Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 75

Early in the morning, Jin Sa-wol stood in the yard with Woo Jeong-bong. Behind Jin Sa-wol, Jo Geom-ok also stood, but she had her arms crossed and was silent.

Woo Jeong-bong bid farewell to Jin Sa-wol to return to Wudang Mountain.

"It was fun for a long time."

"Farewell."

As Jin Sa-wol said only one word, Woo Jeong-bong frowned.

"Is that all? What about 'let's see each other again'? Or 'it was fun while it lasted'? Or 'let's decide when to see each other next'? There are so many things. You heartless bastard."

"When you leave, you just go."

"Alright. I'm going."

Woo Jeong-bong turned his back as if he couldn't help it, took a step towards the door, and then stopped.

"I'm really going."

"Okay."

Jin Sa-wol nodded with an indifferent face. Woo Jeong-bong sighed and then took a few more steps and stopped.

"I said I'm really going."

As Woo Jeong-bong turned his head, Jin Sa-wol said as if he couldn't help it.

"When you come down from Wudang Mountain, come to Guguang. If you come to Guguang, I'll come find you."

"Are you moving?"

"I won't be here for a while."

"I'll do that."

Woo Jeong-bong waved his hand as if he were relieved that he could see him again. As Jin Sa-wol also raised his hand, Woo Jeong-bong opened the door and went out with a face full of disappointment.

As he went out, Jin Sa-wol went into his room and packed a simple luggage.

Jo Geom-ok followed him in and asked.

"You told him to come to Guguang. Will Brother Woo really come to Guguang? If he goes up to Wudang Mountain, he won't be able to come down for a while, right?"

"He'll come."

Jin Sa-wol seemed to be confident that Woo Jeong-bong would come.

* * *

The three, who had appeared at the pier in Yichang, boarded a large merchant ship where many people were coming and going.

As the ship departed, Jin Sa-wol and Bi-sun stood on the deck and admired the wide Poyang Lake.

Jo Geom-ok stood quietly next to Jin Sa-wol with her bamboo hat pressed down. She felt that Jin Sa-wol's side profile was not unfamiliar.

With Jin Sa-wol in the middle, Bi-sun stood on his left and Jo Geom-ok stood on his right.

Bi-sun said.

"I met the pavilion master yesterday. Fortunately, she had no hostility towards us. On top of that, she was someone I knew."

"So you came back in the morning because you knew her. It seems you had quite a lot of fun all night."

"We had a lot to talk about because we met after a long time."

"The smell of the pavilion master's powder is still there."

At Jin Sa-wol's words, Bi-sun's eyes widened as if he were surprised. Although he raised his sleeve and smelled it, he couldn't feel anything in particular.

"You have a dog's nose."

Bi-sun, who had a serious face as if his secret had been revealed, said as if he had thought of something.

"There was one thing we didn't know about the Gangnam Grand Inn."

"What is it?"

"According to the pavilion master, that place is the Golden Demonic Pavilion."

"What?!"

Jin Sa-wol, who was momentarily surprised, raised his voice without realizing it. It was a side of him that was not like his usual self.

Jo Geom-ok, who was standing next to him, also opened her eyes wide as if she were surprised. Jin Sa-wol lowered his voice.

"Why are you telling me that now?"

"I didn't have time to tell you. As you know, I came out at dawn, and I had to pack my luggage in the morning. Also, I was in a hurry, so I was not in my right mind."

"You should have told me even if it was at dawn."

"Anyway, we have to go even if we know."

Bi-sun smiled.

Since it was not a wrong statement, Jin Sa-wol agreed. Even if that place was the Golden Demonic Pavilion, one of the three unknown great demonic pavilions of the Demonic Cult, he had to go.

"It was a den of demons."

"It is a den of demons."

The two spoke at the same time and then nodded. Jin Sa-wol asked.

"Is the branch of the Demonic Cult a disguise?"

"No. It is said that it is separate from the branch. Could it be that all five pavilion masters have two identities?"

"It could be."

The five pavilion masters were the five pavilion masters of the Gangnam Grand Inn. Since the scale of the inn was so large, besides the great pavilion master, four pavilion masters managed the inn.

