novelraw Chapter 97 : Chapter 97
Chapter 97 : Chapter 97
Chapter 97 Gold Clothes Sect (2)
Looking down at the flustered Mad Dragon, I spoke again.
“I have thought about the reason for the Sado Alliance’s sudden growth. Clearly, only ten years ago, the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Cult divided the Central Plains, so how could the Sado Alliance grow to a level where it stands shoulder to shoulder with those two organizations in just ten years?”
I approached Mad Dragon and sat down with a thud beside him.
“I was told that the unorthodox martial artists of the Sado Alliance, who could not unite because they possessed their own forces, gathered into one organization and grew this much because of the leadership of the Alliance Leader and the Elders, who possess outstanding martial power. So, while I was in the Sado Alliance, I did some investigation in my own way....”
When I raised my hand, a small whirlwind began to blow around it.
It was the Mad Demon’s Rotation Scripture.
At that sight, Mad Dragon’s mouth hung wide open.
“Whether it is the structure of the Sado Alliance or its operational methods, many things are similar to the Demonic Cult. Furthermore, the timing when the Sado Alliance’s growth began coincidentally matches about ten years ago, when the previous Heavenly Demon stepped down from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
“…….”
“I wondered if those who obtained something leaked during the Demonic Cult’s period of chaos grew the Sado Alliance to this extent. Is my thought correct?”
Mad Dragon bit his lip slightly.
“You fellow…….”
“I became certain after seeing your martial arts today, Lord Mad Dragon. In the process of unwrapping the cloth coiling around your saber and then wrapping it back, I felt the traces of the Rotation Scripture.”
Mad Dragon asked, unable to take his eyes off me.
“You…… how much do you know? The Rotation Scripture of Lord Mad Demon.”
All of Mad Dragon’s interest was already focused on the Rotation Scripture.
This meant my guess was correct.
Mad Demon and Mad Dragon.
Seeing as he even left those traces in his own title on purpose, he seemed to respect the Mad Demon quite a bit.
The saber technique itself was completely different from the Mad Demon’s martial arts, but it seemed to have quite a good compatibility with the Mad Demon’s Rotation Scripture.
Perhaps Mad Dragon intended to cross the final realm he had not yet reached through the subtleties obtained from the Rotation Scripture.
Maybe the very motivation for his rejuvenation was growth through the Mad Demon’s Rotation Scripture.
Is that why?
A hot desire burned in the eyes of Mad Dragon as he looked at me, who had mentioned the Mad Demon.
“Did I not ask how much you know!”
“……To the very end.”
At my answer, Mad Dragon jumped up from his seat.
“Do not lie! How could a fellow like you know that martial art——”
In an instant, the energy that was swirling in my arm rapidly grew in size.
Soon, the energy coiling around my arm split into two strands, then three, and then four while wrapping around the arm.
At that sight, the strength drained from Mad Dragon’s body.
“Phew. I have not learned it properly, so this is my limit. However, the rest of the contents are all within this head of mine.”
When I replied while tapping my head, Mad Dragon slumped back into his seat with a thud.
“How on earth…….”
Confirming the look in Mad Dragon’s eyes as he watched me, I grinned.
I thought that perhaps today, one of the few famous swords of the Jianghu might have fallen into my hands.
****
The rattling carriage entered the Chimju region.
Simultaneously, Mad Dragon, who had been glancing at me, let out a dry cough.
“So, you are saying not to kill anyone?”
“Except for the Blood Cult fellows.”
At those words, Mad Dragon let out a deep sigh as if feeling stifled and then nodded.
Ice Rakshasa, who had been watching the conversation between the two of us with curiosity, began to rummage through and pack her luggage.
“We will arrive at our destination soon. Everyone, get ready.”
The carriage that entered the Chimju region with a rattle stopped in front of an inn located in the center of a large city.
The sign of the inn had the words 'Ugyeong Inn' written in an elegant script.
The party, having gotten off in front of the Ugyeong Inn, bid farewell to the people they had ridden the carriage with.
“Let us see each other again next time.”
