chapter 233

Once the Hunt is Over, the Hunting Dogs are Bound to be Abandoned (1)

Lee Cheong gasped for air, his entire body soaked in sweat, his face flushed red.

“It seems you’re in a lot of pain.”

Someone spoke to Lee Cheong in his state of distress.

Covered with deep wrinkles and eyes drooping with discharge, this old woman was none other than Noh-tae-tae, the hidden ruler of the White Light Sect.

Noh-tae-tae looked at the suffering Lee Cheong with a pitiful expression.

“How can you stand such pain? If only your mother was here to take care of you.”

“I’m… okay.”

“What’s okay about sweating profusely like this?”

Noh-tae-tae reached out to touch Lee Cheong’s forehead. His sweat beads clung to her wrinkled hand.

She brought her hand close to her nose, sniffing the sweat. Lee Cheong felt a shiver down his spine at her action.

After Soo-ah’s escape, Lee Cheong had endured his pain without anyone to care for him. His condition worsened a few days ago because he hadn’t received the Life Saving Pills.

Noh-tae-tae claimed it was because the herbs needed for the Life Saving Pills hadn’t arrived yet. But Lee Cheong knew she was lying.

He was aware that the Life Saving Pills were in a small desk drawer right in front of Noh-tae-tae. If she wished, she could give him the pills anytime.

For some reason, though, Noh-tae-tae chose to lie and withheld the pills, taking pleasure in watching him struggle with pain.

Lee Cheong clenched his teeth.

He didn’t want to show his suffering to this old monster. Yet, regardless of his will, his body convulsed in agony.

Noh-tae-tae murmured as she watched him, “Tsk tsk! It’s a pity. If only you had been born to better parents, you could have become great.”

“Ugh!”

“Does it hurt a lot? Maybe giving up would be better. What’s the point of living through such pain, barely clinging to life? It might be kinder to give up now, for your poor mother’s sake.”

“What… are you saying?”

“Parents don’t wish for their children to die before them. But sometimes, it happens. Especially when the child isn’t whole. When a parent knows their child, left alone in the world after they’re gone, can’t withstand the harshness of life because they’re not whole. Just like you…”

Noh-tae-tae told this cruel story with a laugh. Her voice pierced Lee Cheong’s heart like a sharp dagger.

Lee Cheong’s complexion turned pale, a sign of the profound shock he felt.

Although he always tried to appear strong, Lee Cheong was a deeply wounded child. His understanding of the current situation was more profound than anyone else’s.

To save him, his mother, Han So-cheon, had gone out to commit assassinations.

Each time his life was extended, someone lost theirs to his mother.

Han So-cheon desperately tried to hide this truth from Lee Cheong, but he couldn’t be fooled.

He had seen countless times how she returned home with the faint scent of blood and silently wept out of guilt.

Each time, Lee Cheong felt his heart being torn apart alongside her. However, he never showed

his feelings in front of Han So-cheon.

He was certain that revealing his awareness would only add to her pain.

He couldn’t shake the thought that without him, Han So-cheon and Lee Soo-ah could have lived a bit more freely. The words of Noh-tae-tae forcibly unearthed thoughts Lee Cheong had deeply buried.

Pain was evident on Lee Cheong’s face, a sight that made Noh-tae-tae smile deeply.

Noh-tae-tae had lived for well over a hundred years.

She should have become indifferent to the affairs of the world by now, but she hadn’t. At some point, she began to take comfort in watching others suffer.

It started after she lost her father to the demon fist over a hundred years ago and had to build the White Light Sect from scratch.

Her son died early, and her grandson took over the White Light Sect, deepening her twisted hobbies.

Since her lifelong goal of destroying the Jade Heaven Alliance was still far from being achieved, she immersed herself in her twisted hobbies to find solace.

As she watched Lee Cheong writhe in pain, Noh-tae-tae sipped her tea.

With the decision to dispose of the Assassin King, Lee Cheong was no longer of any value. It seemed wasteful to continue providing the Life Saving Pills to someone deemed useless.

Sip!

Noh-tae-tae continued to sip her tea, her smile never fading as she watched Lee Cheong suffer.

***

Finally, the moment he had been waiting for arrived.

Two hours after the shift change, the guards, unable to contain their boredom, started chatting, loosening the security.

Seizing this opportunity, Lee Gwak made his move.

Reaching the wall, he avoided the guards’ gazes and darted to where the mechanisms were located.

