Chapter 137
Bu Eun-seol sank deep into thought.
It was impossible for someone born of the Righteous Faction to master Demonic Sword Arts.
Yet the sword technique Yeo Hwan-jin had unleashed at the end was a cunning one, precisely targeting the weaknesses of Demonic Sword Arts—techniques designed to swiftly sever an opponent's breath.
Because the Great Righteous Experts have each long been taught secrets to counter the martial arts of the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
Suddenly, Sim Wol's words from the Demon Hall resurfaced in his mind.
"It doesn't matter. Whatever they've learned."
No matter what martial arts they had mastered, all he needed to do was clash against them with his full strength and dismantle them.
Bu Eun-seol staggered to his feet.
Though he had defended against the sword qi with Fluorescent Sword Control, deep marks remained in several places—proof that his mastery of the technique was still incomplete.
"You survived..."
His gaze darkened as he looked up at the already dimming night sky.
In truth, it had been a victory closer to luck.
Had Yeo Hwan-jin not come to the forge... Had the heightened senses of the Way of the Beast not activated, allowing him to discern the man's habits and tells...
Bu Eun-seol would never have been able to defeat him.
"Let's go."
After gazing at Yeo Hwan-jin's lifeless body slumped against the tree, Bu Eun-seol reached out and closed the man's eyes.
Then, he launched himself toward the Tangshan Iron Family.
"A Great Righteous Expert from the Zhongnan Sect—Yeo Hwan-jin—has been murdered."
Yeon Myeong-jin, an instructor at the Tangshan Martial Academy who had been scheduled to learn sword techniques from Yeo Hwan-jin, was the one who discovered the body beneath a tree near Majestic Mountain Gorge.
Who could have killed Yeo Hwan-jin, who had been quietly training in this place?
A state of emergency was declared across Tangshan.
"Find him!"
Fortunately, Tangshan was so thoroughly dominated by the Zhongnan Sect that it might as well have been their main temple. No matter how swift-footed the murderer was, he couldn't have gotten far.
From that day onward,
all martial artists in Tangshan and the warriors of the Government Office formed a tight encirclement, ensuring no one could slip beyond Chengdu's borders.
"The killer must still be within Tangshan!"
When no trace of the murderer surfaced as days passed, they began combing through every corner of the region.
The Tangshan Iron Family was no exception.
"Has anyone left recently?"
Ung Hwa, the Chief Instructor of the Zhongnan Sect's Tangshan Martial Academy, barked at his disciples as they searched the premises.
"I'm asking if anyone who stayed here recently has since disappeared!"
"Aside from the Chief Blacksmith, who left for Zhejiang about a month ago, no one has."
No matter how thoroughly they searched, there wasn't a single person who had fled under cover of night—not even anyone who had stepped outside the ironworks.
There was that blacksmith who had arrived recently, but wasn't he the one who had been exceptionally skilled at repairing the Zhongnan Sect's swords?
'This makes no sense.'
The one capable of killing Yeo Hwan-jin—a man whose skill stood out even among the first disciples—would have to be, at the very least, a middle-aged figure from the Demonic Path.
'No—weren't the Ten Demonic Heirs running rampant these days?'
He had heard they were all young men.
The young blacksmith was far too young, but that didn't mean he could be dismissed from suspicion.
Ung Hwa turned back to his disciple.
"Was he interrogated?"
"Of course. There were no traces of martial arts on him, and he's been so absorbed in repairing swords all day that he barely had time to think."
"Hmm."
Ung Hwa gritted his teeth.
"Even if we can't find him immediately, we will catch him!"
As the Zhongnan martial artists departed, I Bok, the Chief Steward of the Tangshan Iron Family, let out a sigh.
"I can't fathom what's happening."
To kill a Great Righteous Expert of the Zhongnan Sect who had been in seclusion in Tangshan, of all places? It was like carrying firewood into a burning house—utter recklessness.
"This is Tangshan... They'll catch him soon enough."
Just then, a piercing scream tore through the air.
Startled, I Bok rushed over—only to find Bu Eun-seol's hand bleeding profusely as he worked on repairing a sword in the forge.
"What in the world happened?!"
When I Bok demanded an answer, the young boy assistant, So-dong, trembled beside him.
