Chapter 76
"Follow me."
Before long, Jaseong's group followed Gal Seo-ryeong, walking down the long corridor of the Hao Sect's upper headquarters.
The corridor was so long its end could not be seen, and countless branch offices lined either side.
Each office had its black iron door tightly shut, with engraved symbols in dragon-shaped calligraphy above each door.
As they walked down the corridor, Lee Rin and Gu Janghu both became lost in thought.
'I'd vaguely known the great hero had someone to take revenge on... but I never expected such a tragic tale...'
'... Leader. I will aid you in your revenge.'
Having eavesdropped on the conversation with the Hao Sect's master just now, Gu Janghu and Lee Rin fully grasped Jaseong's circumstances.
The tragedy of losing his family in the Red Light District.
That was why Jaseong had struggled so desperately to become stronger.
To take revenge on his enemies.
Now that they knew everything, both Lee Rin and Gu Janghu felt pity and anger well up inside them.
'Great hero. I will help you with every sword from the North Sea. I'll do my best so you can let go of your pain and smile in comfort.'
At last, Jaseong's group arrived at the imposing gate of the Shadow Pavilion.
It was a thick black iron door—so solid that even peak-level masters could not cut through it.
On either side of the door, Hao Sect experts wearing black masks stood guard, gripping spears firmly.
Clunk!
When the door opened, an astounding scene spread out before them.
The ceiling of the pavilion was wide open.
Through it, countless pigeons and black hawks flew, crying sharply and busily darting to and fro.
Attached to their legs was top-class intelligence gathered from all corners of the martial world.
'What an astonishing sight... This is truly the heart of the Hao Sect, the Shadow Pavilion...'
Among the flapping pigeons and hawks, expressionless women worked swiftly.
They moved their hands-nimbly, sorting information gathered from across the Central Plains.
Red strings tagged top-level secrets, blue threads for second-level secrets, with seals used to secure the intelligence, and so on.
While Jaseong's group stared in awe at the scene in the Shadow Pavilion, Gal Seo-ryeong spoke again.
"The reward I wanted to grant you, Ansun branch leader, was not this pavilion."
"What do you mean?"
"Considering your martial talents, I intended to give you access to the Library of Lost Arts, which holds long-lost manuals of the martial world."
... The repository containing lost martial arts manuals?
That was truly an incredible reward.
Especially for Jaseong, who absorbed every technique he learned, it was a deal too tempting to refuse.
"But more than half the hall lords objected. They likely disliked the idea of a mere branch leader accessing the upper vaults of the Hao Sect. That's why it took so long for me to seek you out."
... As I thought, there are many among the Hao Sect's hall lords who are wary of me.
"However, you managed to get access to the Shadow Pavilion—an even more restricted place than the Library of Lost Arts—directly from the Sect Leader. Your resourcefulness is truly something."
"......"
"And especially your plan to sow discord throughout the martial world—ambitious and daring. Follow through as you've promised. If you succeed, the Sect Leader will surely grant you another reward. At that time, I myself will press strongly for your access to the Library of Lost Arts."
Jaseong calmly performed the cupped fist salute.
"Thank you, Guardian General."
But at that very moment, an unexpected remark slipped from Gal Seo-ryeong's lips.
"Oh, and one more thing."
"?"
"If you cause trouble while stirring up the martial world's factions, our superiors will cast you out without hesitation."
"......."
"You're prepared for that much, aren't you?"
Gal Seo-ryeong asked with a frosty gaze.
Her words were cold, but Jaseong nodded as if he'd expected it.
Sounded heartless, but cutting off a limb to save the body was wise.
Especially in an organization like the Hao Sect, which aimed to step into the light from the shadows, such ruthlessness was necessary.
"Then, I'll give you three days. During that time, freely peruse martial world intelligence in this pavilion. You are not to take anything outside with you. Remember it all in your head. Understood?"
With that, Gal Seo-ryeong turned to leave.
As soon as her figure vanished, Lee Rin sent a telepathic message.
[First, they praise you for elevating the Hao Sect's prestige and offer a reward, but if you make a mistake, they'll cast you out? How is that a reward?]
