Chapter 84
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Revealed Facts
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"So, you're saying these three were assassins?"
I looked at Yeoseol while gazing at the corpses that hadn't spilled a single drop of blood.
But the answer came from Nangong Cheolwoong.
"Yes. We investigated them, but there wasn't a single clue."
"No clues at all, which means they were assassins?"
"That's right."
It was a logical conclusion.
Unless they were professional assassins, there was no way they wouldn't leave any traces behind.
The assassins who attacked on the bridge were the same... This time, they were targeting Yeoseol, so it must be someone who holds a grudge against me.
When I thought about those who might harbor resentment toward me, the list narrowed down quickly.
Gal Uheon knows my skills well enough that he wouldn't send mere assassins. So, it has to be someone who doesn't know my true strength but still bears a grudge.
I thought of Gu Jinha and let out a smirk.
I hadn't heard recent news from the Alliance, but if he'd been dragged off by Wang Qing, the Disciplinary Hall would have dealt with him harshly.
With Gu Jinha's crimes, he'd at least be expelled from the Alliance, if not thrown into the Brain Prison.
I was glad I'd taught Yeoseol martial arts.
If I hadn't, something terrible would surely have happened.
"Yeoseol, you're not hurt anywhere, right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
As I stroked Yeoseol's head and spoke, she nodded.
Then she hugged my waist and snuggled closer.
You've become a martial artist now too. The moment you realize that strangers want to kill you, and that you must kill them in return—that's when the world of the warrior opens up. This must be the day you first truly recognize the martial world.
Feeling a bittersweet pang of pity, I pulled Yeoseol's head closer.
For the first time in a while, I gathered everyone and shared a meal together.
Cheongyo, Songran and her two maids, Eunbi and Yeoseol, Nangong Cheolwoong, Nangong Hwajun, and Nangong Pyo.
Even though we hadn't been apart for long, their faces felt incredibly welcoming.
"Miss Cheong, I heard the Sect Leader prepared a place for you to stay?"
"Yes. He liked my performance so much that he gave me an overly generous gift."
"That's wonderful."
Cheongyo looked relaxed and at ease.
Songran even wore her veil while eating. She lifted it slightly to take her bites.
Otherwise, she'd have to eat alone.
"Miss Song, doesn't the veil bother you?"
Songran shook her head.
"No, this much discomfort is nothing. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to Scholar Cheon."
I nodded.
"Nangong Cheolwoong, Nangong Hwajun, Nangong Pyo—you three should head back to the family now."
"Pardon? Aren't you coming, Master?"
"I still have business here. I'll finish up and return. Mother is on her way from Hubei to Anhui, so I'll go back before she arrives."
"Ah, yes."
The three looked a bit forlorn at the thought of leaving without me.
"I need to sort out Sammuhyeon too. As the landowner, I have to take care of it, right?"
I used the land as an excuse.
But right now, I was in a position where I had to find Wollyeong Sintu's secret storehouse, so I couldn't head to the Nangong Family just yet.
"Looking at it now, maybe the Sect Leader gave you that land to keep you tied down?"
"Exactly. That's what I think too. He's trying to stop you from leaving. No wonder he offered such a huge plot."
"To play landowner, you'll have to keep paying attention here. Thinking back, it's not generosity—it's downright cunning."
The three vented their complaints about Mak Jimong one after another.
I tilted my head as I watched Yeoseol quietly eating her meal in silence.
She's not the type to just eat quietly like this. Is she feeling unwell?
I reached out and touched Yeoseol's forehead as she ate.
She flinched in surprise.
"Why?"
"I was worried you might be sick. Our Yeoseol isn't usually this quiet."
"I'm worried that because I killed those three, something bad might happen to you, big brother."
The psychological impact of her first kill was starting to show.
At first, she might not have grasped the emotions involved and stayed fine, but now the guilt was crystallizing over time.
"I'm okay. And let's not tell anyone that you killed them, alright?"
"Yeah, got it."
