Chapter 283: Chapter 283
The expressions of the Extermination Unit members walking along with Abbess So-hye were not very good.
It was because of the voices whispering here and there while looking at the walking Extermination Unit.
“This level of support?”
“The Martial Alliance abandoned us.”
The disciples of the Emei Sect could not hide their disappointment after seeing the Extermination Unit.
Although the older nuns tried hard to appear calm, the young disciples did not even think of hiding their disappointment.
“……This is bitter.”
Ho Gwang-gae muttered.
At that, all the other members of the Extermination Unit nodded their heads while carefully expressing their dissatisfaction.
“We also came here risking our lives……”
“No matter how disappointing our combat power is, is there a need to say it so openly?”
When some members were pouting their lips.
“Think about it from the opposite perspective.”
Mu Hong said in a low voice.
“What would you do if your own sect was in danger, and a large unit consisting entirely of greenhorn rising stars came? Moreover, a hastily formed detached force.”
“…….”
Everyone in the Extermination Unit fell silent.
It was because when they put themselves in their shoes, they immediately understood their feelings.
It was then.
“Silence!”
A thunderous shout erupted.
It was right in front of them.
Abbess So-hye, whose face was dyed red, could no longer hold back while looking at the whispering disciples around her, and let out a shout.
“Instead of welcoming the benefactors who came to help our sect, what kind of nonsense are you babbling!”
The disciples shrank their necks.
At the same time, perhaps overcome with shame, they bowed their heads as if to hide their faces, and stepped back.
Abbess So-hye, who had been glaring at the disciples, turned her body and apologized to the Extermination Unit with her hands clasped together.
“I apologize for showing you a shameful sight.”
At her appearance of apologizing, the members of the Extermination Unit waved their hands and replied.
“N, no!”
“There is no need for you to do that……”
Abbess So-hye shook her head.
“It is a definite fault not to know gratitude towards those who came to give help.”
Abbess So-hye said with strength.
She was very displeased with her disciples right now.
Of course, it was disappointing that the Martial Alliance’s support was so small in the current situation.
But that matter had nothing to do with these people.
They were rather people who came to help risking their lives, yet to whisper openly.
Her face burned with shame.
“I will reprimand the disciples regarding this mistake. We are almost there, so let’s walk a little more.”
Saying that, she walked again.
At the same time, silence flowed.
After a short while of only the sound of footsteps being heard in that silence.
Tak.
Abbess So-hye stopped her feet.
She, who had stopped in front of an antique pavilion, spoke with a benevolent smile on her face.
“Amitabha. Please unpack your bags and rest here.”
With her hands clasped together, she stepped back.
A moment later, only the Extermination Unit remained.
“……Let’s unpack.”
Ho Gwang-gae broke the silence and said.
“Let’s rest before the Unit Leader comes. It’s a rare occurrence, isn’t it.”
Right when he deliberately raised his mood and spoke in a bright voice.
“I will step out.”
Danli Gwan-cheon swiftly turned his body around.
Ho Gwang-gae was surprised by the sudden event, but soon, seeing his serious expression, he understood at once.
“Are you going to the Qingcheng Sect?”
“…….”
There was no answer.
However, Ho Gwang-gae recognized it immediately.
“The Unit Leader won’t leave you alone.”
“I know.”
Danli Gwan-cheon bit his lip.
Of course, although the Emei Sect was the objective of the Four Black Alliances right now, he was worried about the Qingcheng Sect.
“But I have to return. Qingcheng is in danger, so how can I stand still as a disciple…….”
“That won’t do.”
At that time, a low voice interjected.
A surprised Danli Gwan-cheon looked behind him.
There, Cheon-hwi was approaching with a striding gait.
“Unit Leader…….”
“I believe I said you cannot leave the Extermination Unit unless you receive my permission?”
A shadow cast over Danli Gwan-cheon’s expression.
After a moment of this.
“I beg you. Unit Leader.”
He bowed his head deeply.
Everyone in the Extermination Unit was surprised to see him, who had strong pride, immediately bowing his head.
However, Cheon-hwi was different.
“Why should I?”
Without caring at all whether Danli Gwan-cheon bowed his head or not, he continued speaking bluntly.
“I gave you the chance to leave twice before, but you were the one who said you would stay.”
Danli Gwan-cheon bit his lip.
It was exactly as he said.
Even though he had been given two chances to leave the Extermination Unit, it was he himself who decided to stay, saying he would accept anything.
But the situation was different from then.
“Our sect is in danger.”
He spoke desperately.
Although he was currently affiliated with the Extermination Unit, the Qingcheng Sect was more precious to him.
The place where he lived and grew up since he was very young, with no memories before that.
It was his hometown and his foundation.
However, Cheon-hwi did not budge.
“You should have received information that the Emei Sect is currently in more danger than the Qingcheng Sect?”
It was the information from the communication received in Sichuan.
Looking at the path of the Four Black Alliances, the Emei Sect was in the middle of the way to the Qingcheng Sect, so unless they took a long detour, there was virtually no case where the Qingcheng Sect would fall into danger first.
