CH 197

Pyo-wol thought that only he knew about acupoints. However, when he thought about it again, Jianghu’s history is long. It was arrogant of him to think that he was the only one who knew about it.

Assassins have existed since the beginning of Jianghu.

It would not be strange at all if one of them knew about acupoints.

Long-term research from generation to generation could have found a way to detect changes in the location of a person’s acupoints.

There was only one group in Jianghu that had such a long tradition of assassination techniques.

“The Hundred Wraith Union.”

Except for himself, there was only one place that possessed such a high level of assassination techniques. However, with only a silver needle, he could not claim that the killer was from the Hundred Wraith Union.

Because the evidence was too weak.

In any case, just by uncovering Lee So-yeol’s cause of death, his desired result is achieved. But Pyo-wol was not satisfied with this much.

He had another reason why he asked Lee So-yeol’s body to be moved to the Scripture Pavilion.

Pyo-wol approached the Scripture Pavilion’s bookshelf. 

He then skimmed through the titles of the books.

Movements of Jianghu’s Sects.

Secret Record of the War of the Demons and Heavens.

Battle of the Blood Heaven History. 

Secret History of Jianghu.

There were many books here that are not available on the market. 

Pyo-wol picked up a book related to the history of Jianghu and began to read it at high speed. He did not pay attention to the other books.

Flipping! Flap!

He quickly flipped through the pages. 

This kind of speed was only possible because he was not reading with the intention of fully understanding the book’s contents, but rather forcing the contents of the book into his head.

These books were the reason why Pyo-wol entered the Wudang sect.

Fluttering!

Pyo-wol used most of his mental strength to read those books at a frightening speed.

He didn’t have much time.

He had to read all the marked books within the allotted time.

He read one book without blinking an eye.

Thud! Thud!

A book on the shelf was removed and put back in again.

Pyo-wol read almost a dozen books in one sitting. He was reading at a dreadful pace.

He wanted to read more books, but it was impossible to stay in the Scripture Pavilion any longer. 

There was a great commotion outside the Scripture Pavilion a while ago. It seemed that the patience of the Wudang sect masters had reached its limit when he heard the people’s voices outside grew louder.

Tak!

Finally, Pyo-wol, who put the Battle of the Blood Heaven History on the bookshelf, came out of the Scripture Pavilion.

“You bastard! What did you waste so much time on?”

As soon as he came out, Woo-sung approached him with fierce eyes.

While Pyo-wol was in the Scripture Pavilion, he did not take his eyes off him for a single moment, and his eyes were all bloodshot.

“Taoist! Stop it.”

Woo Pyeong tried to stop him, but Woo-sung did not back down.

The other taoists’ faces were full of anger as well. 

They all glared at Pyo-wol as if they were going to eat him. However, Pyo-wol didn’t even pay attention to them.

Pyo-wol’s appearance made the taoists more angry.

“This man—”

“How dare you!”

They thought that Pyo-wol was ignoring them.

Their thoughts were true.

At this moment, they were not in Pyo-wol’s mind. The place where Pyo-wol’s gaze was directed was at the back of Woo-sung.

To be precise, it was at the staircase leading up to the Scripture Pavilion.

Hoo-hung!

Wind was blowing from the bottom of the stairs.

To be precise, someone was walking up, driving the wind.

The taoists, including Woo-sung, have yet to notice this fact. Their great anger toward Pyo-wol paralyzed their nerves and senses.

Only Woo Pyeong, who was sober, looked back when he felt a strange feeling.

Hoo-huung!

The wind got stronger.

It wasn’t until the strong wind blew to the point of fluttering everyone’s clothes that Woo-sung and the other masters realized that something unusual was happening.

They quickly turned around. Then they saw an old master descending the stairs.

The moment they saw the old taoist, the Wudang sect taoists felt as if they were mercilessly being stabbed by an awl. Their complexion grew pale.

“Hyuk! Senior brother!”

“Why is Uncle Sang-jin here?”

“Ah!”

They recognized the old taoist’s identity at once.

The old taoist was a Sang-jin, who is also known as the Wudang sect’s Number One Sword.

