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Chapter 395: Personal Revenge (5)
Wuhan Entertainment District.
"He slipped through?"
Clear Water True Man gazed at the messenger's face for a long moment, then tipped back his cup.
"How could he have possibly slipped through?"
Wuhan was the Murim Alliance's stronghold—the front yard of the Righteous Path Association, which was to say the Nine Sects and One Gang.
Еňu m а̃
Not only the Alliance's own facilities, but businesses tied to the Nine Sects and One Gang occupied every back alley, operating as branch offices and surveillance posts alongside their commercial fronts.
In other words, all of Wuhan lay in the palm of the Righteous Path Association's hand.
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And yet he'd slipped through that palm.
It was as though someone were telling him that a human couldn't catch a sluggish insect crawling across the flat of his hand.
"F-forgive me. They shuffled the carriages and used trickery......"
From what he'd heard, they'd lined up dozens of carriages and pulled a shell game.
Ӗn̈ um ӑ
Even so—this wasn't some gambling den where you could manipulate things with sleight of hand. Losing an entire envoy delegation defied reason.
"A warrior...... losing track of something that's not even a tiny bean, but actual people."
Could they have employed some form of witchcraft unknown to them? It wouldn't be strange for a leader of the Black Path murim to know a trick or two.
A renewed sense of crisis crept over him. To have let someone who trampled the laws of nature this freely slip through their fingers.
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The mere thought of how much ruin that man could bring upon the world was enough to darken his mind.
"I...... regret to report that during the pursuit, three of our men suffered serious injuries."
W е b̄ ṅov̄ е l Е̇n u ṁ.а
"Serious injuries?"
"Yes...... two lost arms, and one suffered damage to his qi center."
"And how much damage was inflicted on the enemy?"
"......"
"None whatsoever...... A shame."
"......"
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Clear Water True Man drummed his fingers on the desk, already lost in other thoughts.
The messenger watching him bit down hard on his lip, and Clear Water True Man's gaze turned cold.
"Is something the matter?"
"No, sir."
"Does it not concern you? How many people the Black Path leader you let escape will exploit and corrupt?"
"......Forgive me. I have committed a mortal failure!"
W ё_b̀ nо̇ v êľ Е n û m ǎ
"Does a warrior truly find a scratch on his own body so unbearable?"
"N-no! Absolutely not."
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Demons, the Wicked, Monsters, and Ghosts.
For the past five hundred years, the Murim Alliance had stood at the forefront of eradicating these Four Great Evils.
Countless chivalrous heroes had shed their blood to hold back these corruptions that brought chaos to the world.
Yet now, as if to negate all that blood and all those lives, the Black Thought Alliance's leader had desecrated Wuhan's soil by coming as an envoy delegation.
E̊ n̆ ŭm̊ а̌
When that man had attended the sacred Murim Academy graduation ceremony, the humiliation had been almost unbearable.
Hyeok Mu-gang and Jegal So-myeong—propped up as figureheads—had been colluding behind the scenes and were running the Murim Alliance into the ground.
The hard-won peace of the murim, built upon innumerable corpses—
—was being shattered for individuals' private gain.
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"Your strength exists for the sake of this world. Will you bear great power without shouldering the great responsibility that comes with it—living only to amass influence and lord over others?!"
"......"
Е n̆ũ.m̈.à_.і̌ d̂
At some point, martial prowess had become power, and power had become authority.
The world was sliding into chaos.
In a chaotic world, the line between the righteous and the wicked blurred.
The very fact that Dam Ak of the Black Thought Alliance had dared set foot in Wuhan was proof.
Only Dam Ak's blood could serve as the purifying agent to wash away this corruption.
"I will...... bring back Dam Ak's head without fail."
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At the words of the messenger, whose eyes had regained their clarity, Clear Water True Man waved his hand.
The messenger departed the inner chamber in silence.
Clear Water True Man picked up the Hundred Flowers Dew from the table—where a lavish drinking session had been underway moments ago—and refilled his cup.
He drained it in a single, unhesitating swallow, then turned his gaze to the side and asked.
"Am I not repulsive to you?"
"......"
Wе.b̂ n̄ŏv̈ ӗ_l̆ Е n̂.u m а
A man with delicate, fine-boned features regarded Clear Water True Man with an expressionless face.
Clear Water True Man asked again.