Of course, even if they took a detour, information would reach the Emei Sect first, so they would not be late.
In the end, it was correct to be in the Emei Sect.
“But still, you never know, right?”
Danli Gwan-cheon did not give up.
Right now, the Emei Sect was not even in his sights. His head was only filled with the Qingcheng Sect.
“Oh my? Is this a rebellion now?”
Cheon-hwi twisted his lips.
The moment the members of the Extermination Unit involuntarily flinched upon seeing that twisted smile.
“……What do you mean by that just now?”
Suddenly, a cold voice was heard.
It was a man’s voice, not a woman’s.
And the one who reacted to that voice first was none other than Danli Gwan-cheon.
“Could this voice be……?”
He quickly turned his head.
Soon, a middle-aged Taoist wearing the uniform of the Qingcheng Sect was seen approaching from afar.
“M, Martial Uncle Namcheon!”
Danli Gwan-cheon immediately kicked off the ground.
Namcheon, looking at Danli Gwan-cheon who came close, spat out a cold voice.
“Did you just say you were going to reject your given mission and return to our sect.”
Surprised by Namcheon’s cold voice, which he was hearing for the first time in his life, Danli Gwan-cheon replied.
“Our sect is in danger, so to help…….”
“Who said our sect is in danger?”
Namcheon scolded Danli Gwan-cheon, still with a cold voice.
“The one in danger right now is not our sect, but the Emei Sect. Yet you are currently trying to pretend not to see the Emei Sect.”
“That is…….”
Danli Gwan-cheon hesitated.
It was exactly as he said.
Going to the Qingcheng Sect right now was synonymous with ignoring the difficulties of the Emei Sect and not helping them.
“Our sect taught you wrong.”
Namcheon was practically angry.
“We put effort into teaching you martial arts because of your outstanding martial talent, but we failed to properly teach you the mindset as a Taoist and as an Orthodox Faction member. Since you have forgotten what you ought to protect, it must be the fault of us who taught you wrong.”
“I just wanted to help our sect…….”
“Be quiet!”
Towards Danli Gwan-cheon, who was trying to make excuses, Namcheon glared with his eyes wide open.
“The one in danger right now is not our sect, but the Emei Sect. And do you think our sect will collapse without your help!”
At the shout, Danli Gwan-cheon flinched.
Danli Gwan-cheon had never heard such a loud voice within the Qingcheng Sect until now.
Namcheon, who had been glaring at such a Danli Gwan-cheon, swiftly turned his body around.
“I apologize.”
With a calmed demeanor, he conveyed an apology to Cheon-hwi.
No matter how much he was a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, right now he was just a mere member of the Extermination Unit.
Yet he had rejected the orders of the Unit Leader, so this was a great fault.
“Our sect taught him wrong.”
Without much response, Cheon-hwi stroked his chin.
‘Was the Qingcheng Sect originally a place like this?’
In his past life, the Qingcheng Sect he knew was a place where Taoist bastards crazy about martial arts lived.
But to show such an Orthodox Faction-like appearance.
At that time, Namcheon opened his eyes wide and spoke.
“I will educate him properly.”
Right then.
“No.”
Cheon-hwi waved his hand.
“I will do it.”
“You mean?”
Namcheon, who had a briefly surprised face as if he had not expected it, soon nodded his head up and down.
Right now, Danli Gwan-cheon was a member of the Extermination Unit.
Reprimanding him was not something he should do, but a task for the Unit Leader, Cheon-hwi.
“It was not a place for me to interfere.”
Namcheon stepped back.
Crack-
Cheon-hwi lightly loosened his neck.
His gaze was fixed towards Danli Gwan-cheon.
“Draw your sword.”
Cold sweat broke out on Danli Gwan-cheon’s forehead.
In the past, he would have been exceedingly happy about this spar.
But right now, something was different.
“I’ll carve it into your head, no. Into your body.”
Cheon-hwi, who was speaking, lifted his scabbard.
“What happens if you reject my orders as the Unit Leader, that is.”
* * *
Yibin, Sichuan Province.
At the ferry, a middle-aged beggar draped in a straw mat stared fixedly at the Yangtze River.
How long had he been looking at the Yangtze River spread out so far away like that?
“Are they coming like that……!”
At some point, the beggar’s pupils began to shake roughly as if an earthquake had occurred.
On the vast Yangtze River, about dozens of ships were flocking together all at once.
And on top of those dozens of ships, an uncountable number of people were aboard.
The Sichuan Branch Leader of the Beggars’ Sect, Yeon Jeong-gae, quietly swallowed his saliva at the breathtaking spectacle the moment he saw it.
“It’s…… brutal.”
Trickle-
A streak of cold sweat flowed down his forehead.
He knew who they were.
None other than the elite troops of the Four Black Alliances.
They were advancing north at an unprecedentedly fast speed.
Normally, to move this many personnel, there would be difficulties in moving quickly due to problems with money and food, yet they seemed completely unaffected.
It was all thanks to the help of the name written on the flags of the ships, the Dae-eun Merchant Guild.
The Dae-eun Merchant Guild covered the expenses for their movement, and the food was replenished by branches located everywhere they passed.
