Chapter 139

In Zhengzhou, Henan Province, giants of the martial arts world had gathered.

Chirp—

“The day is clear.”

“Indeed it is.”

“I wish I could take a piece of this sky and move it to Wudang Mountain.”

“Truly.”

A Taoist elder idly spouting whimsical words as he watched the clouds drift by, and beside him a man in his mid-forties chiming in.

The Taoist elder was Jong Baek, the sect leader of the Wudang sect.

At Jong Baek’s words, the monk opposite him smiled faintly and spoke.

“Wudang Mountain already has its sect leader; what need would it have for the sky?”

The monk who could speak so familiarly to the sect leader of the Wudang sect was monk Gwang Haeng, who served as the current Abbot of Shaolin.

At this place, the Shaolin Abbot and the sect leader of Wudang—two giants leading the righteous martial arts world—had gathered.

Jong Baek shifted his gaze to monk Gwang Haeng and looked at his side.

Next to Gwang Haeng stood a prisoner wearing shackles, his lips jutting out in a pout.

“……”

Jong Baek could not contain his curiosity and asked.

“It’s awkward to ask, Abbot, but why is Victorious Fighting Monk being treated like a criminal?”

The prisoner was none other than Victorious Fighting Monk Jeong Haeng.

“Haha, don’t worry about it.”

“It’s hard not to worry looking at him…”

“Amitabha. It’s all karma.”

“What sin did he commit this time…”

Victorious Fighting Monk’s mischief had a reputation that reached beyond Mount Song to Wudang Mountain.

It was odd to see the very symbol of Shaolin monks wearing shackles, but Jong Baek decided not to mention it further.

And,

“You all look cheerful.”

The third person present spoke up.

Namgung Family Lord ,Namgung Geom.

Unlike the two leisurely conversing men, Namgung Geom looked ill at ease.

“Inside me a thousand devils are raging and I’m about to be overturned, yet you gentlemen are watching the sky—perhaps this is why one must cultivate the Way.”

Namgung Geom was impatient and arrogant.

Those who knew his sobriquet, Sword Lord, expected the demeanor of a gentleman, but in fact he was the opposite.

Namgung Geom was closer to a tyrant than to a gentleman.

“Well, with two of the Three Lords gathered, is there any reason to consider my mood?”

“Heh heh, Namgung Family Lord. Calm yourself.”

Despite Namgung Geom’s insolent words, the two Taoists did not take offense.

They were already well acquainted with his temperament.

“Come to think of it, the Three Sovereigns are all gathered here.”

The Three Lords.

When naming the strongest in the righteous martial world, the same three names were always mentioned.

Namgung Family Lord, Sword Lord Namgung Geom.

Jong Baek, sect leader of Wudang, Sa Hye-gum.

Victorious Fighting Monk, Jeong Haeng of Shaolin.

“To be called one of the Three Lords is an excessive title. Especially for this fellow. It should be Two Sovereigns, not Three.”

Monk Gwang Haeng pointed at Jong Haeng and said.

“If the Victorious Fighting Monk, Shaolin’s Number One, were absent, who could fill that seat?”

“Sigh… How did such a roughneck become Shaolin’s Number One…?”

Gwang Haeng sighed deeply.

“By the way, why is Victorious Fighting Monk saying nothing?”

“I have placed him under a vow of silence by Abbot’s decree.”

“Shackles and a vow of silence as well?”

“I also ordered him to stay by my side for six months. If I take my eyes off this rascal for even a moment, he keeps causing trouble…”

“……”

Compassion colored Jong Baek’s eyes.

Of course, the look was directed at Abbot Gwang Haeng, not Jong Haeng.

“Abbot, you have borne much toil.”

“Thank you for understanding. It seems Shaolin’s vessel is still too small to contain the karma that is Jong Haeng.”

Jong Haeng, who had been listening, snorted and turned his back.

Gwang Haeng glared at Jong Haeng’s bald crown and sighed deeply.

“Sect leader, did you also come at the great young master’s summons?”

Jong Baek nodded.

“But I do not know for what reason the Shaolin, Wudang, and even Namgung were all called together.”

“It’s natural that you two Taoists do not know.”

Namgung Geom, who had been listening, spoke.

“Because it concerns the Namgung Family.”

Jong Haeng and Jong Baek cast questioning glances, but Namgung Geom folded his arms and fell silent as if not wanting to say more.

Before long, warriors of the Bukgung Family slowly walked into the place where the Three Sovereigns were seated.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Through the rows of warriors on both sides, a pale, slight man entered.

An expressionless face, a precarious gait… yet as the man entered the room’s air seemed to chill slightly.

The warriors escorting Jong Baek and Namgung Geom stood and greeted the Bukgung Family’s young lord.

The Shaolin Abbot, the Wudang sect leader, and the Namgung Family Lord did not rise.

Victorious Fighting Monk, bound in shackles, also did not rise from his seat.

Bukgung Kang-geon naturally proceeded toward the seat of honor.

Before taking his seat, he respectfully bowed to the sect heads.

“I pay my respects to the sect leaders.”

“We greet the young lord.”

Jong Baek and Gwang Haeng also returned the courtesy with bows.

Since the two were seniors in the martial world, Namgung Geom offered a rough salute in place of a formal greeting.

Seen like this, he appeared to be a polite and well-mannered young man, but…

Jong Haeng had always thought that this was not the Duke’s true nature.

“Since you’re all busy, let’s get straight to the point.”

Bukgung Kang-geon looked at Namgung Geom and said.

“You say there has been an incident at the Namgung Family.”

The edge of Namgung Geom’s sword twitched.

