Chapter 160
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Searching for Him
Do Mun-wi, the Blood Shadow Hero, lay beheaded.
Ha Mu-baek gazed down at his corpse with a calm expression.
"I hate the smell of blood these days... but it's a different story when it comes to Blood Cult bastards."
A quiet mutter.
For his sister Ha Seol-ran's sake, he'd been holding back on killing lately.
His master had always told him to avoid the scent of blood, after all.
But he couldn't do that with the Blood Cult or Demonic Cult scum.
He'd told Do Mun-wi as much—they were enemies of unerasable hatred.
They were the culprits who had turned him and Lan into beggars, wandering the world.
When he was young and immature, carrying the even younger Lan in his arms as they roamed the land...
If they hadn't met their master then, Lan surely would have died.
And he wouldn't have lasted much longer himself.
To the Ha siblings, Master Wi Ji-gun was teacher, benefactor, and parent all in one.
Ha Mu-baek slowly approached Do Mun-wi's body and rummaged through his robes.
There was nothing special.
Just some money, items for fleeing, and a manual for the Annihilation Arts.
"Divine Annihilation Arts?"
Ha Mu-baek flipped open the manual and slowly turned the pages. He'd already observed the flow of Do Mun-wi's internal energy.
The bastard hadn't hesitated to use the Annihilation Arts for quick recovery.
Matching the manual's contents to the energy flow, he roughly understood it.
He soon shook his head.
"You can't escape the curse with trash like this."
Even picturing it in his mind, the curse would inevitably strike at the peak of the Twelve Meridians' extremes.
It would just be slower than the Annihilation Arts.
He knew this without even practicing it.
That was Ha Mu-baek's talent.
"It's a martial art laced with sorcery. No amount of theory alone can resolve it."
Ha Mu-baek ignited samadhi true fire, incinerating the Annihilation Arts manual to ash.
Sorcery.
No matter how potent a Blood Cult martial art, it couldn't turn a healthy person into a jiangshi through martial prowess alone.
Some power beyond martial arts had intervened.
Ha Mu-baek believed it was sorcery.
"More precisely, evil sorcery... no, a curse fits better."
A curse, plain and simple.
After pondering the Annihilation Arts briefly, Ha Mu-baek turned to leave.
It was time to head back to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
Unlike the trip there, he moved leisurely now. He even bought a decent horse in a nearby village and rode it.
It took him nearly three days to reach the spot where he'd first encountered Do Mun-wi.
"No sign of her, as expected?"
Yeong So-hyang was gone.
She'd probably returned to the Hao Gate.
Ha Mu-baek set his course for Wuchang. He had no further business at the Hao Gate.
He'd wrapped up everything related to the Annihilation Arts.
There might be minor loose ends, but the Flame Petal Alliance would handle them.
Now the true vacation period could begin.
Yeong So-hyang arrived at the Hao Gate's main headquarters in wretched shape.
She'd simply walked.
Walked aimlessly.
When the sun set, she slept wherever she stopped. When it rose, she walked again.
By the time she reached the Hao Gate, she was little more than a beggar.
Yet her beauty couldn't be hidden, and a disciple recognized her.
"The eldest young lady!"
His shout drew the other disciples.
The Hao Gate was currently plunged into utter chaos.
Protector Bae Un-san.
No, now he was the Hao Gate Lord Bae Un-san.
The gate lord had suddenly changed, and the Flame Petal Alliance's Fierce Flower Gate had turned the Hao Gate upside down.
The disciples were baffled at what was happening.
Still, they didn't dare rebel.
Ye Cho-a had already lost her martial arts and been captured by the Fierce Flower Gate, and the protectors had acknowledged Bae Un-san as gate lord.
It was chaos incarnate.
And that's precisely when Yeong So-hyang arrived.
Word of her arrival reached Bae Un-san immediately, and she was granted an audience.
"Protector—no, Gate Lord now. What in the world happened?"
