Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 85 : Hiding in the Fog (3)

"Why am I your sworn sister?"

Hyung Soo-pung tilted his head as Jo Geom-ok asked back. It was a different tone than usual.

"The Alliance Leader decided it. I am the sworn brother, and you are the sworn sister. But your condition is strange."

If it were the usual Jo Geom-ok, she would not have asked like that.

'One is hard enough, but two...'

Jo Geom-ok calmly judged the current situation. She couldn't think of a way to easily avoid them.

Swish!

Jo Geom-ok, who turned her head at the sound of clothes rustling, discovered Cha-yong, who was blocking her escape route.

Hyung Soo-pung smiled and stood up.

"It seems the Soul-Stealing Needle has fallen out of your head since you're talking so much. Well, that's why you've had so many useless thoughts. Were you a failed body from the beginning?"

"Let's go quietly together."

As Cha-yong also spoke from behind, Jo Geom-ok bit her lip.

The smell of blood from the yard seeped into her nose. The atmosphere was not good.

"Why did you kill that person?"

When Jo Geom-ok asked, Cha-yong answered.

"He said a pretty person lived next door and guided me. He said he wanted to hug a noticeable beauty once, so I killed him."

At Cha-yong's dry voice, Jo Geom-ok thought of her neighbors. There were a few young men who occasionally poked their heads over the wall.

Useless curiosity calls for death.

Hyung Soo-pung said.

"Will you go quietly together? Or should we make some noise? If you don't go, I have no choice but to kill the people living around here."

"You cheap bastard. You're still the same."

"It's not that I'm cheap, but you make me that way."

"What does it matter to me whether a stranger dies or not? Do as you please."

"You say that, but you care, don't you? That's your weakness."

Clang!

As Hyung Soo-pung drew his sword, Jo Geom-ok clicked her tongue. What was peculiar was that Hyung Soo-pung was holding the sword in his left hand.

He was left-handed.

Hyung Soo-pung was a person who kept his word. If she ran away, he would kill the ordinary people living around here. To vent his anger.

And he was also a guy who would frame her for killing them.

"Let's go. We're sworn siblings, aren't we? The disciple that our master loves the most is not us, but Jo Sa-mae. Didn't our master give you his own surname? You shouldn't forget that grace."

As Cha-yong spoke softly, Jo Geom-ok had no choice but to answer.

"Yes."

At Jo Geom-ok's answer, Hyung Soo-pung and Cha-yong stood on her left and right.

Jo Geom-ok, who had left the house with them, thought that it had been quite fun for a while.

She, who had turned her head and looked at the house, was relieved that Jin Sa-wol was not there. If he had been there, she would have had to fight with them.

'It's better this way.'

* * *

Two horses came running in front of the carriage that was returning to Guguang City. They were the horses that Cha-yong and Hyung Soo-pung were riding.

Jo Geom-ok, who was sitting behind Hyung Soo-pung, jumped off the horse when she arrived at the carriage.

Jo Geom-ok, who stood in front of the carriage, bowed her head.

"I'm back now."

"Hohoho! Come in and sit."

At Jo Han-yu's voice, Jo Geom-ok opened the curtain and went into the carriage and sat down.

"I'm glad you're back. I feel like a daughter who has left home has returned."

"I'm sorry for causing you concern."

"No. But you look very tired."

"Ugh!"

"Rest for a while. It will be different when you wake up."

The voice from inside the curtain flowed with the wind.

* * *

Numerous crowds were gathered around the main gate of the Gangnam Grand Inn. They were people who had gathered to see the former leader who had retired from the Martial Alliance.

After noon, hundreds of warriors from the inn gathered at the entrance of the inn and opened the way.

They lined up from the entrance of the inn to the inside under the command of the guest room master and blocked the approach of the people.

The Martial Alliance Leader was a person who had gained great fame, to the point of being called the pride and god of Guguang.

As he, who had ruled the martial world for decades, returned to his hometown, people waited for him with joyful hearts.

"He's coming!"

"There he comes!"

"Waaaaaah!"

