Chapter 203
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: The Arrowhead Clue
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Despite selecting personnel with the utmost caution, North Heaven Hall couldn't be certain there were no spies among them.
Seol Hwa-un had already been absent from the hall many times for various matters, so it was unlikely they'd notice his absence. But the other leaders and combat organizations were a different story.
That was why the two food tasters, who had stayed out of sight until now, were the perfect choice for companions.
Seol Hwa-un immediately sought out Sa In-gyeol and Hong Seong-chil, relayed the details of the mission, and asked them to come along.
The two food tasters gladly accepted.
They had always wandered the martial world relatively freely, and they were itching for some action anyway.
Seol Hwa-un handed off the remaining matters to the North Wind Brigade Leader and set out right away.
Leaving the North Wind Brigade Leader's sigh behind them, the three deployed their lightness skills in unison and headed north.
Hong Seong-chil smiled as he spoke.
"Hall Leader, if anything like this comes up again, feel free to use us often. We're always ready."
Seol Hwa-un chuckled softly.
"Got it."
"Xie, it's been a while since you got out, right? Feels good, doesn't it?"
At Hong Seong-chil's words, Sa In-gyeol frowned.
"I prefer the quiet life back at the hall. Don't lump me in with a guy like you."
"Funny. Want to head back now, then? The hall leader and I can handle this just fine."
"As if. You're the one who'll just get in the way—why don't you turn back?"
The two bickered as they went, but it seemed they'd grown quite close in the meantime. Considering their backgrounds, it was astonishing.
*In a way, it's an amusing situation. A righteous sect member, an unorthodox one, and an Outer Realm figure all gathered in one group.*
There was only one from the righteous sects and one from the unorthodox, but still—this was something even Seol Hwa-un hadn't managed back in his Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor days.
Unaware of Seol Hwa-un's thoughts, Sa In-gyeol turned to him and asked.
"Hall Leader, where do you plan to start?"
"For now, I intend to reinvestigate the site of the first attack. Of course, Sect Leader Seomun's investigation team must have been thorough, but there might be something they missed."
"I see."
"There are four sites in total that were attacked. So I'll start with the closest one, near the Four Sons Royal Banners."
"Understood."
All three were masters who had reached profound realms, so their travel speed was extraordinarily fast.
Hong Seong-chil in particular kept pace with the other two despite his limp, executing lightness skills that were in no way inferior.
He moved with uniquely wide strides, propelling himself forward like a bouncing shadow.
"That's an interesting lightness skill. What's it called?"
At Sa In-gyeol's question, Hong Seong-chil replied.
"It's not really anything with a name. I just devised it myself."
"......"
Sa In-gyeol's expression stiffened slightly. He could guess just how much effort Hong Seong-chil must have put in to overcome his physical limitation.
*He's truly remarkable.*
Sa In-gyeol gave a faint smile.
"Want me to name your movement technique?"
"A name?"
"Yeah. A technique that brilliant deserves one."
"......"
For a moment, Hong Seong-chil felt a warm glow in his chest.
*This guy.*
"Sure, you bookworm—give it a shot."
"Locust Bounce Shadow. How's that?"
Hong Seong-chil's face twisted immediately.
"What? Locust?! You bastard!"
"It's an accurate description. What's the problem?"
Seol Hwa-un, who had been listening, chimed in.
"Locust Bounce Shadow. It suits you perfectly."
"Hall Leader!"
"See? Even the hall leader thinks it's fine."
"......"
At that point, Hong Seong-chil tilted his head.
*......Is it actually good?*
Seol Hwa-un glanced at Hong Seong-chil's leg.
*That leg......*
He hadn't pried or examined it closely, not wanting to touch on a sore spot, but to his eyes, it didn't look particularly problematic enough to cause a limp.
*When he deploys lightness skills, his left and right feet move almost identically.*
Curiously, he only limped when walking normally.
*Maybe it's already fully healed, and the limp is just psychological.*
Having limped since childhood, he probably hadn't gotten a proper checkup after reaching adulthood. There was a high chance he had recovered without realizing it.
