It wasn't long before I had the chance to verify Tang So-wol's bold claims.
"Hehe. That place right there, sir. I confirmed they were staying at the inn until lunch today, so it's certain."
Goatee said this in a fawning voice. He was the informant and guide from Haomun that Tang Jincheon had brought along.
It was because he led them by the shortest route without a moment's hesitation, as if the entire Guangdong Province were his own backyard.
The Dark Soul Squad had loosened up somewhat during the journey, but as the target drew closer, the fierce killing intent they'd had at the start was slowly rekindling.
The refined aura emanating from the dozen or so martial artists. At their lead, Tang Jincheon narrowed his eyes and asked.
"Is the number the same as the report?"
"Yes. Three at Peak Realm and the rest first-rate…"
"No. That's not what I asked. I'm asking how many necks I need to cut."
"…Fifteen in total."
Goatee answered with a slightly pale face. Tang Jincheon gave his shoulder a light pat.
"You've worked hard getting us here. Thanks to you, we made good time. Will you guide us the rest of the way, to the inn where they're staying?"
"O-of course. It's just up ahead."
Goatee nodded vigorously and took the lead.
"The place is called Yanzhou. It's a fairly bustling town, and it has its share of splendor, but it's not exactly a hub of entertainment. That's because the people who visit aren't here for leisure—they're merchant caravans passing through to other regions."
"With countless outsiders coming and going every day, it'll be easy to slip in unnoticed. And there's the added advantage of hearing news quickly."
Of course, those bastards would never hear that news. Tang So-wol had survived thanks to me, and with Tang Jincheon's help, she'd managed to return to the Tang Clan without anyone knowing.
It turned out Tang Jincheon's decision to rush out alone, leaving even his Personal Guard brother behind, had been worth it. Though Tang Yujin herself probably wouldn't be too pleased to hear that.
Even though the sun was already beginning to set, I looked at the long line of merchant caravans still stretching out and spoke.
"With this many people coming and going, couldn't they slip away in the chaos?"
"Don't worry about that. We're already keeping a close watch on them, and we've stationed Haomun members on all sides. We might not be able to stop them from running or sneaking out, but we'll know immediately where they went and how many."
"That's what he says, father-in-law. Wouldn't it be better to just charge in right now rather than quietly wait in line and strike after we're inside?"
"You're quite impatient, aren't you? But that's fine by me."
Tang Jincheon let out a snort of laughter and nodded. Meanwhile, Goatee flinched and looked back and forth between us, startled.
He must have been curious about who I was but hadn't dared to ask… and now he was shocked by a title beyond anything he could have imagined.
Of course, Tang Jincheon paid no mind to Goatee's reaction and gave his order to the Dark Soul Corps Master.
"Leave the horses tied here for now. We'll cross the wall in one leap using Lightness Skill. The location is…"
Tang Jincheon trailed off and turned to look at Goatee. Catching his gaze, the man snapped out of his daze and answered promptly.
"We're staying at a small inn called Hwajeong Inn. It's an ordinary building with no distinguishing features, so it would be hard to find just from a description alone."
"Then I'll grab hold of you and run. Just focus on guiding us."
"Eh?"
Tang Jincheon hoisted the startled Goatee up and tucked him under his arm. He looked over at Cheon Hwi and nodded.
"What will you do? I could grab them by the hair and drag them down myself."
"We're the ones who almost died."
"So-wol, do you feel the same way?"
At the question directed at her, Tang So-wol nodded.
"I feel the same as young hero Cheon, Father. I'm grateful for your help, but the helplessness and the fear I felt that day—they belong to us."
Tang So-wol spoke with a rather sharp look in her eyes.
Still clumsy, but she was now a martial artist seeking to avenge her past.
Tang Jincheon wore a blank expression for a moment before breaking into a pleased smile.
"Then it's settled. Do as you please."
He gave Tang So-wol a brief nod, then took the lead and began to run.
"Whoa—!"
Goatee let out an instinctive yelp, then quickly clamped both hands over his own mouth. The Tang Clan martial artists followed behind Tang Jincheon.
I exchanged a glance with Tang So-wol.
"Shall we go, then?"
"Lead the way."
I nodded and unleashed my Lightness Skill.
***
After vaulting over the city's not-too-tall outer wall with a couple of kicks, I ran in the direction Goatee indicated for what felt like quite some time.
A spot a moderate distance from the main road. Not too flashy, not too shabby, with a decent number of patrons — a perfectly ordinary inn, as they say.
"Here! This is the Huajeong Inn!"
At Goatee's shout, Tang Jincheon stopped in his tracks. One by one, the Dark Soul Squad members who had followed behind arrived and naturally surrounded the area.
At the ominous atmosphere, the common folk murmured and scattered far away. Those who had been dining at the inn in particular reacted with even greater speed.
They flung down their utensils and, as if declaring they had no intention of fighting, raised both hands and slowly began filing out of the inn.
At that, Tang So-wol pressed close to my side and whispered softly.
"Don't you think they're all a little too familiar with this?"
"That just means they've seen it happen often enough."
This was the period when martial artists who had been driven out of Zhejiang Province gathered in Guangdong Province. Life-and-death duels between martial houses must have unfolded almost every day.
Even if one didn't want to grow accustomed to it, there was no choice but to.
Among those slipping out one by one were not just common folk, but quite a few martial artists as well.
…And among the crowd, there was also a Demonic Cultist trying to slip away unnoticed.
He knew he wouldn't survive, so was he trying to at least deliver word to the Demonic Cult?
"That one! That one is a Demonic Cultist… isn't he?"
Before Goatee could even recognize the man's face, I was already a step ahead, drawing my sword.
