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Chapter 58: The Masked Man (2)
Chapter 58: The Masked Man (2)
Chapter 58: The Masked Man (2)
The most precious thing in the world.
Something everyone possessed in abundance, but they guarded it tightly, ensuring not a drop was spilled.
Even if they lost only about a third of it, a person would perish.
That was blood.
Streaks of sticky blood flowed on the floor of the Black Ghost Manor. Over twenty Black Ghost Manor warriors lay dead.
From the appearance of the wounds, all signs pointed to them being killed by a single individual.
It was clear that the tall masked man standing proudly ahead was responsible.
“The one stabbed in the back up there is the Black Ghost Manor’s master,” Jeong Gu whispered softly.
“He might not be all that impressive, but it’s suspicious that the men we stationed nearby didn’t hear any screams.”
To the Biyeon Squad, the Black Ghost Manor wasn’t a formidable opponent.
If they wanted, they could have easily annihilated them, but had they done so, there surely would’ve been screams or loud shouts.
-There are many with wounds on their backs.
This time, through voice transmission, Jeong Gu spoke to Mu Jung.
Mu Jung’s eyes sharply scanned the surroundings.
Sure enough, among the fallen bodies, many had been stabbed in the back. Especially those who seemed to be the core martial artists of the Black Ghost Manor.
-Did you recognize him?
-It seems so.
The wounds were incredibly sharp. Just from the way arms and legs were cleanly cut off, it implied that the wielder of the sword was an expert who could infuse their sword with internal energy.
-You don’t know who he is?
-Due to the mask, I can’t really…
-Hmm, his skill level is certainly superior. There’s no mercy in his handiwork.
However, the Biyeon Squad members weren’t scared.
They too could handle such a situation.
“Who are you?”
Representing the group, Mu Jung stepped forward and asked the masked man. The man stood still, his blood-soaked sword hanging loosely by his side.
After a brief silence, a low voice echoed from behind the mask, “It’s the question I’d like to ask.”
Mu Jung’s expression tensed slightly. The voice resonated as if spoken from within a cave and had an unpleasantly distorted quality.
“Changing your voice with a mask on. Must be someone with a lot to hide.”
“Hmm.”
Someone who went to the extent of disguising their voice must be trying to conceal their identity. Yet the Black Ghost Manor didn’t seem to be on guard against this man.
Indeed, as Jeong Gu had mentioned, something was amiss with the Black Ghost Manor.
If he had annihilated the Black Ghost Manor, it might have been to eliminate evidence.
Mu Jung glanced briefly at Baek Ha-jun. Ha-jun nodded in approval.
“We are from the Baek Clan’s Biyeon Squad. We came to investigate the Black Ghost Manor, but we did not expect to encounter a suspicious visitor like you.”
“Why would the Biyeon Squad interfere?”
The masked man’s voice was profoundly gloomy. However, given that his mask had a crying expression, it seemed rather fitting.
“It’s a clan matter. Sheath your sword, and if you simply answer our questions, this can end amicably.”
“That won’t be possible.”
Without sheathing his sword, he slowly began to approach Ha-jun and his party.
Shing—
The members of the Biyeon Squad simultaneously drew their swords, their stance impeccable, as if choreographed.
“If you don’t stop, we might have to restrain you and force you to talk.”
“Servants living to lick the shoes of the Baek Clan…”
The tone was unmistakably contemptuous.
Both Ha-jun and the members of the Biyeon Squad instinctively felt it. This man clearly harbored animosity towards the Baek Clan.
“… Quite arrogant for someone who might die soon.”
“Biyeon Squad, it’s fine to slice off a few limbs.”
With a smirk, Mu Jung made that comment. Despite missing his left hand, his swordsmanship was still fierce.
The approaching masked man certainly seemed weak. Yet, an intuition honed from countless battles told Mu Jung otherwise. Just from the man’s walking posture alone, he appeared to be a formidable opponent.
Three members of the Biyeon Squad would likely be enough to restrain him without much difficulty.
Nevertheless, Mu Jung tapped the ground lightly with his left foot, signaling his comrades to protect Ha-jun.
-Please step back a bit.
Heeding the warning, Baek Ha-jun took a step back.
The approaching masked man’s movements seemed to slide forward even faster.
At the same time, three members of the Biyeon Squad took up defensive stances.
The Biyeon Squad was well-versed in formations where the majority confronted the minority. A natural Three Talents Formation unfolded, with members attacking from the top, middle, and bottom. Their swords surged towards the masked man, threatening to tear him apart any second.
And at that moment, Baek Ha-jun’s eyes widened in shock.
The Biyeon Squad members seemed oblivious, but the blood of the Baek Clan flowing in Ha-jun’s veins sounded an alarm.
