Chapter 390

BANG!

Yong Hasang slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

“What do you mean? The Seven Sages Scholar has been killed?”

“I just received the report myself, so I don’t know the details.”

“My god!”

At Namgung Wol’s reply, Yong Hasang let out a groan. The death of the Seven Sages Scholar was that shocking.

The Seven Sages Scholar was a martial artist respected by all, regardless of whether they were orthodox or unorthodox.

It was impossible to even guess what kind of impact his death would have on the Jianghu.

“We shouldn’t be standing around here. Let’s go to the docks. I hear his disciples are there.”

“Let’s go!”

The two men hurried to the docks.

A large crowd had already gathered at the docks.

Most of them had rushed over after hearing the news about the Seven Sages Scholar.

“Let us through.”

“Please clear a path.”

Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang pushed their way through the crowd. When they finally made it to the front with great difficulty, they could see them.

The disciples, surrounding the body of the Seven Sages Scholar and shedding tears.

“Master!”

“Sob!”

Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang were about to approach them but stopped in their tracks. It was because there was an unexpected person by the Seven Sages Scholar’s side.

“Jang… Ho-yeon?”

The person standing beside the disciples of the Seven Sages Scholar was none other than Jang Ho-yeon of the Righteous Sword Manor.

Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions, as they had not expected Jang Ho-yeon’s appearance at all.

Namgung Wol asked without realizing it.

“Why are you with them?”

“Because I invited him.”

“What?”

“I said, I invited the Seven Sages Scholar here.”

“You invited the Seven Sages Scholar?”

Namgung Wol blinked.

For a moment, he couldn’t comprehend what Jang Ho-yeon was saying. Jang Ho-yeon sneered at him and said.

“That’s right! I invited him.”

“Why would you?”

“Why? I asked him to mediate with the Silver Lotus Society.”

“Mediate? You?”

Namgung Wol muttered with a look of disbelief.

Jang Ho-yeon put on a sad expression.

“Yes! No matter how much I thought about it, a clash with the Silver Lotus Society would only weaken the spirit of the Jianghu. So I asked the Seven Sages Scholar. I told him that if he mediated, the Silver Lotus Society would surely listen. The Seven Sages Scholar gladly accepted my request. He said he would mediate with the Silver Lotus Society, even if it meant sacrificing himself. But… he has passed away like this. Assassinated by an assassin in the middle of Poyang Lake, no less.”

As Jang Ho-yeon delivered his impassioned speech, his eyes had become bloodshot.

Thick teardrops fell from his bloodshot eyes.

Anyone could see that he was genuinely grieving the death of the Seven Sages Scholar. His appearance was enough to stir the hearts of many.

Jang Ho-yeon looked around at the heroes gathered at the docks and raised his voice even louder.

“Who on earth would send an assassin to kill the Seven Sages Scholar? That person must be someone who does not want peace between the Golden Sky Society and the Silver Lotus Society. Who would not want peace? It must be a greedy person. Who is greedy? Who is greedy for hegemony on the shores of Poyang Lake? Who…”

Jang Ho-yeon’s gaze was fixed on Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang.

Although he did not mention their names directly, it was clear that he was referring to the two of them.

The crowd’s attention naturally focused on Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang.

‘Damn it!’

Namgung Wol couldn’t hide his dismayed expression.

The atmosphere at the docks had completely shifted in Jang Ho-yeon’s favor.

Martial artists were, in many ways, emotional beings.

They were often swayed by momentary feelings rather than rational judgment.

That was the case for the people present here now.

They were naturally drawn in by Jang Ho-yeon’s indignant voice, and their emotions rose along with his. And they glared at the same spot Jang Ho-yeon was glaring at.

Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang were there.

There was no one who didn’t know that the two of them had created and were leading the Silver Lotus Society.

The thought that the Silver Lotus Society might have refused to negotiate with the Golden Sky Society and assassinated the Seven Sages Scholar naturally took root in their minds.

‘Cunning bastard…’

Namgung Wol shuddered at Jang Ho-yeon’s scheme.

He was exploiting the psychology that people believe only what they want to believe and see only what they want to see.

