novelraw Chapter 151 : Duel (2)
Chapter 151 : Duel (2)
Chapter 151: Duel (2)
Two days later.
The memories and aftermath of the grand banquet were not so easily erased.
"Hold your sword properly!"
"How can you throw a hidden weapon like that! Are you trying to kill your ally?"
"If you're afraid of getting poisoned yourself, then give up poison arts altogether!"
The martial artists of the Tang Clan were, as always, immersed in their daily training.
In other words, every one of them was in the training ground, honing their bodies and minds through blood and sweat.
They had enjoyed themselves when it was time to enjoy, but not one of them had grown lazy or complacent.
They knew well that the glory and attention the Tang Clan now enjoyed could crumble like a sandcastle in an instant if their strength faltered.
Because they had once tasted that humiliating downfall themselves.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
They had already realized it through Sewoon’s words and actions.
That a threat requiring swords and spears would soon come upon them.
Inside the Tang Clan’s Clan Head Chamber, Sewoon was seated along with many others.
‘Tsk, this isn’t going to be easy.’
Sewoon, who preferred quiet surroundings, scratched the back of his head as he looked at the crowd.
Not only Tang Bi, his uncle, and Tang Serin, but also key figures such as Yeo Seon, the warriors of the Beast Palace, and even the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden of the Shrine Maiden Sect were present.
The purpose of this meeting had long deviated from Sewoon’s original intent.
‘I simply meant to have a light cup of tea with Father.’
Tang Muyeol had called for the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden, who in turn had summoned Ta Sadon, and one person after another had joined until the numbers had swelled to what they were now.
It was like a full-scale meeting of the Murim Alliance, with countless figures gathered in one place.
Though a friendly atmosphere pervaded the room in parts—
"Why are you refusing so stubbornly!"
"……No, that just doesn’t make sense."
—not everyone shared that mood.
Tang Serin, speaking with Ta Sadon, looked utterly troubled, as if her soul were leaving her body.
Ta Sadon, on the other hand, looked completely perplexed by her reaction.
He raised his voice again.
"It makes perfect sense! Among Beast Palace warriors, when two fight, they become brothers! And the loser acknowledges the victor as his elder brother!"
"No. We’re not brothers!"
"Which is why I said I’d call you sister!"
"?!"
The duel held two days earlier had ended in Tang Serin’s victory.
The outcome had been decided by the smallest margin.
Ta Sadon couldn’t withstand the power of the White Water Fan and collapsed, while Tang Serin had managed to endure his final strike.
However, Sewoon’s escort unit had not been decided to be solely the Dark Flower Unit.
After the duel, both the Dark Flower Unit and Beast Palace warriors agreed to merge their members equally, combining their strengths to create a more formidable force—a proposal Sewoon had approved.
And after recovering under Sewoon’s treatment, Ta Sadon had immediately sought out Tang Serin.
Then, with great enthusiasm, he had declared that he would henceforth call her "Sister."
Tang Serin’s usual stoic expression was crumbling under his relentless insistence.
"No, just look at us. I’m obviously younger than you."
"Sister!"
"I said stop—"
"Sister!"
"……Haah."
Looks like Serin finally met her match.
Watching the scene for the first time, Sewoon couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle.
Meanwhile, beside him, Tang Muyeol and the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden were exchanging tea and words.
"I never expected not only the Clan Head, but also your eldest daughter to possess such outstanding martial ability. You are truly blessed, Master Tang."
"Haha, it’s nothing but a trivial skill of my daughter. Your praise is far too generous, Sect Leader."
The Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden shook her head at his modest words.
"How can the ability to freely wield the power of a divine relic imbued with the might of extreme Yin be called trivial? If the heads of other clans heard that, they would surely think you were mocking them."
"Haha, well, they do say excessive modesty is also discourteous. Then, perhaps I’ll allow myself to feel a bit pleased."
"Hoho, of course."
The two had grown quite close.
Their conversation now flowed easily and naturally, showing genuine familiarity.
And it was only natural that the Shrine Maiden Sect and the Tang Clan would draw closer.
The Shrine Maiden Sect, aside from Mount Emei, had rarely maintained friendly ties with anyone. But from the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden’s perspective, the Tang Clan was nothing short of paradise itself.
Whenever Yeo Seon spoke, she offered countless insights that could lead to entirely new heights of sorcery.
Sewoon would then bring those ideas into reality, based on the smithing arts of a Divine Craftsman.
He never once requested the Shrine Maiden Sect to fund the costly materialization of those arts, covering all expenses with his own resources.
It was, indeed, heaven on earth.
However, she had no idea—
‘Indeed, scholars like the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden are the easiest to bleed dry later.’
—that she had already been caught in the trap Sewoon had set long ago.
He had quietly stacked up an invisible mountain of debts upon her shoulders, and soon, he would reap double—no, triple—the returns from both her and the Shrine Maiden Sect.
He had shown goodwill, so it was only fair that he be repaid.
That was Sewoon’s creed.
‘……Hmm?’
Twitch.
The Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden suddenly shivered as a chill ran through her body.
Tap-tat!
All of a sudden, noise erupted outside—the hurried footsteps of someone approaching.
"……!"
Sensing something was off, everyone’s cheerful expressions hardened in an instant.
The door burst open, and a subordinate rushed in.
"Huff, huff! Clan Head!"
"Calm yourself. What is going on?"
As he saw the subordinate’s pale face and ragged breathing, Sewoon instinctively understood the situation.
