Chapter 70

The rumor that the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect had clashed in Chengdu spread like wildfire throughout Sichuan Province.

The battle between the two sects left behind many casualties and stories.

So many people had died that it was difficult to count the exact number of victims. Among the dead were not only the martial artists from both sides, but also many civilians who had been unjustly caught up in the fight.

Because of this, many people cursed the carelessness of the Qingcheng and Emei Sects. However, none of them were bold enough to step forward and curse them openly. They feared the retaliation of the two sects.

Nevertheless, whenever two or more people gathered, they would talk about the two sects. In this way, discontent against the two sects grew.

Now, the sects of Chengdu had to make a choice.

The Qingcheng Sect or the Emei Sect. One of the two.

Neutrality was no longer an option.

The sects that had maintained neutrality until now began to deliberate deeply.

A great tension also flowed through the residence of the Black Cloud Corps, who had sided with the Emei Sect to fight the Qingcheng Sect.

CRACK!

When Jang Muryang slammed his fist down, the thick table made of red sandalwood shattered into pieces.

Two corpses lay before him.

They were the bodies of Jo Jeok-san and Snow Leopard.

Jo Jeok-san was found in an alley not far from the battlefield, and Snow Leopard’s body was discovered under a large nearby tree.

“Who killed them?”

Jang Muryang’s eyes were filled with deep anger.

The others were the same.

Everyone stared at the bodies with gazes mixed with anger amidst the heavy silence.

Daoshi Go examined the bodies on behalf of the Black Cloud Corps.

“They were both killed by the same person.”

“Are you certain?”

“Look at the wound on Jeok-san’s neck, and the wound on Snow Leopard’s shoulder. They are stab wounds of the exact same shape. Judging by the shape and size of the wounds, it was likely a dagger or a flying dagger.”

“A flying dagger?”

“Although there is a slightly sharper stab wound on the neck, the common wounds all seem to have been caused by a short-bladed weapon like a flying dagger.”

At Daoshi Go’s explanation, Jang Muryang’s expression twisted further.

He asked Yang Woo-jeong.

“What about Oh Yuk-pae? Didn’t you say his wound was also from a flying dagger?”

“That’s right.”

“Bring Oh Yuk-pae here at once. We need to compare the wounds.”

“Understood.”

A moment later, the martial artists who received Jang Muryang’s order brought Oh Yuk-pae out on a stretcher.

“What is it, Unit Leader?”

Oh Yuk-pae, who had been suddenly summoned, had no idea what was going on.

“Let me see your wound.”

Jang Muryang abruptly tore Oh Yuk-pae’s clothes and examined the wound.

“Ugh!”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s the same.”

“The same? What do you mean?”

Oh Yuk-pae raised his voice at Jang Muryang, who wasn’t explaining the reason.

“The wound you suffered, it’s exactly the same as the wounds on those guys.”

“What?”

Only then did Oh Yuk-pae realize that Jo Jeok-san and Snow Leopard had returned as cold corpses. And he realized that the wounds on their bodies were astonishingly identical to his own.

“Th-Then the one who wounded me killed them?”

Oh Yuk-pae’s shoulders trembled.

Jang Muryang’s gaze turned to Heo Ranju.

“Where is he?”

“He should still be at that inn. Did he really kill them?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking at the wounds? It’s clear that he killed these two.”

Since she too had personally seen Pyo Wol use a flying dagger, there was no room for doubt.

“Why would he?”

“That’s what we need to find out from now on. It’s clear he’s been watching us for a long time. He might have even approached us with us as his target from the very beginning.”

If Pyo Wol hadn’t killed Jo Jeok-san, the Black Cloud Corps would have overwhelmed the Qingcheng Sect with the help of the Emei Sect. Because Pyo Wol interfered, the Emei Sect’s great disciple, Jeong Hwa, was seriously injured, and the Emei Sect also suffered immense damage.

From the Black Cloud Corps’ perspective, they had suffered a huge blow out of nowhere.

Jang Muryang’s gaze turned to Heo Ranju.

“Ranju!”

“Yes!”

“Take all your subordinates and capture him. It’s fine if you cripple him, just bring him back alive. I will interrogate him myself.”

“Got it.”

Heo Ranju nodded.

