Chapter 59

Useon-ha was in Pyo Wol’s arms, naked without a single thread on her. A deep flush still lingered on her face.

She playfully touched Pyo Wol’s chest with her slender, white fingers.

“You’re such a bad boy.”

Useon-ha said, glancing sideways at Pyo Wol.

Her appearance was captivating enough to make any man fall for her. But Pyo Wol simply looked at her, his expression unchanging.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to see you for a while. A distinguished guest has arrived, so I can’t leave my post.”

“A distinguished guest?”

“I told you before, right? That Jeong Hwa, the great disciple of the Emei Sect, is my aunt. She came to the Hundred Flowers Room with her Junior Martial Sister. She’s so particular that I have to attend to her personally. Still, she’s fond of me, so she usually lets things slide.”

“Why is she here?”

“From what I hear, it’s to hire a group of wanderers called the Black Cloud Corps.”

“The Black Cloud Corps?”

“Yes! They’re said to be one of the top-tier wanderer groups in terms of strength. It seems the Emei Sect’s power is inferior to the Qingcheng Sect’s, so they had no choice but to make a contract. I heard the Unit Leader of the Black Cloud Corps is incredibly intelligent.”

Useon-ha chattered on, telling him everything down to the last detail, even things Pyo Wol hadn’t asked.

She had no awareness that she was leaking confidential information. She was simply rambling as things came to mind.

Thanks to her, Pyo Wol was able to gather a great deal of information while just lying there.

“Was there any talk of when Jeong Hwa will return to the main mountain?”

“It seems she’ll be staying at the Hundred Flowers Room for the time being.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s nice to see my aunt, but having to see her all the time is a pain.”

“Her?”

“I’m talking about my aunt’s Junior Martial Sister, Yong Seol Lan.”

“What about her?”

“I just hate everything about her, from one to ten. I hate how she pretends to be all noble and aloof, and I hate the way she looks at me with those knowing eyes. Anyway, I hate everything. I wish she would just disappear from this world.”

“……”

“Later, if I ask you, can you get rid of her? If she were gone, my aunt would take better care of me. I think even my aunt has to be somewhat mindful of her because of that bitch.”

“If she’s Jeong Hwa’s Junior Martial Sister, doesn’t that make her a senior in your Martial Sect as well?”

“Who would ever acknowledge a bitch like that as a senior? A bitch with no background like her?”

Useon-ha’s expression turned venomous.

Pyo Wol realized she was jealous of Yong Seol Lan.

‘Yong Seol Lan…’

Pyo Wol recalled a memory from seven years ago.

Although he had only seen her once, the memory was so intense that it remained vivid.

The calm and cool-headed Yong Seol Lan had felt more threatening than the hot-tempered Jeong Hwa.

It was the same now.

Jeong Hwa wasn’t a major concern, but for some reason, Yong Seol Lan weighed more on his mind.

‘I’ll know when I meet her in person, won’t I?’

As long as he was staying in Chengdu, he was bound to meet her eventually.

It was only a matter of time.

Just then, Useon-ha whispered in Pyo Wol’s ear.

“Don’t worry about a bitch like that. Don’t even be curious. You just have to move for my sake. Do that for me.”

Her breathing grew hotter.

＊＊＊

Useon-ha returned to the Hundred Flowers Room before the crack of dawn.

He had shared his passion with her twice more during that time.

Pyo Wol left the room long after Useon-ha had departed.

The sun was already high in the sky, and quite a few customers were seated in the first-floor dining area.

Pyo Wol also ordered a simple meal and sat down.

“Whoa!”

“How can a man’s face be…”

The customers, who had been in the middle of their meals, stared at Pyo Wol, mesmerized. But Pyo Wol paid them no mind and only looked outside.

He was now so used to people’s stares and whispers that he felt nothing.

Pyo Wol knew now.

That his appearance was different from others.

That he possessed a unique, decadent aura that captivated people.

He hadn’t been like this before.

He had been handsome, but not to the point of bewitching people like this.

It must have happened while he spent seven years in the snake pit with countless snakes.

His flawless, clear skin was reminiscent of a snake, and his eyes, with their faint Crimson Light, felt bewitching.

There were times when his appearance felt like a burden, but he had now decided to accept reality.

A moment later, the Waiter brought his food. It was just rice, some flower-shaped pastries, and a few side dishes.

As the Waiter set the food on the table, he kept stealing glances at Pyo Wol’s face.

‘He’s so handsome. I’d love to live with a face like this for just one day. Women would be lining up for me.’

