Chapter 309: Thrown into Crisis

Yong Hwarin lifted the roof and descended, settling on a crossbeam.

Inside the room, five women were gathered.

It appeared this room was reserved solely for women.

A faint smile crossed Yong Hwarin’s face as he carefully studied the five of them.

‘Found her.’

A wave of relief washed over Yong Hwarin, unraveling the tension he had maintained.

He had been wracked with anxiety, fearing what he would do if she wasn’t here.

Jeong Minji lay flat on her back.

It was in stark contrast to the other women, who were mostly curled up in the corners.

Gazing down at her from the crossbeam evoked a unique feeling. Jeong Minji sensed someone watching and gently opened her eyes.

She immediately felt the presence of someone above her on the beam.

It was a pitch-black night, so she couldn’t make out the face.

But the aura wafting down was achingly familiar.

-Min Mae, are you hurt anywhere?

Jeong Minji made no sound, not wanting to alert the guards outside.

With her inner strength depleted, she couldn’t send sound transmission either.

Drip—

Instead, thick tears streamed down her face.

The tears trailed from her temples, soaking the rim of her ears.

-I missed you.

A smile formed at Yong Hwarin’s sound transmission.

‘I knew you’d come find me. That’s why I’ve been completely at peace. That’s why I was sleeping so soundly. Knowing that someone would come save me, thanks to you, I’ve learned what a great comfort that belief can be.’

As her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, the outline of a person on the beam became clear. If nothing else, those eyes unmistakably belonged to the lover she had longed for.

Though she desperately wanted to leap up and throw herself into his arms, she barely managed to restrain herself.

But in the end, when she tried to rise, Yong Hwarin’s transmission rang out.

-Don’t move. I’ll come down.

Yong Hwarin descended from the beam and lay beside Jeong Minji.

Even if a guard saw them, it would only look like another hostage.

They turned toward each other, their eyes locking.

-You can speak. I’ve blocked the sound with qi.

At those words, Jeong Minji buried herself into Yong Hwarin’s chest without hesitation.

“I was learning what it truly means to miss someone to the point of madness. Gagah, I missed you.”

Yong Hwarin embraced her gently and replied.

“I’ve long gone mad. From missing you, Min Mae. That’s why I came. Weren’t you scared?”

“I knew you’d come for me. So I wasn’t scared at all.”

Cradled in his arms for a moment, Jeong Minji then asked as she brushed her lips against his.

“What about Mother and my siblings?”

“Thankfully, they were safely rescued and brought to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union. But… the Clan Leader of the Geum Clan fell in battle, and the young master of the clan fled. We don’t know where he is.”

“I see… Thank you so much.”

“Don’t say that. Min Mae’s family is my family. More importantly, get ready. We’re escaping right now.”

“Not yet!”

“Why not?”

“I can’t go alone. There are many martial artists held hostage here. We must save them.”

Yong Hwarin wasn’t surprised. He had anticipated such words.

“You’re not surprised.”

“I knew you’d say this. Min Mae, you’re more of a righteous warrior than I am.”

“That’s not true. If only I escape, the others will surely suffer because of me. That thought weighs on my heart. And… there’s also the poison we took—Sanggongdok. There’s another poison mixed in. If we don’t take the antidote every morning, it will melt our insides. From what I’ve heard, it sounds true. I’ve also taken the poison, so I need that antidote in the morning. That’s why I can’t go now.”

Yong Hwarin let out a low sigh, his prediction proving true.

Even Dang Cheolgi had only uncovered the Sanggongdok as the Seven-Day Poison, not the hidden toxin. That was how secretive it was.

Yong Hwarin smiled faintly.

Even in this dire situation, Jeong Minji still thought of others before herself. To him, she truly was a great hero.

“Understood, Daehyeop. Then tomorrow, when they give the antidote, I’ll steal it.”

He answered playfully, and Jeong Minji laughed radiantly in response.

“If it’s you, you could subdue them all. But be careful. There’s one elder here even the warriors of Blood Demon Castle fear. If you watch out for him, you’ll be fine. But I don’t think he’s stronger than the Three Grand Elders.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll steal the antidote tomorrow and rescue the hostages. Turn around. I’ll draw the poison out with my energy.”

Jeong Minji turned her back toward Yong Hwarin.

Yong Hwarin absorbed the Seven-Day San Gong Poison and the poisonous qi into her Yin Dantian and eradicated it.

Shortly after, as his hand moved to her chest, Jeong Minji caught it with both hands.

“Shameless, aren’t you? Teasing a girl at a time like this.”

“Well, I missed Min Mae… and apparently, so did my hand.”

“My lips missed you, Gagah.”

Jeong Minji turned to him, her lips searching instinctively like a newborn seeking its mother.

As dawn broke, Yong Hwarin returned to the room where he had been imprisoned.

The others hadn’t noticed him entering or leaving, but Dang Cheolgi, already alert, sensed his presence and rose.

Seeing Yong Hwarin had moved stealthily, Dang Cheolgi assumed he had regained his internal energy.

“Master Yong, how did you detoxify the Seven-Day San Gong Poison? Could you help me too?”

