Chapter 99

Nam Shin-woo’s condition was bizarre.

The blood that had been pouring from the deep wound in his chest had already stopped, and the focus had vanished from his eyes.

The way he staggered to his feet seemed somehow unusual.

“What the? This bastard! How is he still alive?”

Jo Samcheok’s eyebrows shot up toward the sky.

No matter how skilled a Martial Artist one was, it should have been impossible for them to move with such a severe injury. Yet, although Nam Shin-woo was staggering, he was moving on his own two feet.

“Damn it! I don’t know what’s going on, but since he’s alive, that’s all that matters, right?”

A Frenzied Gleam erupted from Jo Samcheok’s eyes.

He thought it was for the better.

His condition was bizarre, but if he could be captured like this, he would surely fetch a good price.

For the past few days, the Seven Stars Hall had scoured Chengdu to find Nam Shin-woo. The first to find a clue was none other than Jo Samcheok.

If he could just capture Nam Shin-woo, his contribution would surely be greatly recognized by the Seven Stars Hall.

“Heh heh!”

Jo Samcheok let out a sinister laugh and approached Nam Shin-woo.

Nam Shin-woo was still staggering.

It seemed that capturing him wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Come here.”

Jo Samcheok roughly grabbed a fistful of Nam Shin-woo’s hair with his large hand.

Jo Samcheok was too strong for the still young and frail Nam Shin-woo to handle. Knowing this, Jo Samcheok felt at ease as he tried to drag Nam Shin-woo by the hair.

Thwack!

At that moment, Nam Shin-woo delivered an unexpected blow.

His fist had slammed into Jo Samcheok’s side.

“Keuk!”

An intense pain that pierced his lungs made Jo Samcheok’s eyes fly wide open.

As far as he knew, Nam Shin-woo didn’t know a single move of Martial Arts. But to deliver such a powerful impact.

Jo Samcheok gritted his teeth and kicked Nam Shin-woo.

Nam Shin-woo was sent flying far away, like a ball made from a pig’s bladder.

“What’s your deal? You bastard.”

Jo Samcheok huffed and puffed as he approached Nam Shin-woo.

At that moment, Nam Shin-woo got up again.

Now, the focus was completely gone from his eyes. But what was more surprising was the wound on his chest.

The long gash on his chest from Jo Samcheok’s blade had visibly healed.

It was a sight that could never happen to a normal person. Even for someone who practiced Demonic art, it was impossible to recover from a wound so quickly.

Only then did Jo Samcheok realize that the request the Seven Stars Hall had received was no ordinary matter.

“I wondered why they were paying such a high price, but there was a reason for it after all.”

Jo Samcheok scowled.

Nam Shin-woo’s bizarre appearance and recovery were unnerving, but he wasn’t particularly scared.

Jo Samcheok was an Expert who had learned orthodox Martial Arts.

The Wild Wind Blade he had mastered possessed the power to turn even considerable Experts into beef jerky.

There was no reason for him to fear a being who had learned some bizarre Evil arts.

“If you keep resisting, I’ll cut off all your limbs. It would be fun to see if you can still live after that. Heh heh!”

Jo Samcheok let his Killing intent rise.

As if sensing his Killing intent, Nam Shin-woo faltered and stepped back. Even in his irrational state, he recognized his opponent’s strength.

Just then, someone suddenly hugged Jo Samcheok from behind.

It was Tang Sochu.

“Run!”

Tang Sochu shouted loudly while hugging Jo Samcheok.

Despite having lost his reason, Nam Shin-woo reacted to Tang Sochu’s voice.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then turned and bolted out of the workshop.

“What the? This bastard!”

Jo Samcheok thrashed his body around to shake off Tang Sochu, who was clinging to him tightly. But Tang Sochu held on tenaciously.

“Let go, you bastard!”

Finally enraged, Jo Samcheok drew up his Internal Energy and threw Tang Sochu off. But by then, Nam Shin-woo had disappeared from sight.

“This son of a bitch…”

Furious, Jo Samcheok kicked Tang Sochu with all his might.

Pow!

With a sound like a leather drum bursting, Tang Sochu was slammed into the workshop wall.