Even to the young Waiter’s eyes, Pyo Wol’s looks were not just outstanding, but breathtaking.

At that moment, Pyo Wol called out to the Waiter.

“Boy!”

“Yes? Yes! I’m sorry. You were just so handsome…”

The Waiter answered, startled.

He thought Pyo Wol was going to say he was offended. But Pyo Wol had no intention of blaming him.

He had called the Waiter for another reason.

“Do you happen to know how to get to the Tang Clan Pagoda?”

“The Tang Clan Pagoda… you mean the old site of the Tang Clan, sir?”

“That’s right.”

“Excuse me, but why are you trying to go to the Tang Clan Pagoda?”

A faint fear was visible in the Waiter’s eyes as he asked for the reason.

It was understandable, as mentioning the Tang Clan’s name in Chengdu was practically taboo.

The Tang Clan had once ruled not just Chengdu but the entire Sichuan Province, but now they had fallen so completely that hardly a trace remained.

That was how thoroughly the sects of Sichuan Province had erased the existence of the Tang Clan.

“I figured I’d do some sightseeing since I’m in Chengdu.”

“Ah! So you’re just looking around.”

“That’s right.”

“Then I’ll tell you. Leave our Inn and head straight west. After walking for about half a day, you’ll come to a village with three large trees standing in a triangular formation at the entrance. From that village, go south for about twenty li, and you’ll find the Tang Clan Pagoda. But it collapsed a long time ago, so there probably isn’t much left.”

“I understand.”

“Sir! I’m only saying this out of concern, but please don’t mention the words ‘Tang Clan’ carelessly. It doesn’t matter for common folk like us, but the martial artists of Sichuan Province react very sensitively.”

“Why is that?”

“They’re just afraid. The martial artists of Sichuan still have this delusion that the Tang Clan might be resurrected someday and rule Sichuan again. That’s why they treat people with the surname Tang even more harshly.”

The Waiter’s words were true.

Although the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect were now vying for supremacy, in the past, the Tang Clan had been utterly Unrivaled.

The Tang Clan, synonymous with poison and Hidden Weapons, had fallen and left almost no trace, but its name still remained in people’s minds as a feeling of fear.

“Anyway, I’ve told you what you need to know, so I’ll be going now.”

The Waiter bowed his head to Pyo Wol and ran toward the kitchen.

Left alone, Pyo Wol finished his meal and went straight outside.

The sunlight was scorching.

Sichuan Province, with its Basin terrain, was famous for its hot temperatures.

Thanks to this, the rice harvest was always bountiful, but in return, the people suffered from the intense heat.

The people walking the streets all stuck to the walls to avoid the midday sun. But Pyo Wol paid it no mind and walked on, taking the full force of the blazing sunlight.

The intense heat that tormented others had little effect on him.

Pyo Wol walked as the Waiter had instructed.

After walking for nearly half a day, he came to a village with three large trees standing in a triangular formation. He turned south from the village and walked for about twenty li, finally arriving at the Tang Clan Pagoda.

Just as the Waiter had said, the Tang Clan Pagoda was completely destroyed.

Only a few foundation stones remained in the ruins. Even the roof tiles and bricks had all been taken by people living nearby.

The ruined space was overgrown with nothing but weeds.

It was a scene that made one feel the transience of time.

Pyo Wol stared blankly at the Tang Clan Pagoda.

“A primal fear.”

The reason Pyo Wol had bothered to come here was because of the perception the people of Sichuan had of the Tang Clan.

Though more than a hundred years had passed since their fall, they remained as a terror in people’s minds.

It was possible because the very name of the Tang Clan remained as a primal fear.

That was precisely what Pyo Wol, who was utterly alone, needed.

Ssssk!

At that moment, Pyo Wol felt an unfamiliar movement at his feet.

When he looked down, he saw a small snake slithering past his feet.

It was small, but its triangular head made it clear that it was a venomous viper.

The viper wriggled past Pyo Wol.

An ordinary person would have panicked in fear, but Pyo Wol’s expression didn’t change one bit.

This was Pyo Wol, who had lived in a pit full of snakes.

A snake with this level of venom posed no threat to him.

Pyo Wol expanded his senses.

He could then feel the movements of snakes all throughout the undergrowth.

Perhaps because the Tang Clan had primarily dealt with poison, their former grounds were home to an unusually large number of snakes.

Tssss!