It would be ideal to confirm it was normal, but for some reason, Seol Hwa-un hesitated.
*Tricky issue. Best to let Hero Hong decide for himself.*
That evening at the inn, after finishing their meal, the three sat together drinking tea.
"Hero Hong."
At Seol Hwa-un's call, Hong Seong-chil looked up.
"Yes, Hall Leader."
"Have you ever tried treating that left leg of yours?"
Hong Seong-chil's face stiffened briefly. But he soon composed himself and replied nonchalantly.
"It happened so long ago, when I was little...... But thanks to a quack doctor treating me for free, at least I can walk."
"So you haven't had it properly checked since then."
"Yes."
Seol Hwa-un said with a serious expression.
"This is just my judgment, but there's a high chance your leg is perfectly normal, Hero Hong."
"......!"
"I asked the waiter earlier—there's a skilled physician nearby. Shall we have it checked?"
"Th-that......!"
Clearly caught off guard, Hong Seong-chil's expression shifted several times. Sa In-gyeol, sitting beside him, pressed.
"What are you hesitating for? Of course we check it!"
"You're right......"
Seol Hwa-un nodded.
"Then tomorrow, we'll stop by the medical hall for a look."
"Yes......"
Hong Seong-chil's response came with a strangely complicated expression.
The next day, after breakfast, Seol Hwa-un's group headed straight to the medical hall.
They sent Hong Seong-chil inside while Seol Hwa-un and Sa In-gyeol waited outside.
After some time,
Hong Seong-chil emerged with a dazed look on his face.
Sa In-gyeol rushed over and asked.
"How'd it go?"
"......It's normal."
Sa In-gyeol's eyes widened.
"Really?"
Hong Seong-chil nodded.
"Yeah."
Sa In-gyeol burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! That's fantastic! Sure, it might feel anticlimactic finding out so late, but who cares? No more 'lamefoot' jabs for you!"
Sa In-gyeol rejoiced as if it were his own victory.
"Damn right."
"You've been limping around on perfectly good legs. Time to fix that walk, Seong-chil."
Correcting his gait wasn't particularly difficult. He just needed to practice walking without the limp.
"......"
But Hong Seong-chil wore an odd expression.
Only then did Sa In-gyeol sense something was off and ask.
"What's wrong? Not happy?"
Hong Seong-chil gave a wry smile.
"Of course I am. I've heard 'lamefoot' my whole life."
"Then why the face?"
Seol Hwa-un answered in his place.
"As Hero Sa said, fixing the gait itself isn't hard. The real issue is something else."
"Pardon?"
"The fact that all the martial arts he's refined to fit his body so far will need to be completely reworked."
Only then did Sa In-gyeol realize the problem.
"Ah!"
Hong Seong-chil's martial arts were built on the premise of his uneven legs, modified and perfected by him personally.
Naturally, they were subtly off-balance for an ordinary person and wouldn't suit them.
"No telling how long it'll take. He'll have to relearn everything from scratch."
Simply adjusting postures would have been easier.
But in Hong Seong-chil's case, since he'd tailored everything to his body, every single technique needed minute adjustments to find the proper weight distribution and stance.
One wrong move, and it could clash with his existing arts, potentially leading to qi deviation in the worst case.
Hong Seong-chil said with a bitter expression.
"Might be better to just leave it as is."
"Ugh!"
Sa In-gyeol's face twisted.
"Damn it! Knowing you're not actually lame......!"
Seol Hwa-un spoke up.
"But even so, it's worth fixing."
"Pardon?"
"If Hero Hong overcomes all those difficulties and refines his arts anew......"
Hong Seong-chil continued the thought.
"......He'll advance to the next level."
Reaching his current level as a "lamefoot" was a miracle in itself. Probably unprecedented in all martial history.
But further breakthroughs were impossible.
This was exactly why he couldn't match Sa In-gyeol.
"Take the challenge, Seong-chil! You can do it."
"......"
"What? Lacking confidence?"
