Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Emperor and Venerable
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He was truly a handsome man.
Namgung Je had a strikingly handsome face befitting a man of his stature, but the one standing across from him transcended even that.
I wonder if Ban An or Song Ok looked like this in their prime?
Ban An and Song Ok had been renowned as the most beautiful men of their generations, so this was genuine admiration from him.
"White Master."
The Alliance Leader recognized his identity at a glance.
And how could he not? The moment they faced each other, his entire body trembled, and the hairs on his skin stood on end.
"Namgung Je."
Even the White Master's voice was captivating.
"What reason do you have for summoning me?"
The Alliance Leader hadn't held the White Master in particularly high regard before.
But facing him now, even he—the man called the supreme martial artist of the world—couldn't dare draw his sword rashly.
How astonishing was this presence?
"I wanted to exchange greetings with the so-called supreme martial artist of the world."
Hahaha...
"Is that all?"
The Alliance Leader forced a hearty laugh.
This encounter hadn't been on his terms, so he wanted to project some composure.
"What more words are needed?"
As if he truly only wanted greetings, the White Master turned to leave.
But the Alliance Leader had no intention of letting him go just like that.
Killing the White Master would cause the unorthodox factions to crumble on their own.
The distance between them was about ten zhang.
Without even moving, he could slice the man's throat in an instant.
As killing intent surged, his sword moved.
Shiiiing...
In a flash, the sword flew over ten zhang and severed the White Master's neck.
Slash.
The blade that took his head flew back over ten zhang and returned to its sheath.
"You can't see straight, Namgung Je."
The White Master reappeared five zhang from where he had stood.
"Who said you could leave?"
The Alliance Leader wasn't surprised.
If he'd fallen to that, he would have been disappointed instead.
"Let me witness the power of the world's supreme martial artist."
As the White Master stirred his killing intent, a flash of sword light gleamed from his waist.
At the same moment, a sword was drawn from the Alliance Leader's waist as well.
Boom...!
Sword clashed against blade.
Vmmm...
In that instant, space vibrated and warped.
The Alliance Leader's face grew as heavy as stone, but the White Master's remained utterly unchanged.
"Impressive, White Master."
"As expected of the world's supreme martial artist."
The moment Instructor Kang left the Murim Alliance, he unleashed his lightness skill without hesitation.
"Do we have a set destination?"
"Getting away from here takes priority. The Alliance Leader isn't as magnanimous as he seems—he won't forgive a single young warrior like you."
As expected of someone with deep experience; his insight ran equally deep.
"Still, it might be best to decide on a direction."
"North should be somewhat safer than south."
Instructor Kang already seemed to have a new hideout in mind.
Se Yeong and the squad members raced north out of the village.
Ding...
Se Yeong halted at the faint sound echoing from somewhere.
But the squad members didn't seem to hear it.
"What's wrong, brother?"
As Se Yeong stopped, the squad members came to a halt as well.
"Go on ahead. I'll catch up soon."
Se Yeong headed into the forest.
The squad members followed, veering into the woods behind him.
"We'll move with you."
Se Yeong didn't bother dissuading them.
After walking some distance, they spotted a beautiful woman sitting in the shade of a tree.
"Huh?"
The squad members looked at Se Yeong in confusion upon seeing her.
"I called for one person, but all of you showed up."
The woman's mildly scolding tone made the squad members' faces flush red.
"Don't say it like that—we feel embarrassed enough."
Paeng Se Gi shot back, and the woman let out a smirk.
"That's the point."
Hahaha...
"Ah... I see. We'll head out first then—catch up soon, brother."
Instructor Kang just chuckled, while Paeng Se Gi bolted out of the forest without looking back.
The others glanced around awkwardly before turning away.
Baek Mong sitting in the shade of the tree looked like a scene from a painting.
"You survived admirably."
She gazed at Se Yeong with eyes full of curiosity.
She never imagined he'd openly reveal that he cultivated demonic arts.
When rumors spread that Se Yeong practiced demonic arts, she'd been so flustered she even let out a hollow laugh.
"Did you think I'd die?"
Se Yeong found her a bit uncomfortable.
She seemed like an enemy, yet for some reason, he didn't want to kill her.
"Why spread rumors about practicing demonic arts yourself?"
Baek Mong was eager to hear his answer.
"I hate when others try to control my life. A weakness you reveal yourself can no longer be a weakness."
She pondered his words for a moment.
They were worth engraving in her mind—words that stirred the heart.
So why did her father want to kill someone like this?
She'd have to go confront him about it.
"The Venerable Sovereign of the Four Evils is my father."
Se Yeong had suspected as much, so he wasn't surprised.
"Is it alright to reveal that?"
Hahaha...
Baek Mong burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"I joined the Murim Alliance because of you, so I can leave anytime."
She was a fearless woman.
And a strong one at that.
Se Yeong nodded and turned to go.
Then Baek Mong asked,
"Where to now?"
"Thinking of heading south."
It was a lie.
Se Yeong planned to go north, not south.
"See you next time."
"I'd rather not see you again."
"Don't say that—you'll make me sad."
She flashed a radiant smile.
The Strategist watched the returning Alliance Leader with heavier steps than usual.
"Why are you only coming back now, Alliance Leader?"
"Did something happen?"
The Alliance Leader's voice was calm, but the Strategist was anything but.
Something happen? Over a hundred warriors had died right in front of the Murim Alliance—was that what its leader should say?
