Chapter 396

“It really has collapsed.”

Eom So-so muttered, looking at the collapsed cliff.

She was at the site of the Jade of No Regret, deep within Mount Longhu.

Just as the letter had reported, the Jade of No Regret had completely collapsed. It was covered by such an enormous amount of rock that even if there were survivors, escape seemed impossible.

An ordinary person would have thought this level of confirmation was enough, but Eom So-so was different.

“Sea Mist Unit.”

“Yes!”

At her call, a group of martial artists appeared without a sound.

They all had their faces covered with masks.

The martial artists, wearing demon masks with horns on their foreheads, were the Sea Mist Unit. They were one of the Swordless Union’s secret forces.

Their main duties were tracking and execution.

As such, they possessed formidable martial power.

“There might be a secret passage, so search the area thoroughly.”

“As you command!”

Despite the order to search the vast Mount Longhu, they obeyed without a word of complaint.

That was their greatest strength.

The fact that they had no questions, yet possessed outstanding abilities as hunting dogs.

Eom So-so sat on a large rock and gazed at the entrance of the Jade of No Regret.

‘I should have just killed him back then.’

If she had been given full authority, she would have killed Yoo Soo-hwan.

That was how threatening a presence Yoo Soo-hwan was.

Yoo Soo-hwan himself was an excellent justification.

If he made up his mind and came to the forefront, many would follow him. If that happened, the Swordless Union would be split in two and fight amongst itself.

‘I must confirm his death with my own eyes.’

She felt she could only rest easy once she had confirmed Yoo Soo-hwan’s corpse.

Eom So-so waited for the Sea Mist Unit to return, not moving an inch.

She even passed the time by performing Qi Circulation.

More than three days passed like that in front of the Jade of No Regret.

Even the great Eom So-so’s patience was wearing thin.

It was then that the Sea Mist Unit Leader returned.

The Captain bowed his head and spoke cautiously.

“We have discovered a suspicious space. You will have to come with me.”

Eom So-so nodded and followed him.

The place the Sea Mist Unit Leader took Eom So-so to was the Nohye Stream, which wound around Mount Longhu.

The Nohye Stream was adjacent to the cliffs of Mount Longhu.

On days of heavy rain, waterfalls would even form, flowing from the cliffs into the Nohye Stream.

Eom So-so wore a puzzled expression.

This was because there was quite a distance between the Nohye Stream and the Jade of No Regret. However, knowing that the Sea Mist Unit would not guide her here for no reason, she followed them in silence.

The Sea Mist Unit began to climb the cliff connected to the Nohye Stream.

The cliff surface was covered in moss, making it extremely slippery. Because of this, ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to attempt climbing it.

However, Eom So-so and the Sea Mist Unit were far from ordinary people. They used the Wall Tiger Art to ascend the cliff without difficulty.

After climbing a short way up the cliff, the Sea Mist Unit Leader pointed to a certain spot.

“Look here.”

Where he pointed, there was a small cave.

It was a cave so narrow that a single child could barely squeeze through.

Eom So-so focused her Internal Energy into her eyes and peered inside the cave. But it was completely black, and she couldn’t guess where it ended.

It was at that moment.

Someone crawled out from inside the cave.

The person, covered head to toe in dirt, was a martial artist from the Sea Mist Unit.

While the Sea Mist Unit Leader had gone to fetch Eom So-so, one of the Sea Mist Unit martial artists had entered the cave.

He was the smallest and most agile member of the Sea Mist Unit. He came out and reported.

“The cave led towards the Jade of No Regret. However, it had collapsed in the middle, so I could not go any further.”

“There’s no proof that it connects to the Jade of No Regret, then.”

“That is correct. But I found this inside.”

The martial artist handed a scrap of cloth to Eom So-so.

Eom So-so furrowed her brow.

The fact that a scrap of cloth was inside the cave was proof that people had been there.

The martial artist’s words continued.

“Not only that, but there are traces inside the cave that suggest several people stayed there. Based on the footprints and handprints, it is estimated that there were more than ten people.”

“Hmm!”

Eom So-so let out an involuntary groan.

