Chapter 109
Jegal Hyeok’s telepathic message was surprising.
Wasn’t he also poisoned by the Ten Fragrances Tendon Severing Powder?
Moreover, sending a telepathic message to multiple people simultaneously was a high-level technique that was the most difficult to master among the various telepathic communication methods.
But the masters of the Orthodox Path didn’t even have time to be surprised by that.
Although there were individual differences, they all realized that they had been poisoned.
Also, that there was a considerable strain on operating their internal energy.
Because they had finally realized it.
Just then, Jegal Hyeok’s telepathic message rang in their ears once again.
[I will try to buy some time. First, we need to discuss what kind of poison we have been hit with, and whether we can detoxify it. Finally, we need to discuss how to deal with them.]
At that, key figures such as Ha Won-sang, the Sword Empress Hong-ryeon, and the Beggars’ Sect Chief, Hong In-geol, nodded their heads.
At that.
“Hahaha! Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong. I didn’t know that the old senior who reigned as one of the three great masters of the Unorthodox Path was the head of the White Lotus Cult!”
Jegal Hyeok burst into a loud laugh and stepped forward.
No Yeong-myeong furrowed his brow and spat out bluntly.
“What are you?”
‘That person!’
‘No, why are they all just standing there? Can’t they just slaughter all those bastards right now?’
The former students, who were inexperienced in the ways of the world and hadn’t yet grasped the situation, couldn’t understand No Yeong-myeong’s words and actions at all.
No matter how much of a master the opponent was, this was the Martial Alliance headquarters.
It was a matter that could be resolved by attacking them in concert and crushing the nose of the White Lotus Cult followers.
But the masters’ thoughts were different.
The Orthodox Path was a group that advocated justice.
To slaughter them head-on, a just cause was needed.
Of course, this was just a positive interpretation.
‘By the looks of it, all the key figures of the Nine Great Sects and the Eight Great Families must have been poisoned. In that case, we have to rely on the young disciples to deal with them… If their martial arts are stronger than we think. Today, the Martial Alliance will lose many of its rising generation!’
That was their true intention.
The original power of the Martial Alliance came from the masters of the Nine Great Sects and the Eight Great Families.
And their subordinate key masters.
But what if they were poisoned?
They would have to be prepared for a mutual destruction.
‘On the joyous day when the Alliance Leader is elected. Such a disastrous event must be prevented at all costs.’
Jegal Hyeok.
He was determined to prevent a great bloody battle at all costs, and opened his mouth again.
“I am the military strategist of the Martial Alliance. I am called Jegal Hyeok.”
“So you’re the brains of the Jegal Family. I don’t want to talk long. Hurry up and have someone step forward!”
“By the looks of it, you don’t seem to be planning an all-out war with our alliance today, but rather just to show off your power and throw out the White Lotus Cult’s debut in the Jianghu. Am I right?”
Jegal Hyeok had perfectly grasped No Yeong-myeong’s intention.
“…”
No Yeong-myeong was silent.
Although he was not a wise person, his experience and insight were deep and excellent, so he quickly sensed that Jegal Hyeok was trying to use his glib tongue to resolve the situation.
Nevertheless, Jegal Hyeok did not care and spoke again.
As if all the guests in the room were watching, with exaggerated gestures.
“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have dared to set foot in our alliance with such a small number of people, would you? Hoho. Less than 100 people…”
At that.
“Should I kill you first?”
Suddenly, No Yeong-myeong’s voice and expression sank frighteningly.
Also, the formless killing ki flowing from his body shot out in a straight line and headed for Jegal Hyeok.
Thump, thump… thump, thump, thump!
Jegal Hyeok’s heart began to pound loudly.
‘Don’t be afraid.’
But as the head of one of the Five Great Families.
And as the second-in-command of the Martial Alliance.
He could not show a disgraceful appearance.
His will went against the laws of nature.
“Are you really going to cross a river you can’t return from? Instead of that, how about spicing things up in this place where many fellow martial artists of the Jianghu have gathered to enjoy the event?”
“What?”
“In the most martial artist-like way. Through a duel. Of course, the ones who will participate in the duel will not be the masters of a sect, but the young disciples. The rising generation.”
“You shallow trick…”
“By any chance, is there no one in the White Lotus Cult who can step forward besides No Yeong-myeong? In that case, let’s do this. Besides No Yeong-myeong, the White Lotus Cult are cowards who are afraid of even a duel! If you shout that and perform the three bows and nine prostrations to the Sword Empress Hong-ryeon. Then a master who can face you will step forward as you claim.”
