chapter 273

The Great Fire (1)

The woman who collapsed from poisoning was none other than Namgung Yeon-hwa of the Thousand Kingdom School.

He had briefly met her three years ago before leaving the Jade Heaven Alliance, so she still remained in his memory.

“Has Cheong returned?”

At the sound of Lee Cheong’s voice, Ki Jin-hwi came out.  He too was confused when he saw Namgung Yeon-hwa.

“Who is this woman?”

“She’s a martial artist from the Thousand Kingdom School who attacked Crimson Lotus Manor last night. Her real name is Namgung Yeon-hwa.”

“Namgung Yeon-hwa? The one called Snow Sword Flower?”

Ki Jin-hwi was shocked.

Namgung Yeon-hwa was the daughter of Namgung Jing-geom, the leader of Thousand Kingdom School.

Rumor had it that Namgung Jing-geom cherished her deeply and had taught her all the secret techniques of the Thousand Kingdom School.

It was unclear why she had arrived here poisoned, but leaving her unattended was not an option.

“Let’s bring her inside quickly and treat the poison. If she dies, the wrath of the Thousand Kingdom School’s leader will reach the heavens.”

“Hm!”

Nodding, Lee Gwak carried Namgung Yeon-hwa inside.

Her condition was dire.

The poison afflicting her was so severe that ordinary physicians would not dare to attempt detoxifying it.

Ki Jin-hwi asked Yoo Gang-ui, “Is there any physician who can treat her?”

There’s no way such a physician exists in the Hao Clan…”

Yoo Gang-ui wore a troubled expression.

Of course, the Hao Clan had physicians. But their skills were so limited that they could only treat external wounds like cuts and bruises. Detoxifying such a poison was nearly impossible for them.

At that moment, Lee Gwak took out a wooden box from his bosom. When he opened it, several pills wrapped in paper appeared.

“What’s that?” Ki Jin-hwi asked.

“The Divine physician told me that this alone could detoxify most poisons,”

“Ah!”

He was well aware of the supreme physician’s reputation. If it was something she gave, it was bound to have extraordinary efficacy.

Lee Gwak finely dissolved the pill in water and let it flow into Namgung Yeon-hwa’s lips.

Lee Cheong watched Namgung Yeon-hwa with a worried expression. Although they were strangers, he was the one who found and saved her, so he was even more concerned.

Fortunately, after administering the medicine, Namgung Yeon-hwa’s complexion visibly improved. Seeing this, Yoo Gang-ui couldn’t help but express his admiration.

“Ho! Amazing. A miraculous medicine that instantly cures such poisoning. Who on earth is this Divine physician? Can’t you tell me?”

Knowing a physician of such caliber would be a great asset to the Hao Clan, Yoo Gang-ui couldn’t help but ask out of greed. But Lee Gwak’s answer was cold.

“The supreme physician wishes to live quietly.”

“But…”

“I won’t stop you from discovering her identity on your own, but don’t expect to learn it from me.”

“I… I understand.”

Yoo Gang-ui felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had been doused with ice water.

The moment he heard Lee Gwak’s tone, Yoo Gang-ui felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his heart and a deep sense of fear.

It was as if he was plummeting into an endless abyss, a feeling even he, who had spent his life on the fringes of the Jianghu, had never experienced.

Gulp!

Without realizing it, Yoo Gang-ui swallowed hard.

His mouth was dry and his body reacted with tension.

‘He’s scarier than the rumors.’

Yoo Gang-ui became even more cautious not to offend Lee Gwak.

Meanwhile, the dark aura lingering on Namgung Yeon-hwa’s face had largely dissipated.

“Mmm!”

Namgung Yeon-hwa groaned softly, her eyelids fluttering. It was a sign that she was regaining consciousness.

Soon, she opened her eyes.

The first thing she did after regaining her senses was to try to sit up.

“Ugh!”

Even a slight movement caused her intense pain.

The poison hadn’t been fully neutralized.  No matter how miraculous the Divine Physician’s medicine was, it would take time to completely expel the poison.

While she had passed the critical stage, she wasn’t yet in a condition to move freely.

She had escaped the brink of death, but she wasn’t yet in a condition to move.

Lee Gwak spoke gently, “Don’t move yet; the poison hasn’t been completely detoxified. You need to circulate your internal energy to expel the remaining poison.”

