Chapter 158: Tomb of the Ming King (3)
Chapter 158: Tomb of the Ming King (3)
"Oh dear, and I had so much to ask him."
Sadly, the nameless expert failed to receive the Hebei Peng Family’s 'passing grade.' I casually tossed the man’s limp corpse toward a burning tree.
Since he was being cremated right next to the tomb of the White Lotus Cult Leader, he probably went to a good place. I didn't have time to check what his religion was while he was alive, but according to White Lotus doctrine, the Unborn Venerable Mother’s salvation boundary covers a whopping 9.6 billion people.
It’s a level of generosity on a different scale compared to those Western supernatural beings whose heaven has a strict 144,000-person cap. The 'Vacuum Home' residency permits of the Unborn Venerable Mother likely won't sell out until the Earth reaches the year 2077 or so.
"You are a young hero with quite a heavy hand."
"Hmm. Are you his friend?"
In most cases, a fight between Peak Realm masters doesn't last very long. This is because one's sense of time becomes overwhelmingly faster from the moment they can utilize Astral Energy Skills.
The strikes of low-level martial artists who haven't cleared their Middle Dantian are generally referred to as 'breaths.' This is because they are preoccupied with pouring their strength into a single breath to execute a single technique.
Half that speed—where the breath is segmented—is called a Bun. From there, the speed of those who specialize in fast swords is called a Mo.
The scale changes entirely once the Middle Dantian is cleared. If we consider the limit of human neural transmission speed to be Mo, the function of the Astral Energy pathways—which activate the acupoints, blood vessels, and even nerves through the Middle Dantian—allows a human to reach the next realm.
True to the nature of martial artists who love setting specific terms for every little thing, there are separate names for techniques performed at speeds beyond that, such as Hol, Mi, and Seom. However, those details aren't what's important.
The exchange of techniques between Peak Realm masters occurs in the realm of extreme speed, and because of that, the result of a life-and-death duel often ends faster than a brawl between amateurs.
In other words, it didn't take very long for me to send that fellow to the Vacuum Home just now. The fact that another stranger suddenly popped up in that short interval meant—
How many people are in this forest?
It would make sense if the population density was half-tree, half-human. The formation surrounding Han Lin'er's ancient tomb was spread over a fairly wide area, centered around the basin of Mount Pingdan.
Even if someone ran toward the flames immediately, it shouldn't have been easy to arrive this quickly.
"You have a fierce look in your eyes. Is that the teaching of your sect?"
"Insulting my sect so naturally upon our first meeting, are we?"
What’s with the casual disrespect right off the bat?
"Ah, don't misunderstand. I've heard of the Peng Family from afar. I don't know why a young hero like yourself is here, but seeing as you possess the Sect Command Token of the Namgung Family, I can tell things have taken a very strange turn."
The man glanced at the blood-soaked, headless corpse and the burning trees before speaking.
"Care to join forces?"
"And why should I do that?"
"Your martial prowess is extraordinary for your age, but you aren't the only one in this forest."
"And what is it you want?"
"To get out of here alive."
Saying so, the man gestured with his chin toward the fire.
"Thanks to the fire you started, time is running out for us and everyone else in this forest. Most of those who entered probably jumped in hoping for the Ming King’s tomb, but those who didn't were simply wandering aimlessly, trapped by the formation. How tragic would it be to burn to death while trapped in a formation you can't even escape?"
"You didn't desire the Ming King’s legacy, yet you bothered to enter this remote forest by bypassing the Mount Mao Sect's surveillance?"
"Haha, wouldn't it be a pleasure for someone who dearly wished for another to enter a remote forest?"
At those words, my gaze shifted to his hand. The mysterious middle-aged man was holding a sword with a slightly chipped blade.
Noticing my gaze, the man shrugged and smiled.
"What do you say? Whether you covet Han Lin'er's tomb or entered with other intentions... at the very least, there's no reason for us to point swords at each other until this formation is dispelled, is there?"
"I am Hyeon-hwi of the Peng Family."
"I am Jang Il-yeong of the Jang Merchant Guild. I hail from Suzhou."
Jang Il-yeong sheathed his sword as he spoke. I also slowly withdrew my Peng Family saber, sheathed it, and relaxed my stance.
We talked as we walked deeper into the forest to avoid the spreading flames.
"So, why did you start the fire?"
"I needed to catch someone and ask them a few questions, but the area of the formation was so vast that finding people seemed difficult. I figured if the core of the formation broke while the fire spread, we might be able to get out."
