Chapter 381

In that moment, Deung Cheolung froze.

Like a mouse before a snake, he couldn’t move a muscle.

His throat tightened, and it felt as if he couldn’t even breathe without Pyo Wol’s permission. He had never felt such pressure in his life.

It was all because of Pyo Wol’s voice.

It wasn’t particularly laced with killing intent or threat. And yet, this was its effect.

Deung Cheolung felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine. He prayed that Pyo Wol’s voice was not directed at him.

Unfortunately, the heavens did not grant his wish.

Pyo Wol was looking directly at him.

Deung Cheolung asked cautiously.

“Are you… talking to me?”

“You’re the Boss of the Blood Phantom Organization, aren’t you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“It seems to me that you are at the heart of this situation.”

In that instant, Deung Cheolung felt the hair on his entire body stand on end.

The words were out of the blue, but he understood what Pyo Wol was trying to say. Still, he forced a laugh and said.

“Haha! I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Are you trying to escape the pressure from the Jewon Merchant Group by dragging in the Righteous Sword Manor?”

“……”

“Quite clever.”

At Pyo Wol’s words, which seemed to see through everything, Deung Cheolung’s expression contorted. He instinctively knew that any denial here would be useless.

“I… I have to survive, don’t I?”

“So you did it to survive?”

“Isn’t that what life is all about? You have to struggle just to maintain the status quo. It’s the same for me. I believe someone like you, Great Hero Pyo, would understand what I’m saying. Well then…”

Deung Cheolung made a Fist-Palm Salute and hurriedly dashed outside.

He mingled with the swordsmen of the Righteous Sword Manor to leave the Southern Sky Inn, preventing Pyo Wol from making a move.

Pyo Wol silently watched Deung Cheolung’s receding back.

Yong Hasang looked at Pyo Wol with a strange expression.

“He seems like a nobody. Why are you staring at him so intently?”

“Sometimes, it’s the ones who go unnoticed that make a situation worse.”

“He’s nothing but a rat. I think you’re being too sensitive.”

“Sometimes, a hole dug by a rat can bring down an entire embankment.”

“You worry too much. If he bothers you that much, just kill him and be done with it.”

Yong Hasang said, as if it were no big deal.

He couldn’t understand Pyo Wol.

In his eyes, Deung Cheolung was truly a nobody. There was no reason for someone with Pyo Wol’s level of martial arts and fame to pay him any mind.

Yong Hasang thought Pyo Wol wasn’t bold enough. But he didn’t commit the folly of revealing his thoughts.

Namgung Wol approached Pyo Wol and greeted him.

“It’s been a while.”

“Did you come because of the Righteous Sword Manor?”

“Yes!”

“A pointless endeavor.”

“I know they wouldn’t have been much of a threat to you, Great Hero Pyo. But if we let them be, the people who decided to join our side would surely become anxious, so I had no choice.”

“Thorough.”

“Compared to the Golden Sky Society, our Silver Lotus Society is lacking in many ways. We’re already at a disadvantage, so won’t people follow us only if we take care of things like this?”

“Are you really planning to fight them head-on? You must still be at a great disadvantage.”

“But if we stay still, we’ll fall even further behind. If we do nothing just because we’re lacking, just because it’s hard, we’ll never get a chance to turn the tables.”

Pyo Wol nodded, understanding Namgung Wol’s words.

If they lost the initial momentum, there was a high chance they would be routed without ever putting up a proper fight.

Even if their forces were currently insufficient, they had to show a bold front.

“Geom-woo started the Golden Sky Society this way too. He was lacking in many things back then. But he did it. I believe we can do it too.”

“Hm!”

Pyo Wol felt that Namgung Wol was a much greater figure than he had thought. He knew he was a talented individual, but he hadn’t realized he had such great ambition and foresight.

‘He has the makings of a hero.’

Just the fact that he had organized the Silver Lotus Society with Yong Hasang as its Society Leader showed how remarkable he was.

It was then.

“It’s been a long time, Brother Yong. Brother Namgung!”

Yoo Soo-hwan’s voice came from behind Pyo Wol.

The moment they saw him, Yong Hasang and Namgung Wol’s eyes widened.

“Well, who is this? Isn’t it Brother Yoo?”