“You are…? Ah!”

Namgung Yeon-hwa let out a low exclamation upon recognizing his face.

“How is it that you, Master Lee…”

“My son found you collapsed inside the illusionary formation and brought you here.”

“Your son?”

Namgung Yeon-hwa’s gaze shifted to Lee Cheong, standing beside Lee Gwak.

She was momentarily confused to hear that a boy, who looked no more than about ten years old, had saved her.

Although she had set up the illusionary formation in a semi-conscious state, it wasn’t something an ordinary child could easily break through. Yet, hearing that Lee Cheong had done so, she couldn’t help but be surprised.

It was astonishing enough that Lee Gwak had a son, but that his son was so brilliant shocked her even more.

Lee Gwak asked, “What happened? What occurred at the Crimson Lotus Manor last night?”

“Well…”

Namgung Yeon-hwa recalled the events.

***

Huff… Huff…”

Go Jeon-ok was panting heavily.

His upper body was tightly wrapped in white cloth, completely covering his wounds. It hadn’t been long since the bandages were applied, but they were already starting to stain red again.

The internal bleeding hadn’t fully stopped, causing the blood to slowly seep out.

None of his wounds were minor, but the most severe was the sword wound on his neck. If it had been just an inch closer to the center, he would have been a dead man.

“Huff…”

Each time Go Jeon-ok exhaled, a strange sound escaped from his injuries.

These wounds had been inflicted by Namgung In.

Though Go Jeon-ok’s martial skills had significantly improved over the past few years, they were no match for Namgung In, one of the Ten Lesser Skies.

For the first time, Go Jeon-ok felt the fear of death.

He had begged Namgung In for his life, but Namgung In only looked at him with contempt.

In Namgung In’s eyes, Go Jeon-ok was less than a worm.

“Hmph! I thought you were at least a wolf, but you’re worse than a dog… No, worse than an insect.”

Namgung In’s scornful voice pierced Go Jeon-ok’s chest like a dagger.

Without hesitation, Namgung In moved to finish him off.

Had Gal-no not activated the formation imbued with poison at that moment, Go Jeon-ok would have surely died.

With Gal-no’s intervention, the battle turned.

The poison-laden formation, combined with Gal-no’s sorcery, inflicted heavy damage on the Nameless Iron Sword Squad.

As a result, Namgung In was forced to retreat.

Even now, whenever he thought of the previous night, Go Jeon-ok felt a chill down his spine.

“Namgung In! I won’t let you get away with this.”

He ground his teeth as if they would break. The humiliation he felt last night gave him a great sense of shame.

Go Jeon-ok had endured countless humiliations to reach his current position, However, the shame he felt now was unlike anything he had experienced before.

“I’ll tear your limbs apart and feed them to wild dogs, Namgung In. What? One of the Ten Lesser  Skies? So what?”

He shouted into the empty air where no one was. His subordinates were so appalled by his maniacal appearance that they didn’t dare to approach him.

After cursing Namgung In for quite a while, Go Jeon-ok suddenly glared at a nearby subordinate.

“What about Namgung In? Have you found him yet?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You mean you still haven’t found his whereabouts?”

“We’ve deployed all available personnel outside Chaohu to search for him, so we should have news soon.”

“Good news?”

Go Jeon-ok’s eyes turned icy. His eyes, which had been filled with madness just a moment ago, were now colder than ice, making his appearance even more chilling.

He no longer succumbed to madness; instead, he quickly regained his reason by using his rage as fuel.

“No doubt, they couldn’t have gone far.”

There was no intelligence indicating that the martial artists of Thousand Kingdom School had left Chaohu. This meant they were likely hiding nearby, waiting for another opportunity to strike.

For the Thousand Kingdom School, abandoning Crimson Lotus Manor was unthinkable. Just because they failed once didn’t mean they would retreat completely.

They would surely come again. Before that, he must find and eliminate them.

“By any means necessary, you must find them. Especially Namgung In. If we don’t eliminate him, we will surely lose the Hongryeon Manor.”

“But…”

The subordinate had a troubled expression.

Chaohu was an enormous lake. Naturally, the city formed around it was also huge, rivaling any major city in the Jianghu.

With so many households, if someone decided to hide, finding them would be extremely difficult.

