Chapter 144
—A Great Righteous Expert of the Kongtong Sect has been assassinated!
Suddenly, shocking rumors began spreading throughout the martial world.
Just one month after the death of Yeo Hwan-jin, a Great Righteous Expert from the Zhongnan Sect, another Great Righteous Expert had been murdered.
—The culprit is undoubtedly an assassin!
The body of Pyeong Seo-un, the Great Righteous Expert of the Kongtong Sect, was found lifeless in his quarters, bearing thirty different hidden weapons, eight types of Extreme Poison,
and five varieties of Energy-Dispersing Poison Powder that drastically weakened internal energy.
However, the decisive cause of death was a one-inch stab wound near the neck—a slash that had severed the carotid artery with a sharp, narrow blade.
This method bore an uncanny resemblance to the scars left by the Demon-Subduing Blood Flash, a killer technique from the Assassin Sword Art of the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion. In a way, it also resembled the Killing Sword that had taken Yeo Hwan-jin's life.
—We will catch the culprit!
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Following the Zhongnan Sect's lead, the Kongtong Sect also began dispatching large numbers of disciples into the martial world to hunt down the perpetrator.
A misty drizzle soaked the world like foam.
Perhaps because of the pattering rain, or perhaps because all the guests were martial artists, many had been ordering alcohol since morning.
Martial artists never skip liquor with their meals.
Their refined internal energy made them less susceptible to drunkenness, and they used alcohol to wash away the exhaustion of living by the sword.
Clink.
A lone young man sat by the window on the second floor of the guest inn, refilling his cup.
His long, loose hair obscured his features, and the rusted longsword strapped to his back gave off the air of a down-and-out warrior.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
The mysterious gleam emanating from the Ink Sword would have drawn attention anywhere, so he had deliberately made it appear rusted.
Hmmmm.
Then, an extremely faint Sword Resonance hummed from the Ink Sword.
It almost sounded as if it were frustrated by the layers of disguise smothering it.
"Wait a little longer," Bu Eun-seol murmured in a low voice after taking a sip of wine.
"I'll soon find you a worthy opponent."
As if understanding his words, the soft resonance gradually faded.
A threadlike smile curling at the corner of his lips, Bu Eun-seol refilled his cup once more.
"Somehow, I ended up here."
After dealing with Yeo Hwan-jin and leaving Jin-yang, he had originally intended to return to Langya Pavilion.
But then, in a sudden moment of realization, he immediately changed course.
'If I return to the Main Pavilion, Vice-Head Baek will undoubtedly show me an easier path.'
Bu Eun-seol was the successor responsible for Langya Pavilion's future, and because of that, Baek Yeon was excessively concerned for his safety.
If he returned to Langya Pavilion? Baek Yeon would find some way to effortlessly eliminate the Great Righteous Experts.
'I don't want to face the Great Righteous Experts like that.'
Bu Eun-seol was no assassin.
He had no desire to scheme for advantageous positions. Even if he lost, he wanted to face them head-on, pouring everything he had into the fight.
Of course, failure would mean death—but if he survived... he would gain the stepping stones to grow even stronger.
Glug.
Having settled his thoughts, Bu Eun-seol refilled his cup again.
"Hmm."
But something was strange. Despite having drunk only a single bottle, warmth flushed his cheeks, and his body felt slightly heavy.
Not long ago, he could down three or four bottles of the notoriously strong strong liquor without feeling a thing. Yet now, after just one bottle of baijiu, intoxication was already creeping in.
'Is it because I've entered the realm of Return to Simplicity?'
Bu Eun-seol had broken through to the Fourth Layer of the Counter-Polar Internal Art.
As a result, the phenomenon of Return to Simplicity had occurred—where extraordinary power reaches its peak and paradoxically turns ordinary.
The problem was that it didn't just affect his qi. Even the True Qi rising within his body settled into plainness.
Unless he deliberately summoned his internal energy? No one would ever realize Bu Eun-seol was a master possessing over two sixty-year cycle worth of cultivation.
'Being drunk is inconvenient, but...'
Just as he was about to quietly circulate his internal energy to burn off the alcohol—
'No, this'll save me money on drinks.'
He snorted and shook his head.
Crash.
Suddenly, a group clad in dark blue martial uniforms burst into the guest inn.