“Huh?”

One of the chatting guards tilted his head. The one he had been talking to asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you feel something strange?”

“No, I didn’t feel anything.”

“Must have been my imagination then.”

After a brief look around and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, they resumed their chatter.

Meanwhile, Lee Gwak had penetrated deep into the mechanism’s core.

The mechanisms installed in the Flower Castle were incredibly sophisticated, but not enough to stop Lee Gwak.

Both in terms of intricacy and unexpectedness, they were inferior to the Jade Heaven Alliance’s mechanisms. In contrast, Lee Gwak’s expertise was so deep that he could repair the Jade Heaven Alliance’s mechanisms. Coupled with his martial prowess, he managed to bypass all mechanisms with relative ease.

“Sigh!”

Lee Gwak let out a soft sigh as he looked ahead.

If the mechanism had been reinforced with a formation, it would have been much harder to pass through, but fortunately, the area he had chosen was free of such formations. This made his progress much easier.

Yet, it was too early to relax.

He had only just entered the Flower Castle.

As befitting one of the Ten Sects, the fortress was teeming with skilled martial artists. No matter how strong Lee Gwak was, he couldn’t take on all those masters alone.

‘I need to find Cheong before they notice me.’

Lee Gwak walked calmly through the streets within the Flower Castle.

Many martial artists brushed past him, but none suspected him. Even those who had been in the Flower Castle for a long time couldn’t possibly recognize every face.

Occasionally seeing unfamiliar faces, people would naturally assume they belonged to a different faction within White Light Sect, and Lee Gwak exploited this oversight.

While entering the Flower Castle was challenging, moving within it wasn’t as difficult, at least in the general areas.

Just as the Jade Heaven Alliance’s main organizations were all located within its inner court, the White Light Sect’s key factions were situated deep within the Flower Castle, all surrounded by high walls and special security networks.

Lee Gwak recalled what Lee Soo-ah had told him.

―If Cheong is in the White Light Sect, he’s likely with Noh-tae-tae. She has a sadistic hobby of attacking others’ minds.

Noh-tae-tae’s residence was strictly off-limits, with very few people, aside from a select few, having ever entered. Consequently, very few even knew its location.

However, Soo-ah and Lee Cheong, having been summoned by Noh-tae-tae multiple times, were well aware of its whereabouts.

Noh-tae-tae’s residence was protected by several layers of security and mechanism formations, far more stringent than the external security of the Flower Castle. This made it impossible to rashly venture.

‘What should I do?’

There was only one chance.

If Lee Cheong was indeed in Noh-tae-tae’s residence, it would be fortunate, but if not, the situation would become significantly more complicated.

“Sigh!”

It was at that moment Lee Gwak sighed.

“Hey!”

A sudden, unfamiliar voice called out.

Turning his head, Lee Gwak saw a young martial artist, appearing to be in his late twenties.

He was exceptionally handsome.

With skin as white as if he had never seen the sun and sharp, well-defined features that seemed almost painted on, his appearance was striking.

His blue martial uniform complemented his sharp demeanor. The aura he emitted was far from ordinary.

Lee Gwak cautiously opened his mouth.

“What’s the matter?”

“You, you’re not a martial artist of the White Light Sect.”

“Excuse me?”

“Seeing that you don’t recognize me, it’s clear you’re not from the White Light Sect. Everyone here knows who I am. Who are you and where are you from?”

The young martial artist’s words made Lee Gwak’s pupils waver slightly.

He had sensed that the young man was extraordinary from the atmosphere he emitted, but he hadn’t realized that such a young martial artist could be well-known within the White Light Sect.

‘Who is he?’

Despite racking his brain, Lee Gwak couldn’t identify the young martial artist.

The young martial artist’s brows furrowed.

His encounter with Lee Gwak was purely coincidental.

Lee Gwak’s seamless blending among White Light Sect’s martial artists, without any sense of disharmony, initially didn’t raise any alarms. However, his intuition told him Lee Gwak was different from the rest of White Light Sect’s forces.

Not everyone in Flower Castle was necessarily part of the White Light Sect. There were also martial artists from outside sects or subordinate martial sects present.

The young martial artist had thought Lee Gwak was one of those visitors and approached him out of curiosity. But the response he received was odd.

Lee Gwak seemed entirely unaware of who he was facing.

The name of the young martial artist was Won Hwa-ryeon. He was the grandson of White Light Sect’s leader, Won Gung-yeo, and was a young prodigy destined to be the next leader.

