Chapter 599

News of the disaster in Sea Gate City spread quickly throughout Kangho.

Rumors swirled that Dokgo Hwang of the Martial Sword Alliance and the mysterious enemies known as the Ghost Fleet had joined forces to plunder Sea Gate City, only to be destroyed themselves.

People didn’t believe it at first.

There was no reason for Dokgo Hwang of the Martial Sword Alliance to plunder Sea Gate City, and the majority had never even heard of the group called the Ghost Fleet.

The Golden Heavenly Hall, in particular, outright denied the rumors.

There was no one who didn’t know that Dokgo Hwang was a member of the Golden Heavenly Hall.

He was second in command only to the leader, Jang Mugak.

If it was revealed that he had conspired with the bandits to raid Sea Gate City, it would be a fatal blow to the morality of the Golden Heavenly Hall.

Therefore, the Golden Heavenly Hall desperately denied any connection between the Martial Sword Alliance and the Ghost Fleet.

They mobilized all related martial sects to suppress the rumors. However, their efforts were in vain as the rumors did not die down.

Instead, they spread with frightening speed, like wildfire.

Supporting testimonies began to surface as well.

People who claimed to be from Sea Gate City said that Dokgo Hwang and the Martial Sword Alliance had indeed attacked.

If one or two people had said it, it would have been easy to dismiss it as bullshit, but when hundreds of people said it, there was no way to not believe it.

Then, Yoo Soo-hwan of the Martial Sword Alliance officially announced:

“[Dokgo Hwang, the traitor of the Martial Sword Alliance, imprisoned and tortured my master, Jeon Mu-ok. He also committed the crime of collaborating with pirates called the Ghost Fleet to plunder Sea Gate City.

As the successor of my master, Jeon Mu-ok, I, Yoo Soo-hwan, will punish him and restore the broken law. The crime committed by Dokgo Hwang, a disciple of our sect, is the crime of the Martial Sword Alliance.

I, Yoo Soo-hwan, apologize on behalf of Dokgo Hwang and intend to compensate Sea Gate City. Once again, I emphasize that this is undoubtedly the fault of Dokgo Hwang and the Martial Sword Alliance. I bow my head in apology to all the martial artists of the land. -Yoo Soo-hwan, the new leader of the Martial Sword Alliance]”

The statement was made by none other than Yoo Soo-hwan, the new leader of the Martial Sword Alliance.

It was a fatal blow to the morality of the Golden Heavenly Hall.

The series of events shook the Golden Heavenly Hall, and the Silver Lotus Hall seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

The Golden Heavenly Hall paused its external activities and began a process of internal reform.

The morale of the martial artists was at an all-time low.

“Sigh!”

It wasn’t just the ordinary martial artists who were demoralized.

Jang Mugak also felt drained and sighed deeply.

“He acted on his own whim and caused a huge disaster.”

He couldn’t even begin to think about how to remedy the situation.

The extent of the disaster that Dokgo Hwang had caused was indeed colossal.

The fact that the elite of the Martial Sword Alliance, one of the most powerful sects in Kangho, had attacked Sea Gate City on their own was already problematic.

Sea Gate City had no significant sects to speak of.

There were the Sea Dragon Hall, the Red Turban Association, and Sea Dragon Manor, but all were distant from Kangho’s power struggles.

For a sect as powerful as the Martial Sword Alliance to attack such a place exposed an impure intent.

Indeed, Tarha, the leader of Sea Dragon Manor, had been gravely injured by Dokgo Hwang.

There was no room for excuses.

“The problem is how to remedy this situation……”

Jang Mugak furrowed his brow.

No matter how hard he thought, no suitable solution came to mind.

If Dokgo Hwang were still alive, he would pass the blame on to him, but since he was dead, he couldn’t do that.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been driven to such a desperate corner.”

The situation was so absurd that he couldn’t help but laugh.

Jang Mugak wore a cold smile as he approached the window.

