Chapter 25

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Chapter 25
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I'm screwed.

Given they were forced to swallow it after pressure points were struck on their Mahyeol and Ahyeol points, it must be something extraordinary.

What on earth did she make them eat?

"Now, if I so much as lift a finger, you're dead."

‘No way…!’

Sambong's face went ashen.

‘Is it Godok…?’

Godok.

It's a type of venomous insect, a pair of male and female, where if one is tormented, the other also feels the pain.

If ingested by a person, the male insect lodges itself in the heart or brain. When the female is tormented, the male thrashes about, causing the person who consumed the Godok to suffer agony comparable to death.

Furthermore, if the female insect is killed, the male insect explodes along with the host's head or heart, making it a truly malevolent insect that can kill an opponent without even touching them.

To consume Godok was tantamount to handing over one's life to the one holding the female insect.

‘Ins- insane….’

Sambong's body trembled violently.

If this was indeed Godok, they would now be nothing more than puppets in the attacker's hands.

From now on, they couldn't leave without that person's permission, couldn't make any foolish moves, couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't even relieve themselves...!

‘Wait, no. Hold on.’

Isn't Godok incredibly hard to acquire?

It's said to be so difficult to cultivate that its numbers are few, and its value is astronomical.

‘Is it really Godok…?’

However, that doubt didn't last long.

"If you don't believe me, shall I show you? I can kill one of you to confirm."

‘Ins- insane...! No! Absolutely not!’

If it was real Godok, they would die instantly.

Even if it was just one of the three, there was no guarantee it wouldn't be him.

"It'll be a bit painful."

‘This is Godok! It's Godok!’

Even if it wasn't Godok, it might as well have been!

The three people's qi surged wildly.

It was an intense refusal.

Seolhwa patted the three men's shoulders, watching their qi flinch desperately.

"Alright. That's enough for today. As I said, I don't have much time either."

Hot breaths escaped the three men's lips.

They felt out of breath, despite not having moved.

"We'll see each other again soon. Make sure you behave yourselves until then, okay? The pressure points will release on their own with time, so don't worry."

With those words, the presence vanished.

The three men's eyes rapidly scanned their surroundings.

‘Gone, is she gone?’

‘Did she really leave?’

‘She's gone...! Finally!’

The three men felt relieved that the attacker had finally left. Just as the tension drained from their bodies and they felt themselves relax.

"If you run... you know what happens, right?"

Along with the chilling voice, a cracking sound, like something breaking, echoed in their ears.

Their hair stood on end, and shivers ran down their spines.

Sambong involuntarily wet himself.

* * *

Namgung Hyeok, the Heukryongdaeju, leaned against a wall, arms crossed, observing the inn. He thought to himself.

‘The family will be in an uproar from now on.’

The daughter of the First Young Master, whom they thought they'd never find, had been found.

Now that the First Young Master would return to the family, the struggle for the Young Patriarch's position would officially begin.

The Patriarch had never explicitly stated his intentions, but everyone in the family knew he wished to pass the position down to the First Young Master, his eldest son.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have left the Young Patriarch's seat vacant for a full eight years.

‘He must have been waiting for the First Young Master to return.’

However, the time he had been away was too long.

Some of the family's elders, members of the Council of Elders, and several hall masters doubted the First Young Master's loyalty to the family.

They weren't confident that he would dedicate himself to the family.

No family member desired a Patriarch who didn't prioritize the family.

Those who followed always wished for their leader to prioritize their well-being in any situation.

Even if it meant the death of their own flesh and blood.

‘Given the family's sentiment, the Patriarch won't be able to easily appoint the First Young Master as the Young Patriarch.’

Furthermore, the Patriarch would likely want the First Young Master to earn recognition as the Young Patriarch himself. No, he would want anyone, not just the First Young Master, to do so.

‘A bloodbath is coming.’

Namgung Hyeok let out a long sigh.

It was then.

“…!”

A faint qi was rapidly approaching from afar.

‘Danger...!’

Namgung Hyeok instinctively prepared to counter the incoming qi. But.

“…!”

The approaching qi changed direction and suddenly entered the inn. It was the room Namgung Cheongun had rented.

‘Damn it!’

Namgung Hyeok, realizing his mistake, rushed into the inn.

Moving so fast that the guests on the first floor of the inn didn't even notice, he ascended to the second floor and immediately flung open the door to the room.

And then he froze.

“…?”

Because Seolhwa, with wide eyes, and Namgung Cheongun, who had been tidying Seolhwa's clothes, were looking at him with surprise.

"What is it?"