As Sa In-gyeol pressed him, Seol Hwa-un interjected.
"It's not as easy as it sounds. Think it over until we finish this mission and return to the hall, Hero Hong."
"......Yes, Hall Leader."
Sa In-gyeol couldn't say more. This was a decision no one else could make for him—it was entirely his own.
*Whatever you decide, I'll support you, Seong-chil.*
"......"
Meanwhile, a spark lit in Hong Seong-chil's eyes, as if lost in thought.
* * *
On the seventh day after departing North Heaven Hall, Seol Hwa-un's group arrived near the Four Sons Royal Banners.
It had been quite some time since the attack, so almost no traces remained.
The three scoured the area with eyes ablaze all day long but came up empty-handed.
"Hmm. Hard to find clues here. Too much time has passed—any evidence is probably gone by now."
At Seol Hwa-un's words, Sa In-gyeol asked.
"Shall we move to another site, then?"
"Seems we have to."
Seol Hwa-un recalled the details again.
The most recent attack had been at Red Peak.
"Let's head there."
After three more days and nights of travel, they reached the small city of Red Peak. The merchant caravan had been attacked on a narrow forest path just outside the city.
Upon arriving at the exact spot, traces were indeed visible.
A small scrap of bloodstained, discolored cloth and shards of broken swords and blades lay scattered about.
Seol Hwa-un's group examined every little detail without missing a thing.
They found signs of the attack, but nothing to hint at the culprits' identity.
*Hmm. The investigation team must have done searches like this already. If they didn't find anything worth tracking......*
Seol Hwa-un made a decision.
"Let's expand the search radius."
"Pardon?"
"Three hundred zhang around this point."
"Gasp! That wide......!"
The two were stunned, but they had no choice but to obey Seol Hwa-un's order.
The area was so vast it took considerable time.
They camped overnight and invested three full days, but still found nothing.
Fatigue began to set in.
"Just a bit more effort. We'll search until today, then move to the next site."
"Yes, Hall Leader."
Though he said that, Seol Hwa-un felt frustrated too.
*Like finding a needle in a desert. Guess we have to try somewhere else after all?*
But even elsewhere, he doubted they'd find much.
*This place has the best odds. If anything was left, it's least likely to have been disturbed yet.*
While the search dragged on like that,
Hong Seong-chil's urgent voice rang out.
"Hall Leader! Come here—look at this!"
"......!"
Seol Hwa-un and Sa In-gyeol rushed to his location.
"Did you find something?"
"Yes, barely."
He pointed to one spot.
"Look here."
Hong Seong-chil was pointing at a tree. It had a round gouge carved into it.
"This is......"
His eyes gleamed as he continued.
"Trace of an arrow that embedded here. Doesn't look too old. Judging by the distance, it's probably a misfired shot from the attack site that flew over and stuck."
Sa In-gyeol asked.
"But no arrow? How's this a clue?"
"A thorough culprit pulled it out. But......"
Hong Seong-chil suddenly drew his sword and chopped the tree down.
Slash!
Thud!
The upper trunk toppled, leaving only the stump.
"If you cut it like this."
Slash!
He slashed once more, severing the section with the arrow mark. Hong Seong-chil held up the chopped log.
"Now you can examine the arrow trace closely."
Sure enough, the cross-section clearly showed where the arrow had penetrated. Sa In-gyeol's eyes widened at the sight.
"This!"
Crucially, the arrowhead was deeply embedded.
Hong Seong-chil grinned smugly.
"Heh, they retrieved the arrow but skipped the hassle of digging out the deeply lodged head."
It was quite a distance from the attack site, so that made sense.
Hong Seong-chil plucked the arrowhead from the log with his fingers.
Pop!
"Now we just need to figure out where this arrowhead came from and who uses them."
"Oh! Well done, Seong-chil!"
Seol Hwa-un took the arrowhead, and his eyes widened.
*This shape......*
It was a form he could never forget. Unconsciously, Seol Hwa-un murmured.
"Green Forest."