Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Embers
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Innocent people still remained within the rubble of the collapsed pavilions inside the Tang Clan’s fortress. They were not the ones who had carried out Dang Baek-ho’s orders, but servants who had simply worked to survive.
Mu-heun’s group had subdued them and tied them up under the eaves, and Gu Yang-baek asked Mu-heun how they should be dealt with.
“Wouldn’t it be cleaner to kill them?”
“No.”
Mu-heun decided not to kill them.
‘I can’t let the powerless die anymore.’
However, there was a truth he needed to convey, so he gathered them together and spoke.
“This is no longer Dang Baek-ho’s world. The Family Head of the Tang Clan you followed, the man called the Poison King, Dang Baek-ho, is already dead.”
Mu-heun calmly delivered the truth, but those who heard it seemed to doubt their own ears, unable to believe it.
“It may be hard to believe, but it’s the truth. It will all be revealed in time, so do not resist. If you comply, your lives will be spared.”
“……”
The servants and workers, those who had not learned martial arts, said nothing and offered no resistance. They knew what they had to do to live.
Mu-heun continued to tie up and subdue the survivors. He had to change the Tang Clan so they would never again be swayed by evil.
‘If Dang Yeon-hwa comes… it should be fine. She is someone Gam Pa-pa acknowledged.’
Just then, something unexpected happened.
People who had been hiding underground burst out.
It seemed there were more underground facilities besides Dang Baek-ho’s subterranean cavern; they must have been holding their breath in secret passages, preparing for a surprise attack.
Warriors emerged abruptly. As the attention of Mu-heun’s party was divided, a variety of hidden weapons, from poison needles to thunderclap bombs, flew from all directions.
It was a trap formation prepared by those hiding underground, their trump card.
However, before Mu-heun and Pae-seon could even act, Seol Ha-ryeong used her Ice Arts to freeze the projectiles, Gu Yang-baek instantly altered their trajectories, and Un-pyo and Pa-sun protected the prisoners.
All that remained were those who threw daggers or charged forward, swinging their swords. They were swiftly subdued by the ice that Cheon-hyang shot down from the sky and the poisonous mist from Hyeok, the Heavenly Demonic Corpse.
Mu-heun examined the faces of the ambushers and recognized a few of them.
They were the ones who had carried out all sorts of heinous deeds under Dang Baek-ho’s command, a vicious group known as the ‘Cleaners.’ Men like Cheolbi, who were called the dogs of the Tang Clan…
They launched their attack on Baek Mu-heun and his companions with vile smiles, but to a group whose senses had been sharpened by life-or-death battles, their assault was like child’s play.
In the end, the warriors who had emerged were subdued in an instant.
Baek Mu-heun looked at them and smiled coldly.
“You’re finished.”
However, the men snickered and replied.
“Your skills are impressive, but you have a long way to go!”
As he spoke, the secret passages underground opened once more, and countless warriors began to pour out.
These were not the ones who had been hiding in the subterranean cavern. They had used secret passages connected to the cavern to contact the various branches of the Tang Clan and had brought reinforcements.
Mu-heun instantly recognized them as warriors from the Flying Crow Branch, who had sworn absolute loyalty to Dang Baek-ho.
‘Trash.’
“Kill them all.”
Mu-heun’s party swiftly engaged in battle.
Two hours passed.
The floor of the pavilion was covered with the gruesome traces of battle, and the stench of blood was overwhelming. The Cleaners and the warriors of the Flying Crow Branch were numerous, but their martial arts were unrefined compared to those of the Tang Clan’s main family.
On the other hand, Baek Mu-heun and his companions were masters armed with experience from battles that straddled the line between life and death, several leagues above their opponents.
Baek Mu-heun looked at the Cleaners emerging from the dark corners of the pavilion. In their vile eyes, he sensed that there were still many enemies he had yet to face.
‘The martial world must be teeming with insects like these. As I thought… I need more power.’
In their eyes, Mu-heun, who looked to have just passed his coming-of-age, seemed the weakest, and as if by agreement, they all rushed toward him.
One of the Cleaners who had burst from the floor, one who had yet to be subdued and tied up, approached Mu-heun, swinging his saber.
His saber gleamed sharply, filled with killing intent.
But Mu-heun had anticipated the attack. He simply took a step back, easily dodging the Cleaner’s strike. Then, as the saber swung through the empty air, he swiftly counterattacked.
Mu-heun swung his sword high, severing the Cleaner’s arm.
*Slice.*
As the man screamed and fell, Mu-heun ignored him and turned his gaze to the next enemy.
Other Cleaners approached, surrounding Mu-heun. They even untied those who were already bound, encircling him from all sides.
They exchanged glances and launched a simultaneous assault. But Mu-heun had already read all their trajectories. He simply ducked under a sword and dodged the Cleaners’ blades.
Then, in a continuous motion, he quickly struck back.
Mu-heun’s sword flashed through the air and pierced a Cleaner’s chest. The man froze for a moment, looked down, and then collapsed. Riding the momentum, Mu-heun drove his sword into another Cleaner.
The number of Cleaners dwindled in an instant.
“It’s time to pay the price for all you’ve done.”
The last remaining Cleaner charged at Mu-heun. But soon, Mu-heun’s sword flew toward the Cleaner’s heart…
*Stab!*
The Cleaner fell to his knees and collapsed.
The battle was over in an instant.