Namgung Cheongun showed slight displeasure.

His displeasure was even more pronounced, as he had been in the middle of tidying the child's clothes.

"...Nothing happened to you?"

"It sounds like you expected something to have happened."

"It's not that..."

Surely, a small but fast qi had entered this room?

It was then.

"Father, who is he?"

Namgung Hyeok flinched, startled by the child's voice.

‘Oh right, now that I think about it...’

The Young Lady wouldn't know he was assigned as a bodyguard! Their peaceful outing with her father...!

As Namgung Hyeok, who had belatedly realized his mistake and frozen, met another stiff face in his line of sight.

"That, that person is... hmm..."

Leaving Namgung Cheongun flustered, unsure how to explain, Namgung Hyeok quietly closed the inn room door.

* * *

At the peak of Lotus Flower Peak, on the western side of Mount Hua in Hwaeumhyeon, Shaanxi Province.

A Taoist priest was hastily ascending Mount Hua, as if being chased by something.

He was Nobaek, the Muhwageom, an elder of the Hwasanpa and the head of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

The qinggong Nobaek employed, named Amhyangpyo (Hidden Fragrance Fluttering), was Hwasanpa's foremost divine footwork, said to resemble invisible fragrances fluttering in the wind.

It was said to be a martial art truly worthy of Hwasanpa's pride, allowing one to vanish into the distance in the blink of an eye, much like a fragrance dissipating instantly.

Having ascended the mountain in an instant, he gazed at the Hwasanpa signboard for a moment, catching his breath.

Its majestic appearance, standing firm atop the high peak, was unparalleled, yet even the grand signboard felt precarious in his eyes.

‘Still...’

There was still hope.

He couldn't express how shocked he was to hear the rumors circulating in the streets this morning. But if those rumors were true, it was no time for despair.

He opened the main gate and entered without hesitation.

"Greetings, Martial Arts Pavilion Head!"

The third-generation disciples training in the martial arts arena spotted him and collectively paid their respects.

Nobaek nodded to them, then quickened his pace.

"Pavilion Head! Have you just arrived?"

A bright voice stopped him in his tracks.

Nobaek stopped and turned to look at him.

"Ah. It's Yugang."

The youngest among Hwasanpa's first-generation disciples, yet boasting outstanding martial arts achievements, he was the youngest ever to become a Plum Blossom Swordsman.

He was Yugang, known as Hwasanpa's pride.

"Isn't this your training time? Why are you wandering around?"

At Nobaek's words, Yugang flinched, trembling, and scratched the back of his head.

"Ahaha, I was just resting for a bit."

"Neglecting your training again, are we?"

"No, I wasn't! I was really, really working hard! And I just started resting a *gak* (about 15 minutes) ago. ...Really!"

"You've rested quite a lot then. Go back and dedicate yourself to your training."

Yugang pouted his lips.

"Hmph! Go on, now!"

"Yes... Understood..."

Yugang turned back towards the martial arts arena, his shoulders slumped.

Yugang, who had been dragging his feet with seemingly exaggerated heaviness, as if to make a point, suddenly spun around with a bright smile.

"Keep up the good work today, Pavilion Head!"

It was an energetic greeting, as if he hadn't been dispirited at all.

Yugang then ran off towards the martial arts arena.

Besides his exceptional martial arts skills within the sect, he was also popular for being bright and lively.

Nobaek, who had been watching Yugang's smile, which seemed to inject energy just by looking at it, once again quickened his pace.

* * *

"It's true. Everyone was talking about it."

Nobaek, with a frustrated expression, reiterated the problematic rumors he had heard.

"They said a child who was the Soruju of a place called Hwaoru stole a Daehwandan and headed for the Namgung. And the ones who had the Daehwandan stolen were the Heugunbang, a Heukdo faction operating on the border of Shaanxi and Henan Province."

"Isn't that the same faction that attacked us?"

"Hmm..."

"Sect Leader...!"

Despite the repeated explanations, Hwasanpa's Sect Leader, Nohun's, reaction remained lukewarm.

Nobaek repeatedly struck his chest and spoke.

"If that child hasn't consumed the Daehwandan yet, there's still a chance! There's no time to waste like this! We must find the Daehwandan right now!"

"Wait a moment. There's something that troubles me."

"Troubles you, you say?!"

People are dying day by day, what on earth could trouble you now?

"Isn't it strange, Nobaek?"

"What's strange about it?"

"The rumor, that is."

Nohun's gaze subtly deepened.

"How could it have spread so specifically and opportunely?"

“…!”

"And in this small Hwaeumhyeon, no less."