Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Net
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The Orthodox factions of the Central Plains were in an uproar over the Heavenly Grade Seal stamped on the messages that flew to every corner.
People were stunned by the news of the Alliance Leader's imprisonment, but when the names of those attempting to overthrow the Orthodox Murim Alliance—and the Mount Hua, Zhongnan, and Shaolin Sects who had supposedly sided with them—were mentioned, they were half in doubt.
But at the end was a name: Neung Un-bi, the Third Young Master of the Demonic Cult.
At the part claiming he was the center of all incidents and had orchestrated the conspiracy, they began to rage in unison.
Was that all?
Neung Un-bi's past actions were described in such detail, and didn't they align perfectly with the contents mentioned by the Orthodox Murim Alliance, as if tailor-made?
Furthermore, when his righteous deeds in the Central Plains were portrayed as hypocrisy to hide his dark intentions, the martial artists of the Central Plains trembled with anger, drawing their swords and rushing out.
It was a meticulous deception.
A common enemy, the people's prejudice.
Using all of this, they solidified their great cause and justification, instantly creating an atmosphere like a raging storm.
* * *
“Phew… We finally got out.”
Having broken through the encirclement and endured numerous skirmishes throughout the dawn, Neung Un-bi finally caught his breath.
He hid in a place he deemed safe and even erased his tracks, but he was in no position to relax.
The number of martial artists blocking his path was steadily increasing.
There would probably be more. Having lost them in the first cast of the net, they would spread an even tighter one.
“The Heavenly Net…”
Muttering a low growl, Neung Un-bi scanned his surroundings to confirm their safety once more before approaching Yun An-ro's side.
“How is he?”
“Not good.”
At Shin Ye-rang's words, Neung Un-bi gave a bitter smile.
How could it be good?
“We need to treat him first.”
“What? Right now?”
At Neung Un-bi's words, Kim San and Shin Ye-rang both looked surprised.
Treatment? Weren't they on the run?
Even now, the martial artists of the Orthodox Murim Alliance must be closing in on them, narrowing the encirclement…
“Third Young Master, we have to escape now.”
“No, now is the time to stay.”
“What?”
“A full night has already passed. If we leave him like this, I can't guarantee Chief Yun's survival.”
“Th-That’s…”
Hearing Neung Un-bi, Shin Ye-rang frowned and fell silent. He realized he was right.
However, the situation was too dire to treat him at a leisurely pace.
Riiip!
But Neung Un-bi, having already made up his mind, was taking off his outer robe and tearing it into strips. He was making bandages to wrap the wound.
“Blood will splatter.”
Watching Neung Un-bi hand over the torn cloth, Shin Ye-rang eventually accepted it with a sigh.
Shhhk!
“Knghh!”
Despite having pressed the pressure points, blood gushed from the wound as the sword was pulled out. At the same time, the unconscious Yun An-ro's face contorted in pain.
Neung Un-bi carefully examined the wound.
Fortunately, the sword seemed to have missed his vital organs, as there wasn't much blood pooled inside.
Although it was only a temporary measure, treating a wound like this was not a difficult task for Neung Un-bi, who had lived as an assassin.
But now, he had no styptics or wound salves, nor did he have the tools to suture the torn wound.
Furthermore, being pursued, seeing a physician was out of the question.
In the end, he had to do it himself.
He had considered various methods, but with nothing on hand, there was only one way to stop the bleeding.
It was a dangerous treatment, but he had to survive first to be treated by a physician later.
Having steeled his resolve, Neung Un-bi struck Yun An-ro's muting and paralyzing acupoints, then looked at Shin Ye-rang and Kim San and said.
“I’ve sealed his points, but the pain will be so intense he might struggle. Hold him tight.”
“What?”
The two asked at the same time, but Neung Un-bi was already gripping the blade of his Flying Swallow Sword.
The sword? What on earth was he planning to do?
Just as they were tilting their heads, puzzled by Neung Un-bi's actions.
Tssssss!
A scorching heat bloomed from Neung Un-bi's hand, and the sword's blade began to glow red-hot.
“Th-Third Young Master!”
But before anyone could stop him, Neung Un-bi cauterized Yun An-ro's wound with the blade, heated by his Scorching Sun Art.
Tssssss!
The smell of burning flesh filled the air, making them grimace instinctively.
“Knghhhhhh…”
Yun An-ro, who had been unconscious, snapped his eyes open. The capillaries in his eyes had burst from the pain, turning them bloodshot.
With his muting point struck, all he could do was groan, and with his paralyzing point struck, he couldn't move, yet his body trembled finely like someone with malaria.
It must be agonizing. Moreover, this act, known as cauterization, could lead to various side effects.
But this was also a clear medical technique. Although a corner of his heart felt apologetic, for now, this was the only way.
How could he lose him right after they had just reunited?
For now, he had to extend Yun An-ro's life, even if just for a little while.
After this, once they reached the Demonic Cult, the Seventh Elder would treat him.
Weren't his medical skills said to reach the heavens?
Until then, he would keep him alive, no matter what.
Even if the sight of him in agony felt like it was tearing his own heart apart…
“Gurgle.”
From the shock of having the front and back of his body cauterized, Yun An-ro's eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
“Huu… The bleeding has stopped for now.”
“…”
“He fainted from the extreme pain. He'll wake up soon if I bolster his energy.”
Neung Un-bi then focused his mind and began to infuse his own energy into Yun An-ro's body.
Watching this, Shin Ye-rang and Kim San were simply dumbfounded.
Wasn't this an extremely dangerous situation?
Reinforcing another's energy was no different from circulating one's own. It meant that if someone with malicious intent was nearby, it was an act that could lead to certain death.
But this man…
How on earth could he trust them enough to do something like this?
