Chapter 301 : The Appearance of the Blood Demon Castle (1)

Chapter 301: The Appearance of the Blood Demon Castle (1)

Jeong Suji spoke to the Gunwi Siblings and the people from the Hwangbo Clan.

“We need to break through here and escape first. I’m sorry… this is all because of me.”

“What are you talking about? We were going to get caught by those bastards anyway, so there’s nothing to feel wronged about.”

Hwangbo Mak responded and then addressed the others.

“If we keep fighting like this, we’ll only end up captured. Let’s look for an opportunity to scatter and flee while we fight.”

It was a humiliating thing for descendants of prestigious clans to suggest retreat before even engaging in battle, but now was not the time to worry about pride.

If they were taken hostage, it was obvious what kinds of demands would be made of their clans.

Wi Oh, seemingly grasping Hwangbo Mak’s plan, raised his hand high.

In response, the warriors of the True Dragon Blood Sword Division revealed themselves from all directions.

As it turned out, they weren’t just twenty—nearly a hundred of them had completely surrounded the area.

“If you get caught while fighting, don’t complain even if you lose an arm.”

When Wi Oh threatened to cut off an arm if they resisted, Hwangbo Jooyang threw her sword.

Clang!

“Jooyang…”

Hwangbo Mak twisted his face and called out to his younger sister, but Hwangbo Jooyang said,

“Orabeoni, I don’t want to live as a cripple.”

Hwangbo Mak let out a sigh and also put down his sword.

To be honest, he didn’t have the confidence to break through their encirclement and escape.

If it were just twenty opponents, he would have at least tried to fight and flee, but with this many enemies, even that resolve couldn’t form.

There was no will to fight when faced with nearly a hundred warriors from the Blood Demon Castle.

A comparable force was necessary to even consider fighting.

Gunwi and Gunyeom exchanged glances and also threw their weapons to the ground.

Only Jeong Suji stood holding her sword, determined to fight to the end.

‘Ah, they’re so different from him… Gagah never gave up, no matter the situation. He always fought prepared to die. I was constantly risking my life alongside him, but it felt good because we weren’t cowards. But these people… even though they’re descendants of prestigious clans, they give up so easily.’

Jeong Suji was once again reminded that Yong Hwarin was no ordinary man.

But she eventually lowered her sword.

Because a face came to mind in her head.

‘Gagah will come to save me. It’s better to wait. If I were alone, I’d fight to the death, but I can’t put those who came to help me in danger too.’

When Jeong Suji finally dropped her sword, the warriors of the True Dragon Blood Sword Division quickly fastened shackles and cuffs made of black iron on them.

Even with the strength of over three cycles of cultivation, it would be nearly impossible to break those restraints alone.

Hwangbo Mak spoke.

“Seeing that you even brought shackles, it seems you’ve been preparing for quite some time.”

“Hmph, of course. We’ve been preparing ever since we got word of the Shaolin Temple Gathering. That’s why the plan is so thorough.”

Wi Oh replied boastfully and gave orders to his subordinates.

“Let’s go to the safe house.”

Even as she was being dragged away, Jeong Suji kept glancing back.

After they left, Yong Hwarin’s group arrived about two hours later.

“What the hell? There’s no one here.”

Jeong Daji shouted in a flustered voice.

“Did they already leave?”

Jeong Daji murmured in a hollow tone.

They had rushed here with all their might, but neither her sister nor the Heavenly Demon Sect warriors were in sight.

If at least one of the Heavenly Demon Sect warriors had been here, they could have tortured them for information on where the others had gone. But there wasn’t even an ant in sight.

“Please check the surroundings. There must be some trace left behind.”

At Yong Hwarin’s words, Deuksang took his subordinates and began searching the area.

After investigating for one keun, Deuksang returned with a report.

“There are signs that a large force came and went from here. However, they seem to have disappeared along the valley, and we lost track of them. Our scouts are currently searching the valley, so please wait a bit longer.”

After hearing the report, Yong Hwarin asked Jeong Suji,

“How many Heavenly Demon Sect warriors were stationed at the safe house?”

“There weren’t that many. About twenty or so.”

Deuksang added,

“What we found was evidence of close to a hundred people. But it appears those traces are mostly from people coming in from outside and then leaving again.”

Yong Hwarin began to contemplate several possibilities after hearing that.

Jeong Suji might have come here and been taken hostage when the Heavenly Demon Sect warriors raided the place, or perhaps others with different motives had arrived.

The important thing was determining whether Jeong Suji had actually been here, but with no clues, the frustration only deepened.

At that moment, Jeong Daji leaned against a tree to take a brief rest.

Neither Jeong Suji nor Jeong Daji were in normal condition. They had been pushing forward with the sole determination to rescue their sister, but in truth, the two sisters were in desperate need of recuperation.

Still, they were forcing themselves to endure. With their sister’s life or death uncertain, they couldn’t leisurely rest and recover, so they had held out until now.

Even now, blood was rising up their throats like stomach acid due to internal injuries.

Yong Hwarin, aware of the sisters’ condition, had not pressed them to march hard.

If they insisted on searching recklessly, these sisters might die before they found their sister.

Jo Gyeongmae’s condition was even worse.

She was treating her internal wounds with the energy of the Realm of Self-Existence, but the injuries were so severe that the healing process was slow.

Seeing that Jo Gyeongmae, slung over Yong Hwarin’s back, still hadn’t regained consciousness, it was clear she was making little recovery.

Deuksang, after receiving reports from the returning subordinates who had completed their search, approached Yong Hwarin.

