Chapter 146 :

Those Wearing Black Masks (5)

“I knew it from the moment I came with Young Master Jin. ‘Traveling’ with that man? As if……”

Seong Moran grumbled as she took off her lavish jewelry and removed her outer robe.

“I told you from the start that we didn’t come here to travel……”

“Who said anything? Why are you secretly listening to my muttering?”

If you mutter right into someone’s ear in a quiet place, aren’t you saying it so they’ll hear?

“……When this is over, I’ll treat you to a lavish meal at Songhyang Pavilion.”

“Who likes going to a pleasure house where only men go……? I heard it’s lovely to take a boat out on Dongting Lake and enjoy the night view……”

Considering we were about to face the Diancang Sect, bringing up a boat on Dongting Lake must have been her way of showing concern.

I nodded gladly.

“Just the night view? Why don’t we take the biggest, most splendid boat, hire musicians and a chef, and enjoy ourselves? That’s how you’re supposed to spend a vacation.”

Seong Moran flared her nostrils and pursed her lips, struggling to hold back a smile.

“Well…… that sounds nice. But are you sure you’re okay with it, Young Master Jin?”

“What do you mean?”

“Spending that much money and going up against the Diancang Sect. Honestly, Young Master Jin won’t gain anything from this once it’s over.”

“………”

I’d been used as a meat shield, but I’d still risked my life on the front lines to stop the Demonic Path’s rule.

The righteous faction’s hypocrisy was nothing new, but seeing people go so far as to wear the Demonic Cult’s mask for their own benefit made my stomach churn.

“Isn’t this what any warrior who carries a sword should do?”

“………”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It just doesn’t suit you to say that, rising star of the dark-faction murim. A righteous hero of the dark faction……”

“……Those kinds of remarks keep causing misunderstandings……”

“Eldest Senior Brother, they’re moving.”

Geumpyo turned to tell me.

I stopped speaking and shifted my gaze.

Three men emerged with a creak from what looked like an abandoned building on the outskirts of Yueyang.

One was the attendant we’d met at Hwayol Pavilion.

The other two were unfamiliar.

The attendant headed back toward Yueyang, while the other men started in the opposite direction.

“They’re on the move.”

“Where do you think they’re going?”

“They’re probably going to check whether the information is true and report to their superiors. The real mastermind will likely show up then.”

“As expected…… You understand their ways quickly, like a member of the dark faction.”

“……What is wrong with you?”

Geumpyo, Eunho, Dongryong, Seong Moran, and I quietly followed the men.

The three brothers and I could use the Ghost-Breathing Step, so we stayed close to the men.

Seong Moran, curious about everything, followed from farther away.

The men led us to an isolated estate on the outskirts of Yueyang.

We hid on the roof of the estate.

Seong Moran looked around with a grave expression.

Did they hide the people somewhere else?

We searched every corner of the estate, but couldn’t find any of the captives.

The heavy guard made the search even more difficult.

But one thing caught my eye.

I don’t think so.

Why not?

Look at all the cart tracks by that rear gate. The estate seems rarely used, so why are there so many tracks?

Ah……

They’re probably transporting people, or food to feed them.

You really do know a lot.

……What do you mean by that?

Nothing. Anyway, they must be somewhere in this estate. Where do you think they are?

The Haomun’s Yueyang branch. Wasn’t its underground area quite large?

Right.

If there’s no sunlight underground and the rooms are divided by walls, wouldn’t it be hard to tell where you are?

So we have to search underground?

Guided by the moonlight peeking through the clouds, I pointed toward a storehouse to the south.

I think they’re in there.

Why?

When someone posts guards around a storehouse like that, doesn’t it mean they’re hiding treasure—or something as valuable as treasure—inside?

……We should wait for Seonhwa to bring the others.

I shook my head.

Our plan didn’t leave us that much time.

They’ll move quickly because of the Namgung Family. If we wait, we might lose them all.