A huge shout and roar spread wide around the inn.

Woo Jeong-bong, who was standing among the people, looked at the carriage approaching from a distance.

The sight of the warriors guarding the carriage and the people cheering for them was a spectacle.

There was no separate triumphant general.

Thump-thump!

Dozens of people walked out of the inn and lined up at the entrance of the inn. Among them was the figure of the innkeeper, who was wearing a fox mask.

He, who had not shown his face at all, had come out to greet him in person.

As the carriage approached, the man with the fox mask, the innkeeper of the Gangnam Grand Inn, took a step forward.

The door of the carriage opened, and Jo Han-yu, who had been the leader of the Martial Alliance, showed his face.

He, who was wearing a white robe and a white cloak, had a generous impression with a half-white beard. Although he looked to be around sixty, his actual age was over seventy.

"Waaaaaah!"

"Alliance Leader!"

The roar became even louder.

The innkeeper of the Gangnam Grand Inn with the fox mask bowed his waist deeply towards him.

"I greet the Alliance Leader."

"It's been a long time, younger brother."

"Yes, older brother."

Jeong-yeop used the title 'older brother' and smiled with his eyes. Although he did not take off his mask, his joy could be seen just by his eyes.

"I will show you inside."

As Jeong-yeop turned his body to guide the way, another person got off the carriage.

It was Jo Geom-ok.

She, with her long black hair down, looked around the crowd with cold eyes and then followed the leader.

Behind her, Cha-yong and Hyung Soo-pung stood shoulder to shoulder.

"It's the Cold-Faced Twin Swords."

People who recognized Cha-yong and Hyung Soo-pung raised their voices. The Cold-Faced Twin Swords was the nickname for Cha-yong and Hyung Soo-pung.

In fact, the two did not like that nickname.

"Tsk!"

The sight of Cha-yong clicking his tongue briefly brushed past Woo Jeong-bong's eyes.

But Woo Jeong-bong was not interested in Cha-yong. His eyes were only looking at Jo Geom-ok.

'What happened?'

She was definitely with Jin Sa-wol. But now she was following the leader, so he couldn't help but be surprised.

On top of that, her expression was as stiff as a doll. It looked that way.

Jo Geom-ok looked only ahead with emotionless eyes.

"To see even the Ice Sword, I'm really getting an eyeful today."

Woo Jeong-bong frowned at the voices he heard around him and then jumped into the air.

Whoosh!

"Hmph!"

"Who is it!"

The warriors of the inn drew their weapons towards Woo Jeong-bong, who had suddenly blocked the front of the leader and landed.

The guest room master recognized him and had a hardened expression.

"It's been a long time, senior uncle."

Woo Jeong-bong showed a bright smile and cupped his fist. As he bowed his waist, Jo Han-yu smiled, stroking his beard.

"Hohoho! Who is this? Isn't it Hyun Jin? Welcome."

"I came to see my senior uncle. It's okay to join you, right?"

"Do that."

Jo Han-yu did not refuse. It was because there were many people's eyes.

Woo Jeong-bong, who had gone behind Jo Han-yu, threw a smile at Jo Geom-ok, winking one eye.

"We meet again, Jo Sa-mae."

"When did we see each other?"

Jo Geom-ok looked at Woo Jeong-bong once with a face devoid of any emotion and then looked ahead.

At her cold attitude, Woo Jeong-bong felt that something had changed.

"Brother Woo. It's been a long time."

"It's been a long time."

Woo Jeong-bong raised his hand at the greetings of the two junior brothers from behind.

"It's good to see you."

Woo Jeong-bong nodded and then silently glanced at Jo Geom-ok and observed her.

But he couldn't ask what had happened. Jo Han-yu was in front.

* * *

A whistle sounded around the Golden Pavilion. That signal was a signal to announce that the leader had arrived.

The maids of the brothel in the Golden Pavilion moved even more busily. It was because they had to prepare for a banquet.

Dozens of maids made a place on the first floor of the Golden Pavilion, carried food, and practiced dancing.

Three of them walked out to the back of the Golden Pavilion.

