Chapter 42
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Obtaining a Clue
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The next day.
Seo Mun-ha advanced without delay, using the herb gatherer's words as his lead.
It had taken considerable time to pry open his mouth, but the information in return was accurate.
Small villages dotted along the river between Myeongin County and Gi-nam County, and the martial hall overseeing several of them bore a signboard that was impressively large for a local dojo.
A single phrase as big as a gate.
The dilapidated signboard was patched up everywhere due to its massive size, and the smooth sections felt oddly out of place, as if they were the repairs—the boards barely showing their engravings.
Azure Light Martial Hall.
The shabbiness at odds with its scale was the product of the hall master's frugal nature, and since they weren't destitute enough to be unable to replace it, it drew no one's pity. That aside, if one were to rate it as a dojo, the score would scrape the bottom due to all the downgrading factors.
'The outside looks decent enough.'
Seo Mun-ha flung open the closed doors of the Azure Light Martial Hall.
"Who goes there?!"
The blatant hostility suggested they had anticipated his arrival.
Dozens of armed martial artists.
In truth, every one of them was an assassin.
Their awkward stances were reasonably solid for a mere local dojo, but by his standards, they fell short—just like that pathetic signboard.
"I'm here to see the branch chief."
Not the hall master—branch chief.
Their faces twisted further at his confident declaration that this was a branch of the Black Killer Hall.
"We don't care where you crawled from—this place will be your grave. You won't be leaving in one piece!"
A middle-aged man at the front signaled.
"Attack!"
On the surface, he looked every bit the fine dojo master.
"Quite the grand welcome."
Harsh, even for a dojo lurking in the shadows of the orthodox sects.
"Waaah!"
Wearing one of the masks he'd snatched earlier, Seo Mun-ha was indistinguishable from the assassins.
In broad daylight, this masked intruder charging straight through the front gate proceeded to display feat after feat that defied common sense.
Pa-pat!
The distinction between orthodox and unorthodox grew hazy as the young intruder unleashed cruel and vicious attacks.
"Wh-what?!"
Blood pooled messily across the floor.
The blade, blazing with sunlight, flashed once—then a brilliant sword path lanced through the air like lightning, severing the assassins' throats.
The assassins couldn't even scream.
As a multitude fell in a single exchange, the cheers cut off abruptly.
The essence of the Five Inscriptions Twelve Divine Arts.
The sword paths wandered aimlessly before twisting in sync with their startled faces.
Like moths plunging into flames, they wheeled through the air and rushed headlong into death without even realizing it.
Assassins who hadn't even escaped first-rate were simply caught in the aftermath of that straightforward sword intent.
"Are you any different?"
"You bastard dare—!"
"We'll find out once we clash."
From the folds of his fallen headcloth emerged a bald middle-aged man covered in burn scars.
A peak-level martial artist who shunned the sunlight to the very end, stubbornly clinging to his dojo master's facade—this was a fatal misstep for an assassin.
Whish!
Seo Mun-ha shook the blood from his blade and fixed the man with an indifferent gaze.
"Halt!"
Suddenly, a thunderous roar blanketed the entire hall.
A voice overpowering the shouts of dozens, infused with profound inner power.
"H-Hall master...!"
"Stand down. This one's not for you."
An elderly man in neat attire, with a long beard trailing down.
"Understand this: my temper runs hot, but a talent like this is too valuable to let slip away."
"Are you the branch chief?"
"A short-tongued brat, eh? Even snot-nosed kids know to introduce themselves first—did no one teach you that's the proper order?"
"A man worth introducing doesn't wear a mask. Just a passing scoundrel."
"An amusing little punk. Let's see if your skill matches that tongue."
Assassins who made killing their trade had lifespans even shorter than ordinary martial artists.
The fact that this white-haired elder had survived that long amid constant slaughter spoke volumes of his elite prowess.
'Still...'
He wasn't a difficult opponent.
The same time.
Seo Mun-ha had yet to return, even after the Hour of the Horse had passed.
