Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Holy Flame Palace 1
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Despite his late start, Baek Moo-jin quickly closed the gap with those who had gone ahead. He first caught up to Seo Moon-geuk, then overtook Dam Ji-woon. The distance between them and Lee Jeong-nam was considerable. But after Baek Moo-jin had passed them all and spotted the fleeing assassin, he came upon an unexpected sight.
The assassin who had been running, Sai Il-gon, knelt there, subdued by someone.
What on earth had happened?
Sai Il-gon had his acupoints sealed and hung his head as if awaiting judgment. White-robed figures surrounded him, gazing down.
Behind the white-robed group stood a carriage that had come to a halt midway, and trailing it was a long procession that had stopped, all eyes turned toward Sai Il-gon and Baek Moo-jin. There were easily fifty or sixty in those white robes.
Baek Moo-jin found himself speechless before this mysterious faction that had appeared out of nowhere.
'What the hell are these guys?'
Lee Jeong-nam, Dam Ji-woon, and Seo Moon-geuk arrived next, witnessed the same scene, and stood frozen, at a loss for words.
A middle-aged man on horseback at the front turned back and addressed Baek Moo-jin's group.
"Who might you be?"
Dam Ji-woon met the middle-aged man's gaze and replied.
"We're from the North Heaven Alliance. And you?"
The middle-aged man ignored Dam Ji-woon's question and pressed on.
"Why was the North Heaven Alliance pursuing this man?"
Seo Moon-geuk answered.
"He threw hidden weapons during our spar and fled."
The middle-aged man nodded and turned toward the carriage behind him.
"What should we do with these people?"
These people clearly referred to the North Heaven Alliance.
A brief silence fell. Then the curtain over the carriage window fluttered. Someone inside reached out and parted it. And through the gap, Baek Moo-jin alone stood in view.
Baek Moo-jin locked eyes briefly with a woman through the swaying curtain.
Two strangers meeting each other's gaze for the first time.
How much could one glean about the other in that fleeting instant?
Nothing beyond a quick glimpse of their appearance, most likely.
Yet Baek Moo-jin was profoundly struck.
He watched until the woman let the curtain fall, and in that short time, he read much from her face.
For one, Baek Moo-jin couldn't help but smile.
He confirmed her beauty was truly exceptional.
The North Heaven Alliance had its share of beautiful women.
But the one in the carriage was singular, extraordinary.
Baek Moo-jin sensed he would long remember this hard-to-describe allure.
If beauty came in varieties, hers was as icy as the martial arts he himself practiced.
2.
A flat, emotionless voice emerged from the carriage as the curtain dropped.
"The assassin Sai Il-gon from the Killing Sect, was it?"
The young woman's voice drifted from within.
These people knew the assassin's identity exactly. And they spoke it aloud, as if deliberately informing the North Heaven Alliance pursuers.
The middle-aged man glanced at Sai Il-gon again, nodded, and confirmed.
"Yes. No doubt about it."
"Hand him over to the North Heaven Alliance. He wouldn't survive capture by them anyway."
The imposing middle-aged man replied deferentially.
"Understood."
At his gesture, those near Sai Il-gon stepped aside. He turned to Baek Moo-jin's group.
"Take him."
By now, Baek Moo-jin had roughly assessed the middle-aged man's aura and reeled from the fresh shock. That aura rivaled even Goo Yang-hoo, the North Heaven Alliance Leader—whom Baek Moo-jin figured was the strongest he'd yet encountered.
So who could command such a man with such deference from inside that carriage?
Lee Jeong-nam, Dam Ji-woon, and Seo Moon-geuk all betrayed clear surprise. They spoke sparingly. Everyone but Baek Moo-jin seemed to have an inkling of the group's identity.
Meanwhile, the ranks of onlookers swelled.
Baek Moo-jin itched to speak.
He glanced idly at Seo Moon-geuk's face. Their eyes met, and Seo Moon-geuk shook his head sharply.