“It seems those bastards disappeared along the valley stream. The trail vanishes at that point. I’ve ordered the men to search along the valley, but it’s not easy. If they followed the water downstream, it will be difficult to find any traces.”

When the anticipated search ended in failure, Yong Hwarin’s anger turned into helplessness.

As he pondered for a moment, a glint of light flashed in Yong Hwarin’s eyes.

‘Yes, with that method, I can catch them. There’s no need for us to waste effort searching and tracking them.’

Yong Hwarin said to Deuksang,

“We can’t waste any more time here. We’ll find them using a different method. Tell everyone to return.”

“Shall we leave behind a search team?”

“Yes, leave only the minimum number of searchers and withdraw the rest.”

Jeong Daji and Jeong Suji, feeling like Yong Hwarin was giving up too soon, protested.

“Master Yong, even if day breaks, we have to keep searching this area for traces of our sister. What do you mean by leaving?”

Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji showed no sign of backing down.

“I have a method. If we proceed with it, we will definitely find your sister today or tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“If we’re lucky, we may even find her today.”

Still, Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji hesitated, their eyes slightly doubtful.

“Do you trust me?”

Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji nodded.

“Yes, we trust your abilities, Master Yong.”

“Then please trust me once more.”

The sisters looked at each other and nodded.

Honestly, Yong Hwarin had solved many problems that seemed impossible. And if he claimed to have found a way to locate their sister, they believed it had to be true.

“Right now, I may be the person who most desperately wants to find Min Mae.”

That was also true. Jeong Suji glanced at her unconscious mother Jo Gyeongmae and nodded.

“All right. We’ll follow your lead, Master Yong.”

Seeing them comply so willingly for once, Yong Hwarin smiled faintly.

“Those bastards will soon learn just how great a mistake they’ve made by kidnapping Min Mae. I’ll show them the consequences, even if I must use every ounce of my strength.”

Though he spoke quietly, his words carried such concentrated fury and killing intent that it sent chills down the spine of anyone listening.

“To put the plan into action right away, I must return to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.”

With Jo Gyeongmae on his back, Yong Hwarin stamped his foot.

Yet he soared like a bird.

By the time they arrived at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, Jo Gyeongmae regained consciousness.

Realizing she was being carried on the back of an unfamiliar man, she was startled.

Ashamed of her condition, she pretended to remain unconscious, lying face down. Soon, she realized that the back she was on belonged to Yong Hwarin and grew flustered inside.

She wanted to get up, but her heart resisted.

For the first time in ages, Jo Gyeongmae felt at peace.

‘Long ago… Yong Gagah’s back felt like this. It’s the same as back then.’

Jo Gyeongmae was lost in nostalgia, recalling the time she was once carried on Yong Biyang’s back.

But she couldn’t enter the Sky Ocean Merchant Union like this, so she whispered into Yong Hwarin’s ear.

“Master Yong, please put me down.”

Yong Hwarin released the movement arts he was using and came to a stop.

“It’s still too much for your body to move on your own. As inconvenient as it may be, I must carry you.”

Yong Hwarin spoke quietly.

“It’s all right. I’m feeling much better now.”

Jo Gyeongmae felt the pain that had torn through her internal organs subside, and a faint flow of qi begin to circulate through her body.

“Did Master Yong treat me?”

“Yes, I had no choice but to infuse qi to treat you. Is there any place that still feels uncomfortable?”

“No. I asked because it feels like your qi is healing my internal injuries.”

“The cultivation method I practice carries strong vitality, so it has healing properties.”

Yong Hwarin gave a vague explanation.

“I see. I can circulate my qi now, so I think I can walk on my own.”

Yong Hwarin respected Jo Gyeongmae’s wish and lowered her down.

As she stepped off Yong Hwarin’s back, Jo Gyeongmae staggered briefly.

“Mother!”

Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji rushed over to support her. Jo Gyeongmae reflexively tried to push away their arms but then paused mid-motion.

Then, she took hold of her daughters’ hands.

Jo Gyeongmae reflected on why she had tried to reject her daughters’ hands.

‘I tried too hard to raise my daughters with strict discipline, and in doing so, I attempted to eliminate affection. Because too much affection becomes an obstacle when learning martial arts.’

That belief had come from her own experiences. After being denied the love of Yong Biyang, she had married out of spite, and from that point on, her martial arts made no progress.

She had suffered from heartbreak for so long that she hadn’t even considered training in martial arts again.

Furthermore, after Jeong Woong’s death and her succession as the head of the Jeong Family Manor, she had trained in the Vermilion Grand Flame Art, but she realized far too late that she was not suited to mastering it. That realization made her place her hopes entirely on her daughters.

Because her expectations were so high, she became a harsh and cold mother.

At the same time, she harbored resentment toward the children born from a marriage to a man she didn’t love.

All these feelings combined to turn her into a severe mother, and her daughters, deprived of affection, grew up with emotional imbalance.

The reason Jeong Minji spoke so little and always looked sorrowful, the reason Jeong Suji viewed the world so cynically, and the reason Jeong Daji overreacted to trivial matters—all of it was a product of that upbringing.

But seeing how her three daughters had changed after leaving the clan and meeting Yong Hwarin left her bewildered.

They were no longer the daughters she had always known, and this made her feel a sense of isolation, as if she alone were standing on the wrong path.

‘Perhaps that’s why… Maybe I hated Yong Hwarin because I felt he had taken my daughters from me. I truly am a narrow-minded, terrible mother.’