Chapter 60

“I’m certain he infiltrated through this residential area.”

At Cheong-san’s weary voice, Cheong-yeop frowned slightly.

Just finding the assassin’s infiltration route had already taken a great mental toll.

Searching for the man’s traces was as difficult as finding a needle in a sandy beach.

They had searched dozens of places where he might have infiltrated, but they couldn’t find any trace. In the end, rather than searching for traces, they had to change their approach and deduce the most efficient infiltration route from the assassin’s perspective.

The place they found through this process was the residential area west of the Thunder Clan.

Cheong-yeop wondered if an assassin would really use a densely populated residential area, but he had no choice but to follow Cheong-san’s conviction.

“He’s a cunning one. He deliberately chose the place with the most eyes. For the same reason that the best way to hide a tree is to hide it in a forest.”

Cheong-san seemed to feel a strong sense of rivalry toward the assassin whose face he didn’t even know.

He was completely focused on finding the assassin’s whereabouts.

The disciples who came with him scattered under his orders to question the people in the residential area.

Even now, the people of the residential area were holding their breath, watching the Daoists of the Qingcheng Sect.

They were accustomed to being wary when unfamiliar people, different from themselves, arrived.

Cheong-san was confident that if he asked them, he could find the stranger who had visited this place that day.

He too had lived in a place like this before his initiation into the Qingcheng Sect, so he knew the people’s habits well. That was why he was confident he could find the assassin’s whereabouts before evening. However, to his surprise, by the time the sun set, he had not met a single person from the residential area who had seen a stranger that day.

“No, does this make any sense? That all those people didn’t see a stranger that day.”

Cheong-san muttered with a dazed expression.

Cheong-yeop comforted him.

“Perhaps the assassin infiltrated through a different route, so don’t be disheartened.”

“That makes even less sense. I’m sure this was the optimal route.”

“Hoo! It’s late now that the sun has set, so let’s search again tomorrow.”

“But…”

“Think of the other disciples too.”

Only then did Cheong-san look at the disciples under his command.

The second and third-generation disciples were staring at Cheong-san with hollow faces. They were extremely exhausted from spending the whole day questioning people under Cheong-san’s direction.

It was unreasonable to push them any further.

“I’m sorry, Senior Martial Brother! Then let’s rest at an inn today and resume the search for the assassin tomorrow.”

“A good thought.”

“But will there be an inn that can accommodate this many people?”

“Why go to an inn? We have the Geumcheon Gate in Chengdu.”

“Ah!”

Cheong-san let out a cry of realization.

The Geumcheon Gate was a sect with close ties to the Qingcheng Sect. They were located in the northern part of Chengdu and were always ready to provide lodging for the Qingcheng Sect.

“We’ll have to hurry if we want to get to the Geumcheon Gate.”

“If you understand, let’s depart.”

“Yes!”

The two men led the disciples of the Qingcheng Sect and left the Golden Hall.

To get to the Geumcheon Gate, they had to pass through the center of Chengdu.

As dozens of Daoists moved, people watched them with eyes full of curiosity. They had recognized them as Daoists of the Qingcheng Sect.

Even in a city like Chengdu, it was not easy to see a Daoist from the Qingcheng Sect on the streets. It was even rarer to see such a large group of them traveling together.

People stared at the Qingcheng Sect Daoists as if they were a rare spectacle.

Cheong-yeop was bothered by their gazes, but he forced himself to walk with a composed demeanor. However, when he reached the center of Chengdu, his steps couldn’t help but halt.

It was because of a group walking from the opposite direction.

Unlike the Daoists of the Qingcheng Sect, it was a group composed mainly of women.

Cheong-yeop’s expression turned cold. He had recognized their identity.

“The Emei Sect!”

They were the disciples of the Emei Sect and the Hundred Flowers Room, led by Jeong Hwa.

The Emei Sect also recognized the Daoists of the Qingcheng Sect.

“To think the Daoists of the Qingcheng Sect have come down here.”

The expression of Jeong Hwa, who stood at the front, turned chillingly grim.

She glared at Cheong-yeop and the other Qingcheng Sect Daoists as if she wanted to devour them.

It was the same for the Daoists of the Qingcheng Sect.

Chae-aeng!

As the Qingcheng Sect Daoists drew their swords in unison, the martial artists of the Emei Sect also drew their weapons.

A hair-trigger tension flowed between the two factions. But they did not clash rashly.

They were aware that a sudden clash without any preparation would only lead to mutual destruction.

Cheong-yeop raised his hand to restrain his disciples and stepped forward.

From the Emei Sect, Jeong Hwa naturally came forward.

“It’s been a long time, Jeong Hwa.”