The swords at their waists were short, like those of assassins, and their robes carried the distinct aura of Taoist practitioners.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been observing them closely, narrowed his eyes.
'The Kongtong Sect.'
They were none other than Taoists from the Kongtong Sect.
Swish.
After scanning the interior of the inn, the Taoists split into several groups and encircled the premises.
"Apologies for interrupting your meal," one of them spoke. "I am Kang Jung-ryang, Protector of the Kongtong Sect. We are tracking down a murderer who has slain one of our disciples. We request your cooperation."
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
Even if the Magistrate's Office had asked, he would have scoffed—yet here was a mere sect investigating martial artists?
This was practically an absurd act of tyranny.
But the Kongtong Sect belonged to the Nine Great Sects and One Gang. Their overwhelming influence, combined with the fact that Jinan was dominated by the Righteous Faction, made this possible.
'Seok U-haeng. Was he staying here?'
The moment Bu Eun-seol heard rumors that a Great Righteous Expert from the Kongtong Sect had been killed by an assassin, he had immediately suspected Seok U-haeng.
'He must have gathered intel from Yu Un-ryong's defeat and used it to kill Pyeong Seo-un.'
Seok U-haeng hadn't killed Pyeong Seo-un for something as petty as revenge for Yu Un-ryong.
No—he must have secretly witnessed Yu Un-ryong's battle with Pyeong Seo-un and, based on that, formulated a plan to kill the latter.
'The intelligence network of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang is no weaker than the Kill-Seeking Unit's.'
The fact that they were investigating this area meant Seok U-haeng had definitely been nearby.
'Even so, this is strange.'
Bu Eun-seol watched as the Kongtong disciples combed through the inn, a question forming in his mind.
'How exactly do they plan to identify the culprit?'
Seok U-haeng was a born assassin, chosen by the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion.
When he killed Pyeong Seo-un, he hadn't used the Pavilion's exclusive assassination techniques—instead, he left behind the traces of an ordinary, run-of-the-mill killer.
True, there were signs suggesting the Demon-Subduing Blood Flash had been used, but that was mere speculation.
So how did the Kongtong Sect intend to find him?
"Excuse us for a moment."
Just then, two disciples approached a man seated at the table in front of Bu Eun-seol.
"We know this is an impertinent request... but would you mind showing us your palms?"
"My palms?"
The man looked puzzled but obediently held out his hands.
The disciples scrutinized them intently for a long while.
Then, exchanging glances, they clasped their own hands together and bowed.
"Our apologies for the intrusion."
'Ah. So that's it.'
Finally, Bu Eun-seol understood what method the Kongtong experts were using to track Seok U-haeng.
An assassin's hands were like a swordsman's blade.
Those who had trained in the Assassin Secret Arts for years bore unique marks on their hands—marks that set them apart from ordinary martial artists.
'But this is reckless.'
Identifying the traces of high-level martial arts through hand markings?
That was impossible for the average martial artist. Only those teetering at the very edge of the Peak Realm could barely manage such a feat.
And yet, these seemingly unremarkable Kongtong disciples believed they could detect such traces?
"No marks on the index finger or thumb," one of them murmured from another table.
Hearing this, Bu Eun-seol nodded slowly.
'I see. They've been specially trained to recognize the signs of assassin techniques.'
Once again, he felt the sheer depth of the Nine Great Sects' legacy.
Having taken root in the martial world for generations, the Nine Great Sects and One Gang had weathered countless crises—and emerged victorious.
Even if it took years, they would hunt Seok U-haeng to the ends of the earth.
"Excuse us."
This time, the Kongtong Sect disciples approached Bu Eun-seol.
"..."
But after staring intently at his face, they shook their heads and clasped their hands.
"No, our apologies."
Without hesitation, they turned away.
Seeing Bu Eun-seol's flushed cheeks—reddened from a single bottle of baijiu—they had instantly concluded he wasn't even a martial artist.
"This is actually useful in times like these."
A dry chuckle escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips.
The phenomenon of Return to Plainness, which had always felt somewhat inconvenient, was proving unexpectedly helpful now.
Shaking his head slightly, he tipped the last remaining cup of liquor into his mouth.
Just as he was about to leave the guest inn—
"You there, have you heard? Seong-ryun, one of the Great Righteous Experts from the Beggars' Sect, is attending this year's Evil-Suppressing Gathering."
