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The disciples who had gone to Shandong with him were standing in a line behind him. A few had bandages, but there were no serious injuries, and fortunately, no one had died that day.

With Ho Yeon-nam dead and Yeom Hwa seriously injured, the remaining people were too preoccupied to kill each other. It was fortunate that it was a sudden incident; otherwise, one side might have been completely wiped out.

Ho Yeon-tak was a disciple but also a blood relative of the Ho Yeon Clan. Although he was from a branch family and not the main line, he was different from the ordinary disciples.

The person standing on the high platform looking down at them was Ho Yeon-se, the head of the Ho Yeon Clan. Ho Yeon-nam, who had died this time, was his third younger brother.

Wearing a long robe with a tiger embroidered on it, Ho Yeon-se had long white hair and a white beard, and just standing there, he exuded an extraordinary aura. He truly showed the appearance of a leader heading a family.

Ho Yeon-se had his eyes closed, suppressing his anger. More precisely, he was pretending to calm his anger.

Although Ho Yeon-nam was his blood relative, he didn’t have a deep affection for him, so his death wasn’t heartbreakingly sad.

But now, he needed to be sad. This sadness would play a role when it reached the outside world.

The person standing next to him was Ho Yeon-chun[1], the second brother. He was looking down at the disciples with cold eyes, as if he might punish them at any moment. Apart from the disciples who had experienced the incident, these two were the only ones present.

Finally, Ho Yeon-se slowly opened his eyes and asked,

“What exactly happened?”

“I don’t know either. Master suddenly drew his sword and attacked Yeom Hwa.”

“You fool!”

Ho Yeon-se thundered. The energy wave from his body enveloped the space.

Ho Yeon-tak was terrified by this aura. The disciples standing behind couldn’t even breathe properly.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“How could I dare to lie about such a thing?”

“Are you really saying that Nam attacked first?”

“That is correct.”

The disciples standing behind also unanimously agreed that it was so.

Ho Yeon-se looked at Ho Yeon-chun standing next to him.

Ho Yeon-chun nodded once with a cold expression. It meant that considering Ho Yeon-nam’s personality, it was entirely possible.

Ho Yeon-chun disliked Ho Yeon-nam. Although Ho Yeon-chun had won the second-in-command battle against Ho Yeon-nam, there was still a lot of resentment left from it.

Ho Yeon-se let out a heavy sigh.

When the news first arrived, he thought the content had been misreported.

But if it was true that Ho Yeon-nam had launched a surprise attack first, the problem was serious. An even bigger problem was that an official meeting was being held at that time.

Yeom Hwa the Slaughterer from the Heavenly Blade Sect, known for his strong pride and bad temper, wouldn’t let this incident pass.

It was like being bitten by a dog and then having to pay not only compensation but also for the dog’s broken teeth.

“Go back and reflect on your actions.”

“Yes.”

All those standing behind withdrew. But Ho Yeon-tak remained.

“I have something to tell the Clan Head.”

“What is it?”

Ho Yeon-tak carefully recounted the story of Ya-cheon’s visit. He also told about how Ho Yeon-nam had taken the money brought in the leather pouch.

Ho Yeon-se’s expression hardened as he listened to the story.

If this was true, it meant that Ho Yeon-nam had accepted money from the Night Merchants and then ambushed Yeom Hwa. It would greatly tarnish the reputation of the Ho Yeon Clan.

“Do the other disciples know about this?”

“No. Only I know about it.”

“You must never speak of this matter again.”

“I will keep it in mind.”

Ho Yeon-tak withdrew.

Now only Ho Yeon-se and Ho Yeon-chun remained in the main hall.

Ho Yeon-se frowned.

“That pathetic fool, I should have seen through him when he was so eager to handle the matter himself.”

Although he was reluctant, there was no one else to send for the Heavenly Blade Sect matter, so he had to send Ho Yeon-nam. He couldn’t give up the two hundred thousand taels.

“To resolve this matter, we’ll have to meet them after all.”

Ho Yeon-chun nodded at Ho Yeon-se’s words.

“I’ll make contact with them.”

“Please do.”

“But…”

Ho Yeon-chun trailed off, looking at the door through which Ho Yeon-tak had left.

“What will you do about that child? If rumors spread that Nam took money and caused this incident…”

Ho Yeon-se silently looked at Ho Yeon-chun. Without saying anything, Ho Yeon-chun nodded as if he had heard something.

***

When Chief Gong locked himself in his room, Gwang-du immersed himself in training again.

