Chapter 39
“Platoon Leader!”
The Violent Gale Platoon’s members standing outside the inn were greatly surprised to see two of the Ten Heavenly King Fists blasted out from the inn. They were in terrible shape. Their arms had been broken, and blood was all over their ragged clothes.
“Kuhk.”
Huangfu Lun and Huangfu Jiun tried to force themselves up despite being thoroughly injured. However, they soon vomited blood and collapsed to the ground. Some of the Violent Gale members hurriedly rushed to help them, while the others surrounded the two to protect them.
Meanwhile, Baek Mu-Gun came out of the inn looking not much different from when they began. He approached Huangfu Lun, who was under the protection of the Violent Gale Platoon.
“Halt! If you come any closer, we will not stand still!”
A Violent Gale member warned Mu-Gun, his voice trembling, as he observed Mu-Gun with a nervous gaze.
“I have no intention to fight anymore, so can you calm down and step aside for a moment? I need to talk to the person you’re escorting.”
“Keuk, move aside, Violent Gale Platoon,” Huangfu Lun ordered in a strenuous voice from behind the Violent Gale Platoon.
“But...”
“Don’t worry and step aside. If he wanted to kill me, he would’ve already done it.”
Huangfu Lun realized from the clash a while ago that Mu-Gun had no intention of killing them. Mu-Gun withdrew his attack at the last moment. Otherwise, he and Huangfu Jiun would already be dead.
Huangfu Lun’s orders gave the Violent Gale Platoon no choice but to step down. Nevertheless, they didn’t drop their guard.
“Why didn’t you kill me?” Huangfu Lun asked.
“Because regardless of my intentions, the Seven Great Families have been keeping murim safe all this while.”
Mu-Gun was hostile to the Seven Great Families due to the Seven Great Families’ patriarchs, the Seven Saints. However, it was undeniable that the Seven Great Families had kept the murim safe from the group of evil sects.
Considering traces of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect had been discovered, nothing good would come from exhausting the Seven Great Families’ power. In the Thousand Pine Valley, Mu-Gun had no choice but to fully annihilate his opponents because his identity as the Thunder God’s successor was revealed. However, he didn’t need to do the same here since he didn’t show any traces of the Thunder God.
“That’s funny. Then you shouldn’t have killed our family’s warriors in the first place, no?”
“I’ve already told you. I definitely gave them a chance to retreat. They were the ones who rejected it.”
“Sparing us doesn’t mean that our family will stop chasing after you and Shangguan Bihe.”
“Do as you please. However, considering the Seven Great Families claim to be the guardian of murim, shouldn’t you pay more attention to something of greater importance?”
“Something of greater importance? What do you mean by that?”
“Did you perhaps find out about the Great Sima Family?”
While waiting for the arrival of the Great Huangfu Family’s pursuit team, Mu-Gun pondered carefully and reached the decision to inform the Great Huangfu Family of the Great Sima Family’s true colors.
Mu-Gun would be able to somehow deal with the Great Sima Family by himself if they were the only problem. However, the Asura Cult wasn’t the only one making a move. It was highly likely that the other factions of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect had also begun their activities in murim. Considering there was a limit to how much he could stop, he had to inform the Great Huangfu Family so that the entire Seven Great Families would take action.
“I’ve confirmed that you’re not Sima Bi of the Great Sima Family.”
“That’s a letdown. I thought the Great Huangfu Family would be able to find out the Great Sima Family’s secret.”
“The Great Sima Family’s secret?”
“Do you know about the Nine Celestial Demons Sect?”
“They’re known as one of the Three Greatest Demonic Sects. Whenever they go on a rampage, murim faces a bloody disaster. Why did you mention them out of the blue? Are you saying that the Great Sima Family is connected to them?”
“I don’t know if you will believe me, but the Great Sima Family is a disguised force of the Asura Cult, one of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect’s nine great factions. I claimed to be the young patriarch of the Great Sima Family to make the Great Huangfu Family investigate them and discover this. Now that I see it, I think I overestimated the Great Huangfu Family’s information power.”
Mu-Gun cleverly linked the lies he told previously.
“That’s ridiculous. Do you expect me to believe what you just said?”
“There was an incident the other day where the Flying Lion Platoon of the Great Sima Family was annihilated in the Thousand Aroma House situated in Nanjing. As you can already guess, I was the one responsible for that. At that time, the martial arts used by the Flying Lion Platoon Leader was the Blood-Jade Asura’s Palm.”
“How can I believe you when no one saw that happen? To put it bluntly, how would we know you aren’t just trying to pit our family against the Great Sima Family to benefit from this?” Huangfu Lun was not convinced at all.
“Whether you believe me or not is up to the Great Huangfu Family to decide. However, if the Great Sima Family is really a disguised force of the Asura Cult, the Great Huangfu Family should be held responsible for the consequences of what would transpire.”
“If you’re so sure of it, why don’t you just deal with it yourself?”
