Chapter 259
"Wait. Hold on."
As Bu Eun-seol was about to venture deep into the forest, Yu Hwaryeong stepped forward.
"I'll track them down and assess the situation. You should stay in the village."
It seemed he was worried that Bu Eun-seol might lose track of the Thousand Swords Society's assassins while pursuing them.
"Understood."
Sensing Yu Hwaryeong's concern, Eun-seol reluctantly turned back.
"..."
But something was strange.
To his astonishment, the villagers who had entered the forest had vanished without a trace, as if evaporated into thin air.
He scanned the area for a long while, yet there was no sign of them anywhere.
'Have I been possessed by a ghost?'
He quickly returned and informed Bu Eun-seol of the discovery.
"Let's go together."
Whoosh.
The two of them activated their Lightness Skill and dashed into the forest in an instant.
But the people who had been leading the carts had disappeared without a trace. Even after searching deep into the woods, there was no sign of them.
'No one can deceive my senses.'
Bu Eun-seol's Extrasensory Perception could detect even the sound of a leaf falling a thousand feet away.
Yet, how could a group of people who had just entered the forest vanish so abruptly?
After pondering deeply for a while, Bu Eun-seol muttered,
"It seems there's a Mechanism Formation installed somewhere here."
It was impossible for ordinary villagers, who knew nothing of martial arts, to deceive the senses of a martial artist like him and disappear in an instant.
"That could be the case."
Yu Hwaryeong, with his extensive experience in the Rivers and Lakes, narrowed his eyes and began scrutinizing the surroundings.
But there was no faint sound of mechanisms activating, nor any traces of a formation laid out using Silver Reflecting Stones.
"Nothing. They're completely gone."
Just as Yu Hwaryeong shook his head in disbelief—
Zzzing.
A low vibration hummed, and a white heat haze flickered in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
Swish.
Running his fingers over the traces left on the ground, he soon began walking forward, scanning the area.
He was following the trail using the Empty Mind Spirit Perception, the pinnacle of the Way of the Beast.
"This is the place."
Bu Eun-seol finally stopped in a wide clearing deep within the forest.
"They disappeared here."
"How could that be?"
Yu Hwaryeong forced a hollow smile as he looked around the empty space.
"For that many people to vanish all at once here, they'd have to either shoot up into the sky or..."
"Exactly."
Bu Eun-seol nodded and glanced down at the ground.
"They must have gone underground."
At the same time, he unleashed the Thousand Jin Drop.
As his immense internal energy pressed down on the earth, a sudden clanking sound echoed, and a square-shaped gap abruptly opened up.
"Unbelievable."
Yu Hwaryeong gaped and peered inside.
Upon closer inspection, the large gap was clearly an artificially constructed passageway.
"Who would build such a mechanism in the mountains?"
The deep passage, shrouded in darkness, looked like an entrance to hell itself.
Yu Hwaryeong hesitated to step inside, craning his neck to get a better look.
"I have no idea where this leads."
"We'll find out when we go in."
"Then I'll go first. Who knows what might be waiting ahead."
Fearing Bu Eun-seol might get injured, he swiftly took the lead.
"Wait."
But Bu Eun-seol stopped him, plucking a single leaf and flicking it toward a towering Great Tree over a hundred feet away.
Thunk!
With a dull sound, the leaf embedded itself firmly into the tree's trunk.
A stunning display of the Falling Leaf Flying Blossoms technique.
"Come out."
Bu Eun-seol spoke softly.
Yet the forest remained silent, with no response.
"Hmm."
This time, Bu Eun-seol plucked two leaves and, without hesitation, sent them flying toward the tree's interior.
Ting! Ting!
With clear, crisp sounds, the leaves rebounded—
Whoosh.
And a black-clad assassin, their face veiled in cloth, descended from the tree.
They weren't particularly tall, but their physique was solid, with limbs as thick as logs. Outwardly, they appeared to be a man who had mastered considerable External Arts.
"Your perception is impressive."
The assassin's voice was unnaturally low and raspy, as if deliberately distorted.
They glanced at the dark passageway and let out a sigh.
"A weight-sensitive mechanism... So that's why no one could find it until now."
Bu Eun-seol stared intently at the assassin.
Then, as if realizing something, he nodded.
"You're the physician treating patients in the village."
"What?"
The assassin blinked, then burst into a stifled laugh.
"You think I'm a physician?"
"You stuffed something inside your clothes to disguise your build."
Bu Eun-seol crossed his arms and snorted.
"You'd have been better off just wearing larger clothes."
The person in black, meeting Bu Eun-seol's unwavering gaze, sighed in resignation.
"How did you know?"
The voice that came out was clear and melodious—a woman's.
As Bu Eun-seol had instantly exposed her disguise, she discarded the cotton padding she had stuffed all over her body.
"No one has ever seen through this disguise before."
Like a true physician, she hadn't simply stuffed in cotton but had meticulously shaped it to resemble muscle contours.
There had been no visible awkwardness in her appearance—so how had this man seen through it at a glance?
