Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: A Deliberate Provocation
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—The Grand Master of the Kongtong Sect has been assassinated!
A shocking rumor suddenly spread throughout the martial world.
Just a month after the death of Yeo Hwan-jin, the Grand Master from the Zhongnan Sect, another Grand Master had been slain.
—The culprit is undoubtedly an assassin!
Found dead in his quarters, the body of the Kongtong Sect's Grand Master, Pyeong Seo-un, bore traces of thirty different hidden weapons and eight deadly poisons.
Furthermore, five types of energy-scattering powder, which drastically diminish internal energy, were detected.
However, the decisive cause of death was a stab wound about an inch deep near his neck. His carotid artery had been severed by a sharp, narrow blade.
This technique was remarkably similar to the wounds left by the Demonic Blood Flash, the assassination swordsmanship of the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion. In some ways, it even resembled the blade that had killed Yeo Hwan-jin.
—We will catch the culprit at all costs!
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Following the Zhongnan Sect's lead, the Kongtong Sect also began dispatching disciples in large numbers to hunt down the killer.
A fine, misty rain soaked the world.
Perhaps it was the drizzling rain, or perhaps it was because the patrons were all martial artists, but many customers were ordering liquor, even in the morning.
Martial artists rarely ate a meal without liquor.
Having tempered their internal energy, they were less susceptible to its effects, and they used it to soothe the hardships of a life lived by the sword.
*Trickle.*
A young man, seated by a window on the second floor of the inn, poured himself a drink.
His long, fine hair was unbound, obscuring his features. A rusty longsword hung on his back, giving him the air of an impoverished martial artist.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
The subtle radiance emanating from the Ink Sword was so conspicuous that he had deliberately made it appear rusted.
*Hummm.*
Just then, a faint hum resonated from the Ink Sword.
It was as if the blade felt suffocated by the grime caked onto its surface.
“Wait a little longer.”
Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice after downing a cup.
“I will soon find you a worthy opponent.”
As if it understood, the low hum of the blade gradually subsided.
A faint smile touched Bu Eun-seol’s lips as he refilled his cup.
“To think I'd end up here.”
After dealing with Yeo Hwan-jin and leaving Jinyang, he had originally intended to return to Nang-ya Pavilion.
But a sudden realization had made him change his course.
‘If I return to the main pavilion, Pavilion Lord Baek will surely show me an easier path.’
Bu Eun-seol was the heir who would carry the future of Nang-ya Pavilion. Because of this, Baek-yeon was almost excessively concerned with his safety.
If he were to return to Nang-ya Pavilion, Baek-yeon would undoubtedly find a way for him to deal with the Grand Masters with ease.
‘I don't want to face the Grand Masters like that.’
Bu Eun-seol was not an assassin.
He had no desire to study how to fight from a position of advantage. Even if it meant defeat, he wanted to face his opponents head-on and pour everything he had into the fight.
Of course, failure meant death. But if he could survive… he would gain a stepping stone to become even stronger.
*Gurgle.*
His thoughts concluded, Bu Eun-seol refilled his cup.
“Hmm.”
But something was strange. He had only drunk a single bottle, yet he felt a warmth in his cheeks, and his body felt a little heavy.
Not long ago, he could down three or four bottles of potent liquor without feeling a thing. Now, after just one bottle of *baekju*, he was starting to feel intoxicated.
‘Is it because I've reached the state of Reversion to Simplicity?’
Bu Eun-seol had entered the fourth stage of the Reverse-Extremity Heart Art.
As a result, he was experiencing the phenomenon of Reversion to Simplicity, where the extraordinary reaches its peak and paradoxically returns to the ordinary.
The problem was that it didn't just suppress his aura; it also settled the true energy within his body, making it appear ordinary.
Unless he deliberately drew upon his internal energy, no one would ever guess that Bu Eun-seol was a master possessing over two cycles' worth of power.
‘Getting drunk is a bit inconvenient…’
Bu Eun-seol was about to discreetly circulate his internal energy to burn off the alcohol,
‘No, wait. It'll save me money on drinks.’
