Light Novel: Volume 23 Episode 1
Manhwa: N/A
The shock brought by Yong Hasang’s death throughout Jianghu was truly immense.
Not only was the Silver Lotus Society in turmoil, but the Golden Heaven Society as well.
Although Yong Hasang was forced to step down after being defeated by Lee Geumhan, he had done a good job of leading the Silver Lotus Society until then.
Of course, after he ascended to the position of leader, he focused more on solidifying his own power than fighting the Golden Heaven Society, attracting criticism from those around him, but he hadn’t done anything particularly wrong.
As a result, the martial artists of the Silver Lotus Society didn’t harbor any significant ill will towards Yong Hasang.
Moreover, within the Silver Lotus Society, there were still a considerable number of warriors who were loyal to him.
They were furious at Yong Hasang’s death and vowed revenge.
This development left the Golden Heaven Society in a difficult position.
To everyone, the culprit seemed to be the Golden Heaven Society. However, the Golden Heaven Society hadn’t mobilized its forces, much less killed Yong Hasang.
Nevertheless, everyone in the world pointed their fingers at the Golden Heaven Society as the one who killed Yong Hasang.
Had Yong Hasang died while still being the leader of the Silver Lotus Society, it wouldn’t have been a problem.
After all, the two forces were engaged in a fierce war.
It was the timing that mattered.
Yong Hasang had stepped down from his position as head of the Silver Lotus Society and became a recluse.
No matter how important vendettas were in Jianghu, attacking and killing a martial artist who has chosen to retire and live in seclusion goes against moral principles.
Some might say that there was nothing wrong with killing an opponent during a war in Jianghu, but the sentiment of Jianghu was not that simple.
To kill a figure as significant as Yong Hasang without repercussions, a justified reason was necessary.
Knowing this, even the Golden Heaven Society was inevitably taken aback and baffled by Yong Hasang’s death.
All of them could feel the public sentiment deteriorating rapidly.
Jang Mugeuk, the leader of the Golden Heaven Society, immediately convened the leadership.
“Who the hell could have done this? It can’t be a martial artist from our organization who killed Yong Hasang, can it?”
“Take it easy.”
The one speaking in a calm, reassuring voice was none other than Jang Hoyeon, the young master of the Rain Sword Mountain Manor.
“How could I afford to stay calm now? In any fight, justification is the most important thing, so Yong Hasang’s death has turned public opinion against us.”
“That public sentiment can be swayed.”
“How so?”
“People’s memories are limited, and public sentiment is naturally fickle. If we’re given a bit of time, we can easily turn the tide of public opinion. Right now, it’s not the sentiment we should worry about, but finding out who killed Yong Hasang.”
“Hmm!!”
Jang Hoyeon’s calm voice had a soothing effect.
Jang Mugeuk’s expression became noticeably calmer.
“You’re right. I was too agitated.”
He openly acknowledged his mistake.
Jang Hoyeon was impressed by his behavior.
It wasn’t easy for someone especially in such a high position like Jang Mugeuk to openly admit their faults.
Jang Mugeuk then asked Jang Hoyeon,
“What do you think we should do then?”
“We first need to find out who the real culprit is. Once we do that, not only can we sway public opinion back in our favor, but we can also use it to our advantage.”
“How do we do that?”
“We sift through from the bottom up. Something will surely come up then. And I happen to know someone who could be very useful for this kind of work.”
“You know such a person?”
“I’ve received quite a lot of help since coming here. I’m sure he will be able to bring up information circulating at the bottom.”
“Then, I’ll leave this matter to you.”
Jang Mugeuk smiled.
His most trusted friend, Dok Gohyang, was out, busy taking revenge for Um Soso.
It was Jang Hoyeon who filled his absence.
Jang Hoyeon stood up and said,
“I’ll take care of this matter quickly.”
“Mm!”
Jang Hoyeon immediately left the great hall and headed to a certain place.
The location he went for was a small annex building attached to one side of the Golden Heaven Society.
The place was so tucked away in a corner that it was out of people’s sight.
When he opened the door and entered, he saw a group of people sitting around here and there.
At first glance, they looked very shabby and seemed out of place with the Golden Heaven Society, indeed, their status was much lower.