"Bold. If the formation isn't dispelled and we fail to find a way out, your grave will end up right next to Han Lin'er's."
"If the goal is just to leave the formation, starting a fire is the better option. At the very least, it increases the chances of my friend, who is stranded here, finding me."
"A friend? There's someone else?"
"A fellow with deep knowledge of formations is inside. He's not incompetent, so I should be able to hear what he's discovered."
"Well, that is fortunate news indeed!"
Jang Il-yeong laughed heartily.
"I've been starving for nearly three days, so I was quite exhausted. If I make it out of here safely, I will gladly invite you and your friend to my family estate and treat you to a magnificent feast."
"You said you were from a merchant guild. Do you happen to know the current movements of the Jiangnan Merchant Guilds?"
"Some who can bring guests have dispatched experts here, and a few greedy ones have sent their own family members. But most are just watching. A great merchant never takes the lead."
We walked through the forest for a while. We sensed presences a few times after that, but very few approached us.
It was an understandable attitude.
Right now, this forest was filled with the Mount Mao Sect's tricky formations, to the point where only those who had reached the Peak Realm or sorcerers of that level could barely enter.
Revealing one's position was risky when the cultivation levels of those hiding beyond the trees were unknown. It was wiser to stay hidden, hoping others would kill each other, or to quickly eliminate anyone who showed a weakness.
It was like a miniature version of the Martial World. Naturally, people's behavior tends to become similar in life-or-death situations.
"So, what exactly is happening outside?"
"A situation similar to what's happening in here."
"In that case, the Namgung Family has used you as a disposable pawn."
Jang Il-yeong was right. The Namgung Family's intention in commissioning me certainly included that in a broad sense.
Even if everything failed, they could pin the blame on the Hebei Peng Family. After all, wasn't I part of the Black Path Demonic Alliance?
They likely hesitated to dispatch their own precious Peak Realm experts to a place where they might die by a stray blade from the White Forest Coalition. They also had to consider the checks and balances from the Zhuge Family.
Though it's a bit ambiguous that they attached the Young Family Head to me directly.
Given that they had lent me strength by sending the Young Family Head, it was difficult to purely consider my position as a disposable pawn. If they had thought of me as a mere wanderer they could discard without loss, they wouldn't have attached someone as important as the Young Family Head to me.
However, I didn't bother telling Jang Il-yeong that. We were strangers who hadn't built enough rapport for me to spill every detail. I simply nodded as if it were nothing and continued walking.
*
"I want tea... alcohol is fine too. No, just water..."
"You'll be less thirsty if you stop talking."
"You're the one who told me not to drink that water!"
"One does not typically build a tomb near a stream. If there is a water vein in a tomb constructed by someone well-versed in feng shui, one must be suspicious."
"My eldest sister said most things become safe if you boil them."
"If you light a fire at night, you'll die. And boiling doesn't make everything safe."
Zhuge Yeong sighed as he looked at the grumbling Kang Yeo-hee. She was the Jiangnan Branch Master of the Hao Clan, and even the fourth disciple of the Hao Clan Leader. Despite her high rank, she acted far too immaturely.
"Don't you realize we need to keep our breath hushed right now?"
"You said the guy who started the fire seems like your friend. Then shouldn't we go join up with him?"
"We can't leave this spot."
They were at Han Lin'er's tomb. A formation created by burning every last talisman Zhuge Yeong possessed was concealing this place. Even that wouldn't last long, though.
He narrowed his eyes and scanned the terrain. Fortunately, there were no signs of movement yet, but—
A Taoist of the Mount Mao Sect.
The traces of sorcery, categorized as the Mount Mao Sect's Left-Path Faction, were evident. A sorcerer at least equivalent to an Elder was currently prowling this forest, killing everyone who had entered.
He didn't know what they were after, but he could guess. It was likely his father's will.
The Ming King’s tomb is discovered, everyone who entered becomes a corpse, and the ruins inside are all looted. If such a story spread, the Jiangnan Martial World would fall into uncontrollable chaos for a while.
The grudges involving the renowned masters of the Jiangnan White Forest Coalition who entered this place would become deeply entangled, and the vanished relics would become seeds of conflict for a very long time.
Judging by the speed at which the rumors spread, they've clearly joined hands with the Jiangnan Beggars' Sect.
This was a meticulously planned trap. One prepared for at least ten years.
Once this matter became officially known to the outside world and everything flowed according to his father's wishes, Jiangnan would fall into the hands of the Zhuge Family.