Sang-jin descended the stairs with his sword behind his back. His whole body was flowing with a knife-like momentum.

“Disciple Woo Pyeong meets senior brother.”

“Woo-sung greets uncle.”

“We see you, junior uncle.”

All the taoists who were gathered in front of the Scripture Pavilion bowed in front of Sang-jin.

Among them, the only ones who stayed still were Pyo-wol and Soma. 

Soma hid behind the Pyo-wol and glared at Sang-jin. But Sang-jin didn’t even pay attention to Soma. 

His eyes were fixed on Pyo-wol.

“You’re the demon.”

Sang-jin spoke up at once.

His voice contained a deep hatred.

Sang-jin hated the idea of letting an assassin enter the Wudang sect. He would rather die than let them in. 

“You’re in luck, demon! If it wasn’t for you revealing the cause of So-yeol’s death, I would have torn and killed you in a thousand or ten thousand pieces right away. If you don’t want to die miserably in my hands, you’ll have to pray for the cause of death.”

At Sang-jin’s threat, Woo Pyeong hurriedly stepped forward.

“Senior brother! Lord Pyo is here to help us!”

“Shut up, Woo-pyeong! Don’t you get it? How dare you bring a demon into a Wduang sect’s land. I will punish you severely after the sect leader’s birthday party is over.”

At Sang-jin’s angry voice, Woo Pyeong closed his eyes.

Sang-jin was famous for being upright.

All of his thoughts revolved around the Wudang sect.

He had caused many incidents and accidents in the past because he could never tolerate an existence that has the possibility of causing harm to the Wudang sect’s prestige. But paradoxically, his tenacity made him more devoted to martial arts.

With the determination not to forgive the Wudang sect’s enemies, he immersed himself into the Wudang sect’s martial arts. Thanks to that, he gained a reputation as the Wudang sect’s Number One Sword. He achieved a level unmatched by any opponent in the Wudang sect.

If Sang-jin had a more flexible mindset, the Wudang sect’s leader would have become him, not Cheongjin. Since it was him who could be said to be the best in the Wudang sect in terms of martial arts.

When he openly showed hostility, the air around the area raged.

“Keugh!”

“Hyuk!”

The taoists were instantly pushed back by Sang-jin’s formidable aura. However, Pyo-wol, who is the target of his killing intent, did not respond at all.

Sang-jin’s eyebrows twitched.

His pride was hurt when he saw Pyo-wol not responding to him.

Once he exerts this level of pressure, the other party tends to show a reaction whether they like it or not, but Pyo-wol did no such thing at all.

Sang-jin stepped closer to Pyo-wol, and said,

“Are you ignoring me?”

“No.”

“Then why aren’t you answering?”

“I’m making my calculations.”

Pyo-wol replied indifferently.

Pyo-wol’s appearance made Sang-jin even more angry.

“Calculations? What do you mean?”

“How to kill you easily. And how to get out of the Wudang sect after killing you.”

“You dare—?”

Sang-jin’s eyebrows rose to the sky.

His anger reached its peak.

“Are you making fun of the Wudang sect? How dare an assassin say such nonsense.”

“I’m not ridiculing the Wudang sect. The one I find ridiculous is you.”

A red light shone in Pyo-wol’s eyes.

At that moment, Sang-jin felt his heart tremble. He took a step back without realizing it.

“No matter how you feel about me, I am a guest invited by a Wudang sect. If you were that bothered by my presence, then I shouldn’t have been let in from the beginning. If I come out hurt after being invited, then who will trust the Wudang sect?”

“How dare—”

Hwahak!

Along with Sang-jin’s angry voice, his aura swelled as if it were about to explode. In addition to the aura he released, the hair of the taoists scattered and swayed like seaweed.

The disciples of the Wudang sect made awe-inspiring expressions as if Xuanwu appeared incarnated in front of them. 

However, Pyo-wol, who was in front of Sang-jin, continued his speech without a single change of expression.

“If you want to attack, do as you please. That will only hurt the reputation of the Wudang sect.”

“There’s nothing a man with only his mouth can’t say.”

“Do you think I’m just all talk? I’ll tell you what will happen after I count to ten. First of all, I’m going to run away. I’m going to escape the Wudang sect and hide in the depths of Wudang Mountain.”

