Chapter 220: Strange Feelings (1)
Chapter 219 – Strange Feelings (1)
The day of Black Line, the Obscurity Society Leader, was a repetition of the same daily routine every day.
Waking up early in the morning, he circulated his energy on an empty stomach and finished his breakfast. Then, having a cup of tea, he received reports of the news that had come in overnight.
Reports were mostly oral rather than in writing. This was to avoid leaving evidence as much as possible.
If there was information that particularly needed to be recorded, he would give separate instructions to the recorder. Of course, since that record was also composed of codes, it was not something anyone could read and decipher.
In any case, today as well, Black Line drank the precious Longjing tea and felt a deep sense of a changed era.
Looking out the window, a small pond in the backyard was visible.
To think the day would come when he spent such peaceful and high-class days.
Even so, when he had once risen to the position of chief administrator of the Obscurity Society, he had dreamed for a moment.
However, after being demoted for disobedience since then, he had neither dreams nor joy. Yet Namgung Cheon had dragged his falling life back up in a single breath.
It is human nature to feel special toward a person who reaches out during a difficult time and changes one’s life.
‘My lord must be doing well, right?’
Even though he was far younger, strangely, when facing Namgung Cheon, he felt as if he was dealing with an old and experienced expert of the Jianghu.
Although his martial arts were also outstanding, did the atmosphere he exuded feel sharper and more solid than his martial arts?
It was said that being born a man and meeting a lord to serve for a lifetime was a heavenly blessing, and Black Line’s feeling right now was exactly that.
While he was lost in such sentiment, he suddenly stopped at the words casually spoken by the old administrator.
“Wait.”
“Yes, Society Leader.”
The old administrator replied, bowing his head deeply.
He was originally the chamberlain of the Obscurity Society, a man of few words and a highly cautious attitude.
Having been in the Obscurity Society longer than Black Line, and already close to Black Line, he was naturally appointed as the administrator.
“Tell me that news again.”
“Yes, they say the martial artists of the Hefei branch are moving after receiving the call of the alliance.”
“From the Hefei branch?”
“That is correct.”
“Why do you think the alliance is calling them?”
“Since it is an unsettled time, is it not to call them? It would make it easy to dispatch them when needed.”
“Hmm. Is that natural?”
As Black Line narrowed his eyes and muttered, the administrator replied with a faint smile.
“Certainly, it is not natural.”
“As expected. What are your thoughts, administrator?”
“Although Hefei is relatively close to Wuhan, it is strange that they drafted only the martial artists of Hefei without touching other places. Also, in the current dangerous situation in Hebei, it is also incomprehensible that they called them to the alliance instead of dispatching them north immediately.”
Black Line nodded repeatedly as he listened to the administrator’s opinion.
He also thought the same.
At first listen, since there was also the Yellow Crane Tower incident, it only appeared that they drafted martial artists to reinforce their military strength.
However, looking at the situation in detail, there was definitely an unnaturalness.
It was in this gap that real information was hidden.
In short, one had to read between the lines.
A few lines of information reported to the Obscurity Society. The meaning hidden between those few lines became key information.
Hefei was the capital of Anhui.
And in Anhui, there was the main estate of his lord, Namgung Cheon—the Namgung Clan.
As far as he knew, Namgung Cheon was covertly opposing the Martial Alliance.
That was also the reason Namgung Cheon had seized the Obscurity Society first. To keep the alliance in check.
Yet the alliance moved in a place closely related to the Namgung Clan. And that movement was unnatural.
‘They might have some scheme.’
The absence of martial artists meant they would weaken that much. And even if an incident occurred, it would become difficult to take action.
What if it was not an inevitable measure but a deliberate situation?
‘Are they hoping for something to happen in Anhui Province?’
He did not know yet.
It might be a hasty judgment.
For now, he had no choice but to report it as it was.
The judgment was for his lord to make.
“Administrator, we must send a letter to my lord. With the fastest one.”
“I will prepare it.”
The administrator bowed to reply and left the room.
* * *
Official temples and shrines were scattered all over the Central Plains. And beggars rolled around everywhere.
The outskirts of Huangmei County, which could be called the border between Hubei and Anhui.
In the middle of a dense forest, an official temple that no one visited stood precariously as if it would collapse at any moment.
And inside, an old man so filthy that it was hard to look at with open eyes was asleep, holding a liquor bottle.
“Zzz. Whew…”
The beggar, who exuded a terrible smell, was in a deep sleep, snoring as loudly as thunder. Occasionally, he muttered as if talking in his sleep.
No wonder a deer wandering nearby fled in panic.
Just how long did he sleep like that?
The beggar, who seemed unable to wake up even if someone carried him away, suddenly opened his eyes wide as if lying.
Since it was a reaction shown suddenly without any warning, he looked like a possessed person.
The beggar gulped down liquor to wake himself up.
“Phew! Killing!”
Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, the beggar narrowed his eyes and rolled his eyes left and right. He was completely different from his disheveled appearance just a moment ago.
A chill was transmitted from his faintly narrowed eyes.
The next moment, he quickly struck the ground with his palm.
Thud!
In an instant, dust rose and the board flipped open.
The old beggar quickly threw himself under the board and closed the cover with a bang.
Just then, a bundle of straw leaning next to it fell and covered the floor.
A moment later.
When the mountain birds playing in front of the temple suddenly flew up, figures in black began to land one by one.
The black-clad man who arrived last grimaced and grumbled.
“What is this sewer smell?”
“It seems to be a place where beggars rolled around.”
As a black-clad man spoke, glancing at the temple, the grumbling man strode over and kicked the temple door.
Crash!
