Light Novel: Volume 19 Episode 25
Manhwa: N/A
“It’s been a while.”
Hong Yushin said with a smile as he greeted Pyo-wol.
Just as he had anticipated, Pyo-wol had appeared.
The people of the slums had monitored the intrusion of this stranger into their territory, and this news had reached Pyo-wol’s ears.
Pyo-wol recognized the identity of the stranger at once, which was why he had come in person.
“It has indeed been a while. Are you here because of the Shaoyang branch incident?”
“Did you know that it was destroyed?”
Pyo-wol nodded and said,
“I saw the Ten Thousand Man Slayer.”
“The one who wiped out the Shaoyang branch was the Ten Thousand Man Slayer?”
“That’s right!”
“Why would he? Could he also be related to the Kowloon Assassin Guild?”
“Probably…”
“This is going to be bigger than I thought.”
The Ten Thousand Man Slayer was one of the most supreme martial artists in Jianghu.
His infamy was unmatched, and with little known about him, he was the subject of widespread fear. The revelation that he was part of the Kowloon Assassin Guild was a massive shock to Hong Yushin.
This was proof that the power of the Kowloon Assassin Guild was far greater than he had vaguely assumed.
Pyo-wol said,
“Whatever you are thinking, it’s going to be more serious than that.”
“I’m already prepared.”
Shoulder to shoulder, the two men walked towards the Qi Family Medical Hall.
Looking around the medical hall, Hong Yushin remarked,
“This is a nice place. To think there’s such a medical hall in a slum like this… I’ll make sure to support the Qi Family Medical Hall once we rebuild the Shaoyang branch.”
“How about Poyang Lake?”
“It’s serious.”
“How bad?”
“It’s already spreading into a great war.”
“That serious?”
“Isn’t the backing of the Golden Heaven Society and Silver Lotus Society truly formidable? Up until now, it has been a proxy war, but now, each side is sending their elites to clash directly. I have even received information that Dok Gohyang from the Martial Sword Alliance himself is leading the forces towards Poyang Lake.”
“Dok Gohyang himself has made a move?”
“That’s right.”
The situation was far graver than Pyo-wol had vaguely imagined.
Without reaching the realm of the Eight Constellations or the Three Saints, it was difficult for martial artists to make a name for themselves, no matter how hard they trained. Thus, most martial artists faded into obscurity without leaving their mark on Jianghu.
For them, the chaotic times in Jianghu were the perfect opportunity to establish their reputation.
Whether strong or weak, they shared the same desire to make a name for themselves. Hence, they set out for Poyang Lake.
People joining the Golden Heaven Society or the Silver Lotus Society, people scheming for their own gain amidst the chaos, and even bandits running rampant– the area around Poyang Lake had long since turned into a hellhole.
The fight that began at Poyang Lake has escalated into a form of civil war, spreading across the entire Jianghu.
This prompted an emergency within the Hao clan.
The Hao clan calculated the potential reach of this catastrophe and researched measures to prevent its further escalation. Of course, doing so wouldn’t be able to stop the great turmoil entirely, but at the very least, some form of contingency plan had to be put in place.
“That’s why the Hao clan cannot afford to deploy its forces to Shaoyang right now.”
Hong Yushin said, biting his lip tightly.
The Hao clan, despite its vast scale, was desperately short of martial experts.
This was something he had always regretted.
Over the years, the Hao clan had made efforts to nurture more martial experts, but the results had not been commensurate with the effort put in. Still, there was some small consolation in having significantly more experts than before.
Summoning the Black Tiger Squad to Shaoyang had already stretched the Hao clan’s resources. If there was one consolation, however, it was the presence of Pyo-wol here.
Hong Yushin knew better than anyone the relationship between Pyo-wol and the Kowloon Assassin Guild.
He believed that Pyo-wol would not stay here, so close to the Kowloon Assassin Guild’s stronghold without any plan.
“A great war under heaven, huh…”
“One cannot escape the times of war. People of Jianghu have already become blinded by their desires. No one has any intention of stopping this war, in fact, they’re even desperate to make it bigger.”
“It’s inevitable.”
