Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 180 : He is the Culprit

"How have you been?"

"The inn has become like that, so how could I have been well? Of course, I haven't been."

Jin Sa-wol looked at Woo Jeong-bong, who was more worried about the inn than himself, with pity.

Although he was the owner of the inn, Woo Jeong-bong had a look of emptiness, as if he had lost everything.

"I have to find the bastards who did that to the inn and get rid of them all. It seems to be my mission."

"Yes."

Jin Sa-wol, grabbing Woo Jeong-bong's clenched fist, said, "What if Master Hyeonjeong is the ringleader who attacked the inn?"

"Huh? What kind of shitty talk is that? For what reason would Brother Hyeonjeong?"

"Because there's a lot of money in the inn."

"Hmph!"

Woo Jeong-bong crossed his arms and shook his head. Jin Sa-wol, who saw the strongly denying Woo Jeong-bong, said his thoughts.

"The ones who attacked the inn were the Ghost Hand Pavilion and the Blood Killing Faction, but the ones who subjugated them all were the masked members of the Martial Alliance. Could their leader be Master Hyeonjeong?"

"The Martial Alliance? Are you sure?"

Woo Jeong-bong asked with a sharp gaze, unlike his usual self. Jin Sa-wol nodded and answered.

"Yes. The Fierce Tiger Hall and the Sword Wind Hall, who are staying at the inn, are the masked ones. I've confirmed it."

Jin Sa-wol suspected Hyeonjeong and wanted to be sure. But Woo Jeong-bong shook his head.

"If what you say is true, it's a serious matter. But it won't be Brother Hyeonjeong. Pavilion Master Buk Myeong or Pavilion Master Seok don't follow Brother Hyeonjeong. No, they ignore him."

"Why?"

"Unfortunately, Brother Hyeonjeong's martial arts are not that high."

"Um... I see."

Jin Sa-wol understood after hearing Woo Jeong-bong's words.

Hyeonjeong was a person who could not attack the inn, and Woo Jeong-bong's story was a clear answer.

Buk Myeong-woo and Seok Jeong-bi were people with strong pride. There was no reason for them to follow the orders of someone weaker than themselves.

That was also something that applied to all martial artists.

No matter how much of a background he had in the Wudang Sect, if his martial arts were not high, he could only be ignored.

Everything was decided by strong martial arts.

"A master with the martial arts to command those two pavilion masters as subordinates is not common even in the Martial Alliance."

Woo Jeong-bong cast a serious gaze as if he were using his head for the first time in a long time.

'How dare some bastard... my gisaeng house... my gisaeng house...'

Woo Jeong-bong clenched his fists.

Just then, Jo Geom-ok opened the door and came in.

"The inn is in an uproar. They say Pavilion Master Buk Myeong and Pavilion Master Seok are dead."

"Let's go."

Woo Jeong-bong stood up from his seat. But Jin Sa-wol sat still and did not move.

Woo Jeong-bong tilted his head.

"Aren't you going?"

"I'll go later."

After Jin Sa-wol refused, he contemplated who it could be if not Hyeonjeong. As Woo Jeong-bong went outside, Jo Geom-ok shook her head at Jin Sa-wol.

It seemed to mean not to talk about useless things.

***

Hundreds of Martial Alliance warriors were gathered in a village called Nokyang, which was about half a day's distance from Guguang.

They were eating at a tavern. Zhuge Qing and Hyeonjeong, who were sitting in a separate room, were also engrossed in their meal.

Thump!

A warrior who had rushed in with the sound of urgent footsteps opened the door, approached Zhuge Qing, bowed his waist, and handed him a letter. It was a letter that had flown in from Guguang.

Zhuge Qing put down his chopsticks, unfolded the letter, and read it.

"Oh my."

As Zhuge Qing's expression changed from moment to moment, Hyeonjeong raised his head with curiosity. Zhuge Qing handed the letter to Hyeonjeong and hurriedly stood up.

"I think I have to go to the alliance. You go to the inn alone."

"What is this..."

At Zhuge Qing's sudden decision, Hyeonjeong read the letter with a face of not being able to understand. In that instant, Hyeonjeong's expression changed greatly.

"God of Death? What kind of cow dung-like talk is this? They're all dead... Hmph! The martial world is going to be in an uproar."

Hyeonjeong folded the letter as if he were dumbfounded.

The story that Wang Yao, the master of the Gold Flower Pavilion, and the two pavilion masters had all died was also a shock to Hyeonjeong.

