Chapter 188: Organizing The Group Members (1)
Chapter 187 – Organizing The Group Members (1)
Chogok Tavern.
It was a shabby and old tavern located at the entrance of a long canyon.
It was also a tavern one must visit before entering the canyon. Especially when arriving at a late hour, it was a place where one had to spend the night.
If one rashly passed Chogok Tavern and entered the canyon directly, it was common to suffer all kinds of hardships in the middle of the night and return.
Clop… clop…
The escort convoy joined by Namgung Cheon had just reached Chogok Tavern with the canyon ahead.
Although the tavern had not a single customer, the owner sat at an outdoor table and merely fanned himself without even trying to attract customers.
It was as if he was arrogantly asking, ‘Can you pass through that canyon without stopping here?’
Yi Sa-heum approached Yeon Chu-ryang and spoke.
“Let us rest for a moment before going. Once we enter the canyon, there will be no suitable place to rest.”
“Let us do that. Since the days are still long, let us rest a bit and depart. We have enough leeway that we do not need to spend the day here.”
“Very well.”
Yi Sa-heum nodded and gave directions, and the escorts and porters entered the tavern and took their seats one by one.
The tavern owner stood up leisurely as if he had expected this and headed to the kitchen.
The cadets, including Namgung Cheon, also split into two tables and sat in groups of four.
As it happened, those who had entered the Demonic Pill Valley naturally sat together, while the other cadets sat separately at the adjacent table.
“Now, now, we will grab a quick bite and leave immediately, so please refrain from drinking alcohol.”
“Yes, Director!”
The escorts and porters responded in unison and ordered food.
Just as Namgung Cheon ordered a bowl of noodles and was drinking water,
Whoosh.
A gust of wind blew from the canyon and swept past the table. Although it was an extremely ordinary breeze, Namgung Cheon, who was drinking water, paused and turned his head.
Following Namgung Cheon’s gaze, the other cadets also turned their heads. However, the space between the canyon walls was still shrouded in darkness, and nothing could be seen.
“Why are you so startled?”
Yu Hyeon, sensing that Namgung Cheon’s behavior was unusual, asked quietly.
“Someone is coming.”
“Pardon?”
As Yu Hyeon turned his gaze again, were three people indeed walking out from between the canyon walls?
They certainly had not been visible just moments ago, and it was unclear when they had appeared.
‘Briefly, Young Hero Namgung’s sensory perception is truly like that of a ghost.’
In fact, detecting a presence of this level was not particularly difficult for Namgung Cheon.
Since someone who had spent his life running away in constant anxiety would display a sense close to a miracle even without internal energy.
They were people wearing bamboo hats pressed down low, and judging by their unusual appearance, they were definitely martial artists.
The three of them approached Chogok Tavern as if nothing were wrong and chose an empty outdoor table to sit at.
Coincidentally, it was the seat right next to where Namgung Cheon was sitting. Namgung Cheon stared intently at the three.
Just then, the one-armed man among the three glanced at Namgung Cheon, quietly walked over, and murmured in a low voice.
“Kid, why are you staring like that? It is rude to glare at an elder so.”
Chuckle.
“You laugh?”
“You are not dead yet? Old man.”
At Namgung Cheon’s sudden words, the one-armed man flinched. As he swept a glance around, Namgung Cheon curled the corners of his mouth.
“No need to be tense. The other guys are not paying much attention anyway.”
That was certainly true.
Let alone the porters, the escorts and the Biyue Sect members did not particularly care about this side.
They simply assumed a passing martial artist had approached Namgung Cheon to ask something.
Of course, they had not revealed any killing intent or battle spirit.
The cadets with Namgung Cheon were somewhat tense, but they too did not show any battle spirit or killing intent.
Since there was no need to be the first to show hostility to opponents whose identities they did not even know.
Namgung Cheon alone seemed to know their identities.
The one-armed man wearing a bamboo hat nodded.
“Fine. Since you managed to recognize me, I will get straight to the point.”
