Chapter 229 – Without Us, It’s Not a Festival (4)

===================

Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

“……Ho.”

“Mmm.”

Low groans escaped from the crowd.

In truth, bone-shrinking art was merely secondary; the disguise art was the primary focus. Most people recognized others by their facial features.

In that regard, the Tang Clan’s disguise art could truly be called the best in the Central Plains. In fact, one of the main ways the Tang Clan made money was by processing and selling cosmetics made from ingredients extracted from poisons and herbs.

“Wow, so pretty.”

One of the Hainan disciples gaped open-mouthed at a male Geonjeongdan member who had disguised himself as a woman.

What a tragedy. He seemed to genuinely believe the member was a woman, but knowing the face behind the disguise, I could only feel a deep sense of despair.

“So the Thousand-Poison Scholar was here. Everyone in the Central Plains thought you were dead.”

“Haha. I’ve only barely managed to cling to life.”

Tang Se-ui, who had secretly entered Hainan, also exchanged greetings with the people of Hainan, including Do Bul-gwang, the South Sea Divine Sword. Since the Sect Leader had mentioned that the Heavenly King Sect, the Sichuan Tang Clan, and the Hainan Sect were close, it wasn’t strange for them to have a mutual acquaintance.

“By the way, the disguise art is truly mind-blowing. To think the Tang Clan’s disguise art could even change one’s gender so seamlessly.”

“It is even more effective when you use bone-shrinking art to reduce your frame before applying the disguise.”

Even if they were from the unorthodox sects, the citizens of the Empire were still citizens of the Empire. They were strictly ruled and protected by imperial law. Therefore, from the perspective of the government, they could not ignore a report even if it came from a member of the unorthodox sects.

In the first place, very few martial artists in the imperial palace distinguished between orthodox and unorthodox sects. Whether they were malicious unorthodox members or orthodox members, they were all ultimately just martial artists.

In that sense, the Hainan Sect simply did not want any trouble from harboring orthodox martial artists who had fled here. But as it happened, the Geonjeongdan was practicing hiding their identities in order to cross back over to the Central Plains.

This meant it would serve as the perfect stage to test how well their disguise arts would hold up.

“With such flawless disguise art, there certainly won’t be any trouble later.”

The Sect Leader said. As expected, blood is thicker than water—they had no intention of capturing the orthodox martial artists in the first place. They had only avoided them because getting entangled would be troublesome.

In the first place, the martial world and the imperial court kept each other at arm’s length. There was no way the martial artists would obediently follow the imperial palace’s orders. Therefore, as long as it didn’t cause trouble, joining forces was naturally possible.

Moreover, since both Geonjeongdan and the Hainan Sect were orthodox, there were quite a few familiar faces among them. The members of Geonjeongdan blended in so well with the Hainan Sect martial artists that they didn’t even need time to get close.

“This is a massive opportunity for Hainan. Never before have so many orthodox martial artists from the mainland gathered in Hainan. We must take this chance to completely eradicate those black-path bastards.”

Do Bul-gwang, the South Sea Divine Sword, and the Sect Leader were burning with enthusiasm.

It was clear how long Hainan Sect had yearned to rid Hainan of the unorthodox sects.

“From now on, we will sweep outward from the interior of Hainan, destroying every single unorthodox bastard we lay our eyes on. Understood?”

“Understood!”

At Do Bul-gwang’s command, the disciples of the Hainan Sect shouted back in unison with martial spirit.

Of course, they weren’t just charging out blindly. They formed groups of five, and each group leader was given a signal flare that could be shot into the sky to alert others in case of danger.

I was placed in Tang Se-ui’s group at his insistence. Since I had now become the focal point and the objective of Geonjeongdan’s actions, his goal was to protect me.

Hainan quickly made preparations for war against the unorthodox sects. Being orthodox martial artists, they had no intention of launching a cowardly night raid.

They dispatched formal challenges declaring war to the Namwon Gang, the Sinwon Society, and the Haesurim, and posted public announcements throughout all of Hainan.

There were two reasons for posting these announcements.

The first and most important reason was to prevent the common people from getting caught in the crossfire. It warned them that a war was about to break out, so they should stay indoors as much as possible.

The second reason was to provoke the unorthodox sects. They, too, were martial artists. To avoid being looked down upon by the commoners of Hainan, they had no choice but to show themselves.

“Geez, fighting is such a hassle.”

“If we don’t go through these procedures, how would we be any different from the unorthodox sects?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Even for the sake of the commoners, a warning was necessary. But besides the commoners, it also served to warn the local government. It was an event of the martial world, so they should not interfere.

In fact, since the public security of Hainan was maintained almost entirely by the Hainan Sect rather than the government, I had heard that the government couldn’t say anything anyway.

All preparations were complete.

Now, it was truly time to hunt down the unorthodox sects.

* * *

“That expression of yours is always fascinating.”

“Nonsense.”

