The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

“What did you say?”

“I don’t know.”

The slightly flustered Gu Yong looked at Cha Yong.

Cha Yong silently nodded her head.

There was no problem with the Soul Seduction Art.

Gu Yong, who was looking deep into Gyugeum’s unfocused eyes as if he were dreaming, asked once more.

“Gyugeum. You are the Ok Myeon branch lord. The first branch lord of the Hao Sect. Even you… don’t know the location of the Hao Sect Master?”

“Yes. The Hao Sect is a sect and yet not a sect.”

“What does that mean? Can you explain it so that I can understand?”

“The Hao Sect… is not made of walls… and buildings. What makes up the Hao Sect is people. The Sect Master is the Hao Sect… and the Hao Sect is the Sect Master…”

“The Sect Master is… the Hao Sect…”

Gu Yong, who was mulling over Gyugeum’s explanation, nodded his head as if he had realized something and then continued his questions.

“Then, how can I find the Sect Master?”

“There is no way. The Sect Master comes to find us when we need him. Do you understand? We don’t find the Sect Master, the Sect Master comes to find us.”

“Is there really no way?”

While Gu Yong was biting his lip, Cha Yong reached out and caressed Gyugeum’s chin and cheek.

Soon, Cha Yong, with a warm impression, said in a soft voice as if soothing a child.

“Gyugeum. My friend. There must be a way. Because you are a truly wise and dedicated person. Please think for me.”

“…”

Gyugeum’s eyes shook from side to side.

And then Gyugeum began to speak in a very slow voice.

“Under the Sect Master… there are four travelers.”

“Travelers?”

“We call them the Four Guests. They know where the Sect Master is, and they are the only ones who can go to find the Sect Master first.”

“The Four Guests… then do you know how to find them?”

“Unlike the branch lords who have branches, the Four Guests do not have a base and wander the Central Plains without a fixed place. The Four Guests… only show themselves when a great crisis befalls the Hao Sect.”

“Like now?”

“Yes.”

Gyugeum, who was nodding his head, looked straight at Gu Yong.

It was different from his unfocused appearance until now.

“The Four Guests will come to find you. Do not resist them. This is… my advice to you as a friend.”

With these words, Gyugeum’s eyes became hazy again.

As drool flowed from his open mouth, Cha Yong reached out and touched Gyugeum’s pressure point.

Thud—

Gyugeum’s head dropped.

“The Soul Seduction Art is not omnipotent. If I do more, this person’s head will be completely broken.”

“We’ve obtained almost all the information we wanted.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

“Thank you.”

Gu Jucheol and Jin Sohyun, who had been waiting for Gyugeum’s interrogation to end, approached Gu Yong.

“How was it? Did you get the information you wanted?”

“I didn’t get what I needed, but I got a clue. But there’s a problem.”

“A problem?”

“It’s about the Hao Sect Master.”

“The Hao Sect Master. Is it a problem about his location?”

“That’s right. It seems the Hao Sect is a more unique organization than we thought. The Hao Sect does not have a physical form, and the Hao Sect Master also does not seem to reveal himself.”

“The Sect Master is the center and the whole of the Hao Sect… the Sect Master is the Hao Sect itself.”

“Yes. No matter how much we destroy all the branches of the Hao Sect, it’s meaningless unless we capture the Sect Master.”

The Hao Sect has no physical form.

What constitutes the Hao Sect is only one person, the Sect Master.

As long as courtesans, thieves, waiters, wanderers, and swindlers do not completely disappear from the land of the Central Plains, the Hao Sect will continue to be born.

“It will be impossible unless we capture the Sect Master directly.”

“There are those called the Four Guests in the Hao Sect. They can directly contact the Sect Master, and they only appear when a crisis befalls the Hao Sect.”

“Then now is the perfect time for the Four Guests to appear.”

“That’s right. So…”

“There’s a problem.”

Cheon Yerang’s voice was heard from the top of the basement stairs.

“Miss Cheon? What’s wrong?”

At Jin Sohyun’s question, Cheon Yerang, who had come down to the basement, said in an unusually urgent voice.

“There’s a problem with Seol!”

“A problem…!”

The surprised Cha Yong staggered and ran up to the top of the basement.

In the place she arrived, Cha Seol was gasping for breath and panting.

Her breathing was irregular, and her body was as hot as a ball of fire.

“Seol! Seol!”

Cha Yong caressed Cha Seol’s cheek and checked her condition, and Gu Jucheol, who had arrived after her, checked her pulse.

‘The yang energy is excessively high.’

Cha Yong, who seemed to have realized what the problem was, bit her lower lip and clutched her head.

“The Soul Seduction Art requires a proper balance of yin and yang energy… the balance has been broken! If this continues…!”

If too much yang energy flows through the Dazhui point to the Cheonchu point, the brain will be damaged due to the high heat.

