Chapter 90. The Scramble (6)

Until about a cup of tea’s time ago, Qingliang Xueshang’s expression had not been very good.

‘The calculation doesn’t add up.’

He felt like he was losing out in many ways.

He wondered why he, an elder, had to handle such a troublesome matter.

Normally, the Unwol Sect’s way would not have been to engage in such a dogfight to obtain a spiritual medicine.

He also would not have had to kill the Iron Chain Gang Leader.

He would have just proposed a sort of alliance in exchange for gold ingots.

If so, it would have been much easier to break through this chaotic battle, and he would have been able to secure a decent amount of wealth.

But now, they were at war with other factions, so the spiritual medicine took priority over wealth.

This was also why he, an elder, had personally stepped up to obtain the Hundred Yang Ten-Knot Grass.

The Hundred Yang Ten-Knot Grass was not an item to be sold at the Black Market. It was meant to be fed to an outstanding martial artist belonging to the Unwol Sect to strengthen their forces.

Suddenly, a suspicion arose in Qingliang Xueshang’s mind.

‘Surely the Chairman isn’t planning to just hand over this spiritual medicine to that Silver Wolf Unit Leader fellow again, is he?’

Silver Wolf Unit Leader Hyeok Ilso. The Unwol Sect’s greatest rising star, most cherished by the Chairman.

Other Underworld members of the Unwol Sect would be jealous of the Silver Wolf Unit Leader, but Qingliang Xueshang had a slightly different thought.

‘This is actually for the better. Since I’ve come out here, if I can also capture the Ghost Sword Young Master who is said to be in the Chimju area, I can use the Ghost Sword Young Master as bait to get this spiritual medicine back from the Silver Wolf Unit Leader.’

If he did so, the Chairman would have no justification to intervene, and he could claim this spiritual medicine entirely for himself.

Just as Qingliang Xueshang was having such calculations, a new group of people appeared and took positions as if to surround him.

Funnily enough, they were just surrounding him and could not bring themselves to attack.

“Tsk. What a bunch of vermin.”

While Qingliang Xueshang was clicking his tongue with a bothered expression.

Someone suddenly rushed at him.

No. Qingliang Xueshang did not miss it.

Seventeen? Eighteen? The sight of a young brat who looked to be around that age pushing the man’s back.

‘What a complete madman.’

While having such an impression, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

For some reason, the young brat’s face looked familiar.

But he could not just stare at that brat with an enemy swinging a weapon right in front of him.

Clang!!

The judge’s pen swung by Qingliang Xueshang and the man’s sword clashed.

Crack!

Right after dealing with him in just two exchanges.

“Kill him!!”

“Hand over the Hundred Yang Ten-Knot Grass!!”

The ones who had formed the siege began to charge at him.

After stabbing their vital points with his judge’s pen several times with a face full of annoyance.

“Heh.”

Qingliang Xueshang’s eyes kept turning towards the brat from a moment ago.

It was not just because of the familiar face.

The brat was secretly pushing the ones who had formed the siege towards him to be killed.

After watching his absurd behavior for a moment, dumbfounded.

“Heheheheheh.”

Qingliang Xueshang finally succeeded in remembering.

Where he had seen that brat’s face.

***

“To be able to exterminate the Black Market trash in addition to the nearby trash.”

Right after my words ended, Qingliang Xueshang, who had been laughing like a senile old man, frowned.

Were my words grating on his nerves?

Or was it the spearman approaching from behind to launch a surprise attack that was grating on his nerves?

To be honest, I did not care why that crazy old man was in a bad mood.

“Tsk.”

Qingliang Xueshang, who had clicked his tongue lightly, twisted his body and dodged the spear as if brushing past it.

Timing it with that moment, I suddenly launched myself at him.

I swung the Restoring Name Sword, following the straight trajectory drawn towards his neck.

At the same time, a new trajectory was embroidered in the air.

The trajectory of Qingliang Xueshang thrusting his judge’s pen.

The two weapons clashed in mid-air, despite the fact that he had attacked later than me.

Clang!!

A powerful force was felt through the clashing Restoring Name Sword.

A monstrous strength unbefitting of the old man’s gaunt forearms.

He must have eaten a lot of good things, as his internal energy seemed considerable.