‘Could it be the assassin, too?’

The moment the question sprouted in Namgung Wol’s mind.

“You bastard! Don’t try to mislead people.”

With a roar, Yong Hasang launched himself at Jang Ho-yeon.

“Ah, no!”

Namgung Wol shouted belatedly, but it was no use.

Kwoaaa!

The force of the fist Yong Hasang unleashed descended upon Jang Ho-yeon.

“Hmph! Are you trying to kill and silence me because you’re afraid the truth will be revealed?”

Jang Ho-yeon snorted and assumed a defensive stance.

Kwaaang!

Yong Hasang’s fist was blocked by Jang Ho-yeon’s Sword Curtain.

At that moment, Namgung Wol squeezed his eyes shut.

Everyone had watched Yong Hasang attack Jang Ho-yeon.

The words ‘kill and silence’ that Jang Ho-yeon had mentioned would be imprinted on people’s minds.

Yong Hasang had simply attacked because he couldn’t contain his anger, but people would surely think he attacked Jang Ho-yeon to kill and silence him.

“Young Master Yong attacked Young Master Jang.”

“Did the Silver Lotus Society really hire an assassin to kill the Seven Sages Scholar?”

“Otherwise, there’s no reason to attack.”

The murmuring voices of the people stabbed into his ears like flying daggers.

Their voices made Yong Hasang even more furious.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would we kill the Seven Sages Scholar?”

“He must have been a nuisance. The existence of the Seven Sages Scholar…”

Jang Ho-yeon retorted while blocking Yong Hasang’s attack.

“We didn’t even know the Seven Sages Scholar was coming here. So how could we have ordered an assassination?”

“The one who ordered the assassination is not likely to speak honestly.”

“Don’t mislead people.”

“Who is misleading whom? Who attacked first? You’re attacking to shut my mouth because you have something to hide.”

“You bastard!”

Enraged by Jang Ho-yeon’s taunts, Yong Hasang attacked even more fiercely.

Kwaaang!

His ferocious attack destroyed the dock. But it didn’t inflict much damage on Jang Ho-yeon.

The two men’s martial arts were on par.

If Jang Ho-yeon decided to focus solely on defense, it would be impossible for even Yong Hasang to subdue him in a short time.

Jang Ho-yeon continued to speak as he deflected Yong Hasang’s attacks.

“Ah, didn’t you say you were close to a man called the Reaper? Did you commission him? To kill the Seven Sages Scholar.”

For a moment, Namgung Wol squeezed his eyes shut.

‘So this was it. He was targeting not only us but Great Hero Pyo as well.’

Only now could he see the grand picture Jang Ho-yeon had painted.

He didn’t think Jang Ho-yeon had come up with this on the spur of the moment. It was clearly something that had been planned for a long time.

The ones who would benefit the most from the Seven Sages Scholar being murdered by an assassin were Jang Ho-yeon and the Golden Sky Society.

Whatever the truth, people would think that the Silver Lotus Society had commissioned Pyo Wol to kill the Seven Sages Scholar.

Distorting the truth was easy, but clarifying it was dozens of times harder. The atmosphere had already turned in their favor.

‘Damn it!’

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol looked at the workshop.

The walls of the workshop he had returned to were miserably collapsed. The flames in the furnace, where the artisans had been sweating profusely while melting iron ingots, had long since died out.

Although it was a safe house set up for appearances, the artisans working here were real.

The fact that the artisans had abandoned the furnace and fled meant that something unusual had happened here.

Pyo Wol placed his hand on the furnace.

The fire was out, but there was still some warmth left. It meant they hadn’t been gone for long.

“To leave the safe house in a hurry means something has gone wrong. Did they fail the mission?”

“What mission did they fail?”

Just then, a calm voice was suddenly heard.

Pyo Wol was not surprised and looked behind him. Then he saw the beautiful woman he had seen once before.

“Namgung Seol.”

“Please tell me. What do you mean by failing the mission?”

Namgung Seol asked again in a calm voice.

It was a voice devoid of any emotion.