They were Mae Jeong-mun, the brothel master, and the veiled women who followed her.

As the guards approached, Mae Jeong-mun offered them a meal. As she said to eat first since they had to prepare a meal, the guards moved to the Golden Pavilion without any suspicion.

The three, who had climbed the plank road that stretched long over the surface of the lake, stopped where a boat was docked.

"Go straight in the direction where the sun is rising. Be careful. I also don't know Muyeondo well because I've never been there."

At Mae Jeong-mun's words, the two boarded the boat without a word and rowed.

Mae Jeong-mun moved quickly back to the Golden Pavilion.

Creak! Creak!

Bi-sun, who had taken off his courtesan's clothes, rowed and said.

"When we were guarding the main gate of the Golden Pavilion, the number of ordinary people who entered the Golden Pavilion was a hundred. But none of them came out. They must have all died, right?"

When Bi-sun asked, Jin Sa-wol nodded. There was no need to answer.

The people who worked at the Golden Pavilion were fixed, and they lived inside, so they could not be seen.

Then where did the new people who had entered disappear to?

The answer was Muyeondo.

It was one of two things: either they lived while working there, or they died.

Although he was frustrated because he didn't know anything, on the contrary, it stimulated his curiosity even more.

"Sea fog."

As they approached Muyeondo, a thick sea fog obscured their eyes.

As they entered the sea fog, Bi-sun put down his oar and sat down. The two, who had entrusted their boat to the flowing current, closed their eyes and opened their ears.

The sound of lapping water was slowly moving in the silence. When the sound of wind and birds was heard, Jin Sa-wol opened his eyes.

As he turned his head to the northwest, he saw a watchtower poking its head out beyond the fog in the distance.

"The northwest watchtower."

At those words, Bi-sun opened his eyes and looked in the northwest direction. He saw a watchtower obscured by the sea fog. The distance was about thirty zhang.

Just then, a sudden wall appeared in front of the two.

It was not a wall, but a ship. A small boat with two people on it was about to collide with the bow of a ship that was about the size of a large merchant ship.

Bi-sun and Jin Sa-wol quickly extended their hands towards the wall, avoided contact as much as possible, and attached the boat they were on.

The two nimbly climbed onto the ship and stood on the deck. In their eyes, they saw two more ships of a similar size.

Besides that, it seemed there were several more small boats.

At the pier, several people were seen coming and going. Fortunately, they were preparing another boat, not the boat that Jin Sa-wol and Bi-sun were on.

"Hurry up with the preparations. We're in a hurry! Now!"

A loud voice echoed among the working people.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Jin Sa-wol and Bi-sun quickly jumped off the ship, went into a nearby forest, and sat on a tree.

In their eyes, they saw the appearance of an island without sea fog.

Between a wide forest, dozens of houses and a large five-story pavilion were seen. The surroundings of the village were surrounded on three sides by a cliff that seemed to have been carved out.

Since a thick sea fog covered the island, only the sea fog was visible from the outside, and it was hard to find the appearance of the island. On top of that, even if you broke through the sea fog and came in, most of it was a mountain except for the entrance, so it looked like an uninhabited island.

In their eyes, they saw a large ship leaving the pier. When the attention of the people around was focused on the ship, Bi-sun moved first.

"I'll take the left."

Whoosh!

As Bi-sun disappeared into the forest on the left, Jin Sa-wol moved to the right.

Jin Sa-wol, who had climbed the mountain, stepping on trees, looked at the five-story pavilion located in the center of the village.

Since it was the most noticeable place, it was also the place with the tightest security.

'I'll move at night.'

Jin Sa-wol sat on a tree branch, waiting for the night to come. Just then, a bell rang loudly from the watchtower.

At the clamorous sound, a large number of men in black gathered at the entrance of the village.

A short while later, he saw a boat entering the pier.

It was the boat that had headed for the Golden Pavilion.

As the ship arrived, Jo Han-yu, who had been the leader of the Martial Alliance, appeared at the pier with the innkeeper.

(End of Chapter)