Fine, Let’s See The End (1)

Upon arriving at Gangyang-chon, Hyun Hee took a deep breath.

Even though she didn’t usually get nervous, she couldn’t help but feel nervous this time.

Closing her eyes, she continued to breathe deeply to immerse herself in her emotions. This was because it was the moment when she had to act out a lie, as Yu Jinsan had instructed her to do.

When she felt somewhat ready, she opened her eyes and turned to the corner.

“…?”

As expected, the Taoists of Wudang had gathered and were waiting for her.

Among the 12 who were there, all but one were first-class disciples.

And the old man who seemed to be of the highest rank was Mu Heo. Hyun Hee hadn’t expected that such a significant figure would come.

She ran to him, collapsed, and sobbed.

“…. Euk, eukkkk.”

The Wudang Taoists surrounded Hyun Hee with serious expressions. Elder Mu Heo, an adult member of the sect, patted her.

“It seems like it has been over a year. You have no idea how we worked so hard to find where you were.”

“Huh. Everyone died. Everyone, from my Sahyungs to Sasuk…”

The Taoists of Wudang all sighed at this.

“It will not calm you down, but please tell us what happened.”

“We… they were murdered. I cannot bear the shame of being the lone survivor. Huhuhu.”

The Wudang Sect’s anger began to boil over.

Elder Mu Heo also seemed to have calmed down, and his voice was deeply subdued.

“I had some guesses after receiving the letter, but it seems like there had been a lot more trouble…. Who… Hurry and tell us, who are those that caused the deaths of those kids?”

Quite a few disciples of the Wudang Sect had died for unknown reasons. The evil beast had the feeling that whoever it was, he wanted to tear them to pieces.

Hyun Hee wiped the tears from her eyes and took a few deep breaths as if to calm down.

The first-class disciples and Elder Mu Heo calmly waited for her.

“At that time… after subduing the bandits, we, who were in Jinyang County, had a dispute with the Heavenly Dragon Merchant Alliance. We were ambushed at night, but I was the only one who survived… I was imprisoned until now and finally managed to escape.”

It was a lie that seemed plausible, but a gentle person could have discerned it at once.

Then Elder Mu Heo asked with shining eyes.

“I can’t imagine how hard it must have been. But if you escaped from there, you should have rushed to the sect right away. Why did you have to send a letter to someone?”

“That was the only way. The entrance of the village was blocked, and because of that, I, who had escaped, couldn’t move… even now, I barely escaped.”

If they went and checked, they would find out. As she said, wasn’t the village entrance to Jinyang County controlled by warriors?

However, there was a different question that he was most curious about.

“And the Merchant Chamber? No matter how careless they were, how could those kids have helplessly suffered under those third-rate warriors?”

Moreover, didn’t they send Jong Hyun? He didn’t know about others, but Jong Hyun was one of the best swordsmen in Wudang and not someone who could be easily defeated.

“After the Merchant Chamber… the Mount Hua Sect came.”

All the disciples, including Elder Mu Heo, were shocked.

It didn’t make sense, but there was no other way. Because in this land, except for Mount Hua, there was no other force with such strength.

At that time, one of the first-class disciples approached Mu Heo.

“Master, what Hyun Hee said makes sense. As far as I know, the Merchant Chamber is an important source of funds for the Mount Hua Sect.”

Mu Heo looked at the sky and then sighed with deep concern in his eyes.

“I will ask the last question. The Mount Hua Sect… are you saying that the Mount Hua Sect actually attacked our kids?”

Hyun Hee nodded repeatedly, and her eyes filled with tears again.

“Yes… Would I dare tell a lie about what happened with the disciples?”

Mu Heo took a deep breath. The moment his long exhale ended, he transformed into a completely different person.

A stern face and blazing eyes replaced his once gentle demeanor.

“Take me there. To Jinyang County.”

“Yes, Elder.”

So the leaders of Wudang, including Hyun Hee, headed straight to Jinyang County.

If they traveled by foot, it was close enough to reach within the allotted time. The moment they arrived at the village entrance, their feelings morphed into confidence.

Ten warriors guarded the village entrance. The phrase ‘Heavenly Dragon’ was unmistakably engraved there.

It was exactly as Hyun Hee had described to them earlier.

“They are the subordinates of the Merchant Chamber.”

Having no reason to hide anymore, Hyun Hee confidently approached them.

Upon spotting her, the warriors of the Heavenly Dragon began to sound their alarms.

“Found you!”

“That Taoist bitch is right there!”

The warriors started to shout and gather.

After a while, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Hyun Hee. This was because the members of the Wudang Sect standing behind her radiated anger.

They were the elites of the Wudang Sect, and their spirit differed greatly from the Taoists they had encountered before.

“Did you call her a Wudang bitch…? How dare you?!”

Chills ran down their spines as Elder Mu Heo’s body seemed to generate a gust of wind.

Pang!

The warriors facing him froze, unable to move.

“Please give your orders, Elder.”

Mu Heo’s eyes were filled with deadly intent.

“One person who can speak is enough.”

“I understand.”

The plan was to kill everyone except one.

Even so, they were the first-class disciples of Wudang who were not to be taken lightly. At the same time, 11 of them charged forward swiftly, like arrows.

Their movements were uniform, as befits members of a sect, and their lightning-fast speed was truly remarkable.

In a split second, they arrived right in front of the warriors and swung their swords simultaneously.

Swish! Puak!

“Kuak!”

“Ack!”

It was a level of difference that couldn’t even be called a fight. It was a one-sided slaughter.

The battle, akin to an execution, ended as quickly as it began.

