Chapter 32

“The assassin broke through the encirclement of the Qingyang Hall martial artists and escaped.”

At the report from her Junior Martial Sister, Cheol Shim, Jeong Hwa’s expression hardened like iron armor.

Qingyang Hall was a martial arts academy established by a Lay Disciple of the Emei Sect. Although its influence was insignificant and shabby, it had inherited the Emei Sect’s Martial Arts and was considered quite skilled.

For the Qingyang Hall’s encirclement to be broken in an instant meant that the assassin was exceptionally skilled.

Jeong Hwa’s expression was grave not simply because the assassin was highly skilled.

She already knew of the assassin’s skill from the assassination of Woo Gun-sang.

Assassinating Woo Gun-sang, the most skilled Prodigy in Sichuan Province, meant that the assassin’s abilities were outstanding.

Jeong Hwa was well aware of that much.

The problem was that the assassin was growing stronger over time. This was evident just by looking at the bodies of those he had killed. The later the death, the cleaner and more precise the wounds became.

It was also clear from how he had instantly broken through the Qingyang Hall’s encirclement. Although Qingyang Hall’s influence was insignificant, their martial arts skills were not to be trifled with, yet the assassin was said to have broken through without suffering any significant harm.

At this point, she could no longer dismiss her opponent as a mere assassin who had only learned Killing Methods.

“There are always those who pop up out of nowhere, but for a mere assassin to… He must be eliminated. If we let him go, the consequences will be endless.”

The moment it was revealed that the Emei Sect, a prestigious Orthodox Faction, had commissioned an assassin group to assassinate a Prodigy of the Qingcheng Sect, the condemnation of the Jianghu would be focused on them.

Already struggling under the pressure of the Qingcheng Sect, if they were to face criticism as well, the Emei Sect’s power would surely shrink even further.

“Where did such a venomous creature come from…”

They had to capture or eliminate the assassin before the world found out.

If the Qingcheng Sect were to capture the assassin first and trace the connections, they might uncover the truth.

Such a situation had to be prevented at all costs.

Jeong Hwa issued an order to her junior martial sisters and disciples.

“Everyone, track the assassin. Run at full speed and catch up to him.”

“We won’t be able to catch him that way.”

Just then, someone contradicted her.

The dazzlingly beautiful woman was none other than Yong Seol Lan.

As her youngest Junior Martial Sister dared to voice a negative opinion about her words, Jeong Hwa’s expression grew even more vicious.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s just as I said. The assassin’s abilities are far greater than we think. The fact that he wasn’t caught even when the Celestial Net was focused on him proves it. If we just keep chasing him like this, we’ll only ever see his back and never catch him.”

“Hmph! Then what do you suggest we do?”

“We get ahead of his expected path.”

“And how do we do that? Do you know where he’s going, so we can go there and wait?”

Unfazed by Jeong Hwa’s sharp reaction, Yong Seol Lan calmly continued.

“I don’t know his exact destination, but I can predict the general area.”

“How?”

“The Bloody Shadows Guild, upon our sect’s request, trained assassins in a secret location. At that time, we deduced that the place where the Bloody Shadows Guild trained the assassins was near Padang. Although we failed to pinpoint the exact location, we did find out that numerous supplies were delivered through Padang.”

Jeong Hwa found herself listening intently to Yong Seol Lan’s words.

The fate of the Emei Sect was riding on this matter.

Naturally, they had to have a minimum of safety measures in place. So they had tried to locate the Bloody Shadows Guild’s headquarters or the residence of the assassins being trained for Woo Gun-sang’s assassination.

In the end, both attempts failed. That was how secretly the Bloody Shadows Guild operated.

However, it was not a complete failure.

Creating a new place to train assassins required a lot of materials. The Bloody Shadows Guild procured materials from all over Sichuan Province, and evidence was found that all those materials flowed into Padang.

“Padang is adjacent to the western highlands. He will surely pass through there.”

“What’s your reasoning for thinking so?”

“I’ve heard that some fish are born in rivers or streams and go to the sea. When they become adults in the sea, they return to where they were born, a behavior called the homing instinct. I believe that assassin is also moving by a homing instinct.”

“Hmm!”

“He might not be aware of it himself, but the most familiar space for him would be the place where he was raised as an assassin. Naturally, he would think of it as the safest place.”

“So he will definitely pass through Padang?”

“Yes! He must have passed through Padang on his way out as well.”

“Mm!”

Jeong Hwa let out a low hum.

She was well aware that Yong Seol Lan was brilliant.

If not, Guhwa Satae would not have skipped over the ranks and taken such a young disciple as her direct disciple. But she truly had not known that her mind was this sharp.