They said he was hit by an assassin, and that assassin had revealed himself as the God of Death.

"Pavilion Master Wang is the brother-in-law of the Shandong Yue family head. That's not all. Buk Myeong-woo is the disciple of the Baekgeom Mun Master. And a cherished disciple at that. Haa... The biggest problem is the Huashan Sect."

Hyeonjeong, who trembled his shoulders, felt his vision go blank. His face turned yellow as if he had a serious illness.

In the meantime, Zhuge Qing, who had left the tavern, got on a four-horse carriage and hurriedly moved to the Martial Alliance.

Half of the warriors who were in the tavern followed him to the Martial Alliance.

Hyeonjeong, with a sigh, headed for the inn to find out what had happened.

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

The four-horse carriage, which was galloping down the main road, raised a long cloud of dust and headed for the Martial Alliance.

Zhuge Qing, sitting in the carriage, fanned his fan loudly and looked at the field beyond the curtain.

"This crazy bastard... Is he thinking of fighting against the whole world?"

Although Zhuge Qing was dumbfounded, he could not hide his anxious complexion.

He had only tried to get rid of one inn and a former Demonic Cult member, but the martial world had been shaken.

The situation had become so serious that it was difficult to handle. Suddenly, something flashed through his mind. It felt as if the enemy knew everything.

Zhuge Qing's eyes widened, and then a cold smile appeared on his lips.

'Am I next? This is interesting.'

***

Several coffins were placed in the wide open space of the guest hall. Among them, three coffins were brought forward, and they were the coffins of Wang Yao, Buk Myeong-woo, and Seok Jeong-bi.

Around them, the warriors of the Martial Alliance were standing as if they were guarding.

Their expressions were dark and heavy, and there was even a sense of solemnity.

"That bastard... I'll find him and kill him for sure."

"Hic! Pavilion Master."

"Tsk! You fucking bastard."

Woo Jeong-bong pushed his way through the sobbing warriors. Seeing him, they all frowned, but since the opponent was Woo Jeong-bong, they took a step back.

Woo Jeong-bong tried his best to ignore the stinging feeling he felt from behind him. Their anger was natural.

Woo Jeong-bong examined the body of Buk Myeong-woo lying in the coffin and then captured the severed arm in his eyes.

"Hmm..."

The person he had talked to until yesterday was dead overnight, so his heart was hot, and he could not calm down.

Jo Geom-ok approached from behind Woo Jeong-bong. She was examining the corpses with an expressionless face, her long black hair fluttering.

Woo Jeong-bong turned his eyes, examined Seok Jeong-bi's body, and his complexion changed rapidly when he saw the wound on his neck.

'Don't tell me?'

Although he thought of Jin Sa-wol, he shook his head.

There were countless corpses that had been stabbed to death by a sword, and they were everywhere.

"The words 'God of Death' were at the entrance of the safe where Pavilion Master Seok was found."

A familiar member of the Fierce Tiger Hall approached and explained, and Woo Jeong-bong swallowed a groan.

"God of Death? Crazy... a killing ghost."

Woo Jeong-bong, who was muttering, met Jo Geom-ok's eyes, approached her side, and pulled her sleeve.

"Let's talk."

As Woo Jeong-bong led, Jo Geom-ok followed him and stood opposite him under a tree a little away.

Woo Jeong-bong looked around and asked in a low voice.

"It's not Brother Jin, is it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"No... When I think about it, with Brother Jin's personality, he wouldn't just leave the bastards who had invaded his own house alone, right? On top of that, he must have been angry because they had killed the inn's family. Wouldn't he have killed them even knowing that the opponent was the Martial Alliance?"

"Ask him yourself."

"You really don't know anything?"

"I know one thing."

At Jo Geom-ok's words, Woo Jeong-bong held out his ear as if to say, 'hurry up and tell me'. Then Jo Geom-ok pushed Woo Jeong-bong's head away as if to say, 'go away' and said, "The number of commoners who died at the inn is over a hundred."

Woo Jeong-bong's eyes widened when he heard Jo Geom-ok's story. It was a story he had never even thought of.

He turned his head and looked at the members of the Fierce Tiger Hall and the Sword Wind Hall gathered in the open space. The appearance of those who were grieving with sorrowful faces looked completely different from before.

"Is it true?"

"Yes."

"The corpses?"

"They must have been burned together when the building was burned. On the day the inn burned, the people in the fortress said they smelled the smell of burning corpses."

It was clear that Jo Geom-ok had investigated the vicinity of the inn for the past few days.

