Two Villages
Hong Geolgae leapt up onto the roof and called out.
"What, we're not chasing them anymore? Just letting them go?"
Tang Mujin shook his head.
"Following them is pointless."
The distance was great, and the fleeing assassins had scattered in different directions.
If they pushed hard, they might catch and kill three or four more, but unless they exterminated them all, nothing meaningful would be gained.
Tang Mujin crossed his arms. The situation wasn't ideal.
Still, there was at least a small gain—they had confirmed the fugitives' direction.
Not a single one fled west or south; all of them ran north or east.
That meant the main base of Salmak was almost certainly in Yangyang, to the northeast.
'So Elder Soe Hon-noong's information was accurate after all.'
Hong Geolgae asked Tang Mujin,
"If we move fast, we might actually reach Yangyang before they do. Couldn't we just get there first and ambush them?"
Before Tang Mujin could answer, Namgung Myeong spoke up.
"We only just arrived in Sangshin Village. Without proper rest, you want us to push on for another two or three days straight, only to face who-knows-how-many enemies? If we do that, Dan Seol-yeong will be widowed on the spot. Can you handle that?"
"Widowed? Who says she's the one becoming a widow?"
Tang Mujin grumbled. But Namgung Myeong wasn't wrong.
"Either way, it's too late to catch them now. Let's recover first, then move slowly."
"Fine."
The group trudged back toward the inn.
Unlike earlier—when cries of "The Dragon of Medicine!" had drawn a curious crowd—the villagers of Sangshin now kept their distance from Tang Mujin's party.
Well, who would willingly approach men still carrying bloodstained blades?
Namgung Myeong glanced around and spotted the corpse of an assassin lying in the street.
To keep the blade from corroding, one had to at least wipe off the blood before sheathing it.
He rubbed the sword clean against the corpse's clothes, then slid it back into its scabbard.
Even with their swords put away, the villagers stayed back. They now knew the weapons weren't for show—whether drawn or sheathed didn't matter.
Of course, they also knew Tang Mujin's group wasn't evil.
But martial artists were unsettling by nature.
Being close to a famous physician might get you free acupuncture; being close to a famous swordsman might get you a free stab.
Tang Mujin sighed.
Just moments ago the villagers had swarmed them like bees, chattering excitedly. Now, they backed away as though from wild beasts.
Physician Tang Mujin was welcomed with affection, but Warrior Tang Mujin was met with wary, uneasy stares.
Perhaps that was why Goiyi had grown so eccentric over the years.
***
"Well now, you've worked hard."
"Come, sit over here!"
At least the innkeeper and his boy weren't so wary of them.
Thanks to that, the group enjoyed a relaxed dinner.
"We didn't ruin your evening business, did we?" Tang Mujin asked.
The innkeeper let out a hearty laugh.
"What business? Thanks to you, the lunch crowd was the best I've ever had."
The inn boy nodded. Though he still felt a hint of fear toward them, gratitude outweighed it. After all, his legs hadn't throbbed with pain since Tang Mujin's treatment.
As he served the food, the innkeeper spoke cautiously, as though to defend the villagers.
"Forgive me for saying so, but I hope you won't judge Sangshin's people too harshly. This is a peaceful place—seeing drawn swords is rare for them."
"I understand," Tang Mujin replied.
"It's no empty talk. Give them two or three days and they'll be creeping back around. I guarantee it."
His warmth and faith in his neighbors were disarming. Tang Mujin smiled gently and picked up his chopsticks.
***
They passed a quiet night.
The next morning, as soon as they stepped out of the inn, they encountered a man.
He looked to be about Tang Mujin's age, perhaps slightly older. He wore a long sword at his hip, had thick eyebrows, and carried himself with a neat, composed air.
Tang Mujin, who had met countless people by now, was not easily surprised.
But this man was unusual—he had already crossed the threshold into true mastery at such a young age.
'Why do I keep running into peak masters these days?'
Tang Mujin studied him quietly. Now he understood why others always remarked on his and Namgung Myeong's youth.
It felt… odd. Like seeing a chick with a fully grown comb.
Unlike Tang Mujin or Hong Geolgae, Namgung Myeong immediately recognized him.
"It's been a while, Hyeon-gong."
"Namgung Myeong. I didn't expect to find you here."
Hyeon-gong. Tang Mujin recalled hearing the name before.
Yes—either Goiyi or Namgung Myeong had mentioned him: Seungnyong Sword Hyeon-gong, the prodigy of Wudang Sect. With the clue of a young man at the peak, Tang Mujin should have remembered sooner.
Namgung Myeong was among the acknowledged front-runners of the Houjisu generation.
But no one called him the strongest. Because there was someone even more outstanding.
That man was Seungnyong Sword Hyeon-gong, Wudang's brightest talent.
Two years ago—when Tang Mujin and Namgung Myeong first met—Hyeon-gong was already said to have surpassed the wall of mastery.
Yet the air between the two was anything but friendly. Hyeon-gong spoke with calm formality.
"I heard there was a fight. Was it your doing?"
"Yes," Namgung Myeong replied.
"Why did you draw your sword?"
"They were assassins from Salmak. Do you need another reason?"
Assassins. If true, there was no need to argue further. In fact, letting them go would have been the real problem.
"Any proof?"
"Strip the corpses. You'll find the butterfly tattoo."
Hyeon-gong nodded at once.
"I'll verify that later. But why were assassins after you?"
"They weren't after me—I went after them."
"You went after them? How did you even know they were in Sangshin?"
"I didn't. Sangshin was just along the way. You really didn't know Salmak's base is in Hubei?"
Namgung Myeong's mocking tone made Hyeon-gong frown.
"This is the first I've heard of it. Who told you?"
"I can't name my source. And it doesn't matter anyway, does it?"
Namgung Myeong deliberately gave no clear answer—a wise move. Involving the Demonic Cult would only complicate things.
Listening in, Hong Geolgae whispered to Tang Mujin,
"Why's this Hyeon-gong fellow suddenly showing up and grilling us?"
"Because Wudang's in Hubei."
As a rising sect, Wudang was busy extending its influence outward from Mount Wudang in Hubei.
Influence in the martial world took two forms.
First, prestige among martial artists—simple enough. A sect with many strong masters naturally gained respect.
But influence among commoners was another matter.
To win their trust, a sect had to solve problems.
If trouble arose, people had to believe Wudang would step in.
The greater that trust, the more ordinary folk would seek Wudang's help—even for issues the government should handle. Sometimes, they might even go to Wudang before going to the magistrate. That was true influence.
Hyeon-gong asked,
"Then why are you going after Salmak?"
"Why else? To cut off their heads."
At that, Hyeon-gong stiffened.
Salmak's infamy spread across all of Jianghu. Even reckless novices knew better than to meddle where Salmak was concerned.
However, there had never been any rumors of an overwhelming master residing within Salmak.
The reason Salmak had survived until now wasn't because of sheer force, but because their information had never leaked outside.
In other words, striking at Salmak was a major opportunity for both the Wudang Sect and Hyeon-gong.
Hyeon-gong spoke casually, as if testing the waters.
"Do you really think just the three of you can bring down Salmak?"
"Well… that's something we'll have to see for ourselves."
"If it's too great a burden, just hand over the information and step back. Wudang will take the lead."
Namgung Myeong could see right through him.
This was about earning military merit, about spreading Wudang's name far and wide.
But Namgung Myeong had no intention of stepping aside.
"No. Who leaves revenge to another's hand?"
"Revenge? What revenge?"
Tang Mujin answered in Namgung Myeong's stead.
"Our master's revenge."
Hyeon-gong gave Tang Mujin a measuring look.
His aura wasn't quite enough to be called peak, but even so, it was remarkable.