[No need to get worked up, Lee Rin.]
[But still....]
[We achieved our goal. Let's see if there's any information we can use.]
Jaseong delved deeper into the pavilion.
Towering shelves extended endlessly before him.
On the shelves, correspondence containing information from all over the martial world was neatly arranged.
It was the record of decades.
The rise and fall of sects, histories of great battles, the disappearance and reappearance of experts, and even the most private romantic affairs known as the "Yanwen Affections".
All of it was stacked layer upon layer here.
Among these, Jaseong located letters detailing the corruption and weaknesses of the Nine Loyal Factions and the Five Great Clans.
Information from that side would be useful for igniting discord in the martial world.
[Record of an insider from the Nine Loyal Factions colluding with an unorthodox sect]
: One of Mount Hua's former elders—a Daoist named Yeom Jin—secretly colluded with Jihan Sect. In exchange for leaking Mount Hua's elixir refining techniques, he received the manual for the demonic art "Ice Fire Heart Technique."
This affair was internally investigated by Mount Hua, but the elder disappeared without leaving clues, and the truth was buried.
[Record of secret power struggles between the Five Great Clans]
: Outwardly, the Hebei Peng Clan and the Hwangbo Family have kept amicable relations, but for three generations they've been fiercely battling for ownership of the Huajiang Tenfold Refinery Mine. That struggle continues even now.
Each document was fascinating and shocking.
But even this would not be enough to provoke real chaos in the martial world.
They needed a 'fuse'—a more decisive trigger.
For about two hours, Jaseong searched through the archive, then straightened and went to Lee Rin.
'Perhaps Lee Rin may have found something useful.'
But as Jaseong approached Lee Rin, for some reason her cheeks were flushed.
"Gasp... The Young Lord of the Jegal family kept two separate households...?!"
All the records Lee Rin had pulled from the shelf were about romantic and illicit affairs.
Stories like the Mount Hua Plum Blossom Sword's fondness for boys, or the secret affection of the abbot of the Emei Sect.
Lee Rin's eyes were round as she leafed through the pages.
Being a woman in her prime, mysterious love stories seemed most to her liking.
'Not going to get much help there.'
Jaseong shook his head and looked at Gu Janghu.
Gu Janghu was examining records from the Great Faction War and poring over the history of a family called the Guryong Family.
Jaseong, of course, knew the Guryong Family.
A famed martial clan in Jiangsu Province, annihilated in a single day.
And the last heir of the Guryong Family was none other than Gu Janghu.
'... Of course, he'd want to know who was behind the extermination of his family.'
Jaseong understood Gu Janghu's feelings all too well.
He too was consumed by revenge.
But then, among the carrier pigeons Gu Janghu had laid out, something caught Jaseong's eye.
[Eight years ago, in the deep valleys of Hwangak Mountain in the northern Central Plains, the legendary herb "Thousand-Year Ginseng" was discovered.
It is an elixir capable of boosting a person's inner energy by over sixty years at once, and has the mysterious effect of purifying old poison and impure energy within the body.
The first person to find it was Baek Yong, the leader of a small sect in Shaanxi Province called Taehwa Sect.
Overjoyed, the leader spread word to nearby upright sect leaders, and the news quickly spread to the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans.
Mount Hua, Zhongnan, Qingcheng, Emei, the Murong Clan, the Hwangbo Family, and the Hebei Peng Clan—
All the powers of the martial world began moving to seize the Thousand-Year Ginseng.
A fierce underground struggle ensued, and in the end, the Thousand-Year Ginseng was confirmed to have ended up in the hands of the alliance leader Namgung Cheon-rui.]
At the time of this incident, Jaseong had been working as a junior guard.
He vaguely remembered stories of the ginseng being found in the north.
But he'd never known the details.
'... Stealing the ginseng found by a minor sect through force... As the immortals say, they're hypocrites obsessed with power.'
On the surface, they touted righteousness and virtue, but behind the scenes, the upright sects bared their greedy fangs.
Upon seeing this record, Jaseong was struck by a great idea.
'... Just like eight years ago, I can set things up so the "righteous" factions go wild once more.'
Jaseong swiftly searched among the tall bookshelves.
And soon he found a promising document.
[Ten years ago, a mysterious blade called the "Seven-Star Cloud Blade" suddenly appeared in the martial world.
It is said to be a supreme weapon forged by a legendary master craftsman's very soul, with a mysterious energy sealed inside.
At the time, all the righteous sects and the Murim Alliance craved it, but masters who tried to claim it died one after another, and it vanished without a trace.
Its whereabouts remain a mystery, with no news since then.]
"This will do nicely."
Jaseong's lips curled into a sly grin.
Desire, once conceived, offers birth to sin, and sin matured brings forth death.
Just as the ancient sages wrote, Jaseong began outlining a concrete plan to ignite discord among the upright sects.
* * *
While Jaseong's group probed the secrets of the martial world in the Shadow Pavilion of the Hao Sect's upper base—
Guizhou City, Ansun's Red Light District.
On a normal night, the lanterns of the brothels would cast a crimson glow over the streets, and the seductive laughter of the courtesans would fill the alleys.
Drunken patrons would bang on tavern tables with hearty laughter, and errand boys would be running busily around.
But on this night, the air in the Red Light District was icy.
Step, step, step—
Suddenly, figures in black clothes appeared at the entrance to the Red Light District.
And they asked,
"Where is the Hao Sect's Ansun branch?"
At the black-clad men's question, the merchants all gasped together.
The murderous intent they exuded pricked their flesh like a needle.
"I'll ask again. Where's the headquarters of the Hao Sect's Ansun branch?"
The merchants glanced at each other in terror.
Of course they didn't know.
The location of the Hao Sect's branch wouldn't be common knowledge.
"H-Hao Sect? We're not sure about that..."
One street vendor forced an awkward laugh, hunching his shoulders.
"We don't have the energy to worry about things like that... heh heh."
Another merchant added. At this, the apparent leader among the black-clad group gave a sly smile.
"Looks like we'll have to raise a ruckus."
"What...?"
"Only when their territory is in shambles will that branch leader show himself."
No sooner had the leader finished, the dozen-odd black-robed men sprang into action.
One took out a massive iron mace, another began spinning a hook-shaped pair of swords and smashed a shop pillar.
Crash! Bang!!!
Wooden pillars shattered instantly, sending up clouds of dust.
The force was truly frightening.
A brothel's window exploded into shards, and a tavern's sign crashed to the ground.
"Aaah!"
"Please, spare us!"
Courtesans shrieked, fleeing out the back door, while drunken patrons rolled to the floor in panic.
'Who the hell are these bastards?!'
Merchants stared at the black-clad men in terror and fury, with tears streaming down their faces.
Their true identity? They were assassins sent by the Namgung and Murong families.
This was the direct result of Namgung Hui-yeon and Murong Cheolsan's agreement to "cut off the root of the Ansun branch".
They would have preferred to send experts from their own families, but they couldn't risk being discovered and condemned for sect-unworthy behavior by the martial world.
So Namgung Hui-yeon and Murong Cheolsan hired an outside assassin group: Blood Forest.
Though smaller than Killing Valley—the Central Plains' greatest assassin syndicate—Blood Forest was said to be even deadlier per individual, an elite squad.
Most were renegades from unorthodox sects among the Four Great Clans and Seven Sects, each wielding formidable martial arts.
The price for their services was sky-high, but their completion rate was near-perfect.
Bang! Crash! Whoosh!
With such experts wreaking havoc, the Red Light District was ruined in just one hour.
Red lanterns went up in flames, and ashes and smoke billowed over the district.
As the once-peaceful street turned into a warzone—
At that moment.
Clang—thud! Clang—thud!
Suddenly, a heavy metallic noise echoed through the street.
An old man appeared in the center of the Red Light District.
An old man with a prosthetic leg.
From the look of him, he exuded the aura of a martial artist.
And at one glance—he radiated the bearing of a formidable expert.