Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Section 1. Calamity Comes Without Warning (3)
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Chapter 128
Smack!
With a crisp sound, Namgoong Su's head snapped to the side. His cheek, struck by the palm, swelled up instantly.
Namgoong Su gritted his teeth and glared at the man who had slapped him.
"Uncle! How could you?"
"Do you have any idea what you've done?"
The one fuming at Namgoong Su was none other than Namgoong Chang.
"Uncle?"
"Didn't I tell you to just track her location? Who told you to attack recklessly?"
Namgoong Su shrank back under his uncle's furious gaze. But there wasn't a shred of remorse in his eyes.
"She resisted, so I had no choice."
"You?"
"What was I supposed to do? Should I have let her kill me?"
Namgoong Su raised his voice. Namgoong Chang furrowed his brow and glared back. Namgoong Su stared right back without flinching.
Namgoong Chang let out a sigh at his nephew's defiant gaze, which showed no sign of regret.
"Sigh! Because of you alone, the Namgoong family might face utter collapse."
"What do you mean? Over a mere bandit gang, the Namgoong family—with centuries of history and power—facing crisis?"
Namgoong Su couldn't comprehend his uncle's worry at all.
'Uncle's spirit broke that day. He's not the same anymore.'
Ever since his right arm broke and the Golden Sword Squad was wiped out, Uncle Namgoong Chang had changed.
He'd become passive and overly cautious. Gone was the man who used to speak of grand ambitions. That's why he was disappointed. That disappointment was why Namgoong Su had defied orders and acted on his own.
Namgoong Chang scolded him.
"This involves Hwang Hye-ryeong of all people. If word gets out, do you think Hwang Kyung-moon will stay quiet? Ak Yang will turn into a battlefield."
"Even so, they're just a band of thieves. How can they compare to the might of a prestigious family with centuries behind it?"
"That 'insignificant' band of thieves numbers over tens of thousands. Even ants, in enough numbers, can kill an elephant."
"We have the Murim Alliance."
"The Murim Alliance must keep the Demonic Cult in check."
"The Alliance's power is overflowing. They can handle a bandit gang with ease."
"You..."
Namgoong Chang's eyes wavered.
A heart demon had taken root in his once brilliant nephew's mind. Namgoong Su had always been arrogant, but not to this extent.
Namgoong Chang closed his eyes briefly.
'What's done is done. No turning back now.'
He had to decide.
Countless scenarios flashed through his mind in moments.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and opened his eyes.
"Request the Murim Alliance to deploy the Heavenly Net."
"Uncle!"
"We must capture Hwang Hye-ryeong at all costs. Only then can we negotiate with Hwang Kyung-moon."
"Understood."
"If you disobey my orders again, you'll face severe punishment—no matter that you're the family head's son."
"Don't worry. I won't disappoint you."
Namgoong Su replied confidently.
A smile spread across his face. But Namgoong Chang's gaze toward him remained distrustful.
For some reason, he felt uneasy.
It wasn't just Namgoong Su's arrogance. An inexplicable foreboding was creeping up from the depths of his chest.
'Why?'
Even after Namgoong Su left, Namgoong Chang's expression didn't soften.
"Huuu..."
Hwang Hye-ryeong let out a deep sigh.
Muk Il-gwang looked at her with pity. Her body was covered in over a dozen minor wounds.
That was only because he'd protected her with everything he had. His own body, having fought at the forefront, was riddled with large and small injuries.
It was his powerful physique and inner energy that let him endure this much; otherwise, many wounds would have left him unable to move.
"Are you alright, miss?"
"I'm fine. You're the one suffering, Il-gwang."
"No. It's because I'm so inept that you're suffering. I'm sorry."
Muk Il-gwang bit his lip.
The place they were in was a small straw hut in the slums on the outskirts of Ak Yang. True to a slum where the poor gathered, filth overflowed, filling the air with stench.
Rats and insects swarmed the streets, and vicious criminals lurked, making it a place no ordinary person would enter.
Someone opened the hut's door and entered.
"Sister."
It was Eun So-cheong.
"So-cheong."
Hwang Hye-ryeong's face lit up.
This hut was a safehouse Eun So-cheong had secretly prepared.
The day before, Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang had finally made contact with her. Eun So-cheong had hidden them here and gone to scout the situation in Ak Yang.
"How did it go?"
"Not good."
"How bad?"
"The Heavenly Net has been deployed."
"Urgh!"
A groan escaped Hwang Hye-ryeong's lips.
"At first, only the Five Great Families moved, but now even the Nine Great Sects have joined. It's as if the entire Murim Alliance is mobilized."
Eun So-cheong's face was grim as she answered.
She had struggled desperately to get Hwang Hye-ryeong out of Ak Yang.
If only she could use the Silver Dove Pavilion's power—but she couldn't. The Silver Dove Pavilion was part of the Murim Alliance too.
One wrong move, and the Silver Dove Pavilion could face disaster, so Eun So-cheong had to move in secret.
"One thing's certain: the longer you stay here, the worse it gets for you, sister. It'll be exposed soon."
"How did my whereabouts get leaked?"
"Someone tipped off the Namgoong family."