“That’s right! Those with power do not wish for peace. And Jianghu is a world inhabited by many such individuals. If we do not expend power in this upcoming chaos, we will only be engulfed by an even greater turmoil.”
People only remember significant wars like the Great Heavenly Blood War and the Great Heavenly Demon War, but even before those, there were countless wars that shaped Jianghu’s fate.
Once power accumulates to a certain level, conflicts arise, and after the decline from the wars, a period of peace follows. In this process, new factions emerge as the leading forces of Jianghu, and eventually, they too forget the past and clash again.
Such events will eternally repeat as long as the world of Jianghu exists.
Right now, they were in a phase where the power that had been building up for decades was in the brink of exploding.
No one could artificially stop the explosion.
The key was to minimize the damage as much as possible.
If the Kowloon Assassin Guild were to be left unchecked, they would certainly join this war and wreak havoc. The situation would spiral out of control then.
They must find a way to deal with the Kowloon Assassin Guild before that happens.
That was why Hong Yushin had come here.
Fortunately, Pyo-wol was here.
Somehow, he had faith that Pyo-wol would be able to find a way to handle it.
“Hoo!”
With a sigh, Hong Yushin pulled a bottle of liquor from his waist.
His mouth seemed so dry and he felt like he needed a drink.
He offered the bottle to Pyo-wol.
“Care for a drink?”
“No, thanks!”
“Then I’ll drink by myself.”
As Pyo-wol nodded, Hong Yushin put the bottle to his lips and gulped it down.
Watching Hong Yushin wipe the spilled liquor from his mouth with his sleeve, Pyo-wol asked,
“You mentioned that you’ve called up some troops?”
“The Black Tiger Squad, they’re made up of renowned experts even within our own ranks.”
“How many are there in all?”
“One hundred.”
“That’s no small number.”
“It’s not large either. But I can assure you, each one of them is worth a hundred men.”
“Hmm!”
Pyo-wol rubbed his chin with his fingers, deep in thought.
Hong Yushin quietly watched Pyo-wol’s face.
His pensive face was somehow frightening.
After a while, Pyo-wol spoke up.
“I need a map.”
“What kind of map are you looking for?”
“A map that details the topography of the Shaoyang region. Do you think you can get it?”
“What do you take me for? Of course, I can get it.”
Hong Yushin replied confidently.
“Get it to me as soon as possible.”
“Understood.”
Hong Yushin’s voice trembled slightly as he responded.
It was Hong Yushin who thought that he knew Pyo-wol better than anyone else. Although he didn’t know what Pyo-wol was planning, he was sure that his plans would be anything but ordinary.
Normally, Hong Yushin would never agree to such a plan, as it went against his principles. But this time, he had decided to side with Pyo-wol.
Hong Yushin himself had been a victim of the Kowloon Assassin Guild, having been once trapped in the Prison of No Return operated by them. There was no way he could remain entirely rational.
“Let’s go all the way to the end, even if that end is in the fires of hell…”
* * *
The Ten Thousand Man Slayer touched his throat.
He could feel the deeply sunken skin under his fingertips.
It was the spot where the noose made by Pyo-wol’s Soul-Reaping Thread had tightened.
Had his reaction been a mere moment slower, his neck would have been cleanly severed.
Even thinking about it now sent chills down his spine.
Never had he faced such danger as he roamed around Jianghu.
‘Pyo-wol!’
He had already known that Pyo-wol wasn’t a simple assassin, but his power far exceeded his expectations after experiencing it firsthand.
“If I had known he would be like this, I would have gotten rid of him long ago.”
Ten Thousand Man Slayer clicked his tongue.
He certainly had the opportunity of eliminating Pyo-wol back then.
When he was still inexperienced in the ways of Jianghu.
If they had just used their full forces when Pyo-wol first got entangled with them, the Kowloon Assassin Guild would have eliminated him easily. However, because the organization had to conceal its presence and identity, it missed that opportunity, and Pyo-wol grew stronger and stronger, growing into an invincible martial artist.
Now, he was no longer an inexperienced youth, nor was he a naïve idealist bound by greater causes.
