Chapter 337

Inside the broad, chilly pavilion, a draft forced its way through the gaps around the windows, making the oil lamp beside one of them flicker. An old man’s face slowly appeared superimposed over the wavering flame.

Eyes suffused with green light and a body as dry as an ancient tree.

The old man’s name was Tang Sadok. His alias was the Myriad-Poison Asura.

He was the Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, one of the Five Great Families under heaven—and a son who had recently lost his father.

Whoooosh.

The cold wind beating against the closed window seemed to carry the voice I had heard several shichen ago.

When I heard the news, everything was already too late. Not one of his limbs was left intact.

The One God, the Three Saints, and the Ten Kings.

The heroes who had once saved the world from the hundred thousand forces of the Demonic Path had long since become white-haired old men.

Some had grown old or sick and died. Some had vanished after seeking peace. Others had handed their successors the responsibility and stepped down.

Poison King Tang Taesang had also left to find his own path.

There’s a place called Meishan two days away. My father used to speak from time to time about the beautiful mountains of Meishan.

More than twenty years ago, it had only been natural for the Poison King, who had stepped down as Family Head, to head for Meishan.

It must have been the final resting place chosen by an old martial artist who had spent his entire life battling the turbulent currents of Murim.

He didn’t like people coming to visit. We had no choice but to send someone to check on him once in a while.

And that had become a scar that would never fade.

Several days ago, unbelievable urgent news had arrived.

What Tang Sadok had witnessed when he rushed there in a panic was the aftermath of a battle that had shaken heaven and earth—and the Poison King’s corpse.

My father’s body had been… severely mutilated. There was no doubt about it. They were unmistakable signs of torture.

I did not know why the culprit had tortured the Poison King.

But Poison King Tang Taesang, a Supreme Peak master who had dominated an entire era, had died that way. At the hands of an unknown figure whose name and face were both a mystery.

Tang Sadok had been so furious that he personally led his family members in combing the surrounding area, but it had already been too late.

I will find that bastard and kill him. I’ll tear his limbs apart and scatter them across the Nine Provinces, then let the blood flowing from his body run into the Four Seas and Five Lakes.

What could anyone say to Tang Sadok as he raged, spilling suffocating killing intent? I understood his anger and determination well enough.

He and the Sichuan Tang Clan would never stop until they found the culprit and killed him. Naturally, they could not help us find the Divine Physician.

“Poison King Tang Taesang is dead. The Poison King himself…”

A massive tectonic shift was taking place. And it was happening right beside us.

Just as I muttered quietly while staring at the oil lamp, an urgent voice came from behind me.

“Watch your mouth. Do you have any idea what’ll happen if you say something like that in the middle of the Sichuan Tang Clan?”

It was not difficult to tell who the voice belonged to. I had sensed the presence of the three people approaching long ago.

Without turning my head, I answered,

“You’re back.”

“Not ‘you’re back.’ I said watch your mouth. Your mouth!”

“It’s fine. There’s no one nearby.”

“I’m saying we should be careful. Every time I’m around you, you scare the life out of me.”

Gung Gibang sighed and dropped into a chair. Cheongpung and Hyuk Mujin entered behind him and each claimed a seat.

“Where did you go?”

Gung Gibang answered curtly.

“The Chengdu branch of the Beggars’ Sect.”

“Mungyeong went with you?”

“Of course not. He’s holed up in the pavilion the Tang Clan provided separately. When I saw him earlier, he was so absorbed in a medicinal prescription that he didn’t even notice someone had entered. He’ll probably stay the night and leave with us tomorrow.”

“So? Did you find anything out?”

“No. It was a waste of time. I casually probed the branch leader about the Sichuan Tang Clan, but he didn’t know much either.”

That was understandable. From what I had heard, the Poison King’s residence had been prepared in a remote mountain valley that no one visited. Only a member of Tang Sadok’s household would secretly stop by from time to time.

Besides, the Sichuan Tang Clan deliberately hid everything…

Tang Sadok wanted revenge using only the power of his family.

Considering the power possessed by the Sichuan Tang Clan, a great Murim family, and the character they had displayed, their independent course of action was not strange at all.

