Kang Sogun

But.

Jo Unryong's figure sank.

-Thwack!

At the same time, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's right side was split, and a stream of blood burst out.

"Hah!"

A stifled groan erupted from the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's mouth.

His liver had been greatly cut. He could not understand how he had been hit.

"Wh-what kind of move is this..."

Jo Unryong, who had somehow gone behind the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, sheathed his Fire Dragon Saber and said slowly.

"Consider it the price for not doing your best."

-Thump!

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's huge body collapsed in the snow.

-Clatter.

Jo Unryong pushed open the inn door and entered.

His left shoulder throbbed.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's axe had struck his shoulder and had grazed it. If it had been an inch further in, his arm would have been cut off.

'That was close.'

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was not an easy opponent. If he hadn't taken the bait, he would have had to fight for quite a long time.

Jo Unryong sat down, placed his saber on the table, and then raised his wine cup and drank it down.

-Thud!

As he put down the wine cup, his hand trembled.

It was not just because he had used all his strength just now.

A fight between masters was different from a chaotic battle with a military brigade.

It was not a fight where one blindly struck the enemy in front without even knowing their face.

They had faced each other, and although they were words full of hostility, they had had a conversation.

He had taken that opponent's life.

'Because that is the path of a martial artist.'

Jo Unryong poured wine into his cup and drank it down again.

Kang Sogun's gaze fell on Jo Unryong's trembling hand.

'Ma Unsan, that bastard was like that after his first kill.'

In an instant.

Kang Sogun's face hardened, turning pale.

'Ma Unsan!'

Was it because he had been thinking of Ma Unsan from time to time these past few days? The sealed memory was released.

***

"Kuh."

Pitch-black darkness.

White teeth were visible between his twisted lips.

Dark red blood flowed between his clenched teeth.

He could feel the beating of his heart through his sword.

Kang Sogun could not pull out the sword embedded in Ma Unsan's chest.

"Unsan!"

"I knew this would happen. Damn it..."

Ma Unsan's eyes burned red.

***

Kang Sogun's face turned pale as if he had seen a ghost.

The hand holding the wine cup hardened like a stone statue.

No one noticed Kang Sogun's change.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and the Red Rakshasa glared at Jo Unryong after the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had died so absurdly.

Although he was ranked ninth among the Ten Guests of Heavenly Martial, he was the ninth master among hundreds of guest retainers. He was not a man who would die so meaninglessly.

"Damn it."

The Red Rakshasa cursed in a low voice, went to the door, and looked outside.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was lying sprawled in the inn's front yard. He was still holding his beloved axe.

The blood that had flowed from his side had stained the white snowfield red. Snow was piling up on top of it again.

'Pathetic bastard!'

A comrade had died, but there was no particular change in the Red Rakshasa's expression.

The Red Rakshasa looked at the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's body for a moment and was about to turn around and close the door when the inn owner blocked her.

"...?"

The inn owner passed the Red Rakshasa, went outside, and then dragged the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's body to the backyard.

It was behind the kitchen.

In the inn owner's other hand was the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's axe.

The Red Rakshasa, who was watching this, suddenly had a thought, and her face contorted.

"That bastard?"

The Red Rakshasa, who had cursed without realizing it, looked back at the plate on their table.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's gaze followed the Red Rakshasa's to the plate.

The meat that had a strangely strong gamey smell.

'A black inn?'

The Red Rakshasa felt nauseous at the thought that the meat they had eaten was human flesh.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, as if he had had the same thought after seeing the Red Rakshasa's expression, stood up from his seat.

Jo Unryong, seeing the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth stand up and release his killing intent, turned his gaze and glared.

"Do you want to die too?"

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth was annoyed with the current situation.

It was unexpected that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had died because the Fire Dragon Saber had intervened, but for it to be a black inn of all things.

The Ten Guests of Heavenly Martial were comrades, but they were also rivals.

Although he had not thought highly of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, he could not stand by and watch his body be cut up and cooked.

If he tolerated that, he would be buried in the martial world.

"Hehe. It would be troublesome if you get carried away just because you defeated the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. But for now, it seems we have to catch this suspicious inn owner first."

"The inn owner?"

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth struck the plate on their table with his scabbard.

-Thwack!

The plate flew, and the meat scattered.

"Have you ever eaten human flesh?"

"Human flesh? Is this a black inn?"

Jo Unryong looked at the scattered meat. It was covered in sauce, so he could not tell what kind of meat it was.

"The owner just took the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's body to the back of the kitchen."

The Red Rakshasa said.

"Are you saying this is a black inn just because of that?"

"Why don't you try the meat and say that?"

"I'll pass on that."

"Then just don't interfere."

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth was about to go towards the kitchen but stopped.

There was a sign of human presence from outside.

-Creak.

The inn door opened, and a snowstorm rushed in.

The person who had newly appeared was a middle-aged man with a harsh impression who looked to be about forty.

"Brother Son!"

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and the Red Rakshasa shouted at the same time.

Their voices were a tone lighter.

The Demonic Sword of Qilian, Son Jo, quickly looked around the inn.

He had seen bloodstains outside, so he had come in with his guard up.

Seeing the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and the Red Rakshasa, he was relieved for now, but feeling the unusual atmosphere from Jo Unryong, who was releasing his killing intent, and Kang Sogun, who was pale and hardened like a stone statue, he did not take his hand off his sword hilt.

'That man is Kang Sogun. Is that young pup the Fire Dragon Saber?'

Son Jo could not understand the current situation.

Why were the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and the Red Rakshasa with those men?

Son Jo was a man of deep schemes and was meticulous.

