Chapter 70: Chapter 70
Rumors that the Qingcheng sect and the Emei sect had clashed in Chengdu spread like wildfire throughout Sichuan Province.
The fight between the two sects left a great destruction and many victims behind. So many people have died that it was actually difficult to accurately count the casualties.
Among the dead were not only the martial artists from both sides, but also civilians who were unfairly involved in the fight.
Because of this, many people criticized and denounced the carelessness of the Qingcheng sect and the Emei sect.
But no one from the public dared to come forward and speak their inner thoughts. Because they were afraid of retaliation from the two sects.
Nevertheless, if it's just a group of two or more people, they talked about the incident of the two sects. Thus, dissatisfaction about the two sects continues to accumulate.
Now, the sects of Chengdu had to make a choice.
Qingcheng or Emei. One of the two sects.
They can no longer stay neutral.
The sects who have maintained a neutral ground for the longest time began to have deep concerns.
There was great tension in the residence of the Black Cloud Corps, who stood on the side of the Emei sect and fought against the Qingcheng sect.
Bang!
When Jang Muryang struck his fist, the thick table made of rosewood shattered.
Two bodies were laid in front of him.
It was the body of Jo Jeoksan and Seol-pyo.
The place where Jo Jeoksan was discovered was in an alleyway not far from the battlefield, while the body of Seol-pyo was found under a large tree nearby.
"Who killed them?"
Jang Muryang's eyes were full of deep anger.
It was the same with others. Everyone was looking at the corpse with eyes mixed with anger.
Daoshi Goh inspected the body on behalf of the Black Cloud Corps.
"They've all been killed by the same man."
"Are you sure?"
"Look at the wound on Jeoksan's neck and the wound on Seol-pyo's shoulder, it's the same type of cut. Judging by the shape and size of the cut, it's highly likely to be a dagger or a knife."
"A dagger?"
"Although there are sharper cuts on the neck, all common wounds appear to have been caused by short-bladed weapons like daggers."
At the explanation of Daoshi Goh, Jang Muryang's expression became more and more distorted.
He asked Yang Woo-jeong.
"What about Oh Yuk-pyo? Didn't you say that Oh Yuk-pyo's wounds were also caused by a dagger?"
"That's right."
"Bring Oh Yuk-pyo quickly. Let's compare their wounds." nove(l)bi(n.)com
"Alright."
After a while, the warriors, who received the orders of Jang Muryang, came out with Oh Yuk-pyo on a stretcher.
"Why did you call for me, Captain?"
Oh Yuk-pyo who was suddenly called out did not know why he was summoned.
"Let me inspect your wound."
Jang Muryang tore off Oh Yuk-pyo's clothes and examined his wounds.
"Hm!"
"Why?"
"It's the same."
"Same what? What do you mean?"
Oh Yuk-pyo raised his voice at Jang Muryang, who did not explain the reason.
"The wounds you have are exactly the same as those guys."
"Who?"
Only then did Oh Yuk-pyo realize that Jo Jeoksan and Seol-pyo had returned as corpses with their bodies chilled. He also realized that the wounds on their bodies and his own were surprisingly consistent with each other.
"Oh, so does that mean that the guy who injured me was also the one who killed them?"
Oh Yuk-pyo's shoulders trembled. Jang Muryang's gaze turned to Heo Ranju.
"Where is he?"
"He is still in the guest house... Did he really kill them?"
"Can't you see the wounds? He's definitely the one who killed these two."
She had no doubts as she had also seen Pyo-wol use a dagger.
"But why would he?"
"From now on, we will find out why. He must have been keeping an eye on us for a long time, or maybe he approached us intentionally from the beginning."
If Pyo-wol had not killed Jo Jeoksan, the Black Cloud Corps would have helped the Emei sect and consequently overwhelmed the Qingcheng sect. But because Pyo-wol interfered, the great disciple of Emei, Jeonghwa, suffered severe injuries, while the rest of the members also suffered enormous damage.
For the Black Cloud Corps, it was a sudden blow. Jang Muryang's gaze turned to Heo Ranju.
"Ranju!"
Although she improved a lot with the help of the physician, her condition was still at risk.
To defend the last desperate attack Cheongsan made, she forcefully sent her qi into overdrive which resulted in her bleeding from all points of her body and suffering from a deep internal injury.
She will need to go back to their main sect and nurture herself for at least a year before she can even begin to recover to a certain extent.
'Cheong...san... I'll come and kill you.'
Even with her horrible condition, Jeonghwa was burning with anger towards the Qingcheng sect.
If she could move her body even a little, she would have rushed to the Golden Gates and slaughtered all of the disciples of the Qingcheng sect.
Jurreuk!
Tears flowed from Jeonghwa's one and only eye. Her heart is still full of fighting spirit, her body cannot keep up.
'If I stay like this, I will lose my position to Seol-ran.'
For the first time today, she realized why she was so upset that she couldn't move her body.
Then the physician who was watching her said:
"We must remove the deepening. If the deepening continues, the qi and blood that we worked hard to stabilize will shake again."
A bewildered expression appeared on the physician's face.
Jeonghwa's pale face suddenly turned bright red. The anger in her heart made her blood boil. Jeonghwa turned her head hard and glared at the physician.
The physician flinched.
Because Jeonghwa's gaze was so frightening. Her one and only eye was bloodshot, and full of malice. Even when she was beaten up, her eyes did not bend at all.
She struggled to open her mouth.
"Kkeh..."
"Yes?"
When the physician couldn't hear her words, he brought his ears closer to her mouth.
"Keuk... Go. Before I cut your th–"
"Hiik!"
The physician was startled by Jeonghwa's venomous words and ran outside. He didn't go outside because of his own will, but he found the human being called Jeonghwa so scary.
As the physician closed the door and left, Jeonghwa closed her eyes.
She felt like she could rest comfortably now.
She didn't want to show anyone her vulnerable appearance like this. She thought that it would be better to commit suicide than to show such a shameful appearance.
That was then.
Srreuk!
The door opened quietly.
Jeonghwa raised her one and only eye. Her eyes were full of anger.
"I told you that I... will definitely cut you off–"
She turned her head and looked at the door.
Jeonghwa's eyes trembled.
Because a stranger came in, and not the physician.
This was definitely the first time she saw him. But the stranger oddly didn't feel unfamiliar.
His eyes had a soft red tint, and his appearance was non-human-like. But nonetheless, he had an aura that seemed to attract people.
The moment she saw him, she felt the hairs all over her body stand straight.
Jeonghwa's eyes widened at the creepy feeling she felt. It felt like her back was being scraped downwards by the tip of a knife.
Tak!
He quietly closed the door.
"Who the hell... are you?"
Jeonghwa struggled to open her mouth.
The man looked at Jeonghwa without saying a word. His reddish eyes seemed to stab Jeonghwa like a dagger. Jeonghwa narrowed her eyes and continued.
"Kuh-heuk! I asked who–"
"You can't seem to remember."
"Do you know me?"
"Of course. I haven't forgotten your face for a single day nor a single moment in seven years."
The man's words were very quiet. However, the content contained within his words were ambiguous.
"Seven years?"
"Yes. Don't you remember? Seven years ago."
"..."
"Ah, you don't seem to recall. Do I have to blind your remaining eye for you to remember?"
For a moment, Jeonghwa trembled as if she had been struck by lightning.
"You...! Are you that assassin?"
"It's been a long time."
The man, Pyo-wol, laughed.
The moment Jeonghwa saw his white smile in the dark, she felt a terrible pain in her eye that was covered with an eyepatch.
It was the eye that was stolen from her seven years ago.