Chapter 411

“A familiar scent? Do you mean you know them?”

“No, they are steeped in a familiar scent.”

“Is that so?”

If anyone else had said it, he would have just let it go, but the one who spoke was the Ghost King. He might be suffering from memory loss, but he was not one to lie.

Yong Seol Lan asked cautiously.

“Is it possible to smell them from this distance?”

“It is!”

“What? How can you be so sure?”

“Because I can smell it too.”

“……”

At Pyo Wol’s answer, Yong Seol Lan was at a loss for words.

She knew he had long since transcended human limits, but she had never imagined he possessed senses on the same level as the Ghost King.

Pyo Wol stared intently at the thirty Martial Artists.

Although they were scattered and resting, they had not let their guard down for a single moment.

Their sharp eyes scanned their surroundings, and all their senses were wide open.

They were clearly an elite group that had undergone harsh training.

Pyo Wol asked Yong Seol Lan.

“Can you tell who they are?”

“Not at all.”

Yong Seol Lan shook her head.

Although she had settled in the slash-and-burn village, she knew nothing about the sects in the area. She had completely lost interest.

Furthermore, as far as she knew, the area was too remote to meet the conditions for a Jianghu sect to establish itself.

It might be different in a bustling city, but there was no reason for a proper sect to exist in such a remote place.

The very fact that Martial Artists of this caliber had entered such a deserted, remote area was a very special event.

The Ghost King was glaring at the Martial Artists.

Ghost Fire flickered in his eyes, as if he were about to leap out at any moment.

Pyo Wol stopped the Ghost King.

“Hold back for now!”

“Why? Wouldn’t it be better to deal with them right away?”

“Look at the atmosphere. They’re a tough bunch. Well-trained. Guys like that won’t talk just because you threaten them.”

“Then?”

“We follow them quietly. There’s a high chance their destination is the place you’re looking for. The scent probably clung to them there.”

“I understand.”

The Ghost King nodded, convinced by Pyo Wol’s words.

Pyo Wol then looked at Yong Seol Lan.

“You should go back.”

“I can’t do that. This is my business.”

“If you get involved in this, the quiet life you worked so hard to find could be shattered.”

“It’s already too late. A villager is dead, how can I pretend not to know? I can’t do that.”

Yong Seol Lan said firmly.

Pyo Wol looked at her face for a moment.

It was filled with stubbornness.

It was clear she wouldn’t listen to anything he said.

“Alright. I’ll accept your decision.”

“Thank you.”

“But you have to listen to me.”

“Don’t worry. I know your abilities better than anyone. I’ll make sure I’m never a hindrance.”

“Mm!”

Pyo Wol nodded.

He knew Yong Seol Lan’s Martial Arts well.

Although she had put down her sword for a long time, there was no way she would be a hindrance.

Pyo Wol observed the men closely.

＊＊＊

At the center of the men was a middle-aged man in his early forties.

His strong, leopard-like features and tightly pressed lips showed just how stubborn he was.

A half-broken saber hung at the man’s waist. The saber, which looked as if it had been broken long ago, dangled loosely from his waist without a scabbard.

The man suddenly called out to someone.

“You there!”

“Yes?”

“You… mean us?”

The men who were pointed out were startled.

The man beckoned with his finger. Three men cautiously approached him.

“You reek of blood. Did you kill someone?”

“Yes!”

A look of astonishment flashed across the men’s faces.

It had been several days since they had killed someone. Even if the Blood Scent had clung to their bodies then, it should have all disappeared by now.

Yet, the man had accurately smelled the Blood Scent on their bodies.

The man asked.

“Why?”

“He noticed we were buying up Fire Heart Grass.”

“How? There should be almost no one who knows of the existence of Fire Heart Grass.”

“He was a resident of the slash-and-burn village. It seems he knew about it from being around Medicinal Herbs since he was young.”

“What a coincidence.”

“Yes! So we had no choice but to kill him.”

“And the cleanup?”

“It was done perfectly. We dumped the body far from the main road, so there’s no way it will be discovered.”

Despite the men’s answers, the man’s expression did not soften.

The man knew the men’s dispositions well.

They were the type to cause many problems due to their excessively cruel nature. When they killed someone, they didn’t end it painlessly, but rather tormented them until they died, like a cat playing with a mouse, just to feel satisfied.

Those who met their end at their hands all died writhing in agony.

“Everyone, restrain yourselves until we reach our destination.”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

The men answered, bowing their heads.

Fear was evident on their bowed faces. And for good reason, as the man before them was no ordinary person.

Phantom Demon Blade, Jang Sachun.

His name was rustic, but his Martial Arts were truly terrifying.

In particular, the saber technique he performed with his half-broken saber was so chillingly fearsome that it struck fear into many.

Countless people had lost their lives to that half-broken saber. Anyone who had ever witnessed how he killed the Martial Artists who stood against him could not help but feel great fear towards him.

Jang Sachun was not someone to be deployed on a mission like this. But various circumstances had aligned to bring him here, and he was temporarily leading these men.

Even the men, who prided themselves on having lived rough lives, couldn’t even breathe loudly in front of Jang Sachun.