“That’s what I plan to do. Regardless of what the Great Huangfu Family decides to do, I will reveal the Great Sima Family’s true nature and deliver justice to them. However, no matter how amazing I am, there is a limit to what I can do alone. That’s why I’m informing the Great Huangfu Family. In my opinion, making the Great Huangfu Family of the Seven Great Families act is better than moving alone.”
“Who are you? Shouldn’t you disclose your identity at the very least if you want us to believe what you just said?”
“I can’t reveal my identity yet. What’s clear is that I already told you the information I obtained. The rest is up to the Great Huangfu Family. This will also be the last time I spare you guys. If the Great Huangfu Family continues to chase after us, you’ll have to be prepared for total annihilation.”
After leaving his final remarks, Mu-Gun turned around and leisurely left the area.
“Platoon Leader!”
Seemingly indicating that they couldn’t just let Mu-Gun leave like this, the Violent Gale Platoon looked at Huangfu Lun.
“Leave him be.”
Huangfu Lun shook his head. Having fought with Mu-Gun in person, Huangfu Lun knew that the Violent Gale Platoon’s power wouldn’t be enough to stop Mu-Gun. If they refused to give up and tried to stop him, they could really be wiped out. They had to retreat for now.
“We’re going back too.”
Huangfu Lun and Huangfu Jiun left the area with the help of the Violent Gale Platoon. They were in very bad condition and had to get treatment as soon as possible. In particular, if their broken arms weren’t put back together quickly, it could cause problems in the future when they cultivate their martial arts.
Meanwhile, Mu-Gun confirmed the Violent Gale Platoon’s movement from a place not far from the inn. He saw the Violent Gale Platoon leaving with Huangfu Lun and Huangfu Jiun, but Mu-Gun continued to wait. Soon, exactly ten Violent Gale Platoon members reappeared at the inn.
Mu-Gun knew the reason why they returned to the inn was to track him down. He warned Huangfu Lun, but he didn’t expect them to stop the pursuit straight away. Even if Huangfu Lun believed what he said, he couldn’t arbitrarily stop the pursuit. After delivering the news to the Great Huangfu Family and while waiting for their decision, there was a high possibility that they would continue tracking Mu-Gun.
Just as Mu-Gun had expected, Huangfu Lun sent a part of the Violent Gale Platoon to continue chasing after them. However, Mu-Gun had no intention of letting the Violent Gale Platoon on his tail. Mu-Gun tossed the Flying Golden Shield toward the direction of the Violent Gale Platoon members, who passed by the inn and moved in his direction.
Having concealed all his tracks, the Violent Gale Platoon wasn’t aware of Mu-Gun’s presence and couldn’t properly block the Flying Golden Shield that suddenly flew toward them. The Flying Golden Shield brushed past their legs one after another. It was just a graze, but the Flying Golden Shield, which rotated at high speed, had as much power as a sword qi or saber qi. The Violent Gale Platoon members’ legs were severed, their blood splattering as they bent sideways.
“Kuhukkk!”
Along with a scream, the Violent Gale Platoon members dropped down to the ground one after another like a falling bundle of straw.
Mu-Gun retrieved the Flying Golden Shield, then appeared before them. “I usually dislike being double-tongued, but I’ll show you one last mercy.”
Mu-Gun warned them one last time and headed south.
***
Moving along the traces left by Seonwoo Pyo’s group, Mu-Gun ran into them at Xinyi County, which neighboured the border of Shandong Province and Jiangsu Province.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“As you can see, I’m fine. There’s no need to worry.”
“What happened to the Great Huangfu Family’s pursuit team?”
“They won’t be able to immediately chase after us.”
“Did you annihilate their entire pursuit team again?”
“No. I didn’t kill anyone this time. Instead, I rendered two of the Ten Heavenly King Fists out of commission.”
“Two members of the Ten Heavenly King Fists?”
“Yes. I also warned them that they’d suffer the same fate as their warriors at the Thousand Pine Valley if they continued pursuing us, so they won’t simply chase after us. Hence, when we reach Nanjing, you can regroup with the other members of the family and travel to Wenzhou via sea. Once you do, you’ll be able to shake off the Great Huangfu Family’s threat.”
“Hmm, it’s still the Great Huangfu Family. I don’t think they’ll just back down obediently.”
“Instead of chasing after us, I informed them of a more important matter, so let’s watch how it goes.”
“May I ask what that important issue is about?” Seonwoo Pyo enquired with curiosity.
“It’s about murim’s safety. I’ll tell you once I secure clearer evidence.”
“At any rate, it seems like we don’t have to worry about the Great Huangfu Family’s pursuit for the time being.” Bihe got straight to the point.
“But that doesn’t mean you should drop your guard. We have to get to Nanjing as soon as possible. We have to be careful not to leave any trace on the way as well.”
The three of them nodded at Mu-Gun’s words, indicating that they understood. They then hurried to Nanjing.
***
While Mu-Gun and his group were heading to Nanjing, Huangfu Lun sent a pigeon message to the Great Huangfu Family summarizing the details of what happened with Mu-Gun. The pigeon message arrived at the Great Huangfu Family the next day, and Huangfu Jun, the Great Huangfu Family’s patriarch, checked and confirmed the pigeon message’s contents through Huangfu Ren.