‘He’s hiding his true strength.’
The sword, stained dark with dried blood, was deceiving the Biyeon Squad and Ha-jun’s party.
And instinct acted faster than reason.
As Baek Ha-jun drew his sword, the masked man’s sword accelerated in a split second.
Clang-clang!
In an instant, he fended off the swords of the three Biyeon Squad members. Such was the overwhelming force imbued in his sword that the upper bodies of the Biyeon Squad members were suddenly exposed.
The face of the masked man contorted at an eerie angle.
His sword, dropping abruptly, shot up towards the chin of one of the Biyeon Squad members like a venomous snake lunging at its prey.
Thwack—!
The sword that was embedded below the chin jutted out from the back of the head. Blood and brain matter splattered into the air.
Then,
Whoooorrrrr—!
Jeong Gu, who had inadvertently been splashed with the blood, blew the conch horn. It was a signal for the waiting Biyeon Squad members and Low Down Sect members outside.
“Damn it!”
With gritted teeth, Mu Jung thrust his sword. He didn’t have the time to assess the condition of his colleagues. It was an unmistakable instant death.
‘How… His strength has drastically changed.’
The strength of a martial artist wasn’t something easily concealed, especially not from those with keen senses like the Biyeon Squad.
The fact that the Biyeon Squad was taken by surprise only meant one thing:
The opponent’s skill level greatly surpassed that of the Biyeon Squad.
Clash-!
Surely enough, the sword of the masked man, which just moments ago had pierced through a colleague’s head, now blocked Mu Jung’s.
Sparks flew, momentarily obscuring Mu Jung’s vision. Simultaneously, the masked man’s sword vanished.
“Arghhhhh!”
A scream rang out nearby.
Another one of their companions was slashed across the chest.
The sword of the masked man seemed to have an insatiable hunger for blood. This time, an unavoidable sword lunged toward Mu Jung’s side.
“It’s disappointingly slow.”
Mu Jung instinctively sensed his impending death without moving.
However, at that moment, a sword thrust from behind prolonged his life.
Clang!
With a metallic resonance, the masked man’s sword was repelled for the first time.
“You bastard.”
“Who are you?!”
The one who intervened and repelled the sword was none other than Ha-jun.
The masked man swung his sword without a reply, but Baek Ha-jun deflected it once more. Their swords clashed in mid-air, producing a loud noise.
Astonishingly, Ha-jun displayed superior swordsmanship compared to the Biyeon Squad members.
His prowess was unbelievable for a mere twelve-year-old boy.
The few months spent with his peer, Moyong Jin, had evidently enhanced Baek Ha-jun’s skills tremendously.
Ha-jun’s sword grazed the back of the masked man’s hand. For the first time, the masked man sustained an injury.
However, Mu Jung couldn’t indulge in a moment of awe.
“I didn’t plan for this…”
It was because he felt the killing intent in the masked man’s somber voice.
“Die here.”
The accelerating sword of the masked man. Standing in front of Baek Ha-jun, it was Mu Jung who took the sword strike instead.
Clang!
However, the masked man’s sword slid along Mu Jung’s hand, and then it slashed deep into the remainder of Mu Jung’s right hand.
Yet, unfazed by his injured right hand, Mu Jung shouted to the newly arrived members of the Biyeon Squad.
“Protect the Young Master!”
The masked man’s sword pierced into Mu Jung’s abdomen.
“No! Mu Jung!”
Ha-jun cried out in dismay.
However, Mu Jung couldn’t respond because he bit down on his own tongue.
The blood filled his mouth. Just before collapsing, Mu Jung spat it onto the face of the masked man.
“Khek—!”
It must have entered the eye holes of the mask.
Seizing the moment the masked man’s vision was obstructed, an enraged Baek Ha-jun lunged.
‘Now is the chance to slit the masked man’s throat.’ That must have been what he thought.
Baek Ha-jun had intuition, but lacked experience. Moreover, Mu Jung and the Biyeon Squad members, who could have warned him, were all dead.
On the other hand, even blinded, the masked man remained an exceptional martial master. Ha-jun’s sword, fueled by rage and devoid of reason, lacked sharpness.
The price for that was severe.
Whoosh!
The man’s sword moved with a glint, piercing Ha-jun’s chest.
‘My heart’s been impaled.’
That’s how Ha-jun felt.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Jeong Gu had yanked at Ha-jun’s collar in the nick of time.
As the sword shallowly penetrated, the masked man clicked his tongue.
“Tsk.”
In that brief moment, he drew his sword down, slicing open Ha-jun’s chest.
Ha-jun couldn’t even scream; he just opened his mouth wide.
As blood spurted out from his chest, his vision blurred.
“Young master!”
“Kill him!”