Dam Dae-gwang sat with his fingers interlaced, holding his hands to his mouth. However, anyone with a keen eye would have noticed that his hands were trembling slightly.

“I’ve seen many people who have consumed a gu worm, but I’ve never seen anyone endure the pain as well as you, Hero Dam.”

Gwan Seo-ye, wearing green light armor, grinned. Despite a beautiful woman smiling right in front of him, Dam Dae-gwang’s expression remained completely unchanged.

“Are you going to keep spouting nonsense?”

“No. My apologies.”

Gwan Seo-ye opened the pouch at her waist and pulled out a black pill. That was the very pill made from the excrement of the mother gu.

It was the only medicine that could soothe the offspring gu currently resting in Dam Dae-gwang’s head.

Before Gwan Seo-ye could even hand it over, Dam Dae-gwang snatched the pill and threw it into his mouth. Though he frowned slightly, his face soon returned to its usual expressionless state. The faint trembling in his hands vanished as well. He had endured the agonizing pain of the gu worm through sheer willpower, merely by locking his fingers together.

“What do you think about the proposal I made last time? I believe you said you would think about it.”

“Your memory is poor. I clearly said no.”

“Is that so?”

Gwan Seo-ye covered her mouth and giggled. Ever since receiving the medicine, Dam Dae-gwang hadn’t even spared her a glance.

“The Heavenly Demon Holy Cult needs someone with a strong resolve like you, Hero Dam. How long are you going to live bound by the pain of this gu worm?”

“That is none of your business. I actually prefer this. Every time I feel the pain, it makes me feel alive.”

Dam Dae-gwang leaned back in his chair, recalling the past.

It was when he was being pursued by the Hengshan Sect. At that time, he had already torn through their dragnet multiple times and was heavily injured.

By chance, he encountered the Yunchang Merchant Company, which was conducting trade. Dam Dae-gwang wanted to live, and the Yunchang Merchant Company needed a martial artist who was hostile to the orthodox sects.

Thus, the Yunchang Merchant Company hid Dam Dae-gwang in one of their safe houses and even gave him Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng to help him recuperate and improve his martial arts.

From the Yunchang Merchant Company’s perspective, it was an investment aimed at recruiting him into the Demonic Cult. It was a highly plausible plan. Indeed, having killed his own master, it was difficult for Dam Dae-gwang to survive alone in the Central Plains.

However, Dam Dae-gwang flatly refused. He even said that had he known they were the Demonic Cult, he would never have accepted their kindness. Still, having received their help, he maintained a relationship with the Yunchang Merchant Company and fulfilled their requests. He had even voluntarily consumed the gu worm, saying he would rather swallow it to make helping the Demonic Cult feel slightly less distasteful.

“I don’t understand why you are so intent on dragging me in. Even now, I’m listening to you people quite well. Coming to Hainan was also because of you.”

Gwan Seo-ye flinched. There was no lie in Dam Dae-gwang’s words. It was at the Demonic Cult’s request that he had come to rally the unorthodox forces of Hainan and shake the Hainan Sect.

“That’s true. But a contract-bound relationship is different from family, isn’t it?”

“Family, is it? What a hilarious joke.”

Dam Dae-gwang actually smirked slightly. Of course, it was a cold, mocking sneer.

“If you’re done with your business, leave. As you must have seen, the Hainan Sect has declared war. Things will get noisy for a while.”

“But even if it’s the Hainan Sect, half of their members are young disciples. How do they plan to face three organizations simultaneously? If they sent formal letters to everyone, it means they also know we’ve formed a temporary alliance.”

“That is none of your concern.”

“I’m just curious.”

Gwan Seo-ye was genuinely curious.

Excluding the young children below the second-generation disciples, the Hainan Sect’s actual combat force was only about thirty people. On the other hand, the Haesurim, the Sinwon Society, and the Namwon Gang had at least fifty members in each organization. Although the level of their martial arts varied wildly, the saying ‘outnumbered and powerless’ existed for a reason.

“I think I’ll stay and watch the show too.”

“Watch the show? If you don’t want to get killed by a stray blade, you’d better leave. Getting killed would be a mercy. If you happen to get caught by those crazed bastards, they’ll use you as a plaything.”

“Would the Hainan Sect, who are supposedly orthodox, really do that?”

“Wasn’t my master also orthodox?”

“Ah.”

Gwan Seo-ye lightly tapped her palm with her fist. She knew the reason why Dam Dae-gwang had killed his master. He had caught his master secretly violating a woman, so he had stabbed him through the heart while he slept.

Of course, since the Hengshan Sect had no intention of revealing such a scandal, they branded Dam Dae-gwang as a patricidal traitor and made him a public enemy of the martial world.

Having inadvertently touched upon Dam Dae-gwang’s memories, Gwan Seo-ye quickly changed the subject.

