Chapter 36
My father, who had stepped away, had finally secured permission from Namgung Wan to stay here at the Yeongjong Sect.
By then, I was already dozing off, my head nodding.
After rolling around in the carriage all day and dealing with Namgung Wan—who, child or adult, fairly spat fire from his mouth—I was utterly exhausted, body and soul.
And so, I passed out right there in the guest quarters the Yeongjong Sect had provided.
Not long after, a commotion jolted me awake.
I mumbled, trying to drift back to sleep, but then remembered where I was—the Yeongjong Sect—and opened my eyes.
"...Father?"
The room was quiet. Even with the lamp lit, it was still dim.
It hasn't been long.
I pushed aside the bedding and sat up, rubbing my eyes as I stepped out of the room.
The courtyard was ablaze with torchlight, Yeongjong Sect disciples rushing about in a frenzy. It felt like every disciple in the sect had gathered.
What's going on?
My father, standing before the Yeongjong Sect disciples, turned to look at me.
"Why are you up already?"
I let out a long yawn and rubbed my eyes again.
"Wha—yawn—what's going on?"
"Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep."
"Mm... what time is it?"
"About two hours since you fell asleep."
That meant it was nearing midnight. So what was all this racket?
Something had clearly gone wrong. I straightened my clothes haphazardly and said,
"Gonna hit the outhouse."
"Be careful."
I'd been to the outhouse earlier in the day. Heading that way at first, I naturally veered off onto another path. The bustling compound hid my movements.
Who should I ask?
I'd come out to find someone who could explain the situation, but honestly, I was so, so incredibly sleepy. I'd only closed my eyes for a moment, but I'd apparently dozed off again. I nearly stumbled and grabbed the railing just in time.
At that instant, a sobbing voice drifted from somewhere nearby.
"No way, it can't be! Bokcheon... he's dead?!"
"The Vice Sect Leader went to investigate with Senior Namgung and the Yongbong Assembly seniors. Calm down, okay?"
"It's just... too weird. Bokcheon was one of the strongest among us..."
Bokcheon, a Yeongjong Sect disciple, had been killed.
Sleep vanished in an instant.
No Yeongjong Sect disciple should have died on this day.
If one had, my father and Namgung Wan wouldn't have stayed behind.
This was definitely something new.
Killing a disciple from a sect, even a small one—who would dare handle the fallout?
Could it be that demon?
There couldn't be another madman in the area bold enough—guts practically hanging out—to murder a Yeongjong Sect disciple right where the Yongbong Assembly was staying.
But... why?
Why kill a Yeongjong Sect disciple instead of someone from the Yongbong Assembly all of a sudden?
The only change was that my father and Namgung Wan had decided to stay and help—and not even a full day had passed since.
A day? What was that?
Not even half a day...
Right, less than half a day. I bolted off in a hurry.
This is a trap!
Namgung Wan, the Vice Sect Leader, and the Yongbong Assembly group arrived at a clearing in a dark forest far from the city walls. Several people were gathered around, examining a corpse.
"Killed in one blow."
The body belonged to a Yeongjong Sect disciple, a young man verging on adulthood. Dang So-yong gently closed the corpse's eyes.
"No sword wound. Not a blunt weapon or ordinary blade either—hard to say exactly what. It looks like something sharp pierced the heart clean through in an instant. About the size of an adult man's fist in diameter, and the attacker seems to be around my height."
Poison and medicine were two sides of the same coin, and the Tang Clan experts who handled toxins were naturally well-versed in medicine too. Dang So-yong's keen eyes spotted several unnatural details.
"And no trace of the sword being drawn."
"He died without even realizing he was attacked!"
Dang So-yong shook her head at Byeok Seong-yul's words.
"Not quite—the attack came from the front."
"Ah..."
It was odd for a martial artist to fail to draw their sword against a frontal assault.