Now that they knew Jeonghwa was connected to the Namgung Family, they would be keeping an eye on the family, too.

The best thing we could do now was hold them here until the Namgung Family arrived.

Seong Moran widened her eyes behind her black mask.

Are you crazy? You want us to handle this ourselves? There are more than eighty people here.

We’ll make as much noise as we can. While we keep them busy, Young Lady Seong, please rescue the captives.

We suspect the Diancang Sect is involved. If they get involved too, we won’t be able to resolve this anymore.

I-I understand. But…… don’t die.

I won’t.

Seong Moran took a couple of steps, then looked back at us.

Even if your arms or legs get cut off, make sure your faces are unharmed.

……Are you actually worried about us?

That was a pretty brutal way to show concern.

……Anyway, be careful. I’ll move as quickly as I can.

I looked at the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers and asked, “Young Lady Seong says not to die. Are you worried?”

Geumpyo adjusted his grip on his sword, looking incredulous.

“She’d faint if she heard that Senior Brother Jin threw us into Twin Curtain Stronghold.”

What? When did I throw you in there……

Before they could hear my excuses, the three of them launched themselves into the fray.

Jeong Somyeong, captain of the Muwol Unit, trembled at the corners of his eyes as he listened to the report.

“Damn it……”

The Namgung Family? The Namgung Family? How could that be? A mere courtesan being connected to the Namgung Family……

“Are you certain?”

“We haven’t confirmed it yet……”

“‘Yet’ what? Finish your sentence, you bastard! Don’t you know the survival of our sect is at stake?”

“We received information that the Changgung Merchant Guild had commissioned the Beggar Gang to find Jeonghwa.”

They must have noticed something strange while searching for her themselves, so they’d put out a request.

Besides, the people looking for Jeonghwa were Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran.

Everyone knew the two were close, which made the information all the more credible.

“If we’d held on a little longer, we could’ve swallowed Cheongjuk Pavilion whole……”

There was nothing for it now.

If their trail was discovered here, Cheongjuk Pavilion wouldn’t be the only thing at stake.

“What’s the head of Cheongjuk Pavilion doing?”

“He asked the Diancang Sect for help and is staying at Seongsadawon.”

The plan had been to wait a few more days, then pretend they’d barely found the girl and present her with a contract.

But now they couldn’t afford to leave any evidence behind.

“Kill that woman Jeonghwa and dump her body in Dongting Lake. Mobilize every warrior in the sect. We’re moving the estate.”

“Yes!”

“Hurry. If the Namgung Family moves first……”

Aaargh!

Jeong Somyeong’s words were cut off by a scream from outside.

Thud!

Bang!

A loud boom followed the scream, like an explosion.

Had they already arrived? Was that even possible, given the timing?

It couldn’t be.

Jeong Somyeong’s head snapped around.

“You brought someone here on your tail!”

“T-that can’t be. We checked three times before coming here.”

“………”

Then there was only one explanation.

Their pursuers were experts so skilled that the men hadn’t noticed them.

Jeong Somyeong’s face turned pale.

“Call the sect for help right away…… No, go straight to Seongsadawon!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“I’ll go out myself.”

The scene Jeong Somyeong saw when he left the hall was nothing short of horrific.

The elite warriors selected by the sect were sprawled everywhere, while the masked attackers swung their swords without hesitation.

Jeong Somyeong watched the attackers’ skill for a brief moment and quickly judged that they were opponents he couldn’t easily handle.

“Everyone, stop!”

Jeong Somyeong raised his voice even louder.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop?”

Only then did the Yuwol Gate warriors retreat.

“What brings you honorable gentlemen to such a remote place?”

As he addressed the intruders, Jeong Somyeong hurriedly sent a voice transmission.

Bring every warrior in the estate here.

Then he continued speaking as calmly as he could.

“You know this estate is run by Yuwol Gate, don’t you?”

“………”

Though he tried to settle things with words, the intruders stayed silent as the grave.