“Spit it out.”
“Hand over what you took.”
“What? Did you leave something in my care?”
The one-armed man’s brow twitched. He swept his eyes around the peaceful tavern and spoke in a whisper again.
“It seems you have not told the others what you took. It would not be good for either of us if things get noisy for nothing.”
“Of course. It is always best for the one who has it to keep his mouth shut.”
“Good. You are smart. I will share a portion with you as a reward.”
“Old man, it is unpleasant to hear you spout such crazy talk so naturally.”
“Are you going to risk your life over greed?”
“What happened to your other arm?”
“I paid it as the price.”
“That is a strange way of calculating. I have never received anything.”
“Let us stop joking.”
The one-armed man’s patience was gradually reaching its limit. Still, he preferred to handle the matter quietly if possible.
Namgung Cheon let out a sigh as if he could not help it.
“Alright. Since neither of us will benefit if rumors spread, we should handle it quietly, right?”
“You are certainly not stupid.”
“Of course. If the attention of the Jianghu is completely focused on us, would the elixir even go down our throats?”
“Then will you trade quietly?”
“If I hand it over submissively, how much will you give me as my share?”
“How much do you want?”
The one-armed man, the Black Immortal, asked with a twist of his lips.
As expected, he was just an inexperienced kid in the Jianghu, so it could not be helped. Although his martial arts were decent enough to be slightly concerning.
Indeed, talent and experience did not always match.
Namgung Cheon thought for a moment, then beckoned with his finger.
“Lend me your ear.”
“Speak.”
The Black Immortal bent his waist slightly with a much softer tone than before.
In an instant!
Tap, swish, stab-stab-stab!
In the blink of an eye, did Namgung Cheon not grab a pair of chopsticks and stab them sequentially into his dantian, neck, and forehead?
It happened so quickly that even the cadets sitting at the same table could not make any response.
“Keu-huk!”
The Black Immortal, with a chopstick stuck in his Yintang acupoint, rolled his eyes back and collapsed.
Thud!
At that moment, all the martial artists in the tavern drew their weapons.
Clang!
“Young Hero Namgung!”
“What is happening!”
However, Namgung Cheon’s next action was much faster than their reaction.
Swish-swish-swish!
At that moment, did Namgung Cheon not step right over the Black Immortal and sprint toward the canyon?
“Ah! Catch him!”
“Oh no!”
The two men in bamboo hats sitting at the adjacent table jumped up and began to chase Namgung Cheon like the wind.
They were so fast that the bamboo hats they were wearing flew off like kites with broken strings.
Belatedly, Yeon Chu-ryang and Yi Sa-heum ran over and looked at the Black Immortal collapsed beside the table.
“No, what on earth is…”
“What happened?”
As Yi Sa-heum pressed the remaining cadets at the table, Yu Hyeon quickly stepped forward.
“We do not know the exact circumstances either. It seemed they had a personal grudge against Young Hero Namgung.”
“A personal grudge?”
Yi Sa-heum tilted his head with an incomprehensible expression, but Baek Mu-geuk and Paeng Su-hyeok also kept their mouths firmly shut.
“I will go.”
The one who suddenly stepped forward was none other than Bi Ryang.
The moment he finished speaking, he kicked off the ground and dashed away like a gust of wind. At his stupendous lightfoot art, Yeon Chu-ryang and Yi Sa-heum stared blankly.
“What on earth… is going on…”
* * *
Skrrr!
Entering the canyon, Namgung Cheon slid on the ground and stopped abruptly. Crimson Anger Madam and Young Master Jade Smile, who were closely pursuing him, also stopped in a hurry.
Skrrr!
Whoosh!
Crimson Anger Madam spoke as she emitted a glowing energy from her ten fingers.
“Kid, you know how to run quite well.”
“Of course. As you see, I was first in the Joint Conference lightfoot competition.”
“However, you will not be able to escape our grasp. If you hand over what you took right now…”
“If I were going to do that, I would not have come all the way here. Why do you think I ran all this way?”
