Cheon Mubaeck struck Tang Jun-pa’s back of the head hard. Although there was a way to knock him out by pressing his blood points, he somehow didn’t want to. Seeing his eyes overflowing with ghostly qi and madness, he felt quite unpleasant.

It was only because he had revived his dead self that he showed such blind faith in the Blood Ghost Valley.

Well, it was understandable for a physician. The medical art of reviving a dead person.

‘But aside from that, the Bidara is blind to its master.’

He had reached a conclusion. The tangled skein of questions was unraveled at once. Cheon Mubaeck glanced at Chae Ga-ryeong. Hearing Cheon Mubaeck’s story, she seemed to understand to some extent, but she still looked unbelieving.

“A Bidara, not a Jiangshi… does such a thing exist?”

“Yes. This is the first time I’ve seen it in person.”

It was true.

He had only heard about the Bidara in one of his past lives. He had seen records and heard rumors that the Bidara was revived and used when fighting for the throne in ancient India.

But to see it in the land of the Central Plains.

And now, there would be no one who knew about it. He had never dreamed that they would interpret the Buddhist scriptures and actually use the secret art.

Cheon Mubaeck felt disgust and admiration for the Blood Ghost Valley.

Although he did not know their true purpose, the way they were going all out to achieve it was terrible.

‘Still, it’s better than not knowing.’

What if he hadn’t known about the Bidara?

At some point, when the Blood Ghost Valley had revealed its true form, he might have fallen into great confusion.

But since he had found out, if he delivered this fact to the white-way martial world, they would be able to respond to some extent.

‘The problem is how to turn the Bidara back.’

Is there no other way but to kill it?

This part probably needed more time for research.

He could go to Shaolin and consult with them.

“My lord! Are you alright!”

It was then.

Neung-heo’s shout was heard from outside. Cheon Mubaeck narrowed his eyes.

“You bastard. I told you to just guard the boat.”

When Cheon Mubaeck went out, kicking the mechanism trap, Neung-heo and Yeon So-un were facing the river bandits.

Seeing that they had fought a few times, a few corpses of the river bandits were lying on the floor. On the other hand, Neung-heo was smiling with a rather relaxed expression.

“Why are you bluffing?”

“Hehehe. I knew my lord would come out, so I was waiting.”

“I told you to just guard the boat.”

“No, how can I just stand still when I hear the sound of thunder and the mountain collapsing? I thought I was going to be crushed by a landslide, so I ran like crazy. Oh. What’s that robe? It looks pretty good.”

“It’s fine.”

Cheon Mubaeck, with his body covered in a green robe, walked with the fainted Tang Jun-pa in his hand.

The river bandits, who had confirmed Tang Jun-pa’s face, stepped back with a surprised look.

“This is annoying.”

“What, should I take care of them all?”

“Can you do that?”

“Well, I can handle about half of them.”

Neung-heo said confidently. It was a statement full of confidence in his own skills.

But Cheon Mubaeck shook his head. If he had to fight, he would fight, but his mind was complicated and he was tired.

Cheon Mubaeck took a step forward and shouted.

“Who’s the vice-fortress master?”

“…It’s me.”

“You were the original fortress master, right?”

“…!”

The vice-fortress master had a surprised face, as if to ask how he knew that.

“Tang Jun-pa was dead, right?”

“How did you?”

“Shut up and just answer. He died and who revived him?”

After hesitating for a moment, he looked around and answered.

“…I don’t know. I went to burn the corpse because he was dead, but it was already too late. He had melted my subordinates who had gone to clean up with poison.”

“So the Blood Ghost Valley had already revived him and had gone somewhere else.”

Well, it wasn’t just Tang Jun-pa, but there were four culprits.

When Cheon Mubaeck narrowed his eyes, the vice-fortress master, who had taken it as a bad sign, quickly added.

“But, although I don’t know for sure, there was a subordinate who had seen a stranger.”

“What was it?”

“It was just that he had pure white hair. Just that. Because he had disappeared in an instant. He couldn’t even chase him.”

Pure white hair. It was a weak clue. But that alone was enough.

Cheon Mubaeck smiled for a moment.

It was such a bright smile that it felt as if the world were brightening.

Cheon Mubaeck said with a pleased face.

“I’ll spare you for telling me that.”

“…”

“And you should be grateful to me. I’ve taken care of Tang Jun-pa, so you’ll be the fortress master.”

“…!”

“So clear the way.”