In an instant, the door fell off and the interior was revealed.
However, there was no particular feature.
Just like any other official temple.
Instead, the foul smell grew worse.
“Ugh. Damn beggars! The smell is terrible!”
At the man’s grumbling, several black-clad men let out chuckles.
“What about the Black Cloud Squad?”
“They will probably arrive at Mount Huang at a similar time.”
“Good, let’s go. There must be absolutely no mistakes.”
“Accepting orders!”
The black-clad men answered politely and flew away.
Only after a long time had passed did the board on the temple floor slowly budge, and soon flipped open as the old man crawled out.
He drank from his bottle and let out a hearty burp.
“Belch! Ah, good.”
Exclaiming, he glanced at the broken door and walked out. Under the moonlight, the knot on his waist was visible.
A knot tied seven times.
A Seven-Knot Beggar.
If it were someone who knew the Jianghu, they would have easily noticed that he was not just an old beggar but an Elder of the Beggars’ Sect.
The Beggars’ Sect, composed of beggars, distinguished their status by the knots on their belts.
And if it were a martial artist with very good eyes, they would have even known that he was the Fully Drunk Beggar.
The Fully Drunk Beggar hiccuped and muttered, looking east.
“Mount Huang. Mount Huang wine is indeed delicious.”
Standing blankly for a long time, he grabbed his collar, pulled it up, and sniffed.
“Dog-like bastards. I don’t smell anything!”
* * *
The meaning contained in the saber.
Paeng Jeok-ho blankly looked down at the massive saber placed on the table.
Had he ever thought of such a thing while swinging a saber until now?
When his father passed away long ago, Paeng Jeok-ho was too young.
The meaning contained in the saber.
He had no room to swing his saber while caring about such things.
Unexpectedly rising to the position of Clan Leader, he lived while receiving numerous checks and jealousy within the family.
Among his relatives, there were not a few who eyed the Clan Leader position.
That was how unexpected and sudden his father’s death was.
In such a situation, where would he have the mind to put meaning into the saber?
He drew his blade simply to survive, and swung it to cut the enemy.
He thought that was fine.
Particularly, was the Hebei Paeng Clan not a family of practical combat?
But…
The son of the enemy who killed his father said that was wrong.
And he showed it to him in person.
Although his pride was hurt, he had no choice but to accept it humbly.
Namgung Cheon was certainly great.
It was his first time feeling awe before an opponent of his son’s age.
“Putting meaning into a saber is a difficult thing. So before that, try to grasp the meaning of your martial arts. You must think about the profound meaning of the Hunyuan Thunder Divine Art and what the Hunyuan Thunder Saber wishes to achieve.”
Those were the words Namgung Cheon had spoken to him.
It was within reach yet elusive.
However, that revived a spark of hope in Paeng Jeok-ho’s heart.
That the Hebei Paeng Clan could develop further.
‘I wondered why Hyeok’s martial arts had developed so rapidly…’
Now he understood.
“Namgung Cheon. Perhaps you are a much greater figure than I thought.”
“What did you say?”
At the voice heard suddenly, Paeng Jeok-ho jumped up in surprise.
“Wh-What? When did you come?”
“I just came.”
Namgung Cheon walked in with a good-natured smile.
Glancing at the massive saber on the table, Paeng Jeok-ho blocked it slightly and asked.
“For what business?”
“What do you mean business between us.”
What kind of relationship do we have!
It was Namgung Cheon who acted friendly after the duel.
However, Paeng Jeok-ho did not particularly refute it, perhaps because he did not dislike it either.
Instead, since Namgung Cheon was about to go behind him, he quickly blocked his way.
‘There is nothing good about being caught studying martial arts after hearing that fellow’s words.’
However, Namgung Cheon quickly sat at the table and let out an exclamation.
“Oho, you left your saber out and were studying hard. Did I perhaps disturb you?”
“It’s not that.”
“Ayy, you were. Well, they say the time you think it’s late is the fastest. If you study hard starting now, you might become a great person when you grow up.”
Twitch.
He was indeed a fellow who strangely got on people’s nerves.
“Are you mocking me now?”
“Ayy, why would I? Even if everyone in the world says the Hebei Paeng Clan is blockheaded, I have never spoken such words out loud.”
Didn’t you just say it?
“Furthermore, even if everyone in the world points fingers at the Hebei Paeng Clan for being stubborn and having terribly loud voices, I think of it as conviction.”
Somehow it was confusing.
Whether he was mocking him or not.
“So, I came to make a request.”
“What?”
“Even if I am not here, please protect the Eon Clan Estate well.”
“You speak like someone who is about to die.”
“I won’t die, but I might leave.”
Paeng Jeok-ho furrowed his brow.
“Is something happening?”
Namgung Cheon let out a faint smile.
“It is only a guess for now, but I might have to visit my family.”
“Do you mean Mount Huang?”
“Yes. Because I received a strange letter.”
Namgung Cheon replied, lost in thought.
The letter was sent by Black Line, the Obscurity Society Leader.
Although it was in code, he could decode the content clearly.
– Martial Alliance, large-scale draft of martial artists from Hefei branch in Anhui Province. No abnormalities elsewhere.
‘They drafted martial artists only in Anhui Province, leaving other regions alone.’
If so, Anhui was as good as empty.
Of course, the Namgung Clan existed.
However, they wouldn’t empty the branch trusting the current Namgung Clan.
Furthermore…
‘Because there will absolutely be no good intention if it’s the work of that old geezer of an Alliance Leader!’
Namgung Cheon’s expression became quite serious.
It was then.
Suddenly, Paeng Su-hyeok ran in breathlessly and shouted.
“Father! We have trouble!”