There was no sense of goodwill, nor was there any hostility. But it had a power that made the listener feel a strange sense of aversion.

Pyo Wol asked.

“Why did you come here?”

“Because the person I like most in this world asked for my help.”

“Your lover?”

“Think what you will. What’s important is that I was asked, and I need to find the people who were here. And as it happens, Great Hero Pyo is here. Are you perhaps connected to the people who were here?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I would appreciate it if Great Hero Pyo would answer honestly. Otherwise, the problem will become serious.”

“Are you forcing me?”

“You don’t know what happened at the docks just now, do you?”

“……”

“The Silver Lotus Society Leader Yong Hasang and Jang Ho-yeon of the Righteous Sword Manor, no, of the Golden Sky Society, had a major clash.”

“The reason?”

“The Seven Sages Scholar was assassinated by an assassin.”

“An assassin?”

“Yes! And in the middle of Poyang Lake, at that.”

At Namgung Seol’s answer, Pyo Wol easily deduced who the culprit was.

‘It’s Hong Ye-seol.’

In the vicinity, the only assassin besides himself with that level of killing method was Hong Ye-seol.

“The Seven Sages Scholar is a person of high virtue in the Jianghu. He accumulated a great deal of benevolence in his lifetime. His death…”

“Will bring great chaos to the Jianghu.”

“Exactly. The one who invited the Seven Sages Scholar to Poyang Lake was Jang Ho-yeon. The reason was to ask him to mediate between the Golden Sky Society and the Silver Lotus Society.”

“The justification must have shifted to Jang Ho-yeon’s side.”

For a moment, Namgung Seol felt goosebumps rise on her arms.

It was because Pyo Wol had seen through to the heart of the matter with just a few words of conversation.

Her gaze grew even colder.

‘This man is indeed dangerous.’

Her guard went up once again.

Namgung Seol tried hard to hide her inner thoughts and continued to speak calmly.

“That’s right. With the justification on his side, the Silver Lotus Society is now in a disadvantageous situation. Great Hero Pyo is in a difficult position as well.”

“Me?”

“Because the Seven Sages Scholar was killed by an assassin.”

“It seems I’ve been pointed out as the killer?”

“That’s right.”

“I have no reason to kill the Seven Sages Scholar.”

“You know very well that’s not what’s important. What’s important is that someone started the rumor, and people got swept up in the atmosphere.”

“Cunning.”

“Now, Great Hero Pyo is also a target of suspicion, or perhaps even a target for extermination. If you don’t reveal the truth, that is.”

Namgung Seol spoke the frightening words calmly, without batting an eye.

“Are you saying I could become a public enemy of the Jianghu?”

“As you’ve already experienced in Sichuan Province, it’s not that difficult to be designated a public enemy of the Jianghu. You just have to make most people want to kill you.”

“I don’t care if I become a public enemy of the Jianghu.”

“I know. I know you’re not someone who would bat an eye at such a threat. But as you’ve already experienced, becoming a public enemy of the Jianghu comes with many inconveniences. You can’t even dream of operating openly, and you have to live in the shadows forever. You won’t be able to operate with your face exposed like this.”

“So what are you trying to say?”

“It means that both the Silver Lotus Society and Great Hero Pyo are in a predicament. There is only one way to overcome this crisis. And that is to find the assassin who killed the Seven Sages Scholar and reveal the truth.”

Namgung Seol looked straight at Pyo Wol.

Her eyes were filled with conviction.

She was convinced that Pyo Wol knew the assassin who had ambushed the Seven Sages Scholar. Otherwise, there was no reason for Pyo Wol to have come here.

“Who is it? Who ambushed the Seven Sages Scholar?”

“I don’t know.”

“Please don’t be like this. I’m really trying to help you, Great Hero Pyo.”

“I decline that help.”

“I thought you were a reasonable person, but this is disappointing, Great Hero Pyo!”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

“You will surely regret today’s answer. Even if you don’t tell me, the assassin will be caught anyway. If they are caught by our hands, it will be impossible to resolve. Are you okay with that?”

Namgung Seol’s voice was calm. And chilling.