Before they knew it, only one person was left. Elder Mu Heo slowly approached him with a menacing look on his face.

“It will be to your advantage to answer my questions obediently.”

“…”

Drenched in fear, the man nodded.

“Are there any Mount Hua Sect members in the village?”

“…Yes.”

Once again, a sigh mixed with an exhale escaped from Mu Heo’s mouth. The moment he began to feel concerned about this reality…

“I will let you go, so bring everyone here.”

“…Uh?”

The warrior of the Heavenly Dragon Merchant Chamber tilted his head. This was because he was unsure if he had heard something wrong. But then he was given another command.

“Go and call the Mount Hua Sect people in the village!”

“Y-yes!”

Was there any reason to hesitate when he spoke like this? As the last survivor, the man ran somewhere.

Meanwhile, the first-class disciples of Wudang, along with Mu Heo, sat in the large open space and waited.

As the night began to deepen, there weren’t many people walking on the street.

Not long after, they were able to find seven plum blossom swordsmen, the best of Mount Hua. There were more around the village, but only the best had rushed to where they were.

The person who was approaching with great force in front of them was the great disciple of Mount Hua, Chung Su.

In normal times, he would have been the first to greet the elder of the other sect. But right now, his eyes looked enraged.

“It is no use speaking to the elder. We cannot endure this anymore.”

Mu Heo was quite shocked.

Even if this guy would kneel and apologize, he would still be angry and not forgive him. But these words only made him angrier.

“Y-you bastard! I tried to show a bit of mercy and listen to your side. How dare you behave this way after being a man in need of Taoist guidance?!”

“Do not refer to me as a bastard. If you continue to act….”

Before he could finish speaking, Mu Heo’s right hand moved. No one saw it coming.

In the blink of an eye, his palm struck Chung Su’s cheek.

Slap!

Since the blow was infused with qi, it was normal for the receiver to fall. However, Chung Su, whose upper body swayed, didn’t fall. His legs didn’t move at all.

As he regained his balance and stood firm, Mu Heo’s hand moved again. Its incredible speed was hard to follow, even with the naked eye.

Everyone expected Chung Su to collapse. But the situation changed this time.

Tak!

Before anyone knew it, Chung Su was gripping Mu Heo’s wrist. He had blocked it!

He bared his teeth in a contorted grimace and glared at Mu Heo. The others were prepared to counterattack if necessary.

“How dare you stop me?”

“….”

Though the sects were different, they were united in a place known as the Murim Alliance. Such extreme situations were rare.

The Taoists of the Mount Hua Sect and the Wudang Sect glared at each other, their hands on their sword sheaths. Continuing the conversation seemed impossible.

“I will not speak again. If you do not release my hand now, you and your disciples will die here.”

An ultimatum.

Everyone was swallowing dryly in silence due to the suffocating tension. After a moment’s pause, Chung Su, who had been glaring at Mu Heo, released his wrist.

No matter how strong Chung Su’s skills were, he could not possibly defeat an elder.

He nervously turned and left without a word. His disciples also looked at Chung Su and disappeared with stiff expressions.

At the same time, one of the Wudang disciples approached Mu Heo, who now had a blank face.

“Master, are you just going to let him go? We should use this as an opportunity to set an example and ensure they are disciplined.”

After a moment of consideration, Mu Heo shook his head once.

“This isn’t a problem that will end just by doing that. I will head to Mount Hua tomorrow. I need to meet their Sect Leader in person and find out what his thoughts are.”

“If the guy known as Great Sahyung is acting like this, there is no need to talk anymore.”

“If that happens, all that remains will be an all-out war.”

If things didn’t go well, he planned to return to Wudang and convey this to the elders.

The Wudang disciples let go of their anger and entered the center of the village. After a while, they found a three-story guesthouse.

“Master. How about staying in this guesthouse for a day?”

“That would be a good idea. Let us get some rest and leave as soon as the sun rises.”

The center of Jinyang County.

Even though it was late at night, a couple of restaurants were open, serving alcohol.

“Mount Hua is acting like a tiger.” ¹

The disciples of Mount Hua gathered in groups of two and three.

A look of irritation was clear on their faces.

“Not only did they assault the Sajils, but they also slapped our Great Sahyung.”

“Damn those Wudang bastards. It’s clear that they are holding a grudge over the tournament incident.”

“If only the elder wasn’t there, I would have beaten them down.”

They felt very wronged.

Although it was clear that they had caused an uproar in the village by gossiping about Wudang, no matter how much they thought about it, they were responsible for the cause.

Their emotions, having been exposed to a difficult situation twice in one day, were unable to be controlled.

All they could do was drink to relieve their anger.

But when they got drunk, their emotions only got stronger, and their dissatisfaction began to rise one after another.

“I cannot stand this.”

“We should also bring in our adults. Don’t you think revenge comes only when people of the same position meet?”

“It’s a decision for Great Sahyung to make. He arrived without informing the elders, not to mention an adult. It’s difficult to even discuss this now.”

“So, you’re saying we will proceed like this?”

“Hold on. You’re aware of Great Sahyung Chung Su’s nature, right?”

It was a time when four disciples were leaning over the table in deep thought. From around the corner, a second-class disciple came rushing in.

“Sasuk! Great Sahyung Chung Su is calling everyone to gather!”

“Great Sahyung?! Why?”

“That’s all I know. And the warriors from the Heavenly Dragon Merchant Chamber are also assembling.”

The disciples of the Mount Hua Sect stood up and grabbed their sword sheaths as if they had been waiting for this.

“Those Wudang bastards, they’re finished today.”