novelraw Chapter 303 : Shangguan Byeokin in Danger (1)
Chapter 303 : Shangguan Byeokin in Danger (1)
Chapter 303: Shangguan Byeokin in Danger (1)
"The road to Shaolin Temple is a harsh one."
As I spoke out of concern, Mo Biyoung replied.
"Lord, please don't worry. Now that they know they can’t touch us, they won’t bother us again. At the very least, it would take elders from Blood Demon Castle to face us."
Everyone nodded at Mo Biyoung's bold statement.
That was how confident they all were in their martial arts.
In a secluded house deep in the mountains where the warriors of Blood Demon Castle had gathered, a man entered. As he stepped inside, those who had been exuding considerable presence all rose in unison.
"We greet you, Lord Protector."
"Be seated."
At Zhao Qiansheng’s words, those who had stood sat back down.
"I’ve come to personally inspect the matters being carried out by our castle. You all know that the Lord of the Castle is taking this matter especially seriously. Has there been any progress?"
At his question, the gathered individuals began reporting one after another.
After listening for a while, Zhao Qiansheng raised his hand in the middle of a report.
"Wait, what did you say?"
"Yes, I said the Shangguan Clan entered our surveillance net, but we thought it best to let them pass."
"And why is that?"
"That’s because if we provoke one of the great clans, there's a risk they might rise up. Minor sects have limited power, so even if we strike them, it poses no burden to us. But touching a place like the Shangguan Clan could weaken our standing. That’s the conclusion the castle’s strategists have come to—there’s no need to poke a hornet’s nest and get stung."
The subordinate made it clear that this was a decision made by the castle’s strategists, preventing Zhao Qiansheng from making a unilateral call.
Zhao Qiansheng had personally involved himself in this operation because he still couldn't forget the humiliation of the Bamboo Forest Blood Battle years ago.
One of those involved back then had been the Shangguan Clan.
He had always intended to kill those who interfered that day.
That’s why this time, he personally selected fifty warriors from the Blood Demon Castle’s elite force, the Homa Heavenly Corps, under the protection unit.
Zhao Qiansheng harbored especially deep resentment toward the Heavenly Central Sect.
Just thinking about that brat Yong Hwarin robbed him of sleep.
Since the Heavenly Central Sect would also be heading to Shaolin Temple, Zhao Qiansheng planned to capture their members and exact his revenge.
And so he brought along his cherished subordinate, Mo Baek, the captain of the Homa Heavenly Corps.
Mo Baek, the captain of the Homa Heavenly Corps, was one of the Five Blood Demon Warriors within Blood Demon Castle, a martial artist of master level.
He was the most trustworthy of Zhao Qiansheng’s men.
He had served loyally for over thirty years and was like a younger brother.
"What if I step in personally?"
No one here dared to ask Lord Protector Zhao Qiansheng to act himself.
"If Lord Protector steps in personally, what do we have to worry about?"
"Then I shall handle the Shangguan Clan myself."
"Understood."
Zhao Qiansheng turned to Mo Baek, who stood behind him.
"Captain Mo, prepare our boys. I’d like to see the face of the Shangguan Clan Head."
As Mo Baek bowed and left, Zhao Qiansheng licked his lips with his tongue.
"I’ll strip them to the bone."
As the murderous aura exploded from Zhao Qiansheng’s body, the room momentarily fell silent.
While galloping on horseback, Yong Biyang suddenly reined in his horse, catching the scent of blood.
He scowled as he saw corpses scattered in the forest beside the road.
"Those bastards from Blood Demon Castle have stirred up bloodshed so rampant that corpses are visible everywhere. This is a serious problem."
"Go see if anyone’s still alive."
At Yong Biyang’s command, Jungwook dismounted and inspected the bodies.
As they rode, Deungae and Jong Seok had witnessed Yong Biyang burying the dead or checking for survivors, and they couldn’t help but admire him.
He wasn’t doing it for appearances; his actions held the sincerity of a true righteous hero practicing righteousness and chivalry. They bowed their heads in respect.
‘As expected of Brother-by-Oath’s father. In all my time roaming the martial world, I’ve never seen someone like him. But… is being this compassionate truly a good thing?’
Jong Seok knew well that someone as kind-hearted as Yong Biyang would find it hard to endure in the treacherous world of Murim.
On the other hand, Deungae was deeply moved, his chest burning with emotion.
Their Lord was displaying exactly what he imagined a righteous hero should be.
‘Young Master Yong was overflowing with chivalry, but his father is even more so. I really made the right choice joining the Heavenly Central Sect.’
Before meeting these people, no matter where he went, others would mock or insult him for his large body.
But people from the Heavenly Central Sect were different.
Upon learning that his body had grown large due to his martial arts traits, they were only curious about the qi-gong he trained in.
They never made fun of him.
It was then that he realized—people change based on the household they’re from.
With a Sect Leader and Sub-Leader of such character, those under them naturally shared that same noble disposition.
Jungwook’s expression hardened as he examined the bodies.
"Lord, these are warriors from the Shangguan Clan."
At Jungwook’s words, Yong Biyang kicked off his horse and soared through the air, landing beside him.
Normally, Yong Biyang didn’t use movement arts unless the situation was urgent.
The uniforms on the corpses clearly belonged to the Shangguan Clan.
"Why is the Lord so startled?" Deungae asked.
Namwook answered in his stead.
"The Lord shares a deep connection with the Shangguan Clan."
As long-time escorts of their Lord, they knew Yong Biyang’s past well.
"Does he know the Clan Head?"
"No."
