Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Sacred Flame Palace 2
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A light drizzle began to fall in the afternoon.
A man wearing his bamboo hat pulled low stepped out of the safehouse. He had only two escorts with him. He hadn't even told his other subordinates where he was headed. And he had good reason—he hated the very fact that he had to go meet someone in person.
'Still ordering me around like this...'
The man's face was etched with displeasure as he set out. His name was Im Gaso.
This man was the lord of the Slayer Gate.
He had built his fortune through assassinations, then used that wealth to hire more killers.
With the money those killers brought in, he expanded the Slayer Gate further.
Before long, he had carved out a place for himself in the brutal martial world, becoming a figure of influence that no one could ignore. That was Im Gaso.
And today, Im Gaso was in a foul mood.
Yoo Ja-eon, the deputy leader of the Iron Blood Gang—one of his major clients—had sent word that he wanted to meet. Im Gaso wanted nothing more than to refuse, but he knew Yoo Ja-eon's temperament all too well. On top of that, the harsh reality was that neither he nor the Slayer Gate could yet match the Iron Blood Gang's power.
And on this appointed day of all days, the rain he despised was drizzling down relentlessly.
'The worst day imaginable.'
It all felt like a commentary on his current station, which only soured his mood further. Every falling raindrop seemed to mock him.
You're still far from the top.
You're nothing but a lackey to the Iron Blood Gang.
You don't have real influence yet.
So you have to kill more.
Kill until no one dares ignore you.
Killing intent flickered across Im Gaso's face. Just from receiving a simple summons to meet, he was already radiating the urge to murder. Truly an absurd man.
Im Gaso was the lord of the Slayer Gate, yet he had more blood on his hands than any of his underlings.
Im Gaso made a firm vow to himself.
'This is the last time I'll go meet Yoo Ja-eon in person.'
He spat on the ground and barked,
"Ptah! Let's go."
"Yes, sir."
As Im Gaso strode forward briskly, a few raindrops hit him. One of his pale-faced escorts hurriedly raised an umbrella over him.
Im Gaso clicked his tongue.
"Get it together."
"My apologies."
Not long after leaving the safehouse, Im Gaso suddenly stopped, sniffing the air as he scanned his surroundings. One of the escorts holding the umbrella tilted his head.
"Lord? What's wrong?"
"There's a smell..."
The subordinates glanced around at their lord's words, puzzled.
'A smell?'
Im Gaso sniffed a few more times before speaking.
"How can I smell pine resin here of all places?"
"Pine resin?"
It was odd enough that their lord could detect pine resin in this downpour, but the path they were on was flanked by dense bamboo groves—hardly a place for pine scent.
Just as Im Gaso opened his mouth to say more, the bamboo groves rustled in unison. Gripping a slender straight sword hidden in his robe, he called out,
"Come out."
Im Gaso sensed the entire area was surrounded. Sure enough, men in white robes were emerging from the distant bamboo, tightening the encirclement. Yet they halted at a precise line, standing firm in the rain as if bound by orders.
This made Im Gaso both curious and deeply wary of their identities.
'Perfectly surrounded...'
2.
From the opposite end of the path, a middle-aged man approached with the speed of flight, coming to a silent halt. White-robed figures flanked him from both sides, surging forward.
The middle-aged man was none other than the Left Supervisor of the Sacred Flame Palace. He greeted Im Gaso curtly, without honorifics.
"Lord Im, I trust you're well?"
"Who are you?"
Im Gaso lifted his bamboo hat to inspect the stranger who knew his name. No recollection. But the moment he noted the man's attire and that of the encircling figures, he swallowed hard without thinking.
"Ah... What brings the Sacred Flame Palace here?"
The Left Supervisor smiled faintly.
"We have business with you, of course."
Im Gaso pressed on.
"What business? We've never taken a commission involving the Sacred Flame Palace. And even if we did, we'd refuse it."
Speaking words he didn't mean, Im Gaso gauged the middle-aged man's aura and cursed inwardly.
'Damn it... Who the hell is he? High up in the Sacred Flame Palace, that's for sure...'
More tense than when conversing with Yoo Ja-eon himself, Im Gaso invoked the Iron Blood Gang as a veiled threat.
"I'm scheduled to meet their deputy leader up ahead. Let's not make this bigger than it needs to be."
But the Left Supervisor brushed off the mention of the Iron Blood Gang.
"Comparing our palace to those Iron Blood rats? They say the Slayer Gate is just a den of sneaky assassin vermin, and it seems even their lord has the vision of a rat."
"W-What?!"
Deliberately provoking Im Gaso, the Left Supervisor flashed an infuriating grin before continuing.
"Lord Im, allow me to make you an offer you can't refuse."
"Shut your mouth! You surround me like this and talk of offers?"
Ignoring him, the Left Supervisor smiled on.
"One of our palace's experts will duel you. Should your skills prove superior, we'll incorporate the Slayer Gate as a vassal force under our Sacred Flame Palace."
"Threats disguised as nonsense. Is the expert you?"
The Left Supervisor shook his head.
At that moment, the white-robed warriors lined up before Im Gaso knelt in waves, like crashing surf.