Tang Sochu went limp, not moving a muscle. But Jo Samcheok didn’t even spare him a glance and shot off in the direction Nam Shin-woo had disappeared.

Long after Nam Shin-woo and Jo Samcheok were gone, Tang Sochu remained motionless.

It was almost half a Shichen later when he finally moved.

“Keoheok!”

Tang Sochu let out a ragged breath and pushed his upper body up.

He had been on the verge of death and had miraculously survived.

Because of that, his mind was blank, and he couldn’t remember what had happened to him.

His memory returned a long while after that.

“Shin… woo?”

He looked around, but there was no sign of Nam Shin-woo or Jo Samcheok anywhere.

“Keuh!”

Tang Sochu pushed himself up.

An excruciating pain, as if he had been beaten with a giant hammer, coursed through his entire body.

Because of it, even the simple act of getting up caused him immense agony.

Barely managing to stand, Tang Sochu looked around the workshop.

The workshop, which held his lifelong dream, was horribly destroyed. The workshop being destroyed wasn’t the problem. It could be fixed.

The problem was Nam Shin-woo.

He was a boy he felt strangely concerned about.

He didn’t know why Jo Samcheok was chasing the boy, but it was clear that nothing good would come of him being captured.

But he couldn’t help directly either.

If he gritted his teeth and charged in, he would just suffer the same fate.

He was lucky to have survived this time, but if he attacked again, he would surely die.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Sochu staggered off somewhere.

＊＊＊

“Please try this on.”

Cho-hyang shyly held out some clothes.

What she offered was a red robe made of the finest silk.

The red robe, which fit Pyo Wol’s body perfectly, was a work of art in itself.

Pyo Wol stroked the robe and said,

“It feels nice.”

“I’m glad. It’s a garment made with great care by Chengdu’s best artisan using the finest silk. It suits you well, as expected.”

Cho-hyang smiled brightly.

Ordering the red robe had cost a considerable amount, but seeing how it enhanced Pyo Wol’s appearance, she didn’t regret the expense.

“I’ll wear it well.”

Cho-hyang hugged Pyo Wol’s waist and said,

“Please think of me whenever you wear this robe.”

“I will.”

“Thank you.”

Tears welled up in Cho-hyang’s eyes.

The past few days with Pyo Wol had been the happiest moments of her life.

Ever since she had been forced to become a Courtesan, she had never devoted her pure heart to anyone like this. In a way, Pyo Wol was like her first love.

But she knew.

She couldn’t stay like this forever.

Happy dreams don’t last forever.

It was time to wake up.

That was why she had prepared the crimson red robe, filled with her feelings.

Hoping that Pyo Wol would remember her forever.

Cho-hyang wiped her tears and pulled away from Pyo Wol. Then she smiled sweetly.

“You look amazing, as always.”

Just then, Hong Yushin’s voice came from outside.

“May I come in? It’s urgent.”

“Come in!”

As soon as Pyo Wol answered, Hong Yushin opened the door and entered.

Hong Yushin gestured to Cho-hyang with his eyes.

“You may leave.”

“Yes!”

Cho-hyang replied, bowed her head to Pyo Wol, and went outside.

Pyo Wol looked at Hong Yushin.

“It seems you’ve found something?”

“The Seven Stars Hall is currently looking for a child.”

“A child?”

“I heard they’re making inquiries to find a boy of about fifteen or sixteen. The fact that they’re deliberately asking people who aren’t Hao Clan members must mean it would be troublesome for us to know the details.”

“A child?”

“Yes! They’re specifically asking around for a scrawny child of about fifteen or sixteen.”

“The reason?”

“I haven’t been able to find that out yet.”

Hong Yushin slightly avoided Pyo Wol’s gaze.

After mobilizing all the Hao Clan members for the past few days, this was all the information he had gathered, and he was too ashamed to face Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol didn’t blame Hong Yushin.

Hong Yushin had mobilized the Hao Clan based solely on his gut feeling. He should be grateful, not blame him.

“Let me go!”

Just then, a commotion was heard from outside.

Hong Yushin scowled and said,

“What’s going on?”

“A man named Tang Sochu is insisting on entering the Plum Blossom Room.”

“Sochu?”