Pyo-wol confidently said he would run away.

It was a statement that warriors of a prestigious sect, who valued their face, would not dare to say.

In particular, the said act was even more unimaginable for the Wudang sect taoists. After all, they considered it a shame to show their backs to their enemies.

For that reason, the taoist looked ashamed at Pyo-wol’s words. What Pyo-wol said deviated from the common sense and principles of an ordinary warrior. 

However, as Pyo-wol’s words continued, their faces hardened.

“I’m quite good at hiding. I can endure and live for days like a dead person. So you’re going to have a hard time finding me, no, you will never find me. No matter how bright it is at the Wudang Mountain, even if I eat and hide, you will never find me. Soon, there will come a day when you will get tired of looking for me. I will then quietly come out of hiding and infiltrate into the Wudang sect. Then, I will kill all of you one by one.”

“…………”

“Kill, hide, kill again, hide again. You’ll have no choice but to diligently defend yourself. I’m good at persevering, so how long do you think you can stop me? As long as you don’t stop me, your hellish days will never end.”

“…………”

In an instant, the air around the area froze cold.

The Wudang sect taoists felt suffocated. They could not breathe.

It was the same with Sang-jin.

His shoulders trembled.

He wanted to swing his  sword right away and cut off that wicked tongue. But he couldn’t move in haste.

It was not difficult to attack Pyo-wol. However, if he misses him by any chance, there will be no end to the aftermath.

Indeed, even if the Wudang sect had only half of the information obtained, the Wudang sect’s disciples would never be able to find him.

Even though all of the Emei and Qingcheng sect warriors were mobilized, in the end, they sacrificed themselves and failed to find Pyo-wol. 

The Wudang sect’s masters were no better than them. Their martial arts might be better, but they have not been trained to find assassins.

No one could find Pyo-wol if he committed himself to hide. 

If so, Pyo-wol had to be suppressed at once so that he could not escape.

The problem is that he doesn’t have the confidence to subdue Pyo-wol at once.

Sang-jin is a taoist spiritual master who is confident that he would not lose to anyone in a head on confrontation match, but the problem was that Pyo-wol is an assassin.

He doesn’t feel ashamed of running away, nor does he shy away from ambush.

He could not even guess how big the damage would be if Pyo-wol carried out a sneak attack.

Sang-jin’s jaw muscles twitched.

He had to make a decision.

He either attacks or retreats.

He was afraid of the repercussions of attacking, but he didn’t want to lose face by stepping down.

The one who saved him from his dilemma was Woo Pyeong.

He blocked the front of Sang-jin and said,

“I fully understand Sang-jin’s anger. But isn’t there more to Sang-jin’s reputation? Please give him some time. Isn’t it more important to figure out the cause of So-yeol’s death? Senior brother, I, Pyeong, is begging you. If the result is not good, then take your anger out on me instead.”

Woo Pyeong knelt in front of Sang-jin and begged.

Sang-jin looked at Woo Pyeong and Pyo-wol alternately for a while and said,

“Okay. Since you’re begging this much, I’ll let you go for now.”

“Thank you, senior brother!”

“You, demon! I may be backing down for now because of Woo Pyeong’s pleas, but be aware that my eyes are always on you. If you have other thoughts, my sword will be the first to cut your throat.”

Heung!

His threat caused the roof tiles of the Scripture Pavilion to tremble simultaneously.

The Wudang sect taoists burst into exclamations of admiration at the aura of Sang-jin.

“Wow!”

“As expected of senior brother! Such profound inner work!”

Sang-jin didn’t even listen to Pyo-wol’s answer and turned around. 

He went up the stairs again.

“Whew!”

At the thought that he had finally overcome hardship, Woo Pyeong let out a sigh of relief.

His back was wet with cold sweat.

He also apologized to Pyo-wol.

“I’m sorry. I was the one who invited you yet I made you suffer like this.”

“The Wudang sect coexists with the sage and the stupid.”

It was clear who was the sage and who was the idiot.

Woo Pyeong’s face turned red with embarrassment.

“Hoo…!”

His sighs were scattered in the wind.