"Tipped off?"
Hwang Hye-ryeong furrowed her brow.
"Who was it?"
"I haven't found out that far yet."
"Urgh!"
"We need to get out of here now."
"But how?"
"I've got a carriage waiting on the outskirts of Ak Yang."
"A carriage?"
"Haomen prepared it, so it should be safe."
"Thank you, Silver Sister. It must not have been easy."
Hwang Hye-ryeong grasped Eun So-cheong's hand.
The whole world had turned against her, but this young sister never betrayed her loyalty. Hwang Hye-ryeong couldn't help but be moved.
"It's too early for thanks. If we don't escape, we won't even board the carriage."
"Right!"
It was then, as Hwang Hye-ryeong nodded with a hardened face.
"Miss!"
Jong Li-su, who had been waiting outside, rushed in.
"What is it?"
"Murim Alliance warriors have started searching the slums. It's only a matter of time before they find this place. We must leave now."
Urgency filled Jong Li-su's face.
The enemies' encirclement was tightening like a net dragged across the floor. Even as they spoke, foes drew closer.
Hwang Hye-ryeong looked at Eun So-cheong.
"Silver Sister, you go first."
"But..."
"If they link you to me, even Silver Dove Pavilion won't escape trouble. Go!"
"No!"
"I'm fine. You've done more than enough, Silver Sister."
Hwang Hye-ryeong patted Eun So-cheong's shoulder.
Eun So-cheong's shoulders trembled. She was frustrated by her powerlessness and saddened she couldn't help more.
"Let's meet again later."
Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang left first, to ease Eun So-cheong's burden.
Eun So-cheong stared blankly at the door they exited through. Then Jong Li-su urged her.
"Miss! We must go."
"Okay!"
In the end, Eun So-cheong left the hut with Jong Li-su.
Shortly after they escaped, the Murim Alliance pursuit team stormed the hut.
"Seems the rats already slipped away."
A young man in his late twenties, leading the pursuit, spoke up.
"Damn rats."
Namgoong Su, who had led the team, ground his teeth.
The slums were filthy beyond belief—a nightmare for him, who preferred cleanliness. He'd shuddered countless times from the filth and stench on the way here.
"If I catch them, they won't get away lightly. A mere bandit daring to stir chaos in the heart of the Murim Alliance."
Namgoong Su, who had always seen bandits as insects, now hated Hwang Hye-ryeong with a passion. She was making him soil his clothes in this hellish place.
As Namgoong Su burned with rage—
"Over here! It's them!"
The entire slum suddenly erupted in noise. Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang's positions had been exposed.
Namgoong Su's face changed.
"Pursue them, quickly!"
He hurriedly led the pursuit team toward the commotion.
"Ugh!"
His face twisted.
The slums lay in ruins. Crudely built straw huts were reduced to traces, and corpses littered the ground.
All the dead were Murim Alliance pursuit members dispatched here. Most were acquaintances of Namgoong Su.
"Ho-cheong, Mun-il..."
The Alliance hadn't officially launched yet, but they'd gathered under its name for drinks a few times.
Their last gathering was just days ago, yet now they lay cold on the ground.
These were people who shouldn't have died like this.
Namgoong Su's jaw clenched. Rage had consumed him.
"I'll kill them."
As strength gripped his sword hand—
"Argh!"
A scream echoed nearby.
"This way!"
Namgoong Su turned the corner with the pursuit team. In an open lot, Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang fiercely battled Alliance warriors.
Hwang Hye-ryeong's elegant movements were impressive, but Muk Il-gwang was overwhelmingly dominant.
Wielding two massive axes freely, he slaughtered the warriors like a human butcher.
Sticky blood dripped from the huge axes. Most was from Alliance members, but some was his own.
"Huuuh!"
Rough breaths escaped Muk Il-gwang's lips.
They'd tried to escape, but Alliance warriors caught up. This was the result.
He'd already felled dozens. But enemies swarmed endlessly like ants from a nest.
"Kill them!"
Namgoong Su ordered the pursuit team.
"Uwaaa!"
"He's tiring!"
The team charged at Muk Il-gwang and Hwang Hye-ryeong.
In that instant, Muk Il-gwang summoned his full power and swung his axes in a wide arc.
Whoosh!
A powerful axe qi swept all directions.
It was the Blood Moon Piercing Slaughter technique. Its horrific power came at the cost of immense energy, but now was no time for restraint.
"Argh!"
"Kuh!"
In a flash, over ten warriors were bisected, tumbling to the ground.
Guts spilled from severed torsos, blood pooled, and groans filled the air.
Hell itself. But Muk Il-gwang, who unleashed it, paled white. The massive energy drain left him temporarily exhausted.
As his huge frame staggered, a shadowy figure sneaked up from behind.
"Il-gwang!"
Hwang Hye-ryeong shrieked sharply upon seeing it. As Muk Il-gwang whirled around—
Puk!
A fiery pain stabbed his waist. The shadow had thrust a dagger in.
"Kuhuk!"
Muk Il-gwang staggered, swinging his axe at the dark figure. But the ambusher had already retreated.
"Heh heh."
The ambusher was Namgoong Su.