I understood and let it pass because I knew Yeoseol wasn't an ordinary person.
But the others struggled to accept that she'd killed three assassins.
Cheongyo, in particular, seemed shocked that someone not yet an adult had taken lives.
Cheongyo asked,
"After killing the assassins, did you feel anything else?"
"That I'm strong?"
"About the people you killed?"
"I know what you're worried about, sister."
Yeoseol stated her own philosophy.
"I get the aversion to killing. But I have no intention of giving my life to someone trying to harm me. If I can protect myself and our family, I'll do whatever it takes."
Cheongyo smiled brightly.
"I think you're right, Yeoseol. I was just worried you'd be traumatized."
Everyone was left speechless by Yeoseol's bold response.
Except for Cheongyo, they all lived lives walking the edge of a blade, so they understood her words.
What they learned when they first gripped a sword was that if they didn't kill, they would be killed.
Even so, they could sense that something had changed in Yeoseol.
The innocent, childlike purity was gone, though it was hard to put into words.
It's a pity she had to learn the world's harshness so soon.
That seemed to be the consensus.
I followed Mak Jimong's guidance to the Present Heaven Sect's secret archive.
"The main archive is a place where you go in, check materials, and leave right away. You're the first to stay a full hour, Brother Cheon."
That meant Mak Jimong had gone out of his way to accommodate me.
"One hour will be plenty."
My heart pounded with anticipation.
Ever since I learned the clue to the Spirit Mountain Flower was in the Present Heaven Sect's archive, I'd been agonizing over how to get here.
First, to extend my lifespan, I'd absorbed Pang Soun's Seven Stars Origin Energy at the Murim Alliance, then gone to the Nangong Family to absorb Nangong Mubaek's, successfully prolonging my life.
I'd planned to head to the Present Heaven Sect next, and just then, Mak Jimong's invitation brought me here—and even into the archive. It felt fateful.
Wollyeong Sintu must have hidden a clue in a Brahmic script book about where he stashed the Spirit Mountain Flower.
The fact that Wollyeong Sintu stole the Spirit Mountain Flower was probably known only to me.
No one would bother tracing his movements through piles of documents—that would be foolish.
I sensed experts guarding the archive from various spots.
The Present Heaven Sect took its archive very seriously.
Even inside, Mak Jimong opened another door to a hidden study.
The security there felt even tighter.
Mak Jimong scanned the shelves and pointed to one book.
"This is it. Out of curiosity—what are you looking for?"
"I can read Brahmic script, so I'm wondering what Wollyeong Sintu left behind."
"I see. Hope you find what you're after."
Mak Jimong replied nonchalantly. To him, a thief's records probably held no interest.
I took Wollyeong Sintu's Brahmic book and opened it.
"I'll keep watch for that hour. Bear with me. Sit and read."
Feeling rushed, I flipped through the pages standing up, and Mak Jimong chuckled.
Gu Jinha smirked as he read the letter.
"Elder Gal, take a look at this."
Gal Uheon read the letter Gu Jinha handed him and frowned.
"This!"
"What do you think? With this, we can trap that Scholar Cheon bastard completely, right?"
Gal Uheon couldn't respond.
If the letter was genuine, Scholar Cheon would be at their mercy.
But it didn't sit right with him.
Perhaps it was the disconnect between him being a warrior and Gu Jinha a scholar.
Gal Uheon still had a warrior's pride.
He wasn't some demonic cultivator; as a former Murim Alliance elder, even blinded by revenge, he had his principles.
But Gu Jinha had no such line.
"If we capture his mother, we'll have that stiff-necked bastard's head."
Gu Jinha chattered excitedly.
"When she enters the border between Hubei and Anhui, we catch up—should meet around Lake Taihu."
"Do we really have to go this far?"
Gal Uheon replied sullenly, a bit displeased.
"Elder Gal, why are you like this now?"
Gu Jinha glared at him before continuing.
"When I was at the Alliance, I saw firsthand how much he dotes on his mother. His biggest weakness is his ailing mom."