“If you came for our property, you’ve come to the wrong place. This estate was built for Yuwol Gate’s warriors to train.”

The intruders still said nothing.

But when he examined them closely, Jeong Somyeong noticed something strange.

Some were tall and powerfully built, while others looked like children who hadn’t finished growing.

Could they be kids?

The thought made a flush of anger rise in Jeong Somyeong.

“If you won’t say anything, why did you come here?”

Once he saw that most of Yuwol Gate’s warriors had gathered, his tone grew harsher.

“Fools. You’ve come straight to your own graves.”

“………”

The biggest of the intruders raised a pitch-black sword, the same color as his mask.

“What are you waiting for?”

The intruder spoke as if he were the master of the estate.

Jeong Somyeong’s patience snapped.

“Attack! Show him how fearsome Yuwol Gate is!”

“Yes!”

The battle, briefly halted, began again.

The martial art I’d used most in my previous life was undoubtedly the Small Heaven Sword Technique.

It wasn’t my strongest martial art.

I’d had no choice but to rely on it because it consumed the least internal energy.

Five Yuwol Gate warriors charged first.

When attacks converge on a single point, there’s nowhere left to dodge.

Instead of retreating, I advanced and thrust with the Small Heaven Sword Technique.

“Gah!”

The warrior whose right shoulder I’d pierced dropped his sword and collapsed.

I dodged another warrior who swung his sword wildly in confusion, then cut through the tendons at his heel.

“Aaargh!”

When flesh and tendons were severed, even a demonic practitioner clutched the wound and fell.

I sprang off the fallen warrior’s body and struck at the vital points of three warriors at once.

Clang, clang, thud.

The first two attacks were blocked, but the third landed.

A fountain of blood burst forth, followed by a groan of pain.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and kill him!”

Warriors swarmed toward the commotion.

As their numbers grew, so did their courage.

I’d taken down three, but six more joined them.

It was no different from my previous life.

Every battle against demonic practitioners had been like this.

So many people kept surging at me that I couldn’t tell whether they were human or a wave.

My paltry internal energy would soon run dry, and I’d have to block their swords with nothing but muscle.

Their swords swung on instinct, with no reason behind them other than a desperate will to live.

Perhaps because my desperation reached them—or perhaps because the battlefield was so chaotic—I’d once managed to drive my sword into the neck of an opponent whose blade was sheathed in sword energy.

“Kh……”

“Hah, hah, hah……”

“Gurgle……”

Just like the Yuwol Gate warriors who were dying now, clutching the terrible wounds in their throats.

Those demonic practitioners back then had all worn the same look of disbelief at their own deaths.

“You fools! What did you learn a sword formation for, to boil soup with it?”

The warriors who’d been swarming me without a plan spread out.

I kept pressing them and swinging my sword, determined to finish them before they could form up.

Clang-clang-clang, thud.

After three exchanges, a Yuwol Gate warrior fell.

Three more exchanges, and another Yuwol Gate warrior’s blood spilled.

The situation resembled the battlefield of my previous life, but the scene unfolding before me was entirely different.

“Formation!”

Clang-clang-clang!

Thirty swordsmen began circling in unison.

The Thirty Yuwol Sword Formation was unmatched in its offensive power.

“We’ll take them!”

At Eunho’s shout, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers formed the White Tiger Deathblow Sword Formation.

The three had been moving independently, but their sword techniques began to flow as if a single person were wielding them.

“Gold-and-Silver Armor!”

At Eunho’s cry, the three began sweeping out the Twin Heaven Sword Art at once.

The Thirty Yuwol Sword Formation had seemed ready to shatter their formation at a glance.

But it could advance no farther, as if it had run into a solid wall.

Crash-crash-crash-crash!

Though Yuwol Gate’s warriors greatly outnumbered them, the White Tiger Deathblow Sword Formation stood firm, as if its roots had sunk deep into the ground.

“Star Illusion!”

Eunho conjured illusion swords, and the other two did the same.