To lay a family’s internal affairs bare before others was entirely against Namgung Geom’s nature, but…

“Twenty buildings of the Namgung Family were completely burned down.”

Gwang Haeng and Jong Baek were taken aback by the shocking news.

Yet at the same time they were puzzled.

What connection could there be between the Namgung Family’s manor being engulfed in flames and today’s meeting?

“Namgung Family Lord, did you discover the flames late?”

“It’s not that. Flames ignited simultaneously in twenty of the family’s main buildings. It was not an accident. Moreover, the blaze was so fierce that even after mobilizing the family’s military unit and servants to pour water, it could not be contained.”

“Does that mean…?”

“Yes. Someone deliberately committed arson.”

Twenty simultaneous arsons, an unquenchable blaze.

A single figure flashed through the minds of those who heard Namgung Geom’s account.

“Who is the culprit?”

“We discovered the flames and within three hours deployed pursuit teams across the whole Habi, but we could not capture them.”

“Namgung Family Lord, do you have a suspect in mind?”

This question came from Bukgung Kang-geon.

Namgung Geom nodded and answered plainly.

“…I am certain it was the work of Raging Evil.”

Bukgung Kang-geon nodded calmly as if not surprised.

Namgung Geom was certain.

The Duke already knew everything.

Even though all of this had happened only three days ago.

“Raging Evil’s doing?”

“Yes.”

“How are you so sure?”

“I found a painting in my daughter Namgung Sohye’s room stamped with Raging Evil’s seal.”

If the righteous martial world has the Three Sovereigns, the heterodox world, conversely, has the Three Evils.

Among the Three Evils, Raging Evil, was a man with two reputations.

He bore the reputation of being the martial world’s foremost fire technique unrivaled in pyrotechnic skill, and of being the martial world’s top painter, with a single painting of his fetching thousands in gold.

“So then, Namgung Family Lord…”

Raging Evil’s movements were elusive and his martial skill formidable, so he long remained an infamous evil in the martial world.

“I cannot leave the one who attacked the Namgung Family alone. This time I will certainly capture and execute him.”

Namgung Geom was a man who never broke his word.

If he said he would kill, he carried it out.

“Hmm…”

There were reasons beyond his martial skill that made Soak uncapturable.

Soak, and indeed those called the Three Evils in the martial world, were all men of the Bukgung Family’s Heavenly Martial division.

Just as the righteous world’s Three Lords were all men of world.

The Shaolin Abbot and the Wudang Sect leader both watched the young lord’s expression.

Sword Lord intends to strike Raging Evil.

This was not only a clash between the Three Sovereigns and the Three Evils, but, in a way, an issue of prestige between Heavenly Martial and Heavenly Martial Manor.

The young lord would not accept it meekly…

“Very well.”

Bukgung Kang-geon answered readily.

The Taoists, and even Namgung Geom, had not expected the young lord to answer so easily.

“Let’s do it that way.”

“Young lord, this isn’t a matter to decide so simply, is it? If Raging Evil alone loses his life, then the Heavenly Martial Manor Lord will…”

“Raging Evil one alone? No.”

“…?”

“Take this opportunity to deal with all three Evils of the land, including Raging Evil”

Even hot-tempered Namgung Geom fell silent at the extreme remark.

That would mean war.

War between the Bukgung Family’s Heavenly Martial Manor Lord and the Bukgung Family’s troops division.

“As the old saying goes, a younger brother cannot overcome an elder. Use this opportunity as a pretext to sweep away land entirely.”

Bukgung Kang-geon slowly glanced around those in the hall and smiled.

A smile much too peaceful for someone proposing war.

“Surely the Three Lords of the world are not afraid of the Three Evils, are they?”

Gulp gulp.

A man with his front collar carelessly unfastened was greedily gulping down drink.

“Whew! I almost died this time…”

He roughly tossed the empty bottle aside and flung his limbs over the chair.

The sprawled man stared at the ceiling and let out a long belch.

“Burrrp—.”

“…You filthy bastard. Why don’t you just drop dead already?”

“There are things you can and can’t say to a brother-in-law you haven’t seen in ages.”

Although he said that, he did not seem angry.

His tone was thick with a soft, teasing playfulness.

“Who are you calling brother-in-law? You wet-behind-the-ears kid, don’t spout nonsense. Someone as stupid as you doesn’t deserve a blade. It would do the women of the Central Plains a favor if you dropped dead in some foreign land.”

At that, the man merely tilted his head, raised his forefinger, and aimed it at his companion.

“How dare you speak such abuse toward Raging Evil, a member of the Three Evils? Do you want to die?”

Whoosh!

A blue flame flared at the tip of the man’s forefinger.

It was the Blue Ghost Fire that, once ignited, would never go out until death.

But despite the man’s threat, his companion did not even blink.

He even snorted in contempt.

“Now that you’re done drinking, get lost. Don’t come to someone quietly living and cause trouble…”

“I can’t do that. This is a fate we’ve met after years.”

“Fate my foot. It’s a bad bond. Not just a bad bond, but a persistent curse you desperately want to sever!”

“No, I’m not just here to visit. If I speak ten words, three might be lies, but this time it’s different. There’s really big trouble, I’m telling you.”

“If it’s that serious, just die.”

“The Namgung Family bastards are on fire trying to catch me. It’s too hard to hide on my own with my abilities.”

“Isn’t that your usual trick? Go set fires everywhere and burn to death along with them.”

“That would be fine too… But still, for the sake of saving this brother-in-law’s life, help me once. With your skill you can surely hide me, can’t you?”

Raging Fire begged her.

“Isn’t that right? Our Shapeshifting Demon…”