Chapter 64

Gong Seon’s death was soon known throughout the entire Hundred Flowers Room.

It was not an incident that could be hidden. And Jeong Hwa had no intention of hiding it.

Jeong Hwa was more furious about Gong Seon’s death than anyone.

She summoned all the disciples and ordered them to prepare for war.

Normally, she should have reported this to her Master, Guhwa Satae, and sought permission. But blinded by revenge, it was impossible for her to find reason.

The Emei Sect and the Hundred Flowers Room immediately entered a state of war.

The person most bewildered by this situation was none other than Yong Seol Lan.

Yong Seol Lan, who had been preparing to return to the Emei Sect, rushed to Gong Seon’s quarters.

Gong Seon’s body had been cleaned away, but the stains of the Fresh Blood she had shed remained.

Yong Seol Lan stared at the bloodstains on the floor for a moment before looking around.

‘Where on earth did the assassin infiltrate from?’

No matter how she thought about it, the only place an assassin could have infiltrated was through the ceiling.

Yong Seol Lan leaped up onto a crossbeam.

If the assassin had infiltrated through here, there would surely be a trace left behind. But no matter how hard Yong Seol Lan searched with her eyes wide open, no trace of the assassin could be found.

Dust had settled on the crossbeam.

If someone had been up here, there should have been a mark where the dust was disturbed. But no such trace was found anywhere.

“Then where did he infiltrate from?”

She continued to search for a long time for a place where the assassin might have infiltrated. But she couldn’t find even the slightest trace anywhere.

“What in the world?”

Yong Seol Lan felt a chill run down her spine.

This was the first time she had felt this way since that day seven years ago.

“Could it be him? No! He’s definitely dead. Mujeong Jin-in of the Qingcheng Sect made sure to finish him off.”

Yong Seol Lan denied her own imagination.

＊＊＊

The news of Gong Seon’s death also reached the Black Cloud Corps.

Now that they were in the same boat, sharing a common destiny, Jang Muryang reacted more sensitively to Gong Seon’s death than anyone.

“A second-generation disciple, and a direct disciple of Jeong Hwa at that, which means she was a key figure in the Emei Sect, was assassinated? And inside the Hundred Flowers Room?”

When he first heard the news, Jang Muryang thought it made no sense.

The Hundred Flowers Room was made up of women, but they were by no means an opponent to be taken lightly. Moreover, with the full support of the Emei Sect, the martial prowess of each individual disciple was above average.

Naturally, the security of the Hundred Flowers Room was also tight.

To infiltrate such a tight security net without a trace and take only Gong Seon’s life? Even Jang Muryang himself couldn’t do that.

“It’s impossible unless it was an assassin who received professional training.”

“As far as I know, there are no assassins in Sichuan Province who have reached this level.”

“Are you sure?”

“After the Bloody Shadows Guild fell seven years ago, no new assassin groups have been able to take root in Sichuan Province.”

Yang Woo-jeong replied in a confident tone.

“Is that so?”

“It might be possible for an assassin from the Hundred Wraith Union, but they don’t operate as far as the remote Sichuan Province.”

“Right! There’s no reason for them to get involved in a dispute in Sichuan.”

Jang Muryang nodded his head.

The Hundred Wraith Union was the number one assassin group in Jianghu.

They appeared out of nowhere after the Great Demonic War and succeeded in commissions that everyone had said were impossible.

It was said that no one who became their target ever survived.

No matter how well-hidden in an iron fortress, the assassins of the Hundred Wraith Union would always find and kill their target.

However, their area of activity was strictly fixed to the center of Jianghu. At least for the past few years, no evidence had been found of them operating in Sichuan Province.

“Then who is it? Did the Qingcheng Sect really send an assassin?”

“The Qingcheng Sect is a renowned Orthodox Faction that everyone recognizes. Even if they are in a dispute, hiring an assassin against the Emei Sect doesn’t fit the Qingcheng Sect’s nature. They would rather act directly. If they were caught hiring an assassin, their reputation would be dragged through the mud.”

“Hmm!”

Since Yang Woo-jeong’s words made sense, Jang Muryang only let out a low hum.

Hiring an assassin was easy, but if the fact was exposed, the Qingcheng Sect would not be able to escape the condemnation of Jianghu.

It was too risky a method for a prestigious Orthodox Faction like the Qingcheng Sect to choose.

The losses far outweighed the gains.

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed unlikely that the Qingcheng Sect had hired an assassin.

“Then who is it? Did a third party intervene?”

Jang Muryang felt a strong sense of crisis.