"With that much muscle, you'd weigh at least two hundred and twelve pounds. But your footsteps were surprisingly light."
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes slightly, studying the woman's broad thighs.
"Moreover, with that level of muscular physique, the developed thigh muscles would have resulted in a much wider stride."
Bu Eun-seol continued his explanation while eyeing the discarded cotton padding she had thrown aside.
"But your current gait and posture matched that of someone weighing around ninety-three pounds. In that village, the only person who showed traces of martial arts training while appearing to weigh around ninety-three pounds was the physician treating the sick."
"Hearing you talk about seventy-nine pounds, ninety-three pounds—it makes me feel like a slab of meat."
She laughed incredulously, then glanced alternately between Bu Eun-seol, still masked, and Yu Hwaryeong.
"Well, judging by that sharp observational skill, you're no nameless junior. Who are you two?"
"None of your concern."
The icy reply made her momentarily freeze in bewilderment.
But soon, she smirked confidently and nodded.
"Good. I wasn't planning on revealing my identity to you either. Let's agree not to ask each other."
Just then, a single small leaf drifted down onto Bu Eun-seol's head.
It was the very leaf she had deflected earlier when he had launched his Falling Leaf Flying Blossoms technique.
Upon closer inspection, the fallen leaf bore minuscule holes, invisible to the naked eye.
"So, you're from the Needle King Clan."
At Bu Eun-seol's low mutter, the masked woman's pupils dilated to the point of nearly splitting.
"How did you figure that out?"
When he didn't answer, she raised her hand as if preparing to unleash a martial technique.
"Answer me. Now."
A sharp, palpable aura indeed radiated from her body.
But Bu Eun-seol remained utterly indifferent.
Though her martial prowess was exceptional for her age, to Bu Eun-seol—who had already stepped into the Extreme Heaven Realm—it was nothing more than child's play.
"I'm curious too. Why don't you just tell us?"
As the atmosphere grew tense, Yu Hwaryeong stepped forward to mediate.
"Besides, isn't the Needle King Clan known for treating the sick free of charge and doing many good deeds?"
Bu Eun-seol exhaled softly before speaking.
"The weapon."
"The weapon?"
He picked up the fallen leaf.
Along its edge were imperceptibly fine punctures—holes so minute they could only be seen if light barely passed through them.
Yet, to Bu Eun-seol, trained in the Way of the Beast, they might as well have been gaping chasms.
"The martial world is filled with countless odd weapons, but the only ones who use needles as thin as this belong to the Needle King Clan."
The moment he saw the leaf, he had instantly discerned that she had employed a needle finer than a strand of hair.
"But something's strange. Even if she uses the Needle King's martial arts, how did you know she wasn't just a disciple but a member of his bloodline?"
"The Needle King's martial arts stem from medical arts. Mastering them in a short time is impossible. In truth, all his disciples are renowned physicians."
Bu Eun-seol fixed his gaze on the young woman's eyes.
"But for someone so young to possess such exceptional medical skill and wield the Needle King's secret techniques with such ease... only his blood kin could do that."
"Not just sharp observation—your vision is extraordinary too."
With her identity completely exposed, she yanked off her mask in one swift motion.
Under the moonlight, her face was revealed—clean, elegant, like morning dew clinging to petals.
"You're right. I'm Jongri Sa-yu."
Jongri Sa-yu.
She was the granddaughter of Jongri Sa-hyeon, one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings, known as the Needle King.
Having inherited both his martial arts and medical legacy, she was a figure of considerable renown in the martial world.
In particular, her ability to blend ordinary herbs into remedies rivaling elixirs had earned her the epithet Grass Spirit.
"Now it's your turn."
Jongri Sa-yu spoke in a voice as cold as winter wind.
"I've revealed my identity openly. Shouldn't you do the same?"
When Bu Eun-seol remained motionless, Yu Hwaryeong clasped his hands together helplessly.
"I am Yu Hwaryeong, a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Society."
"The Heavenly Sword Society?"
Jongri Sa-yu arched an eyebrow.
The Heavenly Sword Society had once flourished in its golden age, but now it was a shell of its former self—barely active in the martial world.
'The Heavenly Sword Society...'
Assuming Bu Eun-seol was also a disciple, she snorted dismissively.
"Hiding your identities over something like that?"
Sighing, she lowered her voice and asked,
"How did the Heavenly Sword Society find this place?"
"We didn't know. We merely... received information that a great enemy of our society was nearby and came searching."
"A great enemy?"
"Yes. While tracking suspicious individuals, we stumbled upon this passage by chance."
"And who is this great enemy?"
"That, I cannot disclose."
Though masked, Yu Hwaryeong's eyes burned with conviction, and his voice carried an unshakable integrity.
Moreover, while the Heavenly Sword Society was considered a faction Between Orthodox and Heterodox, in truth, it was known for its martial research and adherence to the Righteous Path.
"Hmm. A great enemy, you say..."
Her wariness seemed to ease as Jongri Sa-yu shrugged, a subtle smile playing on her lips.
