Chapter 113
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: A New Alliance
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The sheer power of that telekinetic feat made No Dan-yang's boiling blood run cold.
Yang Bul-wi had been beyond his expectations, but Namgung Baek was a monster on an entirely different level, incomparable to him.
It was then that he recalled the message sent by Jegal Yeon.
“Let me ask you one thing. Do you really have the other half of the Blood Demon's True Scripture?”
Namgung Baek's lips curled into a slight smile.
“Even with things as they are, you're still clinging to a promise that's already been broken?”
No Dan-yang's face crumpled in anger.
“You never intended to give it to me from the start!”
“Well…”
Namgung Baek, who had trailed off vaguely, let out a cold laugh.
“But one thing is certain. You, too, are one of the Ten Great Villains.”
In that instant, No Dan-yang shot forward.
At the same time, a look of bewilderment crossed Namgung Baek's face.
And for good reason—No Dan-yang had launched himself not at him, but toward the Evil-Shattering Corps lined up behind him.
In a flash, No Dan-yang broke through the ranks of the Evil-Shattering Corps and vanished.
“You will regret this!”
Hearing No Dan-yang's voice fade into the distance, Namgung Baek gave a hollow laugh.
He hadn't expected No Dan-yang to flee so abruptly.
The same was true for the warriors of the Evil-Shattering Corps who were left behind.
Their faces were also filled with bewilderment.
They stood awkwardly in place, their confused gazes shifting back and forth to where No Dan-yang had disappeared. They never imagined their leader would abandon them and flee alone.
“Should we give chase?”
Yang Bul-wi, having somewhat recovered from his internal injuries, asked cautiously.
But Namgung Baek shook his head.
“He has nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. He's made enemies of both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions.”
While preventing future trouble was important, now was not the time. He first had to deal with the wavering Evil-Shattering Corps, who were cautiously watching him.
“What do you plan to do with them?”
“They'll have to be disbanded.”
Namgung Baek replied with a quiet smile.
“That will likely be my last act as the Alliance Lord.”
* * *
Late at night.
A figure was running through the pouring rain.
*‘Come and find me, alive?’*
Recalling the contents of Jegal Yeon's message, a murderous intent tainted with madness flared in No Dan-yang's eyes.
He didn't know what that wench was thinking, but one thing was certain.
For now, she was the only one he could rely on.
*‘Fine. I'll let it slide, this one last time.’*
But if she spouted any more nonsense, he would snap her slender neck.
His patience had worn thin long ago.
By the time he had run without rest, his internal energy nearly depleted,
No Dan-yang barely managed to reach Wuhan, where the Martial Alliance headquarters was located.
Finding a weak spot in the surveillance network, No Dan-yang infiltrated the Martial Alliance and headed straight for the quarters of the Heavenly Ear Corps' leader.
Despite the late hour, a light was still on in Jegal Yeon's residence.
*Clatter.*
No Dan-yang opened the door and stepped inside.
“Welcome.”
Seeing Jegal Yeon gesture to the chair opposite her as if she had been expecting him, No Dan-yang radiated a thick killing intent.
“It seems you had a rough journey.”
Jegal Yeon smiled brightly at No Dan-yang, who was glaring at her in silence. Then, she pulled something out from under the table and pushed it forward.
“That's…!”
No Dan-yang's eyes wavered uncontrollably.
A half-book, with nothing written on its cover.
No Dan-yang instinctively knew it was the other half of the Blood Demon's True Scripture.
*Thwack.*
No Dan-yang roughly snatched the book and began to flip through it frantically.
After a moment,
an unconcealable joy spread across No Dan-yang's face.
It was just as he had expected. Though it was a handwritten copy, it was the remaining part of the Blood Demon's True Scripture.
Watching him, Jegal Yeon smiled faintly.
“The manual was only ever half-copied in the first place.”
“Then this is…?”
“The other copy, the one the Alliance Lord doesn't know about. Isn't this what you needed?”