“Brother Yoo, how?”

Yong Hasang and Namgung Wol stared at Yoo Soo-hwan in astonishment.

As members of the Three Hegemons, they were acquainted with each other.

Namgung Wol asked.

“My, why do you look so haggard? What on earth happened?”

“Things happened. If it weren’t for Great Hero Pyo, I wouldn’t be alive and well to meet you two like this.”

“It seems we have a lot to talk about.”

Namgung Wol had Yoo Soo-hwan sit down.

He had come here with various purposes, but the moment he saw Yoo Soo-hwan’s haggard appearance, all such calculations vanished from his mind.

Yong Hasang and Yeom Huisu also sensed that the situation was taking an unusual turn. The Yoo Soo-hwan they knew was a martial artist who hid a strong will beneath a gentle exterior.

The very fact that he had appeared in such a haggard state was proof that something had gone wrong.

Yong Hasang cut to the chase.

“What happened?”

“I was trapped in a place called the Jade of No Regret.”

“The Jade of No Regret?”

“A Thunder Prison. Once you’re trapped, you can never escape.”

“Such a place exists in Jianghu?”

“I didn’t know either until I was captured. Only after being imprisoned did I realize such a heinous place existed. If Great Hero Pyo hadn’t rescued me, I’d still be there, barely breathing, in a state worse than an animal.”

“Hmm! Hard to believe.”

Yong Hasang wore a look of disbelief. But he knew better than anyone that Yoo Soo-hwan was not one to lie.

The three men listened intently to Yoo Soo-hwan’s story.

Pyo Wol quietly slipped out of the room.

＊＊＊

After leaving the inn, Pyo Wol headed straight for the Jewon Merchant Group.

The Jewon Merchant Group he saw after a month had changed a lot.

The biggest change was the security.

Numerous martial artists were stationed at the main gate, and there were others standing guard on top of the walls.

As a stranger approached, the martial artists guarding the main gate tensed up.

“Halt.”

“Wait!”

At that moment, someone shot out from among the martial artists.

It was the Steward of the Jewon Merchant Group.

The Steward hurriedly approached Pyo Wol and bowed.

“Greetings, Great Hero Pyo. I heard the news that you had returned.”

“The situation seems to be quite bad.”

“Yes! Not only our ships, but our convoys traveling by land have also been attacked. Because of that, all the leaders of the Jewon Merchant Group are gathered right now to formulate a plan.”

No one had expected the situation to deteriorate so quickly.

The most troublesome thing was that the Jewon Merchant Group’s movements were being thoroughly monitored by someone.

“The Blood Phantom Organization is the problem.”

“That’s what we’ve determined as well. The damage caused by those rat-like bastards is immense.”

The Steward’s face was filled with rage.

The current situation of being swayed by the likes of the Blood Phantom Organization infuriated him and the martial artists of the Jewon Merchant Group.

If he could have his way, he would beat Deung Cheolung to death right now, but Deung Cheolung was using the Righteous Sword Manor as a shield while he himself operated strictly from the shadows.

Moreover, the bastard was cunningly moving his residence every day. Because of this, the Jewon Merchant Group couldn’t track Deung Cheolung’s whereabouts and was at a loss.

“For now, I will escort you inside. Please, come in.”

“Mm!”

The Steward escorted Pyo Wol to the Guest Reception Hall of the Jewon Merchant Group.

The Guest Reception Hall, where guests were received, was nothing short of magnificent.

It was made as lavish as possible to show off the wealth and power of the Jewon Merchant Group to outside guests.

Pyo Wol sat in the seat the Steward guided him to and waited for Ju Seol-pung to arrive. But someone else came before him.

An old woman with a face full of deep wrinkles.

It was the true owner of the Jewon Merchant Group, Noh Taetae.

She smiled and said.

“I heard you returned. It’s true.”

“Weren’t you at the Hall of Aging Together?”

“My son and grandson brought me here, saying it was dangerous. I came in because I didn’t want to worry my children.”

Noh Taetae smiled brightly.

Despite being over a hundred years old, her eyes were still clear and deep. She looked at Pyo Wol with a warm gaze, as if looking at her own grandson.

Pyo Wol found such a gaze very unfamiliar.

The gazes of the people he had met until now were mostly the same.

