Death drifts moon - Chapter 552
Chapter 552
Namgung Wol took a moment to regulate his breathing.
His breath, which had been ragged from using Qigong, slowly returned to normal.
Only then did Namgung Wol knock on the door of Sol Family Pavilion.
Thud! Thud!
Perhaps due to the night, the dull sound reverberated loudly.
Creak!
After a while, the rusted hinge screamed as the main gate of Sol Family Pavilion opened. A bearded elderly man, leaning on a staff, greeted him.
The old man was Sal-no.
Sal-no asked with a smile,
“What brings you here?”
“I came to see Grandmaster Pyo.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know that this is his dwelling.”
“Ho!”
Sal-no’s face showed surprise.
The fact that Pyo Wol stayed here was top secret.
“What is your honored name?”
“My name is Namgung Wol.”
“Ah! You are the young master of the Namgung Clan.”
Only then did Sal-no put aside his suspicion.
He knew about the relationship between Namgung Wol and Pyo Wol.
“But how did you know about this place?”
“He told me.”
“Pardon?”
“He informed me through young master Jo Seolpung.”
“Ah! I see. Please come in.”
Only then did Sal-no step aside, convinced.
Namgung Wol carefully entered the Sol Family Pavilion.
The inside of the Sol Family Pavilion was silent.
It was so quiet that it seemed there wasn’t a single person there. But Namgung Wol knew that wasn’t the case.
His skin tingled.
He felt someone’s gaze.
It was a covert glance that only a high-level martial artist of Namgung Wol’s caliber could detect.
‘Just as I thought, there are assassins hiding here.’
Although the courtyard appeared to be empty, it was in fact one of the most dangerous places in the world, with assassins stationed everywhere.
In fact, there weren’t many assassins remaining in the Sol Family Pavilion. Most of the assassins that Pyo Wol had gathered had left for various places for training, leaving only Sal-no and some of the Ten Blood Assassins behind.
Yet it still felt like the most dangerous fortress in the world, for the skills of those who remained were extraordinary.
Swallowing his dry saliva, Namgung Wol moved further into the room.
The great hall that Sal-no led him to was exceedingly dark.
This was because the people staying here were all assassins, so there was no need for light.
Assassins were fundamentally trained to identify objects in the dark. Even with minimal light, they could maximize their vision as if it were broad daylight.
Hence, only minimal lighting remained in the Sol Family Pavilion.
Sal-no stopped in front of a door in the innermost part of the main hall.
“Supreme Leader, a guest has arrived.”
“Bring him in.”
“Yes!”
Sal-no opened the door in response
He saw the figure of Pyo Wol sitting on a bed.
Behind Pyo Wol, who was bare-chested, Hong Ye-Seol could be seen, her upper body covered with a blanket.
Despite the two men entering, Hong Ye-Seol didn’t seem embarrassed and just smiled shyly.
“Um!”
Namgung Wol’s face turned red.
He turned his head, unable to look at Hong Ye-seol.
“It’s been a while”
Pyo Wol, still bare-chested, stood up and approached.
“Yes! It has been a while.”
“How did you leave the Silver Lotus Hall?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Take a seat. Let’s talk over some tea.”
Pyo Wol sat at the table.
Namgung Wol sat down opposite him and Sal-no casually began brewing tea.
The sight of him placing a kettle full of water on the stove and preparing tea leaves was very natural.
In no time, Sal-no had the tea ready and placed it before the two men.
“Now tell me. What happened?”
“Well….”
Namgung Wol trailed off, looking at Sal-no and Hong Ye-seol.
Hong Ye-seol casually smiled, showing no sign of embarrassment, and Pyo Wol calmly spoke.
“They’re trustworthy. It’s fine to talk in front of them.”
At Pyo Wol’s words, Namgung Wol nodded and opened his mouth.
“Yong Ha-sang is dead.”
“….”
Pyo Wol’s expression hardened.
This was something even he hadn’t expected.
“His body was found a few days ago on a boat docked in front of the Silver Lotus Hall.
“Are you certain it’s Yong Ha-sang?”
“I found and confirmed it myself. It was definitely Yong Ha-sang.”
“Who is the murderer?”
“We have yet to find out.”
“The cause of death?”
“A puncture wound in the chest. From the size and shape, it seems a spear or a rod has pierced through.”
Pyo Wol closed his eyes.
He could think of a potential suspect.
At that moment, Namgung Wol continued speaking.
“Because of this, the Golden Heavenly Hall and the Silver Lotus Hall are in a state of turmoil.”
“What is the Golden Heavenly Hall saying?”
“They’re defending themselves, saying they didn’t kill him.”
“The Silver Lotus Hall must be calling out for an immediate attack on the Golden Heavenly Hall”.
“Exactly. Namgung… Seol won’t miss this opportunity.”
“I suppose so. Now she has a just cause, so of course she should make use of it.
“What worries me is the Dragon Mountain Manor. If the Iron Tyrant Dragon, which lost its only successor, leads the elites of Dragon Mountain Manor here, the problem will get more serious.
Perhaps the current chaos will be so immense that it won’t even compare to the previous upheavals.”
“If the Dragon Mountain Manor moves, the Heavenly Martial Sect and the Mad Martial Sect will also move.”
At Pyo Wol’s words, Namgung Wol nodded.
“Yes! Then, the Shaolin, the Wudang, and Mount Hua sect won’t be able to stand idly by.”
“A true world-shaking chaos will occur.”
“The front line, which had been confined to Lake Poyang, will expand to the entire world. The more serious problem is that, unlike the previous large-scale battles, there is no clear division between friends and enemies.”
In the past two hundred years, the murim world had experienced two world wars.
The first world war was a fight between the entire martial world and the Demonic Sect, and the second was between the martial world and the Celestial Demon Troupe.