Anyone associated with the White Light Sect should have known about him.

A subtle menace began to flicker in Won Hwa-ryeon’s eyes.

“Why can’t you answer?”

Lee Gwak’s eyes narrowed.

In that brief moment, Lee Gwak made a decision.

Swoosh!

He unleashed his Whirlwind Steps, charging towards Won Hwa-ryeon.

“How dare you!”

The menace in Won Hwa-ryeon’s eyes intensified.

Simultaneously, explosive energy burst from his hands.

Demon Blood Bizarre Palm.

This was the signature technique of Blood Demon Gu Cheo-hwan from three hundred years ago. Now, it was in Won Hwa-ryeon’s hands.

Executing the Demon Blood Bizarre Palm required an enormous amount of internal energy. At his age, accumulating such energy was nearly impossible. However, the power of money made the impossible possible.

The only trading company publicly associated with the White Light Sect was the Daegyeong Merchant Company. Yet, White Light Sect’s true strength went beyond that.

Noh-tae-tae created another trading company in secret, separate from Daegyeong Merchant Company.

Noh-tae-tae called it the Black Market, a counterforce to the Myriad Merchant Troupe, dealing in rare or prohibited items within the Jianghu.

Won Hwa-ryeon obtained a vast quantity of spiritual elixirs through Black Market and consumed

them. As a result, his internal energy was comparable to that of the most seasoned martial artists.

Based on his profound internal energy, Won Hwa-ryeon was able to execute the Demon Blood Bizarre Palm. He was confident he could easily crush Lee Gwak with this single move.

His countless victories in sparring matches against the other White Light Sect disciples had bolstered his confidence.

Ssssh!

As the chilling sound of cleaving air echoed, Won Hwa-ryeon’s confidence shattered. The formidable energy of his Demon Blood Bizarre Palm split in two and dissipated, while a sharply honed blade appeared abruptly in front of him.

Won Hwa-ryeon instinctively dodged the blade, but not completely, leaving a long slash across his cheek.

“Argh!”

He let out an involuntary groan, experiencing a type of pain he had never felt before in his martial arts training.

He was accustomed to inflicting pain on others, not enduring it himself. Therefore, the current pain felt unfamiliar and shockingly intense.

Lee Gwak immediately recognized this.

Some individuals, instead of acquiring skills through hard training, sought shortcuts to power.

They might believe such achievements represent their true strength, but it was nothing more than a house of cards.

True martial artists aren’t crafted through shortcuts.

Years of grueling training and countless life-or-death battles build them layer by layer.

From this perspective, Won Hwa-ryeon was not a true martial artist, at least not by Lee Gwak’s standards.

A single move was enough to discern this.

“How dare you!”

Enraged, Won Hwa-ryeon attempted to launch his ultimate technique. But before he could fully execute it, Lee Gwak’s palm struck his throat.

“Ugh!”

A scream escaped Won Hwa-ryeon as Lee Gwak’s unexpected bare-handed attack caught him off guard.

This was the difference between Lee Gwak and Won Hwa-ryeon.

Lee Gwak had honed his combat instincts and adaptability through battles with numerous experts, including Gwang Noh-ya. In contrast, Won Hwa-ryeon had accumulated his experience through sparring with martial arts masters, who inevitably had to pull their punches against him.

Won Hwa-ryeon might have believed his victories over these masters were genuine, but to Lee Gwak, he was no different from a child.

Lee Gwak’s blade drew an elegant curve, aiming directly at Won Hwa-ryeon’s shoulder.

‘I need to execute the Nine Lives technique…’

But at that moment, Lee Gwak’s blade penetrated Won Hwa-ryeon’s collarbone.

It felt like being burned. The pain was so intense that Won Hwa-ryeon couldn’t even scream. Lee Gwak’s knee struck his temple as he planted one hand on the ground.

With a loud impact, Won Hwa-ryeon’s head snapped back. Staggering back several steps, he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

It all happened in a blink of an eye.

“Young Master”

The bystanders who had been watching the duel were too slow to intervene.

Without even confirming Won Hwa-ryeon’s fall, Lee Gwak immediately launched himself towards the high wall.

His encounter with Won Hwa-ryeon had already exposed his presence to the White Light Sect.

There was no longer any point in hiding his identity.

Swiftly, Lee Gwak rushed towards Noh-tae-tae’s residence, his primary objective.