Chapter 83: A Real Anomaly (2)
Chapter 82 – A Real Anomaly (2)
The people, pale with fright, ran around in confusion.
“Poison mist? Did they say poison mist just now?”
“What on earth is happening?”
“Aaaah! Move! Out of the way!”
“Gasp! Damn it! Is it the unorthodox bastards? We have to get out of here right now!”
Not only the commoners but even the martial artists who had learned a bit of martial arts turned pale and began to scramble to leave the area.
Since so many people rushed out all at once, it was impossible for them to move properly.
“Argh! M-Move!”
“Don’t push! Someone fell here…! Aaaack!”
“H-Help me!”
People pushed and tripped, others tripped over them and fell again. People stomped and passed by without a care. Children burst into tears as they were bumped around by adults.
It was a complete pandemonium.
At the sudden situation, the Gold King jumped up from his seat and shouted.
“So-hong!”
However, his bodyguard appeared like a ghost and spoke hurriedly.
“My lord! You must evacuate for now!”
“I cannot leave like this! My daughter is over there! Quickly, save her first…!”
“My lord! I will send the subordinates, so please evacuate first!”
“No! Save So-hong first!”
As the Gold King pushed his bodyguard aside and tried to perform lightfoot technique to fly to the sparring stage himself, Namgung Geom caught his shoulder.
“It is not my place to interfere, but if this is a poison mist, it would be best to leave this place quickly.”
“My daughter is over there!”
“Do as he says and send your subordinates.”
“I cannot do that! How can I, as a father, abandon my child and save myself first? Do not stop me! Even if I die, I will die together with…!”
Tap, tap!
In an instant, Namgung Geom reached out and struck his acupoint, causing the Gold King to lose consciousness and collapse.
“My lord!”
As the bodyguard cried out in panic, Namgung Geom admonished him in his characteristic cold voice.
“There is no need to panic. I only put him to sleep for a moment. Evacuate your lord to a safe place first.”
“…Understood.”
The bodyguard nodded with a tense expression, quickly supported the Gold King, and leaped away.
“Father, what about Cheon?”
“An unidentified smoke has already spread in all directions. Hold your breath as much as possible and escape for now.”
“But what about Cheon!”
“We cannot search for him here.”
Namgung Geom spoke coldly, and Namgung Hwa bit her lip hard.
Although she did not know what was suddenly happening, one thing was clear.
That she could not search for Namgung Cheon in this situation, just as her father had said.
“Hwa. Let’s go.”
In the end, Namgung Hwa also had no choice but to cover her nose and mouth with her sleeve and move her feet.
While the crowd was flocking to the exit, Namgung Cheon, who had torn his sleeve to cover his nose and mouth, lightly leaped onto the railing of the spectator seats.
He narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings.
Because of the thick, spreading smoke, it was difficult to distinguish even a step ahead.
Only the chaotic screams and shouts coming from all directions indicated the situation.
‘As expected, it wasn’t just my imagination!’
Although he could not know for sure, the unidentified man who had bumped shoulders with him in the spectator seats must have been related to this.
For now, the time he could hold his breath and perform martial arts was roughly half a quarter-hour.
If the smoke thickly filling the Grand Martial Arena was indeed a poison mist, as someone had shouted, he had to escape within that time.
‘I must hurry!’
Finishing his thoughts, Namgung Cheon displayed lightfoot technique and flew onto the sparring stage in an instant.
Whoosh!
Namgung Cheon, who descended while cutting through the air, quickly scanned the edge of the sparring stage.
He saw a dagger embedded in the ground.
It was partially broken and hollow inside.
There was no doubt that the dagger was the source of the smoke.
“So-hong!”
Namgung Cheon called out her name.
This would inevitably shorten his breath further.
However, no answer came back.
Right then, a dark shadow brushed past right in front of him.
“…!”
Whoosh!
Namgung Cheon quickly threw his body and pursued the opponent’s back.
Tap!
When he finally grabbed the shoulder and spun the person around, the black-masked man whirled around and simultaneously slashed his straight saber.