There was no evidence that Yoo Soo-hwan had stayed in here. There was also no certainty that the cave led all the way to the Jade of No Regret.

But if, by some chance, the cave did connect to the Jade of No Regret, and people had escaped through here, the problem would become serious.

If Yoo Soo-hwan was among them, it would be nothing short of a disaster.

If it became known that the Vice Lord of the Swordless Union, a prestigious sect in the Jianghu, had exiled his Senior Martial Brother to a place called the Jade of No Regret, they would not escape the condemnation of the Jianghu. In the worst-case scenario, the disciples of the Swordless Union might even reject Dokgo Hwang.

Such a worst-case scenario had to be prevented at all costs.

Eom So-so asked the Sea Mist Unit Leader.

“Can we find out where the people who escaped from here went?”

“Too much time has passed. All traces have been erased, so it is impossible.”

“If the ones trapped in the Jade of No Regret really did escape, they must have rested somewhere. Being trapped for a long time in a harsh environment like the Jade of No Regret would have taken a heavy toll on their bodies.”

“Understood. We will search the inns in the area.”

The Sea Mist Unit Leader ordered his subordinates to search the inns in the vicinity.

The Sea Mist Unit scattered in all four directions to find the inns.

There were quite a few inns near the Nohye Stream.

This was because many people came to see the beautiful scenery.

Because of that, it was bound to take a long time to search each and every inn.

Eom So-so waited with patience for the Sea Mist Unit to bring back good news.

Half a day passed like that.

“We found them.”

A martial artist from the Sea Mist Unit came running in a hurry.

“You found them?”

“Yes! Please follow me.”

The place the martial artist guided Eom So-so to was a shabby inn named the Splendid Flower Inn.

The Sea Mist Unit was guarding the entrance of the inn, and an old couple, who didn’t know what was going on, were trembling in fear.

“They say they received over a dozen guests on the day of the heavy rain.”

“Is that true?”

At the martial artist’s words, Eom So-so interrogated the old couple.

“It’s true. I remember it clearly because over a dozen people came.”

“Any distinguishing features?”

“Huh?”

“There must be a reason you remember them, right?”

“Th-their eyes were very frightening. Like wolves that had been starving for a very long time. They were also shabbily dressed, as if they had been locked up somewhere for a long time, and they were extremely thin. Oh, and they also said the outside air felt good.”

The old man answered, searching his memory.

“Extremely thin, you say?”

“Yes! Perhaps because of that, they devoured the food like they were possessed.”

The impression they left was so strong that he could still vividly remember their appearance.

The old man described the scene he had witnessed in detail.

Eom So-so’s expression stiffened.

The people the old man was describing perfectly matched the appearance of people who had been locked up in the Thunder Prison for a long time.

The last person, in particular, weighed on her mind.

He said that while the others left as soon as their bodies recovered, the last person had stayed for over a month and still hadn’t recovered. And his description matched that of Yoo Soo-hwan.

‘Is he really alive?’

Eom So-so bit her lip fiercely.

Perhaps the person the old man was talking about wasn’t Yoo Soo-hwan. Even if that were the case, she had to check first.

Eom So-so asked.

“Did you say the person who brought them was handsome?”

“Yes! He was clearly a man, but so beautiful, I thought no ordinary woman could compare.”

“A man more beautiful than a woman? Pyo Wol?”

Eom So-so’s expression contorted.

If her assumption was true, it was the absolute worst-case scenario.

“Did they say anything about where they were going?”

“I think I heard them say they were going to the pier.”

“The pier? If they take a boat from there, where does it go?”

“If you go down the river, you reach Poyang Lake. If you go up, you reach the mountains.”

“Poyang Lake?”

There was no need to think further.

Eom So-so tossed the old man a silver Nyang and left the inn.

She said to the Sea Mist Unit.

“We are going to Poyang Lake.”

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol looked around the old mansion.

It was structured with a central courtyard surrounded by the mansion. There was no separate wall, but its perfectly enclosed structure made it impossible to see inside from the outside.

On one side of the mansion, there was even a small stable.

Pyo Wol put his horse in the stable and then sat on the wooden floor in the middle of the courtyard.