'He looks even younger than Namgung Myeong—or me, for that matter.'
Not long ago, Hyeon-gong had stood in an unrivaled position among the Houjisu generation.
But now Namgung Myeong had returned with frightening growth, and another youth only a little weaker had appeared. Even the ragged beggar by their side wasn't someone to dismiss.
'Impressive.'
Hyeon-gong studied Tang Mujin for a moment, then gathered his thoughts.
The best outcome would be to seize full initiative, so that Wudang—and himself—took all the credit.
But the information on Salmak lay with Namgung Myeong and his companions. And Namgung Myeong's sly demeanor made it unlikely he could be sweet-talked or tricked.
He hadn't been like this before. It was as if a year spent rolling around in the backstreets had turned him into a cunning snake.
'The fact that Salmak's main base was in Hubei is already a humiliation. If outsiders solve the problem, the disgrace will only deepen. That would be no ordinary loss of face.'
After a moment's thought, Hyeon-gong offered a compromise.
"Would you allow me to join you?"
It was his way of declaring Wudang would take part.
The share of credit Wudang could claim would be smaller, but all of it would concentrate in Hyeon-gong alone. From his perspective, that was preferable.
At the same time, Tang Mujin remembered Dan Seol-yeong's words.
"Don't make me a widow. Take someone else along too."
Adding one more man, even Hyeon-gong, wouldn't overturn the balance.
"Suit yourself," Tang Mujin replied, with a slightly arrogant air.
***
The head of Salmak, Black Butterfly, was clutching his head.
It was bad enough that his recent closed-door training had yielded no results—now troubling rumors reached him at daybreak. Worse, the situation was unclear.
'Have they truly discovered the location of the main base?'
The chances were slim. Of all outsiders, only Old Man Soe Hon-noong knew Salmak's location, and he had no reason to reveal it to that so-called Medicine Dragon. And there were countless other factors to consider.
"What will you do?"
It was Black Cat who asked, standing at his side. Like him, she had heard the reports from the assassins who had escaped Sangshin Village.
Black Butterfly thought it over.
Currently, there were three masters at or above the peak level in Salmak's main base—including himself and Black Cat. If he summoned one more nearby, they would have four.
Their enemies were three youths: one one-armed boy believed to be the son of Sword Demon Namgung Jincheon, one so-called Medicine Dragon who wielded both sword and medicine, and a beggar who tagged along.
'That Medicine Dragon… there's no doubt he's connected to Goiyi. I've heard his swordplay even resembles Goiyi's.'
In any case, Salmak had enough strength to subdue three youngsters. With luck, they might even capture the Medicine Dragon alive and sell him off to the Demonic Cult.
'The problem is if they reach out to outsiders.'
Black Butterfly asked Black Cat,
"Has Wudang shown any unusual movement?"
"There's been no such report."
"Good. Then we wait. But if Wudang moves, we abandon the base at once."
His judgment was cold.
Pride meant nothing in the face of survival.
Black Cat asked,
"If we abandon the base, where will we go?"
"Well… wherever it may be, we'll have to pass through Sichuan. We'll show the world how Salmak survives."
He had heard that the Medicine Dragon's hometown was Chengdu.
Not Mount Qingcheng, not Mount Emei —Chengdu itself.
And he came from a physician's family.
Chengdu had no great sect. At most, the Qingcheng Sect's Chengdu branch office—but no matter how lofty Qingcheng was, a mere branch could never stand against Salmak.
Besides, the proud Qingcheng Sect was unlikely to go out of its way to protect some doctor's household. Chengdu was practically defenseless.
Since they couldn't destroy the Namgung Clan, the Medicine Dragon would pay the price in his place.
They would storm his family's home in Chengdu—slaughter half on the spot, and take the rest hostage to kill slowly.
"If you dare to provoke Salmak, you'll always pay far worse in return."
Black Butterfly smiled with supreme confidence.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE : https://beastnovels.com/