Swoosh!
The moment the straight saber narrowly brushed over his head, Namgung Cheon stood straight and flicked the opponent’s elbow with his finger.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
The opponent, seemingly surprised, opened his eyes wide and glared at Namgung Cheon.
“Why…!”
The black-masked man looked at Namgung Cheon with an incomprehensible expression.
‘Does he not know who I am?’
Come to think of it, the cloth he had wrapped to block the mysterious smoke seemed to be acting as a mask.
‘What? Did he think I was on his side?’
Yet for that to be the case, his attire and his hastily torn mask would look too sloppy.
Just then, a voice was heard from beyond the smoke.
“What are you doing! Target confirmed! We’re leaving!”
The black-masked man flinched and took a step back.
Namgung Cheon took a step forward by that same distance.
‘Hey, it would be disappointing if you just left like this.’
Although he did not know what their target was, it was highly likely to be Jin So-hong.
There would be no reason to kidnap the disciple of guys who secluded themselves in the mountains to cultivate the Tao, and if one had to choose, the daughter of someone who had nothing but money would be better.
Even so…
“As expected, I don’t understand.”
At Namgung Cheon’s murmured words, the black-masked man flinched and glared at him.
“Same here.”
At the black-masked man’s reply, Namgung Cheon furrowed his brows and asked back.
“What?”
“…”
The black-masked man seemed to judge that something was strange, as he did not say anything more.
Namgung Cheon did not speak further either.
A sense of incongruity he couldn’t put his finger on.
‘Are they trying to pull off a kidnapping for ransom? Even if that’s the case, they’re doing this during an official event of the Martial Alliance?’
This was truly…
“Aren’t you guys being too bold?”
“…”
The black-masked man, as expected, did not answer.
Namgung Cheon shook his head.
It was certainly strange. Back when he was a fugitive, he would not have even gone near the Martial Alliance.
“Since you’re bold enough to pull off such a stunt, it must mean your scale is quite large, right?”
“What kind of bullshit are you trying to say?”
This time, the black-masked man also could not hold back and growled.
Namgung Cheon furrowed his brows and continued.
“No, I mean it. Isn’t this a bit too reckless?”
“Crazy…!”
It was at that moment.
An urgent voice was heard from beyond the smoke once again.
“What are you doing! We’re leaving!”
Whoosh!
In an instant, the black-masked man turned around and flew away.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Namgung Cheon quickly pursued him and thrust out the Emerald Silk Sword.
However, at that moment, his foot caught on something, causing him to lose his balance.
“Uh!”
As he quickly stepped on the ground to regain his balance, the black-masked man fiercely slashed his straight saber.
Clang!
Along with a clear metallic sound, sparks flashed.
Using the recoil to retreat, Namgung Cheon simultaneously slashed the Emerald Silk Sword horizontally.
Swoosh!
The sword that cut through the air went up diagonally and fell vertically.
Clang!
As the straight saber and the Emerald Silk Sword collided, sparks burst once more.
Only then did the other intruder, who had been urging from beyond the smoke, realize that something was wrong and threw hidden weapons.
“Tch!”
As Namgung Cheon quickly retreated and swung the Emerald Silk Sword, two hidden weapons were deflected and flew away.
Clang, clang!
Taking advantage of that gap, the black-masked man turned around and fled.
Thud, thud, thud!
“I told you I’ve targeted you!”
Just as Namgung Cheon was about to chase after him, he saw something collapsed in front of him again.
‘Yu Hyeon?’
As he quickly moved his feet, four more daggers flew in from beyond the smoke.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
“You’re holding me back in the wrong place, Yu Hyeon!”
Clang, clang, clang! Clang!
Once again, the four daggers were deflected.
Urgent footsteps were heard from beyond the smoke.
Namgung Cheon, who was about to chase after them, clicked his tongue as he looked at Yu Hyeon lying on the ground.
‘Is it already too late?’
After exchanging blows, he knew for sure.
That they were of the same group as the fellow who had bumped shoulders with him in the spectator seats.