There was the gambling house master of the gambling house and the guest room master who managed the guest rooms. And there was the shop master of the shopping district and the brothel master of the brothel.

And there was the master of the guest courtyard, who was on par with the four pavilion masters. The guest courtyard was a place where martial arts masters stayed.

They were masters who had entrusted themselves to the Gangnam Grand Inn and were the ones who resolved the matters between the martial artists that occurred at the Gangnam Grand Inn.

Besides that, under the guest room master, there was the Gyeongmu Hall, which was in charge of security and patrols, and there were also martial artists in the gambling house and the brothel.

Among them, the brothel master was the branch master of the Demonic Cult, and a person from the Martial Alliance was in charge of the shop master. The Hao Mun was the gambling house master, and the three knew each other's identities and were sharing information.

"What is the Golden Demonic Pavilion?"

Although Jo Geom-ok asked, Jin Sa-wol shook his head.

"Later."

He didn't have the leisure to answer her right now. Jin Sa-wol and Bi-sun crossed their arms, touched their chins, and showed a troubled expression.

Since both of them were doing the same action, Jo Geom-ok also followed.

The three stood on the deck with their arms crossed and looked at the other side of Poyang Lake in the distance.

All that could be seen were fishing boats and pleasure boats. The ship had already come to the center of Poyang Lake.

When the sun was at its zenith, Jin Sa-wol said.

"Since we have to get detailed information about the Golden Demonic Pavilion, we'll have to stay quiet for a while."

Bi-sun nodded.

"We have to find out about Song Ha-sang's situation first."

* * *

The sun was also at its zenith at the pier in Yichang. At that time, three men and women were standing at the pier.

It was Jo-rim, Il-hu, and another person, Il-bi, who had her bamboo hat pressed down.

Jo-rim, showing a cold killing intent, turned her head to the two people standing next to her.

"These guys are going to play, leaving me out. We can't just leave them, right?"

"Of course."

"If you just give the order, I will take care of it."

Il-hu was ready to kill Jin Sa-wol at any time. She made a gesture of cutting her neck and smiled as if to say not to worry.

But the one who would die if she fought with Jin Sa-wol was Il-hu.

Jo-rim shook her head, knowing that well.

"No. There's no benefit to us even if we kill him. For now, I have to go to Guguang and rest a bit. I've been too busy in the meantime. The Namgung family, the Hao Mun, Hwahwaru, and the Slaughter Ghosts, and finally the Chung Pavilion right? Haa... I'm sick of it."

At her words, Il-hu and Il-bi nodded as if they agreed. The number of days they had properly rested since coming to Nanchang could be counted on one hand.

As the ship arrived, the three boarded the ship.

The steward of Honghwaru, who was standing far away, cheered as the ship that Jo-rim was on moved away.

* * *

Lushan, located in the south of Guguang City, was a place where many poets and scholars came and went because its scenery was beautiful and there was much to see since ancient times.

The Gangnam Grand Inn stood tall at the entrance of Lushan, about one li away from the south gate of Guguang City, and boasted a huge scale.

The long wall of the inn embraced several artificial mountains, and numerous magnificent buildings were lined up.

The huge main gate, where four carriages could come and go with ease, was crowded with many people all year round.

There was a pier of Poyang Lake nearby, and the Yangtze River flowed half a day's distance to the north.

Numerous markets were formed around Guguang, and it was also a place where a lot of goods from Gangnam and Gangbuk came and went.

A shopping district was lined up inside the huge three-story pavilion that was visible beyond the main gate.

If you passed that, separate courtyards with small walls were lined up again.

Among them, a man and a woman were entering a separate courtyard with a signboard that read 'Baekilho'.

They were a man who appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties and a woman in her late twenties.

The two went inside and sat in a tea room.

As they sat, two men and women came out of the bedroom. They were a man and a woman in their late twenties. Seeing that they were arranging their clothes, it seemed they had shared affection.

The two greeted the two men and women who were sitting in the tea room and sat in chairs.

"From the afternoon..."

The woman in her late twenties frowned.