Well, since fights were not won with internal energy alone, it did not really matter.

The sight of the spearman who had first aimed for Qingliang Xueshang’s back thrusting his spear again came into my view.

Even though he had no eyes on his back, Qingliang Xueshang seemed to have sensed it, as he frowned slightly and suddenly moved his feet.

He used my force against me, bouncing back as if pushed and rotating his body.

The spear that had been aiming for his back pierced his clothes, and blood splattered in the air.

“Kuh…! Gah…!”

Of course, it was not the old man’s blood.

Taking advantage of the moment the spearman, whose heart was pierced, collapsed while coughing up blood, I swung my sword at the man again.

Qingliang Xueshang took a step and dodged my sword strike as if brushing past it, and blocked the second strike by swinging his judge’s pen.

As expected, his immense internal energy was transmitted through the clashing sword.

We had only clashed weapons twice, but the hand holding the sword felt like it was about to be torn apart.

Qingliang Xueshang smiled wryly.

“For a brat, your internal energy is considerable. You must have picked up a spiritual medicine somewhere.”

At the same time, a trajectory was embroidered in the air, and a straight line of red energy flew along with the judge’s pen he swung in the air. As if he were shooting out blackish-red ink.

I executed the Iron Plate Bridge technique, bending my waist completely backward to narrowly dodge the energy.

At the same time, a strange sight came into view.

One of my two legs supporting me on the ground. A single, straight trajectory flying towards my right thigh.

Since my upper body was already bent completely backward, I pushed off the ground with both arms and threw myself backward as if doing a somersault to dodge it.

“Hehehe. I see you came here to get another spiritual medicine. Without even knowing this is your grave.”

I answered the old man’s nonsense with a sneer.

“Why did a senile piece of trash like you come here? Instead of looking for a spiritual medicine, you should be looking for a gravesite.”

A vein popped on the old man’s forehead.

For an old man, his blood circulation still seemed to be smooth.

“Tsk. Judging by the way you talk, I’ll have to cut out that tongue of yours before I gift you to the Silver Wolf Unit Leader.”

“Silver Wolf Unit Leader?”

Just as I was wondering what kind of nonsense this was.

The old man suddenly closed in, executing a perfected Bow Body Ejection Shadow.

Clang!!

An attack I barely managed to block. I gritted my teeth at the feeling of blood spurting.

I felt like I was about to burst out laughing.

“Die!!!”

People swinging their weapons at him from all directions. Those blinded by greed were charging at the old man.

I gladly expressed my gratitude to those who would die by my hand after they killed this old man.

“Thank you, elder brothers!!”

I continued the pincer attack with the brothers who were full of thoughts of stabbing each other in the back.

It did not really matter even if we were not in sync.

I would push the back of a brother who had lost his courage and send him to the old man.

“Haat!”

And I would trip a bravely charging brother.

Swish!

“What, what are you doing!?”

Perhaps because I moved too openly, the brothers began to suspect me.

It did not really matter.

Either way, the top priority of these loyal brothers was that old man.

It was a natural logic.

Because the one who currently possessed the spiritual medicine was that old man.

At that moment, a few men in black approached from the side, shouting.

“Elder!!”

“We will clear a path!!”

“No need. Before we clear a path, we must capture that Ghost Sword Young Master brat alive.”

Right after Qingliang Xueshang replied to the shouts of the men in black.

A burst of mad laughter erupted from me without my realizing it.

“Hahahahahahahahaha.”

Was it because I had laughed so freely?

The brothers who were about to die frowned. The ones from the Unwol Sect were the same.

While everyone was looking at me as if I were a madman, I barely managed to suppress my laughter and opened my mouth.

“Today is a really lucky day. Not just some Unwol Sect riffraff, but an elder has shown up.”

And then I asked Qingliang Xueshang.

“A fellow of your stature would know, right? Where is Hyeok Ilso now?”

Qingliang Xueshang replied with a wry smile.

“Don’t worry. After I cut off your arms and legs, I will personally send you to the Silver Wolf Unit Leader.”

Only then did I realize.

The Silver Wolf Unit Leader that crazy old man had mentioned just now.

That man was Hyeok Ilso.

And for some reason, it seemed that old man would also know where Hyeok Ilso was right now.

“Hehehehe.”

