mountain couldn’t actually become an enemy, but to Pyo Wol, it felt like more than that. Everything on Mount Qingcheng seemed to be targeting him with hostility.

Wu Gun-sang’s death had been discovered much faster than Pyo Wol had expected.

He had predicted that the Qingcheng Sect’s pursuit would begin around morning, but in reality, the Daoists of the Qingcheng Sect had started their pursuit less than half a shichen later.

It was a much faster response than Pyo Wol had calculated.

On the other hand, Pyo Wol’s physical condition was at its worst.

His body was severely injured from the confrontation with Wu Gun-sang.

Not only were his external wounds severe, but his internal injuries were also serious.

He needed to hide somewhere and perform Qi circulation and healing immediately. But he wasn’t given even the slightest amount of time.

Pyo Wol roughly performed hemostasis and hurried down the mountain. But before he was even halfway down, he had to change direction. Daoists from a nearby Daoist Temple were blocking the path.

Woof, woof!

The sound of dogs barking echoed from somewhere.

Even the dogs raised at the Daoist Temples had been mobilized to track Pyo Wol.

‘I have to erase my scent.’

At this rate, it was clear his tracks would be discovered before long.

Pyo Wol turned his body in the direction where the humidity felt particularly strong. Following the damp smell, he soon came upon a small valley.

Pyo Wol moved along the valley.

It was unavoidable if he wanted to erase his scent as much as possible.

Fortunately, the sound of barking dogs was no longer heard. The water had washed away Pyo Wol’s scent. But a bigger obstacle awaited him.

“Block the valley.”

“Set up a checkpoint here.”

Daoists from a nearby Daoist Temple had been sent to block the valley Pyo Wol was moving through.

The Daoists’ martial arts skills didn’t seem very impressive.

Unlike the direct disciples who trained at the main mountain, they had only learned a little martial arts for self-defense.

‘Break through.’

Detouring any further was a waste of time.

The fact that they were guarding even this place meant it was safe to assume that Daoists were stationed at every major path.

It was better to break through head-on before their encirclement was complete.

The decision was firm, and the action was even faster.

Pyo Wol instantly rushed toward the Daoists.

“It’s—it’s the assassin.”

“Stop him!”

By the time the Daoists noticed Pyo Wol’s presence, he had already reached them.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

Pyo Wol’s attacks struck their necks and abdomens.

In an instant, three or four Daoists collapsed.

A Daoist who had avoided Pyo Wol’s attack quickly fired a firecracker into the air.

Pyo Wol gave up on attacking further and sprinted away.

“This way!”

“The assassin escaped this way.”

Daoists and martial artists who saw the firecracker came running.

Every human on Mount Qingcheng was chasing Pyo Wol.