Moreover, Chaohu had long been the stronghold of the Thousand Kingdom School. The residents were connected to them in one way or another and were naturally uncooperative toward the Jade Heaven Alliance.

Without the cooperation of the residents, the search operation had its limits. Therefore, it was experiencing difficulties.

The subordinate, after hesitating briefly, spoke up.

“Though we’re searching with all our might, the residents are being uncooperative, so the process is delayed.”

“Didn’t we already expect that the residents would be uncooperative?”

“Of course. But their reaction is beyond expectation.”

“So?”

“If you give us a little more time…”

“Are you boasting of your incompetence?”

“I’m sorry.”

At Go Jeon-ok’s cold words, the subordinate hurriedly bowed his head. On his expressionless face, a faint killing intent emerged.

“If we can’t find them, we’ll have to make them come out on their own.”

“Excuse me?”

The subordinate had a puzzled expression.

***

After hearing Namgung Yeon-hwa’s story, Lee Gwak let out a low sigh.

“So you attempted a surprise attack, but suffered heavy casualties due to a formation infused with deadly poison, and eventually retreated?”

“That formation was unlike anything I’ve ever encountered before. A trap infused with poison. On top of that, some were caught in an unknown sorcery, experiencing hallucinations and attacking each other as if they had gone mad. I was also poisoned, losing my senses, and in the chaos, I was left behind. The rest is as you know.”

Namgung Yeon-hwa hung her head low.

It was shameful enough to have been poisoned, but what stung more was that she had been left behind, unable to keep up with her brother and the elite members of the Thousand Kingdom School.

Lee Gwak asked, “Do you know where the others are?”

“Of course. We have a safe house prepared in case of failure.”

Then once you recover, you can go there.”

“That’s what I plan to do. My brother must be very worried about me by now.”

Namgung Yeon-hwa nodded.

The Thousand Kingdom School had secretly maintained a safe house for years, so much so that even the local Hao clan branch hadn’t been aware of it.

Fortunately, as a direct descendant of the Thousand Kingdom School, Namgung Yeon-hwa knew its location.

She looked at Lee Gwak quietly.

‘For this man to come out into the world again.’

Even if others didn’t know, she was well aware of how strong Lee Gwak was.

Three years ago, after Paeng Su-yoon was humiliated during their trip to the Jade Heaven Alliance, she had personally investigated Lee Gwak.

The more she dug, the more astonishing Lee Gwak’s achievements were. She had even tried to recruit him, but by then, it was too late—Lee Gwak had already left the Jade Heaven Alliance.

What followed were even more surprising rumors.

It was said that the Flower Castle, the White Light Sect’s main base, had been toyed with by Lee Gwak alone, rendering their Heaven and Earth net useless.

Namgung Yeon-hwa could hardly fathom such skill.

It was something only her father, Namgung Jing-geom, the leader of Thousand Kingdom School, could accomplish. Yet Lee Gwak had done it.

Due to the damage he had inflicted, the White Light Sect had been unable to stand against the Jade Heaven Alliance and was eventually annihilated.

While Lee Gwak hadn’t personally destroyed the White Light Sect, it was an undeniable fact that he was the root cause.

Three years had passed since then.

She couldn’t imagine how much stronger he would be now.

‘If we can recruit this man, the strength of the Thousand Kingdom School will increase exponentially.’

She bit her lip gently, deciding to recruit him.

To recruit a man like Lee Gwak, seduction would be the most effective method. It bothered her that he already had a wife and son, but for a man like him, it wouldn’t matter if she became his concubine.

He was that crucial to the Thousand Kingdom School.

“Um, Master Lee…”

Just as Namgung Yeon-hwa cautiously called out to Lee Gwak—

Bam!

Suddenly, the door to the small house burst open, and a Hao Clan martial artist rushed in.

“S-Something terrible has happened!”

His face was pale with fear.

Yoo  Gang-ui frowned. “What is it?”

“F-Fire!”

“Fire?”

“There’s a massive fire in Chaohu right now.”

“What?”

Yoo Gang-ui glanced at Lee Gwak and Ki Jin-hwi.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, they quickly stepped outside.

At that moment, they saw the sky above Chaohu lit up by roaring flames.

The tremendous fire seemed as if it would engulf the entire city.

“My supreme-ruler!”