‘She’s a bitch who truly has everything.’

This hot emotion welling up from the depths of her heart was clearly jealousy. But Jeong Hwa suppressed her jealousy tightly.

All the disciples were watching.

She could not lose face by showing a pathetic side of herself, jealous of a younger Junior Martial Sister.

Jeong Hwa forced a calm expression and said.

“Your words have merit. Very well! I will follow your words. But if your judgment is wrong and we lose the assassin, I will hold you responsible. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

Yong Seol Lan nodded obediently without a single trace of fear on her face. Her demeanor infuriated Jeong Hwa even more.

Jeong Hwa issued an order to her disciples.

“We will go to Padang first and wait for the assassin.”

“Yes!”

Jeong Hwa and the Emei Sect martial artists mounted the horses they had prepared in advance.

Dozens of horses galloped toward Padang at full speed.

Pyo Wol’s face was filled with exhaustion.

Even for Pyo Wol, who boasted a constitution of steel, a forced march without a single proper rest was causing his stamina to deplete.

His entire body was covered in numerous wounds.

They were injuries sustained while breaking through the Celestial Net.

Pyo Wol had tried to break through the Celestial Net without fighting if possible, but that was impossible from the start.

The only fortunate thing was that none of the injuries he sustained were fatal enough to impede his Movement Technique.

If he had his way, he would want to hide somewhere and rest. But with the Celestial Net tightening ever more densely, resting now was no different from suicide.

Pyo Wol moved without rest.

He had a clear destination.

He was using all his six senses to find his way to his destination.

Immediately after leaving the underground cavern, the Bloody Shadows Guild had transported the children in a carriage with no view of the outside.

During the long journey, they couldn’t see the scenery outside, nor did they know which path they were taking.

They had to entrust their bodies to the swaying carriage in the deep darkness. Pyo Wol was no exception. However, while resting as much as possible, he tried not to miss a single moment of the outside situation.

Although he was inside the carriage, all his senses were wide open.

He memorized all the environmental changes, such as the condition of the road, the smell in the air, the humidity, and the sounds.

Pyo Wol was finding his way based on all that information.

He didn’t even know the name of the place he was passing through now.

He didn’t know where this road led either. But he knew instinctively that if he followed it, he could reach the place where he had received his training.

Pyo Wol trusted his instincts and his senses.

After living in darkness for seven years, his senses had become preternaturally sharp.

The reason he had been able to survive until now was thanks to his senses, which were more accurate than a beast’s.

As he broke through the Celestial Net, Pyo Wol’s senses became even more sensitive and sharp. It seemed he was advancing further while experiencing a life-and-death crisis.

‘Not far now.’

Pyo Wol smelled the air.

It was full of moisture, mixed with a unique musty smell. It was a smell he had encountered while riding in the carriage.

Pyo Wol instinctively felt that his destination was near.

In the distance, a large village came into view.

He didn’t know the name of the village, but he knew he had to bypass it.

The problem was the large river that ran in front of the village.

A large river, over twenty Zhang wide, flowed majestically in front of the village.

The only fortunate thing was that there was a bridge leading to the village.

Pyo Wol had almost reached the bridge.

Dududu!

Suddenly, a strong vibration was felt from the ground.

Looking back, he saw a group of people kicking up dust as they galloped toward him.

“There he is.”

“Get him!”

The ones charging forward with a roar were the martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect, led by Mujeong Jin-in.

The Qingcheng Sect martial artists had moved without a single moment’s rest and had finally caught up to Pyo Wol. The moment he saw the Taoist robes they wore, Pyo Wol recognized their identity.

‘Qingcheng Sect!’

He knew they would surely pursue him, but to be caught up so quickly was beyond his expectations.

Although there was still a great distance between them, he could feel a terrible killing intent.

It was the killing intent emanating from Mujeong Jin-in, who was at the forefront.

The moment he saw him, Pyo Wol felt a strong sense of crisis.

He instinctively realized that he was an Expert on a different level from any martial artist he had faced so far.

‘An opponent I can’t handle right now.’

His skin tingled as if being pricked by an awl.

And this was with a distance of over a hundred Zhang still between them.

He must not face him.

Pyo Wol turned his body and sprinted at full speed.

“Do you dare think you can escape my grasp?”

Mujeong Jin-in let out a lion’s roar and threw his sword.

Swish!

His sword flew the distance of over a hundred Zhang in an instant.

Pyo Wol twisted his body at the last second to dodge Mujeong Jin-in’s sword.

Crash!

Mujeong Jin-in’s sword embedded itself deep into the bridge floor with a loud bang.