One of the reasons he had survived after rolling around on the battlefield for so long was the insight he had gained from his numerous experiences.

His insight, which instantly combined instinct and reason to produce the best outcome, was almost at the level of prophecy.

Thanks to it, he could sense crises in advance and escape from countless dangers.

Right now, his insight was warning him of a crisis.

At that moment, a figure flashed through Jang Muryang’s mind.

“Summon Maun at once.”

“Maun, you say?”

“Yes! Right now.”

“I understand.”

Yang Woo-jeong immediately carried out Jang Muryang’s order.

A moment later, Maun, who had been watching Pyo Wol at the inn, came in.

“You called for me, Unit Leader?”

“What was he up to last night?”

“The primary surveillance target, you mean?”

“Yes!”

“He didn’t leave his room.”

“Are you sure you didn’t miss his movements?”

“Four of us took turns watching him. But none of us detected any unusual activity.”

“Is that really true? You never took your eyes off him.”

“It’s the truth. For the past four days, he has not once left the inn. Except for meals, he hasn’t even come out of his room. We confirmed he was inside his room several times through the waiter.”

At Maun’s answer, Jang Muryang furrowed his brow.

‘Is he really not involved at all?’

Then, Maun spoke cautiously.

“To be honest, I don’t know why we have to watch him. For the past four days, he hasn’t once stepped outside the inn. He hasn’t had any contact with outsiders either. I can’t find any more reason to keep him under surveillance.”

Maun conveniently left out the part about not being able to sense Pyo Wol’s presence while he was in his room. For some reason, it felt like he would be admitting his own incompetence.

Unaware of this fact, Jang Muryang asked.

“Is there a possibility that he noticed your presence?”

“Almost none. No, it’s impossible. As you know, Unit Leader, we don’t make mistakes in this line of work. Isn’t that why you entrusted this mission to us?”

“Hmm!”

Jang Muryang let out a low hum.

‘Is it really not him? No! Still, something is strange. He hasn’t left the inn for four days? Is that even possible?’

Jang Muryang felt a strong sense of unease. But he didn’t know exactly what the substance of his feeling was.

‘There’s no point in watching him any longer.’

Maun and his colleagues had already lost their motivation.

Watching him in this state, they wouldn’t be able to concentrate, nor would they get the desired results.

Above all, now was the time to strengthen surveillance on the Qingcheng Sect.

“Maun!”

“Yes! Unit Leader.”

“Postpone the observation of the primary surveillance target for the time being, and focus on grasping the movements of the Qingcheng Sect.”

“I understand.”

Maun answered in a loud voice.

He thought that he was finally getting a proper mission.

That’s how difficult the past four days had been for him.

He realized for the first time that surveillance could be this boring and difficult.

It was then.

“Unit Leader!”

A subordinate’s voice was heard from outside.

“What is it?”

“A messenger has come from the Emei Sect.”

“A messenger?”

“Yes! They say to come to the Hundred Flowers Room at once.”

“I understand.”

Jang Muryang realized that what was to come had come.

He stood up from his seat and said to Yang Woo-jeong.

“Be prepared to sortie at any time.”

“I understand, Unit Leader! Don’t worry and go.”

“Hmm!”

Jang Muryang nodded and went outside.

Outside, a messenger from the Emei Sect was waiting for him.

The situation was unfolding more urgently than he had thought.

Jang Muryang took Yang Woo-jeong and Daoshi Go into the Hundred Flowers Room.

The Hundred Flowers Room was as bright as day, with all the torches and lanterns lit.

All the disciples of the Emei Sect and the Hundred Flowers Room thoroughly searched the Hundred Flowers Room to catch the culprit who killed Gong Seon. But no trace of the culprit was found anywhere.

They couldn’t even figure out the route the culprit used to infiltrate. Because of that, the entire Hundred Flowers Room was in an uproar.

Daoshi Go whispered.

“It seems serious. I wonder if we’ve backed the wrong horse. It’s too late to turn back now…”

“This is actually better for us. Since it’s come to this, they will have to rely on us to a large extent, so we can get more out of it.”

“That’s true, too. But we must be careful.”

“I know.”

Jang Muryang nodded and moved on.

He could feel the piercing gazes of the Hundred Flowers Room and Emei Sect disciples.

Some even looked at them with eyes full of hostility. The Black Cloud Corps had nothing to do with the culprit, but they had incurred their wrath simply for being outsiders.

Jang Muryang’s party was guided by an Emei Sect disciple to the Guest Reception Hall.

“The rest of you, please wait here. Unit Leader Jang, please enter alone.”

“I understand.”

