Chapter 232: The Namgung Clan Is in My Hands (2)
Chapter 231 – The Namgung Clan Is in My Hands (2)
Namgung Cheon lightly leaped over the wall and then unfolded lightfoot techniques to run to the hill in a single bound.
Looking back, he saw the Eon Clan Estate in the distance, illuminated as bright as day.
In preparation for a potential surprise attack by unorthodox martial artists, the martial artists residing in the Eon Clan Estate were still keeping their tension and standing guard.
“Now that the Beggars’ Sect has joined, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Moreover, since they could also use Jiangshi, even if the unorthodox martial artists launched a surprise attack in a million-to-one chance, they wouldn’t be easily defeated.
Of course, unless the unorthodox martial artists were crazy, they wouldn’t strike again.
At least as far as Namgung Cheon knew, Ryu Nan was not a man to do something so reckless.
Anyway, Namgung Cheon now intended to go to Mount Huang.
The reason he slipped out secretly at night was because he worried that the morale of the remaining people would drop.
Only a few days ago, even if a single cadet slipped away, no one would have spared a glance, but now the situation was different.
Namgung Cheon had become the symbolic entity of the Jinzhou Eon Clan defense battle.
Furthermore, as Namgung Cheon clearly saw through the flow of internal energy and even helped treat the injured, he was more popular among the martial artists than the two leaders.
Even if Namgung Cheon just passed by in the distance, they would deliberately run over, clasp their hands, and heap all kinds of praise.
In such a situation, if Namgung Cheon said he was leaving the Jinzhou Eon Clan for Mount Huang, who would welcome it?
Therefore, Namgung Cheon had slipped out of the Eon Clan Estate without anyone knowing.
‘Shall we go then?’
Namgung Cheon turned his body and began to run, unfolding lightfoot techniques.
But had he run about twenty zhang?
He saw people gathered in the distance.
“Hmm?”
Stopping his steps, he saw Paeng Su-hyeok, Jin So-hong, Yun Jong-seung, and Yu Hyeon standing firm with their arms crossed.
“Are you fleeing under the cover of night?”
Paeng Su-hyeok asked with a half-hearted expression, placing his great saber over his shoulder.
Namgung Cheon chuckled.
“An urgent matter came up, so I have to go. See you next time.”
“Who said you could?”
“Ah, it was because of this. I almost forgot.”
Namgung Cheon muttered casually, then took something out of his bosom and tossed it.
Receiving it in confusion, Paeng Su-hyeok opened his eyes wide.
“You… did you really come to give me this?”
“Wasn’t that what you were asking for?”
“Well, it’s good if you give it, but…”
The corners of Paeng Su-hyeok’s mouth kept twitching as he saw the Lesser Returning Pill in his hand. But as Namgung Cheon tried to move his steps again, Paeng Su-hyeok quickly stiffened his expression and said.
“Of course, if you want to gift this to me out of respect, I won’t refuse it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“However, I, no, we have no intention of letting you go alone.”
“Move. I’m busy.”
Paeng Su-hyeok took a large step forward again, cleared his throat, and said.
“Fine, if it is such an urgent matter, we will help.”
“No, move.”
“We will go to Mount Huang with you. We have already heard from Elder Hong An-gae. You are going to Mount Huang, right? If there is a need to use force there, we will fight with you.”
“No need…”
Namgung Cheon tried to speak indifferently, but fell into thought for a moment.
Indeed, running alone would be much faster, but there was no need to reject those who offered to help out of camaraderie.
‘Yes, this life must be different.’
Facing ten thousand people alone is tiring. And as such situations repeat, wouldn’t camaraderie develop?
Namgung Cheon’s gaze also turned to the other cadets standing behind Paeng Su-hyeok.
They were all biting their lips tightly, expressing their will to go together.
Just then, Yun Jong-seung also took a step forward and said.
“If it is something that happened at Mount Huang, I cannot be left out. Let’s go together.”
“Fine, understood. Instead, I won’t wait even if you fall behind.”
“Of course!”
The cadets replied in unison.
As Namgung Cheon moved his steps again, Yun Jong-seung approached his side and asked.
“But are those who went to Mount Huang really unorthodox martial artists?”
“They might not be.”