Both world wars had clear enemies.
With a clear target to fight against, all they had to do was fight with all their might. But now it was different.
As a proxy war, it was being fought between the Golden Heavenly Hall and the Silver Lotus Hall, but the relationships between the various clans were intertwined like a spider’s web.
Depending on the alliance, it was difficult to tell who was an enemy and who was an ally.
No one in the murim world had ever experienced such a fight. Therefore, it was impossible to even predict how the fight would turn out.
If a huge sect like the Dragon Mountain Manor joins in, other sects associated with them won’t be able to sit idly by.
“It could cause even more damage than the two previous world wars.
“Isn’t that an overinterpretation?”
“No. This is at the very least. If my prediction is correct, the entire Kangho may walk the path of destruction.”
“The destruction of Kangho…”
Deep wrinkles formed on Pyo Wol’s forehead.
It was a proposition he had never thought of before.
Pyo Wol looked at Namgung Wol.
Namgung Wol had a look on his face that showed no doubt in his thoughts.
Pyo Wol muttered.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if Kangho is destroyed.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because I think it is the natural course.”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you think this is normal? That only a few have the power to influence the fate of others?”
“Well, that is…”
“Anything in excess is as bad as it is insufficient.”
“Have you turned into a philosopher now? Why are you uttering words that don’t suit you?”
“Leading a group gives you a lot to think about.”
He hadn’t thought this deeply when he was acting solo. But upon taking charge of the assassin guilds, his thoughts deepened.
Whether he liked it or not, he had to lead those who had joined his cause.
He couldn’t just leave everything to Sal-no.
He was the supreme leader of the assassin guilds.
Ultimately, he had to create the big picture and indicate the direction they should be moving in.
So he had no choice but to think a lot during his time alone.
The more he thought, the more he felt the world of Kangho was unnatural.
He began to doubt whether it was natural for Kangho to exist in a world where ordinary people were the majority.
Currently, Kangho was experiencing its golden era.
Never since the beginning of Kangho had so many martial arts factions flourished. But as the old saying goes, the higher the mountain, the deeper the valley.
For the moment, they were enjoying the golden age. But if a certain incident caused them to fall,
the depths to which they could plunge were unimaginable.
Namgung Wol stared at Pyo Wol with a peculiar expression and continued speaking.
“I am unsure whether Kangho will truly collapse, but if the Grand war actualizes, downfall will be inevitable.”
“And so?”
“We must prevent it.”
“How?”
“Maybe it’s possible if Grandmaster Pyo lends a hand.”
“Do we really need to go that far? Even if we’ve consolidated the power of assassin guilds, the reality is that we can’t handle the might of the Three River Sects, Three Manors, and the Three Great Sects.”
“But……”
“Right now, there’s nothing we can do. We can only watch….”
At Pyo Wol’s indifferent words, Namgung Wol bit his lip.
He knew in his mind that Pyo Wol was right. But emotionally, it was hard to accept.
“Sigh!”
Namgung Wol let out a deep sigh.
He looked extremely forlorn, with his shoulders slumped.
Namgung Wol realized he couldn’t convince Pyo Wol with words. Neither could he overbear Pyo Wol with strength.
Pyo Wol, with his arms crossed, gazed at Namgung Wol.
“Why waste your energy on futile matters?”
“What?”
“Regardless of our closeness, in the end, we’re strangers. I have no choice but to prioritize my interests.”
“But……”
“Instead of trying to persuade me, move the Thousand Kingdom School.”
“But the Thousand Kingdom School……”
“Is it that hard to return to the place you left willingly? Is it your pride?”
“……”
“Is your pride that significant? If you truly desire something, you can easily cast aside such
pride. I can do that……”
Suddenly, blood flowed from Namgung Wol’s lips.
He had bitten his gums too hard, causing them to burst.
“If you truly want to prevent a major upheaval, you need to mobilize the Thousand Kingdom School.”
“But how?”
“You should figure it out. Whether you persuade your father and brother, or subdue them with force. You should decide the method.”
“……”
“Do not demand sacrifices from others when you yourself lack the courage[a].”
Pyo Wol’s words became a dagger, ruthlessly stabbing into Namgung Wol’s heart.
His chest hurt.
He couldn’t breathe properly.
Namgung Wol shook his head.
Pyo Wol didn’t say anything more.
He had already pushed Namgung Wol to the edge of the cliff. If he pushed any further,
Namgung Wol might fall and never regain his confidence.
Hong Ye-seol and Sal-no looked at Namgung Wol with interest.
Namgung Wol must have had many thoughts before he came here. His intention was surely to move Pyo Wol in some way to prevent the great chaos.
Knowing what a just man he was, they could understand. But understanding his intentions and acting according to them were two different things. And Pyo Wol, as they knew him, was someone who intensely disliked being used by others.
They had expected Pyo Wol to refuse Namgung Wol’s request, but they had not expected him to push him so mercilessly.
Time passed in silence.
“Hoo!”
Finally, Namgung Wol let out a deep sigh and got up from his seat.
His eyes were deeper than before.
It looked like he had a moment of enlightenment.
It was clear that in the midst of the conflict, he had decided on a course.
Namgung Wol spoke.
“I was foolish. Instead of seeking out Grandmaster Pyo, I should have gone to the Thousand Kingdom School from the beginning.”
“……”
“I’ll go to the Thousand Kingdom School now.”
“You may end up becoming enemies with your own parents and siblings.”
“I’ve already become an enemy to my sister. Adding my father and brother to that list won’t make much of a difference.”
The look in Namgung Wol’s eyes was that of a determined man.
The Namgung Wol of before no longer existed.
That night, Namgung Wol left the Sol Family Pavilion and headed for the Thousand Kingdom School.
[a]Damn , badass level up!!