“Hmph! What is there to gain that you’ve come all the way down here? If you’ve earned the alias Sword White Crane, you should live in the mountains like a crane.”

“And what urgent business brings you down, Jeong Hwa? It must be overwhelming just to protect your main headquarters, yet you have the leisure to worry about other places. Or is it that you can’t properly grasp the situation?”

“Cheong-yeop! Shut that mouth.”

“Hmph! The one who farts gets angry first, as they say. That’s you exactly. Who started this situation in the first place, that you dare to speak so loudly?”

An explosive aura erupted from Jeong Hwa and Cheong-yeop.

Although they had been at odds for the past seven years, the two had been acquainted before that.

Since it was certain that they would each lead the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect, they had exchanged greetings early on.

The situation changed drastically after the assassination of Woo Gun-sang seven years ago.

When it was revealed that the one who had commissioned the assassination was none other than the Emei Sect, the Qingcheng Sect was thrown into an uproar.

The enraged Mujeong Jin-in immediately attacked the Emei Sect martial artists who had entered the cavern with him. Jeong Hwa had been there as well.

Jeong Hwa had to suffer the humiliation of escaping with only a few disciples.

The Emei Sect protested that it was nothing more than Mujeong Jin-in’s delusion and asserted their innocence. Since the Qingcheng Sect couldn’t produce clear evidence other than Mujeong Jin-in’s word, public opinion in Sichuan Province was divided.

The Qingcheng Sect was greatly angered by the Emei Sect’s persistent denial.

Eventually, the two factions clashed violently, resulting in numerous casualties.

Even after that, they clashed frequently, and the emotional rift between them deepened with time.

Jeong Hwa glared at Cheong-yeop with eyes full of resentment.

If she had her way, she would have killed Cheong-yeop and all the Qingcheng Sect disciples right then and there, but their opponent’s strength seemed too formidable for that.

Even with the addition of the martial artists from the Hundred Flowers Room, the scales were tipped in favor of the Qingcheng Sect.

As the results of the past few major clashes showed, the Qingcheng Sect was stronger.

Yong Seol Lan, who was beside Jeong Hwa, whispered.

“Senior Martial Sister, now is the time to retreat. If we clash with them needlessly, our losses will be greater.”

“Be quiet. How dare you mention escape in front of the Qingcheng Sect? Have you no shame?”

Jeong Hwa rebuked Yong Seol Lan.

Seeing that words wouldn’t get through, Yong Seol Lan sighed and stepped back.

Jeong Hwa glared at Cheong-yeop again and said.

“Did you kill the young master of the Thunder Clan because you knew he was in marriage talks with the young boss of the Hundred Flowers Room? Truly amazing, Qingcheng Sect! You’ve thrown righteousness into the trash can.”

“How could we compare to the Emei Sect? You invested a whole seven years to kill our sect’s most promising talent. Where did you learn such a venomous heart? Ah! You must have learned it from your master, Guhwa Satae.”

“Shut up.”

Having failed to get the upper hand, Jeong Hwa flared up and glared. It was a gaze so intense that an ordinary martial artist would have gone weak in the knees just from the look in her eyes. But Cheong-yeop didn’t even blink at her glare.

Although he was sometimes underestimated compared to Woo Gun-sang due to his gentle nature, he was, for all intents and purposes, the great disciple of the Qingcheng Sect.

His achievements were in no way inferior to Jeong Hwa’s.

Knowing this, Jeong Hwa only shouted and did not dare to attack recklessly.

Although the atmosphere was such that they might draw swords on each other at any moment, neither Cheong-yeop nor Jeong Hwa made that choice.

This was Chengdu.

It was the heart of Sichuan Province and the place where the most people gathered. All the wealth of Sichuan Province flowed through here.

If they caused a disturbance here, it was clear they would lose the favor of Chengdu’s populace along with an enormous financial loss.

If they were truly to fight, it had to be somewhere other than Chengdu. At least, somewhere far from the city center.

‘So it comes to this in the end.’

Yong Seol Lan, standing behind Jeong Hwa, let out a soft sigh.

If possible, she had wanted to return to Mount Emei without encountering the martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect. But such a thing was impossible.

If it had been possible, the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect would not have clashed like this in the first place.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

The root of the problem was clear.

It was the Emei Sect.

No matter what excuses were made, that fact did not change.

Yong Seol Lan did not deny that fact either.

She just felt a sense of regret, wondering what it would have been like if they had stopped it before it escalated so uncontrollably.

‘The problem was that assassin from seven years ago. When he killed Woo Gun-sang, everyone crossed a river of no return.’

After that incident, every retreat path was blocked.

At the edge of a cliff with nowhere to retreat, the two sects were confronting each other.

‘If it weren’t for him, the situation wouldn’t have gotten this bad.’