The conversation between two martial artists seated behind him froze his steps.
"Huh? But isn't he already a candidate to succeed the Sect Chief? Why bother with the Evil-Suppressing Gathering?"
The Beggars' Sect had always been a loosely organized faction, with disciples scattered far and wide, many of them making a living through begging.
Because of this, the transmission of martial arts was often haphazard, lacking any systematic structure.
As a result, they frequently missed out on exceptional talents, which in turn weakened the sect's overall influence.
After much deliberation, the Beggars' Sect had established the Evil-Suppressing Gathering, a grand banquet where only young disciples of the Third Knot or below could participate.
Every year, they used this event to scout outstanding talents from across the land and adjust their ranks accordingly.
"It's obviously because of the recent uproar caused by the Ten Demonic Heirs! Haven't they already killed two of the Great Righteous Experts?"
"What does that have to do with the Evil-Suppressing Gathering?"
"It's a provocation. The Beggars' Sect's intelligence network is among the best in the world, isn't it? The fact that Seong-ryun, who's kept a low profile all this time, is now making a public appearance... It's like he's taunting the Ten Demonic Heirs."
The martial artist paused briefly, downed a cup of liquor, and continued.
"He's basically saying, 'Come at me if you dare.'"
'So that's it.' Sometimes, lingering in a guest inn long enough yielded unexpectedly valuable information.
Just like now.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been silently listening, rose from his seat.
He needed to verify the truth of this information.
A certain tavern tucked away in an alley of the marketplace.
As Bu Eun-seol stepped inside after glancing up at the large gate, the front courtyard was strewn with piles of sorghum.
The tavern workers would steam the stacked sorghum, mix it with yeast, and ferment it—through this meticulous process, excellent baijiu would be born.
"This way, please."
Just then, a pleasant-faced middle-aged man guided Bu Eun-seol toward a warehouse filled with large liquor jars.
Thud.
As the door closed with a low sound, the middle-aged man spoke in a hushed voice.
"It's all true."
This tavern was, in fact, a branch of the Kill-Seeking Unit in the Yeonju region, and the middle-aged man was the branch leader in charge of intelligence.
"Seong-ryun is passing through Henan to attend the Evil-Suppressing Gathering in Kaifeng."
After a brief pause, the branch leader continued in a low voice.
"I don't know what mission you've been given, but drop it."
For a long moment, the branch leader studied Bu Eun-seol before speaking again.
"The Beggars' Sect is, in itself, the greatest intelligence organization in the world. Until now, not even a single Hall Master Rank or higher has ever had their information or movements exposed."
Inside the tavern's hidden storeroom, the low, secretive voice continued to echo.
"He deliberately revealed his movements. There must be another purpose behind it."
Bu Eun-seol nodded. His own thoughts aligned with the branch leader's judgment.
Yet, at the end of it all, only one question remained: Why?
He was one of the Great Righteous Experts, a future pillar of the orthodox Murim, and a candidate to lead the Beggars' Sect—renowned as the Greatest Sect Under Heaven. Why would he go out of his way to do something like this?
'Candidate. Just a candidate...'
As if struck by a realization, Bu Eun-seol asked,
"Has he officially been named the Young Leader of the Beggars' Sect?"
"Not at all. He was selected as a Great Righteous Expert solely because of his innate martial talent. Originally, he wasn't even a candidate to become the Young Leader of the Beggars' Sect."
The branch leader spoke matter-of-factly.
"After becoming a Great Righteous Expert, his status changed drastically. He went from being a mere Second-Knot Disciple to suddenly being elevated as a candidate to become the Young Leader of the Beggars' Sect."
'Just as I thought.' Finally, Bu Eun-seol grasped what Seong-ryun truly wanted.
Seong-ryun had originally been a low-ranking Second-Knot Disciple, with neither status nor martial prowess to his name. It was only his exceptional martial talent that earned him a place among the Joint Heirs of the Martial Alliance—the Great Righteous Experts.
Thanks to his outstanding martial prowess, he had risen to become a candidate to become the Young Leader of the Beggars' Sect—but his foundation was far from solid.
He intended to kill one of the Ten Demonic Heirs to further elevate his reputation and secure his position as Young Leader of the Beggars' Sect.