Light Novel: Volume 20 Episode 17
Manhwa: N/A
“Hoo!”
The man sighing while looking at the vast lake was Namgung Wol.
Poyang Lake was littered with numerous corpses.
They were all the martial artists who had died in today’s battle.
The clash between the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society resulted in numerous casualties.
More people had died than Namgung Wol had anticipated.
The number of victims had grown so large that even if he wanted to stop, it would be impossible.
The Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society, along with many sects related to them, had participated.
Numerous new grievances were created, and some sects even vanished without a trace.
Even now, many martial artists and sects from all over the world are still joining the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society, driven by their own interests.
“Hoo!”
Namgung Wol sighed again.
He had formed the Silver Lotus Society with the intention of stopping the Golden Heaven Society’s rampage, but he never expected it to become the starting point of such a great upheaval.
Now, his power alone was not enough to stop the great turmoil.
“If I had known it would come to this, I would have become the leader myself.”
Yong Hasang of the Dragon Sky Valley, who became the leader of the Silver Lotus Society, was a man whose ambition was as fierce and audacious as his nickname, ‘Young Lord Dragon.’
Once he became the leader, he revealed his belligerent nature.
Despite the objections of his subordinates, he executed strategies that resulted in many casualties.
The current grim scene was the result of his actions.
Today alone, hundreds of warriors from the Silver Lotus Society had died.
Including the casualties from the Golden Heaven Society, the death toll had nearly reached a thousand.
Their blood was dyeing the vast Poyang Lake red.
The Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society had positioned themselves north and south of the lake.
The Silver Lotus Society was in the southwest, and the Golden Heaven Society was in the northeast.
They often crossed into and out of each other’s territory, provoking each other. Each time, a great battle would break out, resulting in countless casualties.
Namgung Wol had advised Yong Hasang to deal with the Golden Heaven Society’s provocations more calmly.
Yong Hasang listened to Namgung Wol’s opinions. But it was just that. When it came to actually acting, his actual responses were violently different from Namgung Wol’s suggestions.
There were two ways to extinguish a fire.
One was to douse it with water, and the other was to set a counter-fire.
Yong Hasang chose to set a counter-fire.
“If we lose the momentum from the start, we will never be able to recover. We must show them we are not to be underestimated by responding strongly.”
Yong Hasang’s view had its merits, but the resulting sacrifices were too great.
“Hoo!”
Namgung Wol sighed deeply again.
He felt like he was wading through a sea of darkness with no light ahead.
At times like this, he wished someone could light a torch and guide the way.
“Would the situation have been different if Master Pyo-wol were here?”
Namgung Wol shook his head.
It was a useless thought.
The Pyo-wol he knew was a very private person and didn’t like to lead others, let alone be publicly active. There was no way such a person would be able to lead the Silver Lotus Society.
It was then.
A group of boats suddenly appeared on the other side of the lake.
“It’s the Golden Heaven Society!”
“Everyone, be on guard.”
Unlike his subordinates, who were panicking, Namgung Wol watched the situation with cold, sunken eyes.
Then a white flag was raised on the boat.
Understanding that this meant the other side had no intention of fighting, Namgung Wol issued an order.
“Launch a boat. I will go myself.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“Don’t you trust me? I’m more than capable of protecting myself.”
“As soon as you feel danger, retreat immediately.”
“I will.”
In the end, a boat was set afloat on Poyang Lake.
The boat carrying Namgung Wol sped towards the approaching boat of the Golden Heaven Society.
As the Golden Heaven Society’s boat drew closer, Namgung Wol’s expression hardened.
A formidable warrior with a commanding presence stood proudly at the bow of the opposing boat.
Namgung Wol recognized him at a glance.
“Dok Gohyang?”
He was Dok Gohyang of the Martial Sword Alliance.
The aura emanating from him as he approached, facing the wind, was like a tidal wave.
Behind Dok Gohyang stood his loyal confidant, Um Soso.
Their boat stopped right in front of him.
It was Namgung Wol who spoke first.
“So it’s you!”
“Long time no see.”
“When did you arrive here?”
“It’s been some time.”
“Is it okay for you to leave the Martial Sword Alliance and roam around like this?”
“The Martial Sword Alliance is quite stable compared to the Heavenly Guardian Association.”
“So, you left the Martial Sword Alliance to come here? Seems like you have nothing to do.”
“Since the supremacy of the world is at stake, shouldn’t I be here?”
Dok Gohyang made no attempt to hide his ambitions.
The turmoil started by the clash between the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society was now shaking the whole world.
For those with ambitions like Dok Gohyang, there could be no better opportunity.
Namgung Wol asked,
“So, what do you want to discuss? Surely you didn’t call me here just for small talk.”
“The first matter is about retrieving the bodies of the deceased.”
“Hmm!”
“Let’s have a ceasefire today and recover them. What do you say?”
“Hmm!”
“I’m sure you must also be troubled by the corpses of your Silver Lotus Society warriors floating in Poyang Lake. So am I.”
“So, you’re suggesting we don’t attack each other and focus on retrieving the bodies.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t trust you, but I agree with the idea of retrieving the bodies.”
“I knew you would agree.”
“And what’s the second matter?”
“I have something to ask.”
“Is it about me?”
“Yes.”
Namgung Wol frowned.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t think of anything Dok Gohyang might want to ask him.
“What I want is the whereabouts of a man. If you answer me honestly, I promise to stop the war for the next three days.”
“A ceasefire for three days–”
“I promise you on my name.”
“Alright! What do you want to know?”
A three-day ceasefire would save at least a few hundred lives. Namgung Wol was willing to answer anything Dok Gohyang asked if it meant saving so many people.