The shouts of the Biyeon Squad members, belatedly entering the fray, could be heard.
Jeong Gu, who pulled Ha-jun close, threw something.
With a bang, a yellowish smoke erupted.
It was a smoke bomb. Jeong Gu, covering Ha-jun’s nose with a cloth dampened with water, hugged him tightly and began to flee.
One of the Biyeon Squad members followed them.
The remaining two, prepared to face death here, charged at the masked man.
“Young Master, you must stay conscious!”
“Ugh, cough.”
Trying to respond, only blood-froth dripped from Ha-jun’s mouth.
The sound of clashing swords echoed faintly, and his chest became damp with the blood he himself shed.
Ha-jun recalled the figures of the fallen Biyeon Squad members.
“Ugh.”
His consciousness grew blurry.
Feeling as though his awareness was being sucked into darkness, Ha-jun thought, ‘…Will my brother be angry?’
Yi-gang would be back soon.
Seeing the failure of the task he’d entrusted, and finding his younger brother as a lifeless corpse, what expression would Yi-gang wear?
Eventually, Ha-jun lost consciousness.
Yi-gang returned to Xi’an.
Compared to the warm Hunan, the Shaanxi Province was much colder. The snow that fell the day before hadn’t melted, making everything appear white.
Yet, even in the cold air, he could sense the familiar scent of home. The roof tiles covered in white snow looked as warm as cotton quilts.
The journey had taken a total of three months. Aside from encountering the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger early on, the journey was smooth, but Neung Ji-pyeong and the Biyeon Squad never lowered their guard.
It was only upon their return to Xi’an that their expressions became warmer.
Yi-gang, too, felt at ease. No matter how long he had been away, home was still home.
He had plans to meet his father, Baek Ryu-san, and present him with an internal elixir made of Red-White Tuber Fleeceflower. He also intended to meet Ha-jun and hear about the events that transpired while he was away from home. They could head to the Greatest Gold Tower, enjoy the spicy Kung Pao chicken and sweet red bean rice cakes, and chat.
Thus, even as he passed through the main gate of his residence, a smile graced Yi-gang’s lips.
However, the situation inside the estate was far from normal.
No one came to greet Yi-gang. The servants wore tense, hardened faces, and the retainers were rushing about.
It was only after one of the Biyeon Squad members appeared that they became aware of the situation.
The member, his wounds wrapped with blood-stained bandages, explained everything that had transpired.
Yi-gang’s expression grew increasingly grim.
“My father has fallen.”
A few days ago, the Clan Head had suffered from severe hemorrhaging and had been bedridden. It was the cold winter, and the aggravation of his pulmonary disease seemed likely.
However, the news about Baek Ha-jun was unexpected.
“Are you saying that Ha-jun took members of the Biyeon Squad out and was attacked by a suspicious man, and now he’s in a critical condition?”
“…Yes, Young Master.”
It was supposed to be a simple task he had assigned to the Low Down Sect members.
Why did Ha-jun personally intervene, and more so, why did he take the Biyeon Squad members with him?
If the Biyeon Squad had intervened, it should have been handled properly. But reports say six members of the Biyeon Squad died, and the suspicious man got away.
“The Low Down Sect member who brought Young Master Ha-jun with me is currently being interrogated in the Council of Elders.”
The Biyeon Squad member lowered his head, seemingly in regret.
“The Council of Elders…”
Yi-gang lightly tapped the member’s shoulder and turned around, heading in the direction of the council.
?Interrogation. It’s quite clear what that means.?
‘Jeong Gu is likely being tortured.’
The Baek Clan, especially the interrogation by the Red Dragon Corps, was notoriously brutal. Jeong Gu, who had started the investigation on Yi-gang’s order, must be in a dire situation now.
?You should hurry.?
Servants and vassals greeted him from various places, but Yi-gang silently continued walking.
Passing through the doors of the inner chamber, deeper inside.
By the time Yi-gang finally reached the Council of Elders, the warriors guarding the entrance were the first to block his way.
“Young Master Yi-gang, you cannot enter at this time.”
Without uttering a word, Yi-gang glared at the gatekeeper.
Stammering from the piercing gaze, the gatekeeper added an explanation.
“The Council of Elders is in session. Entry has been strictly prohibited…”
“Step aside.”
The gatekeeper hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Undeterred, Yi-gang proceeded forward.
Just as the gatekeeper reflexively tried to block him again,
Neung Ji-pyeong, who had been following Yi-gang, intervened.
“How dare you block our path?”
“S-squad Leader Neung.”
“Make way.”
Neung Ji-pyeong’s eyes were as bloodshot as Yi-gang’s.
With Neung Ji-pyeong’s protection, Yi-gang continued onwards.