When Jang Hoyeon appeared, they hurriedly stood up.
“Ah! Who do we have here? What brings Master Jang to such a humble place?”
The man who approached Jang Mugeuk with a mocking demeanor was Deung Chol-ung, the former leader of the Blood Ant Gang.
The expression on Deung Chol-ung’s face was not very pleasant as he looked at Jang Hoyeon.
Despite being the primary contributor to the Golden Heaven Society’s establishment at Poyang Lake, he had been neglected ever since.
That’s why his feelings towards Jang Hoyeon were not very good.
Jang Hoyeon looked at Deung Chol-ung with cold eyes.
Deung Chol-ung quickly turned his head to avoid his gaze.
‘This bastard! Glaring at me again!’
No matter how bold he was, Deung Chol-ung could not stand against Jang Hoyeon.
With just a flick of Jang Hoyeon’s finger, he could be dead.
Jang Hoyeon opened his mouth to speak.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“A… favor?”
“Yes. a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
At the word “favor”, Deung Chol-ung’s expression relaxed a bit.
Though it was essentially no different from an order, it sounded more pleasant to the ear.
“I need information that’s circulating at the bottom.”
“Information?”
“Yes! We need to find out who killed Yong Hasang.”
“Wasn’t that done by the Golden Heaven Society?”
“Watch what you say.”
“Are you saying it wasn’t?”
“If it were so, I wouldn’t be issuing this command.”
“Hmm!”
Deung Chol-ung showed an interested expression.
“If you handle this matter properly, I’ll grant you the authority to manage all the supplies coming into the Golden Heaven Society. That alone should ensure no one at Poyang Lake can ignore you.”
“Really?”
“I promise you on my honor.”
“Very well, i agree.”
Deung Chol-ung finally smiled with satisfaction.
Although Jang Hoyeon had neglected him and the Blood Ant Gang up to now, he knew that Jang Hoyeon always kept promises he made himself.
The amount of supplies coming into the Golden Heaven Society was enormous.
Just one year of managing them could bring in more profit than ten years of running the Blood Ant Gang.
That was enough to make it worthwhile.
The foundation the Blood Ant Gang had at Poyang Lake was still alive.
“Heh, just wait a little. I’ll bring you good news soon.”
“I look forward to it.”
* * *
Yong Hasang’s body was placed in a stone coffin.
The coffin was filled with ice crystals to keep the temperature cold.
It was a measure to preserve Yong Hasang’s body intact.
Thanks to this, Yong Hasang’s body remained completely uncorrupted and intact despite several days having passed since his death.
Namgung Wol silently observed the stone coffin containing Yong Hasang’s body. His face was marked with a sorrowful expression.
It felt as if Yong Hasang’s death was somehow his responsibility.
Beside Namgung Wol stood Namgung Seol.
Namgung Seol silently looked at Namgung Wol.
“Hoo!”
Only after a long time did Namgung Wol sighed and looked at Namgung Seol.
“Thank you, for fulfilling such a difficult request. Thanks to you, I was able to say my farewell.”
“It wasn’t that difficult of a request.”
“I really didn’t think my friend would die in vain like this.”
“What will you do now?”
“I must go.”
“You’re going to leave without finding the murderer who killed Yong Hasang? Staying with the Silver Lotus Society might help you find the murderer faster.”
“Find the culprit in your way, sister. I will find them in mine.”
“So, you really don’t want to stick together till the end. Fine! I won’t hold you back any longer.”
Namgung Seol’s expression turned cold.
Her heart was hurt by her younger brother who kept pushing her away until the end.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Namgung Wol asked,
“By the way, what will you do with the body?”
“I already sent a letter to Dragon Sky Valley. I’m sure they would send a reply soon.”
The distance from the Silver Lotus Society at Poyang Lake to the Dragon Sky Valley was over a thousand li.
Even if the letter was sent by the fastest means, it would take nearly fifteen days for the letter to reach the Dragon Sky Valley.
The Dragon Sky Valley might not even know of Yong Hasang’s death yet.
The worry she felt over how the Dragon Sky Valley would react upon learning of the death of its sole successor was great.
The sect leader of the Dragon Sky Valley, Yong Geomsan, was a fierce martial artist with the nickname the Iron Sword Dragon.