For this, the heat had to be lowered.

But in Cha Seol’s body, where the balance of yin and yang had been broken, only the yang energy was overflowing like a broken poison.

“No… no…”

As Cha Yong was trembling her hands, not knowing what to do, Cheon Yerang placed her hand on Cha Seol’s forehead.

Ssssss—!

The cold energy that flowed from her hand cooled Cha Seol’s head.

“Yes! You were here!”

As Gu Jucheol said in relief, Cheon Yerang said in a dry voice.

“I’ve already tried to lower the heat, but if I take my hand away, the heat rises again.”

“We need to find a way to lower the heat fundamentally.”

Gu Yong bit his lip.

“If only we had something like the Cold Condensing Snow Ginseng at a time like this…”

“Cold Condensing Snow Ginseng?”

At Jin Sohyun’s question, Gu Yong shook his head.

“Ah, it’s nothing. There’s no way we can get such a precious spirit herb.”

“There is.”

“Huh? Y-you said there is?”

“Miss Cheon. Can you run with Seol on your back?”

“Yes.”

“We have to go back to Honggang.”

Cheon Yerang, with Cha Seol on her back, and Jin Sohyun ran quickly to return to Honggang.

Gu Jucheol, who was watching them, said for the worried Cha Yong.

“Don’t worry. If there is the Cold Condensing Snow Ginseng, your granddaughter can also be treated.”

“I keep receiving help.”

Cha Yong sat weakly on a chair made on one side of the village.

In the meantime, Gu Yong appeared with Gyugeum loaded on the cart.

Hwanggu’s expression was bright, as if he had rested comfortably in the meantime.

Moo—!

At Hwanggu’s loud cry, Gu Jucheol reached out his hand.

“It might be a little bumpy, but there will be no problem in going. Get on.”

Cha Yong looked around the village and said.

“Great Master Gu. This village was a paradise… made for Seol and me. But now I know. This place is not a paradise, but a cage that has trapped a small bird named Cha Seol.”

“Cha Yong…”

“This village is my grave.”

“Shouldn’t you at least say goodbye to your granddaughter?”

“It’s okay. Please… would you give this letter to Seol…?”

“No, you give it to her yourself.”

There was no answer.

As if she had fallen into a long sleep.

Cha Yong closed her eyes and did not move, leaning her back against the chair.

Even the faint, irregular breathing could no longer be heard.

“Great Master Gu. Now, let’s depart…”

Gu Yong couldn't speak anymore.

Cha Yong, who had been alive and breathing just a moment ago, had quietly passed away as if she had fallen asleep.

Perhaps Cha Yong’s body had already reached its limit.

Nevertheless, the reason she had held on was for the sake of Cha Seol, who would be left alone.

The moment Cha Seol left, Cha Yong’s stopped time began to flow, and she met the end she had postponed.

Gu Jucheol, who had watched Cha Yong’s death, took the letter in her hand with a bewildered gaze and put it in his bosom.

“Let’s go.”

“Is it okay to go like this?”

“This village is Cha Yong’s grave.”

Leaving the deceased Cha Yong behind, Gu Jucheol and Gu Yong turned their backs on Nakhyang.

***

“Get your senses! The enemy is an assassin!”

“Block them! Don’t retreat!”

A surprise attack in the middle of the night.

The number of men in black who had attacked the Martial Alliance’s branch was a total of thirty-five.

In terms of numbers alone, the Martial Alliance members belonging to the branch and the White Tiger Daoist Temple disciples were twice as many.

But by the time they had noticed the surprise attack, most of the branch’s members had already been killed.

Yeom Yoa, the master of the White Tiger Daoist Temple, who had noticed the surprise attack, swung her sword and dealt with the assassins, gathering the disciples together.

‘Their skills… they are not ordinary assassins.’

The skills of the men in black who had attacked were not ordinary.

At least first-class to peak-level experts.

‘It’s impossible to deal with them with the disciples.’

At least the best martial artists of the White Tiger Daoist Temple, Namgung Seoru, Namgung Seong, and Dohye, were fighting bravely against the assassins, but they alone could not deal with all the men in black.

“Heup!”

While avoiding the blade of the man in black, Namgung Seoru’s sword aimed at the man in black’s vital point and thrust in.

Clang—!

‘Fast.’

The assassins were so fast that it was impossible to even scratch them with an ordinary attack.

Moreover, there was another problem.

“Ah… ahhh…!”

The White Tiger Daoist Temple disciples who had met the assassins had fallen into confusion.

For them, whose only real combat experience was fighting while raiding the Hao Sect’s branches, the assassins who were emitting killing intent were fear itself.

The confused White Tiger Daoist Temple disciples swung their swords in a mess, and the assassins did not miss this.

Swish—!

“Aaargh!”