Dozens…… no, hundreds of illusion swords began surrounding the entire Thirty Yuwol Sword Formation.

“Damn……”

“What is this……?”

“What the hell!”

The Yuwol Gate warriors forming the formation didn’t seem skilled enough to tell illusion swords from true swords.

They were overwhelmed by the Twin Heaven Sword Art filling the air.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

At the same time, the sound of blades piercing flesh rang out, followed by cries of pain.

“Ghk!”

“Ugh!”

“Gurgle!”

I charged toward the Yuwol Gate warriors who were staring blankly at the White Tiger Deathblow Sword Formation.

The Twin Heaven Sword Art came crashing down on them.

“……Huh?”

“I-illusion sword?”

Some warriors had squeezed their eyes shut as the Twin Heaven Sword Art flew toward their necks.

A few stared in confusion when they found their necks unharmed.

But not everyone was so lucky.

“Gah!”

“Aaargh!”

“Ghk!”

The true swords hidden among the Twin Heaven Sword Art turned some Yuwol Gate warriors into ghosts.

Five more men fell.

I sprang forward like an arrow and unleashed the Twin Heaven Sword Art again.

Shrrrring!

Dozens of blades appeared and vanished, confusing the eye while taking the lives of the men caught among them.

The Yuwol Gate warriors, who’d taken courage from their numerical advantage, were gradually retreating.

“What a bunch of idiots……”

A man who looked like their leader leapt out from the hall.

I flung out my left hand and unleashed the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

Boom!

He twisted in midair, but couldn’t evade the barrage of the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist.

He crashed into the hall at the same speed he’d come flying in.

The already dilapidated building groaned and creaked, sending dust flying.

With their leader gone, I began cutting through the bewildered warriors one after another.

Clang-clang-clang!

Clang-clang!

The Yuwol Gate warriors had already gauged my strength.

Their swords no longer carried any boldness.

All that remained was a desperate attempt to survive, a defensive stance.

To someone like me, who’d been through countless battlefields, they were nothing but easy prey.

Aaargh!

Ghk!

Ugh!

With soft hissing sounds, blood burst and sprayed in every direction.

The Yuwol Gate warriors watched their comrades die, unsure what to do.

When the courtyard had been cleared, a black figure dropped from the roof and landed beside me.

Young Hero Jin.

I was startled to see Seong Moran.

Have you already rescued them all?

No. I couldn’t.

Why not?

There are too many captives. More than ten of them are children.

It’d be better to finish this quickly, rescue them, and leave.

As I rapidly considered how to change our plan—

Boom.

A signal flare rose from the ruined hall and scattered sparks across the dark night sky.

“Ghk.”

The leader who’d crashed into the hall came back outside, blood running from his mouth.

“……You rats. I don’t know who you are, but don’t expect to leave this place alive.”

There was no more time to waste.

I met Seong Moran’s eyes and drew up all my internal energy.

“Young Hero Jin……”

“Please step back for a moment.”

The trembling air gathered in my palm in an instant.

Then a third of the internal energy stored in my dantian vanished with a thud.

Kwachachachachang!

The Mad Heaven Divine Palm shot forward and swallowed the hall and its leader whole.

Aaargh!

Ghk!

Ugh!

As the warriors caught in the Mad Heaven Divine Palm screamed and fell, Seong Moran and I charged forward together.

Seong Moran and I had never practiced together alone, but perhaps because we’d shared so much experience during the entrance exam, our movements matched perfectly without either of us saying a word.

It felt reassuring, like coordinating with the members of the Sojeong Unit in the past.

“T-the Iron Sword Sect! You…… You’re with the Iron Sword Sect!”

Just as I was about to charge at the man who’d recognized Seong Moran’s martial arts and cut him down—

“Everyone, stop!”

A Lion’s Roar shook the estate from within, echoing loudly throughout the grounds.

“………”

At the entrance to the estate stood Jong Byeokgi, his clothes in disarray, staring at us with blazing eyes.