The more she thought about it, the more absurd it was.

That the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect were fighting to the death like this, all because of a single assassin.

What’s more, that assassin had lost his life seven years ago.

Just as the living Sima Yi was toyed with by the dead Zhuge Liang, the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect were being swayed by what the assassin had set in motion.

‘Come to think of it, we don’t even know his name.’

Yong Seol Lan sighed and looked around.

At the confrontation between the two sects, everyone nearby had come out to watch.

Most of their eyes held both fear and curiosity. But there was one gaze that pierced her heart like a flying dagger.

Yong Seol Lan looked in the direction where she felt the gaze. But she didn’t feel any particularly strange gaze.

“Was I mistaken?”

＊＊＊

‘Her senses are sharp.’

Pyo Wol, hidden among the crowd, softened his gaze.

It was the first time he had seen Yong Seol Lan in seven years.

She was a face he could not forget even if he tried. That was how deeply she was imprinted on him.

Yong Seol Lan and Jeong Hwa.

Both were individuals who had pursued Pyo Wol all the way into the underground cavern. Naturally, they had left a strong impression.

He had heard from Woo-ha that the two had entered Chengdu, but seeing them in person like this brought a new wave of feelings.

It was the same for the martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect.

Although Cheong-yeop and Cheong-san were not the martial artists who had participated back then, the sole fact that they were disciples of the Qingcheng Sect was enough to warrant Pyo Wol’s interest.

Pyo Wol imprinted the faces of the confronting Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect martial artists one by one in his mind, then quietly slipped away.

He knew that although they were confronting each other sharply as if they would fight at any moment, it was only for show.

To make them truly fight, a proper spark was needed.

‘Still, it’s not a bad start.’

Both sides had sent some pretty big shots.

The great disciples of the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect were both top-ranking figures in their respective sects.

If he kept fanning the flames, he would be able to draw out all the humans hiding deep in the mountains.

Pyo Wol organized his thoughts and returned to the inn. But an unexpected person was waiting for him there.

‘Heo Ranju!’

The woman wearing clothes that revealed her cleavage and voluptuous figure was none other than Heo Ranju. But it wasn’t just Heo Ranju waiting for him.

Daoshi Go and a man with a strong presence, who appeared to be in his mid-to-late forties, were with her.

When Pyo Wol entered the inn, Heo Ranju stood up to greet him.

“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for a long time.”

Heo Ranju smiled sweetly.

It was a bright smile, as if she had never been defeated and collapsed by Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol looked at her silently, then shifted his gaze to the man in his mid-to-late forties.

He felt a similar atmosphere from him as he did from Heo Ranju.

He felt a wildness that only people who had lived rough and free lives could exude.

Even Daoshi Go, who usually liked to take the lead, was acting reserved beside him. That meant the middle-aged man was superior to Daoshi Go.

Pyo Wol instantly recognized his identity.

‘That must be the Liege of the Black Cloud Corps.’

As Pyo Wol’s gaze fell on him, the middle-aged man stood up.

“Just as Daoshi Go said, you’re a man with sharp senses. I am Jang Muryang, the Unit Leader of the Black Cloud Corps. A pleasure to meet you!”

“What is your business here?”

“I came to see you.”

“I have no business with your side.”

“I heard you laid a hand on Ranju, whom I cherish like a younger sister. I think that’s reason enough, don’t you?”

Jang Muryang’s eyes hardened.

Although Jang Muryang often wore a good-natured smile, when he put strength in his eyes like this, his atmosphere changed as if he were a different person.

A good person could never lead a group of wanderers like the Black Cloud Corps.

To unite such unruly wanderers, one needed strong leadership and a ruthless hand. Jang Muryang was a leader who perfectly possessed both.

Pyo Wol recognized that fact as well. But he was not frightened or intimidated.

Pyo Wol narrowed his eyes and said.

“So, are you here to avenge your sister?”

“Avenge? What revenge? I just came to see your face since I heard my dear sister got hit. I never imagined that little hellion would get beaten by someone. Keuk-keuk!”

Jang Muryang’s face turned red from trying to hold back his laughter.

At that, Heo Ranju pouted.

“Aish! Who said I got hit? It just grazed me, that’s all.”

“Tell that to someone who’ll believe you. You had some serious internal injuries. Don’t you remember the physician stayed up all night treating you? He said he was exhausted from cleaning up the bloody shit you passed.”

“Damn it! Do you have to shout that out loud?”

Heo Ranju protested, but Jang Muryang just ignored her and looked at Pyo Wol.

“So, how about we have a meal together? We can at least do that, can’t we? It’s not like we’re enemies or anything…”

He was looking at Pyo Wol with a beaming face. But his eyes were not smiling at all.