“Indeed. Didn’t Elder Hong An-gae say he received information that the ‘Black Cloud Squad’ was going to Mount Huang? But the Black Cloud Squad attacked the Eon Clan Estate yesterday.”
Namgung Cheon nodded.
Particularly, since the Black Cloud Squad Leader had died by Namgung Cheon’s hand.
Therefore, unless another Black Cloud Squad existed, it was more likely that someone used the organizational information of the Black Mist Coalition to pretend to be unorthodox martial artists.
Yun Jong-seung muttered with a serious expression.
“If the guys who went to Mount Huang are not unorthodox martial artists, what on earth is their identity? What are they targeting?”
‘They must be plotting to erase the Namgung Clan from history by using the Black Mist Coalition that rose up this time. If so, that sly fox, the Alliance Leader, would indeed be the most likely suspect.’
Namgung Cheon did not spit out the thoughts that rose inside.
Instead, he was quite certain in his heart.
It was also suspicious that the Hefei Branch of Martial Alliance did not perform its role right before he heard the news from the Beggars’ Sect.
Namgung Cheon continued his thoughts while moving his steps.
‘He wouldn’t take such a risky measure so actively simply because the Namgung Clan is related to the Great Killing Star. If so, that sly fox, the Alliance Leader, has another intention…’
As far as he knew, the Martial Alliance Leader was not a character to take risky measures based on emotion.
He is close to a thorough pragmatist.
In other words, as long as there is no benefit for him, he knows how to endure even if he is displeased.
Nevertheless, planning to the point of moving even the branch meant that he was targeting some benefit.
‘Then is it indeed related to the Demonic Pill Valley elixirs?’
Namgung Cheon turned his head slightly and looked at Paeng Su-hyeok.
Paeng Su-hyeok was still unable to close his open mouth while looking at the Lesser Returning Pill in his hand.
The people who knew that the Demonic Pill Valley elixirs had entered the possession of the Namgung Clan were extremely few.
However, if it was the Alliance Leader, it was fully worth suspecting.
Since it was the Martial Alliance that ordered the escort of the Thieving Ghost in the first place.
If they targeted the Demonic Pill Valley elixirs, did the Alliance Leader move directly? Or did he borrow someone else’s hand?
For now, it was a part that could not be known before going and seeing directly.
‘I must hurry.’
Namgung Cheon loaded his qi into the Yongquan acupoint and shouted.
“I’m going. I won’t wait even if you fall behind, so follow on your own.”
In the next moment, he began to run like an arrow.
* * *
A carriage ran diligently along the official road heading to Beijing.
Yeo Sin-woo, who let his pitch-black hair hang down, looked out of the carriage window indifferently.
“The Valley Leader’s… no, the Coalition Leader’s plan has gone awry. To think such a time would come.”
“Because the Coalition Leader is also a human.”
The handsome man sitting opposite smiled softly while stroding the feathers of the Jade-Eyed Spiritual Crow held in his bosom.
At first glance, his appearance was so handsome that one might mistake him for a woman, and he was so youthful that he looked like a minor.
However, he was well over thirty years old this year.
He was Ji-gang, who was called by the sobriquet of the Scholar of Ten Thousand Learnings as the Chief Strategist of the Black Mist Coalition.
Yeo Sin-woo narrowed his eyes and glared at Ji-gang.
“A man who is supposedly the Chief Strategist speaks irresponsibly.”
“How should I speak responsibly?”
“What do you do anyway? Shouldn’t a man who is the Chief Strategist devise strategies?”
“You know. The Coalition Leader is much smarter than me.”
Ji-gang replied with a bright smile. That appearance looked almost lovely.
However, Yeo Sin-woo shuddered inwardly.
Knowing that that appearance was thoroughly a mask.
If one relaxed their mind seeing Ji-gang’s carefree look, they would immediately become prey.
Ji-gang was such a fellow.
A fellow whose thoughts behind that bright expression were completely impossible to guess.
Even what he just said was so.
That the Coalition Leader was much smarter than him?
Nonsense.
Of course, the Black Mist Coalition Leader Ryu Nan is a possessor of outstanding intelligence.
However, Ji-gang is also outstanding.
The reason Ryu Nan could push his schemes without hesitation was also because Ji-gang was always beside him assisting. Sometimes, he provided clues so that Ryu Nan could devise good schemes.
Regarding this, Ji-gang had said:
“The center of the Black Mist Coalition must be the Coalition Leader. The Chief Strategist must merely be an assistant. If I stand out as if I am too outstanding, factions might form.”
Ji-gang was such a fellow.
Even if he seemed to just stroke the head of the Jade-Eyed Spiritual Crow with a bright smile without any thoughts like this, he would probably be devising the next plan by now.
Yeo Sin-woo muttered, casting his gaze outside the window.
“Still, the opponent is no push-over. They reversed public opinion by making it look like we stole the Jiangshi from them.”
“That is certainly so. If one thinks calmly, it is a problem one can come up with, but when faced with such a situation, it is easy to ruin the work. What kind of fellow did such a smart thing?”
“It doesn’t matter who it is. It only matters that your plan went awry.”
“That is why it matters what kind of fellow it is.”
“That…”
Yeo Sin-woo was about to refute, but soon closed his mouth.
Because Ji-gang, who always wore an expression full of playfulness, had hardened his face into a serious look before he knew it.
Thus, the two traveled in the carriage, lost in their respective thoughts for a while.
After a long time, the carriage stopped.
Ryu Nan came all the way to the Hebei Branch main gate to greet the two.
“You have all worked hard.”
“We are back.”
Ji-gang hopped down from the carriage with a bright smile. That appearance looked entirely like a child.
His serious expression of concern from a moment ago was already nowhere to be seen.
“Oh dear. Our Coalition Leader who even had the Jiangshi taken away.”
When Ji-gang bantered, Ryu Nan chuckled.
“It seems you have already heard the news.”
“The Beggars’ Sect beggars were spreading rumors all over the place.”
“It seems the scheme that targeted division has indeed gone down the drain.”
“Who on earth could it be? The fellow who used the Jiangshi so craftily? To think there was such a cunning person in the orthodox factions.”
“Didn’t they say there are more cunning people in the orthodox factions originally?”
“That is true… hmm.”
“Ah, I met Namgung Cheon when striking the Eon Clan Estate.”
“Namgung Cheon? Who is that?”
“Jin Cheon-rang’s son.”
“……!”
In an instant, Yeo Sin-woo and Ji-gang flinched and looked at each other.
Ji-gang put his hand to his chin, furrowed his brows, and said.
“Strange. The failure in the Demonic Pill Valley was also because of that fellow…”
“Namgung Cheon was also present when the scheme to divide the Martial Alliance failed.”
“A strange intersection.”
As Ji-gang fell into thought while scratching his chin, Ryu Nan pushed the backs of the two.
“Come, you have worked hard to travel a long way, so let us go inside and talk first.”
“Yes. But is winning him over difficult?”
Ji-gang looked up at Ryu Nan with a slightly expectant gaze.
Because there was no one better at capturing people’s hearts than Ryu Nan.
However, a bitter smile crossed Ryu Nan’s expression.
“Winning him over. Jin Cheon-rang’s son?”
“Ah… did he resemble him a lot?”
“He was a spitting image.”
“Then it is impossible. My apologies.”
At the end of Ji-gang’s words, Yeo Sin-woo subtly stepped forward.
“Coalition Leader. Then wouldn’t it be better to take measures early?”
“Let us watch for now. If the right time comes, we must eliminate him.”
Yeo Sin-woo nodded without a word.
Watching the two for a moment, Ji-gang said with a bright smile.
“Come, let’s stop talking about scary things and have a drink!”
* * *
A dilapidated shrine at the foot of Mount Huang.
“Sp-Spare my life. Everything I know… I have already… told… you…”
A servant whose face was stained with blood and whose clothes were torn to tatters pleaded, trembling all over.
Beside him, a servant who had lost his life due to brutal torture lay collapsed.
“P-Please… spare my…!”
Swish!
The servant could not finish his words.
Instead, the black-clothed man who slit the servant’s throat with a single stroke of his blade said to another black-clothed man standing beside him.
“With this, the structure of the Namgung Clan has been grasped. We have also found out where the Demonic Pill Valley elixirs are stored.”
“Good work. We will strike at midnight.”
“Understood!”
The eyes of the two black-clothed men shone coldly in the darkness.