She was Im-sil, the third disciple of Loyal Ghost King. Do-gang, the second disciple, was smiling slyly next to her.

His eyes went from the fifth to the sixth. The sixth was a woman in her early twenties who was holding the collar of her clothes.

She was a beauty with large, double-eyelidded eyes and a high nose. Her eyes also turned to Do-gang. The two exchanged an eye-smile for a moment.

Im-sil spoke, letting out a cold energy.

"There's no contact from the junior brother and junior sister who went to Nanchang. It's already been five days. At this point, we have to assume they're dead, right?"

"No way. There's no way the fourth senior brother and the seventh junior sister would die so easily."

At the words of the fifth junior brother, Im-sil shook her head.

The fifth junior brother was a man with a cold impression, a tall build, and sharp eyes. But strangely, the women of Chung Pavilion followed him a lot.

Im-sil thought that it was the effect of the aphrodisiac that the fifth junior brother had.

"The one who killed our master. If we're not careful, we'll be the ones to get it."

At Im-sil's words, everyone was silent.

The one who broke the silence for a moment was Do-gang.

"What's there to be afraid of when the four of us are together? For now, let's wait a few more days, and if there's no news, let's all go to Nanchang City together."

At Do-gang's words, Im-sil threw a cold gaze.

"You don't want to stay here, do you?"

"Me?"

"Three young girls have already died in this area. It happened after we came. Whose doing could it be? I think it's your doing."

Im-sil was convinced that Do-gang had killed them. But Do-gang waved both his hands.

"No way. Is there a reason for me to kill young girls?"

Im-sil, despite Do-gang's denial, spoke to him again.

"Don't cause trouble. Endure it at a reasonable level. This is not the Chung Pavilion, but the central plains. On top of that, the innkeeper is watching us."

"Did the brothel master say so?"

"Yes."

"That bitch won't do."

Do-gang licked his lips and his greedy eyes glittered.

Just by looking at his eyes, it could be seen that he was eyeing the brothel master. Im-sil had no intention of getting involved in the matter of the brothel master and the third senior brother.

Im-sil turned her eyes and asked the fifth senior brother.

"Song Ha-sang?"

"He's resting."

"Watch him well. It is said that the Cheon family will come out themselves to take Song Ha-sang soon. Keep him well until then."

"Of course."

The fifth senior brother smiled as if to say not to worry.

Song Ha-sang was a person whom the Cheon family had been chasing for several years. Since they had met such a person in Guguang, they had to catch him.

"Let's wait for news of the junior sister and junior brother for two more days. If there's still no contact, we'll assume they're dead and enter Nanchang."

"Understood."

"We'll have to prepare in advance."

Although they answered, it seemed everyone thought they were dead.

Just then, a nosebleed flowed from the fifth senior brother's nose.

"Huh?"

The fifth senior brother, who was touching his nose with his hand, opened his eyes wide when he confirmed the blood. In that instant, the fifth senior brother's eyes turned to the seventh junior sister.

"You!"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

The seventh junior sister's eyes widened as if she were surprised to see the blood.

Im-sil also opened her eyes wide, looked at the fifth senior brother and the seventh junior sister, and then quickly raised her hand. In that instant, a small needle was embedded in her neck.

It was a needle held between Do-gang's thumb and index finger. A flash of lightning brushed past Im-sil's entire body, and she couldn't move as if she were paralyzed.

"Keuk!"

Im-sil stared at Do-gang with wide eyes. A smile was full on Do-gang's lips.

"Why are you so surprised? There's only one person who can become the Chung Pavilion Lord, so I don't know why we have to join hands."

"That's right."

The seventh junior sister stood up and hit the fifth senior brother's head once.

Thump!

The fifth senior brother buried his head in the tea table. He didn't move, as if his breath had stopped.

The seventh junior sister smiled and stood behind Do-gang, wrapping her arms around him.

"The only one who can become the pavilion master is our third senior brother."

"You two... are you crazy?"

At her words, Do-gang and the seventh junior sister looked at each other's faces and laughed.

"Since I treated her like a senior sister, it seems she still thinks she's my senior sister."

"That's right. Hehehe! You foolish bitch."

Thwack

(End of Chapter)