Chapter 74

“What are you talking about? Customer!”

The branch manager wore a look of disbelief.

Pyo Wol was the first person to dare utter such nonsense in a branch of the Crimson Dragon Clan.

A fierce aura emanated from his entire body.

The position of branch manager of the Crimson Dragon Clan was not won through mahjong. He too was one of the renowned Experts in the Crimson Dragon Clan.

He usually acted as if he would give his liver and gallbladder to his customers, but in reality, he was a tyrant in the Crimson Dragon Clan’s branch.

But Pyo Wol was not looking at the branch manager.

Pyo Wol said to Tang Sochu.

“I’ll show you how to use the Ghostly Rain you made for me.”

Shhh!

At that moment, the Ghostly Rain shot out from his waist.

“Keuk!”

The branch manager flew backward with a single scream. The Ghostly Rain was already embedded deep in his forehead, leaving only the hilt visible.

“Heok!”

“Branch Manager!”

The Do-jes cried out in surprise, but the branch manager was already dead.

“Ugh! You crazy bastard!”

Clang, clang, clang!

A Do-je rang the emergency bell right next to him. At that, the Martial Artists of the branch poured out from inside the workshop.

“What?”

“What’s going on?”

As befitting Martial Artists guarding a workshop, they all held vicious weapons in their hands.

One Do-je pointed at Pyo Wol and said.

“That crazy bastard killed the Branch Manager.”

“What?”

Only then did the Martial Artists spot the Flying Dagger lodged in the forehead of the dead branch manager.

“Get him!”

“Crazy son of a bitch!”

The Martial Artists rushed toward Pyo Wol.

At that moment, Pyo Wol moved his hand.

Shhh! Shhh!

The Ghostly Rain shot out repeatedly.

“Kraaack!”

“Keuk!”

One Flying Dagger took one life.

In an instant, more than ten Martial Artists lost their lives in vain.

“Kuuuh!”

A Martial Artist, his heart pierced by the last Flying Dagger, fell to his knees.

Pyo Wol retrieved the Flying Daggers using the Soul Restraining Thread.

“Ugh!”

“Wha-what?”

The Do-jes blinked their eyes, their faces filled with terror.

It was a massacre that had happened in the blink of an eye.

Without any chance to react, the Martial Artists in the branch had been annihilated by Pyo Wol.

The Do-jes didn’t know what to do, unable to believe the scene before their eyes.

At that moment, Pyo Wol swung the Soul Restraining Thread once more. The Ghostly Rain at its end drew a parabola and flew like a shooting star.

Shhh!

The Ghostly Rain instantly swept past the Do-jes’ necks.

The Do-jes couldn’t even scream as they clutched their necks and collapsed.

In an instant, the inside of the workshop was stained with blood.

Other than Pyo Wol and Tang Sochu, there was no one left alive in the workshop.

Despite having killed over ten people in an instant, there was no trace of guilt on Pyo Wol’s face.

The Crimson Dragon Clan had participated in the Celestial Net that had been cast to capture him seven years ago.

Knowing this, Pyo Wol’s hands showed no hesitation.

Tang Sochu struggled to his feet.

Even with the hellish scene unfolding before him, there was no change in Tang Sochu’s expression. He didn’t even glance at the corpses, looking only at Pyo Wol.

“So the Ghostly Rain can be used like that.”

“It’s called the Soul Restraining Thread. I can only use one for now.”

“If you can draw them out with all ten fingers, you could use all ten Ghostly Rain daggers.”

“Theoretically…”

As if pleased with Pyo Wol’s answer, Tang Sochu smiled.

“Hahaha! Wonderful. Truly… amazing.”

He stared at the Soul Restraining Thread and the Ghostly Rain as if mesmerized.

His heart swelled at the thought that the weapon he had created was displaying its ultimate power in harmony with the Soul Restraining Thread.

His body was a wreck, but he couldn’t even feel the pain.