“Why… are you giving this to me?”
“Well, why do you think?”
Jegal Yeon trailed off cryptically, her eyes curving into a soft smile.
“It's what you wanted, isn't it? And right now, survival is what's most important.”
“What?”
“From the looks of it, you're no longer in a position to set foot in the Martial Alliance, are you?”
No Dan-yang flinched.
She was truly no ordinary woman.
Her foresight, seeing several steps ahead, was on a level he could never hope to match.
“But you can't go back to being a member of the Unorthodox Faction, either. You're truly cornered on all sides, completely isolated. It seems I'm the only one who can help you, isn't that right?”
“…”
“What are you hesitating for? In this situation, you don't exactly have a choice.”
After glaring at Jegal Yeon for a moment, No Dan-yang finally spoke.
“What do you want?”
“First, complete that martial art. And…”
“And?”
“You just need to help me a little.”
“What do I get out of it?”
Jegal Yeon raised her hand and pointed to the Blood Demon's True Scripture clutched in No Dan-yang's grasp.
“You've already gotten one thing, haven't you?”
Jegal Yeon offered a smile to the flustered No Dan-yang.
“Of course, I can help you with much more than just that. For example…”
Jegal Yeon trailed off for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“First, I'll arrange for your personal safety. I'll also provide you with a new identity so you can be active in the martial world again.”
“Is that even possible?”
Jegal Yeon nodded at No Dan-yang's question.
“Quite. As long as I become the new Alliance Lord.”
At last, No Dan-yang understood Jegal Yeon's true goal.
“So, what do you say? Will you join hands with me?”
No Dan-yang fell into a contemplative silence.
As she said, he had no other choice in his current situation. Still, there was one thing he had to make clear.
“The Alliance Lord deceived me. How can I trust you?”
“Don't trust me. I don't trust you either.”
“What?”
Jegal Yeon gave a slight smile to the still-suspicious No Dan-yang.
“But it's not as if there's nothing to trust.”
“?”
“Can't we at least trust what we each desire? You want martial arts, I want power. What could be a more reliable basis for trust than that?”
After staring intently at Jegal Yeon, No Dan-yang finally nodded.
A satisfied smile appeared on Jegal Yeon's face.
“There's a hermitage called Jimyeongam on Mount Jeonmyeong in Liaoning Province. You can hide there for the time being.”
A flicker of surprise appeared and vanished in No Dan-yang's eyes.
She had anticipated he would accept her offer from the very beginning.
“Don't feel burdened. Think of it as a down payment.”
“In that case, I'll gratefully accept.”
As No Dan-yang turned to leave with the manual, Jegal Yeon stopped him.
“Ah, and this is just out of pure curiosity. You don't have to answer.”
“?”
“Once you've perfected your martial arts, what do you want to do?”
“…”
No Dan-yang hesitated for a moment before answering.
“I intend to prove it.”
“Prove what?”
“That I am the strongest under heaven.”
“A great deal of blood will be shed, then.”
No Dan-yang's lips twisted into a chilling smile.
“That will include the person you want dealt with.”
Jegal Yeon broke into an exceptionally radiant smile.
“Exactly. That's the reason we can trust each other.”
* * *
The Orthodox martial world was in an uproar over the unprecedented incident of the Qingcheng Sect's leader being murdered by one of the Ten Great Villains.
The news spread like wildfire across the Central Plains, quickly turning into a chorus of voices condemning the Martial Alliance.
To be precise, the complaints were aimed at the Alliance Lord, Namgung Baek.
Those who had always disapproved of Namgung Baek's excessive actions seized the opportunity to denounce the Martial Alliance and his failures.
But then, another rumor was added to the mix.
It was the rumor that Namgung Baek himself had expressed his intention to step down from the position of Alliance Lord.
Although the source was unclear, the Martial Alliance's consistent silence in response to such rumors certainly aroused suspicion.