Pyo Wol felt goosebumps all over his body.

It was clear as day what the result would have been if he had been too slow to dodge and the sword had struck his body.

‘If I’m caught like this, I’ll die.’

A strong sense of crisis made Pyo Wol move even faster. But he had to stop when he almost reached the end of the bridge.

It was because a new group of martial artists had appeared from the opposite side.

The group, composed mainly of women, was the Emei Sect.

“He’s appeared.”

The one who shouted in a sharp voice from the front was Jeong Hwa.

Thick dust sat on the heads and shoulders of Jeong Hwa and the Emei Sect disciples. It was because they had ridden their horses nonstop for a full half-day.

They had galloped at full speed, to the point that even the horses were exhausted and collapsing. Thanks to that, they were able to arrive at Padang before Pyo Wol and wait.

When Pyo Wol actually appeared, Jeong Hwa couldn’t hide her surprise. It was because Yong Seol Lan’s prediction had been correct.

While marveling anew at Yong Seol Lan’s talent, she issued an order to her disciples.

“We must kill him before the Qingcheng Sect captures him.”

“Yes!”

The disciples of the Emei Sect rushed toward Pyo Wol all at once.

The Qingcheng Sect was charging from behind, and the disciples of the Emei Sect were charging from the front.

As befitting martial artists of the powers that dominated Sichuan Province, a fearsome Qi could be felt from them. Both factions harbored immense hostility toward Pyo Wol.

Their hostility and killing intent were vividly felt, carried on the air.

Pyo Wol did not hesitate and jumped into the river.

“Get him! He must not be allowed to escape.”

“Hurry and pursue!”

Among the disciples of the Emei and Qingcheng sects, those skilled in diving and Hand Arts followed Pyo Wol and jumped into the river.

There was not a hint of hesitation in their actions.

A madness even crept into the faces of those who dove in to chase Pyo Wol.

“He’s going upstream. Everyone, after him!”

Pyo Wol dived deep into the water to move, but Mujeong Jin-in, with his superhuman Eye Power, figured out the direction Pyo Wol was moving.

The Qingcheng Sect martial artists who hadn’t managed to jump into the water immediately ran along the riverbank.

The Emei Sect martial artists who arrived late hurriedly followed the Qingcheng Sect martial artists.

Jeong Hwa approached Mujeong Jin-in and greeted him.

No matter how urgent the situation, Mujeong Jin-in’s rank was much higher, so she had to pay her respects.

“Jeong Hwa of the Emei Sect greets Mujeong Jin-in of the Qingcheng Sect.”

“You’ve come too. Is Elder Yeongsa well?”

“Yes! Thanks to your concern, she is well. My Master expressed her condolences for Woo Gongja’s death and ordered us to provide as much help as possible to the Qingcheng Sect.”

“That is a grateful thing. Please convey that I will never forget this favor.”

“Yes! I will be sure to deliver the True Person’s words.”

“But how did the Emei Sect figure out the assassin’s route in advance and arrive here first?”

Mujeong Jin-in’s eyes glinted sharply.

Although his gaze felt eerie, Jeong Hwa forced a calm expression.

“Our youngest Junior Martial Sister deduced it.”

“Deduced it?”

“Yes! She synthesized various pieces of circumstantial evidence and predicted he would escape this way.”

“Is she the young lady who was in marriage talks with Gun-sang?”

“That is correct.”

“A pity! If such a child had become Gun-sang’s wife, it would have been a great fortune for all of Sichuan Province.”

“I think so too.”

“I would like to see that child separately later. Would that be alright?”

“Of course.”

“This conversation has gone on too long. Let’s continue after we catch that assassin.”

“Yes! Then I will be on my way.”

Jeong Hwa gave Mujeong Jin-in a Fist-Palm Salute and ran ahead.

Mujeong Jin-in watched Jeong Hwa’s receding back and muttered.

“They have some other ulterior motive.”

The Emei Sect he knew was not such a cooperative sect.

Especially as the Qingcheng Sect rapidly expanded its power, the Emei Sect had felt a sense of crisis and had checked them at every turn.

Although a friendly atmosphere had formed recently due to the marriage talks, they were fundamentally always wary of the Qingcheng Sect.

For such an Emei Sect to take the initiative in catching an assassin like this?

It didn’t make sense.

The Emei Sect Mujeong Jin-in knew was not a sect that would actively engage in something with no benefit.

For them to act like this was proof that they had some other ulterior motive.

‘Or perhaps they have something to hide?’

Mujeong Jin-in’s sharp gaze persistently followed Jeong Hwa and the Emei Sect disciples.