Even though all the Martial Artists and Do-jes of the branch he had belonged to until now were dead, there was no hint of pity on Tang Sochu’s face.

Even if a complete stranger had died, his expression would not have been like this.

To him, the people here were merely objects of hatred.

Their deaths could not stir any emotion in Tang Sochu.

Tang Sochu asked Pyo Wol.

“Are you okay?”

“With what?”

“Well, I feel refreshed thanks to you, but the Crimson Dragon Clan won’t just stand by.”

“It seems you haven’t heard the news yet.”

“What news?”

“The disaster of the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect.”

“Then?”

Tang Sochu’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Indeed, that incident had put everyone in the branch on edge.

Pyo Wol nodded.

“Yes! I made it happen.”

“Hahaha!”

Suddenly, Tang Sochu burst into loud laughter.

He was reminded of when he first met Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol had said he would fight against the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect. Honestly, he hadn’t believed him back then. It was a story that had no basis in reality. But now, he had no choice but to believe. The circumstantial evidence was this clear.

Tang Sochu asked.

“You need my help, don’t you?”

“A lot.”

“What can I help you with?”

A touch of madness clouded Tang Sochu’s face.

＊＊＊

Bang!

A large table shattered into pieces.

Unable to contain her anger, Elder Nun Guhwa had slammed her fist down on it.

Despite being covered in the fragments of the shattered table, the Experts of the Emei Sect didn’t even blink.

They were just as furious as Elder Nun Guhwa.

In Elder Nun Guhwa’s hand was a note that had arrived this morning via a carrier pigeon.

The note detailed the death of Jeong Hwa and the situation so far.

Jeong Hwa’s death had caused Elder Nun Guhwa’s anger to explode.

“Jeong Hwa was such a good child… To think they killed her.”

She was, after all, the great Disciple of the Emei Sect.

The deaths of other Disciples were heartbreaking, but the death of the great Disciple, Jeong Hwa, felt different.

Jeong Hwa was her number one.

She had been a disappointment many times, and she had her shortcomings, but she was still the first Disciple she had ever accepted. That was why it felt more painful.

Elder Nun Guhwa lowered her head, panting heavily.

Though she was endlessly cold to others, it was by no means an easy task to control her emotions in the face of her Disciple’s death. However, as befitting an ambitious woman challenging for supremacy in Sichuan Province, she eventually managed to rein in her intense emotions in a short time.

A moment later, when Elder Nun Guhwa raised her head again, a chill lingered in her eyes.

“So, let’s get this straight. That Assassin who killed Woo Gun-sang seven years ago survived and instigated a clash between the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect. And he did it using the Martial Arts of both the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect? As for the Qingcheng Sect’s Martial Arts, we secretly passed them on, so that makes sense, but how did he learn our sect’s Martial Arts? And the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm, no less?”

The Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm was a Supreme Art of the highest level and a Martial Art that should never be leaked to the outside. Elder Nun Guhwa could not understand how Pyo Wol had learned such a technique.

“Um…”

Just then, Cheolshim cautiously spoke up.

Cheolshim was Jeong Hwa’s immediate Junior Martial Sister. With Jeong Hwa dead, she was the most likely candidate for the next Sect Master.

Elder Nun Guhwa looked at Cheolshim.

“Speak.”

“Could it be that the Secret Manual Gong-un had was leaked?”

“Gong-un? You mean the child who died in the underground cavern?”

“Yes! This Disciple heard that she was permitted to learn the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm and had a copy of it.”

“So you’re saying she entered the underground cavern with the copy?”

“That is this Disciple’s guess.”

“That crazy girl! Taking a copy outside. Was she in her right mind?”

Bang!

Elder Nun Guhwa slammed her hand on the armrest of her chair. The armrest shattered into powder.

Everyone held their breath at Elder Nun Guhwa’s fury.

“But he learned the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm without our sect’s internal energy method? Is that even possible?”

“Common sense says it’s impossible, but as of now, it’s the only possibility I can think of.”

Cheolshim hunched her shoulders as if she had committed a crime.