Looking at the characters ‘Dae-eun’ written on the flags, Yeon Jeong-gae shook his head.
“At this rate, they will arrive even faster than what is known.”
Since the personnel were so numerous, he had thought it would take quite some time.
However, reality was different from his thoughts.
A giant pair of wings called the Dae-eun Merchant Guild was attached to the tiger called the Four Black Alliances, and because of that, a result that far exceeded expectations came out.
Swipe-
Yeon Jeong-gae lifted his sleeve and wiped his sweat. And he naturally shifted his gaze.
It was towards the ship at the very lead.
Even though it was a more splendid and larger ship than the other ships, there were only about ten people visible on it.
A small number of personnel. However, the pressure felt from that ship was overwhelming even if all the other ships were combined.
“If they all arrive, Sichuan will soon become a hell…….”
It was terrible just thinking about it.
His gaze, which had been slightly shaking his head from side to side, momentarily stopped.
It was directed towards the bow of the ship.
At the bow of the ship protruding forward, a young woman was sitting with a smoking pipe about four feet long held in one hand.
‘That woman is…….’
Yeon Jeong-gae’s eyes shook.
The woman’s attire was unique.
Wearing a veil covering from her nose downwards, only her eyes were exposed, and she possessed a sharp gaze much like a fox.
And what about her clothing.
Despite such cold weather, the woman was wearing a splendid palace dress that exposed her shoulders.
She was a woman with an outfit and gaze alluring enough to snatch a man’s eyes away in an instant.
However, Yeon Jeong-gae felt fear.
Because he knew her identity.
Blood Tears Ardent King, Nong Jil.
She was one of the Seven Yao Immortals, the direct subordinates of the Leader of the Four Black Alliances.
“I heard she is well past the age of forty, but to look so young…….”
The hand clenched into a fist was drenched with sweat.
Outwardly, she looked as if she had just passed twenty years of age.
No matter how much she used the art of retaining youth, maintaining such a young appearance meant that she possessed an astonishing internal energy.
“I must immediately transmit the information that they are arriving…….”
The moment Yeon Jeong-gae, who had grasped the situation in detail, was about to turn his body around.
‘Huh?’
His eyes met Nong Jil’s.
Goosebumps rose on his back.
The distance from her was about two hundred zhang.
Right now, Yeon Jeong-gae was unfolding the Heavenly Eye Art, a special martial art of the Beggars’ Sect, to see figures at a far distance.
Yet for her to be looking straight back meant…….
‘I’ve been found out……!’
At that moment, Nong Jil’s eyes curved.
The moment Yeon Jeong-gae’s body stiffened without him realizing it at the cold and eerie eye smile.
‘Heup! No way?!’
Without delay, Nong Jil jumped off the ship and then lightly stood her body up on the water.
‘W, Water Surface Flying!’
Seeing Nong Jil standing on the water, Yeon Jeong-gae urgently turned his stiffened body and extended his feet.
Pa-at!
Then he swiftly unfolded the Whirlwind Footwork to its limits and threw his body into the forest.
‘I…… I have to run away!’
About a quarter of an hour after he hurriedly dashed off while trampling on tree branches.
“Gasp!”
Yeon Jeong-gae, who was continuously sprinting, momentarily stopped the Whirlwind Footwork and stiffened right then and there.
“W, when!?”
Because a human figure was sitting on the tree branch he was about to step on, holding a smoking pipe.
The moment their eyes met.
“Huu.”
Along with the figure, Nong Jil, exhaling, smoke billowed out for a moment through the veil covering her mouth.
Tap.
She knocked the smoking pipe downwards.
The fully burned ash fell below.
Nong Jil, who had knocked off all the ash once, rested her chin on the hand holding the smoking pipe and lifted her head.
“It’s been a while since I saw a Beggars’ Sect disciple.”
The sharp eyes with ends shooting up scanned Yeon Jeong-gae, and soon her gaze dropped sharply downwards.
“If it’s three knots…… are you a Branch Leader.”
Her eyes, which had grasped the knots on Yeon Jeong-gae’s waist, curved thinly like a crescent moon.
“You’ll be useful as a first sacrifice.”
As soon as those words ended, the smoking pipe moved horizontally and drew a long trajectory.
At that moment.
Srrr-
A fine line was drawn across the neck of Yeon Jeong-gae, whose eyes were wide open, and then his head was separated and fell helplessly downwards just like that.
A soaring fountain of blood.
At that moment, Nong Jil unfolded a Qi barrier and blocked the bloody water falling over her head.
A feast of astonishing arts.
Watching the bloody water flowing down the transparent barrier for a moment, she packed leaves into the smoking pipe again and lit it.
Soon, smoke billowed out.
And amidst it, her two pupils began to emit an eerie light.
“It’s been a while since I saw blood, so I’m getting excited.”
The eerie light in her eyes, who leaked a voice mixed with excitement, moved as if rolling.
Then, presently, it stopped in one place.
Her destination heading forward.
Taking in Mount Emei.
“I will taste the flavor of nuns’ blood again after a long time.”