“He did find it a little suspicious. Apparently, the Sichuan Tang Clan recently sent people to demand some information.”

“They’ve already caught the scent. Did you tell him?”

Gung Gibang hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Although Great Hero Tang Sadok ordered everyone to keep silent… I’m the Successor Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect. I told the branch leader the truth and instructed him to keep an eye on anyone suspicious.”

“What about Young Hero Cheongpung?”

In the midst of the serious atmosphere, Cheongpung, who had been struggling to hold back a yawn, answered,

“I sent a messenger eagle to my grandfather, just as my Benefactor instructed.”

Gung Gibang nodded and added,

“The message will reach him within seven days at the latest.”

“Good. Well done.”

I thought we had taken the minimum necessary precautions.

Tang Sadok would be furious if he found out, but this was something I had to do.

“Um, Captain.”

“Hmm?”

Hyuk Mujin glanced around cautiously before speaking.

“May I ask you something?”

“If I say no, will you refrain from asking?”

“No. You know I can’t stand being curious about something.”

“……”

I was already so troubled that I could die from it, and this idiot was unbelievable.

I briefly considered giving him a good, satisfying smack for the first time in a while, but held myself back.

“What is it?”

“Why are you clenching your fist? That’s scary.”

“Stop stalling and just ask, you bastard.”

Hyuk Mujin stared warily at my fist and whispered,

“Who is the culprit?”

“The culprit?”

“Yes. The culprit who killed and even tortured Great Hero Tang Taesang, the Poison King.”

“Well, well. The culprit.”

Smack!

“Argh! Why did you hit me?”

“If I, knew, would I, be standing, here, like this? Huh?”

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

I gave the back of his head several more blows without holding back. It felt wonderfully cathartic.

“Ugh… If you didn’t know, you could’ve just said so. Why…”

“You’re saying things that don’t even make sense. You’re pissing me off.”

“Th-that’s…”

Gung Gibang looked at Hyuk Mujin with contempt as he thrashed around, clutching his head.

“Tsk, tsk. What a man more foolish than a stray yellow dog. How would anyone know where that heinous bastard came from or who he was?”

Hyuk Mujin wiped away a tear that had trickled out and muttered,

“You spread out a mat beside that stray yellow dog and beg on the street.”

“What did you say?!”

“Why? Was I wrong?”

“How dare you insult our Sect!”

“They say you should call a spade a spade, so don’t misunderstand. I only look down on you, Young Hero Gung.”

Cheongpung burst out laughing and clapped.

“Wow! Benefactor! Young Hero Hyuk said he looks down on Young Hero Gung!”

“Don’t laugh! Stop him, you lunatic Cheongpung!”

Hyuk Mujin had gotten much better with his words.

I blocked Gung Gibang, whose eyes had nearly turned inside out after being struck by the facts, and said,

“Both of you, calm down.”

That did not seem sufficient, so I added one more thing.

“Unless you want me to beat you to death.”

“……”

“……”

That was better.

I let out a deep sigh as I watched them both huffing at each other.

“Who could know what kind of bastard the culprit is? If we knew, the Sichuan Tang Clan would have caught and killed him already.”

Hyuk Mujin still had not relaxed his eyes as he spoke.

“I know that. I mean, do you have no idea who it might be?”

“Think before you ask. Think, you foolish bastard.”

“But when did we ever become close enough for you to keep speaking informally? Is it acceptable to look down on the Vice Squad Leader of the great Jin Family of Taiyuan just because you’re the Beggars’ Sect’s Successor Beggar? Don’t you agree, Captain?”

…Actually, with that much of a difference between them, it did seem acceptable to look down on him.

When I did not answer, Hyuk Mujin’s eyes narrowed.

I subtly changed the subject.

“Well, the Murim is crawling with suspicious people. There are the Dark Heaven and Demonic Cult bastards, for starters.”

“Hmph! Do you think they’re the only possibilities?”

Gung Gibang snorted harshly and picked up the thread.

“The Sichuan Tang Clan has devoted all its strength to eliminating demonic, heterodox arts. It could have been someone with a personal grudge.”

I looked with disgust at the booger stuck to the bridge of Gung Gibang’s nose and asked,

“Weren’t all the demonic, heterodox practitioners wiped out already?”