Elder Nun Guhwa bit her lip.

She too knew that Cheolshim’s guess was plausible. But she didn’t want to admit that a mere Assassin had stolen and learned the Martial Arts of the prestigious Emei Sect. The pride of the Emei Sect was at stake.

It was a long time before Elder Nun Guhwa accepted reality. In any case, Cheolshim’s words were the most plausible for now.

“So, that bastard has learned the Qingcheng Sect’s Seventy-Two Cutting Waves and our sect’s Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm. And he holds a deep-seated grudge against us. Is that right?”

“It seems so.”

“Tch! To think a mere Assassin would trifle with the great Emei Sect. Does the Qingcheng Sect know about this?”

“They already firmly believe that our sect is the culprit who killed Cheong-yeop. They won’t believe anything we say.”

“I suppose so. They will never believe us until we catch the Assassin and show them the truth.”

The Qingcheng Sect did not trust the Emei Sect.

There was an original sin that the Emei Sect had already committed.

At the center of it was Elder Nun Guhwa.

Her decision had brought about today’s tragedy. But even so, she had never once regretted her decision.

Her dream of making the Emei Sect the hegemon of Sichuan Province was still in progress.

Just then, a middle-aged male Martial Artist who had been silent until now spoke up.

“Sect Master!”

“Speak, Jangpyeong!”

The middle-aged Martial Artist was Jangpyeong, the abbot of Fog Valley Temple, one of the Emei Sect’s branch temples.

He was the first male Disciple Elder Nun Guhwa had accepted after opening the Emei Sect’s doors to men.

Until now, he had little say, overshadowed by Jeong Hwa’s presence, but in terms of Martial Arts skill alone, he was by no means inferior to Jeong Hwa.

“If you just give me permission, I will go and capture the Assassin.”

“He’s a dangerous man.”

“He was dangerous when we were unaware of his existence, but now that we know, there’s no danger at all as long as we prepare. So please, send me.”

“No! I will catch him myself.”

“Are you saying that you, the Sect Master, will descend the mountain yourself?”

Jangpyeong shot up from his seat in surprise at Elder Nun Guhwa’s declaration. The other Disciples were the same.

“Sect Master, you must not.”

“How can the Sect Master move personally? And for a lowly Assassin at that.”

The Disciples desperately tried to stop Elder Nun Guhwa. But Elder Nun Guhwa’s resolve was firm.

“His final target is me anyway. If I stay put, he will surely come all the way to the Emei Sect.”

“But…”

Elder Nun Guhwa was certain of her judgment.

‘From the beginning, his target was me. He must have caused this whole mess to get to me. I should have eliminated him for certain back then.’

She resented Daoist Master Mujeong of the Qingcheng Sect.

If he had eliminated Pyo Wol for certain, something like this would never have happened. The thought that this happened because of Daoist Master Mujeong’s incompetence made her anger toward the Qingcheng Sect flare up even more.

“Cheolshim!”

“Yes! Master.”

“You will be in charge of the Emei Sect for the time being.”

“That is…”

“I will return as soon as I catch the Assassin, so just bear with it for a while. Jangpyeong!”

“Yes! Sect Master.”

“You will assist Cheolshim.”

“I will do so.”

“If any difficulties arise, go and seek help from the Three Monks of the White Moon.”

The Three Monks of the White Moon were the Emei Sect’s greatest Experts.

Ever since Elder Nun Guhwa took over as Sect Master, they had cut off their interest in worldly affairs and focused solely on isolated training, but they would be the first to step forward if the Emei Sect were in crisis.

Because they were there, Elder Nun Guhwa could leave the Emei Sect with peace of mind.

“How dare a lowly Assassin cause such a disaster. I will surely catch him and tear him into a thousand, ten thousand pieces.”

A vicious light appeared in Elder Nun Guhwa’s eyes.

That day, Elder Nun Guhwa descended Mount Emei, leading two hundred of the Emei Sect’s elite.