“Huu…”
Some time passed, and when the treatment was finished, Neung Un-bi's body was drenched in sweat, while Yun An-ro's complexion was full of peace.
“Ye-rang.”
“Yes?”
“Could you bind his wounds? As you can see, I'm exhausted.”
“…Yes!”
At Neung Un-bi's request, accompanied by a faint smile, Shin Ye-rang tied the torn strips of cloth around Yun An-ro's wounds.
The wound, cauterized like a burn by the sword blade, was gruesome to look at, but there was no better treatment available right now.
“Um, Third Young Master.”
“Speak.”
While Shin Ye-rang carefully wrapped the cloth around Yun An-ro's body, Kim San asked.
“Earlier… why did you say now is the time to stay?”
“Ah, that?”
At Kim San's words, Neung Un-bi let out a smirk.
“Because it's daytime.”
“…What?”
“You can see well during the day.”
“…”
Was he expecting some profound answer?
At the utterly obvious reply, Kim San couldn't hide his look of bewilderment.
“And if I saw correctly, the encirclement last night was the Orthodox Murim Alliance's Heavenly Net, designation C.”
“...?”
“The Orthodox Murim Alliance has three types of Heavenly Nets.”
At Neung Un-bi's following words, not only Kim San but also Shin Ye-rang tilted their heads in confusion.
“Designation A, B, and C. Of those, Designation C can be activated by an Elder on their own authority.”
“How do you know that, Third Young Master…?”
As information that only an insider would know flowed from Neung Un-bi's lips, Kim San couldn't hide his surprise.
But Neung Un-bi just smiled.
How do I know?
I know because I've experienced it.
“If a Designation C Heavenly Net was deployed, it means there were no orders from the Alliance Leader. That bastard Namgung Hak must have handled it on his own.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. But the nature of it changed around dawn.”
“...?”
“The ones who formed the Designation C net withdrew, and new ones appeared. In other words, the Heavenly Net was upgraded to Designation B.”
“What?”
“Of course, it's just a guess for now. But if it was really upgraded from C to B, it means the order came from the Alliance Leader.”
“…”
“But it was strange. Why Designation C from the start, and not B? If, as they claim, they had branded the Haehyeon Group as an organization trying to overthrow the Orthodox factions, the Alliance Leader should have stepped in…”
“Then, Third Young Master, are you saying… surely it wasn't the Alliance Leader, but someone else?”
“Yes. Something must have happened to the Alliance Leader.”
It was a guess, but Neung Un-bi was almost certain.
After all, the crimes Yun An-ro was accused of were all false.
Just like that time in the past…
They were clearly trying to bury him, the one who knew of their shame.
Besides, hadn't he seen it at the Orthodox Murim Alliance?
The place was divided, with the Alliance Leader's faction and the Elders' faction in conflict.
So if the Elders' faction was taking the lead, the Alliance Leader must have been pushed out.
And that situation would work greatly against them.
“Third Young Master. Setting everything else aside, if Designation B has been activated as you say, isn't that even more dangerous?”
“Of course, the net becomes tighter, so for those on the run, you could say it's more dangerous.”
“Then how…”
“Because it will soon change to Designation A.”
“What? Designation A?”
“Yes. A full mobilization order will be issued to catch us.”
It would surely happen. Now that the stage was set, they would have to present evidence to everyone to resolve the situation.
And if they'd managed to oust the Alliance Leader in the process, they would have no other choice.
“Then… what do we do? We had no choice but to stop to treat the Chief's injuries, but this doesn't seem like the time to be relaxing.”
“You're right.”
“…What?”
“But the Heavenly Net has one major weakness.”
“It does?”
“It consumes a tremendous amount of stamina, more than you'd think.”
“…”
At Neung Un-bi's explanation, Kim San tilted his head, not quite understanding.
“To put it simply… Ah, imagine you're a fisherman.”
“A fisherman?”
“Yes. When you cast a small net versus a large net. Which one is harder?”
“Well… the large net?”
“Correct.”
“…And?”
“The larger the scale of the Heavenly Net, the greater the burden on those who have to control it.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“And the longer it goes on, the more exhausted the ones who cast the net will become.”
“…”
“As time passes, friction is bound to arise between those in control and those forming the net. Especially if they fail to catch the fish.”
“So, is that why…”
“No, we can't just wait around. The Heavenly Net isn't just spread out like a real net.”
“Then?”
“Searching, tracking. They'll try to find us in countless ways. They know its weaknesses too.”
As Neung Un-bi's words went back and forth, Kim San's mind only grew more confused.
“So… we create confusion.”
“Confusion?”
“Yes, we'll disrupt their control.”
“How?”
“By making them think the fish is not here, but somewhere else.”
“What?”
Kim San still looked puzzled, but Neung Un-bi simply smiled.
“For now, get some rest. That way, you'll be able to swim with all your might when night comes.”
“…”
Leaving Kim San blinking blankly, Neung Un-bi stood up to survey the outside.
Just you wait. This will be different from the past when I fell for your tricks, knowing nothing.
The Heavenly Net?
I am the one who thrashed about like a madman inside it, using every method imaginable to save my comrades.
The difference between knowing and not knowing is vast.
The Heavenly Net exerts its greatest power only when its force is concentrated on a single target. If the targets are scattered, its power weakens.
Furthermore, with intelligence flying in from all directions, those in central command are bound to become confused, and that confusion makes an immediate response difficult.
That was why Neung Un-bi had sent Hyang-i out.
To join up with the Waning Moon Unit.
Part of the reason was to save them, who were innocent, from the Orthodox Murim Alliance, but it was also to prepare for the current situation.
A task only Hyang-i could perform.
When night falls, another Neung Un-bi will appear in an unexpected place.