The vice-fortress master stepped back. It was as Cheon Mubaeck had expected. He was the one who had been deprived of the position of fortress master by Tang Jun-pa. There was no way he would have been loyal to Tang Jun-pa. On the contrary, he was a guy who had cut his qi veins like a slave and had threatened him to give him poison. So for the vice-fortress master, it was an opportunity.

“Open the way and give me a boat. Of course, also the people to pull the boat.”

“Then… are you just going to go?”

“Why? Should I kill them all?”

“No, no.”

“Open the way. The purpose I wanted was this guy, and I’ve achieved it all. Is there any need for us to see unnecessary blood?”

The river bandits looked at each other.

Cheon Mubaeck’s feat of jumping over to the pier in one go and the martial prowess of knocking out the monstrous Tang Jun-pa had broken the river bandits’ will to resist.

The vice-fortress master, managing his expression, opened the way.

“I’ll prepare a boat.”

“That’s a good attitude.”

Cheon Mubaeck grinned.

The river bandits scattered and opened the way. Neung-heo asked with a look that he didn’t like.

“Are we going like this?”

“We have to go.”

“What on earth is going on?”

Neung-heo narrowed his eyes.

“Tang Jun-pa was placed in the position of fortress master by the Blood Ghost Valley, and he is moving according to their orders.”

“Pardon? Why on earth?”

“It’s a Bidara. Think of it as something like a Jiangshi.”

“A Jiangshi? This?”

“It’s similar. Anyway, it was the Blood Ghost Valley that put this guy in the position of fortress master.”

“Then…”

“The Water Dragon Fortress is a group of river bandits that has a firm grip on the Jialing River. The fortress master has changed. A rumor will spread in this area that the fortress master has changed again.”

“Ah!”

Neung-heo let out a sigh of admiration.

“Then the Blood Ghost Valley will come looking?”

“At least that guy, the White-Haired Twin Ghosts, will come.”

Cheon Mubaeck said in a confident tone.

Pure white hair.

The one who had made Tang Jun-pa a Bidara was the younger brother of the White-Haired Twin Ghosts.

The guy who had gone to the Red Dragon Faction before.

Probably various stories had entered his ears.

The Red Dragon Faction had been annihilated, and the master of the Water Dragon Fortress had also changed. If he had heard the news, he would surely feel that things were going seriously.

Even if he did not approach actively, he would surely reveal himself to find out the detailed circumstances.

So Cheon Mubaeck just had to wait.

“Neung-heo. Whether it’s the Beggars’ Sect, the Hao Faction, or the Flying Sword Sect. Do everything in your power to monitor the Water Dragon Fortress.”

“I understand. I’ll ask that guy Cheon-hu for a favor.”

“You’ve gotten close?”

“Close? That young brat keeps talking down to me whenever he sees me, so I wonder if he’s eaten his manners with his soup.”

“Why are you looking at me while you say that?”

“Why, are you pricked?”

“I really want to stab you with a sword.”

“I’m sorry.”

* * *

“Were you well?”

Cheon Mubaeck sat down naturally in front of Gwak Yong.

Gwak Yong, who had rushed over as soon as he had heard the news, pointed at the fainted Tang Jun-pa with his chin.

“Is that guy the culprit?”

“He’s the guy who annihilated the Seopjin-mun. The Vitality Physician, Tang Jun-pa. He’s from The Odorless Medical Hall.”

“You mean a physician?”

“He’s the master of the Water Dragon Fortress now.”

“The Yangtze River Waterway Alliance?”

“Yes.”

Gwak Yong made a face that was hard to understand. Cheon Mubaeck explained the circumstances so far roughly. Especially when he talked about the Bidara, Gwak Yong looked like he would faint.

“You’re saying he’s a contract killer who revives a dead person and receives blind orders?”

“Probably all five culprits of this bloodbath are like that.”

“Crazy!”

Although it was a hard-to-believe fact, the evidence was right in front of him.

Gwak Yong realized that this was not a simple matter.

To revive a normal person and to make them a contract killer was a truly terrible thing. To put it bluntly, if someone were to kill Gwak Yong and to revive him as that Bidara, wouldn’t Gwak Yong become their blind and loyal dog?

And a guy who could think for himself, and who could even use martial arts as before.

“On the contrary, his martial arts might have even improved.”

“Improved?”

“Like this guy Tang Jun-pa.”

In the process of being made into a Bidara, something was added.

Tang Jun-pa was a martial artist who was at a level where he could be captured by river bandits.