After bathing and changing into clean clothes, Yeong So-hyang asked in a voice full of questions.
"Young lady, what on earth happened to you? To return in such a state."
The two had endless questions for each other.
They stared at one another for a moment.
Bae Un-san spoke first.
His tale ended, and hers began.
Once they'd shared everything...
The two faced each other with dumbfounded expressions.
"Ha Mu-baek..."
"Ha Mu-baek..."
The name slipped from both their lips simultaneously.
In the end, Ha Mu-baek was both the start and finish of this mess.
No—strictly speaking, it began with the Tenth Protector. That damned Blood Cult infiltrator.
"That bastard was probably Do Mun-wi, Tenth of the Blood Cult's Ten Shadows."
"How do you know?"
"When he unleashed full-body lightness skill, he left a red shadow-like aura. That's his signature unique art. In the last war, he made several masters look like dogs chasing chickens with it."
Bae Un-san immediately guessed his identity from Yeong So-hyang's description of the lingering red aura.
Having fought in that war, it came to him at once.
"The Blood Cult..."
A grinding of teeth echoed.
Yeong So-hyang's eyes blazed with fury.
"Gate Lord."
She addressed Bae Un-san with the title of gate lord, not protector.
It meant she fully acknowledged him as the new Hao Gate Lord.
"Yes, young lady."
Yet Bae Un-san stuck to calling her young lady.
He had no wife, no children.
He'd planned to live and die as a Hao Gate protector.
He'd only become gate lord by circumstance.
"Please allow me to learn the Blood Sea Ghost Thread Palm."
Bae Un-san nodded at her request.
"Very well. And one day, you must become gate lord."
Hao Gate Lord Bae Un-san resolved to hold the seat only temporarily.
If even Eldest Young Lady Yeong So-hyang were dragged to the Flame Petal Alliance, there'd be no helping it.
But now that Do Mun-wi—the Blood Cult's Tenth Shadow disguised as Tenth Protector—had been exposed, she likely wouldn't go.
Especially since Ha Mu-baek was the one who uncovered it.
"First, we need to track his whereabouts. He must deliver word of the young lady to the Flame Petal Alliance so she can stay here."
Yeong So-hyang nodded at Bae Un-san's words.
"Understood, Gate Lord. And I'm no longer the young lady, so please drop the formalities."
She now knew exactly how the Flame Petal Alliance had intervened in the Hao Gate.
Yeong So-hyang accepted his words readily.
"Very well. Then I'll appoint you as acting gate lord."
Bae Un-san's will to pass the seat to Yeong So-hyang was firm.
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Hwa Yu-gun, facing Bae Un-san, gave a lukewarm response.
"Yes. So please leave Yeong So-hyang here."
Hwa Yu-gun tapped the table.
"Sounds plausible, but where's the proof? How do we know the girl isn't lying?"
"She doesn't know the Blood Shadow's Moonlit Blood Shadow Divine Art, yet she described its traits perfectly."
Hwa Yu-gun nodded.
It made sense. But something still nagged.
"That man left saying he'd judge after seeing Yeong So-hyang himself. We haven't heard back."
He slyly deferred to Ha Mu-baek's decision.
Bae Un-san had expected as much.
Still, it frustrated him.
The mighty Flame Petal Alliance, waiting on one warrior's whim.
What kind of man was he?
He keenly felt that the Hao Gate's intel on him was just the tip of the iceberg.
"We're searching for him."
Hwa Yu-gun nodded once more at Bae Un-san's words.
"Fine. We'll talk then. Once it's settled, we'll return to the Flame Petal Alliance."
With that, Hwa Yu-gun departed.
"Damn it."
A soft curse escaped the now-alone Bae Un-san.
Countless messenger birds took flight from the Hao Gate headquarters.
Their sole purpose: locate Ha Mu-baek.
Thus, the desperately sought Ha Mu-baek set his sights on the Yangtze Three Gorges.