Jang Muryang obediently followed the Emei Sect disciple’s words.

He told Yang Woo-jeong and Daoshi Go to stay behind and entered the Guest Reception Hall.

Inside the Guest Reception Hall, another Emei Sect disciple was waiting for him. He guided Jang Muryang to the largest room in the Guest Reception Hall.

Inside the room sat Jeong Hwa, Wu Seonha, and a dignified-looking middle-aged woman. The middle-aged woman was Geum Haryeon, the Boss of the Hundred Flowers Room.

In front of them lay an object covered with a white cloth. Jang Muryang could tell from the smell of blood that it was a corpse.

Jeong Hwa got straight to the point without any preamble.

“Unit Leader Jang. A disciple of my sect was struck down by an assassin.”

“I heard the news.”

“The reason I called you is because I want you to look at my disciple’s wound.”

“Why me?”

“At first, I thought it was a simple sword wound.”

“But?”

“If you see it for yourself, you’ll understand why I’m doing this.”

Jeong Hwa gestured with her head toward the corpse covered by the white cloth.

Jang Muryang furrowed his brow and lifted the white cloth. The body of Gong Seon, her throat half-slit, was revealed.

Gong Seon looked peaceful, as if she had died in her sleep. She was pale from losing so much blood and having been dead for quite some time, but there was no painful expression left on her face.

Jang Muryang carefully examined the wound on Gong Seon’s neck.

As time passed, Jang Muryang’s face stiffened.

‘What in the world is this?’

He could finally understand why Jeong Hwa had said that.

Gong Seon’s wound was smooth.

It was as sharply cut as the cross-section of glass. At first glance, one might think it was an ordinary sword wound, but he knew from experience that a sword could never make such a wound.

‘What is it? It’s not a sword or a saber… Could it be some kind of Silver Thread? But no matter how sharp a Silver Thread is, it shouldn’t be able to prevent the skin from rolling up.’

Jang Muryang felt goosebumps all over his body.

He had spent most of his life on the battlefield.

Naturally, he had seen countless corpses and examined just as many wounds with his own eyes. But none of the wounds he had ever seen were as smooth as the cut on Gong Seon’s neck.

‘This is… an art form in itself, isn’t it? The art of death.’

But he did not voice his thoughts.

Even at this moment, Jeong Hwa was glaring at him with terrifying eyes.

She asked.

“Have you ever seen a wound like this?”

“Honestly… I have not.”

“Even someone as experienced as you has never seen it?”

“That is correct.”

At Jang Muryang’s answer, Jeong Hwa’s expression became even more venomous.

“Disappointing!”

“I apologize. But I cannot say I know something I do not…”

“Do you have anyone in mind?”

At that moment, Jang Muryang thought of Pyo Wol.

He had a strong premonition that he was somehow connected to this incident. But Maun and his colleagues who were watching Pyo Wol said they had not seen him move.

In the end, there was no evidence anywhere that he was connected to this incident.

“I regret that I cannot give you the answer you want.”

“Fine. I didn’t have high expectations for you anyway.”

For a moment, Jang Muryang felt a surge of irritation.

‘Then why in the hell did you call me?’

With superhuman patience, Jang Muryang suppressed the curses that rose to his throat.

Whether she knew this or not, Jeong Hwa continued.

“When will the rest of your troops enter Chengdu?”

“They will all be assembled within two days. But if the cavalry enters Chengdu, they will immediately be on alert.”

“It doesn’t matter. We just need to trample them before they can get on alert.”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning an all-out war right away?”

“I will compensate you sufficiently.”

“But we must first establish a plan…”

“This is what I, the next Sect Master of the Emei Sect, am saying. Are you planning to disobey my command?”

“That is… I understand.”

Jang Muryang had no choice but to answer.

The Black Cloud Corps had already signed a contract with the Emei Sect.

Until the contract was broken, they had to follow their orders. If they recklessly terminated the contract, from that moment on, no one in Jianghu would trust the Black Cloud Corps.

In the end, Jang Muryang had no choice.

Jeong Hwa’s resentful voice echoed in his ears.

“I swear I will never live under the same sky as the Qingcheng Sect.”

Everyone in the room trembled.

It was said that when a woman holds a grudge, frost will fall even in the fifth and sixth lunar months. Moreover, Jeong Hwa was the one most likely to become the next Sect Master of the Emei Sect.

The grudge she held was terrifying enough to make a snowstorm blow even in the fifth and sixth lunar months, making people shudder.

That was why they did not hear it.

Ssssk!

The faint sound coming from above the ceiling.