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"Answer me, Yeong. Am I not repulsive?"
The man's expression remained blank. Then his lips slowly parted.
"You are repulsive. Master."
Despite the brazen insolence of a disciple calling his own master 'repulsive,' Clear Water True Man only offered a sardonic smile.
Е̇nu ṁ ӓ . і̃ d
The disciple, Hyeon-yeong, continued.
"But equally, I pity you. Master."
The unexpected answer caused Clear Water True Man's gaze to waver for an instant.
"Why would you think that?"
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"Is it not you, Master, who bleeds more painfully than anyone else?"
"......"
E̊ n̂ ũṁ а.i d̆
"If Wudang, if the Murim Alliance, could flow solely by the Way and the natural order—would you not be the very first to leave the mundane world behind?"
When Hyeon-yeong finished, Clear Water True Man had already regained his composure.
He gazed down at his cup and gently consoled his disciple.
"You need not go so far in reading my heart. Sometimes, the act of resenting someone can itself be a comfort to one's own spirit."
"I have never once resented you, Master."
But once again the answer was not what he'd expected, and Clear Water True Man turned to look at Hyeon-yeong—his direct disciple.
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The child he had been grooming to become the future sect leader.
The child who had shown more brilliant talent and fiercer effort than anyone.
That child, who had shone like a beam of radiance, had been cast into shadow by the arrival of his junior—Yong So-ah.
Yong So-ah's talent and ability were so extraordinary that they could only be called a mistake of the universe, and so Clear Water True Man had willingly discarded the future of Hyeon-yeong, the direct disciple he'd loved like his own son.
"From the beginning, there was no place for me among the dragons and phoenixes."
Yet not a shred of lingering attachment colored Hyeon-yeong's voice.
Ẃе̊ b̀ ń о v̈ё l Е ñ um̈а̊
"I am simply grateful that my existence can serve as nourishment for the Righteous Path."
If his existence could be of even the smallest help, that was enough.
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It had been the right thing to do, to be sure, but a man who'd snuffed out his own child's future with his own hands could hardly be at ease.
And yet here was the disciple—far from bemoaning his lot, declaring he'd be soil for the Righteous Path—and Clear Water True Man's eyes grew moist despite himself.
What disciple in all the world could understand a master's heart this well?
"You...... make this old teacher weep."
Wе̌ b n о́ v̆е l Е̌n̂u m̃а̃
Clear Water True Man downed another cup of Hundred Flowers Dew, steadying his emotions.
"Jin So-un. That boy stepping forward concerns me."
"Is he not merely one more among the wicked?"
Clear Water True Man shook his head.
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"He is different. The Wang Estate Master is supporting Jin So-un's plan. I doubt any of the Nine Sects and One Gang could extract that kind of cooperation from the Wang Estate Master."
"......Your disciple is too foolish to understand."
En̊umа̀ .id̂
That was understandable. However sharp Hyeon-yeong might be, he was still young for his age.
"Jin So-un appears to practice contentment in poverty while delighting in the Way, yet his ambitions point openly toward having crane, coin, and office all at once. Despite that, he is unmoved by wealth and glory. The way he remains unshaken amid all manner of temptation is nothing short of a heart of wood and stone. The Wang Estate Master, too, was likely drawn to that outward appearance and extended his hand to the boy."
"If he is such a man, would it not be our duty to bring him to repentance and set him on the Righteous Path?"
"If only that were possible!"
Clear Water True Man's eyes grew heavy. He recalled the encounter with Jin So-un in the entertainment district.
"I would have done so."
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"......"
"He is not simply unpredictable. That boy is chaos incarnate—disorder itself. As though he relishes it. Throughout centuries of history, every prosperous dynasty was ultimately toppled by someone just like him."
"Do you believe he threatens the Righteous Path itself?"
"Without question."
A silence lingered, and then Hyeon-yeong rose from his seat and offered a clasped hands greeting to his master.
"Your disciple will gladly take the filth upon himself."
Еn̆ ŭm̈а. і d
"Can you do it?"
"I humbly beseech you to grant me this opportunity."
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Watching the disciple who had readied himself to plunge into the fray for the Righteous Path, Clear Water True Man made no effort to hide his satisfaction.
"Very well. Do not fear being tainted in service of the Righteous Path."
The disciple answered with equal conviction.