They looked at him with eyes full of fear or alienation, and were wary. Of course, there were people who weren’t like that, but even they hadn’t shown a favorable attitude towards Pyo Wol from the beginning.

But Noh Taetae was different.

From the first time she saw Pyo Wol, she had looked at him with such a warm gaze. The gaze was burdensome, but he didn’t dislike it.

“Good.”

“Hehe! It was the right thing to do, wasn’t it? When an old person is stubborn for no reason, the young ones suffer.”

“Wise.”

“To hear that from the Reaper of All Under Heaven, I feel strangely pleased. Hehe!”

Noh Taetae beamed.

She seemed genuinely happy.

Seeing an old woman who had lived several times longer than him react this way, it was Pyo Wol who was rather flustered.

Just then, the door opened and Ju Seol-pung entered.

He was slightly surprised to see Noh Taetae.

“Oh, Great-grandmother, you were here?”

“I was keeping Great Hero Pyo company for a bit before you came. Though in truth, I was probably bothering him.”

“Haha! Great-grandmother…”

Ju Seol-pung laughed at Noh Taetae’s jest.

She grabbed Pyo Wol’s hand with her wrinkled one and said.

“Now that you’re here, I should get going. Great Hero Pyo, please take good care of our Seol-pung.”

“……”

“Since his Blood Qi is vigorous, he might make frequent mistakes and poor judgments. Still, please look upon him generously and guide him well.”

Noh Taetae gave Pyo Wol’s hand one last firm squeeze before leaving.

Ju Seol-pung sat in her place and said.

“Please don’t pay too much mind to my great-grandmother’s words. It’s just a formality, spoken out of affection for her great-grandson.”

“Did the meeting go well?”

“Phew! How could it? There are just too many differing opinions.”

“Is that so?”

“As large as the merchant group is, there are many people in charge. The Hall Leaders who lead the trade expeditions, the Escort Chief, the ship captains, so many people gather for meetings that it’s hard to reach a consensus easily.”

Although Ju Seol-pung’s grandfather was the Unit Leader of the Jewon Merchant Group, he couldn’t make all decisions autocratically.

His role was to gather everyone’s opinions and make the most rational judgment.

It might seem frustrating at a glance, but since the livelihoods of so many people were at stake, he had no choice but to be cautious.

Ju Seol-pung, who had also attended the meeting, was completely drained. That was why as soon as he heard Pyo Wol had arrived, he asked for his grandfather’s understanding and slipped out.

“Was the matter you left for resolved well?”

“For the most part…”

“But you have an unsettled expression.”

“Do I?”

“You do.”

Ju Seol-pung replied with a smile.

Pyo Wol thought that might be the case.

He had destroyed the Jade of No Regret, but once again, the connection to the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild had vanished.

By the time Pyo Wol, Yoo Soo-hwan, and the others got out, the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild had already erased all traces and disappeared.

With even the Jade of No Regret destroyed, there was no evidence left that they had ever existed.

The men who had been imprisoned in the Jade of No Regret were the only witnesses who could reveal their existence, but they had all returned to their respective sects.

Even if they testified, it was uncertain if people would believe them. They were all people who had long been erased from their sects.

For now, the only people he could trust were Hong Yushin and So Gyeoksan.

Hong Yushin was the Surveillance Chief of the Hao Clan.

Having been imprisoned in the Jade of No Regret himself, he had no choice but to be certain of the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild’s existence.

The reason Hong Yushin had hurried back to the Hao Clan was to re-examine from the beginning all the information he had previously overlooked.

The amount of information that entered the Hao Clan’s main headquarters in a single day exceeded a cartload. A year’s worth would be enough to fill a massive warehouse.

In the Hao Clan’s main headquarters, there was a Secret Depot where summaries of such information were stored.

Hong Yushin planned to check if there was anything he had missed in the reports so far.

While Hong Yushin delved into the information, the one in charge of direct pursuit was So Gyeoksan.

He had lost everything to the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild.

Naturally, his grudge pierced the heavens. So he set out to track the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild himself.

—I will find them, no matter what.

Those were So Gyeoksan’s words just before he parted with Pyo Wol.

And so, So Gyeoksan had returned to being the assassin raised in that underground cavern.