To ascertain the truth, messenger pigeons took flight from all over the Central Plains, and countless warriors on foot and horseback rushed toward Wuhan, the location of the Martial Alliance.
But in stark contrast to the tumultuous martial world, the common folk were living their days in perfect peace.
Take the women lined up along the riverbank, for example.
Gathered in small groups, the chattering women all had mountains of laundry piled beside them.
The children were no different.
Though it was still too early in the season to enjoy playing in the water, they were splashing about and diving noisily.
One of the women, unable to watch any longer, shouted at the children.
“You rascals! Go play upstream.”
At her words, the children swarmed upstream.
But a moment later, the swimming children scrambled out onto the riverbank.
“Ugh!”
As one of them started to retch, the other children followed suit, bracing themselves on the ground and throwing up what they had eaten for breakfast. It was then that cries of alarm erupted from the women doing their laundry.
“Good heavens! What on earth is going on?”
The women hastily pulled their laundry out of the river.
The once-clear river water had suddenly turned murky, and an unbearable stench began to rise from it.
Pinching their noses, the women and children hurriedly left the riverbank.
Meanwhile, at that very moment,
far upstream, two men poked their heads out of the water.
One of them exclaimed in delight.
“Ahhh, that's refreshing.”
It was I Rip, the chief of the Beggar's Sect.
“Has it been three years since you last bathed?”
I Rip shook his head at Hong Jeok-mun's question.
“Four years. I washed the day before the last Beggar's Sect assembly.”
The two men enjoyed their bath, oblivious to the fact that the black filth washing off their bodies was flowing downstream.
“Anyway, this should be good enough, right?”
Nodding, the two men walked out onto the riverbank. They grinned at each other, seeing how the grime had been washed away.
“Well, look at you! You look like a completely different person.”
“You're one to talk. You look like a new groom, all cleaned up.”
Watching the two exchange compliments, Han Seol-hwa wore an expression of utter disbelief.
“How is this possible?”
“What's wrong?”
At Dan Ak-seon's question, Han Seol-hwa stared at I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
“They took a bath, but the stench is still there.”
Dan Ak-seon stopped Han Seol-hwa, who looked ready to throw the two men back into the river at any moment.
“Let's just leave it at this. You heard them say they only wash when it rains. I hear that for members of the Beggar's Sect, bathing is a great humiliation.”
“Damn right!”
As if he'd overheard Dan Ak-seon, I Rip chimed in and approached them. Han Seol-hwa retreated just as far.
Her brow deeply furrowed, Han Seol-hwa glared at I Rip.
The terrible stench assaulting her nostrils was enough to make her feel faint.
She almost missed the time when her face was paralyzed and she couldn't smell anything.
I Rip gave an awkward laugh and turned to Dan Ak-seon.
“Well, it looks like we'll be traveling together for a while.”
With the identities of Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi revealed, the Beggar's Sect had agreed to help in their stead to avoid awkward encounters.
That was why I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun had joined the group.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Don't mention it. In a broader sense, getting the joint petition signed is for the good of our fellow martial artists. It's only natural that we help.”
After saying that, I Rip turned his head toward Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi.
“It seems we'll have to put our grudges aside for a while.”
At those words, Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
“What grudge? As I recall, I've never killed a beggar from your sect.”
“But you've injured quite a few.”
As Cho Ak-ryang's gaze turned fierce, I Rip laughed good-naturedly.
“In any case, it would be better to settle our scores later, wouldn't it? For now, we should work together for Physician Dan's cause.”
Cho Ak-ryang gave a silent nod in response.
Beom Gye-wi did the same.
Though his face was full of dissatisfaction, he didn't show it.
I Rip clasped his fist to the two men and Han Seol-hwa.
“Then I'll be in your care.”
Then, his gaze suddenly landed on one person.
“By the way,”
seeing the Beggar's Sect chief looking at him, Ga Du-dal, who was standing awkwardly to the side, flinched.
“Who are you?”