He was a venomous being, capable of using any despicable means to achieve his goals. He was also equipped with absolute martial prowess.
Dealing with such a person was no easy task.
“Tch! I might have to bring out the God-Slaying Bow.”
It was then.
“What are you mumbling about all alone?”
A voice suddenly reached his ears.
The Ten Thousand Man Slayer lifted his head and looked ahead.
He could see a figure walking toward him in the distance.
The moment he saw him, he recognized the person in an instant.
“Red… King?”
“It’s been a while, Eul-mok.”
“I told you not to call me by that name.”
“Keke! Why, do you wish to deny your past?”
“Do you want me to rip that mouth of yours right now?”
The Ten Thousand Man Slayer’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Despite the intense killing intent that would suffocate an ordinary man, the man known as Red King didn’t change his expression.
He strode confidently towards the Ten Thousand Man Slayer.
His entire body was red as if drenched in blood.
His hair was red, his eyes were red, his lips were red, and even the clothes he wore were red. Even the scabbard on his waist was a bright crimson.
He appeared to be in his early to mid-forties, but his actual age was much greater.
The man’s nickname was Red King.
He was a man who, like the Ten Thousand Man Slayer, lived a life shrouded in absolute secrecy.
The Red King cracked a slight smile.
“Why, want to try me?”
“Should I kill you?”
“Go for it! This time it won’t end with just a scar on your face.”
“You–!”
“Hehe! Don’t you like that scar? I put quite some effort into making it for you.”
“I’m not the same person now as I was then.”
“Then why don’t you prove it?”
Despite the Red King’s taunts, the Ten Thousand Man Slayer did not move hastily.
It wasn’t that he was afraid of the Red King.
As he had confidently claimed, he was not the same man he once was. But even so, he wasn’t yet at a level to overwhelm the Red King.
A fight with him would surely end in mutual destruction.
That was by no means what the Ten Thousand Man Slayer wanted, and it was not something the Red King desired either.
Right now, it was just a battle of pride.
They had both been active in Saibei for a long time.
They hadn’t always gotten along, and at times they even pointed swords at each other over differing opinions.
The scar on Ten Thousand Man Slayer’s face was from one of those times. As a consequence, the Red King also received a fatal wound to his side.
Luckily, he survived, but as a result, the Red King had to endure months of suffering.
Both men gradually lowered their aggression.
“I really didn’t expect that we would end up together here again after all those ugly clashes in Saibei.”
“Same here.”
“Did the leader send you?”
“That woman.”
“Woman? Are you talking about So Yeowol?”
“Yes.”
“What is the leader thinking, giving so much power to that woman?”
“You’ll have to give credit where credit is due.”
“Credit?”
“Honestly, don’t you know by now why the leader relies on that woman so much? Haha!”
The Red King chuckled.
The Ten Thousand Man Slayer frowned as he watched the Red King.
As his laughter subsided, the Red King said,
“You may think whatever you want, but I find that woman to be quite extraordinary.”
“……”
“Just think about it. She was sold to a place where she was sure to die, but she managed to come back alive, with a bunch of poison in her. And that’s not all. She came from nothing and yet, in a short amount of time, she managed to secure her influence. Not everyone has that ability.”
“So you’re supporting her?”
“I don’t support anyone. I just don’t want to become enemies with someone I haven’t chosen myself.”
“Like a bat…”2
“Haha! Aren’t you here because of that woman too? Let’s face it, that woman is remarkable, and she won’t just stop at this level.”
“……”
The Ten Thousand Man Slayer pursed his lips.
He hated to admit it, but he had to.
So Yeowol’s abilities were beyond his imagination.
Of all the people he knew, the Red King was the one who looked down on others the most.
If even the Red King thought so highly of her, there was no need to hear what others might think.
The Ten Thousand Man Slayer asked,
“What did she say?”
“She said to draw out Pyo-wol.”
“Not to find him?”
“She said she knows him well enough to know that if he sets his mind to hiding, he can’t be found by searching. The only way to catch him is to make him come out.”
“How does she suggest we draw him out?”
“She said to set a fire. One so hot that he cannot bear to stay hidden…”
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