“No matter how thoroughly you sweep a courtyard, sand remains. The world is vast. Do you really think there wasn’t anywhere for them to hide? Some people survived to the bitter end despite relentless pursuit.”

That was a valid point.

And if they had survived the pursuit of the orthodox Murim faction that ruled the world, every one of them had to be an incredible master.

Like the Yin-Yang Twin Freaks I fought at Shaolin.

Who could have imagined that two Supreme Peak demonic fiends believed to be dead would appear at Shaolin?

Murim was a place where countless chains of gratitude and grudges became tangled together. No matter what happened or where, nothing would be strange.

And there was the torture.

There were two reasons someone would torture another person.

Either they held enough of a grudge to want to inflict pain before killing him, or there was something they wanted to hear from his mouth.

I did not know the culprit’s purpose, but one thing was certain.

…A filthy dangerous bastard has appeared.

He was also someone I did not want to encounter, even by chance.

My current realm was at the very edge of Peak. I had not yet gained enlightenment, but with the power I had obtained through the System, I could face someone at the early stages of Supreme Peak.

Hwangbo Eom, the Taeeul Merciless Sword, was a good example.

But an opponent beyond that level would be difficult. In fact, if I had not gained a small insight during my battle with Hwangbo Eom, I might have been forced to kneel before his Taeeul Formless Sword.

And if the opponent was powerful enough to kill the Poison King, who had ranked among the top five of the Ten Kings…

For now, I would lose without fail.

As painful as it was, I had no choice but to acknowledge that reality.

While I was quietly lost in thought, Gung Gibang suddenly opened his mouth as though he had just remembered something.

“Come to think of it, the culprit could be an assassin.”

“A killer? An assassin?”

“Are there other kinds of assassins?”

I frowned.

“You think those bastards are that skilled?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. According to what I heard from my Master, the master of Moonshadow Assassination Valley has killed no fewer than three Supreme Peak masters.”

“…An assassin killed three Supreme Peak masters?”

“Without a doubt. I heard it threw the entire Murim into an uproar.”

“Then is that valley master or whatever the greatest assassin under heaven?”

Gung Gibang looked at me as though he had just spotted the most insane person alive.

“What are you talking about? The greatest assassin under heaven has never changed.”

“Oh.”

I had momentarily forgotten.

The Sword Saint. The Bow Saint. And finally, the man known as the Slaughter Saint.

When I first heard it, I thought he was called the Slaughter Saint because he had killed a lot of people.

As it turned out, being an assassin was his actual profession.

According to what I had heard from Jeok Cheongang, he had killed more people than anyone could count. He had slaughtered people from the orthodox, demonic, and heterodox factions alike, killing them all so fairly and evenly that he had even been branded an enemy of all Murim.

That was, until the Great Faction War.

He had killed so many demonic fiends that the people had no choice but to issue an amnesty decree for a man who had once been an enemy of all Murim—and give him the alias Slaughter Saint.

“Of course, it couldn’t have been the Slaughter Saint who killed Great Hero Tang Taesang, but the Sichuan Tang Clan will be keeping that possibility in mind.”

“It’s unfortunate, but they’ll deal with it themselves.”

Whoever the culprit was, I had only one goal: find the Divine Physician and save Jeok Cheongang.

It was unfortunate that we could not receive help from the Sichuan Tang Clan, but Qingcheng and Emei still remained.

That meant…

“Gung, did you pull that booger out in advance so you could eat it as a late-night snack?”

“What did you say?!”

“Wahahaha! Benefactor! Young Hero Gung is going to eat his booger as a late-night snack!”

…No. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with these bastards?

Unable to hold myself back any longer, I overturned the table.

“Get the hell out! We have to leave early tomorrow, so go get some sleep!”

I let out a lion’s roar and chased the Bermuda Triangle away before dropping back into my chair.

I stared absently at the flickering oil lamp, then muttered quietly,

“Inventory open. Summon.”

Tap.

A small jade-colored shard appeared in the palm of my hand.

When I turned over the Divine Physician’s Token, faint writing appeared.

“The finest Chinese gallnuts come from Sichuan.”

“Chinese gallnut, my ass. They should’ve written down the damn home address.”