"Then who?"
"This time, the Clan Head's wife is accompanying him to the Shaolin Temple Gathering. Her family is from Goomil County, located between Jeongju and Mount Song, so they’re stopping by to visit."
"So what does that have to do with anything? Ah!"
Deungae exclaimed mid-question.
He realized it mid-sentence.
That the Lord and the Clan Head’s wife were once connected.
"They were lovers long ago."
At those words, Jong Seok muttered,
"This is bad. He’s too kind-hearted to just stand by."
"My thoughts exactly. The Lord will go after the Shangguan Clan members."
Everyone nodded knowingly—they all understood their Lord’s temperament and could easily guess his next move.
"Everyone, pursue the Shangguan Clan."
As expected, they all nodded.
"Understood."
They responded too easily, prompting Yong Biyang to glance at them curiously. It was strange that Mo Biyoung and Violent Dragon Twin Swords, who usually voiced opposition at times like these, remained silent.
Then, seeing that his subordinates understood his heart, he smiled warmly.
"Thank you, everyone."
Yong Biyang was truly grateful for the disciples who followed his commands.
‘You are like a parent to us—how could we go against your will?’
Violent Dragon Twin Swords silently watched as Yong Biyang followed the traces of the Shangguan Clan warriors into the forest.
Violent Dragon Twin Swords were also orphans taken in by Yong Biyang.
That was why they shared the same names.
When giving names to the orphans he took in, overlapping names were common.
“Instructor Mo, you feel the same as we do, don’t you?”
Mo Biyoung gave a soft smile.
“I might nag at the Small Sect Leader, but I can’t bring myself to do that to the Sect Leader.”
Mo Biyoung was a descendant of one of the vassal families of the Heavenly Central Sect, but in truth, she was one of the orphans Yong Biyang had taken in.
One of the vassal families had no heirs, and they accepted the gifted Mo Biyoung as their daughter.
Originally, Mo Biyoung used the surname Gwak, that of the vassal family from the Heavenly Central Sect. But after her adoptive parents passed away, she began using her original surname, Mo.
She made that decision thinking that perhaps someday, she might meet her real parents.
Yong Biyang had permitted it.
Because of that, Mo Biyoung also thought of Yong Biyang as a parent and couldn’t bring herself to nag him the way she did to Yong Hwarin.
Even in Yong Hwarin’s past life, the reason Mo Biyoung had stayed with the Heavenly Central Sect and fought to the end was because of that sentiment.
Shangguan Byeokin, the Clan Head of the Shangguan Clan, looked over those who stood before him.
Shangguan Joyoung and Shangguan Mijong were standing behind him, with his wife Ha Yanggyo positioned between the two children.
Behind Ha Yanggyo, ten warriors of the clan had formed a defensive formation.
To the left of Shangguan Byeokin stood the people of the Mount Song Ak Clan.
There were around fifteen from the Mount Song Ak Clan.
Although more warriors had survived, considering that around fifty warriors had accompanied them to the Shaolin Temple Gathering, it meant two-thirds had perished.
While the Shangguan Clan had lost around ten warriors, the Mount Song Ak Clan had lost thirty-five.
Shangguan Byeokin turned to the right.
“Are you alright, Sect Leader Oh?”
Oh Geuk, Sect Leader of Hongchangmun, had lost one of his arms and was holding his spear with his left hand.
Ten elite warriors of Hongchangmun were surrounding their Sect Leader, but not one of them was uninjured.
Thirty elite warriors of Hongchangmun now lay cold and lifeless on the ground.
Each time Shangguan Byeokin moved, the blood-soaked ground clung to his shoes, weighing them down.
“I’m fine. Do you think a man like Oh Geuk would die just because an arm got severed?”
Though he put on a brave front, Shangguan Byeokin knew it was his last display of bravado.
Not even half a si-jin ago, they had all been unharmed. He looked at the one who had reduced them to this state.
“What do you want from us?”
When Shangguan Byeokin asked, Zhao Qiansheng wiped the blood off his sword with a cotton cloth and replied.
“I already told you. Come quietly. I don’t understand why people never listen when asked politely. Why must they be beaten like dogs before they finally do?”
At Zhao Qiansheng’s sneer, Shangguan Byeokin—renowned for his noble pride—couldn’t find a word to retort.
He didn’t know how many would survive if these men attacked again. The only reason Shangguan Byeokin could control his emotions was because of his wife, Ha Yanggyo.
Shangguan Byeokin wanted to protect her no matter what.
‘I’m a fool. How could I bring my wife here?’
Shangguan Byeokin was already a married martial artist, but compared to Zhao Qiansheng or Mo Baek, he fell short. That was why his clan's warriors couldn’t withstand their blades and fell in droves.
Even Sect Leader Oh Geuk of Hongchangmun had lost his right arm after only ten strikes from Zhao Qiansheng, which showed the extent of Zhao Qiansheng’s martial prowess.
The middle-aged man who appeared to be Zhao Qiansheng’s subordinate had utterly wiped out the warriors of the Mount Song Ak Clan.
Shangguan Byeokin blamed himself for neglecting his martial arts training.
He had believed martial arts alone weren’t everything in the murim and had focused on politics and the upper world instead.
In his predecessor’s time, their clan had a roster of elite warriors, but now they had turned their attention to governmental and commercial matters, weakening their martial strength.
Watching the warriors of his clan die so helplessly, he realized this was a reflection of his own incompetence, and it pained him deeply.
‘I disregarded the will of my predecessor, who said only with strength can one truly stand firm.’
It was too late for regrets now.