"You know there's an island beyond the Geumwon, right?"

"I know."

"There are many corpses there. They are all inn people who don't know martial arts. If you go there, you'll probably be able to see the gisaengs you know, brother."

"Why now..."

Woo Jeong-bong grabbed Jo Geom-ok's collar without realizing it. Although Woo Jeong-bong's face, with his eyes wide open, was full of anger, Jo Geom-ok grabbed Woo Jeong-bong's hand and shook her head.

It meant to calm his excitement.

Woo Jeong-bong soon let go of his hand.

Just then, a voice was heard.

"Elder!"

"Elder Hyeonjeong."

Hearing the name Hyeonjeong, Woo Jeong-bong turned his head and ran to Hyeonjeong, who was entering the guest hall.

Hyeonjeong raised his hand to the warriors of the Martial Alliance who were greeting him and nodded. It was a very pleasant thing to be greeted like this.

He should have smiled, but he couldn't now.

Woo Jeong-bong, except for Hyeonjeong, did not even see the Fierce Dragon Division that had come with him.

"Brother! Let's talk!"

Hyeonjeong, seeing Woo Jeong-bong who was grabbing his sleeve without any warning and pulling him, said, "Uh, uh!" and followed.

Jo Geom-ok sighed and followed them.

As Hyeonjeong and Woo Jeong-bong entered the Geumwon, Jo Geom-ok stood at the entrance of the Geumwon and blocked the curious warriors who were trying to enter.

Woo Jeong-bong, who was standing in the wide open space near Namsan, stood opposite Hyeonjeong. Seeing the very angry face of Woo Jeong-bong, Hyeonjeong dusted off his sleeves and raised his voice.

"What is this? So rude."

"Is it true that the Martial Alliance attacked the inn?"

When Woo Jeong-bong asked, Hyeonjeong's eyes widened. He looked around, raised his index finger, covered his mouth, and lowered his voice.

"Where did you hear that? Shh! Be careful with your words. It's something that should never go outside. No one should know."

Hyeonjeong's story meant that it was true.

Woo Jeong-bong asked again with a cold expression.

"It's not that you're involved, is it, brother?"

"That's..."

"Did you also kill people at the inn, brother? Please answer whether you killed people wearing a mask. They killed people and burned them with the building. They say that on the island beyond the rear garden, the corpses of the workers who worked at the inn are piled up like a mountain. Whose doing is all this? Is it you, brother?"

Hyeonjeong, who had let out a long sigh, shook his head with a face of not being able to help it.

"It's not me. I have no connection to this incident."

"Please tell me what happened."

It was when Woo Jeong-bong raised his voice. The sound of footsteps was heard, and Jin Sa-wol appeared from the bushes.

Seeing him, Hyeonjeong was so surprised that he took a step back. Woo Jeong-bong was also so surprised that he took a couple of steps back.

Jin Sa-wol approached Hyeonjeong with an expressionless face.

"Who gave the order, who moved, and who killed my people?"

When Jin Sa-wol asked, Hyeonjeong changed his complexion and looked around again. Jin Sa-wol said.

"There is no one. Please rest assured."

Hearing Jin Sa-wol's words, Hyeonjeong let out a very long sigh as if he were relieved.

Since he valued the honor of the Wudang Sect, he could not lie in front of Woo Jeong-bong.

"A few months ago, I met the close friend of the deceased Uncle Jo and Zhuge Qing together. At that meeting, the story of the Cheongeumbo came up. How many in the martial world would know of the existence of the Cheongeumbo? I knew, but I thought it wasn't mine. But it seems that person couldn't understand why it was just left alone. So he discussed it with Zhuge Qing, and the matter got bigger."

The center of Hyeonjeong's story was Zhuge Qing and the person called 'that person'.

Of course, Hyeonjeong did not say everything in detail. There were a few missing parts, but there was no need to say them.

The important thing was 'that person'.

"Who is 'that person'?"

When Jin Sa-wol asked, Hyeonjeong hesitated and then had no choice but to answer.

"Tang Hyu."

"Hmph!"

"Thousand Hands Blood God."

Woo Jeong-bong opened his eyes wide and his mouth wide, and Jin Sa-wol muttered Tang Hyu's nickname.

Woo Jeong-bong, as if he were dumbfounded, grabbed Hyeonjeong's hand and asked with a face of 'don't tell me'.

"The Tang Hyu you mentioned, brother, is not one of the Three Gods among the top ten masters of the martial world, is he?"

"That's right."

"Fuck."

(End of Chapter)