Chapter 337

Inside the vast, chilly pavilion, a draft squeezed through the gaps around the windows, making the oil lamp on the windowsill flicker. An old man’s face slowly appeared over the wavering flame.

Eyes suffused with green light and a body as withered 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 shichen¹ ago.

By the time I heard the news, it was already too late. Not one of his limbs had been 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 is a place called Meishan two days from here. My father often spoke of its beautiful mountains.

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

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

He did not welcome visitors. We had no choice but to send someone to check on him every once in a while.

And that had become a scar that would never fade.

Several days ago, an unbelievable urgent report had arrived.

When Tang Sadok rushed there in a panic, he found 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. 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 remained a mystery.

Furious beyond measure, Tang Sadok had personally led his clansmen in combing the surrounding area, but it was already 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 from his body flow into the Four Seas and Five Lakes.

What could anyone say to Tang Sadok as he raged, radiating suffocating killing intent? I understood his anger and resolve 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 murmured those words 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 three of them 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. Being around you scares 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 for him. When I saw him earlier, he was so absorbed in a medicinal prescription that he didn’t even notice someone had come in. 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 lay deep in a remote mountain valley that no one ever visited. Only a member of Tang Sadok’s household would secretly stop by every once in a while.

Besides, the Sichuan Tang Clan deliberately covered everything up…

Tang Sadok wanted his family to take revenge on its own.

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 request some information they needed.”

“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 remain 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 Cheongpung?”

Amid the serious atmosphere, Cheongpung was struggling mightily to suppress a yawn.

“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 bare minimum of 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 not knowing something.”

“……”

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

For a moment, I 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 ask, you bastard.”

Hyuk Mujin eyed my fist warily and whispered, “Who’s 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 here, doing this? Huh?”

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

I pummeled the back of his head without holding back. It was wonderfully cathartic.

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

“Because you’re spouting nonsense and pissing me off.”

“Th-that’s…”

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

“Tsk, tsk. Even a stray yellow dog is wiser than you. How would anyone know who that heinous bastard is or where he came from?”

Hyuk Mujin wiped away a stray tear and muttered, “You spread a mat beside that stray yellow dog and beg in the street.”

“What did you say?!”

“Why? Am I wrong?”

“How dare you insult our Sect!”

“They say you should call a spade a spade. 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 held back Gung Gibang, who looked ready to explode after that brutal dose of truth.

“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 glower and huff at each other.

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

Still glaring, Hyuk Mujin said, “I know that. I mean, do you have any guesses?”

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

“But when did we become close enough for you to keep speaking informally to me? Does being the Beggars’ Sect’s Successor Beggar give you the right to look down on the Vice Squad Leader of the great Jin Family of Taiyuan’s Jin Dragon Squad? Don’t you agree, Captain?”

…Actually, given the difference between them, it did seem reasonable for him to look down on Mujin.

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

I subtly changed the subject.

“Well, Murim is crawling with suspicious bastards. 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 stared in disgust at the booger stuck to the bridge of Gung Gibang’s nose.

“Weren’t those demonic and heterodox bastards wiped out already?”

“No matter how thoroughly you sweep a courtyard, some sand always remains. The world is vast. Do you really think there was nowhere for them to hide? Some survived to the bitter end despite the relentless pursuit.”

That was a valid point.

And if they had survived being hunted by the orthodox faction that ruled Murim, every last 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 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 was truly surprising.

And there was the torture.

There were two reasons to torture someone.

Either you hated them enough to make them suffer before killing them, or there was something you wanted them to tell you.

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

…One seriously dangerous bastard has appeared.

And he was someone I did not want to encounter, even by chance.

My current realm was at the very edge of Peak. I had not yet attained enlightenment, but with the power I had obtained through the System, I could hold my own against someone who had just entered Supreme Peak.

Hwangbo Eom, the Taeeul Merciless Sword, was a perfect 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 my opponent was powerful enough to kill the Poison King, who had ranked among the five strongest of the Ten Kings…

As I am now, defeat would be certain.

As much as it pained me, I had no choice but to accept that reality.

While I was quietly lost in thought, Gung Gibang suddenly spoke as if something had just occurred to him.

“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 my Master, the Valley 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 I were 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 the name, I thought he was called the Slaughter Saint simply because he’d killed so many people.

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

According to Jeok Cheongang, he had taken more lives than anyone could count. He killed people from the orthodox, demonic, and heterodox factions alike, so fairly and impartially 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 people had no choice but to issue an amnesty decree for the man who had once been an enemy of all Murim—and give him the alias Slaughter Saint.

“Of course, there’s no way the Slaughter Saint killed Great Hero Tang Taesang, but the Sichuan Tang Clan is probably considering the possibility that an assassin did it.”

“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.

Which meant…

“Young Hero 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 take it any longer, I overturned the table.

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

I unleashed a lion’s roar and chased the Bermuda Triangle away, then dropped back into my chair.

I stared blankly at the flickering oil lamp before murmuring, “Inventory open. Summon.”

Tap.

A small jade-colored shard appeared in my palm.

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.