“What do you think about what that person said regarding the Great Sima Family being a disguised force of the Asura Cult?”
“If by any chance what he said is true, I think we need a clear investigation. This could threaten murim’s safety, after all.” Huangfu Ren pondered for a moment before answering.
“If he told a lie to get rid of our pursuit, we would be falling right into his trick.”
“With all due respect, considering his ability to deal with two platoon leaders at the same time and still seriously injure them, he could have wiped out the entire pursuit team. That would have been a lot simpler if he wanted to get rid of our pursuit. That’s why it bothers me that he didn’t kill the two platoon leaders and even let the Violent Gale Platoon return unscathed.”
“So, you want us to give up on both Shangguan Bihe and that person and instead investigate the Great Sima Family?”
“Everyone now knows that Shangguan Bihe eloped with Seonwoo Kang of the Jinan Medical Clinic. In this situation, if the young patriarch marries Shangguan Bihe, it will be difficult to stop people from gossiping. On the other hand, we would be able to save the young patriarch’s honor by creating a situation where we refuse the marriage with Shangguan Bihe,” Huangfu Ren then formulated a plan for the Huangfu Family to protect their name.
“Putting Shangguan Bihe aside, what about that person? He killed more than seventy of our men. Do you think it makes sense for us to leave him alone?”
“That’s a personal grudge of the Great Huangfu Family. However, the Nine Celestial Demons Sect is one of the Three Greatest Demonic Sects. This is a matter of greater importance, considering it's related to the fate of the entire murim. Given that we’re one of the Seven Great Families who claim to be the pillar of murim, I think it would only be right to postpone our personal grudge for a while for the sake of murim’s wellbeing. Furthermore, if the Great Sima Family truly is a disguised force of the Asura Cult just like that person said, reeling them in before anyone else would be a great opportunity to increase our family’s prestige and expand our influence in Jiangsu Province.”
Huangfu Jun’s heart wavered at Huangfu Ren’s words. As Huangfu Ren said, if the Great Sima Family really was a disguised force of the Asura Cult, it could shake murim’s safety in the future. It was a problem on a whole other level compared to taking revenge for the Great Huangfu Family’s personal grudge. As one of the Seven Great Families that protect and lead murim, they shouldn’t tolerate the slightest possibility of murim’s safety being threatened. Morever, if the Great Sima Family was really connected to the Asura Cult, there would be a perfect justification for the Great Huangfu Family to expand to Jiangsu Province.
If they absorbed the territory of the Great Sima Family in Jiangsu Province afterward, the Great Huangfu Family would have an opportunity to narrow the gap between the Hebei Peng Family and the Great Namgung Family, which possessed unrivaled forces even within the Seven Great Families.
“Yes, you’re right. If it’s for the great cause of murim, we should put off our personal grudge for a while. Stop pursuing that person and start investigating the Great Sima Family.”
“Understood. Moreover, we should recruit that person into our family if we can.” Huangfu Ren suggested.
“You want to recruit him into our family?”
“Although he is guilty of killing our members, what could be better than letting him pay for his crimes by making him promote our family’s growth as a member?”
“That’s true, but I wonder if he’ll even consider joining our family.”
“Even if we fail to recruit him, there is value in giving it a try.”
“However, even if we want to recruit him, shouldn’t we find him first?”
“He told the Mountain Fissure Platoon that he would reveal the Great Sima Family’s true colors himself, regardless of our family’s decision. If that’s true, we will surely encounter him in the process of investigating the Great Sima Family.”
“Did he say he was in his early twenties?”
“That’s right.”
“It would be perfect if we matched him with Yunxiang.” Huangfu Jun thought of roping Mu-Gun in through a political marriage.
Huangfu Yunxiang was Huangfu Ren’s daughter. She was sixteen years old this year. [1]
“I wonder if he will like Yunxiang.”
“People say that Shangguan Bihe is Shandong’s greatest beauty, but I think Yunxiang is the true greatest beauty of Shandong. Since the beginning of times, men, no matter the age, shows weakness in the face of a great beauty. If that man sees Yunxiang, he will definitely like her. Do you perhaps dislike the idea of bringing Yunxiang together with him?”
“No. If it’s for the sake of the family, I’m willing to make her marry anyone,” Huangfu Ren answered.
“Thank you for understanding. It’s a pity that we couldn’t obtain the Shandong Merchant Association, but if we can turn that person into a member of our family, we would gain a greater profit.”
The way Huangfu Jun said it made it seem like the marriage between Mu-Gun and Yunxiang was an established fact. He was literally counting his chickens before they hatched. Nevertheless, as Mu-Gun had intended, the Great Huangfu Family temporarily stopped chasing after Mu-Gun’s group and began to investigate the Great Sima Family.
1. Please take note that the novel is based in ancient China. The legal age of marriage was 16 for men and 14 for women then. The population size was small then and early marriage was necessary to expand the population and was greatly encouraged. ?
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