He planned to board a ship there and travel the waterways to Wuchang.
"Time to take it easy."
The waterways were faster and more comfortable than galloping overland on horseback.
Pay once, and you got a private cabin.
He was fairly worn out from the forced marches so far.
Vacation meant lounging around, after all.
Traveling leisurely like this, Ha Mu-baek reached the Yangtze Three Gorges docks at the Hubei border.
But he didn't board right away.
As soon as he entered the bustling area, he sensed countless eyes on him.
'Why are these guys still at it?'
He instantly recognized the Hao Gate signatures in those gazes.
He approached a nearby old man.
"Hey, Pickpocket Grandpa."
The old man jumped at Ha Mu-baek's call.
"Pickpocket? Don't spout such nonsense."
Pickpocket.
A term for sleight-of-hand thieves. No wonder the old man startled.
Called one in a crowded place.
"You know me, right?"
Ha Mu-baek asked bluntly. The old man didn't deny it.
"Feels like we're done with you people, so why the hassle?"
His tone was sharp, making the old man flinch.
"Th-the gate is looking for you, hero."
"Why?"
"How would a lowly one like me know?"
Ha Mu-baek scowled.
The old man spoke true. He was just an ordinary pickpocket, knowing nothing.
Merely the eyes and ears of the Hao Gate.
"Annoying."
With an irritated mutter, Ha Mu-baek headed to the largest brothel nearby.
His senses picked up Hao Gate internal energy there.
As he entered, bejeweled courtesans swarmed out.
He waved them off.
"Buzz off. Get the madam."
The girls, mid-greeting, froze.
Some faltered, unsure.
Just then, word arrived of his coming—a middle-aged beauty, likely the manager, emerged to guide him.
"Honored guest, follow me."
The brothel's top floor.
In what seemed the madam's room, a stunning middle-aged woman awaited.
"What's this about?"
"Forgive us for disturbing you. The gate ordered us to track your whereabouts, so we apologize for the intrusion."
The madam was polite.
"Why?"
A curt question.
"It's... regarding the acting gate lord's situation."
"Acting gate lord?"
Ha Mu-baek tilted his head.
As far as he knew, the Hao Gate had no such figure yet.
"Ah, the former eldest young lady."
Her explanation clicked for him.
But why ask him about her whereabouts...
"Ah."
A soft exclamation.
He'd forgotten amid dealing with Do Mun-wi.
And assuming she'd returned to the Hao Gate without waiting, he'd thought it done.
He'd said he'd decide her fate after catching her.
"It's fine. Nothing to it. Tell her to do as she pleases. I'm out."
He gave a simple verdict and promptly left the brothel.
Then boarded a ship departing for Wuchang.
A vacant cabin was available, perfect for one person.
That suited him fine, so he paid and lay on the bunk.
How long since he'd lounged like this?
The ship churned through the Yangtze toward Wuchang.
Unaware what awaited at the Dragon Training Pavilion, Ha Mu-baek drifted into sleep.
"He says it's fine."
Bae Un-san handed Hwa Yu-gun the messenger bird's report from the Yangtze Three Gorges branch.
Hwa Yu-gun nodded calmly.
"Got it. Then we'll withdraw. Let your disciples handle the welcoming party."
They were already packed to leave.
The only question was whether Yeong So-hyang came along.
Thus, the Flame Petal Alliance pulled out from the Hao Gate.
Yeong So-hyang tearfully bid farewell to the haggard Ye Cho-a.
And in her hand as she turned: a transcribed copy of the Blood Sea Ghost Thread Palm manual.
She headed straight for the seclusion chamber.
"The welcoming party's tomorrow, and you're entering today?"
Bae Un-san, now somewhat accustomed to gate lord duties, asked.
"It's just another day to me. I'll master it as soon as possible."
A cold voice.
Yeong So-hyang entered the chamber, leaving those words behind.
The door sealed shut.
What would she be like when it opened again?