Chapter 197 – Head-on Breakthrough (1)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Ting! Thwack!

The arrow that cleaved through the empty air pierced the iron plate in a single breath.

Joy lingered on Muk Bi’s face.

‘I did it.’

No matter how outstanding the tension of the Red Lotus Bow was, if internal energy was not properly loaded, it could not pierce the iron plate.

But it was not so this time. She had merely loaded an extremely small amount of internal energy into the arrow.

An arrow that would have bounced off in the past pierced the iron plate. It was because, although she reduced the amount of internal energy, she had changed the method of operating it.

‘Truly, the Martial Way is infinite.’

Just by changing her thoughts, the power of the arrow changed.

It was a diversity in manifesting martial arts that she hadn’t been able to learn in Sun-Piercing Valley. Her unique archery, created by combining countless battles, painstaking efforts, and deep anguish, was finally blooming.

“Amazing.”

“Ah! Father, you have come.”

“Yes.”

Yeon Wi smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the iron plate with a hole in it.

“Half of the internal force you previously loaded. You pierced the iron plate with only that much power. It means your concentration and internal energy operation have grown by a stage.”

Honest joy lingered on Muk Bi’s face. Although she herself knew it, it was reassuring to have Yeon Wi personally confirm it.

“It is thanks to you, Father. If you hadn’t advised me at the right time, I wouldn’t have been able to think of it.”

“Anyone can give advice. The problem is how you accept it.”

Yeon Wi patted her shoulder.

“Your greatest strength is not your innate talent. It is your attitude of seriously pondering over whatever words you hear. There is no talent as great as not being stubborn in the realm of the Martial Way.”

Muk Bi’s face turned red.

Yeon Wi was clear in his praise and criticism. But the side that carried more weight was usually criticism. Because doing well ended at that, but doing poorly could lead to death in actual combat.

In other words, for him to give this level of praise meant Muk Bi’s attitude was that impressive. Muk Bi also knew that, which was why she was especially happy.

Yeon Wi asked calmly.

“Do you know?”

“Pardon?”

“Half an hour ago, Ho-jeong left the Alliance.”

Unexpectedly, Muk Bi’s expression was peaceful.

“Yes. We talked earlier before he left.”

Yeon Wi, who had been staring at Muk Bi, opened his mouth again.

“Are you not feeling disappointed?”

Muk Bi smiled bitterly.

“At first I was. Although I might not be the best, I thought I was somewhat helpful, so I wondered how unreliable I must be for him not to take me.”

To naturally confess such a story in front of Yeon Wi. Muk Bi had also gradually become comfortable facing Yeon Wi.

“Does that mean you think differently now?”

“Yes.”

Muk Bi looked up at the sky.

Chilly weather. The clouds were moderate.

“Come to think of it, that person has never once ignored me since the first time we met. He played a lot of jokes, but even those had a clear line.”

“I see.”

“Even if he seems to treat people carelessly on the outside, if he considers someone his person, he absolutely tries not to hurt their feelings.”

Yeon Wi smiled.

Muk Bi was kind, but she generally didn’t reveal her inner thoughts well. For her to say such words meant she completely trusted his son.

“I am glad that the first person I met after coming out into the world was Young Master Yeon.”

“Indeed.”

Muk Bi hung the Red Lotus Bow on her back.

“The person leaving has left, and the people remaining must begin the work of the people remaining.”

Yeon Wi nodded his head.

“Your words are right. Just as Ho-jeong is not here, the fight on this side will also become quite fierce.”

Whether it was political strife or the training of the Evil-Annihilating Army, it meant things would become exhausting in many ways.

To that extent, the shadow cast by Yeon Ho-jeong was large and dark. Before they knew it, his presence remained strongly not only to Muk Bi but also to his father Yeon Wi, the military strategist Zhuge Wen-hu, and the leadership of the Alliance.

“Are you going to train the Evil-Annihilating Army?”

“Yes. I also need to deliver the light armor.”

“I understand.”

Yeon Wi, who was about to leave the Army-Destroying Pavilion first, asked as if he suddenly remembered.

“Are you free this evening?”

“Excuse me? Ah, yes! I am fine.”

“My work will also be finished around the Xu hour. If the time aligns, let’s eat a meal together.”

Muk Bi smiled brightly.

“Yes!”