The view of Golden Heavenly Hall stretched before him.

He could feel the spirit of the people deflating.

The martial artists of Golden Heavenly Hall had lost their laughter and vitality.

No matter how relentlessly they pursued their goals, enduring the public’s scorn took its toll on their spirits.

“It must be because of that man, right? Dokgo Hwang wouldn’t have entered Sea Gate City without reason.”

In Kangho, the only entity that could make Dokgo Hwang lose his sanity was Pyo Wol.

However, there were no rumors of Pyo Wol or his assassins being involved.

Dokgo Hwang had kept his pursuit a strict secret from Jang Mugak, knowing he would have tried to stop him.

“Even with Martial Sword Alliance and the Ghost Fleet joining forces, they were defeated? Dokgo Hwang may have been incompetent, but not to this extent.”

Dokgo Hwang was anything but incompetent.

In terms of martial arts, he had an overwhelming skill that none in the world could match.

The picture of him being defeated by Yoo Soo-hwan or Tarha was unimaginable.

There must be a hidden story that the world doesn’t know.

“Pyo Wol, he must be involved.”

This was not a mere speculation.

The circumstances of the situation bolstered his speculation.

Jang Mugak’s eyes sank deeply.

Every entanglement with Pyo Wol had never ended cleanly.

The situation had reached a point where he could no longer underestimate him.

“Huh! To push me this far, I must admit, Pyo Wol!”

Because of Pyo Wol, the Golden Heavenly Hall was driven into a corner.

In terms of power, there was no way they would fall behind the Silver Lotus Hall. However, the war wasn’t just fought with martial power.

The sentiment of the people of Kangho also influenced morale.

If public opinion continued to turn against them, Golden Heavenly Hall would collapse no matter how strong Jang Mugak’s will was.

There was only one option left for him.

“It seems to be the path of domination after all.”

＊＊＊

Sea Gate City quickly regained stability.

Countless laborers were mobilized to rebuild the collapsed mansion and remove the corpses that filled the streets.

Tarha, the head of Sea Dragon Manor, was severely injured and could hardly move. Therefore, his granddaughter, Yul Ayeon, took charge and led the reconstruction.

She summoned the warriors of Sea Dragon Manor and the workers of the Red Turban Association to help, along with Taemu Sang and Geom Yeong.

It was a moment when her strong leadership shone through.

The people of Sea Gate City praised Yul Ayeon.

Sea Dragon Manor managed to turn the crisis into an opportunity, gaining complete control over Sea gate city.

Now, there were no forces left in Sea gate city to oppose Sea Dragon Manor.

Thanks to this, Pyo Wol and his assassins were able to stay in the Sea Dragon Hall and regroup.

“The crisis seems to have passed. If he receives a couple of months of proper care, his life should not be in danger.”

The physician, sent by Yul Ayeon, spoke to Hong Ye-seol while packing his acupuncture needles and herbal medicine.

For the past ten days, he had taken care of Sal-no with the best medical skills in Sea gate city.

Thanks to him, Sal-no survived despite losing an arm and a leg.

“That’s a relief.”

Hong Ye-seol let out a sigh of relief.

Sal-no chuckled in response.

“Relief? I’ve ended up in this condition, and yet I’m still expected to do the work of the assassins guild.”

“Think of it as karma.”

“Karma?”

“Wouldn’t it make you feel better if you could think of it that way?”

“Isn’t it too easy for you to say that about someone else’s situation?”

“I can’t help it, that’s how I was raised and educated.”

Pat!

Hong Ye-seol gently patted Sal-no’s shoulder and stood up.

He winced slightly.

The wounds had not yet fully healed, so even a minor shock caused him pain.

Still, Sal-no was satisfied.

The pain made him realize that he was alive.

Even though he had lost an arm and a leg, he could still do many things if he was alive.

“Are you going to see the Supreme One?”

“Yes!”

“You’ll Have to be extra careful then.”

“Why?”