The Zhuge Family Head raises his hand and points at someone.
The Jiangnan Beggars' Sect members actively inflate rumors about that person—claiming they stole Han Lin'er's legacy.
Bloody incidents occur again according to grudges and greed, and in the meantime, Han Lin'er's relics—which might not even exist—become elusive once more.
Even if such a thing happened only three times, it would be enough. For Zhuge Yeong, those three times would be enough to dominate Jiangnan. Then what about his father, who could even move the public opinion of the Martial Alliance?
What on earth was he hoping for by orchestrating this?
The World's Number One Family.
A lineage that would last forever.
Well, was that truly meaningful? The Zhuge Family was not merely a family of sages. Their true essence did not lie simply in being adept at schemes and being sinister.
They had always acted according to righteousness and loyalty. The life of Zhuge Liang should have been their touchstone. They survived and were respected because they lived that way, not because they lived merely to survive.
That—
"So you were hiding here."
"—?!"
Zhuge Yeong stood up with a start. A voice echoed from somewhere in the night sky far away.
"Indeed, it is no wonder I couldn't find you while you were crouched like rats. They say it's darkest under the lamp... How did you find this place?"
A Taoist in long robes, dressed in the uniform of the Mount Mao Sect, was slowly approaching.
The reason Zhuge Yeong and Kang Yeo-hee had to stay hidden, suppressing their presence as much as possible until now. The very person who had been personally hunting down and eliminating everyone who entered this formation.
"Out of respect for the name of the Sage, I shall not kill you. But, the Hao Clan Branch Master... you, I cannot spare. You have been very, truly very annoying lately."
"Think you can actually kill me?"
"A girl of your level dares to speak such words to me?"
Kang Yeo-hee, who had been cowering beside him, sharpened her gaze. She took a large step forward, blocking the way in front of Zhuge Yeong.
Zhuge Yeong felt a sudden surge of emotion. To show such dedicated chivalry after only spending a few days together trapped in a formation...?
Then, he heard Kang Yeo-hee's whisper.
"How much time can you buy me?"
"If we cooperate... no, honestly, there's no chance of winning. I've already used up all the tools I had."
"That's not what's important."
"Fifteen minutes."
"And are you sure that guy who started the fire is your friend?"
"I'm about ninety percent certain."
Zhuge Yeong was already convinced at that point.
Think about it. Who else but that guy would be crazy enough to suddenly set a forest on fire while trapped inside an inescapable formation? If he failed to escape in the end, he would surely die.
If there were two such madmen, the future of the Martial World would already be uncontrollably dark.
Furthermore, he was the one who had called him to Jiangnan. Given Peng Hyeon-hwi's personality, he wasn't the type to ignore such an event happening in Jiangnan. It wasn't just out of curiosity... it was because the base of his thinking was similar.
When looking at military strategy, Peng Hyeon-hwi does not hope for the best. Just like him.
He doesn't exhaust his mental energy to achieve the maximum possible success; rather, he chooses to focus his full strength on obstructing the enemy's objective.
In Zhuge Yeong's own case, that was a cold, strategic judgment. After all, victory or defeat in any grand game is decided not by aiming for an overwhelming win, but by thwarting the opponent's goal and winning by even a single move.
But for Peng Hyeon-hwi, it wasn't like that. That guy's personality was just built that way. He was the type who couldn't stand to see others succeed.
Therefore, the moment he realized this was a plan concocted by the Zhuge Family Head—his father—it was only logical that Peng Hyeon-hwi would start a fire as soon as he entered the forest. So, that was almost certainly his doing.
As he spoke with that meaning, Kang Yeo-hee nodded slowly and glared at the Mount Mao Taoist with firm eyes.
"Well, do I need to give you more time?"
The Taoist sneered coldly at them and raised his hand. Talismans were gripped in his palm, which was as withered as a dry old tree. Seeing this, Zhuge Yeong quickly said to Kang Yeo-hee:
"I'll block him first, so Senior Kang, aim for his rear—"
As he stepped forward while saying that, he realized there was already no one beside him.
"Huh...?"
"What...?"
Far off in the forest, a shadow was fleeing, using incredibly profound footwork.
And.
"I'll leave the rear to you, junior!!"
A single voice echoed, growing more distant.
Zhuge Yeong stared at the sight for a long time before finally snapping the fan in his hand with a crack.
"As expected of the Hao Clan Leader's disciple...!!"