Yet, outwardly, he feigned surprise and confusion.
After all, the Shrine Maiden Sect Leader was watching closely beside him.
Then the subordinate delivered the awaited message.
"A dire report just arrived! Jeok Seongja and the Qingcheng Sect have attacked us!!"
"!!"
It was the intelligence that signaled the beginning of the Qingcheng Sect’s scheme.
Sewoon wore an expression of shock.
Then, he turned to gauge the Shrine Maiden Sect Leader’s reaction.
The enraged Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden's face was crumpled like a hideous, murderous mask.
‘At least one witness secured.’
It was the moment they had secured a witness who could testify that, before the enemies' attack, they had been doing nothing suspicious.
An odd expression had surfaced in Sewoon's eyes.
‘Alright, shall we begin now?’
The first step of the Sichuan operation had finally begun.
One hour earlier.
In front of the abandoned mine on Wol Mountain.
“Move aside, I will not!”
“What on earth is all this!”
The Tang Clan's warriors were shouting furious voices toward someone.
Screech!
They had each drawn their hidden weapons and were locked in a deadly standoff with a line of enemies blocking their way.
As always, after bringing out waste materials from inside the mine for poison-art training, the Cheongseong Sect's masters had set up an encampment outside and drawn their swords.
At the fierce sight of those men, the Tang Clan's martial warriors prepared for battle without the slightest hesitation.
Thud, thud.
At that moment, one of the Cheongseong masters stepped forward.
“Heh heh, what are we doing? Of course we came to eradicate the villains of the Sima Outer Path.”
“Ma Geollyun…!”
It was Ma Geollyun, the Cheongseong Sect’s chief disciple.
Ma Geollyun slung his sword casually across his shoulder and looked at them with supreme confidence, which made the Tang Clan's warriors explode with anger.
“How dare you attach the name of Sima Outer Path to the Tang Clan!”
“Has Cheongseong truly gone mad!!”
“Ha—!!”
Rumble!
Ma Geollyun thundered a lion's roar.
A strange current of energy shook the surroundings.
Ma Geollyun's martial force, stronger than what had been known, cast an embarrassed sheen over the Tang Clan warriors' faces.
Seeing that, Ma Geollyun twisted the corner of his mouth in amusement and said,
“How dare the mere lackeys of the Tang Clan prattle about the name of Great Cheongseong.”
“…!”
“And do you really claim to not know of your crimes?”
To the baffled Tang Clan warriors, Ma Geollyun spoke with an expression that looked utterly wicked.
“The waste you dumped into the upstream river and left there caused terrible harm to the commoners, did it not?”
“?!”
“We of Great Cheongseong tended to the suffering commoners and discovered your despicable deeds. You who drove innocent people to grief in the name of becoming stronger will receive severe punishment.”
“!!”
What in the world was he babbling about?
The Tang Clan warriors listened in disbelief.
“This is nonsense!”
“We never once dumped any waste!”
“Yes, I expected you'd spew such excuses. Trash like you.”
“What’s more, even if there had been things we did not know of, that would be the Murim Alliance's business to handle!”
“Cheongseong, which acted unilaterally against fellow allies like us, will surely receive the Murim Alliance's stern punishment!!”
“Kuehuehue, the Murim Alliance?”
At the mention of the Murim Alliance, Ma Geollyun snorted.
Then he turned his head and scanned the area, and uttered a single line.
“Now then, where in this place is the presence of the Murim Alliance?”
“!!”
The Tang Clan warriors belatedly realized the implication of Ma Geollyun's words and recoiled in fear.
They had understood that Ma Geollyun and Cheongseong were indeed prepared to act without regard for the Murim Alliance and commit slaughter.
Ssssh!
At that sight Ma Geollyun drew up a terrifying aura and began to speak.
“Kuhaha! At last I can trample those who rampaged like mad colts, ignorant of their proper place!”
“Ma Geollyun!!”
“I swear it! Before the Murim Alliance can even intervene, your families will be erased from the map of Sichuan!”
“!!”
“Take them all alive as prisoners! Kill them all!”
Chak-cheng!
Tudadada!
At Ma Geollyun's order, the Cheongseong Sect's first disciples — who had been sharpening their teeth for this day — all lunged toward the enemy at once.
A sharp sword aura gleamed along their blades.
“They're coming!!”
“Suppress the enemies with everything you've got!!”
In response, the Tang Clan warriors rallied with full force.
……At least, that was how it looked on the surface.
Although the Tang Clan warriors appeared startled by the sudden assault, they were not surprised in the least.
‘The clan head surely told us to put up a token fight and then make a break for the designated point!’
Before being sent here, Tang Sewoon had informed them that the Cheongseong Sect would target them and had given countermeasures.
At the same time.
The Cheongseong Sect was launching simultaneous attacks on Tang Clan targets across Sichuan.
They intended, with swift strikes that left the enemy no time to respond, to seize every place the Tang Clan's power reached.
Among those attacks, Jeok Seongja had descended upon the escort party of the Tang Clan's escort agency.
“What is this poison, exactly!!”
“We—we know nothing about it!”
“It is the exact same poison that afflicted the commoners!”
“Subdue every single one of them! With these criminals in tow, we will advance on the Tang Clan!”
Jeok Seongja had deliberately hidden poison vials in the escort party's carriage and taken them all prisoner.
Triumph lit Jeok Seongja's face.
But among them, only one person thought,
‘This is strange! Something is definitely wrong!’
The Blood Cult elder, Gui Yeongja, wore a very dark expression.