Whatever the reason, Pyo Wol had caused great harm to the Black Cloud Corps. For the sake of the Black Cloud Corps’ discipline and future, they had to capture and punish Pyo Wol.

No matter how free-spirited Heo Ranju was, and though she sometimes defied Jang Muryang, she held pride in the Black Cloud Corps deep in her bones.

Heo Ranju looked at Hyeol Seung and Daoshi Go.

They nodded and followed Heo Ranju out. Twenty more members of the Black Cloud Corps followed behind them.

＊＊＊

The Hundred Flowers Room was filled with a gloomy atmosphere, like a house in mourning.

Not only had they been pushed back in the fight against the Qingcheng Sect, but the Emei Sect’s first disciple, Jeong Hwa, had been seriously injured.

Jeong Hwa had suffered deep internal injuries and was unable to use her movement technique.

It was the first time she had been so grievously injured since losing her eye seven years ago.

Losing her eye had been a great misfortune, but her life had not been in danger. But the wound she had now was different.

Her condition was so critical that if the wound worsened, she could lose her life.

Because of this, a renowned physician from Chengdu had been brought into the Hundred Flowers Room to care for Jeong Hwa.

The Emei Sect martial artists, who had suddenly lost their leader, were in a state of bewilderment.

Geum Ha-ryeon, the boss of the Hundred Flowers Room, tried to manage the situation somehow, but the atmosphere and morale were at rock bottom.

Geum Ha-ryeon had outstanding abilities, enough to lead the Hundred Flowers Room, but commanding the Emei Sect martial artists was a problem on a different level.

“What should I do…”

Faced with the enormous number of casualties filling the Hundred Flowers Room, Geum Ha-ryeon was lost in a daze. She had no idea how to resolve the situation.

It was the same for Woo Seon-ha.

As Jeong Hwa’s niece, she had been close with the Emei Sect martial artists, but commanding the Emei Sect was a problem on a different level.

Just then, Yong Seol Lan stepped forward.

“Everyone, pull yourselves together.”

Excluding Jeong Hwa, Yong Seol Lan was the one with the highest seniority.

Until now, she had been reluctant to step forward because of Jeong Hwa, but the rapidly changing situation had pushed her to the forefront.

Yong Seol Lan looked at Geum Ha-ryeon.

“Check the defenses of the Hundred Flowers Room. The Qingcheng Sect might attack again.”

“They also suffered a lot of damage, would they go that far?”

“They might try to exploit a weakness. In any case, all who can stand on two feet should be on guard. We just need to hold out until support arrives from the main sect.”

“Are you planning to request support from the main sect?”

“With Senior Martial Sister Jeong Hwa in that state, I must report to Master and receive support.”

“If that happens, we can breathe a sigh of relief.”

Geum Ha-ryeon let out a sigh of relief.

Countless disciples were already dead or injured. If support came from the Emei Sect’s main sect, they could prevent any more casualties.

Yong Seol Lan’s gaze turned to one of the second-generation disciples.

“Gong Ha!”

“Yes! Martial Uncle.”

“Send a carrier pigeon to the main sect immediately. Report everything that happened here exactly as it was and request support.”

“Understood.”

Gong Ha replied and went outside.

Yong Seol Lan’s gaze turned to Woo Seon-ha.

“How is Senior Martial Sister?”

“Not… good.”

Woo Seon-ha answered weakly.

Her greatest backing was not her master, Geum Ha-ryeon, but Jeong Hwa.

Jeong Hwa’s serious injury had robbed her of her confidence.

Yong Seol Lan looked at Woo Seon-ha for a moment before speaking.

“We need to assess this situation calmly.”

“What do you mean? The fight with the Qingcheng Sect happened spontaneously.”

“Of course, if you only look at the result, it seems so. But if you examine the process leading up to the result, there are some suspicious parts. The deaths of Junior Martial Sister Gong Seon and the young master of the Thunder Clan. They all happened around the same time. Because of that, the ill feelings between our sect and the Qingcheng Sect worsened.”

“Are you suggesting the two incidents are related?”

“At this point, we must suspect everything.”

Yong Seol Lan was resolute.

Ever since leaving Mount Emei and entering Chengdu, she had been plagued by an ominous premonition of unknown origin.