"By any chance... is this person affiliated with the Government Office?"
"How did you—"
Yu Hwaryeong's mouth fell open in shock, and she nodded as if confirming her suspicions.
"It seems we're both after the same person."
Judging by her tone and demeanor, she had been tracking a certain individual from the Government Office for quite some time.
"Just who exactly are you searching for?"
At Yu Hwaryeong's question, Jongri Sa-yu let out a sigh before answering.
"Long ago, my family discovered that there was a faction deliberately using Consumption Worms to create epidemics."
"You're saying they intentionally spread plagues? Is that even possible?"
"If it's the government office, then it's not impossible."
Her voice was firm.
"Unlike medical or poison clans, the government office doesn't have to fear being branded an Enemy of the Murim—there's no one to stop them."
Yu Hwaryeong's eyes widened.
So the reason the Demon appeared in every plague-stricken region—was it to study the epidemics?
"Well, we'll know for sure once we go inside."
Pulling her mask back on, she stared into the darkened passage ahead.
"Since our objectives seem to align... let's cooperate for now."
The underground passage stretched endlessly.
Even as they walked through the pitch-black path, Jongri Sa-yu showed no hesitation or fear.
Is she fearless, or just overly confident?
Watching her lead the way, a question flashed through Yu Hwaryeong's mind.
Even if she had inherited the Needle King's legacy, how could she roam the Martial World alone, chasing a faction that spreads plagues?
—Long ago, my family discovered that there was a faction deliberately using Consumption Worms to create epidemics...
Recalling her words, Yu Hwaryeong nodded faintly.
She's not alone.
Though she appeared to travel solo, she must have been leading a covert faction of her own.
After all, no matter what anyone said, she was a member of the Needle King Family.
How long had they walked?
Just when the passage seemed endless, a faint light finally appeared.
Stepping inside, they were met with a vast space at least a hundred feet high.
The ceiling was densely embedded with Night Shining Pearls, casting a daylight-like glow, beneath which stood countless buildings.
It was the very image of a small city.
Had this not been deep underground, one could easily mistake it for Chengdu.
"Hah... Hah..."
Yu Hwaryeong let out an involuntary gasp.
He had traveled the farthest reaches of the world and prided himself on having the broadest experience.
But the idea that such an enormous underground space existed—he had never even heard of it in jest.
What the hell is that?
Peering from behind a building, Yu Hwaryeong's eyes sharpened.
Scattered throughout were martial artists moving busily, while corpses lay piled under coarse cloth.
And among them, some still clung to life, letting out faint groans.
(What do you think they're doing?)
At Yu Hwaryeong's silent question, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
(I don't know either.)
Truthfully, Bu Eun-seol was just as shocked.
As an undertaker, he had witnessed all manner of grotesque things, but he never expected such a sight in an underground facility beneath a desolate forest.
Yet Jongri Sa-yu showed no surprise.
Instead, she swept her sharp gaze around before motioning to Bu Eun-seol and Yu Hwaryeong.
"Follow me."
Weaving between buildings, she headed deeper inside.
Finally, she stopped before a structure whose entire surface gleamed with metallic luster—not just the gate.
The iron door was tightly shut, seemingly secured by a special mechanism, its surface engraved only with intricate patterns.
After scanning the area, she retrieved two golden needles from her sleeve and began tracing the patterns on the door.
Then, finding a small hole, she inserted the needles and manipulated them with precision.
Click.
The tightly sealed door slowly began to open.
She's skilled at infiltration.
Bu Eun-seol observed Jongri Sa-yu's silent footsteps.
This was likely not her first time infiltrating such a place. Perhaps she had even undergone specialized training in stealth and intrusion.
Which means the Needle King Family has been investigating them all along.
"What the hell are these things?"
Yu Hwaryeong, who had been surveying the surroundings, tilted his head in confusion.
The interior was a vast metallic space, its ceiling gleaming, stretching at least three thousand feet wide.
Hundreds of bizarre structures stood densely packed, all shrouded in black cloth.
Beneath them, tangled black pipes sprawled chaotically—like thousands of giant spiders stretching their legs in every direction.
"Ugh."
Staring at the grotesque sight, Yu Hwaryeong instinctively took a step back.
His foot accidentally caught on the black cloth covering a nearby structure.
Rustle.
The cloth slipped away, revealing what lay beneath.
A glass tube?
Inside the transparent tube, a sleeping woman lay entwined with vibrant plants.
"This is..."
Yu Hwaryeong's eyes widened as he peered closer.
Upon inspection, thick needles connected to tubes were embedded in the woman's veins.
And wasn't the structure designed to transfer her blood to the plants?
"What kind of monstrous act is this?"
Jongri Sa-yu answered his outburst.
"Human Flowers."
"Human Flowers?"
Her eyes burned with deep contempt and fury.
"By forcibly injecting human essence blood, they create artificial spirit herbs —Human Flowers."
Yu Hwaryeong's jaw dropped.
Cultivating spirit herbs with human essence blood? Was such a thing even possible?
But why were such atrocities being committed here of all places?