“…?”
As Crimson Anger Madam and Young Master Jade Smile looked at each other, Namgung Cheon chuckled and continued.
“I was worried that you might make a slip of the tongue and talk about the Demonic Pill Valley. That is why I came here. It is no good if too many people know the secret, right?”
“That is a brilliant idea.”
As Young Master Jade Smile smiled gently while fanning himself, Namgung Cheon scowled deeply.
“Who are you?”
“Pardon?”
“I already know Crimson Anger. I am asking what kind of fellow you are.”
“Ah, I am…”
“Forget it. You are going to die anyway. Knowing your name will only bring bad luck.”
“…”
“I will call you gigolo.”
“Hah.”
Young Master Jade Smile burst into a chuckle.
The youth standing before him had clearly not even passed twenty, yet was he not incredibly cheeky?
A murderous smile formed at the corners of Young Master Jade Smile’s mouth.
“It would be better if you handed it over submissively.”
“Child, if you act this way, we have no choice but to kill you and take it.”
“Try it if you want, old hag.”
By this point, Crimson Anger Madam’s patience had also reached its limit, and her entire body began to turn red. In particular, her fingers thickened into a grotesque shape, turning like the claws of a beast.
“Excessive bravado will only hasten your death!”
Bang!
In an instant, Crimson Anger Madam shot forward like an arrow.
Namgung Cheon’s eyes sparkled.
‘Fire phase!’
The ten streams of energy extending from each of her fingers closed in on him like a spiderweb.
Namgung Cheon drew his sword while simultaneously channeling water-phase qi. And the sword technique that best suited water-phase qi…
‘The Wudang Daoist priests might foam at the mouth if they knew!’
But since there is no one watching anyway.
Swish-swish-swish!
For an instant, Namgung Cheon’s movements unfolded extremely slowly. It was slow enough to bewilder the charging Crimson Anger Madam.
However, the moment Crimson Anger Madam’s finger art reached close proximity, Namgung Cheon’s figure accelerated astoundingly.
Swish!
The ten streams of energy extending from each of her fingers were evaded as Namgung Cheon slipped away like the wind, and in the blink of an eye, he thrust out his Emerald Silk Sword.
Yet the direction the sword tip pointed was bizarre.
Spin, spin.
It kept rotating as if drawing a circle. There was no way to know where or how it targeted.
It felt like it was fluttering and moving, to the point where it was ambiguous whether it was a sword strike or a sword dance.
Clack-clack-clang!
Sparks flew as Crimson Anger Madam’s fingernails collided with the Emerald Silk Sword.
“H-How…?”
Anxiety arose in Crimson Anger Madam’s heart.
She frantically blocked Namgung Cheon’s sword strikes, which swept in softly yet heavily.
It was clearly slow, yet difficult to counter.
The feeling of all paths being blocked.
It felt as if a huge wave was pouring in relentlessly.
‘Wait… could this be?’
She felt she had fought against this before!
Yes.
Was it not the Wudang Sect’s Taiji Sword?
A sword technique that unfolded as if drawing large and small circles!
It indeed looked exactly like the Wudang Sect’s Taiji Sword. Wudang’s Daoist priests were like her natural enemies, so she tried her best to avoid colliding with them.
It was because of the subtlety of ‘Highest Good is Like Water’.
Although not all Daoist sects were like this, Wudang in particular obsessed over the foundation of Daoist thought, so it conflicted with her martial arts.
But to think she would face the Wudang Sect’s Taiji Sword here?
Wait. But did they not say this guy was from the Namgung Clan?
Why does he use the Wudang Sect’s martial arts?
In the gap where Crimson Anger Madam’s mind grew confused, Namgung Cheon’s sword strikes instantly changed.
Flash!
As if loaded onto an arrow, the Emerald Silk Sword flew straight toward Crimson Anger Madam’s heart.
It was the Boundless Sky Single Arrow stance of the Boundless Sky Sword Art.
Swish!