He snorted and shook his head.
*Clatter.*
Just then, a group of men in indigo martial uniforms barged into the inn.
The swords at their waists were short, like assassins' blades, and their uniforms had a distinctly Taoist air.
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes narrowed as he watched them.
‘The Kongtong Sect.’
They were none other than the Taoist priests of the Kongtong Sect.
*Swish.*
The Kongtong priests scanned the interior before splitting into smaller groups and surrounding the patrons.
“We apologize for interrupting your meal. This humble Taoist is Gang Jung-ryang, a Protector of the Kongtong Sect. We are searching for the fiend who harmed a disciple of our sect and ask for your cooperation.”
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
For a mere martial sect to be investigating other martial artists? Most would scoff even if the constabulary made such a request.
In truth, this was nothing short of outrageous harassment.
But the Kongtong Sect was part of the Nine Sects One Gang. This was only possible due to their immense power and the fact that they were in Jinan, a stronghold of the Orthodox Faction.
‘Seok Wu-haeng. Was he staying here?’
The moment Bu Eun-seol heard the rumor about the Kongtong Grand Master being murdered by an assassin, he instinctively knew it was the work of Seok Wu-haeng.
‘He must have learned something from Yu Un-ryong's defeat and used it to kill Pyeong Seo-un.’
Seok Wu-haeng hadn't killed Pyeong Seo-un for something as trivial as avenging Yu Un-ryong.
He had surely witnessed the duel between Yu Un-ryong and Pyeong Seo-un in secret and used that knowledge to plot the assassination.
‘The intelligence network of the Nine Sects One Gang is surely on par with that of the Nine Killings Corps.’
Seeing them investigate this area meant that Seok Wu-haeng must have been nearby.
‘Still, this is strange.’
A question formed in Bu Eun-seol’s mind as he watched the Kongtong disciples search the inn.
‘How exactly do they plan to find the culprit?’
Seok Wu-haeng was a gifted assassin chosen by the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion.
When he killed Pyeong Seo-un, he hadn't used the unique assassination arts of his organization, instead leaving behind the traces of a more common killer.
Traces resembling the Demonic Blood Flash had been left behind, but that was pure speculation.
So how on earth did the Kongtong Sect intend to find him?
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Just then, two Kongtong disciples approached a man sitting at the table in front of Bu Eun-seol.
“I know this is a rude request, but… could you perhaps show us your palms?”
“My palms?”
The man looked puzzled but obediently showed them his palms.
The Kongtong disciples studied his hands intently for a long moment.
Then, they exchanged a look and clasped their hands in a gesture of respect.
“Our apologies for the intrusion.”
‘I see. So that's how.’
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize how the Kongtong Sect planned to find Seok Wu-haeng.
An assassin’s hands. They were like a swordsman’s sword.
Prolonged training in the secret arts of assassination left unique marks on the hands, different from those of ordinary martial artists.
‘But it's a reckless method.’
Trying to identify a martial art's traces from the marks on one's hands.
That was something impossible for an ordinary martial artist. One would have to have reached at least the very pinnacle of skill to have any hope of detecting such signs.
And yet, these seemingly ordinary Kongtong disciples were able to search for such traces?
“No marks on the index finger and thumb.”
Hearing the low muttering of the Kongtong disciples from another table, Bu Eun-seol finally nodded.
‘I see. They've been specifically trained to look for the signs of assassination arts.’
He was once again reminded of the profound strength of the Nine Great Sects.
For generations, the Nine Sects One Gang had taken root in the martial world, weathering and overcoming countless crises.
They would pursue Seok Wu-haeng to the ends of the earth, even if it took years.
“Excuse me.”
Just then, the Kongtong disciples approached Bu Eun-seol.
“……”
But after staring at Bu Eun-seol's face for a moment, they simply shook their heads and clasped their hands.
“No, my apologies.”
Then, without another glance, they turned away.
Seeing his cheeks flushed red from a single bottle of *baekju*, they were convinced he wasn't a martial artist at all.
‘So this state can be useful at times.’
Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle.