From their midst emerged the Sacred Flame Palace's Young Palace Lord, advancing slowly.
The Left Supervisor turned slightly and gestured.
"This is the one."
Now perhaps in her early twenties, the cold-faced woman—the Young Palace Lord—stepped forward through the relentless drizzle, unshielded.
She wore robes of red with a single white flower blooming upon them, differing from the Left Supervisor's.
Rain traced lightly over her jade-like face, her long hair to her waist soaked through.
Though her status suggested she should be shielded from the rain, not one soul attended to it—adding to her mystique.
But the most striking truth was her overwhelming beauty.
Even without martial prowess, her transcendent allure could rule the world of men.
Im Gaso's eyes churned wildly.
Were it not for the middle-aged man, he would have pounced and torn her clothes off on the spot. Barely suppressing his urges, he spoke.
"A beauty beyond words, young lady. But surely you don't mean to duel me?"
Glancing at the Left Supervisor, Im Gaso saw him nod curtly.
"That's right."
Im Gaso burst into laughter.
"Ha! Hahaha!"
His bellowing laugh, infused with inner energy, made his two escorts clap hands over their ears, shaking even the nearby bamboo groves. The laughter dragged on.
3.
The drizzle had stopped before he finished.
As Im Gaso roared, the Left Supervisor introduced him to the Young Palace Lord.
"This is Im Gaso, lord of the Slayer Gate."
The Young Palace Lord nodded and uttered something staggering.
"Im Gaso deserves death, doesn't he?"
"What?!"
Veins bulged on Im Gaso's forehead. The Left Supervisor rattled off Im Gaso's murders and atrocities before adding,
"...Though truthfully, he's too valuable even to use like a dog or horse."
Im Gaso's body trembled violently, his eyes turning manic.
He burned to charge in, ravage the woman before him, and hack her apart.
As desire and killing intent flashed in his gaze, the Young Palace Lord remarked,
"That mad look in his eyes... You're right, Left Supervisor."
"Indeed. You've seen it well. The jianghu is full of such scum. Learn to spot that glint. It was ordinary enough a moment ago, but now it's utterly transformed, isn't it?"
Nodding, the Young Palace Lord tied back her long hair with a ribbon from her finger.
"If I should lose to Lord Im, avenge me, Left Supervisor."
The Left Supervisor erupted in laughter without a word.
"Hahaha!"
It was a jest from the Young Palace Lord. Pleased she'd amused him, she finished tying her hair and offered a faint smile—a tiny dimple forming at her lips.
Forgetting his peril, Im Gaso nearly spat curses but held back.
'These crazy bastards...'
He flung off his bamboo hat with his left hand and roughly yanked the cord of his rain cape. With a snap, it flew back, revealing black garb beneath.
Clutching his black straight sword, he told the Left Supervisor,
"I'll test your skills myself."
Knowing the woman was vital to the Sacred Flame Palace, Im Gaso planned to seize her and turn the tables.
On the Young Palace Lord's side, the Left Supervisor stepped back, arms crossed.
Im Gaso's escorts retreated as well.
Im Gaso widened the gap further into a proper sparring stance, leering greedily at the Sacred Flame Palace woman. She met his gaze, then furrowed her brow slightly.
Baring his teeth, Im Gaso said,
"Shall I begin?"
She shook her head.
"Give me a moment to prepare."
At the absurd words, the Left Supervisor shook his head briefly. Im Gaso's mind raced—he'd rush, subdue her, and negotiate with the elder.
But as she extended her right hand palm-upward to the sky, the Left Supervisor sighed and clutched his forehead.
'I told her to gain some experience...'
What was she planning?
Seeing her prepare some weaponless technique without arms, Im Gaso kicked off the ground and slid forward.
Thud—
The bout seemed destined to end in one clash.
True to form as Slayer Gate lord, despite the distance, he closed in mid-air flawlessly before the Young Palace Lord. She still held her arm outstretched.
As his left foot touched down, his straight sword plunged vertically.
In that instant, Im Gaso lost sight of her.
Instead, his eyes captured something bizarre: flames.
His sword had cleaved through flames.
Cleanly, powerfully, without hesitation...
The blade bisected the fire.
What technique conjured flames like that?
Im Gaso wondered.
But there was no time left to ask. The sundered flames swelled like twin fire dragons, engulfing him whole.
Whoosh!
With a grotesque scream, the engulfed Im Gaso crumpled to the muddy ground, writhing briefly before turning to a pile of black ash in moments.
The Young Palace Lord, who had leaped skyward to evade the sword, now landed.
The Left Supervisor approached, tongue clicking.
"I arranged this for you to observe forms and gain sparring experience, yet you use the Heaven-Extinguishing Infernal Flame Qi right away?"
Nearly a scolding, but the Young Palace Lord silently gazed at the ashes. As one of her teachers since childhood, the Left Supervisor occasionally slipped into such tones.
After a pause, she explained quietly,
"I didn't like his eyes."
The Left Supervisor let out a grunt. Then came her next order.
"Burn the Slayer Gate safehouse to the ground."
With that, she turned toward the waiting carriage. The Left Supervisor bowed deeply, as if apologizing for his earlier rebuke.
"Your command... is received."
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