After barely suppressing the laughter that was escaping me, I shouted with all the strength in my throat and stomach.

“Fellow martial brothers!! This senile old man here has the Hundred Yang Ten-Knot Grass!!!!”

“Y-You crazy bastard!?”

Regardless of whether the people around were flustered or not, I shouted again.

“How about we all join forces and deal with this crazy old man first!!”

The gazes of the fools who had been fighting meaninglessly in the distance gathered here.

Soon, the trash blinded by greed began to approach slowly from all directions.

“There it is!!”

“Get that old man!!”

The sworn brothers nearby also seemed to have become very desperate, as they all launched themselves at the old man.

“Damn it!”

“If you don’t want to die, hand over the spiritual medicine at once!”

They seemed to have realized that if a chaotic battle broke out, the whereabouts of the spiritual medicine could become unknown.

Of course, that was none of my business.

The spiritual medicine was not my top priority.

The Unwol Sect riffraff approached Qingliang Xueshang’s side and swung their weapons.

“Clear a path!!”

“Get out of the way at once!!”

As if to oppose them, the greedy ones swung their respective weapons at them.

“Get out of the way!!”

Soon, as the ones who had been wasting their energy a little further away also began to push in one by one, a complete pandemonium broke out.

For me, it was a very familiar battlefield.

“Hehehe.”

I let out a laugh while hiding behind the backs of the brothers who were dying to die.

As I was laughing secretly, Azure Heaven’s Hidden Smile naturally came to mind.

The Sun Moon Divine Sword Master had said.

That the moon in the bright sky is ironically the most secretive.

But that alone felt a little lacking.

The moon in broad daylight is secretive in itself, but when that moon is hidden by clouds, no one can notice its existence.

Wouldn’t that be true secrecy?

And now, in front of my eyes, there were countless clouds.

Clouds named hungry ghosts with their eyes turned by the spiritual medicine.

“Hehehehe.”

From behind the back of a brother charging like a moth to a flame, I soundlessly thrust the Restoring Name Sword into the air.

A single strand of whitish sword ki brushed past the gap between the brothers and advanced towards Qingliang Xueshang.

“Tsk!”

Qingliang Xueshang, who had clicked his tongue lightly, twisted his upper body and dodged the ambush.

It was the result of not properly utilizing my realization.

I slapped my own cheek.

Slap!

As the grin that had been leaking out faded, my head cleared up a little.

Amidst the screams, shouts, and curses coming from all directions, I came to my senses alone.

“Seueub. Huu.”

Thanks to my clear mind, the scene of the battlefield came into view at a glance.

Dozens of strands of trajectories embroidered in the air.

Thanks to my second eye, which had opened at some point, I could even see the internal energy flowing through the bodies of dozens of hungry ghosts.

Trying to see so many things at once was enough to give me a headache.

I ignored the headache and focused my mind.

As I observed the countless trajectories and the flow of ki, the movements of the hungry ghosts came into view at a glance.

I composed my breath.

Swiiish!

I circulated my internal energy while dodging the spear blade of a fool suddenly flying from my side.

Before long, a path was revealed through the crowd of hungry ghosts.

I swung the Restoring Name Sword in the air as secretly as possible.

The whitish sword ki that left the Restoring Name Sword flew towards the clouds blocking the front.

But the sword ki was not blocked by those clouds.

At the moment the sword ki of Azure Heaven’s Hidden Smile advanced, the brothers who were blocking the front either moved their bodies by stepping on their respective footwork, or.

Crack!

They were struck down by the attacks of the Unwol Sect riffraff or Qingliang Xueshang. As if it had been choreographed.

It was a kind of foreseen future, found based on the trajectories and the flow of ki seen with my two wide-open eyes.

Swiiish.

Brushing past the gap between the clouds, the sword ki, which had been hidden in the clouds until the very last moment, flew towards Qingliang Xueshang’s heart.

But as if a seasoned master was different, the man succeeded in reacting even in that situation.

“Keuk……”

Qingliang Xueshang, who was lightly cut on the forearm instead of the heart, frowned and glared at me as if to kill me.

It was a truly gratifying thing.

“My opportunities to practice have increased.”

Because I, a common talent, did not know when an opportunity for such an awakening would come again.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep