Jung Il-ryong.
At the late age of thirty, he entered the martial world and quickly made a name for himself in Sichuan within two years, soon being invited to join the Eui Cheon Alliance as a master. The alliance treated him with utmost respect, and he rose through the ranks, becoming an elder in his mid-forties.
In the history of the Eui Cheon Alliance, few had become elders before fifty. This was not just a matter of skill but also a testament to his exceptional political acumen. Gradually honing his abilities, he eventually became the Grand Elder, ruling over all other elders by the time he was sixty.
However, he was overly ambitious. The leader of the Eui Cheon Alliance had long seen through his desire to make the leader a puppet and become the real power. In the end, due to the leader's cunning and wicked schemes, Jung Il-ryong became nothing more than a dog that listened only to the leader.
This was because the leader had been secretly collecting evidence of all the corruption Jung Il-ryong had committed. It was also why the leader allowed him to become the Grand Elder. By putting a leash on Jung Il-ryong, he could keep all the elders under his control.
"That damned guy is here?"
Seo-ryang recalled the face of the man who, at the end of his life, had mercilessly cut off his right leg. That cunning old fox never did anything that would cause him a loss. He was a heartless scoundrel who would sell even his grandchildren if it meant ensuring his own safety. That was why he hadn't appeared even after Seo-ryang had been chased for seven days and nights and suffered countless wounds. Only after Seo-ryang was fatally wounded in a battle with the King of Flying Blades did he appear and swing his sword.
"That kind of guy cut off my leg."
Seo-ryang's eyes, as he looked at the letter, seemed to shoot out blades. The forest fell silent before the unconscious killing intent.
"Jung Il-ryong...!"
His imposing physique was clad in spotless white robes, and his well-groomed beard earned him the nickname "Beautiful Beard." Though they hadn't faced each other many times, Seo-ryang remembered even the number of wrinkles on his face, as well as the greed and twisted expressions that didn't match his clear eyes.
The cold killing intent turned into a burning madness, consuming his body. It felt as if his hair was turning white with rage.
"...!"
He wanted to tear him limb from limb and feed him to the dogs.
"...Sir! ...Sir!"
He wanted to catch that guy first and torture him. He wanted to use every killing technique and torture method he had learned. He wanted to make him beg for death.
Seo-ryang's eyes grew sharper, like those of a demon. At that moment, a low, heavy voice rang out.
"Young Master!"
Seo-ryang was startled and looked at Ma Dong-pil. Ma Dong-pil's face was pale, drenched in cold sweat, and his shoulders were trembling slightly.
"Why are you...?"
In that moment, Seo-ryang realized his mistake. Ma Dong-pil had been using all his strength to block the killing intent that Seo-ryang had unconsciously released.
As Seo-ryang struggled to rein in his killing intent, Ma Dong-pil finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry. I made a mistake."
"No, it's fine."
"Are you alright?"
"Of course. Don't worry."
Though he said that, Ma Dong-pil was inwardly shocked.
"He's incredible."
How could an ant see the talons of a hawk soaring in the sky? Even so, Ma Dong-pil thought he understood Seo-ryang's abilities to some extent.
"I was wrong. Such terrifying..."
Just surrounding the burning killing intent with his energy almost caused internal injuries. If that dense killing intent had exploded, he might have really been injured.
And another surprising thing.
"He hates the Eui Cheon Alliance. Extremely so."
It was an emotion he hadn't known about in the past year. It was understandable since he was a demon from the main sect of the demonic martial world, but the young master's hatred seemed to exceed the norm.
"Is there anyone else? Any other information?"
"There wasn't. I don't know why, but for someone of the Grand Elder's status, it can't be an ordinary matter. It seems they're thoroughly controlling information on their side as well."
"That makes sense."
It had always been like that. The leader of the Eui Cheon Alliance, once he thought he had gathered enough power, focused all his efforts on acquiring faster and more accurate information rather than expanding his forces.
In the north, the Eui Cheon Alliance; in the south, the Heavenly Demon Sect. The information power of both was unrivaled in their respective territories. If compared, the Eui Cheon Alliance excelled in vastness, while the Heavenly Demon Sect excelled in precision.
"The leader of the Eui Cheon Alliance targeted the Heavenly Demon, the General Commander, and the Great Guardian with my last mission."
That meant he believed that if he could dismantle the Heavenly Demon Sect, he could grasp the world in his hands. And he thought he had built enough power to do so.
"But he failed."
The leader of the Eui Cheon Alliance had absolute trust in the King of Assassins. He might have genuinely believed he could assassinate the three key figures of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
In reality, even eliminating just one of them would shake the Heavenly Demon Sect. And the Eui Cheon Alliance would never miss the gap created by the absence of the Heavenly Demon Sect's forces.
However, that mission failed. Because of Seo-ryang, known as the King of Assassins, and his sudden escape.
"And now, a year later, Jung Il-ryong has entered Jiangxi. He surely didn't come alone."
Why? Why did that guy come near Jiangxi?
"Young Master."
"Hmm?"
On Ma Dong-pil's usually stern face, a hint of concern appeared.
"Are you alright?"
"...Yes."
Seo-ryang handed the letter back to him.
"When does the transport team depart?"
"They're leaving tomorrow morning."
They're taking longer to rest than expected. They must be considering the patient traveling with them.
"Got it. You should rest too."
"Ah, yes."
Seo-ryang walked away with heavy steps. Ma Dong-pil, watching his back, called out to him again.
"Young Master."
"Why? Do you have more to say?"
"No, it's just..."
Ma Dong-pil smiled and bowed his head. His smile now seemed quite natural.
"It's an honor to see you again."
Seo-ryang also smiled.
"I'm glad too."
Though he was glad, it wasn't a situation where he could laugh and chat in that gladness.
Back in the carriage, Seo-ryang sat silently by the window, lost in thought.
"Jung Il-ryong."
Thump!
His heartbeat grew stronger. It felt as if the blood flowing through his veins had become much thicker.
"You're coming? You?"
His fist trembled. The veins on the back of his hand bulged as if they were about to burst.
But only for a moment.
"...Damn it."
Suddenly, he felt drained.
He weakly held his forehead.
"Like an idiot... What does it matter if that guy is around here? Why do I keep getting bothered by him?"
What was my goal? To escape, right? To be free, right?
He had abandoned his past life, along with the name of the King of Assassins. No matter how resentful and angry he was, there was no reason to go out of his way to catch and kill that guy now.
A life away from the martial world. Though still a muddy mess, he wanted to leave for a place without the concept of martial arts and live comfortably, didn't he?
For that splendid dream, he was trying to leave the sect.
Once he left the sect, there would be nothing to stop him. He could go to the safe houses he had prepared all over the Central Plains, regain his martial arts, and gather enough funds to leave for the outside world.
If he could do that... he could finally live the life he had longed for over the decades.
"Yes. Let's not forget my goal. Let's not abandon my dream."
Even if he lived according to his plan, life was something that could be shattered if he slipped. If he was swayed by a moment's emotion, a happy life would become that much more distant.
Let's not act like a fool, like a clueless child.
Jung Il-ryong? Even if the leader of the Eui Cheon Alliance was in front of him, he should be able to ignore and pass by. Even if they were the ones who had a significant impact on his death, he could just bury it and go his own way.
Yes, let's do that. Let's live for my dream, as I have been doing until now. If I act recklessly now, I'll regret it later, won't I?
"Damn it."
Thump, thump!
As time passed, his heart pounded harder. He knew in his head that this wasn't right, but his body reacted first.
"I want to kill him."
It felt as if a reddish light was seeping out from his tightly closed eyes. If he opened his eyes, it seemed like he would rush to where that guy was.
"I want to tear him apart and kill him."
It felt like someone was whispering seductively in his ear.
Laugh if you want to laugh. Cry if you want to cry.
And if you want to kill, then kill.
Just live as your heart desires.
"Hup!"
A surge of demonic energy. The dark shadow demonic energy boiling in his stomach seemed to rise up his throat, ready to be spewed out into the world.
Ju-hwa's eyes wavered.
"Young Master?!"
Without a word, he had come in and fallen into thought, and now he was suddenly emitting an unusual demonic energy. Though he managed to suppress it so it didn't leak outside the carriage, it was only for a moment.
At that moment, the golden tiger, which had been sleeping with a purring sound, opened its eyes wide.
Rustle, rustle.
The golden tiger quickly got up and climbed onto Seo-ryang's lap.
Simultaneously, the explosive demonic energy of Seo-ryang subsided.
"Hah!"
Seo-ryang opened his eyes. The red glow that had filled his pupils was gone.
Drip.
The cold sweat running down his forehead was proof of the immense mental exhaustion he had just experienced.
"Young Master, are you alright?"
Seo-ryang didn't answer. He didn't have the presence of mind to respond.
His eyes, looking down at the golden tiger, wavered.
"Was it you?"
The golden tiger licked Seo-ryang's nose with its tongue.
Rustle.
After a moment, the demonic energy that had been burning with rage completely subsided.
"Phew."
He hugged the golden tiger and stroked it. The golden tiger, making a pleasant purring sound, fell back asleep.
"Young Master..."
"Chief Ju."
"Yes? Ah, yes!"
"How is your body? Have you tried circulating your energy?"
"I'm fine. I've expelled all the remaining impurities. It's all thanks to you, Young Master."
"Let me check your pulse."
Ju-hwa cautiously rolled up her sleeve.
Seo-ryang took her pulse.
"Hmm, it seems you're indeed better. If I help you for another two or three days, you should be able to regain your Moon Shadow Demonic Art."
"Thank you."
"Since we're on the topic, let's start the treatment again."
Seo-ryang carefully put down the golden tiger, his eyes slightly bloodshot.
Yeon-i glanced back.
The transport team, which had been moving continuously for the past nine days, had already reached the vicinity of Jiangxi.
If time had been pressing, they wouldn't have been able to move leisurely.
However, Ju-hwa's condition had greatly improved along the way, so there was no need to rush. They managed to cut a day off the ten-day journey.
Yeon-i bowed to Ma Dong-pil.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"We still have the return trip left. Let's save the greetings for then."
Though his words were blunt, they carried a sense of straightforwardness. Yeon-i smiled and looked around.
"It's fortunate that there aren't many items to carry."
"Is that so?"
"Pardon?"
"...Nothing."
A hint of concern appeared on Ma Dong-pil's face.
Having fewer items to carry meant they were that much more valuable. And treasures always attracted flies.
No matter how bold someone might be, who would dare target the sect's items? But it was important not to let their guard down until the end.
"By the way, why are the scouts taking so long?"
Yeon-i clicked his tongue. The three guardian teams were solely responsible for escorting the transport team. The scouts were naturally selected from the transport team.
In truth, they were called scouts, but they were essentially sent ahead to clear the path.
"Given the terrain, it seems to be taking some time."
"But we sent them two days ahead. They're not usually this slow..."
He seemed embarrassed, thinking that the guardians of the Guardian Hall were watching. Yeon-i cleared his throat and looked straight ahead.
How much time had passed?
"Hmm, those coming over there..."
Suddenly, Yeon-i's eyes widened.
Bang!
Ma Dong-pil, who had been at the rear, quickly approached the returning scouts.
"Cough!"
"Are you alright? Hey!"
"Third Captain?"
"What happened? Why is half the team missing? And this blood...?"
"There's trouble! A fight broke out at the handover point!"
"A fight?! Who are they?"
"I don't know! We got caught in the aftermath and are retreating! Among the enemies, there's a formidable master...!"
Creak.
The door of the carriage at the very back opened.