* * *

Yeon Ho-jeong’s group, who left the Murim Alliance, directly passed through Hubei and headed towards Guizhou Province.

The place presumed to be where Yang Cheon was located was Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province.

If they were to go by the shortest distance, there was no problem going down to Hubei, crossing the river, and directly entering Hunan. But Yeon Ho-jeong stuck to covert movement from the moment he left the Alliance.

When Tang Sang-ah asked for the reason, Yeon Ho-jeong answered like this.

“The bastards are keeping a close watch on the Murim Alliance. They might even be investigating the people going in and out. If so, they would have no choice but to pay even more attention to those heading to their main base.”

It was a simple yet valid reason. They would have to take a somewhat long detour, but it was definitely necessary.

Yeon Ho-jeong trusted his own judgment, and Ga Deuk-sang and Zhuge Ah-yeon judged that his words were trustworthy.

“And Senior.”

“Speak.”

“Senior, please enter the western part of Hunan first.”

Pae-yul raised his eyebrows.

“By myself?”

“It is to reduce suspicion. If you go first and take up a position, we will make a detour with a gap in time.”

“Does that have any meaning?”

“Of course.”

“Jeez, understood. Although I don’t know why you are going that far.”

Like that, the group excluding Pae-yul passed through the southwestern part of Hubei in a month and entered Guizhou Province.

If they had made up their minds and used movement techniques, it was a distance they would have reached a few days faster. The days were delayed because they moved cautiously.

Like that, the group entered a humble inn located at the northernmost end of Guizhou Province.

“Phew, I feel like I can live a little now.”

Ga Deuk-sang scratched his head vigorously.

“You have all suffered. This is an inn operated by our union, so you can rest with peace of mind.”

To relieve the fatigue that had piled up, the group first took a water bath with hot water. One surprising thing was that Ga Deuk-sang was the first to go wash up.

Zhuge Ah-yeon asked mischievously.

“Won’t you really get kicked out of the Successor of the Beggars’ Gang position doing that?”

“Hmph, that is exactly what I wish for.”

To directly infiltrate the enemy camp, he must not be discovered as a member of the Beggars’ Gang. Ultimately, Ga Deuk-sang had no choice but to break the union’s rules.

Having peeled off all the old dirt, and wearing a white robe over perfectly fitting martial arts uniform, Ga Deuk-sang’s figure was truly surprising.

Zhuge Ah-yeon-yeon opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish.

“Wow! Are you really the Successor of the Beggars’ Gang?”

“Then who else would I be.”

“Goodness, to walk around hiding such a face with dirt water? Wash up normally too!”

“Why would a beggar bastard waste water washing up?”

Ga Deuk-sang grumbled, but it was actually understandable for such sounds to come out.

Not only did he have a quite tall height and a solid physique, but Ga Deuk-sang’s appearance with clear facial features was enough to evoke admiration. He also had a very youthful face, so just looking at his dressed-up appearance, he wouldn’t be lacking even if called a young nobleman.

Tang Sang-ah stealthily asked Yeon Ho-jeong.

“Is the Successor of the Beggars’ Gang also entering the enemy camp?”

“He has to. Because we need to quickly transmit news from both sides. Actually, aside from that, it is hard to find someone as adept at improvisation as that gentleman.”

“I see.”

“Why? Is there something bothering you?”

“Something decisive is bothering me.”

Yeon Ho-jeong blinked his eyes.

“What is that?”

“The sense of disparity between his appearance and his way of speaking.”

It was a sharp observation.

His appearance was truly no different from a young nobleman, but his way of speaking was so unreasonable that even street hooligans would click their tongues. This was a much more serious problem than expected.

Ga Deuk-sang looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with mournful eyes.

“Don’t tell me I have to change my way of speaking too? That’s not it, right? Please tell me it isn’t.”

Yeon Ho-jeong spoke with a sour voice.

“Because there are many people with strong personalities in the world. Rather, such an aspect might look naive.”

“Hehe, I knew Young Master Yeon would understand me!”

“Still, I would recommend that you stay taciturn if possible…”

Like that, the completely neatened group finished their meal and gathered in one room.

Ga Deuk-sang smacked his lips.

“Guizhou Province is definitely humid. Even though it’s almost winter.”

Zhuge Ah-yeon took his words.

“I heard even internal energy masters can suffer from endemic diseases if they make a slight mistake. Since the humidity is high and the vegetation is thick, they say there are many bugs too.”