The sun had climbed past its zenith and was now dipping low, yet with no word from him, the heavy mood persisted.
In the hastily prepared meeting room.
Clunk.
Tang So-so joined the existing group of three men and three women at the end.
"Sister So-so!"
Seo Mun Young-ryeong's urgent cry spoke for everyone's feelings.
"What happened?!"
Tang So-so took her seat with a faint smile and explained.
"It's fine. The physician did his part. There'll be aftereffects, but no threat to his life."
Ho Gwang's grievous injuries—and the fact that he was a Murim Alliance intelligence operative—encompassed the worries of most people present.
"Did you learn nothing?"
The head of the Ju-eun Merchant Group pressed impatiently.
With Seo Mun-ha still unaccounted for, it was weighing heavily on his nerves.
"Silk Poison. I whipped up an antidote on the spot, but it'll take time for him to regain his senses."
The air in the room grew even heavier.
In other words, there was little they could uncover—and thus, even less they could do.
"It's a blend of dozens of different toxins."
The Thousand Poison Lady who handled a thousand poisons. True to her fame, crafting antidotes was no challenge—but there was no way to forcibly rouse someone from such poisoning, as if awakening them from slumber.
"An assassin gate using Silk Poison... has to be the Black Killer Hall."
Ha Eun-ye, after much deliberation, summed up Tang So-so's account and drew everyone's attention.
"The problem is, only Hero Ho Gwang knows where their branch is."
Seo Mun Young-ryeong, who had looked ready to bolt out the door, went slack-jawed and dazed.
"Th-then what do we do? My brother!"
"He'll be fine."
Ha Eun-ye was neither heartless nor cold-blooded.
"No need to worry."
Things weren't fine, and she was worried.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't concerned for someone she'd briefly shared trials with.
"He won't die off somewhere, even in defeat. You know your brother best, don't you?"
Yet in official settings, she revealed not a shred of personal sentiment.
"That's true, but..."
"He's prudent. If it got too risky, he'd handle himself accordingly."
Ha Eun-ye patted her head with feigned casualness.
"I have a rough grasp of the situation."
The sharp-eyed speaker who suddenly cut in was none other than the thoroughly cold-blooded Seo Mun Jun-sang.
"So, I'd appreciate a detailed explanation. With no word on my elder brother, I believe I have every right to know."
They shared no brotherhood, let alone ever meeting. Over a year had passed since the assault involving that group, yet for him to spout brotherly affection without even a pretense—truly shameless.
"Yes, I planned to explain to everyone anyway."
No helping it. She'd wanted to keep it hidden if possible, but this public secret tied directly to what she hadn't revealed the day before.
"Everyone knows this gathering will be the largest in history."
"Not by my choice."
Tang So-so, receiving the thread, had her own personal motives.
"The gathering itself will proceed normally. But most clans and sects have likely received official missives by now."
This was demon-related, hence the minimized attendance.
"Younger experts selected from each clan and sect, with escorts several times more numerous than last time."
"Ah...!"
The merchant group head nodded in realization.
Even with the Nine Dragons and Seven Peaks gathered, the crowds had been excessive.
"Actual participants in the venue are few. The rest..."
Would be mobilized to bind the demons.
Ha Eun-ye calmly laid out the full circumstances.
"Blood Face Asura, Crimson Spirit Sword Demon, Child Ghost, Mad Wind Twin Demons..."
Including their specialties.
Demons who had led tens of thousands—their names alone sent shivers through thousands.
Peerless demonic arts aside, the pervasive terror stemmed from their deeds on the cusp of the Ultimate Demon Realm.
Demonic arts offered the advantage of attribute-based cultivation faster than orthodox styles, but with clear limits.
To shatter those barriers, they spared no means.
The Crimson Spirit Sword Demon had earned infamy even before the cult's rise, brutally tearing apart thousands of swordsmen to cultivate with a priceless relic.