Jang Sachun spoke to the men under his command.

“Three days! In three more days, we will reach our destination. I hope no one acts out of line until then. Let’s move out.”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

His Subordinates answered vigorously and mounted their horses.

Jang Sachun also mounted his horse and looked around.

After confirming that no one was around, Jang Sachun lightly kicked the horse’s flank. The horse shot forward at a fast speed.

His Subordinates followed behind him.

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol’s group trailed Jang Sachun and his Subordinates from a distance.

At a glance, Jang Sachun’s aura was extraordinary. Fearing that Jang Sachun might notice them if they got too close, they deliberately kept their distance.

It was not difficult to follow the tracks left by thirty men and horses.

The tracks of the galloping horses were clearly left on the ground. It was impossible to lose them even if they tried.

They rode like that for two days.

Jang Sachun’s group ventured deeper and deeper into the Wulin.

The trees and grass grew denser, making it difficult to travel on horseback.

The deeper they went into the Wulin, the stranger the Ghost King’s reactions became.

He spent more and more time in a daze.

It was a good thing he was connected to Pyo Wol by the Silver Thread; otherwise, he would have been left behind or gotten lost.

Pyo Wol asked the Ghost King.

“Are you alright?”

“The familiar scent is getting stronger.”

“Is that so?”

“I have definitely been here before.”

The Ghost King’s voice was filled with conviction.

Pyo Wol looked at him and thought.

‘It seems we’ve come to the right place.’

He didn’t know what was here, but it was clearly the place the Ghost King was looking for.

It was then.

Swaaaa!

Without warning, it suddenly began to pour rain.

Yong Seol Lan couldn’t hide her perplexed expression.

“The tracks are being washed away.”

The tracks of Jang Sachun and his Subordinates were being washed away by the rain.

The heavy downpour quickly turned the ground muddy, concealing any trace of human passage.

It happened so suddenly that even Pyo Wol couldn’t do anything about it.

Yong Seol Lan said.

“We have to follow them quickly.”

“It’s fine.”

“Why?”

“It won’t be easy for them to move through such a heavy downpour either. They’re surely resting somewhere. If we move recklessly, we might reveal our presence to them, so it’s better for us to rest as well.”

“What about the tracks? They’re all being erased.”

“I can find them even without something like that.”

“Right…”

Yong Seol Lan was easily convinced.

Only then did she once again realize what kind of being Pyo Wol was.

Yong Seol Lan said.

“Let’s take shelter from the rain too. That place over there looks good.”

She pointed to a large rock on high ground.

The space under the rock, as large as a pavilion, was hollowed out, so the rain did not pour in.

The three of them immediately moved under the rock.

The space under the rock was cozier than expected.

Dry branches were laid out in the shape of a nest on the ground, as if it had been an animal’s den. But the animal seemed to have moved on, as it was nowhere to be seen.

Pyo Wol gathered the branches on the ground and started a fire.

At the warmth of the bonfire, Yong Seol Lan’s face showed relief.

She could have dried the moisture on her body with her Internal Energy at any time, but it didn’t provide the same comforting feeling as the heat from a bonfire.

The bonfire itself was nothing special, but it had a strange power to calm people.

Yong Seol Lan circulated her Internal Energy to dry all the moisture from her body, then squatted in front of the bonfire.

The Ghost King, as always, crouched in a corner. The warmth of the bonfire seemed to have no effect on his mind.

Yong Seol Lan suddenly realized that Pyo Wol was gone. He had lit the bonfire and disappeared somewhere.

‘When?’

Yong Seol Lan’s eyebrows trembled.

No matter how preoccupied she had been with circulating her Internal Energy, she was shocked that she hadn’t noticed Pyo Wol’s disappearance at all.

‘He’s become even more stealthy than before.’

He had been incredible when dealing with the Emei Sect, but she couldn’t even guess how much more incredible he had become now.

Yong Seol Lan waited for Pyo Wol to return while warming herself by the bonfire.

In her line of sight, she saw someone approaching through the downpour.

It was Pyo Wol, who had vanished so suddenly.

In Pyo Wol’s hand was a rather large rabbit.

It was already skinned, as if he had already prepared it.

Pyo Wol entered the space under the rock, skewered the rabbit meat on a branch, and placed it over the bonfire.

“Did you go hunting?”

“One must eat well when resting.”

Pyo Wol sat down in front of Yong Seol Lan.

He circulated his Internal Energy to dry the moisture from his entire body, just as Yong Seol Lan had done.

He watched the moisture evaporate into steam for a moment before turning his gaze back to the bonfire.

The rabbit meat was sizzling as it cooked in the intense heat.

It seemed it would be ready to eat with just a little more waiting.

Having eaten nothing all day, everyone was quite hungry.

When the rabbit meat was finally cooked, Pyo Wol divided it into three pieces and gave them to Yong Seol Lan and the Ghost King.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll eat well.”

The two began their meal with words of thanks. But Pyo Wol could not.

He felt a strange sensation from his chest.

Twitch!

The Ghost Fang, which had been completely still until now, began to move quietly.