“It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“If you have time, give us a chance to treat you once next time. It was an enjoyable trip thanks to you.”
After saying goodbye to Chu Pal’s party, with whom we had built quite a friendship, my party entered the inn.
“Let us rest for a bit and meet back here in half a sijeon.”
Ice Rakshasa spoke while dusting off her head.
Most of the inns we had stopped at until now had been temporary ones, so they were not equipped with proper bathhouses.
Since Ice Rakshasa, who entered a city for the first time in a long while, insisted that we must wash before moving, the party decided to gather on the first floor after taking a short rest.
Ice Rakshasa went up first, and I followed behind her into my own room.
Taking a seat in the corner of the room, I closed my eyes and quietly spread my energy wide.
Spreading my energy within a range where Mad Dragon would not notice as much as possible, I began to memorize the structure of the entire city in my head.
Having briefly etched the structure of the city into my mind, I pulled out the report from my pocket.
Then, I carefully read the report given by the Alliance Leader once more.
The place where the Gold Clothes Sect used to be was at the southernmost part of the city.
I spread my energy toward that side as much as possible, but no demonic energy was felt at all.
‘In this case, I will have no choice but to go there myself.’
Folding the report and putting it back in my pocket, I walked toward the luggage I had set down in a corner of the room.
Beside the luggage, a long, rod-shaped object was wrapped in white cloth.
Picking up the object and bringing it to the center of the room, I unwrapped the white cloth.
A single sword with a dark scabbard revealed itself from within the falling cloth.
‘Mangru Blood Sword.’
It was a gift from the Sado Alliance Leader, handed over by the One-eyed Old Man before leaving Ak-yang.
I reached out and pulled the sword from its scabbard.
─ SHIIING
The blade of the sword, which came out with a strange sound, was a deep red like blood.
‘Hmm. They said it was one of the treasures of the Sado Alliance, and it is indeed quite good. At this level, it should be able to withstand my energy.’
I turned the sword this way and that with a satisfied expression.
At this level, it seemed I could use my martial arts to my heart’s content without worrying about a weapon for the time being.
After spending a good amount of time familiarizing myself with the sword by swinging it here and there, I put it back into the scabbard and wrapped it in the white cloth.
Not spending any more time in the room, I went down to the bottom floor of the inn and walked toward Mad Dragon, who was sitting in a corner looking out.
Beside Mad Dragon was a small A-frame carrier, and his saber was placed on top of it.
Confirming that I was approaching, Mad Dragon grinned and gave the carrier a light kick with his foot.
“Will this suffice?”
“It is very good. Thank you. I should have gone myself....”
“Forget it. I did it because I was bored.”
Mad Dragon looked as if he wanted to say something while glancing at me, but then he let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
I placed my sword beside Mad Dragon’s saber on the carrier and wrapped them with a large cloth.
A moment later, the rest of the party all came down to the first floor.
“Are we going right away?”
“Yes. I intend to see for myself if there are any strange points. Let us go and return before the sun sets.”
I replied to Ice Rakshasa’s question and shouldered the carrier.
“Let us hurry as much as possible before the sun sets further.”
I led the way out of the inn, and the party following behind walked straight down to the south where the Gold Clothes Sect had been located.
****
After walking for a long while, the manor of the Gold Clothes Sect began to appear in the distance.
Because it was a place slightly away from the city center, the surrounding commercial area had died after the destruction of the Gold Clothes Sect, and abandoned wooden buildings remained everywhere, giving off a desolate atmosphere.
“Is there a reason this place has been abandoned until now?”
At my question, Ice Rakshasa shrugged her shoulders.
“It is a place that the Diancang Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects and One Beggar Clan, destroyed with gritted teeth. Only recently, as the scale of the Sado Alliance grew, have there been talks of rebuilding it, but back then, no one dared to touch it because they were wary of the Nine Great Sects and One Beggar Clan. There were even frequent stories that it was cursed land.”
While talking, the party soon arrived in front of the Gold Clothes Sect manor.
After looking around the surroundings for a moment, the party avoided the fallen gate and climbed over the collapsed wall of the Gold Clothes Sect.