Swick!
The man, barely Second-Rate, couldn't even react to my single strike before his neck was severed. At the same moment his masterless body crumpled limply to the ground—
Thunk!
A Flying Dagger shot from behind, threading through the crowd, and pierced the forehead of a middle-aged man with perfect accuracy. It was the Dark Soul Corps Master's handiwork.
The dagger buried deep to its hilt. Unable to withstand the impact, the middle-aged man toppled backward.
And half a beat later, Goatee's deflated voice reached my ears.
"Uh, um. That one was a Demonic Cultist too, right. But how did you know? Did you happen to know him before?"
I glanced at Goatee and answered.
"I knew from the Demonic Qi he carried, not his face."
"Huh? But he didn't use any internal energy. Young hero, you haven't yet…"
It's common for a martial artist's temperament to shift according to the nature of the martial art they've mastered and the internal energy they hold.
But if the internal energy one carries is small, it doesn't show much, and if one's martial level is low, reading their Aura isn't easy either.
Unless one is a Dark Soul Corps Master at the Transcendent Peak, it would be hard to believe that someone still at first-rate like me could find a hidden Demonic Cultist.
However, there are two things Goatee doesn't know.
I have an Enlightenment that doesn't fit this body. And I've faced the Demonic Cult so many times I'm sick of it.
Instead of answering, I shrugged my shoulders and stepped forward, drawing everyone's gaze at once.
As promised beforehand, Tang Jincheon stood with his arms crossed, making clear he would do nothing. I took a deep breath.
Then, pouring internal energy into my voice, I shouted loudly.
"If we've started, we should see it through to the end! Stop hiding like vermin and come out! Tang So-wol, the one you want to kill, is right here!"
"Good heavens! Are you selling me out here, young hero Cheon?!"
Tang So-wol asked back in disbelief, but the effect was remarkable either way.
"Go!"
A shout rang out from the inn's second floor. Demonic Qi swelled explosively as the wall burst apart.
CRASH!
Three martial artists hurled themselves through the flying debris. Their target was me… no, Tang So-wol beside me.
Unlike the one who had tried to slip away earlier, these were all fairly strong.
But they were no match for Tang So-wol as she was now.
"You rush in like moths to a flame."
Tang So-wol's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she swung one hand wide. Her sleeve fluttered. A faint purple Poison Mist seeped from within.
Four of them held their breath and broke through the Poison Mist. But by the time they reached Tang So-wol's front, they were already half-dead.
Skin so melted that one could no longer tell who was who. Legs that couldn't even stand properly, let alone swing a sword, collapsing one by one.
One of the bastards gritted his teeth, eyes wide open.
"How… we held our breath…"
"Poison isn't only dangerous when inhaled. Sometimes there are poisons that melt flesh on mere contact."
Tang So-wol added quietly that she hadn't expected them to be this strong.
With that, the last one still clinging to life dropped the sword he'd never managed to swing even once.
A quiet, swift death. But not all of the Demonic Cultists had fallen yet. The Demonic Qi seeping from the inn was still very much alive.
"Now!"
The same voice as before. At that very moment, more Demonic Cultists burst out from beyond the shattered wall.
This time, however, they were clearly wary of the poison Tang So-wol had shown moments earlier, their bodies wrapped tightly in thick clothing.
Nearly ten of them flew in at once, and among them was a Peak Realm master radiating intense Demonic Qi.
Even for Tang So-wol, handling all of them with a single Poison Mist like before was no easy task. She gritted her teeth and swung her sleeves wide.
Sssssssss!
Hidden weapons shot forth. Their glinting tips were unmistakably coated with some kind of poison.
But Tang So-wol's Hidden Weapon Art was slightly inferior to her poison art.
She could take care of the rabble around first-rate to second-rate, but it was hard to believe they would work even on a Peak Realm martial artist.
That is, if Tang So-wol had been alone.
She pushed the Crazy Wolf Life-Stealing Art to its absolute limit. Thanks to the Hundred Poisons Clear Blood Pill she had received from Tang Yujin, her internal energy responded with greater ease, spreading through every limb and bone.
Her internal energy rose at her will, and following its movement, the dormant killing intent blazed up like a wildfire.
The endless gap between life and death. A dark night sky shrouded by moonlight. Promises scattered into nothingness. Meaningless last words.
At some point, the scene of that day, seared into her mind, made her head burn hot.
A sword forged from pure killing intent. That blade without substance pierced the heart of a martial artist who had resolved to die.
"Huk!"
The man, who had been mid-air deflecting Tang So-wol's hidden weapons, froze. That was enough.
Thud!
It was true that Tang So-wol's Hidden Weapon Art fell short of her poison art, but it was still the Tang Clan's Hidden Weapon Art. There was no way it would miss at this distance.
And Tang So-wol's hidden weapons were coated in poison. Probably a rather vicious one, at that.
"W-what in the world was that…!"
The man gnashed his teeth as he glared at us. I let his desperate reaction go in one ear and out the other, and asked Tang So-wol.
"Is this enough?"
"Yes. Since you've gone this far, I suppose I should show you something as well."
Tang So-wol answered with eyes flickering with a faint green light—I wondered just what kind of poison she was preparing.
This side seems sufficient, so now it's time to focus on my own work.
Two Peak Realm martial artists, hiding their presence, ambushing from the entrance rather than through the hole-riddled wall.
An axe and a fist rushing in from both sides. I curled the corners of my mouth into a grin at the murky energy covering them.
Just entering the Peak Realm, are they? Those two would be a tough match for me right now. Tough, but…
"Worth a try."
That doesn't mean I can't win.