Of course, the river bandits had learned how to deal with a peak master on a boat. For example, they would throw their bodies and grab his arms and legs, and then bind his body with a net. If they repeatedly submerged him in the water and then pulled him out, even a peak master would be subdued in an instant.

But Tang Jun-pa, who had been revived as a Bidara, had become a strong person who the river bandits could not dare to do anything to.

In other words, he had become stronger.

“He handles something other than internal energy.”

Although Cheon Mubaeck spoke vaguely, he already knew what it was.

‘It’s demonic qi.’

It wasn’t just the ancient esoteric Buddhist secret art of Bidara, but something demonic was added to it.

What Cheon Mubaeck had felt was clearly demonic qi.

‘The Blood Ghost Valley.’

It was very similar to the qi of the Blood Ghost Valley that he had encountered before.

Although it was demonic qi, it was a deep and profound heterogeneity that was like seeing an orthodox martial art.

‘The Demonic Sect.’

What came to mind when thinking of demonic qi was naturally the Demonic Sect.

The Do Mun-tak of the Blood Demon Sect before was also clearly from the Demonic Sect. Because the martial art he had used was something that had flowed out of the Demonic Sect.

But the demonic qi of the Blood Ghost Valley was completely different from that of the Demonic Sect.

Cheon Mubaeck, who had clashed with the Demonic Sect countless times, was sure.

‘Well, even if it’s an orthodox sect, it’s divided into numerous factions, so would the demonic arts be any different?’

If you approached the martial world with common sense, you were bound to fail.

The martial world was a world where the unconventional came at you.

So Cheon Mubaeck had many possibilities in mind.

‘The Blood Ghost Valley, a branch of the Demonic Sect, or a newly emerged demonic sect.’

Cheon Mubaeck sighed inwardly.

Somehow, his last life was not easy, and he had a strong feeling that the martial world of this life would not be so easy either.

“Are you really seventeen?”

“Yes.”

“Your face just now was like an old man’s.”

“I often hear that I’m an old man in a young body.”

“Anyway, you’re saying you’re going to set up a lure?”

“Yes. The younger brother of the White-Haired Twin Ghosts will surely approach. The Red Dragon Faction has been destroyed, and the master of the Water Dragon Fortress has also changed. Since the two places he has touched have been twisted.”

Cheon Mubaeck had paid attention to the fact that the river bandits and the black-way were involved in this bloodbath.

If he took control of the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance, starting with the Water Dragon Fortress, and also got his hands on the black-way, including the Red Dragon Faction?

The Blood Ghost Valley would be able to throw the martial world into chaos without even revealing its form.

Cheon Mubaeck had presumed that the reason the Blood Ghost Valley had approached the black-way and the river bandits was for that reason.

‘Since they are guys who don’t want to reveal their form, they’ll use everything they can from behind.’

It was the same with the Blood Demon Sect before.

Then he had to make them reveal their form somehow. And the moment they revealed themselves, he had to dig in without missing it.

This lure was like that.

“So please help us well at the Flying Sword Sect.”

“I understand. This matter is not simple. I will mobilize all the power of the Flying Sword Sect and immediately move as soon as the tail is stepped on.”

The Flying Sword Sect of Chongqing, and the Beggars’ Sect and the Hao Faction were also moving.

The moment the younger brother of the White-Haired Twin Ghosts revealed himself, they would be able to dig in.

When the story was settled, Gwak Yong pointed at Tang Jun-pa again and asked.

“But, about that Bidara.”

“Yes.”

“Is there no way? Other than killing it?”

“Well…”

Cheon Mubaeck paused for a moment. Since this was the first time he had actually seen a Bidara, what method could there be?

If there was really no other way but to kill it, things would get more complicated.

‘A dead person was revived, so it’s beyond the principle of life and death, but what way… wait.’

In an instant, Cheon Mubaeck paused.

A thought that suddenly came to his mind.

“For a moment, I’ll be back after taking care of some business.”

Cheon Mubaeck immediately got up and moved with Tang Jun-pa.

Before Gwak Yong could say anything, Cheon Mubaeck had moved in an instant. The destination he was heading to with Tang Jun-pa was his room at the inn.

To be precise, what was there…

‘The principle of life and death. The story of the birth and end of life. A Bidara revived with demonic qi… perhaps.’

Cheon Mubaeck saw a possibility.

‘The Primordial Root Scripture, a Taoist scripture with the principle of life and death written in it.’

The Primordial Root Scripture.

There might be some answer there.

Cheon Mubaeck’s eyes flashed.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep