Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Aftermath of the Intrusion
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The next morning.
Geum Hyeonmong hurried across the estate with urgent steps.
He headed straight for Hyeok Mulin's residence and knocked on the door, his mind half tense, half worried.
"My lord, are you...?"
"Come in."
Before he could even finish speaking, Geum Hyeonmong received permission and opened the door to enter.
Inside, besides Hyeok Mulin, there was already one other person present.
It seemed Cho Sahyeon, holding documents, was in the middle of her report.
Geum Hyeonmong glanced back and forth between the two before fixing his gaze on Hyeok Mulin.
"I've heard about what happened last night. Are you unharmed?"
"I'm fine."
"I never imagined they'd infiltrate at dawn."
No wonder it had been so unusually noisy last night.
Geum Hyeonmong had been shocked when his subordinates informed him first thing in the morning.
"Don't assume the righteous factions will always compromise peacefully just because they're 'righteous.' They're warriors at heart. Never forget they can switch to an aggressive stance at any moment."
Geum Hyeonmong swallowed hard and nodded at Hyeok Mulin's warning.
Afterward, he slowly turned his gaze toward Cho Sahyeon.
But she wore an impassive expression, utterly devoid of any emotional fluctuation, in stark contrast to him.
Puzzled by her demeanor, Geum Hyeonmong asked her directly.
"Weren't you surprised, Lady Cho?"
"No. It was I who warned the lord in advance that he should be cautious."
"...!"
Geum Hyeonmong's eyes widened as if he'd seen a ghost.
"How did you know they would infiltrate the battlefield?"
"After analyzing the Third Elder's personality and the current state of the Sacheon Dang Clan, it was within a predictable range. Of course, I didn't know it would be last night specifically."
"Heh."
So this was the power of information.
Geum Hyeonmong marveled once more at Cho Sahyeon's abilities, letting out a deep sigh of admiration.
But that lasted only a moment before his mind filled with swirling worries.
The opponent was none other than the mighty Sacheon Dang Clan.
It was fortunate there were no deaths among his allies, but they were still comrades who shared joys and sorrows in this castle.
Yet they had scaled the walls and infiltrated in the dead of night—a situation too grave to resolve easily, and one he had no experience handling.
So he straightforwardly sought advice from Hyeok Mulin.
"Then what should we do now? Should we spread word of their misdeeds to the world, or lodge a formal protest...?"
"Do nothing."
"...Pardon?"
"The best course of action right now is to stay still. Act as if nothing happened at all."
There was a famous saying that best described the Sacheon Dang Clan:
They never forgot a favor, but repaid grudges tenfold.
No matter how much at fault they were, if they suffered losses or lost face, they were the type to seek revenge later.
"Protesting won't change much anyway, and it'll only breed future troubles for you. So just pretend nothing happened and stay quiet. As long as we remain silent, they won't make the first move."
If they quietly let the incident pass, the Sacheon Dang Clan would realize we had no intention of pursuing it.
That alone would place them in our debt, even if just once.
"Understood."
Geum Hyeonmong nodded, his face rigid with tension.
"Then it seems we've said all there is to say."
Hyeok Mulin gave his final instructions to Cho Sahyeon.
"I leave the rest to you."
"Yes. I'll handle it thoroughly."
Having perfectly grasped Hyeok Mulin's intentions, she moved to carry them out immediately.
And so, before even a full day had passed, all evidence and traces of the battle that unfolded in the Manggeum Battlefield overnight vanished, and every related piece of information was cleanly erased.
A moonless night cloaked in darkness.
Sacheon Dang Clan Main Residence.
The grand assembly hall at the center.
The clan's high-ranking members had gathered in one place.
"What in the world is this about...?"
"It's been years since we were summoned so suddenly."
"This is worrying."
They had been urgently called to the assembly hall by an unexpected order from above.
Most were bewildered, while those who knew the reason kept silent.
As they vented their frustrations, an elderly man with white hair entered from the doorway.
His beard reached down to his chest, and his appearance instantly enveloped the room in silence.
He walked through the heavy quiet.
First Elder Dang Buyang's steps were frustratingly slow, but no one dared point it out to his face.
Some even averted their eyes.
In the frozen atmosphere, Dang Buyang leisurely made his way to the seat at the front and sat down.
Only profound silence lingered.
After surveying the room, he slowly parted his lips.
"Everyone's here."
He nodded and continued.
"Last night, dark clouds gathered over our clan."
Those watching him flinched inwardly.
'A surprise meeting in the dead of night?'
'What on earth happened?'
As they stared at him with puzzled expressions, an unbelievable statement emerged from his mouth.
"The Third Elder led the Dang Clan Black Tiger Squad in a unauthorized infiltration of the Manggeum Battlefield."
"What?!"
"Now that you mention it, the Third Elder isn't here!"
In the ensuing chaos, he paused briefly before continuing.
"The Third Elder attempted to abduct an enemy officer from the Manggeum Battlefield but failed miserably and retreated."
"Heh, there's no one in the main clan that vital right now."