The owners of this mansion were an old couple who had nothing to do with the Jianghu.

The old couple had felt great fear from the recent fights between martial artists that had occurred in Poyang Lake.

They had disposed of the mansion to escape the danger and left Poyang Lake. The one who bought the house they sold was none other than the Jewon Merchant Group.

Ju Seol-pung of the Jewon Merchant Group had provided Pyo Wol with the house he had bought for a pittance.

Originally, Pyo Wol had intended to stay at another inn. But all the innkeepers were reluctant to accept Pyo Wol.

Although they didn’t refuse him with words, their thoughts were revealed in their expressions and gazes.

The perception that trouble would erupt if they accepted Pyo Wol as a guest was ingrained in their minds.

Pyo Wol had no desire to stay at an inn that was actively rejecting him. Ju Seol-pung, knowing his situation, had offered him a mansion owned by the Jewon Merchant Group.

Since the old couple had left not long ago, the house was very clean.

Pyo Wol lay on the wooden floor and looked up at the sky.

He could see clouds flowing quickly across the square sky visible above the courtyard.

Pyo Wol rested his head on his arm and watched the clouds for a long time.

As he idly spent his time like that, the sun set and darkness fell before he knew it.

It was at that moment.

A single streak of red light entered Pyo Wol’s field of vision.

Poong!

The light, which had shot high into the night sky, exploded and created a burst of sparks.

It was a firework.

The moment he saw the firework, Pyo Wol shot up to his feet.

It was not an ordinary firework.

It was a firework mainly used for sending and receiving signals.

Pyo Wol leaped onto the roof of the mansion. The scenery around the shores of Poyang Lake came into view at a glance.

Poong!

He saw another firework exploding in the distance.

Just as Pyo Wol had expected, someone was clearly exchanging signals.

At that moment, another firework went off.

The path of the exploding fireworks formed a straight line. The speed at which the fireworks were exploding was also very fast.

Pyo Wol sensed that something was amiss.

Pyo Wol, who didn’t usually get involved in matters that didn’t concern him, was different this time.

For some reason, he felt he shouldn’t just let it go.

Pyo Wol kicked off the roof and soared into the air.

Flying lightly like a bird, Pyo Wol landed on the roof of the mansion across the way and began to run at a terrifying speed.

He dashed across the rooftops like a gale, but there was no sound of his footsteps, not even the rustle of his clothes.

It was a Soundless sprint.

No one noticed Pyo Wol’s dash.

Pyo Wol instantly caught up to the ones setting off the fireworks.

He could see martial artists running through the alley below.

They chattered on, unaware that Pyo Wol was watching them from above.

“That way.”

“The bastard turned north.”

Although they couldn’t match Pyo Wol, their Lightness Art was exceptionally skilled.

The narrow alley was full of obstacles, but they couldn’t slow their steps.

‘Elites!’

A martial artist with this level of Lightness Art could easily be classified as an elite in a major Jianghu sect.

It was by no means common for such individuals to be mobilized.

Pyo Wol carefully examined their appearance.

They were faces he had never seen before.

Not only were their faces unfamiliar, but the aura they emanated was also foreign.

At the very least, among the sects or martial artists Pyo Wol had met in Poyang Lake, none emanated such an aura.

That meant they had come from the outside.

Pyo Wol leaped and landed behind the martial artist running at the very back. Even though Pyo Wol had landed right behind him, the martial artist didn’t notice a thing.

Poong!

At that moment, another firework exploded.

The gazes of the martial artists sprinting through the alley turned towards the firework. They turned into an alley in the direction where the firework had exploded.

The martial artist at the rear also tried to turn the corner to follow his comrades.

Thwack!

At that moment, a firm hand snatched the nape of his neck.

It was Pyo Wol.

He pulled the martial artist straight back and threw him backward.

“Keuk!”

The martial artist slammed into a wall with a low scream.

It all happened in an instant.

His comrades, not even noticing that the martial artist had disappeared, were already far away.

The martial artist stood up, rubbing his neck.

“Who are you? How dare you interfere with the work of the Snow Flower Sword Squad.”