Chapter 56
Before Maehyang could answer, someone descended the stairs of the grand hall. Tian Ailang's gaze turned that way. He could sense the presences from the second floor scattering outside the hall, moving to secure the perimeter.
"Tsk tsk. I was hoping to just observe, but it seems a regrettable death has occurred."
An old woman?
She was a wrinkled woman who looked advanced in years. Unlike Maehyang's skirt, she wore martial robes that resembled men's attire—a peculiar detail.
"Are you the lord of Haomen?"
The old woman glanced around and nodded at Tian Ailang's question. "Indeed. And who might you be?"
Tian Ailang sensed no true curiosity in her eyes, only a demand for answers. He expanded his qi sense to confirm her identity as Haomen's leader, then withdrew it. Beneath her concealed expressions and subtle movements, he felt the tremendous writhing of profound inner energy. Even suppressed, it rivaled Dragoo's reserves.
"Tian Ailang. Sworn brother to the owner of this jade plaque. Do you know its owner?"
Haomen's lord slowly examined the jade plaque Tian Ailang presented.
"Sworn brother to our little Sohee... That tomboy daughter of mine must have some fine connections. But why do you have my daughter's proof token?"
Sohee... Daughter...
Tian Ailang nodded quietly as his suspicion was confirmed. He'd guessed she was connected to Haomen's upper echelons, but he hadn't expected her to be the lord's own daughter.
"Then you're my sworn little sister's mother?"
The old woman lightly shook her head and approached step by step. By the time she reached Maehyang's position, she was no longer an old crone.
"...?!"
Tian Ailang hadn't even fully registered the change, but before him stood a handsome middle-aged man with a straight-backed posture.
"Song Kang, father of Song Sohee. I know you're the last descendant of the Qi Arts Clan, the Black-Clothed Tyrant Tian Ailang who's been stirring things up lately to make contact with us—and that you've sworn brotherhood with my daughter. But here's the thing. I knew you two were on good terms, yet you show up alone with her name plaque, information no one else has access to. So I needed to verify a few things."
Haomen Lord Song Kang studied Tian Ailang's reaction before continuing slowly.
"Has something happened to my daughter?"
Tian Ailang nodded frankly. "Can we talk here?"
Song Kang glanced at the dead Haomen disciple. "Tsk."
With a tongue-click of regret, he issued orders to those around him to clean up and handle the situation. Then he led the way up to the third floor.
Following him into the room, Tian Ailang saw a prepared table of wine and delicacies.
"Forgive the meager hospitality—make yourself comfortable."
Song Kang sat and filled an empty cup to the brim with liquor.
"I've no mind for drinks. Even now, my precious sworn sister writhes in agony."
Song Kang gave a wry smile at Tian Ailang's words. "Precious... As a father, let me thank you first. I understand your feelings. No more preamble—tell me what happened."
Tian Ailang explained to Song Kang everything that had befallen Song Sogeol.
"Your daughter is in crisis, yet your expression hasn't changed a bit?"
Tian Ailang remarked, eyeing Song Kang's consistently impassive face—even upon hearing that his own daughter faced death from an unprecedented corpse-hollowing poison.
Song Kang spoke gravely. "...I'm seething with rage. Facial control is a pathological habit from years of living this way; even I struggle to drop it. The more emotions surge, the tighter the mask becomes."
He continued. "That aside, you're not here just to report her injury. You want something from me or Haomen, don't you?"
Tian Ailang organized his thoughts briefly and spoke bluntly. "A cure-all pill. The name doesn't matter. Right now, it's the only way I judge can save Sogeol. It requires Great Returning Pill, Ice White Pill, and Fire Dragon Pill. I need ways to obtain those three—and various spirit medicines to sustain Sogeol's life in Shandong's Damga for now."
"Heh."
Song Kang pondered deeply with a short exclamation. Tian Ailang waited patiently for a full half hour.
Finally, Song Kang spoke. "Hmm... The Great Returning Pill might be manageable somehow, but Ice White and Fire Dragon Pills will be extremely difficult. As for how many spirit medicines she'll need in the interim, I can't say—but since it's to save my daughter, I'll do my utmost."
Tian Ailang frowned. "I heard Haomen, alongside the Beggars' Clan, is the Central Plains' greatest information network. Surely you know how to obtain those pills?"
Song Kang chuckled softly. "I said obtaining them is difficult, not that I don't know how. But the methods are so extreme that you're the only one who could pull them off."
Tian Ailang felt glad he'd come to Haomen. Partly because it was Sogeol's sect, but mostly for their top-tier intelligence. No one else had answers on sourcing the cure's ingredients, and right now, he needed those methods and intel. Especially since Haomen, unlike the Beggars' Clan, pursued both righteous and shadowy means without discrimination—making them more reliable for results.
"Speak freely. If it saves Sogeol, I'll fetch the emperor's head if needed."