“Speaking of which, it’s been a really long time since the three organizations gathered like this. The last time was when the Azure Sky Sword Exalt came, wasn’t it?”

“It was.”

“Then that means there is currently a corresponding threat.”

“I don’t care, but that seems to be the case. They say it’s a kid who looks barely past twenty.”

“Barely twenty?”

Gwan Seo-ye tilted her head.

The White Bone Sword Demon, the Cold-Blooded Sovereign, and Yama’s Twin Halberds were all peak masters who had gained a fearsome reputation throughout the continent. To think that a mere twenty-year-old martial artist was the one who forced them to unite—she couldn’t help but feel curious.

“Could such a person really be nameless?”

“Who knows. They say he defeated the Cunning Sword of Hainan. Looking at that, it seems he might not be orthodox either. He might have come from beyond the borders.”

Gwan Seo-ye’s eyes sparkled. A peak master hostile to the orthodox sects. The Heavenly Demon Holy Cult needed exactly such people.

If the young martial artist who had thrown Hainan into a frenzy was indeed such a person, he was well worth contacting.

“I was joking earlier, but now I really must stay and watch. When it comes to things like this, it’s not a festival if we’re not involved.”

“Do as you wish. The regret will be yours, not mine.”

Dam Dae-gwang said as he swept aside the beaded curtain and walked out.

It was a conversation between a cultist, and a man who was neither orthodox nor a cultist.

* * *

The role assigned to me was bait. It was a role I had volunteered for. While Tang Se-ui and all the other members of Geonjeongdan disguised themselves, I did not.

After all, I had defeated the Cunning Sword of Hainan and slain the unorthodox masters of Hainan, etching my presence into their minds. I figured that if I walked around with my face exposed, they would surely show some reaction.

Of course, Tang Se-ui had opposed it, but he couldn’t break my stubbornness. As a compromise, he advised me not to charge ahead, promising that he would handle everything.

I understood his concern. Tang Se-ui didn’t know that I had spent compressed time inside the burial mound. Even if I told him, he wouldn’t believe it anyway.

“Keugh!”

An unorthodox member collapsed, a throwing dart embedded deep in his forehead. The dart seemed to have pierced deep enough to reach his brain.

Just as Tang Se-ui had said, there was no need for me to step forward. The moment an unorthodox fighter was caught by his senses, Tang Se-ui would simply fling a projectile and drive it straight into their forehead. No matter how fast my sword was, it couldn’t outrun a projectile thrown from a distance.

“Since your title is the Thousand-Poison Scholar, I thought you mainly used poison arts, but your projectile skills are also incredible.”

“Using poison on unorthodox trash like them is a waste. Projectiles can be recovered, but poison cannot. Poison is expensive too.”

“That was a much more practical reason than I expected.”

“When I was back in the Tang Clan, I used to fling it around without a care, but now I’ve come to realize the value of money.”

Indeed, when he belonged to a prestigious family, he probably spent money like water without a second thought. But as a fugitive, he had to save every single penny.

As we were lightly chatting and executing our lightness skills, Tang Se-ui suddenly stepped on something, and his expression warped.

“Jump up!”

I reacted instantly to his words and leaped high into the air.

Boom!

Looking down as I soared, a deafening explosion erupted along with a burst of flames. The searing heat reached all the way up to me in midair.

“A Thunderbolt Grenade…?”

Someone muttered blankly. It was only natural.

Thunderbolt Grenades were weapons banned by the Empire. To think they would resort to using such things—it seemed Hainan Island truly was a land of lawlessness.

I reflected on myself a little. Lately, I had been relying too much on sword intent, which occasionally caused a delay in detecting non-living traps like mechanical devices.

—Stop.

Just then, a voice transmission vibrated against my eardrums. I looked around, but it seemed no one else had heard or noticed it.

Despite being a voice transmission, the voice sounded faint, indicating it was sent from a vast distance. This single display allowed me to gauge the opponent’s profound skill. I glanced around subtly.

—This is a Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission. You won’t be able to find me.

The voice was full of confidence. Indeed, with ordinary senses, it was impossible to tell where the voice transmission was coming from. But I had my own way.

—I heard you defeated the Cunning Sword of Hainan. You aren’t even orthodox, so why are you standing with them? If you cut their throats right now, I will give you double whatever the Hainan Sect promised you.

It seemed this person still believed I was a mercenary caught between the orthodox and unorthodox paths. That was why they were attempting to negotiate like this.

As I scanned the surroundings, I was able to locate the thread of intent that had reached me. I withdrew my widespread senses and focused them, sending a sharp probe in a straight line.

Before long, I locked onto the presence of a person. If they were a master with sharp senses, they would definitely realize that my probe was scanning them.

Having verified their location, there was no reason I couldn’t send a voice transmission back.

Staring directly in that direction, I sent my voice transmission.

—Found you.

—…Ugh.

A low groan escaped from the other side. Immediately, I began to unleash my lightness art in that direction.