‘Ah…!’
The people of the Orthodox Path let out a sigh of admiration.
On the other hand, No Yeong-myeong, who had been given a taste of his own medicine, was furious.
But that was only for a moment.
‘Hoho. The rising generation of the Orthodox Path can’t possibly handle the masters of the Eastern Depot.’
No Yeong-myeong, with a spooky smile, made eye contact with another old man standing next to him.
The eunuch, Han, and he had the same thought.
“Alright! Old and young alike. Today, our cult will tear apart the spirit of the Orthodox Path!”
***
“…I’m nervous about going to the Martial Alliance.”
“Kuhuhu. You mountain bandit. That’s why you should have been careful with your actions!”
The Martial Alliance headquarters, located in the Shaanxi province, near the border of Xi’an.
So-ah’s group had arrived near the headquarters, but for some reason, Jang Beon-pal was dawdling, so they had stopped at an inn for a while.
The reason he was procrastinating was.
“It’s been about 35 years, so the Sword Empress Hong-ryeon won’t pick a fight with me, right? That woman is good in every way, but her temper is so bad. Ugh.”
It seemed that Jang Beon-pal had had a bad encounter with the Sword Empress Hong-ryeon a long time ago.
At least, that’s what So-ah thought.
But.
“You mountain bandit. They say a lovers’ quarrel is like cutting water with a knife. If you had reconciled with her back then, wouldn’t you have become the son-in-law of the Martial Alliance Leader today? You should have done better. Kuhaha!”
Wasn’t Jang Beon-ha bursting into a loud laugh with a mocking look in his eyes?
For a moment, So-ah.
‘My goodness… Brother and Grandma Hong-ryeon were in that kind of relationship? No wonder Grandma Hong-ryeon, who usually doesn’t nag, said something unpleasant when she heard that I had become sworn brothers with him! Good heavens! It’s so absurd that I’m laughing. Hahaha.’
It was a moment when he was so dumbfounded that a smile naturally appeared on his face.
“You pirate. Shut up. If you say something like that again, I’ll pull out your tongue.”
“Pfft! Why? Does your heart flutter when you think of the Sword Empress?”
“You… you…!”
In the midst of their bickering.
An old man in a black robe in a corner of the inn opened his mouth softly.
“You are…?”
A voice that was quite familiar to So-ah.
At the same time, the three turned their gazes to the old man.
And then.
“Gasp! Elder Yong-gak?!”
“M-Master Yong-gak?”
“S-Senior?”
Different reactions erupted.
It turned out that they all knew each other.
And the old man was none other than the Dragon Horn Master of the Jongnam Sect, who was known to be the strongest in the current Orthodox Martial Path along with the Great Master Gong-seung of Shaolin.
***
The four sat together and shared a round of drinks.
This time too, So-ah was faced with an unexpected surprise.
“Hohoho. To think that the Green Forest King and the Waterway King would participate in an event of the Martial Alliance. It’s a pleasure to see you.”
“It just happened…”
“That’s how it is, Senior.”
It was because the two sworn brothers were being respectful to the Dragon Horn Master.
‘My brothers have a deep connection with the people of the Orthodox Path. Besides, to call someone ‘senior.’ I can’t believe it.’
It was true.
The Jang brothers usually despised customs and tended to look down on other martial artists, regardless of whether they were from the Unorthodox or Orthodox Path.
Therefore, when the word ‘senior’ came out of their mouths, So-ah, guessing that there must be an untold story between the Dragon Horn Master and his sworn brothers, smiled.
“Elder Yong-gak. I don’t see the great heroes of Jongnam. Were you alone?”
So-ah asked the Dragon Horn Master.
“That’s right. A few people from our sect have already gone, and I only arrived today because of my closed-door training.”
“Aha!”
“By the way, Young Master Jin. How did you become sworn brothers with those two?”
“Ah! It’s a long story… that’s how it is, Elder. Haha.”
“Hoho. Anyway, congratulations.”
“Yes?”
“Although you are a member of one of the Five Great Families, not all people from the Unorthodox Path are bad. The Bandit King and the Waterway King will be a great help to you in the future.”
“Thank you. Elder.”
So-ah was secretly moved.