At first, she thought she was just being too sensitive. But watching the situation from a distance from the Emei Sect for the past few days, she strongly felt an artificial flow.

She had remained silent until now because she couldn’t step forward due to Jeong Hwa’s strong check on her, but now the situation was different.

With Jeong Hwa unable to use her movement technique, only she was qualified to lead the Emei Sect.

‘I must uncover the truth of this undercurrent. Someone is intentionally instigating a fight between the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect.’

＊＊＊

“Haa! Haa!”

Jeong Hwa was panting heavily.

Although she had improved a lot with a renowned physician from Chengdu attending to her, her condition was still precarious.

Cheong San’s ultimate technique had twisted all the qi and blood in her body, and she had suffered deep internal injuries. She would have to return to the Emei Sect and spend at least a year in Zhengyang to recover to some extent.

‘Qing… cheng, those bastards deserve to die.’

Even while so seriously injured, Jeong Hwa’s anger towards the Qingcheng Sect burned.

If she could just move her body a little, she would run to Gold River Gate right now and slaughter the martial artists of the Qingcheng Sect.

Drip!

A tear flowed from Jeong Hwa’s single eye.

Her heart was still full of fighting spirit, but her body couldn’t follow, which was infuriating.

‘If I stay like this, I’ll lose the initiative to Seol Lan.’

Today, for the first time, she learned how infuriating it was to be unable to move her body.

Just then, the physician who was watching over her said,

“You must quell your inner fire. If the fire continues, the qi and blood that we’ve painstakingly stabilized will be disturbed again.”

A look of bewilderment was evident on the physician’s face.

Jeong Hwa’s pale face had turned bright red. The anger in her heart had made her qi and blood boil.

Jeong Hwa painstakingly turned her head to look at the physician.

The physician flinched for a moment.

Jeong Hwa’s gaze was terrifying.

Her single eye was bloodshot, and a chilling poison qi lingered within it. Even after being so battered, the light in her eye had not been broken at all.

She opened her mouth with difficulty.

“Get…”

“Pardon?”

Unable to hear her voice clearly, the physician brought his ear to her mouth.

“Get… out. Before I slit your throat…”

“Hiiik!”

Terrified by Jeong Hwa’s vicious words, the physician scrambled out.

He knew she couldn’t move of her own will, but the person that was Jeong Hwa was simply too frightening.

After the physician closed the door and left, Jeong Hwa closed her eye.

It felt like she could finally rest in peace.

She didn’t want to show such a pathetic state to anyone. She thought it would be better to take her own life than to show such a shameful appearance.

It was then.

Screeeak!

The door to the room opened quietly.

Jeong Hwa shot her single eye open. It was filled with rage.

“I… clearly told you… to get out.”

She painstakingly turned her head to look at the door.

In that moment, Jeong Hwa’s pupil trembled.

It wasn’t the physician, but a stranger who had entered.

It was clearly a face she had never seen before. Yet, it didn’t feel unfamiliar.

An inhumanly beautiful face that seemed to bewitch people, and eyes tinged with a faint crimson light.

The moment she saw him, Jeong Hwa felt every hair on her body stand on end.

Feeling a shiver as if the tip of a blade was scraping down her spine, Jeong Hwa’s eye widened.

Click!

He quietly closed the door.

“Who… are you?”

Jeong Hwa managed to open her mouth.

The man silently looked at Jeong Hwa.

His reddish eyes, like flying daggers, made Jeong Hwa’s eyeball ache.

Jeong Hwa grimaced and continued.

“Khugh! I asked… who you are.”

“It seems you don’t remember.”

“Do you know me?”

“Of course. For seven years, I haven’t forgotten you for a single day, not for a single moment.”

The man’s words were incredibly calm. But the content within them was anything but calm.

“Seven years?”

“Yes! Don’t you remember? Seven years ago.”

“…”

“Looks like you don’t. Should I blind your other eye to help you remember?”

In that instant, Jeong Hwa’s body trembled as if struck by lightning.

“You, you’re that assassin?”

“It’s been a while.”

The man, Pyo Wol, smiled.

The moment she saw his smile, a white line drawn in the darkness, Jeong Hwa felt a terrible pain in the eye covered by the eyepatch.

It was the eye he had taken from her seven years ago.