To think the phenomenon of Reversion to Simplicity, which he had found rather inconvenient, would come in handy like this.
Shaking his head, Bu Eun-seol drained the last of his cup.
Just as he was about to leave the inn,
“Hey, have you heard? They say Seong-ryun, the Grand Master from the Beggars' Sect, is attending this year's True Martial Banquet.”
The conversation between two martial artists seated behind him stopped him in his tracks.
“Hmm? Isn't he already a candidate to succeed the Chief? Why would he attend the True Martial Banquet?”
The Beggars' Sect had so many members, and their main trade was begging.
As a result, the transmission of their martial arts to disciples was often unsystematic and haphazard.
This led to them losing many talented individuals, which in turn weakened the sect's influence.
After much deliberation, the Beggars' Sect established the True Martial Banquet, an event only open to young disciples of the Third Knot rank or lower.
Every year, they used it to discover talented disciples from across the land and adjust their ranks according to their martial prowess.
“It's obviously because of the Ten Demonic Masters making a scene these days! Haven't they already killed two Grand Masters?”
“No, what does that have to do with the True Martial Banquet?”
“It's a provocation. The Beggars' Sect's intelligence network is one of the best under heaven, isn't it? For a man who has kept a low profile to make such a public move… he's putting on a show for the Ten Demonic Masters.”
The martial artist paused, drained his cup, and continued.
“He's saying, 'Come and get me if you dare.'”
‘So that's it.’
Sometimes, if you linger in an inn long enough, you get lucky and overhear valuable information.
Just like this.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been listening in silence, rose from his seat.
He intended to verify the information's authenticity.
***
In a brewery tucked away in a marketplace alley.
Bu Eun-seol glanced up at the main gate before stepping inside. The front yard was covered in piles of sorghum.
The brewery workers would steam the sorghum, mix it with yeast, and let it ferment. This process would eventually yield an excellent *baekju*.
“This way, please.”
Just then, a pleasant-looking middle-aged man led Bu Eun-seol into a cellar filled with large jars of liquor.
*Thud.*
As the door closed with a low thud, the middle-aged man spoke in a hushed tone.
“It's all true.”
This brewery was, in fact, the Yeonju branch of the Nine Killings Corps, and the middle-aged man was the branch chief in charge of intelligence.
“Seong-ryun is currently passing through the Henan region to attend the True Martial Banquet in Kaifeng.”
The branch chief paused before continuing in a low voice.
“I don't know what mission you've been given, but give it up.”
After studying Bu Eun-seol for a moment, the chief continued.
“The Beggars' Sect is, in itself, the greatest intelligence organization under heaven. Until now, the movements and information of anyone at the Hall Master level or higher have never been exposed.”
The low, secretive voice echoed through the brewery's hidden cellar.
“He has deliberately exposed his movements. There is undoubtedly another motive behind it.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded. His own thoughts matched the branch chief’s assessment.
The only question that remained was, why?
He was a Grand Master, a future pillar of the Orthodox Faction, and a candidate for Young Chief of the Beggars' Sect, known as the greatest sect under heaven. Was there really any need for him to do this?
‘A candidate. *Just* a candidate…’
As if struck by a thought, Bu Eun-seol asked.
“Has he been definitively chosen as the Beggars' Sect's Young Chief?”
“Not exactly. He was chosen as a Grand Master solely due to his innate martial talent. He was not originally a candidate for Young Chief.”
The branch chief continued impassively.
“His status changed dramatically after he became a Grand Master. He went from being a mere Second Knot disciple to a candidate for Young Chief in an instant.”
‘Just as I thought.’
Only then did Bu Eun-seol understand Seong-ryun's true desire.
Seong-ryun had originally been a Second Knot disciple of low standing and skill. He had become a Grand Master, a Joint Successor of the Martial Alliance, solely due to his outstanding martial talent.
His exceptional prowess had allowed him to become a candidate for Young Chief, but his foundation within the sect was likely unstable.
He intended to kill one of the Ten Demonic Masters, further elevating his fame and solidifying his claim to the position of Young Chief.