Don't butt in—or maybe don't ask anything.
Baek Moo-jin smirked and spoke up anyway, defiantly.
"Who are you?"
But the middle-aged man responded with a warm smile, like humoring a child.
"Heh, go on and take him."
He gave Baek Moo-jin a quick once-over, then looked away and signaled his group.
"Let's move."
It was striking how every last one, from vanguard to rear, wore white robes.
Dam Ji-woon stepped forward to secure Sai Il-gon.
Baek Moo-jin, Lee Jeong-nam, and Seo Moon-geuk watched the enigmatic group depart in silence. But the moment they turned and receded into view, Baek Moo-jin let out a gasp.
"Whoa."
Flames were embroidered on the backs of the white-robed figures. Some bore small flickers at the hem of their robes, but the middle-aged man who'd spoken to them sported a massive blaze engulfing his entire back.
Lee Jeong-nam clearly knew who they were; his face tense, he said nothing.
Once the group was gone, leaving only Baek Moo-jin's party, the others sighed in unison—all but Baek Moo-jin.
"Who the hell were they?"
Seo Moon-geuk fanned himself briskly.
"Let's get back to the Alliance. Fast."
"Yeah, let's go."
Even Lee Jeong-nam hurried off.
Silent Sword Unit Commander Dam Ji-woon took Sai Il-gon away, and Baek Moo-jin arranged to finish his bout with Lee Jeong-nam another day before parting.
Lee Jeong-nam had already pegged Baek Moo-jin as stronger, but he wasn't one to shy from defeat.
In the end, only Seo Moon-geuk remained with Baek Moo-jin.
"No idea why they're prowling around here."
"Who were they?"
"I told you."
"When?"
"Holy Flame Palace. White robes, flame motifs. A Black Path powerhouse from before the Nine Heavens Alliance, alongside the Iron Blood Gang."
"Holy Flame Palace... So who was the woman in the carriage?"
"You saw her?"
"Just a quick eye contact."
"Dunno. That middle-aged guy was no joke. To command him? Gotta be the Holy Flame Palace's Little Palace Lord. Anything less wouldn't cut it."
"The Little Lord is a woman?"
"How should I know? White Path folk barely know the Palace Lord. Not me, anyway."
"Holy Flame Palace Little Lord... She was stunning."
"What? Forget it. Heard whispers they're at odds with the Nine Heavens Alliance, but they're Black Path all the same. We dodged a bullet."
"Why'd the Black Path let us go, then?"
"Beats me."
Seeing Seo Moon-geuk—the usual show-off—so rattled was a first. Baek Moo-jin chuckled and prodded.
"Gotta watch out on days you suggest drinks, Seo Moon-hyung."
"Sigh, tell me about it. Numbers weren't the issue—that middle-aged man was. You felt it too?"
Baek Moo-jin nodded, picturing him.
"Yeah. Seemed damn strong."
3.
But Baek Moo-jin's group weren't the only ones sizing someone up as formidable.
The middle-aged man leading the Holy Flame Palace procession on horseback turned to the Little Palace Lord in the carriage.
"Looks like the North Heaven Alliance has gotten stronger."
"The one in white?"
"Ah, you saw him?"
"Just a glimpse. If even you acknowledge it, Left Protector, has my eye sharpened?"
"Not your eye. You've grown stronger yourself, Little Palace Lord."
Silent amid the Left Protector's praise, the Little Palace Lord asked from the carriage, almost girlishly.
"Stronger than me?"
The Left Protector smiled faintly.
"Few in the jianghu outmatch you."
"You always say that."
"Trust me. You just need experience."
"Speaking of... Mind a detour for some?"
"Somewhere good in mind?"
The Left Protector raised a hand; the Holy Flame Palace column halted. Her reply came from the carriage.
"Take us to the Killing Sect."
He nodded steadily.
"As you command."
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