"Watching you, Master—the first to step into the mire—I have steeled my resolve again and again."
W̄ е b ń о ve l̀ Е̄n̈üm̆ а̀
It was the moment when a master and disciple, neither doubting for an instant that they walked the right road, took yet another step forward together.
***
Honestly speaking, I held no grudge against the Righteous Path Association.
Of course, if the Sojeong Squad members from my previous life heard that, they'd have told me to quit my bullshit and laughed hard enough to fart—but I truly didn't hate the Righteous Path Association that much.
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I just found them a bit repulsive, was all.
Five hundred years ago, they had brought peace to a chaotic murim, laid the foundations of the Murim Alliance, and fought earnestly for chivalrous righteousness all that time.
W е b n õ v е́l̀ Е num̈ â
If they hadn't at least paid lip service to justice and acted in the name of their cause, the murim could have devolved into far worse.
Right—even rotten, a prized fish remains prized. They'd served some purpose.
But the problem was that 'some purpose' had lasted five hundred years.
In a world where the landscape changes in just ten years, they'd clung to power for five hundred.
Five centuries of accumulated conviction and pride had calcified into stone, fossilizing into an indestructible pagoda, until in the present day they'd come to believe that their every action was truth and justice.
Just look at what they were doing now.
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Assassinating an invited guest because he might pose a future threat.
Regarding the Black Thought Alliance not as fellow people of the murim but as contamination that had no right to exist—that was the only mindset capable of producing such behavior.
And their confidence was so overflowing that they didn't even bother hiding what they'd done.
'Those sons of bitches...... at least hide your distinctive movement arts, for fuck's sake.'
I extended my Sensory Perception behind me and caught Qingcheng's Floating Cloud Leaping Drift, Zhongnan's Silver River Wandering Flight, and Wudang's Taiji Movement Art among the pursuers. What a spectacle.
At this rate they might as well tape their sect names to their foreheads instead of wearing masks.
Ẽ n ù ṁа̌ . ïd̆
"Hyah! Hyah!"
I seized the reins and the horses surged faster.
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Far behind, I could feel the pursuers scrambling to close the gap.
They still didn't know which carriage held whom, so they were desperate to get close enough to check the interiors.
'As if I'd let them.'
It was still early in the chase.
Ẽn̄ u̇ m̊ а̂
How much distance I could open between my carriage and the others would determine the density of their encirclement.
For now, the only option was to run flat-out.
—The pursuers are closing in. Shall we shake them?
A Sound Transmission from one of the envoy guards, disguised as an escort.
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Good heavens.
A mere escort capable of shaking off the Nine Sects and One Gang's elite......!
W̌ ĕ b̃ n̊о v е̃ l Е̊ n̄_u̇ m а
That would be the same as waving a sign that said 'Dam Ak is right here~!'
—Absolutely not.
—But they're getting closer.
—Do not engage.
—......Is this because they're Murim Alliance people?
I'd thought we were building a little trust, and now the suspicion was back? That stung.
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But I could understand their feelings.
—Sure, right now you could cut down the pursuers and anyone blocking the road. But the moment they realize Dam Ak is in this carriage, we'll never make it out of Hubei.
—......My apologies.
The guard who bowed his head had no further questions.
He simply shifted from beside the carriage to on top of it, positioning himself to move at a moment's notice.
"Hyah! Hyah!"
Е n úmа̊ .і̇ d̊
I kept pushing the carriage faster, but a heavy carriage simply couldn't outpace warriors who'd mastered movement arts.
The gap was closing steadily, and soon the pursuers began revealing themselves with increasing boldness.
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—They're within ten paces.
The guard on the roof continued reporting the distance.
—Eight paces.
Every crack of the whip drew screaming whinnies from the horses as they pushed harder.
W̄ё b̈ n о̂ v̌ е ľ Е nu m a
"Y-Young Master Jin...... we're going too fast."
The driver beside me had gone white as a sheet.
But I couldn't slow down.
—Six paces.
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The pursuers were now close enough to see with the naked eye.
—Four paces!
Еṅ u m ä . іd
SHING.
The sound of guards cautiously drawing their swords drifted up from behind me.
I didn't even have time to stop them—I just lashed the whip harder.
NEEEEIGH—!
The warhorses' cries echoed through the forest flanking the road.
And then the driver pointed ahead in a panic.
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"U-up there!"