Mu-heun caught his breath and looked around. The Cleaners all lay at his feet, and the pavilion was quiet once more.
After another round of commotion, those who had already been subdued and tied up became even more docile.
Time passed, and dawn began to break…
A messenger sent by Jin Mu, the Commander of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit, arrived to confirm the facts after receiving the report Mu-heun had sent ahead via carrier hawk.
Mu-heun explained the course of events to him, stating that the battle in the Xizang region was now unnecessary and that trade with the Central Plains would normalize within a week.
The messenger from the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit couldn’t hide his admiration. It was an unbelievable story that might have made him shake his head in disbelief… but seeing the devastated state of the Tang Clan, he had no choice but to accept it.
The messenger said he would relay every word to the Commander of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit without omission and then departed.
Having dealt with a large portion of the Tang Clan, Mu-heun told his companions to go and rest at the Martial Alliance’s Sichuan branch for a while.
In Mu-heun’s mind, it was best for the members of the Demonic Cult to be out of sight when he met with Dang Yeon-hwa.
That way, their conversation could take place in a slightly more peaceful atmosphere…
* * *
In the garden in front of Dang Baek-ho’s office, Mu-heun retraced the path he had walked until now.
“Finally, I have achieved the revenge I yearned for even in death.”
The target of his revenge was Dang Baek-ho. And all those who had followed his orders and committed filthy acts.
The first person he had delivered death to was none other than the Golden Fang Poison Claw, the one who had ended his life in his previous existence.
“Though now he’s a Heavenly Demonic Corpse, a puppet that moves only on my command.”
The Heavenly Demonic Corpse proved to be more useful than he had expected.
Besides him, there were the Tang Clan’s three hidden weapons, the Cleaners, the dogs, the Flying Crow Branch… and he had cleaned them all up nicely. To be honest, they were trivial opponents. However, just because they were trivial didn’t mean he could let them live.
Most importantly, he had finally defeated the root of all this evil, the head of the Tang Clan, the Poison King Dang Baek-ho.
He felt relieved and at ease, but it wasn’t over yet.
Because revenge wasn’t everything.
Revenge was merely a gateway on the path I walk. My true purpose is, and always has been, to right the wrongs of the Tang Clan, to set the martial world straight, and then to save the world from the otherworldly beings that threaten the Central Plains.
For that very reason, the Tang Clan could not be allowed to fall. It was a major force in the Central Plains’ martial world and was necessary for maintaining order in Chengdu, Sichuan.
There were people suitable for the task. Skilled individuals who were more than capable of leading the revival of the ruined Tang Clan.
They were masters who had been hidden from the public eye or had only been active on the front lines.
Those who had opposed Dang Baek-ho’s evil deeds. For that reason, they had fallen out of his favor and ended up wandering the outskirts of the Tang Clan.
And for that reason, their skills were undeniably formidable.
“Those without skill would have died the moment they voiced their opposition.”
They were individuals with their own sense of justice, not ones who blindly followed the Family Head’s words, which was why they could not stand at the center of power.
Mu-heun decided to use them to rebuild the Tang Clan. But in the process, he realized he needed a strong and legitimate leader to guide them.
He learned of a suitable person while talking to Gam Pa-pa.
Dark Fury Dagger, Dang Yeon-hwa.
Mu-heun didn’t trust Dang Yeon-hwa just because she was someone who had held onto a past tragedy and lived in secret.
Nor did he trust her because she had held her breath all this time, waiting to sink her teeth into Dang Baek-ho’s neck.
It was simply because Gam Pa-pa had said she would be fine… and so, he thought she would be.
According to Gam Pa-pa, she had been gathering evidence to bring down Dang Baek-ho with the help of the Martial Alliance and had agonized more than anyone over how to lead the Tang Clan after he was gone.
Furthermore, only she, as a direct descendant of the Tang Clan, could symbolize legitimacy. Only if she stepped forward would the remaining masters of the Tang Clan return to support and raise the fallen clan.
Mu-heun treated his severely injured companions with a healing formation and sent them to the Martial Alliance’s Sichuan branch.
Gu Pae-seon also left, saying he had business with the Qingcheng and Emei Sects, leaving Mu-heun alone in the burnt-out Tang Clan fortress.
Just then, he saw two figures approaching in the distance, using a lightness technique.
It was Paeng Ri-hyeok and Dang Yeon-hwa.
Paeng Ri-hyeok looked utterly exhausted, but Dang Yeon-hwa hadn’t broken a single sweat. To be in that state after running for a full day…
He could guess the extent of her martial prowess.
* * *
Despite her considerable age, Dang Yeon-hwa was a woman who possessed a dignified air, without a hint of disarray.
Her hair was mostly silver, but strands of the Tang Clan’s characteristic green hair were still mixed within.
The aura she exuded gave a faint sense of the years she had lived through. She must have spent decades honing her martial arts with a heart full of vengeance.
Her long hair was tied to one side, and the wind blowing through it, caressing the strands, further accentuated her noble bearing.
Dang Yeon-hwa’s face had sharp contours, and the faint wrinkles told the story of her life.
‘To have that appearance, those wrinkles at her age… she is definitely a master who has achieved Rebirth. I see… does this mean she is by no means weaker than Dang Baek-ho?’
The morning sun rose over the garden in front of Dang Baek-ho’s burnt-out office, casting a vermilion light all around.
And so, Baek Mu-heun and Dang Yeon-hwa met for the first time.