With a short flash of light, one of the White Tiger Daoist Temple disciples had his arm cut.

Following that, two sword strikes cut the White Tiger Daoist Temple disciple’s neck.

“No!!”

The White Tiger Daoist Temple disciples, who had seen their comrade’s death in front of their eyes, screamed and trembled.

“Get a grip!”

Yeom Yoa shouted, imbuing her voice with internal energy so that the White Tiger Daoist Temple disciples would not fall into further confusion.

But the confusion that had started once spread like a poisonous gas, poisoning the disciples one by one.

“Save me… I want to live!”

“I don’t want to die!”

“Ugh… sob…”

Yeom Yoa’s eyes, realizing that she could no longer control them, followed the leader of the assassins.

Next to the assassins who were sweeping through and killing the disciples, a man in black was seen.

A man who was standing without holding a sword.

Yeom Yoa, who had noticed that the man who was standing as if observing the situation was the leader of the assassins, caught her breath.

‘I have to end this quickly!’

She put strength into the tips of her feet and threw her body.

Two assassins noticed Yeom Yoa’s movement and swung their swords.

But Namgung Seoru, who had suddenly appeared, swung her sword wide to the left and right and deflected the assassins’ slashes.

“Now!”

As the path was opened thanks to Namgung Seoru, Yeom Yoa’s body stretched long.

Thud-thud-thud—!

Yeom Yoa, who had rushed to the leader of the men in black in just a few steps, swung her sword.

Five slashes were contained in a single sword strike.

The man, who had not even moved until Yeom Yoa’s slashes were right in front of his eyes, raised his hand.

Clang—!

Sparks flew with a rough metallic sound.

“A fist guard…!”

The sleeve of the man in black was torn, and a black fist guard was revealed inside.

“You are Yeom Yoa.”

“You know me.”

“I do. The master of the White Tiger Daoist Temple, and the master of the flexible sword called the Whip Demon Sword.”

“…”

Yeom Yoa did not show it on the outside, but she was greatly surprised.

It was surprising that they knew that this was the Martial Alliance’s branch and that the White Tiger Daoist Temple disciples were staying here, but they even knew her title and the weapon she used.

“Then… there’s no need to dawdle!”

Yeom Yoa’s sword bent flexibly like a snake.

The leader of the men in black tilted his head and avoided Yeom Yoa’s sword.

“That’s why I came.”

The black fist guard grabbed Yeom Yoa’s flexible sword.

“To deal with you.”

‘This is!’

She tried to pull out the sword with force, but it didn't budge.

Yeom Yoa, who was flustered by the opponent’s unexpectedly strong strength, had no choice but to quickly let go of the sword.

But at the same time, a fist strike approached.

Thwack!

“Keuheuk!!”

Yeom Yoa, who had barely twisted her body and was hit on the shoulder, staggered and retreated.

‘My right shoulder was shattered in a single blow…’

The man in black held Yeom Yoa’s sword, which he was holding, with both hands and twisted it, breaking it.

Yeom Yoa gritted her teeth as she watched her own sword shatter into pieces.

The compatibility was not good.

And the skill possessed by the leader of the men in black far surpassed her own.

Where did such a person come from?

No, that wasn't what was important right now.

‘Can I even send one person away alive?’

The corpses of the dead White Tiger Daoist Temple disciples were scattered everywhere.

Yeom Yoa, who saw herself reflected in their lifeless faces, took a deep breath and sent a telepathic message to Namgung Seoru.

Namgung Seoru, who had received her telepathic message, quickly approached.

“Master!”

“Listen carefully. You are the only one who can escape from here alive.”

“…Are you telling me to run away alone?”

“Someone has to do it! Survive… and send a warning to the other Daoist Temples.”

Namgung Seoru’s gaze wavered.

But soon.

Namgung Seoru’s wavering gaze stopped moving.

“I will open the way.”

“Namgung!”

Namgung Seoru aimed the tip of her sword at the leader of the men in black and caught her breath.

After five deep breaths, she caught her last breath and focused her mind, and her blade was dyed with a golden radiance.

“Is it the Emperor Sword Form.”

Pyo Ung admired briefly.

There are not many who can unfold the Emperor Sword Form at a young age.

No, it was safe to say that there were almost none.

“How about it. Even if it’s not a meal, it seems it will be a snack.”

At Pyo Ung’s one word, a man appeared from the darkness.

A young man who did not cover his face with a mask like the other men in black, but revealed it as it was.

He appeared with his arm casually slung over the sword stuck in his waist and flashed his blood-stained eyes.

And Namgung Seoru’s fingertips, who was facing him, trembled.

‘That person is…’

How could she forget.

The man who had made her, who was full of arrogance, feel the fear of death.

Namgung Seoru gripped her wavering sword.

“Master.”

Namgung Seoru said with the face of someone who had prepared for death.

“I will die here today.”