Unlike his indiscriminate slaughter, the Child Ghost was infamous for his madness, particularly savoring children's screams—a psychotic killer. Even he paled against the Mad Wind Twin Demons.
"You've all heard of the Mad Wind Twin Demons, so you know."
Faces darkened.
"Demons..."
"I see."
Though degrees varied, Tang So-so alone smirked.
'Even the Red Phoenix Captain's in on it. How interesting.'
Her goal had been foremost, but things had snowballed far beyond expectations.
"Did my father—the patriarch—know as well?"
"Yes, just as you said, young lord."
Seo Mun Jun-sang's brow twitched momentarily.
'Father knew... and that guy knew Father knew.'
That guy being none other than Seo Mun-ha, architect of this gathering.
"Don't feel too slighted. It was all to keep you out of danger."
Strictly speaking, Ha Eun-ye wasn't the sole authority here.
There was simply no other Murim Alliance representative present; she'd recommended the venue, but calling it her solo decision stretched the truth.
"To preserve secrecy as well?"
Baek Ri-seol remained utterly impassive, her earlier vivid expressions hard to credit.
"Too many mouths, and leaks are inevitable. We planned to stay silent until we could reliably identify the demons—but this time, it was my error."
She hadn't expected the secret to hold until the gathering's end.
With suspicions of some group shielding demons, they'd eventually need the younger experts' aid. Hunting down five demons across vast Shandong was no easy task.
"Not forcing you. But we're short-handed, so perhaps I took it too lightly."
She hadn't anticipated assassins from their side. With casualties mounting, she felt the weight of responsibility.
"Pretend we don't know?"
"For now. If anything happened to you two, I couldn't face Young Lord Seo Mun."
"Miss Ha underestimates me. Looks aside, I can protect myself. Better than our third brother, at least."
"Brother."
"Ling, stay out of it."
Seo Mun Jun-sang was at the height of youthful vigor. His hard-earned prowess wasn't bestowed by anyone. One could empathize with bucking convention as a martial artist, but such reckless reactions often led to mishaps.
Young experts frequently botched things due to rivalry.
Fortunately, the small meeting room held three figures of higher standing.
"Sister Ha—no, Vermilion Bird Captain—what do you plan now?"
Not only Tang So-so, but Ha Eun-ye and Baek Ri-seol outranked Seo Mun Jun-sang.
In the murim world, strength was power and fame was status. Even self-proclaimed orthodox sects held to that.
"Beyond my authority. First, report to the Division Chief."
"The Gold Chain Captain overseeing the Alliance's four great units... the Furious Daily Politics Hero Ha Seong-seo?!"
The merchant group head shuddered, mulling his prestige.
He was Ha Eun-ye's uncle.
Overreach carried steep costs, and she might even have to relinquish her captaincy amid her battle record—but once it spilled into the gathering, it was beyond her control.
"And then?"
"And..."
Ha Eun-ye met Tang So-so's eyes with a slight smile.
They said a cornered rat bites the cat.
The Alliance's main force was inconvenient to deploy for various reasons, so they'd used the gathering as bait for experts—but the Demon Cult's infamy proved no empty rumor.
"Personally forming a pursuit team. Can't just sit idle."
Then U Hak-bong, who'd been downing drinks till now, spoke up.
"If cornered, won't the Demon Cult disciples cut and run?"
One reason the Alliance couldn't mobilize its main troops.
"Why our four units are young experts."
To snatch their will before grabbing the tail.
Opening the floodgates and applying pressure was the basics of the hunt.
"I know. Means selecting those who can reliably grab the tail when the chance comes."
"Is that you, Brother U?"
"Ahem. Don't care for my style of fighting, but I've got a solid reputation."
U Hak-bong thumped his chest in self-praise.
To eyes united in purpose, he looked anything but reliable.
A moment later.
The hastily assembled pursuit team of unexpected faces set not the demons, but Seo Mun-ha, as their target.
Da-da-dot!
Urgent news arrived.
The long-awaited Seo Mun-ha had turned a dojo in the neighboring village into a field of ruins.