“Bugs are perfect as daily food when you’re hungry.”

“Blegh.”

“What’s wrong with this? Then are you going to starve to death? You have to endure even by chewing on bugs. Isn’t that right, Lady Tang?”

Tang Sang-ah spoke with an awkward face.

“I’ve never eaten one before, so…”

“Eh?”

Ga Deuk-sang tilted his head in confusion.

“Didn’t Lady Tang also learn poison arts? Haven’t you eaten them while training in poison arts? When there are so many poisonous bugs in the world.”

“I don’t eat bugs just because I learn poison arts. Of course, I don’t have much aversion to bugs, but…”

“Hoho, is that so?”

Tang Sang-ah let out a dry cough. She also didn’t have a shy personality, but she couldn’t help feeling burdened by Ga Deuk-sang’s ignorance-defying sociability.

“Now, let’s slowly wrap things up.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, who clapped his hands to call for attention, continued speaking.

“You all probably heard beforehand, but from now on, we belong to the Martial Ancestor Sect.”

The Martial Ancestor Sect was a mysterious sect known to have been exterminated over a hundred years ago.

Surprisingly, their martial arts were evaluated to be not significantly lacking even compared to the Nine Great Sects. It was because there wasn’t a single weakling among the martial artists who revealed themselves to be from the Martial Ancestor Sect at the time.

However, the evaluation that their martial arts were inconsistent also followed.

Just as the Shaolin Sect had Shaolin’s own martial arts characteristics, and the Mount Hua Sect had Mount Hua’s own martial arts characteristics, there was bound to be a flow of martial arts pursued by each sect, but the Martial Ancestor Sect didn’t have that. As if masters from various sects gathered to create the sect, their martial arts boasted diverse depths.

However, over a hundred years ago, after walking the path of extermination for some reason, the name of the Martial Ancestor Sect could no longer be heard.

“It has been forgotten from the memories of the world’s people, and the types of martial arts are so varied, so even if we use different martial arts, they won’t suspect us.”

The three men and women nodded their heads.

Yeon Ho-jeong pointed at Ga Deuk-sang.

“However, it is best to pay attention to our titles. From now on, the Successor of the Beggars’ Gang will take on the role of the eldest senior brother of this group.”

“Do I really have to take that on?”

“You are the oldest.”

“Then what about Great Hero Pae-yul?”

“Senior is our martial uncle.”

“I have a youthful face, how about being the youngest?”

“Let’s move on to the next.”

“Tsk.”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Tang Sang-ah.

“Soldier Tang Sang-ah is the second. The reason is the same.”

“Yes.”

“And I am the third. The fourth is Ah-yeon.”

Zhuge Ah-yeon flared up in anger.

“Hey, why am I the youngest? I’m one year older than you! Just because I became friends with you, you don’t even recognize your older sister.”

“I am the person who has to move the most among us. Furthermore, a quick-witted person can tell that my martial arts are the deepest among the three of us. Being the third might be plausible, but introducing myself as the youngest would feel incongruous.”

“Ugh.”

It wasn’t wrong. Still, perhaps unable to help being dissatisfied, Zhuge Ah-yeon’s lips protruded quite a bit.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes emitted a serious light.

“Inferring from the information so far, there is a high probability that Yang Cheon is in Changsha, Hunan Province. But considering the scale of the Black Path he has seized so far, we have to assume his eyes are spread throughout the entirety of Hunan Province.”

Ga Deuk-sang nodded his head.

“The reports from the disciples of our union are also similar. The moment we step into Hunan Province, their gazes will follow us.”

“Even so, we won’t move via mountain paths or waterways.”

“Because we have to confidently go on the official roads so they won’t be suspicious?”

“That is so.”

Yeon Ho-jeong spoke to Tang Sang-ah.

“In other words, the moment we enter Hunan Province, your ability is needed.”

“Excuse me? My ability?”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard about her role in this mission.

Tang Sang-ah was flustered. To not have thought of such an obvious thing until now, she found it absurd even thinking about it herself.

“What should I do?”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled coldly.

A smile that was exceedingly ominous. Ga Deuk-sang clicked his tongue, saying, ‘He’s starting that again.’, and Zhuge Ah-yeon-yeon shuddered.

“If the eyes of the Black Path gather toward us, immediately shoot them dead with hidden weapons.”