Yong Hwarin shook his head.

“I can. But if I detoxify you, tomorrow morning the elder of Blood Demon Castle will notice something is off. That might ruin our plans.”

“Ah, I see.”

Dang Cheolgi almost asked if Yong Hwarin could avoid being discovered by the elder—but closed his mouth.

Come to think of it, he’d never been able to sense Yong Hwarin’s energy.

Even back at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

That meant Yong Hwarin had already reached a realm beyond his perception.

“Once everyone takes the antidote tomorrow, let’s eliminate them and rescue the others.”

Dang Cheolgi still didn’t know that Yong Hwarin had come for Jeong Minji. He simply thought he was there to save the hostages.

Once Dang Cheolgi returned to sleep, Yong Hwarin began cultivating his energy.

To prepare for the large battle in the morning, he had to accumulate sufficient internal power.

Yong Hwarin absorbed immense true qi through his two Nogung Points and Yongcheon Points, circulating it through the Tai Chi Dantian.

‘If I didn’t have the Tai Chi Dantian, I would never have reached the Upper World. Even if I did, I would’ve had to wait until past sixty.’

That was how much more effective energy accumulation was with the Tai Chi Dantian.

But true qi didn’t always accumulate simply by absorbing large amounts.

At some point, the Tai Chi Dantian would reach its limit and stagnate.

In Murim, the limit of human energy accumulation was referred to as the Four Gaps.

That stage was called the Divine Stage.

It was believed that only then did one lay the foundation for transcending into immortality.

Beyond that, the human body was thought incapable of holding more.

That was why the Dantian had been divided into lower, middle, and upper sections—to manage these limits.

But even then, only the Lower Dantian could store large quantities of qi.

Yong Hwarin had already merged with Nature’s Energy and no longer needed to rely on the three dantians.

Such theories existed to reach certain realms, but once surpassed, they became irrelevant.

From that point on, one’s cultivation became one’s own martial art.

The immense true qi gathered in Yong Hwarin’s body began to fuse and circulate, initiating a full heavenly cycle.

Then something strange happened.

One of the Azure Dragon Three Marbles he held began to emit a soft azure glow.

It was bright but didn’t hurt the eyes—a serene light.

The light from the small Azure Dragon Three Marble swelled to the size of a fist.

But it soon faded.

Had he lost control, the guards might have discovered him.

In that state, Yong Hwarin entered a deep trance for about two hours.

“Everyone, assemble outside!”

At the command of a warrior from Blood Demon Castle, all the prisoners in the manor were gathered outside.

They were counting heads to see if anyone had escaped during the night.

There were nearly forty martial artists gathered.

Yong Hwarin spotted Jeong Minji among them and felt reassured.

Near her stood members of the Hwangbo Clan and the Gunwi siblings.

As he glanced around, Yong Hwarin realized something.

‘I thought they were randomly capturing martial artists headed to Shaolin Temple—but that wasn’t it.’

Clearly, these were martial artists affiliated with minor sects.

However, most of them were sects that provided funding or military supplies to major sects and the Twelve Great Families.

Yong Hwarin already knew, from his past life during the Great Martial Battle of Moon and Orthodoxy, which sects acted as financial lifelines for the Nine Great Sects, as he had once supplied munitions to Three Righteous Heavens.

Later on, even the Three Demonic Heavens had tried to sever the funding lines of the Nine Great Sects and the Murim Twelve Great Families.

If one were to intimidate these sects into surrendering their funds or cut off their supplies entirely, it would immediately impact the major sects and families.

But Yong Hwarin wasn’t going to do that now.

Otherwise, it would only be a case of drawing the grass to scare the snake.

Once war broke out, these people would be coerced into cutting off funds to weaken the Nine Great Sects.

‘Most of these sects co-own trading companies and run escort agencies. And the reason they’re mixing another poison with the Seven-Day San Gong Poison is to make sure the hostages rely on the antidote.’

He now understood why another poison was secretly added to the Seven-Day San Gong Poison.

‘They’re planning things thoroughly from the start. I thought they were just blindly provoking Murim, but that wasn’t it. Min Mae must have been with members of the Hwangbo Clan and was captured alongside them.’

At first, it seemed strange that she had been taken to the Heavenly Demon Sect and then imprisoned in Blood Demon Castle—but it all made sense now.

“From now on, you’ll all be relocated to another safe house!”

Wi Oh, the Division Leader of the Dragon-Slaying Blood Sword Unit, shouted at the hostages.

A stir ran through the captured martial artists.

They had been kept here until now, and the sudden relocation made them uneasy.

None of them dared to respond, thanks to Lightning-Faced Madman standing behind Wi Oh like the god of death.

His temperament was so violent that someone who once questioned him had their head smashed in on the spot.

After witnessing it twice, none of the hostages even thought of speaking again.

Unaware of all this, Dang Cheolgi raised his hand and spoke.

“Tell us why this is happening!”

His boldness made the other martial artists go pale.

Lightning-Faced Madman smiled thinly and asked,

“What’s your name?”

“Dang Cheolgi of the Tang Clan!”

