Chapter 293 : The Masked Man with Bloodshot Eyes (1)

Chapter 293: The Masked Man with Bloodshot Eyes (1)

"What kind of level is the Sacrificial Sword?"

That level wasn’t a formal realm commonly referred to in the murim; it was a state that one of the Three Grand Elders had reached and named himself—only he truly understood what it meant.

"Isn't that something you need to figure out for yourself? If I told you everything, it wouldn’t be any fun to find."

At that moment, the Thunderfire was still alive and crackling fiercely.

"Shall we really begin now?"

Hong A-yul knew that if the Lotus Eightfold Diagram had been broken, Dong Oh couldn’t possibly defeat Yong Hwarin.

Even knowing that, she couldn’t just watch Dong Oh die.

"Wait!"

Despite Hong A-yul's plea, the sword raised by Yong Hwarin showed no intention of lowering.

"Between the two of them, death has already lost its meaning."

Yong Hwarin didn’t pity Dong Oh, who was fighting prepared to die.

Nor did he consider him weak.

Dong Oh was strong enough to kill him.

That was why he intended to give his all.

But at Hong A-yul’s next words, Yong Hwarin faltered.

"If you let us go, I’ll give you one of the Azure Dragon Three Marbles!"

Bzzzzzt!

The fierce electric qi that Thunderfire had been emitting slowly settled, scattering like fireflies into the air.

"Yul-ah! What are you doing! Are you trying to disgrace your grandfather?"

"What’s a little disgrace! Staying alive is what matters. If I lose Grandfather Dong, I might as well die too!"

As Hong A-yul shouted back with vehemence, Dong Oh let out a long sigh.

"That damned affection is always the problem."

If Dong Oh hadn’t had affection for Hong A-yul, this duel wouldn’t have ended this way.

Yong Hwarin smirked.

"So, you're saying you have one on you right now."

Hong A-yul trembled at Yong Hwarin’s smile.

Even though she was at the level of a top-tier martial artist, her knees buckled at that smile.

"I only have one on me right now. The other two are elsewhere. Only I know where they are."

Yong Hwarin spoke nonchalantly.

"If I capture you and torture you, wouldn’t I be able to find out where the other two are? Just because I’m an orthodox martial artist doesn’t mean I can’t torture."

"You must’ve forgotten who I am. I am the fourth disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Before that happens, I will either kill you or die trying. And if that happens, you’ll never find the Azure Dragon Three Marbles."

Countless thoughts crossed Yong Hwarin’s mind.

‘Getting even one right now is what matters.’

Just as the woman said, if he couldn’t extract the information through torture, he might never find the rest.

"Fine. Give it to me first, and I’ll let you go."

As Yong Hwarin spoke, Dong Oh interjected.

"Yul-ah, there’s no need to give him the Azure Dragon Three Marbles. You go. I’ll take care of him."

"Grandfather, you're more important to me. I can’t just let you die."

"Who said I’m dying? I’m going to kill this bastard."

"Please stop being stubborn, Grandfather. I’ve never seen you retreat from a fight until now. And I’ve never seen your legs tremble like that either."

"Hahaha, I’ve shown Yul-ah an unsightly side of me."

After clashing with Yong Hwarin, Dong Oh’s lower body had become paralyzed to the point where he could no longer move.

He had resolved to face death just so Hong A-yul could escape.

Dong Oh laughed inwardly.

‘That bastard Jo said the three of us could take him on together, but it was utter nonsense. Even if Gukga had joined, we wouldn’t have avoided this outcome. Only by two of us going for mutual destruction could we have found an opening. I can’t believe someone this strong exists.’

Hong A-yul transmitted her voice through telepathy.

-Grandfather Dong, if you die, who will protect me? Grandfather Jo doesn’t really like me.

Dong Oh closed his eyes and fell into thought.

Then he discarded the soul of a martial artist.

For Hong A-yul’s sake.

-That’s right, that Jo bastard has no warmth. He wouldn’t be able to protect Yul-ah. I have to be the one to protect her.

Hong A-yul let out a sigh of relief.

She reached into her chest and pulled out a leather pouch.

Then she threw it to Yong Hwarin.

Yong Hwarin caught the pouch and opened it.

"Aren’t you going to check if it’s real?"

"An item exchanged for someone dear would never be fake."

Yong Hwarin looked at Dong Oh and said,

"Our duel will have to be postponed."

"That’s probably for the best."

As Yong Hwarin sheathed his sword, Hong A-yul supported Dong Oh and disappeared.

"You should’ve just killed them."

"I could’ve killed him if we fought, but I wouldn’t have come out unscathed. If we then lost the woman too, it would’ve been our loss."

"I could’ve captured the woman."

Yong Hwarin looked at Deuksang and smiled.

"Ah, I didn’t think of that."

However, Yong Hwarin felt that if the woman had truly intended to escape, Deuksang would not have been able to stop her.

"Have someone continue tailing that woman. We still need to retrieve the rest later."

"Couldn’t she have had all of them on her?"

"She likely didn’t. If she had, she would’ve become prey to the other senior disciples. She knew that too. That’s probably why she only carried one with her. The other two are hidden elsewhere."

Suddenly, Deuksang asked,

"By the way, what exactly is the Azure Dragon Three Marbles? Why is Young Lord Yong searching for it from a disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect?"