He was motivated by hearing that Gwan-hwi’s skills had improved. For a martial artist, having a rival was not just good, it was a blessing.

Gwang-du trained diligently.

I didn’t teach him separately. Even if I noticed something off, I left it alone. Touching on everything might actually make things worse.

I’d just let him realize things on his own, and when he asked questions, I’d teach him then.

I trained separately, far from where Gwang-du was training. My training would surely interfere with Gwang-du’s. For now, Gwang-du needed to focus solely on his own training rather than external stimuli.

I was sitting alone at the mountain peak, immersed in meditation.

The Heaven-Defying Tiger Heart Method was always in effect except during sleep, so my inner energy was steadily accumulating. It would take about a year to reach the ninth level of inner energy.

With the money I had obtained this time, I could buy spirit pills to shorten that year, but I decided not to.

Not only because there were other places to spend the money, but also because I could already use the Four Moves, so there was no need to be greedy for the Five Moves by buying spirit pills.

Today’s training was meditation training.

Just because recent realizations had come from daily life doesn’t mean all progress should be sought only in daily life.

Only when basic training is laid as a foundation can the concept of daily life realizations exist.

I recalled the Immortal Crane Secret Art in my mind. I imagined a virtual battle while recalling each movement.

The opponent was the leader of the Blood Sky Divine Sect. He was the strongest person I had ever faced.

Since I had engaged in a life-and-death battle with him for half a day, I knew exactly what demonic arts he possessed and how powerful they were.

I imagined the battle with him in my mind.

I attacked, closing in on the Demonic Sect Leader with the Immortal Crane Secret Art, engaging in close combat.

In the first battle, my head was smashed.

In the second battle, half of my body was blown away.

Naturally, I couldn’t face him with my current Immortal Crane Secret Art.

Could I kill him if I mastered the Immortal Crane Secret Art? I still didn’t know.

This time, I recalled both the Soul-Reaping Asura Sword Technique and the Immortal Crane Secret Art simultaneously. I faced the Demonic Sect Leader combining the two martial arts.

As the sword technique and secret technique intertwined, an image of a more difficult battle appeared in my mind.

It was a moment that showed how foolish it was to use two martial arts simultaneously while facing an absolute expert.

But I don’t intend to give up.

I plan to find a way to properly fuse these two martial arts and use them against enemies.

After finishing training, I went to the marketplace with Gwang-du.

Instead of our usual inn, we went to eat at a larger inn near the Martial Arts Alliance headquarters. It was to get some fresh air and also to hear recent rumors.

“Eating after finishing hard training really tastes like honey!”

“Eat a lot. I’ll order more!”

“Young Master, let’s have a drink after a long time.”

“Sure.”

I called the waiter and ordered alcohol and side dishes.

After emptying his cup refreshingly, Gwang-du said with a happy face,

“Ah, I couldn’t ask for more. This cup of alcohol after training!”

I agree. Moreover, if it’s with someone you get along with, the joy would be doubled.

“By the way, everyone’s talking about that.”

In the inn, the only topic of conversation was about the Ho Yeon Clan and the Heavenly Blade Sect. Since it was a clash between two such strong families, it was bound to be the focus of attention.

Listening quietly, I found that opinions were divided.

Some said Ho Yeon-nam, who launched the surprise attack first, bore great responsibility, while others said Yeom Hwa was wrong for killing Ho Yeon-nam.

Some even expressed extreme opinions that the Ho Yeon Clan would face extinction.

Hearing those words from afar, Gwang-du made a disbelieving expression.

“Surely the Ho Yeon Clan won’t fall, right? They’re one of the Four Great Families of the martial arts world.”

“Well, you never know.”

“What?”

“It’s extremely difficult for a sect to rise, but it can fall in an instant.”

And the larger the sect, the greater the impact would be. If such a large entity loses balance and staggers, it would crush everything around it as it falls.

At that moment, a man rushed into the inn and delivered breathless news.

“Have you heard the news? A disciple of the Ho Yeon Clan has committed suicide.”

“What? You mean a disciple of Ho Yeon-nam who died recently?”

“That’s right. I heard his name was Ho Yeon-tak. Anyway, they say he committed suicide out of guilt for not being able to protect his master.”

Listening from the side, I was inwardly shocked. Ho Yeon-tak was someone I had seen during the recent events. When you see people, you get a feeling about them. He didn’t seem weak. He might have been distressed over his master’s death, but he didn’t seem like someone who would commit suicide. A chilling wind swept through my heart.

People lamented his death.

“Oh no.”

“What a waste of a young life.”

“He must have had a deep devotion to his master.”

“Indeed, he’s worthy of being a disciple of a prestigious sect.”

Everyone said a word for the deceased disciple.

Gwang-du also expressed his condolences.

“Ah, it’s truly a sad thing.”

I also emptied a cup of alcohol in memory of his death. As I put down my cup, I said,

“Was it really suicide?”

“What else could it be?”

Gwang-du, who quickly grasped the meaning behind my words, was startled.

“Gasp! Why are you being so scary?”

I had seen it countless times. People committing unspeakable acts under the pretext of protecting their family.

“Well, it might not be. But it could be.”

The suicide of a young disciple who hadn’t even had a chance to bloom would start to create public criticism against Yeom Hwa. The criticism would soon spread to the Heavenly Blade Sect.

Although Ho Yeon-nam was the one who launched the surprise attack first, in this situation, Yeom Hwa would have to take responsibility.

“Because we don’t know which side is telling the truth… this is why you’re learning martial arts.”

“Why?”

“Because you need to be strong to know the truth.”

Because the truth of the weak is forever buried.

Gwang-du looked at me and answered seriously.

“Yes, I’ll train hard.”

If the Ho Yeon Clan killed him and disguised it as suicide… they have crossed the line.

Someday, they will pay the price for crossing that line.

***

A man was sitting by the river.

He was the very Number One who had received a report from Number Seven not long ago.

After staring endlessly at a painting of waves on a beach, he was now looking at the river with a fishing rod cast.

Next to him, a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat sat down. Surprisingly, the visitor was Ho Yeon-chun of the Ho Yeon Clan.

“Are the fish biting well?”

“I’ve been out since morning, but the bites have been quite poor.”

“Didn’t they say that when fishing, one can attain a state of no-thought, no-image, and no-self?”

“There is such a saying.”

“But I don’t have the hobby of sitting still like this.”

“People often think fishing is very static, but that’s not true. Fishing is similar to martial arts.”

At Number One’s words, Ho Yeon-chun asked with a curious expression.

“What do you mean?”

“It means there’s stillness in movement[2] and movement in stillness[3]. Just as you watch quietly and then vigorously pull the fishing rod when the float moves, isn’t it the same with wielding a sword?”

“I suppose so.”

But Ho Yeon-chun wasn’t sincerely convinced.

‘If you put it that way, wouldn’t cooking rice, defecating, and everything else in the world be the same?’

Hiding his true thoughts, Ho Yeon-chun brought up the main point.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but we recently had a small friction with the Heavenly Blade Sect.”

Number One immediately said,

“You agreed to receive two hundred thousand taels from the Shandong Night Merchants, didn’t you?”

Ho Yeon-chun felt displeased. There was no need to bring up the money in this situation, but he had pointedly highlighted their greed for money.

“Our side has been settled for now, but it seems there are still issues on the Heavenly Blade Sect’s side. Especially Yeom Hwa the Slaughterer, he won’t let this matter end like this.”

It was a well-known fact that Yeom Hwa’s personality was far from ordinary. He wouldn’t end this matter just because Ho Yeon-tak had committed suicide.

“I heard he went to Wuhan to meet Ma Bong-gi.”

Number One nodded, confirming that this was true. It was an attitude as if they knew everything.

“I understand. We’ll resolve this matter on our side.”

“Thank you.”

As Ho Yeon-chun was about to get up and leave, Number One said,

“This is only once. Don’t cause such trouble again.”

For a moment, Ho Yeon-chun’s eyes turned cold.

“What do you mean by that?”

In response to Ho Yeon-chun’s provocation, Number One turned his head back towards the river. Then, a cold word flowed from his mouth.

“A warning.”

After staring at him for a moment, Ho Yeon-chun left without a word.

After he left, Number One, who had been staring at the river for a long time, opened his mouth.

“Do you know why I like water so much?”

Then, a woman walked out from behind a tree a little distance away. She was Number Seven, who had been monitoring Ma Jeongsu earlier.

“I don’t know.”

“My father drowned.”

It seemed like she might offer a word of comfort, but Number Seven spoke briefly in an emotionless tone.

“I see.”

Number One laughed self-mockingly. It was he who had trained her to be like this.

“Take the Strange Phantom and handle this matter.”

Again, Number Seven left the place after just a brief “Yes.”

After watching her for a moment, Number One looked back at the river. The float trembled, but he didn’t pull the fishing rod.