Lightning-Faced Madman nodded exaggeratedly.

“Hmph, if you’re a descendant of the Tang Clan, I suppose such courage is to be expected.”

He began walking toward Dang Cheolgi.

“Your clan won’t be troubled by your absence, I presume?”

Dang Cheolgi, oblivious to the intention behind the question, replied confidently.

“Of course not. The Tang Clan has plenty like me. I’m nothing special.”

“Then it won’t be a problem if you die, will it?”

As Lightning-Faced Madman radiated killing intent, Dang Cheolgi finally realized how serious the situation was, his face turning ashen.

“N-no! That’s not what I—wait…!”

“I’ll see if you’re just as bold in death.”

At that moment—

Shhwack!

A sound of something cutting through the air rang out as a heavy, qi-infused crossbow bolt flew straight toward Lightning-Faced Madman’s face.

“Hmph!”

With a snort, Lightning-Faced Madman caught the crossbow bolt with the same hand he had been using to strike Dang Cheolgi.

Bzzzzz!

The bolt trembled violently in his grip.

Snap!

He broke it with his fingers and turned toward the forest.

“Fools didn’t even realize rats were nearby. What are you waiting for?!”

The Dragon-Slaying Blood Sword Unit warriors immediately charged into the woods.

In truth, this whole event had a simple origin.

Yong Hwarin had instructed Deuksang to follow after him secretly.

When Dang Cheolgi was on the verge of death, Yong Hwarin sent a sound transmission to Deuksang, telling him to fire the crossbow.

It happened in the blink of an eye, so it appeared to be an action taken by an orthodox martial artist surveilling the area.

Normally, such interference would diffuse the killing intent and halt the execution.

But instead, it only provoked Lightning-Faced Madman further, intensifying his bloodlust.

“Hmph, do you think a trick like that will keep me from killing you?!”

Just as he raised his hand again, Wi Oh approached, holding a letter.

“Elder, now’s not the time. Please look at this. It’s urgent.”

Irritated at having his entertainment interrupted, Lightning-Faced Madman glared at Wi Oh and snatched the letter from his hand.

His eyebrows began to twitch slightly.

The contents of the letter were clearly serious enough to quell his wrath.

“Is this true?”

“It came via Heukmae.”

A letter from Heukmae signified the highest level of urgency and accuracy.

Upon hearing that, Lightning-Faced Madman turned and walked away with the letter in hand.

Just then, a thought stirred in Yong Hwarin’s mind.

‘What if… what if I could read distant characters using Nature’s Energy? Is there no martial art like that?’

Yong Hwarin didn’t think it was impossible.

If anyone heard such an idea, they would burst out laughing and ridicule it as nonsense.

But Yong Hwarin had achieved martial realms others claimed were impossible.

‘If you believe it’s impossible, then even the possible becomes impossible.’

At that moment, he could almost hear the soul of the Demonic Master whispering.

-Are you trying to climb a tree to catch fish?

It was as if the Demonic Master was sneering beside him.

The phrase “climbing a tree to catch fish” referred to a foolish act of attempting the impossible.

But Yong Hwarin believed it could be done.

Typically, when martial artists wrote, their qi would unconsciously seep into the writing.

When a master cut down a tree, the tree retained life for a time—because qi had imbued it.

At that moment, Yong Hwarin projected his internal energy outward, synchronizing it with Nature’s Energy, and focused on reading the letter Lightning-Faced Madman held.

He traced the flow of qi, trying to discern the characters it formed.

He hoped Wi Oh and Lightning-Faced Madman would talk, but they just stared at the letter silently.

Yong Hwarin closed his eyes and tried to read the qi within the characters. And, surprisingly, he succeeded.

‘It’s working! I can read it!’

Currently, Soh Yonghwa is heading south into this area.

The Muhwa Corps warriors are pursuing her.

According to informants, after the Corps Leader of the Muhwa Corps lost in a duel against Soh Yonghwa, he summoned the entire corps.

A clash between Soh Yonghwa and the Muhwa Corps is expected.

Along with this content, the identities of the Muhwa Corps members were listed.

The intelligence network of Blood Demon Castle was impressive.

They even knew the internal affairs of the Muhwa Corps, of which Yong Hwarin himself had no idea.

‘There’s a spy inside the Muhwa Corps!’

Yong Hwarin was about to withdraw his qi, as the technique consumed more energy than expected.

Then one name clearly surfaced in his mind.

‘Mae Yeongyeong.’

The name Mae Yeongyeong was listed among the members of the Muhwa Corps.

‘No way… it can’t be Yeong Mae…’

But Yong Hwarin saw the note beneath the name.

‘Daughter of Mae Cheongbo of Ji Hyeon, Imyeong County.’

With that level of detail, it was indisputably accurate.

‘Why is Mae Yeongyeong in the Muhwa Corps…?’

His qi faltered momentarily in confusion.

Lightning-Faced Madman did not miss that tremor.

“Who’s there?!”

His killing intent exploded outward, unleashing an overwhelming wave of force in all directions.

He was searching for the source of the qi disturbance.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep