Chapter 96
Ansun, in the heart of the Red Light District, sat the brothel Cheongwa Pavilion.
Unlike the other brothels crowded with drunken patrons, this place was quiet with not a single guest.
Even though it was a brothel, there were no courtesans in sight; only a few men with dark auras were drinking cheap liquor.
This was now the new base of the Ansun branch of the Hao Sect.
In the underground secret room, Jaseong, Guardian General Gal Seo-ryeong, Lord of the Five Dragons Hall, Lord of Moon Castle Hall, and Lord of the Heavenly King sat side by side.
On the table, maps of Sichuan Province, Gansu Province, and Shaanxi Province were spread out, and major bases of the Tianxia Association were marked with red dots atop them.
Lord of the Five Dragons HallMaster Guo Wencheng pointed to the map with his thick finger and explained in a heavy voice.
"The Tianxia Association has spread extremely wide throughout the pleasure quarters of the Central Plains, true to its name. Especially, their black money supply gathers at the pleasure quarters of Sichuan Province, Gansu Province, and Shaanxi Province. You could say that all the brothels and gambling halls there are in the hands of the Tianxia Association."
Lord of Moon Castle Hall Jang Baekwoon continued in a cold voice.
"There are over thirty major bases. But no one knows where the Tianxia Association's leader resides. So many are aiming for the head's position, which is why the head hides his lair so thoroughly."
Then, Guardian General Gal Seo-ryeong tapped on a spot on the map and spoke.
"To dominate the Tianxia Association, we must capture the leader. Catching the small fry is meaningless. The leader controls all the association's black money and strictly commands his subordinates. If he isn't eliminated, the force will not collapse."
At Gal Seo-ryeong's words, Jaseong fell into brief contemplation.
This was not a task that could simply be resolved with powerful martial arts.
"Do you have a good idea?"
After a while, Gal Seo-ryeong looked at Jaseong and asked.
At the question, Jaseong slowly opened his mouth.
"How about this?"
"?"
"I've heard the Tianxia Association often recruits skilled martial artists. And those with outstanding ability rise quickly up the ranks."
"That's because dark path practitioners only establish hierarchy with money and strength. And so?"
"How about infiltrating the Tianxia Association as a newcomer?"
For a moment, silence swept through the secret room.
Lord of the Five Dragons HallMaster Guo Wencheng's eyes widened, and Lord of Moon Castle Hall Jang Baekwoon furrowed his brow.
Lord of the Heavenly King Vajra Heaven let out a low, sardonic laugh.
Before long, Gal Seo-ryeong narrowed her eyes and spoke.
"Infiltration, huh... That does sound like the Hao Sect's way. But the Tianxia Association aren't ordinary dark path practitioners. If your identity is uncovered in their midst, even a peak expert may have a hard time surviving."
The Tianxia Association's dark path practitioners not only numbered in droves but were also infamous for their ruthlessness.
But Jaseong was unfazed.
"The Tianxia Association's leader is already aware by now."
"Aware of what?"
"That Blood Cult, Poison Valley, and Black Star Sect are targeting him."
"......!"
"The more attacks come from outside, the more the leader will hide himself away in an even safer haven."
"That's true, but..."
"Then it will only get harder to catch him. That's why infiltrating and capturing the leader from the inside is best."
At Jaseong's bold statement, Gal Seo-ryeong and the hall masters showed a variety of expressions.
'Just like with the plan to divide the martial world... This young leader is truly daring.'
'Does he still not know the true terrors of the martial world...?'
Guardian General Gal Seo-ryeong's gaze turned once more full of intrigue.
'He truly is an exceptional prodigy. If the Ansun branch leader gets promoted, what new winds might blow within Hao Sect...'
But then, it happened.
〈Executor. Uphold Heaven's Mandate.〉
Suddenly, a majestic voice rang out in Jaseong's mind.
Next,
Flutter— flutter—
A translucent slip of paper fluttered down before Jaseong's eyes.
Invisible to all but the executor of Heaven's Mandate, it was a mysterious message.
It read:
[Seventh Heaven's Mandate — Salvation]
Of course, upon seeing this, Jaseong wore a puzzled expression.
'Salvation.'
To aid those in distress.
Surely, this was something worthy to be called Heaven's will.
But, why did such a mandate appear as they were about to assault the Tianxia Association?
He had expected another command like "eradicate evil" or "expand influence" as before, so "salvation" was sudden.
'... We'll see what the Celestial Realm intends, when the time comes.'
Jaseong muttered inwardly, nodding silently.
* * *
After that, Jaseong, Gal Seo-ryeong, and the three hall masters continued refining their plan.
The secret room of Cheongwa Pavilion was filled with maps of the Central Plains, with major bases and vulnerabilities of the Tianxia Association meticulously analyzed.
Jaseong's sharp questions and the hall masters' rich experience intertwined, steadily honing the plan.
"Ansun branch leader. The moment you give the signal, the armed forces of Five Dragons, Moon Castle, and Heavenly King Halls will strike the Tianxia Association with full force."
Gal Seo-ryeong spoke.
"And, to prepare for contingencies, the four of us will lie in ambush near the Tianxia Association. If we remain too far away, we'll be useless, so we'll wait at half a shichen's distance."
Jaseong silently nodded.
"With that, we'll be able to corner the Tianxia Association completely."
"One last piece of advice—Tianxia Association leader Gun Hanmaek is extremely cunning. Always stay alert and cautious."
"Understood."
With that, Gal Seo-ryeong and the hall masters left.
Hardly had they departed when Hyang-I approached and reported.
"Leader, a reply arrived from Guangxi Province."
"What's the situation?"
"Little Devil and Silent Traveler are leading five hundred dark path practitioners from Guangxi Province, setting out for Sichuan Province. All will be disguised as merchants or tourists, heading toward the Tianxia Association's location."
Five hundred dark path practitioners.
A truly staggering number.
It showed just how much Jaseong's forces had grown.
Jaseong nodded quietly, rising to his feet.
"Then it's time to prepare for departure."
Instead of his usual neat martial robes, Jaseong donned a worn and filthy gray cloak.
He put on a human-skin mask in the visage of a rugged youth bearing scar marks upon his face.
He also made his hair look slick and greasy,
resembling a wanderer barely scraping by in the back alleys.
"Leader. I am ready as well."
Gu Janghu said.
He too had transformed, appearing like a gaunt, thief-like figure.
Watching the two, Lee Rin pouted disappointedly.
"Hing... I want to go too."
Her voice was full of regret at not being able to accompany Jaseong.
But Jaseong was firm.
"A woman pretending to be a dark path practitioner and going to the Tianxia Association will attract plenty of nuisances. Especially if she's beautiful. That'll only bring unnecessary trouble."
At Jaseong's off-hand remark, Lee Rin's heart skipped a beat.
'... Beautiful? Is he talking about me?'
Involuntarily, Lee Rin's cheeks turned pink.
The thought that Jaseong considered her beautiful made her feel strange.
Completely oblivious to Lee Rin's feelings, Jaseong continued.
"Plus, while Gu Janghu and I conduct operations on the inside, someone needs to command the Ansun branch's forces from the outside. You and the guardians of North Sea are more than capable of that."
"... Fine. I'll be waiting at the rear for the hero's signal."
With that, Jaseong left the brothel with Gu Janghu.
His departing figure disappearing into the night darkness hinted at new turmoil ahead for the martial world.
* * *
Among the rugged canyons of Guizhou City.
Jaseong and Gu Janghu used Shadowless Divine Thief's movement skill and the Shadowless Body Technique to swiftly traverse the terrain.
Their destination was Guangwon, a city on the border between Sichuan Province and Shaanxi Province—one of the Tianxia Association's major strongholds.
Reaching there was no easy task.
They had to cross five mountains.
Because of this, they frequently encountered bandits.
"Hey, you two! Hand over everything and get on your knees!"
From beyond the tall bushes, bandits with vicious faces appeared.
There were about fifteen of them.
Each one had a savage appearance and reeked strongly of blood, yet Jaseong and Gu Janghu showed no sign of tension, merely looking indifferent.
"No need for the leader to step in."
Before Jaseong could even draw his sword, Gu Janghu acted first.
He pulled a willow-leaf flying blade from his belt and hurled it like lightning.
Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!
"Keurgh!"
"Ggahk?!"
After rising to peak expert, Gu Janghu's dark weapon techniques had grown even more refined.
The bandits fell one after another, not even realizing how they died.
"Kkeuag! An... expert...!"
The bandit leader fell with those as his last words.
"Neat work."
Jaseong praised Gu Janghu's skill, satisfied.
This repeated several times.
On the third day, they encountered a band of over a hundred bandits,
and on the seventh day, they ran into river bandits from Changjiang's channel.
But all were dispatched by Gu Janghu's hand.
To a peak expert, even a hundred second- or third-rate warriors posed no threat.
On the fifteenth day of their journey, Jaseong and Gu Janghu entered a bandit stronghold.
There, people with shackles on their ankles waited.
"Sob, sob..."
"Please... Spare us..."
Half-naked women and merchants cowered in terror.
Their appearance was pitiful, having barely eaten, their bones jutting out, bodies covered in wounds.
'... These bastards deserved to die.'
Jaseong, outraged by the bandits' crimes, broke the victims' shackles.
The women and merchants shed tears of gratitude.
"Thank you, heroes!"
"Huhuk! Thank you so much!"
The women clutched their torn garments, kneeling, and the merchants, overjoyed to be alive, bowed deeply at Jaseong's feet.
Recalling the Heaven's Mandate that had come to him before embarking, Jaseong wondered—
The seventh Heaven's Mandate, 'salvation'.
Was this what it meant?
'... No way. A mandate given by the Celestial Realm couldn't be this simple.'
All previous mandates had been grand and complex.
Such a Heaven's Mandate couldn't be so easily fulfilled.
And so, after more days had passed, Jaseong and Gu Janghu finally arrived at their destination.
Buzz— buzz—
From below the mountainside where Jaseong and Gu Janghu stood came the sounds of people.
A bustling market, the boisterous cries of merchants, countless pedestrians streaming by, and houses stretching along the roads.
What stood out most was the highly developed pleasure quarter.
Rows of red lanterns hung, and courtesans in glamorous attire called out to customers.
They had finally reached Guangwon, Sichuan Province—one of the Tianxia Association's bases.
"Finally here."
Gu Janghu spoke with a hint of relief.
Jaseong, tired from the arduous journey, also welcomed the sight of an inn.
'Time to go down and have a bowl of hot noodles.'
But just as Jaseong and Gu Janghu started down the mountain path,
Sssik! Sssik!
A snake's hissing arose from somewhere.
When Jaseong and Gu Janghu reflexively looked up, they saw two massive serpents, easily five zhang long, coiled around a tree above.
"Those are no ordinary snakes."
Gu Janghu immediately hurled his flying blades.
Chwak! Chwak!
"Keek?!"
"Keurk!"
The blades, wreathed in sword energy, severed head and body in a single stroke.
But at that instant, something strange occurred.
At the spot where the snakes' corpses fell, purple venom spilled out, dissolving the rock with a sharp hiss.
"... Tremendous poison. Where did snakes like these come from?"
Gu Janghu frowned, scanning the surroundings.
Just then,
Step, step—
A woman appeared before Jaseong and Gu Janghu.
With black hair cascading to her knees and pale, uncanny eyes, she exuded an eerie aura.
Her skin was as white as moonlight, her lips blood-red.
Beautiful, yet with a chilling air about her.
"... How dare you harm my cherished servants. You've got some nerve."
The woman spoke in a voice dripping with murderous intent.
Naturally, upon hearing this, Jaseong and Gu Janghu were taken aback.
Who could've guessed the mountain snakes had a master?
[Leader. Is that woman ill or something?]
[That's what I was thinking.]
[She seems crazy. Let's just ignore her and go.]
But at the moment Jaseong and Gu Janghu exchanged transmissions—
Sssik! Sssik! Sssik!
Something incredible happened.
An enormous number of snakes surrounded Jaseong and Gu Janghu, all drooling purple venom from their mouths.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
(*One shichen ≈ two hours.)
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】