The one who first found the body was the fellow disciple who had been patrolling with the victim in pairs. When his partner, who had gone to check a signal flare, didn't return after two quarters of an hour (30 minutes), he searched frantically and discovered the cold corpse about five li (roughly 2 km) from where they'd split up.
The blood hadn't even cooled yet. He found it quickly because the body wasn't hidden at all.
This clearing, artificially made amid dense thickets, was a rest spot for herbalists and hunters. Most wouldn't even know it existed deep in the woods. But if someone deliberately searched the area, the empty clearing would stand out immediately. And the blood soaking the ground and bushes made it clear he'd been murdered right there.
That was the mystery.
"Why did he come all the way out here?"
No signs of being dragged or coerced. He'd walked here on his own two feet.
The sound of rustling bushes approached—crunch, crunch.
"We looked around—no other footprints or anything suspicious. Just an ordinary forest."
It was Ak Jung-hae and Ma Hye-hyang. Ak Jung-hae, holding a torch, shook his head.
"Might've missed something in the dark, but no reason to keep it secret from his fellow disciple."
The Vice Sect Leader, kneeling by the corpse, slammed his fist into the ground.
"Who the hell would do such a thing...!"
"Let me take a look."
Namgung Wan approached the body. Ak Jung-hae held the torch closer, and Dang So-yong pulled back the disciple's robes for a better view.
Namgung Wan peered intently, stroking his chin.
"This wound... looks familiar."
"You've seen it before?"
Ak Jung-hae leaned down to inspect the corpse again, but he could only tell it was some kind of stab wound.
"Yeah. I've seen a wound shaped like this somewhere. Definitely..."
That was the moment.
Dang So-yong felt a hand yank her by the nape, pulling her back. Something sharp whistled past her head by a hair's breadth.
If she'd stayed still... A chill ran down her spine.
"Dang So-yong! Fall back!"
It was Namgung Wan who had grabbed her collar. Ak Jung-hae had already hurled the torch and drawn his sword to block the attacker aiming for Dang So-yong.
Clang—!
The sound was unbelievable—bare hand clashing with sword.
Dang So-yong, retreating swiftly, shouted,
"Vice Sect Leader! What are you doing?!"
"What the—!"
Shing, shing—
Startled but quick, Byeok Seong-yul and Ma Hye-hyang drew their swords on the Vice Sect Leader.
Speechless, the Vice Sect Leader lunged straight at Namgung Wan. Namgung Wan, shoving Dang So-yong aside, drew his own blade.
As the Vice Sect Leader's hand met Namgung Wan's sword, thunderous booms echoed—boom, boom.
It was the hallmark of the Namgung Clan's Heavenly Palace Swordsmanship, also known as the Emperor's Sword.
But after just a few exchanges, the clashes grew sporadic. Suddenly, Namgung Wan was pushed back, staggering.
"Senior!"
Dropping to one knee, Namgung Wan spat a mouthful of blood.
Dang So-yong thrust her sword at the Vice Sect Leader, who effortlessly dodged and retreated.
With her allies frozen, failing to block him, Dang So-yong yelled,
"What are you all doing?!"
Ma Hye-hyang replied in a trembling voice,
"So-yong, I can't use my internal energy."
"What? That's—!"
Dang So-yong glanced at Ak Jung-hae. He bit his lip and gave a slight nod.
"You too?"
Byeok Seong-yul's face was ashen; his sword, aimed at the Vice Sect Leader, trembled visibly.
Dang So-yong frowned.
"I'm fine... Don't tell me you too, Senior?"
Namgung Wan spat blood-mixed saliva, using his sword as a crutch to rise.
"Qi-scattering poison."
"Qi-scattering poison?! When the hell—!"
The poison left no bodily symptoms but disrupted internal energy flow.
"Hahaha! Didn't everyone take a sip of water on the way here?"
Thirsty from riding hard, they'd all accepted the Vice Sect Leader's offer of a quick drink.
Ak Jung-hae ground his teeth.
"No wonder dinner tasted saltier than usual tonight."