"Even if we're consumed by revenge, touching family is a bit..."
As Gal Uheon frowned, Gu Jinha took offense.
"You think I want to? But we sent assassins to Sammuhyeon and they failed."
Gal Uheon felt a chill looking into Gu Jinha's eyes, burning with even greater vengeful fury than his own.
"Leave it to me. This time, I'll hire real pros to kidnap Scholar Cheon's mother."
"Listen, Scholar Gu. You think mere assassins can breach the Nangong Family's escorts? No chance."
Gu Jinha grinned.
"I don't have money for assassins anymore. And these aren't run-of-the-mill—they're elite warriors."
"Elite warriors? How do you even know such people?"
"I met a Blood Cult expert recently, and they made me an offer."
Gal Uheon recoiled at the mention of the Blood Cult.
"What offer?"
"Not sure how they knew, but they said if they handle Scholar Cheon for me, I release their elder from the Alliance's Brain Prison."
As a former Alliance elder, Gal Uheon knew better.
Extracting a demonic head from the Brain Prison was impossible.
"In return, they'll send elite warriors. That should be enough to kidnap her, right?"
"You're insane... Teaming up with the Blood Cult for revenge?"
"What's wrong with it? As long as it catches the rat, who cares if it's a white cat or black cat?"
"You were an Alliance inspector until recently."
"Not anymore. Isn't that what matters?"
"Hah..."
Gal Uheon questioned if partnering with Gu Jinha was wise.
But it felt too late to back out now.
"So? Can you actually get the Blood Cult elder out of the Brain Prison?"
"Of course. I have wide connections, you know."
Gal Uheon closed his eyes tightly.
The Murim Alliance has fallen this far too.
As I read the Brahmic book left by Wollyeong Sintu, I kept feeling like I was getting smacked on the back of the head.
No wonder I thought it strange he used Brahmic so fluently.
Wollyeong Sintu's real name was Yeo Eungwon.
The issue was that Yeo Eungwon wasn't just some martial world figure.
He was a warrior from the Wusangcheon faction of the Three Thousand Immortal Paths.
Even more shocking, Guiseonja was also from Wusangcheon.
And the two were friends.
Unbelievable. I didn't even need Songran to tell me—I learned about the Three Thousand Immortal Paths anyway.
The Brahmic book detailed the Three Thousand Immortal Paths quite thoroughly.
As a Wusangcheon member, Yeo Eungwon had vented his grievances at length.
Along with curses, he listed their flaws.
So Songran is from Mukrimcheon. They can use the Soul-Enthralling Divine Eye, which isn't just possession— it lets them counter techniques by observing them, making them invincible once they learn a martial art.
Yeo Eungwon had been paralyzed for a year by a Mukrimcheon warrior's Soul-Enthralling Divine Eye, proving its danger.
That's why he wrote the book in Brahmic amid all the strangeness.
And when Yeo Eungwon entered the Central Plains with the Spirit Mountain Flower, the ones pursuing him were from Mukrimcheon and Jeongilcheon of the Three Thousand Immortal Paths.
They coveted the flower he'd obtained too.
Clutching my pounding heart, I kept turning the pages.
I was nearing the part describing where he hid the Spirit Mountain Flower while fleeing them.
Finally.
I read the passage revealing the hiding spot, swallowing hard.
Mak Jimong tilted his head, watching Scholar Cheon flip through the pages as quickly as if it were an ordinary book.
He can read Brahmic that fast?
He sighed or grimaced now and then, clearly understanding it perfectly.
Scholar Cheon truly is a heaven-sent genius. Beyond anything I can measure.
Comparing himself, Mak Jimong increasingly felt how exceptional Scholar Cheon was.
Lost in thought for a moment, Mak Jimong jumped in surprise.
"What?!"
Scholar Cheon had suddenly shouted while reading.
"Damn it! What the hell is this? For real! Son of a—!"
As Scholar Cheon glared at the book like he wanted to tear it apart, fuming, Mak Jimong's eyes went wide.