Song Kang chuckled again. "My daughter has a remarkable sworn brother. That girl always rambled about the romance of the jianghu and sworn siblings—must've inherited her mother's luck."
Song Kang tossed back the cup before him as if reminiscing, then continued. "Meet the lord of Salmak. Learn their stealth arts from them."
Tian Ailang tilted his head at the sudden tangent. Song Kang pointed at the sword at his waist.
"Twin Ancient Sword. It pairs with the one held by Salmak's lord. I met her once when she came seeking info on its whereabouts. With that sword, you can meet her. What happens next is up to you, but there's potential."
"Tell me more about your thinking."
Still unsure of Song Kang's full intent, Tian Ailang pressed.
"After Salmak's lord visited, I did some investigating. Limited as it was, I suspect that sword devours its owner's inner energy. Am I right?"
Tian Ailang pondered Song Kang's words. Chanho had never commented on other swords, saying his black blade sufficed. But he recalled Sogeol picking it up out of curiosity, calling it strangely draining, and handing it back. He'd recovered his own inner energy because the sword drew out the stagnant qi frozen inside him—was that devouring the owner's power?
"Not certain, but it could be."
Song Kang nodded. "If so, two hypotheses and one fact. First, paired with its twin, it becomes a divine artifact that doesn't devour inner energy—why Salmak's lord seeks it. Second, she may need a method to wield that energy-devouring blade. And finally, Salmak's lord is currently fleeing the Demonic Cult."
Song Kang wet his lips with a sip of liquor, his gaze fixed softly yet piercingly on Tian Ailang even as he tilted the cup.
Tian Ailang was impressed by those insight-piercing eyes. Watching Haomen's lord weave bold inferences from scant clues, he felt true admiration.
"Scant speculation, perhaps. But if Salmak's lord shares such troubles and you can alleviate them somewhat, forging ties isn't impossible—that's my judgment. Even without learning stealth arts, a solid connection would greatly aid your future moves."
Tian Ailang nodded. "Understood. But why specifically learn stealth arts?"
"From what I've gathered on you, your martial prowess is beyond debate—too painful to discuss. But it's too straightforward, too rigid. To obtain the Great Returning Pill first, you need cunning and secrecy over honesty. High-level skill goes without saying."
"Great Returning Pill? Learning stealth from Salmak leads to a plan for that?"
Tian Ailang cocked his head.
"Shaolin guards Great Returning Pills with extreme vigilance—even leaked ones. Leaked stocks are minuscule; finding them is like hunting treasure in the Yangtze's sands. It'll take ages. Why not take it from where they're guaranteed to be?"
"You mean...?"
Tian Ailang's eyes widened as he grasped Song Kang's intent.
Song Kang smirked slyly. "Steal it from Shaolin, where they're definitely stocked. That's the surest way. And if things go south, you're the only one with the prowess to escape—no one else could be trusted with it."
Song Kang set down his cup fully, signaling the end of the talk. "I'll arrange your meeting with Salmak's lord first."
* * *
West of Zhengzhou, Henan Province's castle city, lies a famous metropolis along the road: Luoyang. An ancient capital of the Central Plains—especially pivotal in the Three Kingdoms era—it bustled with commerce from vast goods and travelers. South of Luoyang loomed Songshan Mountain and Shaolin Temple, drawing pilgrims and filling the city with ceaseless crowds.
Even in Luoyang's throngs, one district repelled all: the black district. True to its name—"dark paths"—it was a slum of society's underbelly: orphans, beggars, vagrants, the sick, and those in illicit violence.
Most folk shunned black district dwellers as societal ills, blaming theft, robbery, and worse—kidnapping, rape. Luoyang was somewhat better, thanks to official and minor sect efforts backed by Shaolin's influence.
The black district existed by their design: herding the poor and shady into an outer zone for control. Even in peaceful times, such folk persisted; in this era of chaos, they multiplied. Extermination failed—they opted for containment.
Deep in that black district, on a night thick with stench where only rats and roaches stirred, four figures met in a shack-like hovel.
"I never expected the world's Haomen Lord to contact me first. And with such a far-fetched proposal that dragged me here—I trust you take responsibility."
Salmak Lord Yu Soso spoke coldly, clad in dark night robes tinged blue for women, face masked. She leaned on the small table before her, idly spinning a dagger like a toy on her fingers.
Standing behind her, Yu Soho wore similar garb and mask.
A hunched elder with a wrinkled smile spoke. "Kekeke. Dragging busy fugitives here demands accountability, of course. We're all pressed for time—straight to business."
Tian Ailang inwardly shook his head at Haomen's lord, now perfectly disguised as a new elder. Astonishing skill.
As Haomen and Salmak lords' gazes converged naturally, Tian Ailang spoke.
"Tian Ailang, current head of the Qi Arts Clan. And..."
He drew the sword from his waist and placed it on the table. As the blade gleamed ethereally, Salmak Lord's eyes shook violently.