The buildings, which had not been maintained for a long period, had no intact parts.
Only mushrooms and weeds that grew between the rotten wooden buildings were lush inside the manor.
If it were not for the half-destroyed stone wall surrounding the exterior of the manor, one would not even have known this was a manor.
“Let us scatter and see if there is anything strange.”
At my words, the party nodded and began to spread out in all directions, searching every nook and cranny of the manor.
‘……There is not even a trace of demonic energy.’
Spreading my sensory perception wide, I looked around and let out a small sigh.
No matter how much I looked, there were only weeds and rotten wooden buildings.
‘The black stones mentioned in the report could really have been materials meant for rebuilding this area. If that is the case, then this investigation is a waste of effort.’
Smacking my lips bitterly, I examined various parts of the manor.
In that way, the party searched the manor thoroughly for over a sijeon, but there were no particular gains.
The sun hid behind the mountain, and looking around at the surroundings that had grown dark, I waved my hand to call the party.
“There is nothing special.”
“Same here. Only weeds and insects.”
Ice Rakshasa shivered as if her skin was crawling.
“What about you, Young Hero Ban? Did you discover anything?”
Ban Cheol-hwi nodded while wiping his sweat-covered forehead.
“There was nothing. Seeing as no traces of people remain, it seems correct that it has just been neglected for a long period.”
“Same.”
Hearing the answers from Ban Cheol-hwi and Mad Dragon, I let out a small sigh.
It seemed we would be returning without any gains today.
Since the surroundings were getting dark, the party moved back to the inn, deciding to look around the surroundings again tomorrow morning.
****
Even after all the party members went up to their rooms, I remained on the first floor with lingering regrets, lost in thought while looking at a map of the Chimju region.
‘No matter how much I think about it, this is the only place.’
The manor of the Gold Clothes Sect, located at the very bottom of Hunan Province, was the center of the southern Central Plains.
It was the optimal location where I would have definitely installed an altar if I were the leader of the Blood Cult.
However, looking back at today's situation, I had no expectation that I would find anything there even if I went back tomorrow morning.
‘What am I missing?’
A welcome voice reached my ears as I was agonizing and lost in thought.
“Destiny really is destiny. Is the young hero staying at this inn as well?”
When I raised my head, I saw Chu Pal approaching with his comrades, waving a bottle of Bamboo Leaf Green.
“Oh? Hello.”
“Heh. We met at just the right time. I was wondering when we could have that drinking contest again that we couldn't finish on the carriage.”
Chu Pal winked as he clacked a bottle of Bamboo Leaf Green down in front of me.
‘Right, since there is no immediate answer, should I cool my head for a bit?’
Since it seemed there was nothing I could gain immediately even if I agonized further, I let go of my regrets and bowed my head slightly to convey my pleasure.
“Alright. Let us truly see the end of it today.”
Chu Pal, who grinned at me, removed the cork of the Bamboo Leaf Green.
“Heh. Be satisfied with this Bamboo Leaf Green for today. Do not worry, I am not trying to settle the favor I received on the carriage with this. I will treat you properly at the next opportunity.”
Chu Pal filled my glass with a glug.
“Since I found a job as soon as I arrived, it might take some time, but I will surely be able to repay the grace.”
“A job?”
“Yes. I did not expect to be assigned such a decent job right away.”
Seeing that the expressions of Chu Pal’s party were quite bright, it turned out that being able to find a job immediately was the reason.
When I offered words of congratulations, the party members simultaneously raised their glasses and emptied the liquor into their mouths.
“The materials seem a bit heavy, but still, the daily wage is nearly double that of Ak-yang, so this trip to Chimju is a complete success.”
“Of course. Still, using strength is the field we are most confident in, is it not?”
I raised the bottle and first filled the empty glasses of Chu Pal’s party.
“What kind of work did you find?”
“If you walk for about a sijeon from here, there is a large stone mountain. They said they are building something inside that stone mountain. When I went there today, the hardest work was already finished.
All that is left is to dig the cave deeper and move the materials in, so I was lucky.”
“……A stone mountain?”
My eyes sparkled as I felt something strange.