"I-I was hammering carefully, I swear... But somehow, I ended up striking Master Bu's hand..."
"What?!"
"I-I was definitely hammering properly, I swear!"
I Bok felt his vision darken.
They had recently assigned a young blacksmith as an assistant to Bu Eun-seol to help with the overwhelming workload.
Yet, instead of helping, the boy had caused an accident.
"Is anyone there?! Quickly, take Master Bu to the Blue Flower Clinic!"
By evening, I Bok stared at Bu Eun-seol, who had returned from the clinic, his mouth slightly agape.
"What did you say? Say it again."
His eyes fixed on Bu Eun-seol's right hand, tightly wrapped in white bandages, I Bok repeated his question.
"You can no longer hold a hammer?"
"That's right."
The fingers struck by the iron hammer were said to be crushed, flesh mangled and bones shattered.
"The nerves were severed. I can't move my hand."
"Did Physician Cheong really say that?"
I Bok pressed urgently.
"So recovery is impossible? You'll remain crippled for life?"
"Yes."
I Bok's expression turned hollow.
If Physician Cheong, the most skilled medical practitioner in Tangshan, had declared it, there was no room for doubt.
The only silver lining was that Bu Eun-seol had already repaired most of the swords entrusted by the Zhongnan Martial Hall. But from now on, any new swords would remain untouched.
"This happened under our roof. I'll take full responsibility."
Offering warm consolation, he patted Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
"For now, rest. Once the Chief Blacksmith returns, we'll discuss this further."
"Understood."
As Bu Eun-seol walked away, the benevolent smile on I Bok's face had already frozen into something cold.
'A blacksmith who can't use his hands is useless.'
No matter how skilled a blacksmith was, if he couldn't wield a hammer, he was worthless.
With his hands rendered useless, he couldn't even be assigned menial labor. In the eyes of the Tangshan Iron Family, he had become nothing more than dead weight.
Ten days later.
A young blacksmith quietly left the Tangshan Iron Family.
Injured and unable to work, he could no longer endure the pitying glances and the oppressive atmosphere. So he chose to leave.
When he was exceptional, they treated him well. But once he became useless, no one even saw him off.
The only consolation was that I Bok, under the pretense of sympathy, had given him five hundred silver taels and lent him one of the family's carriages.
Clack, clack.
The carriage bearing the Tangshan Iron Family's insignia left the town and rolled down the highway.
Seated inside, Bu Eun-seol suddenly recalled I Bok's face—the sly smile that had briefly surfaced.
When he was repairing swords, the man had fawned over him like a dog. But the moment he lost his usefulness, he turned his back without hesitation.
"In a way, he did me a favor."
Had the kind-hearted Chief Blacksmith, Yuk Man-ho, been present, Bu Eun-seol wouldn't have been able to leave so easily.
A man of strong moral conviction, Yuk Man-ho would have tried to persuade him to stay, even offering him a position within the Tangshan Iron Family.
"Such is the way of the world."
Loyalty was rare, while cunning and self-interest were abundant.
And precisely because of that, one could easily infiltrate—and just as easily leave—anywhere.
Clack, clack.
The rhythmic swaying of the carriage sounded like a lullaby. Bu Eun-seol closed his eyes as exhaustion washed over him.
And so, having dealt with the Great Righteous Expert, he quietly departed Tangshan.
Once outside the town, Bu Eun-seol returned the Tangshan Iron Family's carriage and stopped at a relay station to board a new one.
'I need to go somewhere quiet.'
Through his duel with Yeo Hwan-jin, Bu Eun-seol had gained an indescribably profound insight.
Not only that, but by eliminating the Great Righteous Expert, he had bought himself another four precious months.
To fully digest what he had learned, he needed to return to Langya Pavilion as soon as possible.
"Young Master."
Just as he entered the station, a young man bowed respectfully to him.
There was nothing outwardly remarkable about him—just an ordinary-looking youth. But the glint in his eyes betrayed sharp intelligence.
At a glance, he was unmistakably a member of the Wind and Cloud Corps.
"Would you care to ride this carriage? It's built for long journeys—very sturdy."
"Very well."
As Bu Eun-seol stepped inside, the man followed and spoke in a low voice.
"The Vice-Head ordered that you should not return to the main pavilion."