Judging from everything so far, it seemed to be an immensely important item.

"It’s an heirloom of the main house. It found its way into the Heavenly Demon Sect. That’s why I’m trying to recover it."

Deuksang had more questions, but since it concerned the heirloom of another sect, he refrained from asking further.

"Shall we head back?"

"We should. Still, we achieved a small but significant result."

Even though they hadn’t recovered all the Azure Dragon Three Marbles, he considered it fortunate to have retrieved at least one.

As they turned to leave, a white silhouette soared across the rooftop toward them, prompting Deuksang to murmur,

"What’s the rush this time?"

"Isn’t that Baekseom?"

"Yes."

The two of them looked up, puzzled, as Baekseom flew toward them like a bird.

From a house in an abandoned village where human presence was almost nonexistent, the light of an oil lamp leaked outside.

Due to an old drought, the place had become uninhabitable and thus deserted, but in this house, lights shone from every room.

"Mother, are you all right?"

Jo Gyeongmae had tried to escape briefly and was severely beaten, leaving her lip split. She had been sealed through acupressure, unable to use her internal energy, rendering her no different from an ordinary person.

On top of that, shackles had been fastened to her feet, and even if she had her energy, they wouldn’t be easy to break.

Trying to escape in such a state, she didn’t get far before she was caught.

Jeong Suji asked with concern written on her face,

"I’m fine."

Yang Gwak’s group had imprisoned those from the Jeong Family Manor and the Geum Clan separately.

In a way, it could be seen as a form of consideration.

To Yang Gwak, these were hostages needed to negotiate with Yong Hwarin, so he couldn’t treat them carelessly.

Currently, Jo Gyeongmae, Jeong Suji, and Jeong Daji were together in one room.

"Mother, I think it’s best not to provoke them."

Jeong Suji hesitated before speaking up.

"We can’t just sit here and take this. We have to escape no matter what."

"Since big sister escaped, she’ll come rescue us soon."

"And what mindset do you think someone on the run could possibly have to rescue us? We must find our own way."

"Even if not her, Young Lord Yong will save us. I think it’s better to observe the situation a bit longer."

"Young Lord Yong? And what method does he have to rescue us?"

Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji both sighed at once.

"Young Lord Yong is the first to act whenever big sister is in danger. It's the same even when we’re in danger. He’s incredibly skilled at quickly detecting and rescuing comrades in peril."

Jo Gyeongmae chuckled faintly.

"And how competent can someone that young really be?"

Jeong Suji shook her head.

"Mother, you mustn’t underestimate him just because he’s young. I’ve watched him for a long time, and he’s remarkably exceptional for his age. He has a decisiveness and strategic mind that make him seem beyond his years. Sometimes it feels like he sees through everything with his judgment."

Jeong Daji chimed in.

"He’s someone who can’t be defined with a single word. Honestly, I believe it won’t be long before he becomes the number one in the world."

Jo Gyeongmae fell silent as not only her eldest daughter, Jeong Minji, but even her other daughters all praised Yong Hwarin highly.

"Think about who he’s faced so far. Some were martial artists far stronger than him, others commanded overwhelming forces. But he overcame them all. Mother, do you believe that was just luck? Do you think a coincidence could happen more than ten times? Recently, even the Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon Sect and one of the Three Grand Elders died by his hand. If Young Lord Yong weren’t truly exceptional, he could never have defeated them. Even if he doesn’t become the strongest martial artist, I believe he can become the most influential person in the murim."

She meant that even if he didn’t reach the peak in martial power, he would become the one with the greatest influence in the murim.

Jeong Suji continued.

"Mother, haven’t you seen how the Masters of the Five Swords of Mount Hua, the Four Vajras, and the Three Tyrant Sabers treat him?"

At Jeong Suji’s words, Jo Gyeongmae narrowed her eyes slightly.

Even in her view, the top martial artists representing the great sects had shown considerable recognition toward Yong Hwarin.

She recalled how they had looked upon him with incredibly kind eyes. It felt like they were gazing at someone they truly cherished.

Thinking back now, those were the eyes of senior masters recognizing an outstanding junior of the murim.

He was someone acknowledged by people like that.

As the silence lingered, Jeong Suji finally spoke.

"There’s a question I’ve held deep in my heart. May I ask you?"

At her second daughter’s inquiry, Jo Gyeongmae answered calmly.

Perhaps because of the difficult circumstances, Jo Gyeongmae’s demeanor had softened significantly.

"Go ahead and ask."

"Why is it that you oppose Young Lord Yong so strongly? Honestly, if he were from any other sect, people would welcome him as a son-in-law with open arms. I just don’t understand. Why don’t you like Young Lord Yong?"

Jeong Daji also watched their mother intently. It was a question she had held for a long time.

They simply couldn’t understand why their mother rejected such an outstanding person as Young Lord Yong and tried to marry her off to Geum Yujin instead.

Having witnessed many people striving to gain Yong Hwarin’s favor, their curiosity only grew stronger.

At Jeong Suji’s question, Jo Gyeongmae felt a heavy drop in her chest.

She could also sense that her actions had caused others to question her deeply.

"Sigh... Truthfully, this isn’t about Young Lord Yong. It’s about me."

Jo Gyeongmae opened her mouth in a heavy tone.

Realizing that there was some hidden story behind it, the two daughters waited patiently for their mother’s lips to part.