"Zhongnan Sect lost forty-seven warriors, Emei lost fifty-two, the Moyong Family..."
"I'll hear the rest later, Strategist."
The Alliance Leader cut off the report and entered the hall.
"What happened, Alliance Leader?"
From this, the Strategist realized something unusual had occurred.
The Alliance Leader sank into a chair upon entering the room.
The Strategist sat opposite and waited for him to speak.
It felt like something monumental had happened, but pinpointing what was difficult.
After a long wait, the Alliance Leader finally spoke.
"I met the White Master."
"...Pardon?"
The startled Strategist stared blankly at the Alliance Leader's face.
That meant while the Leader was watching Han Se Yeong, the White Master had been there too.
"I met the White Master. He was quite handsome."
"What... what happened to him?"
If the Alliance Leader and White Master met, they surely didn't part amicably.
And the Leader returning unscathed meant the White Master was dead.
But the Alliance Leader's response was utterly unexpected.
"He went on his way... unharmed."
"How... how could that be?"
The Strategist couldn't help voicing his doubt.
The supreme martial artist was undoubtedly the Alliance Leader—no way the White Master could leave alive.
"He was strong."
Ah...
His words, pregnant with meaning, drew a sigh from the Strategist.
Han Se Yeong was right.
Se Yeong had said the true supreme martial artist might not be the Alliance Leader, but the White Master.
The White Master had apparently been a formidable foe even for him.
"Strategist."
"Yes, Alliance Leader?"
"Starting tomorrow, investigate every Murim Alliance warrior alongside the Inspection Unit."
Why issue such an order so suddenly?
"May I ask the reason?"
"It seems Demonic Cult spies have infiltrated the Murim Alliance."
No matter that it came from the Alliance Leader, it was hard to believe outright.
Still, the Strategist bowed and accepted the command.
"Understood. However, with so many warriors lost because of Han Se Yeong, shouldn't we first issue a public warrant as a matter of justice?"
"Offer 200,000 silver taels to whoever brings me Han Se Yeong's head."
"It shall be done, Alliance Leader."
"Isn't there a suitable place to set up as our base?"
At Se Yeong's question, Paeng Se Gi voiced his thoughts loudly.
"It's not that there are no suitable spots—it's just that we're short on silver, brother. I have about 1,000 silver taels, so we could buy a small house and stay there."
Instructor Kang chuckled and spoke next.
Haha...
"This old man has around 10,000 silver taels, so we could find something decent."
"How did you amass so much silver, Instructor?"
To Paeng Se Gi's question, Instructor Kang replied nonchalantly.
"I saved up my stipend from the Murim Alliance. Thirty-odd years of it came to a bit over 10,000 taels."
Dang Ok-yi and Hahu Yeon pulled out their money pouches too.
"I have about 200 silver taels."
"I have fifty."
But Se Yeong had different plans.
Since the goal was to establish a family clan in the martial world, they needed a prime location with a fine house from the start.
Se Yeong unpacked his bundle and took out a money pouch.
Inside were the promissory notes taken from the Blood Ghost Mother and extorted from the Strategist.
"I have about 200,000 silver taels, so find us a good house with that."
The squad members' faces filled with shock, as expected.
Paeng Se Gi examined the notes handed over.
The 100,000-tael note was clean, the rest stained with dried blood.
"Brother, where did 200,000 silver taels come from?"
"The clean note's from the Strategist, and the bloody ones from the Blood Ghost Mother."
"You got 100,000 taels from the Strategist?"
Yi Cheon Yeong found it hard to believe.
The Strategist he knew wasn't one to part with silver easily.
"If the Strategist wants me for any jobs from now on, he'll have to pay more."
The squad members doubted Se Yeong's confidence.
Yeonggak outright denied it.
"Om mani padme hum. That'll never happen."
"Oh? Want to bet then? If the Strategist doesn't assign me work, I'll give you the Blood Ghost Mother's sword. If he does, you hand over that rosary around your neck."
Yeonggak accepted immediately.
"Deal."
He was that confident.
How could the Strategist assign work to Se Yeong after he massacred people from Emei, Zhongnan, and the Moyong Family?
The squad members watched the bet with keen interest.
But Paeng Se Gi was different.
"Oh dear, you poor fool. Thinking you can beat brother in a bet? You're in big trouble now."
As Paeng Se Gi grinned, Yeonggak grew uneasy.
Om mani padme hum. Shakyamuni Buddha, look upon this pitiful disciple with mercy.
The place Se Yeong and the squad arrived at was called Geumcheon.
Long ago, gold mines had thrived here, drawing many martial clans to settle.
But during the great war against the Demonic Cult, those clans were annihilated. The few surviving retainers sold off their estates and lands before fleeing elsewhere.
With so few left, they couldn't maintain the properties.
"The gold veins dried up, so the mines closed ages ago. But with all the vast fields and paddies, it's a decent spot to make a living."
Instructor Kang knew Geumcheon well.
According to him, a major battle had taken place here during the Demonic Cult war.
"It was originally called Jecheonn, a place for heavenly sacrifices, but the name changed to Geumcheon once the gold mines were found."
Se Yeong surveyed the surroundings as Instructor Kang spoke.
The fields and paddies stretched endlessly—the soil looked extremely fertile.
"Where were the gold mines?"
"That distant mountain used to be one, they say."
Se Yeong headed that way.
After walking awhile, a large hill appeared, topped by a sizable estate.
But untouched by human hands for years, its exterior looked decrepit and worn.