After receiving Jo Gaeryang's order, he had personally gone to Yueyang and Wuhan to look for Kang Sogun's tracks.

For five of the Ten Guests of Heavenly Martial to attack together.

If the opponent were one of the ten great masters, it would be a different story, but it was an impossible thing. But he also knew that Jo Gaeryang was not a frivolous person.

If so, he had to find out who this man, Kang Sogun, who had made him give such an order, was.

Son Jo's theory was that one could not fight without knowing the enemy.

Son Jo, after hearing about the fights in Yueyang and the Three Blade Sect in Wuhan, had come to the conclusion that Jo Gaeryang's judgment that five guests had to attack together was correct.

No, rather, he thought it was lacking.

Including himself, could the six, including the Black and White Twin Demons, annihilate the Heaven's Mandate Brigade and the Black Horse Brigade? At least three or four would have to be prepared to die for it to be possible.

Around that time, he had received an urgent message from the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth.

It was the news that Kang Sogun had killed the Black and White Twin Demons and that the Fire Dragon Saber was accompanying him.

Son Jo had stopped at an inn after meeting a blizzard on his way to Hefei to join the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and the others, but he had not known that all the parties involved would be gathered.

'If the Black and White Twin Demons are dead, then this side is four! That side is two.'

Son Jo, who did not know that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had died, quickly calculated, but the answer did not come out.

'Foolish bastards, to try to face them without even knowing their own subject.'

Son Jo misunderstood that the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and the Red Rakshasa were about to rashly use their hands.

Son Jo decided to watch the situation for now and slowly approached the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, asking.

"I didn't know we would meet here. Where is the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King?"

"He's dead."

"What?"

Son Jo was surprised and asked back.

It would be difficult to handle even with four, but now there were three.

Rather than the fact that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had died, his thoughts first went to the fight that was right in front of him.

"Who killed him?"

Son Jo's gaze, which was asking the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, naturally turned to Kang Sogun.

It was because he had naturally thought that Kang Sogun had killed him.

But Jo Unryong stepped up.

"The Fire Dragon Saber? For the Dragon Slaying Society to interfere in the affairs of the Heavenly Martial Faction. How are you going to handle the aftermath?"

"It was the Heavenly Martial Faction that attacked first. Did you think I wouldn't know just because you were wearing masks?"

Jo Unryong snorted.

"First..."

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth intervened between Son Jo and Jo Unryong. It was no good to clash with Jo Unryong now.

"Brother Son, we have to find the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's body first."

"What are you talking about?"

"This place seems to be a black inn. The inn owner took the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's body to the kitchen."

"What?"

Son Jo was dumbfounded and asked back.

The Red Rakshasa pointed at the scattered meat on the floor.

"The owner said it was roe deer meat, but it seems suspicious."

"Well, I'll be."

For the place where they were with a powerful enemy to be a black inn. It was getting worse and worse.

Black inns were considered public enemies, regardless of whether they were righteous or evil.

Of course, Son Jo, the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, and the Red Rakshasa were not righteous enough to step up and punish a black inn just because it was one.

But if it became known that they had left the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's body in a black inn, their face would be ruined.

At the absurd situation, Son Jo asked again.

"Are you sure?"

"The circumstances are so. We have to check first."

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth strode over and entered the corridor leading to the kitchen.

A red curtain was hanging on the kitchen door.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth drew his sword and carefully lifted the curtain.

There was no one in the kitchen.

"I'm sure I saw him dragging it towards the back door of the kitchen..."

The Red Rakshasa muttered.

Just then, the inn door opened, and the inn owner came in.

"What are you doing? Why are you peeking into the kitchen?"

The inn owner shouted at the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, who was lifting the curtain.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth turned his body and glared at the inn owner.

"Where did you take him?"

"I buried him."

"Really?"

"Go and dig it up if you want."

"Are you saying you dug the frozen ground to bury a body in this winter?"

The inn owner did not answer and went to the counter.

The inn owner, who had opened the ledger, said.

"You have to pay for the wine he ordered and the burial cost."

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth extended his sword and aimed it at the inn owner's neck.

"You'd better confess properly. What did you do with the body?"

The inn owner looked at the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and gave a strange laugh.

"Shall I bury you too?"

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's complexion changed in a flash.

He didn't even blink an eye even when a sword was pointed at him.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth glared at the inn owner and asked.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the inn owner. The wine you drank is three silver nyang, and the cost of burying that bear-like bastard is ten silver nyang."

It was an absurd amount.

"Madman!"

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth cursed without realizing it.

The inn owner looked at the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and glared.

"Shut up. Just pay up and go. Or you'll die!"

"This bastard?"

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth cursed and then extended his sword.

-Papapak!

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's white jade-like sword instantly split into ten branches.

The phantoms of the white jade sword flew, aiming for the inn owner's neck, chest, and dantian.

"Hmph!"

The inn owner took the abacus on the counter and blocked the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's sword.

-Clang!

Surprisingly, the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's sword was blocked by the inn owner's abacus and was deflected.

Now that he looked, the abacus was made of iron.

"You've learned martial arts."

"Enough to catch a dog."

The inn owner sneered and shook the abacus.

-Papapak!

The abacus beads were shot at the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth hastily swung his sword to deflect the abacus beads, but a couple of them grazed his body.

Blood burst from that spot.

Son Jo, seeing that the inn owner's iron plate was reddish, suddenly had a thought and shouted without realizing it.

"The Blood Accumulating Abacus?"

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth was greatly shocked and retreated.

"It was the Great Righteous Martial Hall!"

Son Jo shouted loudly, drew his sword, and blocked the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's front.

(End of Chapter)