At that moment, Pyo Wol opened the door and went outside.

“Hyung!”

Surrounded by the Martial Artists guarding the Water Lotus Pavilion, Tang Sochu saw Pyo Wol and fell to his knees.

Pyo Wol hurried over to him. The Martial Artists who had surrounded Tang Sochu stepped back.

“What happened?”

“Help me.”

Tang Sochu grabbed the hem of Pyo Wol’s robe and met his gaze.

After looking into Tang Sochu’s bloodshot eyes for a moment, Pyo Wol nodded.

“Speak!”

“You’ll help me?”

“If it’s something I can do.”

“There’s a boy who fled to my workshop.”

Tang Sochu briefly explained what had happened with Nam Shin-woo.

“So you’re saying a large, blade-wielding Martial Artist destroyed your workshop and tried to abduct the boy you were protecting?”

“That’s right!”

Pyo Wol’s gaze turned to Hong Yushin.

“It seems the blade-wielding Martial Artist is the youngest of the Seven Stars Hall, the Wild Wind Bloody Killing Blade, Jo Samcheok. The appearance and characteristics you described match him.”

“Jo Samcheok?”

“You’ve probably seen him yourself. He uses a blade as large as he is. He has a fiery temper but also a surprisingly cool-headed side. Your younger brother was truly blessed by heaven to have survived an encounter with him.”

Tang Sochu had survived because his body had been naturally tempered from working with iron.

If an ordinary person had been hit like that by Jo Samcheok, they would have already stopped breathing.

Tang Sochu knelt on one knee.

What little stamina he had left was depleted.

His mind grew hazy. But Tang Sochu struggled to keep his wits about him and said,

“There’s something strange. That boy, his chest was deeply cut by Jo Samcheok’s blade. It was such a severe injury that his bones were showing, so I thought he was dead, but he staggered back to life. It was a really… bizarre sight. Really…”

Tang Sochu’s voice gradually faded.

He had lost consciousness.

Pyo Wol carefully laid Tang Sochu down.

Fortunately, he had only lost consciousness and his life didn’t seem to be in danger.

Hong Yushin muttered blankly.

“He was wounded so badly that the bones in his chest were showing, yet he survived just fine? Could he be related to the Ghost King?”

“Ghost King?”

“You don’t know of the Ghost King?”

“I don’t!”

Pyo Wol answered honestly.

Hong Yushin frowned for a moment, but soon began to explain about the Ghost King.

“Several decades ago, a mysterious man of unknown identity appeared. As soon as he appeared in Jianghu, he received everyone’s attention. Do you know why?”

“…”

“Because no matter how severe his injuries were, he wouldn’t die and would come back to life. Even after suffering fatal wounds that an ordinary person could never survive, he did not die. No absolute Expert could kill him.”

No matter how severe the injury, the Ghost King did not die. Given a little time, he would recover as if nothing had happened.

People called such a Ghost King the greatest enigma of Jianghu.

Nothing was known about him.

Where he came from.

How he acquired such an ability.

What his true background was.

What he wanted.

Not a single thing was clear.

At some point, a rumor began to circulate in Jianghu.

He who discovers the secret of the Ghost King shall enjoy eternal life.

Countless Martial Artists set out to capture the Ghost King. But none of them achieved their goal.

The Ghost King was strong.

Chillingly strong.

He possessed martial power so great that even the top-tier Martial Artists of Jianghu couldn’t do anything to him, even when they attacked together.

In fact, one mid-sized Sect that had tried to capture him was annihilated, not leaving a single ant behind.

After that, the Ghost King became a legend.

There were still many who sought him, but he became an existence that no one dared to approach.

The Ghost King was like a divine Dragon in the clouds.

There were only rumors that he roamed Jianghu, and those who had met him in person were few and far between.

The Ghost King was a high-priority surveillance target for the Hao Clan as well. But he was so elusive that they couldn’t even track his movements.

After hearing the whole story, Pyo Wol muttered.

“So you’re saying someone with the same constitution as that Ghost King has appeared.”

It made sense why the Seven Stars Hall was chasing the boy.

Whoever secured the boy would surely be one step closer to the Ghost King’s secret.

If so, Immortality would not be just a dream.