Pyo Wol pursed his lips and made a bizarre sound, like a snake flicking its tongue. At that, the snakes hidden in the undergrowth all raised their heads at once and looked at Pyo Wol.

The sight of thousands of snakes staring at Pyo Wol all at once was terrifying enough to give one goosebumps. But on the face of Pyo Wol, who was the sole focus of the snakes’ gazes, there was no trace of fear.

While snakes might be an object of fear for ordinary people, to Pyo Wol, they were more familiar than anything else.

Tssss!

When Pyo Wol made the bizarre sound once more, the snakes lowered their heads and went on their way.

“Good!”

＊＊＊

Cheong-yeop looked at the Thunder Clan with a calm gaze.

After descending from Qingcheng Mountain, he had immediately led his disciples to the Thunder Clan.

Since Mujeong Jin-in had severely injured Tae Yeonho, the Sect Leader of the Thunder Clan, he had to uncover the hidden truth behind the Thunder Clan incident as quickly as possible.

The longer it took to resolve the situation, the more the conflict with the Thunder Clan would intensify. With the Qingcheng Sect’s current strength, subduing the Thunder Clan wouldn’t be difficult, but the problem was the Small Thunder Sound Temple, which could be considered their backer.

Although Tae Yeonho went around proclaiming that the Thunder Clan was a completely separate sect from the Small Thunder Sound Temple, no one in Sichuan believed him.

The consensus in Sichuan was that the Small Thunder Sound Temple’s support was behind the Thunder Clan’s rapid growth.

That was why Muryeong Jin-in had sent Cheong-yeop, his most trusted disciple, to resolve the situation.

With the cooperation of the Thunder Clan members, Cheong-yeop examined the place where Nam Hosan had died.

“You’re saying he was struck by the assassin here?”

The room was in a disastrous state, as if to recount the situation at the time. Fresh Blood was spattered everywhere, and all the furniture was broken.

Cheong-san, a first-generation disciple who had followed Cheong-yeop, traced a sword mark on the wall with his finger and said.

“This is definitely a mark left by our sect’s Seventy-Two Cutting Waves.”

Cheong-san had a calm personality and a sharp eye, much like Cheong-yeop. Since the words “Seventy-Two Cutting Waves” came from his mouth, there was no room for doubt.

“Are there any external disciples who have learned the Seventy-Two Cutting Waves?”

“None that I know of. It’s a martial art that only a very small number within our sect have learned, so it’s even more impossible for an external disciple to have learned it.”

“Wasn’t there a time when a copy was leaked?”

“The copy only contained the technique forms. Without the support of our sect’s Internal Energy Mind Method, you can’t even draw out half of its original power.”

Cheong-san shook his head.

The term Secret Transmission didn’t exist for nothing.

The martial arts of the prestigious orthodox sects might seem to function separately, but when one reached the peak, they all connected as one, like a living organism.

To unleash their true power, one had to learn the associated Mind Methods or Martial Arts together.

Moreover, a copy wouldn’t contain the important insights; it would only have the forms and techniques.

One could never achieve complete mastery with such a Martial Arts Manual.

“Most importantly, the assassin who learned the martial art from the copy was eventually killed by Martial Uncle Mujeong.”

“There’s no guarantee that he was the only one who learned the Seventy-Two Cutting Waves from a copy, is there?”

“I suppose that’s possible. But it’s still my opinion that it’s impossible to properly learn the Seventy-Two Cutting Waves like this with just a copy. At least, not by an individual’s power alone.”

“What if a proper sect was involved?”

“Then the story changes. They could reverse-engineer the technique forms and create a corresponding Internal Energy Mind Method. But if they were going to do that, they’d be better off just creating a new martial art. There’s no guarantee they’d come up with a proper Mind Method, and more importantly, there’s no telling how long it would take.”

“We’re back to square one.”

“In my opinion, rather than figuring out how the assassin learned the Seventy-Two Cutting Waves, it would be faster to identify the assassin’s infiltration route and trace their movements backward.”

Cheong-yeop nodded at Cheong-san’s words.

He too was aware that this was the only way to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Everything was hazy, as if shrouded in fog, but there was one thing that was clearly visible.

It was the assassin’s presence.

‘Chilling!’

He felt the fine hairs on his entire body stand on end at the thought of an opponent whose face and identity he had yet to grasp.

This was the first time he had felt this way since Gun-sang was assassinated seven years ago.

‘Surely it’s not the same assassin?’

Cheong-san immediately dismissed his own thought.

The assassin from seven years ago had been killed by Mujeong Jin-in.