Where his finger aimed—
A group of men had blocked the road, lanterns lit around a fire, signaling us to stop.
—Two paces! What do we do?!
I spoke with absolute finality.
—Do not engage.
Ẃēbn ŏ vе l̈ Е̇ṅ u mа̄
The guard's intense stare bored into my back.
As though demanding to know what the hell I was thinking—I could even feel his resentment.
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I knew.
But this was a battle of nerve.
The first one to flinch was the first to die.
—One pace!!!
Ẅẽ b n оv̈ e̊l̃ Ë ǹ u m̆ а
The urgency had gotten the better of the guard; his Sound Transmission was almost a shout.
Fuck, why aren't they here yet? They should have arrived by now.
And right at that moment—
KA-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!
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A massive force erupted from the forest, sweeping the pursuers away.
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH—
Ẅе̌b̄ ň ŏv̄ ēl Еn u m̃а
Simultaneously, palm force rained down on the bastards blocking the road ahead.
"AAARGH!"
"Who goes there?!"
Agonized screams, startled shouts—every sound imaginable flooded the forest.
The operatives who'd assumed they were the only ones in masks were caught utterly off guard by the sudden ambush, unable to mount a defense before being sent sprawling.
I fired a Sound Transmission at the guard, who was twitching as if about to intervene.
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—Be at ease. They're people I called.
The galloping warhorses trampled the prone bodies without mercy.
"GAAAKH!"
"AAAUGH!"
Horrendous screams rose from beneath the carriage, but I blithely ignored them.
That's what they got for standing in front of a moving carriage.
Е̃ñüm̌a . і̂ d
Once all pursuers had been shaken, a man leaped onto the carriage roof.
The guards moved to attack but caught my glance and sheathed their blades.
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The man settled casually beside me.
"Fuck! You're late! I thought I was going to die."
Despite my crude tirade, the man calmly removed his face covering.
"You didn't say you'd be coming this way."
Еn̊ùm̈ å
The face revealed was Cheol Sun-jik.
I kept the carriage at full speed and asked.
"Why are both you and Nam Hwa-seong here?"
"We've already scattered adequate personnel on the other routes, so don't worry abou......"
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THUD.
Nam Hwa-seong landed on the carriage roof as well.
Еn̈ u ṁ.ӓ.і̊ d̂
"Jin So-un, are you really going through with this insanity? No, you're already— ha, are you going to keep going?"
Always with the grumbling.
"Hurry up and get back to work. There'll be more pursuers to deal with."
"How much more?"
"Until dawn, obviously! The longer we keep at it, the more confused they'll be."
"......You really plan to see this through to the end?"
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"Obviously. If I was going to quit halfway, why would I have started?"
I couldn't see his face, but I could guess exactly what expression he was wearing.
"Goddamn it...... I'm collecting on this debt in full."
What was he on about? Who did he think all this effort was for?
"Why would you collect from me? Take it up with Strategist Dam Ak."
"We're following your orders, so...... ugh, forget it."
Ẅе̂b n̆ о̃v̂е̄ l̆ Е́n ù m̊å
Nam Hwa-seong scratched his head awkwardly, muttered something about how he could hardly ask the Black Thought Alliance's strategist for payment, then kicked off the carriage and vanished into the forest.
Cheol Sun-jik, who'd remained quietly seated beside me, fixed me with his weasel-sharp eyes for a long moment before speaking softly.
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"This is a race against time."
"I know."
"Once they get heated, it won't just be lay disciples coming after us."
"I know."
Ё ň u̇m̀ a
"In the worst case, to buy time they might......"
"That's why I said go do your job!"
"......"
A brief silence passed.
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"Then I'll see you alive."
Cheol Sun-jik, too, launched himself into the dark forest.
Е ň ù m а̂ .і̇d́
By now, the Righteous Path Association bastards were probably losing their minds trying to figure out which carriage held Dam Ak.
They needed to find out as fast as possible so they could consolidate their forces.
On top of that, masked elites had suddenly appeared out of nowhere to disrupt them—they had to be going absolutely insane.
But here was the thing.
I had no intention of playing along nicely.
If they didn't want this, they shouldn't have started it in the first place.
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'Come on then. Let's see what you've got. I'll pluck every last hair off that sycophant's beard.'
I pulled the reins tighter and pushed the horses faster.
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