As Bu Eun-seol had anticipated, the man was indeed a member of Langya Pavilion's Wind Cloud Brigade.
"Why is that?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, the brigade member's eyes flickered with a trace of reverence.
"Word has spread through the martial world that you, Young Master, eliminated one of the Great Righteous Experts. Because of this, not only Zhongnan Sect but even Mount Hua has mobilized."
"Mount Hua?"
"Indeed. Both Zhongnan and Mount Hua are tracking the movements of the Ten Demonic Heirs who dealt with Yeo Hwan-jin... If you, Young Hero, were to return to Langya Pavilion now, it would only invite troublesome complications."
"What did the Chief say?"
"He instructed you to remain in seclusion for a couple of months to refine your martial arts. Once things quiet down, he will send word again."
'As expected of the Chief.'
Baek Yeon, who could read the martial world's affairs like the lines of a palm, had even considered the time Bu Eun-seol needed to digest the insights gained from his fierce battle.
"Does it matter where I go?"
"No, it does not."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been lost in thought, finally nodded.
"Understood."
True Fragrance Courtyard.
This was one of the five annexes of Cloud Arrival Inn, the most luxurious guesthouse in Jin-yang.
The cost of renting it for a single day exceeded three hundred taels, making it a place frequented only by high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants.
Yet, a month ago, someone had rented not just True Fragrance Courtyard but all five annexes of Cloud Arrival Inn at once.
—I detest noise and commotion.
Who in their right mind would rent all five annexes—each costing three hundred taels per day—for such a trivial reason?
Moreover, the renter was an exceptionally handsome young man who appeared barely past his coming-of-age ceremony.
Some speculated he was the son of a merchant trading beyond the frontier, while others whispered he was the scion of a high-ranking official.
Regardless of the rumors, the young man lived leisurely, wandering the scenic spots and mountains near Jin-yang like a carefree noble.
Inside True Fragrance Courtyard.
A small pond lay nestled within the beautiful garden, surrounded by rare and exotic flowers. Beside it stood a modest pavilion, inside which a man sat perfectly still, eyes closed.
He wore robes made from the Heavenly Silkworm Garment, the most prized attire crafted by the Capital Gongson Family—so exorbitantly priced that even the wealthiest hesitated to purchase them.
His face, illuminated by the soft sunlight, resembled a divine masterpiece sculpted with the utmost care.
Translucent pale skin, a nose with an elegant and refined bridge, and above it, eyes like gemstones gleaming in the dark—features so striking that one could never forget them after a single glance.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
Following the Wind Cloud Brigade member's advice, he had remained in Jin-yang instead of returning to Langya Pavilion.
—Find the one who killed Yeo Hwan-jin!
Zhongnan Sect and Mount Hua Sect were still hunting Bu Eun-seol.
Yet, the darkest place is beneath the lamp.
Rather than fleeing, Bu Eun-seol had chosen to stay in Jin-yang—a city bordering Shaanxi, where both Zhongnan and Mount Hua held influence.
This was a battleground where righteous and demonic factions frequently clashed, a tangled web of competing forces—the perfect place to conceal one's identity.
Bu Eun-seol exhaled deeply as he gazed at the clear sky.
Nearly two months had passed since his arrival, and every dawn, without fail, he meditated in this pavilion, circulating his qi.
Huuuung.
As his inner training began, faint motes of light emanated from his body.
Time flowed swiftly, and soon, another morning arrived.
Chirp-chirp-chirp!
As the sun rose once more and birdsong filled the air—
Bu Eun-seol's meditation reached its climax, and a soft radiance spilled from his entire being.
Huuuung!
A low vibration resonated as his body hovered half an inch above the pavilion floor.
Floating Void Samadhi.
A phenomenon where one's body levitates momentarily due to the overwhelming surge of True Qi circulating within.
Flash!
When Bu Eun-seol opened his eyes, a heat haze of True Qi shimmered in his pupils.
A faint glow enveloped his body, and a favorable wind seemed to caress his skin.
"This is...?"
Sensing a shift in the level of his internal energy, Bu Eun-seol looked down at himself.
Since his life-or-death battle with Yeo Hwan-jin, his True Qi had grown even more vigorous.
And now, after two months, its flow had become so distinct it was nearly visible to the naked eye.
"I've reached the Fourth Layer!"