"He's blinded by the Grand Elder election. He overreached beyond his abilities and fell flat."
"And he failed at that?"
"He shamed the Dang Clan name."
People clicked their tongues, criticizing the Third Elder's actions.
They condemned his retreat even more than the infiltration itself.
Listening silently to their voices, Dang Buyang spoke again.
"But that's not the end of it."
"What?"
"There's more?"
They looked at him quizzically, and soon received their answer.
"In the process, the Third Elder deployed Wandering White Bone Powder."
"What did you say?!"
"He's completely lost his mind!"
No matter how superior the Dang Clan's martial prowess, the righteous factions were still righteous.
Using one of the Ten Great Poisons of the Dang Clan on a battlefield run by commoners.
Outraged by this vile act, they let out deep sighs.
"The Manggeum Battlefield is already somewhat removed from the murim world, and yet he used that."
"It must have been a gruesome sight."
"If the Murim Alliance hears of this, they won't let it slide easily."
"Sigh. Then how do we cover this up...?"
They naturally assumed the Manggeum Battlefield had suffered massive casualties and discussed accordingly.
How could mere commoners escape the Ten Great Poisons that even skilled experts couldn't counter?
They were already imagining the enormous compensation they'd have to pay upon fleeing the main clan.
But Dang Buyang dismissed their concerns outright.
"Not at all."
They looked at him in confusion.
"...?"
As all eyes focused on him, he continued slowly.
"Not a single person in the Manggeum Battlefield was poisoned."
"Wh-what?!"
"The one who faced the Third Elder used an ice technique to freeze the Wandering White Bone Powder into powder form."
Everyone in the assembly hall gasped in unison.
What kind of poison was Wandering White Bone Powder, one of the Ten Great Poisons, to be so easily neutralized?
"Is that even possible?"
"Even I, with my poison immunity, couldn't manage that."
"Maybe there's been some mistake...?"
The room erupted in clamor and shock, with many refusing to believe it.
At that moment, a middle-aged man emanating a sinister aura from the corner fixed his gaze on Dang Buyang and spoke.
"Is that truly the case?"
The room fell silent in an instant.
Dang Buyang slowly turned to Second Elder Dang Wiyeon, who had posed the question.
Their gazes clashed sharply in the air, building a tension that made the onlookers' hairs stand on end.
Finally, Dang Buyang spoke in a cold voice.
"All the squad members present that night gave the same testimony."
"... ."
Hearing the answer, Dang Wiyeon turned away as if he had nothing more to say.
Dang Buyang likewise shifted his gaze forward.
"Thus, the Clan Patriarch's decree has come down."
He announced their punishments.
"Confine the Third Elder to the Death Centipede Dark Cave, and the Dang Clan Black Tiger Squad to the Poisonous Beast Den. Seal the entrances for five years. Make it so."
The Death Centipede Dark Cave was a pitch-black cavern swarming with venomous insects that devoured human flesh—a hell from which no sinner had ever returned alive. There was no need to specify the duration.
The Poisonous Beast Den, meanwhile, drove its occupants mad without fail and offered no space to even lie down.
The people nodded in agreement with the Clan Patriarch's severe penalties.
"We won't be seeing him again."
"One elder seat just opened up."
The Third Elder's position was among the top ranks internally.
It was obvious that debates over who would fill it would soon arise.
And there was another point of contention.
The Grand Elder selection.
With the Third Elder stepping down voluntarily, only two remained in the race.
First Elder Dang Buyang and Second Elder Dang Wiyeon.
Whom to back? They didn't have much time left to decide.
Manggeum Battlefield entrance.
Hyeok Mulin stood with Cho Sahyeon and Gwang Ui before the long line of carriages and the assembled Divine Demon Blood Death Squad.
As the time to part drew near, Geum Hyeonmong expressed his regret from across the way.
"Must you leave already...?"
"I'll come back."
Geum Hyeonmong nodded at Hyeok Mulin's promise, bowed deeply, and said,
"Though brief, I received lifelong guidance from you, my lord. I won't disappoint the trust you placed in me."
Hyeok Mulin's lips curved slightly at Geum Hyeonmong's farewell.
He approved of the young man's attitude.
It wasn't easy for someone so young, serving as master of one of the Three Great Battlefields, to remain humble and seek knowledge without arrogance.
Thus, Hyeok Mulin offered one final piece of advice.
"A battlefield's foundation is capital. But to wield it properly, you must first win the hearts of the people."
"Hearts of the people..."
"Try running the Manggeum Battlefield your way."
With those encouraging words, Hyeok Mulin turned away.
Gazing at his back, Geum Hyeonmong shouted loudly.
"Yes!"
Leaving that voice behind, Hyeok Mulin boarded the carriage and promptly ordered departure.
"Finally heading back to Singang."
It had been quite a long journey.
But having achieved all his goals, nothing could feel lighter.
Time for a short rest.
Hyeok Mulin closed his eyes, savoring the cool breeze through the window.
Thus, he believed he could leave Sacheon without incident.
Right up until he met that person.