Dok Gohyang said,
“I’m looking for my senior brother.”
“Senior brother? Don’t you have several?”
“I’m looking for one in particular. You might have heard his name. Yu Suhwan.”
“Master Yu Suhwan?”
Namgung Wol’s frown deepened.
“Is Brother Yu staying with the Silver Lotus Society? Tell me honestly.”
“He is here on Poyang Lake?”
“Are you saying you don’t know?”
“I’m hearing it for the first time. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known he was at Poyang Lake.”
Namgung Wol effortlessly lied without any hesitation.
“Hmm!”
Dok Gohyang observed and looked for any change in Namgung Wol’s facial expressions.
‘He doesn’t seem to be lying, then where did he run off to?’
As it turned out, Um Soso failed to kill or capture Yu Suhwan.
Even though Yu Suhwan had only just recovered, his skill was remarkable.
Although he was wounded, he managed to escape the encirclement and disappear.
Um Soso led her subordinates in pursuit but failed to find Yu Suhwan anywhere.
To Dok Gohyang, Yu Suhwan was a thorn in his side.
As long as he was alive, he was a threat to his legitimacy.
Although Dok Gohyang had all but taken control of the Martial Sword Alliance by now, there were still many people who followed Yu Suhwan.
If they found out that he was alive, they could tear the Martial Sword Alliance in half.
Therefore, it was imperative to capture Yu Suhwan.
Dok Gohyang asked once more,
“Are you sure? You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Hah! If Master Yu was here, I would’ve widely publicized it. If he were to side with us because he has issues with you that would make many people question you.”
“Hmm!”
Dok Gohyang was silent for a moment, finding Namgung Wol’s words reasonable enough.
The Namgung Wol he knew was not one to plot or lie, so he had no choice but to trust him.
‘If not the Silver Lotus Society, where could he be hiding?’
His gaze swept to the woman behind him, who had her head lowered and bitten her lips.
She was embarrassed.
She had never betrayed Dok Gohyang’s expectations before. But she had disappointed him for the first time by failing to capture Yu Suhwan, a seemingly easy catch. She could not forgive herself for her complacency.
Dok Gohyang secretly communicated to Um Soso.
―Soso!
―Yes!
―Hunt him down and kill him. Do not disappoint me this time.
―Yes!
Um Soso’s face flushed with determination.
Dok Gohyang turned back to Namgung Wol.
“As promised, for the next three days, the Golden Heaven Society won’t initiate any actions.”
Namgung Wol frowned at his declaration.
He then turned to his subordinate standing beside him and spoke quietly,
“Find Master Yu. Finding him could shake the Martial Sword Alliance.”
The Martial Sword Alliance’s strength ranked in the top three of the forces supporting the Golden Heaven Society. If they could secure Yu Suhwan, they could plunge the Martial Sword Alliance into internal turmoil.
* * *
“Yawn!”
Nam Shin-woo, sitting atop a tree, let out a long yawn.
After being on top of the tree doing nothing for so long, he had grown quite bored.
Rubbing his eyes, Nam Shin-woo murmured,
“I miss Master. Hoo.”
This was the first time he had been away from the Wind Saint for such an extended long period since becoming his disciple.
To others, the Wind Saint might have been a figure of fear and awe, but to Nam Shin-woo, he was an endlessly kind protector.
The Wind Saint had done everything in his power to protect Nam Shin-woo and had imparted all of his martial arts knowledge to him.
The Wind Saint’s martial arts were so vast that it was impossible for Nam Shin-woo to fully understand or learn them in a short time. But the Wind Saint insisted on him memorizing everything anyway.
He told him that the basics alone would eventually lead to understanding. Thanks to this, Nam Shin-woo had all of the Wind Saint’s martial arts memorized in his head.
Although his level of achievement was modest right now, as he grew older and his understanding of the martial arts deepened, his accomplishments would skyrocket.
“Master should be fine. Who could possibly harm him?”
Nam Shin-woo believed with all his heart that the Wind Saint was invincible.
It was then.
Nam Shin-woo abruptly stopped talking to himself.
He sensed something odd.
He focused his eyes and looked ahead.
Rustle!
Something was moving in the distance.
The moment he saw a red shadow coming through the bushes, all traces of sleepiness vanished from Nam Shin-woo’s face.
The person, clad from head to toe in red, was no ordinary warrior.
‘A Blood Wraith.’
Nam Shin-woo immediately recognized the identity of the newcomer.
Rustle!
At that moment, another Blood Wraith appeared from a different direction.
They seemed to be unaware of the village’s presence yet, with how they were advancing cautiously, exchanging signals.
If they were to continue at this rate, however, they would soon reach the entrance of the village.
Nam Shin-woo prayed fervently.
‘Please, just pass by.’
But against his wishes, the Blood Wraiths continued onward.
Then the Blood Wraiths paused and exchanged glances at the sight of the dense mist blocking their path.
They realized that the dense mist was unnatural.
Whistle!
One of the Blood Wraiths blew a long whistle.
Immediately after, red shadows began to appear from all directions.
They converged towards the village entrance, following the whistle.
The village, shrouded in thick mist, was now swarming with Blood Wraiths.
Among them, a man with a particularly strong presence stepped forward. He was the leader of the Blood Wraiths.
After gazing at the dense mist for a moment, the leader gestured to a nearby Blood Wraith. Receiving the signal, the Blood Wraith cautiously entered the mist.
Despite waiting for a long time, the Blood Wraith who entered did not return.
A cold smile appeared on the lips of the Blood Wraith leader.
“We’ve found it.”
With a snap of his finger, the rest of the Blood Wraiths moved into the mist.
luna-cave
You cannot copy content of this page