“That Sea Dragon Manor lady Yul, her eyes when she looked at the Supreme One were not ordinary.”

“I know.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know, it’s just that he’s so good. But he’s not going to be taken away from me.”

“Heh! Of course.”

“Don’t worry about me; just rest comfortably.”

“Will do.”

Only after seeing Sal-no close his eyes did Hong Ye-seol step outside.

Blinded momentarily by the dazzling sunlight, she soon made her way to the garden.

The leader of Sea Dragon Hall, Jang Ha-Moon, was a very greedy man who loved all things lavish. Therefore, he had spent a lot of money to beautify his private garden.

A pond large enough for boating, a rocky garden with all kinds of rare plants, an artificial island in the middle of the pond, and a bridge with beautiful patterns.

Pyo Wol was sitting alone in a beautiful pavilion on an artificial island that could only be reached by crossing the bridge.

Without hesitation, Hong Ye-seol crossed the bridge to the artificial island and ascended to the pavilion where Pyo Wol was sitting.

Pyo Wol didn’t even look up, although he must have known that she was there.

He sat on the railing of the pavilion, looking at the fish swimming in the pond. These colorful fish were a hobby that Jang Ha-Moon had nurtured.

Hong Ye-seol looked at the fish alongside Pyo Wol.

Whether or not the fish knew that the two were watching them, they swam to and fro in the pond as a group.

The school followed the largest fish at the lead wherever it moved.

Pyo Wol opened his mouth.

“The nature of Kangho is no different from these fish. They move thoughtlessly as the leader directs, not even knowing why they must do these things.”

“Because the fish following behind can never see the view the leader sees.”

At Hong Ye-seol’s reply, Pyo Wol turned his head to look at her.

His expression was still inscrutable.

Hong Ye-seol was known for being able to read others, but this did not apply to Pyo Wol.

Although he was staring intently at her, she couldn’t fathom what he was thinking. But she didn’t particularly feel bad about it.

Raised as an assassin, one of the first things she learned was to read body language, gestures, and expressions.

People unconsciously reveal much information in their lives. Hong Ye-seol had gathered those tiny pieces of information to identify their weaknesses and exploit them.

Moreover, she was born with a natural talent for it. Nobody could hide their true selves from her.

Therefore, she could clearly see the negative and ugly aspects of others.

For that reason, she couldn’t open her heart to anyone, so she didn’t give her heart to others.

But Pyo Wol was different.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t grasp his true thoughts.

That very fact made her feel at ease.

Hong Ye-seol suddenly smiled broadly.

“Why?”

Pyo Wol was, for the first time, wearing an expression of curiosity.

Hong Ye-seol embraced his arm and spoke.

“You can take other women to your bed; I don’t mind.”

“……”

“You are too great to be monopolized by me alone. What woman would not waver upon seeing you?”

It was a world where having multiple wives or concubines wasn’t seen as a flaw.

If one were a hero, it was naturally accepted.

Even ordinary people, if they had some wealth, would marry additional wives or enjoy concubines.

Especially for top martial artists like Pyo Wol, women were inevitably attracted.

It was like the bees were drawn to a beautiful, dazzling flower.

Pyo Wol was an attractive figure to anyone.

In addition to his heaven-shattering martial arts, he was also more beautiful than a woman. .

It would be inhuman not to be moved by such a person. Moreover, Pyo Wol was not one to reject women.

He never felt ashamed of his status as a charming figure.

So, women were naturally drawn to him.

Hong Ye-seol was one of those many women attracted, too.

She tried to conquer him with her beauty but was ultimately captivated by Pyo Wol.

Hong Ye-seol accepted that fact.

She had fallen for Pyo Wol.

If Pyo Wol ordered her to kill in hell, she would willingly accept.

But one thing had to be clear.

“But… never give your heart to anyone else. If you give your heart to another woman, I will kill her. So never give your heart away.”

“That will never happen. Not even to you…”

“That’s a little sad. But it’s okay.”