As the master of the Dragon Sky Valley, one of the Three Supremes, his martial arts prowess was ranked among the top ten in the world.
No one knows what such a formidable master would do when he was angry.
Should Yong Geomsan decide to intervene in the conflict in Jianghu, neither the Celestial Martial Sect nor the Frenzied Warrior Sect could afford to remain onlookers as before.
If they all participated, it would lead to an unprecedented catastrophe in Jianghu far beyond any conflict seen to date.
The best thing that could happen was for the Dragon Sky Valley to simply mourn the death of Yong Hasang in silence and move on, but everyone knew that such a simple conclusion was overly optimistic.
Namgung Wol moved forward and said,
“I’ll really going to leave this time. Goodbye.”
“Hoo!”
Namgung Seol sighed instead of responding.
She could no longer hold Namgung Wol back.
There was nothing more foolish than trying to hold on to someone whose heart had long since departed.
Namgung Wol left Namgung Seol behind and exited the Silver Lotus Society.
Upon reaching the pier, he boarded a boat without looking back.
The boat carrying him quickly moved away from the pier.
It wasn’t until the Silver Lotus Society was no longer in sight did Namgung Wol let out a light sigh,
“Hoo!”
The past few days had been like a nightmare for him.
Just as he was about to leave the Silver Lotus Society, Yong Hasang’s body was discovered, and it caused him immense emotional distress.
It felt as if Yong Hasang’s death was somehow his fault.
He pondered if things might have turned out differently had he believed in Yong Hasang to the very end.
Such thoughts incessantly tormented him, preventing him from sleeping a wink over the past few days.
That’s why his eyes were currently red and bloodshot.
In his heart, he yearned to retreat to a quiet place and sleep to his heart’s content.
Suppressing this desire, Namgung Wol kept his gaze fixed forward.
The small boat he was on cut through the calm waters of Poyang Lake.
The boatman rowing asked,
“Should I just keep going in this direction?”
“Yes, keep heading towards the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. I’ll take care of disembarking myself.”
“Understood.”
The boatman replied, rowing diligently despite his puzzled look.
Though the boat was small, barely big enough to carry two people, it still managed to travel across Poyang Lake at a very fast pace.
The journey was possible thanks to the boatman, who had spent his life on boats.
After a full day’s travel, the boat reached the point where the Yangtze River meets Poyang Lake.
In the meantime, Namgung Wol was curled up in the bow, dozing soundly.
The boatman informed him softly,
“Grandmaster! We’ve reached the point where the Yangtze River merges.”
“Huh?”
Namgung Wol rubbed his eyes and looked around.
As the boatman had said, they were at the point where the Yangtze River merged with Poyang Lake.
True to its nature as a confluence, the currents were very strong here. It was impossible to navigate upstream in a small boat.
“Drive the boat over there.”
Namgung Wol directed, pointing towards the riverbank.
The boatman rowed diligently to approach the riverbank.
The current was so turbulent that his whole body was drenched in sweat from the effort.
Namgung Wol handed the boatman five silver coins.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Wow, you’re giving me so much.”
“Then, have a safe return.”
Namgung Wol kicked off the boat and leaped towards the riverbank.
He flew nearly five zhang before landing on the sandy beach.
“Wow!”
The boatman exclaimed, impressed by Namgung Wol’s movement.
He had seen quite a few martial artists in his time on the Poyang Lake, but none of them had displayed qinggong as splendid as Namgung Wol’s. But his admiration was short-lived.
He quickly turned his boat around and headed back the way he came.
Namgung Wol watched the boat sail away for a moment before continuing with his qinggong. Despite having napped on the boat, his physical condition wasn’t too bad.
The reason Namgung Wol chose to use his qinggong to disembark from the boat was that he didn’t want Namgung Seol or others to know his destination.
He was certain that Namgung Seol would press the boatman to find out where he was headed.
Knowing Namgung Seol’s nature, Namgung Wol took upon himself and went through the trouble of using qinggong.
After traveling for a long time, he emerged from the forest and came upon a panoramic view.
He stood on a cliff overlooking the Yangtze River.
At the end of the cliff was a large manor.
In front of the manor was a sign with three words— Sol Family Courtyard.
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