If so, even if he pursued them now, it would be difficult to catch up.
Furthermore…
‘If this is a deadly poison, even now…’
Namgung Cheon checked the pulse of Yu Hyeon, who was collapsed on the ground.
Fortunately, there did not seem to be any major anomalies.
‘Did he just fall asleep?’
Then, is it a powerful sleeping poison?
Although he felt much more relieved, the questions remained.
In any case, just to be safe, it would be best to move Yu Hyeon…
‘A burden in many ways!’
However, let’s think of this as sowing seeds for the future.
Unlike his past life, it would be better to build a strong network of allies with solid backgrounds in this life.
‘I am indeed so thoughtful.’
It was just when Namgung Cheon carried Yu Hyeon on his shoulder and was about to take a step.
Coincidentally, signs of people were felt from all directions, and a group of martial artists rushed over.
“Halt!”
Looking at the uniforms of the martial artists who approached closely, they seemed to be the Yama Corps protecting the Martial Alliance.
“You arrived quite early. Were you all late because you had to bite on a poison-evading bead first?”
“Shut up! Put the hostage down and get on the ground!”
“Hostage…?”
When Namgung Cheon asked back in disbelief, the Yama Corps Leader gave a hand signal, as if there was no need to exchange any more words.
In an instant, the Yama Corps members leaped toward Namgung Cheon all at once.
“Hey, what is this? You can’t even distinguish friend from foe!”
As Namgung Cheon quickly swung the Emerald Silk Sword to defend himself, the Yama Corps members hesitated while narrowing the distance.
However, time was not on Namgung Cheon’s side.
“Damn it… the half a quarter-hour…!”
half a quarter-hour had already long passed.
Even though he was holding out and enduring as much as possible, he could no longer help it.
Could the only silver lining be that it was a sleeping poison rather than a deadly one?
His vision gradually blurred.
Even in the midst of that, the Yama Corps calmly surrounded him without launching hasty attacks.
Soon, Namgung Cheon collapsed to one knee and let Yu Hyeon drop to the ground.
“Damn it… I am a cadet here…!”
Murmuring thus within his fading consciousness, Namgung Cheon finally collapsed to the floor with a thud.
Soon after, he fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
“What on earth is going on!”
As the Alliance Leader roared with a stern expression, the Chief Administrator bowed his head and spoke.
“We are currently assessing the situation. The Alliance Guard Corps has urgently deployed the Yama Corps to ensure there are as few casualties as possible.”
“Hah! Does that make any sense? How dare they cause such a disturbance at our alliance’s official tournament!”
“We will resolve it as quickly as possible.”
As the Chief Administrator bowed his head repeatedly, the Alliance Leader turned his gaze with a displeased expression.
The renowned masters of the Jianghu in the VIP seats shouted with angry expressions.
“It must be the work of the unorthodox bastards! Alliance Leader, you must thoroughly uncover the mastermind!”
“That is correct! Whoever the mastermind is, we must root them out so they can never look down on the Martial Alliance again!”
“To cowardly use a poison mist!”
“They are truly plucking the whiskers of a sleeping tiger!”
The Alliance Leader cupped his fists toward them and apologized.
“I sincerely apologize as the Alliance Leader for such a disturbance occurring. Honoring your valuable opinions, I will surely uncover the culprit of this incident and make them pay the appropriate price.”
“Alliance Leader, please let us know if you need help. Our sect will assist in both material and spiritual ways.”
“Our clan will also step forward actively for the alliance!”
The renowned masters of the Jianghu renewed their resolve once again.
While the Alliance Leader looked around at them with a moved expression, a subordinate ran over to report.
“Alliance Leader! The Yama Corps has rescued a cadet who was collapsed on the sparring stage!”
“That is a relief! Who is it?”
“It is Cadet Yu Hyeon of the Valiant Martial Academy.”
“Then, what about Cadet Jin So-hong?”
“That, well, not yet…”
“Sigh…!”
“However… it is said that Cadet Namgung Cheon was there.”
“What?”
The Alliance Leader’s face twitched.