Since Jongnam was a sect with a strong conservative color, and the Dragon Horn Master was a symbolic figure of the Orthodox Path, he had thought that he would be criticized for becoming sworn brothers with people from the Unorthodox Path…
But when an unexpected reaction came out, he was impressed by the Dragon Horn Master’s flexible thinking and broad understanding.
“By the way, what are you all doing? Since you’ve come to the Martial Alliance after a long time, you should be treated at the alliance.”
“Ah, that’s, Senior. The mountain bandit seems to be pounding his chest because he can’t forget his past love… Oof! Oof!!”
Jang Beon-pal, who had covered the mouth of the answering Pirate King, Jang Beon-ha, with his pot-lid-sized hand, said with a troubled expression.
“Ha… hahat… Senior. Let’s go. To the Martial Alliance!”
So-ah also burst into laughter at the ridiculous situation.
***
“Amitabha… this is truly a difficult situation.”
It was a heavenly fortune that Shaolin had arrived late and was not poisoned by the Ten Fragrances Tendon Severing Powder.
Only after promising a ‘consecutive victory duel’ between five of their rising generation and five of the White Lotus Cult’s martial artists could the Martial Alliance gather its key figures and hold a discussion. The situation was so urgent that everyone looked bewildered.
In that moment.
“Alliance Leader. We must consider both the best and worst case scenarios and respond accordingly.”
The military strategist, Jegal Hyeok, said to the newly appointed Alliance Leader, Hong-ryeon.
“Please tell me the scenarios.”
“First. The rising generation overwhelmingly defeats them. Then, they will have no choice but to return naturally. Because they would have to be prepared to die if they were to wage an all-out war.”
The people in the room nodded their heads.
Jegal Hyeok continued.
“Second is the case of defeat. Then, No Yeong-myeong will try to have a decisive battle with the Alliance Leader and the officials of the alliance again. Their purpose is to disgrace our alliance in the first place. But most of us are poisoned.”
“It’s difficult…”
“Lastly, the worst case scenario. As you know, No Yeong-myeong showed a great special ability in Liaoning six years ago. If he wages an all-out war with that ability, now that our key figures are poisoned. We will have to endure a lot of bloodshed.”
At that.
Baek In-hwa, who had been silent, slowly opened his mouth.
“With all due respect, you don’t have to worry about the special ability part.”
“Chief Baek…”
“Although I am just an insignificant old man, I am confident that I can block his wicked power.”
“Ah!”
“Aah!”
At Baek In-hwa’s calm voice, the people in the room let out a sigh of relief.
Also.
“Amitabha… Military Strategist. I may not be able to defeat No Yeong-myeong, but in the worst case, I am confident that I can take him down with me. So don’t worry.”
The Great Master Gong-seung’s voice rang out softly.
‘That’s right! We have the Great Master Gong-seung.’
‘If we have that mysterious master from Goryeo and the Great Master Gong-seung, the worst case scenario won’t happen!’
Only then did the atmosphere in the room lighten up.
The appearance of Baek In-hwa and the Great Master Gong-seung became a gentle sense of relief and gradually erased their anxiety.
But.
“We have to win!”
Someone clenched his fist and shouted.
“No matter what, we have to win.”
“That’s right!”
Jegal Hyeok also nodded his head.
Because the best plan was for the rising generation to defeat the White Lotus Cult soundly.
“It would have been nice if So-ah were here at a time like this… why hasn’t So-ah arrived yet?”
The Sword Empress Hong-ryeon, as if disappointed, thought of So-ah.
At that, Moyong Baek said.
“Alliance Leader. So-ah is a child who keeps his promises. He will definitely arrive today.”
“Then?”
“First, let’s send out the other rising generation to buy some time. Since it’s a consecutive victory match, even if it’s a little late, won’t we be able to seize victory if So-ah comes?”
Just then.
“Amitabha… it would be best if Young Master Jin came, but even if he doesn’t, you seniors don’t have to worry.”
“Great Master Gwang-won.”
“Great Master!”
Gwang-won, who had been listening to the discussion, opened his mouth.
“This unworthy student. Although I am not as good as Young Master Jin, I will do my best to block the wicked followers.”
Also.
“I will also step forward!”
Namgung Mun’s shout.
“I cannot forgive those who interfere with my master’s event. I will also step forward!”
Myo-seon’s voice, filled with resolve.
In addition.
“Family Head. If you can help with the detoxification of the seniors, I will also dare to participate in the duel, putting the name of the Tang family on the line.”
Tang Il-gi’s declaration flowed out.
All four of them had a special connection with So-ah.
(End of Chapter)