Chapter 222

Chapter 222
Chapter 222. A Troublesome Diplomatic Mission (5)

The punitive force assembled by the Murim Alliance—well, no, the Envoy Delegation…… actually, the Traveling Party, which had devolved into essentially nothing at all—was proceeding smoothly in the direction of Tae-won.

To my surprise, the Flame Ghost Consort and Blood Battle refrained from initiating any conversation with the members of the Escort Agency or the Murim Alliance, effectively preventing any potential friction from igniting.

Still, their habit of sitting beside me during every meal had caused the cart drivers and the security staff to avoid me entirely.

It stung my fragile spirit a bit, but then again, when had anyone ever truly cared about my feelings?

Regardless, the journey toward Jinzhong remained free of any real complications.

While I caught occasional glimpses of people whenever we traversed a mountain, no one dared to brazenly obstruct our route.

It appeared that a multitude of incompetent bandits had emerged. Every hamlet we passed was inhabited by emaciated souls, and the inns offered nothing more than plain noodles for sustenance.

‘Well, even the most oblivious fools would get a chill down their spines the moment they laid eyes on our group.’

The original members of the Envoy Delegation were eccentric enough, but with the addition of Flame Ghost Consort and Blood Battle, we had transformed into a truly bizarre assemblage.

One would have to be fairly unhinged to attempt to cross paths with this particular collective.

That said, it did not mean we were entirely devoid of issues.

A minor incident occurred in Taigu, a major urban center we were required to traverse to reach Jinzhong.

Without warning, my cheeks began to tingle, prompting me to glance over.

“Thump, thump. Is it time for me to finally uphold justice?”

Witnessing the Black Path martial artists marching toward Tae-won, spilling into the streets and sparking brawls at every intersection, Dang Seo-hui appeared visibly energized.

“Haa…….”

Left with no choice, I steered us into the most dilapidated inn I could find and secured a secluded table, accompanied only by Dang Seo-hui.

As expected, Flame Ghost Consort and Blood Battle trailed us and took their seats as well.

Fortunately, as long as I kept my blade concealed, none of our weapons were visible to the public, which theoretically placed us in a position where we could easily be viewed as vulnerable targets.

“Young lady, you possess truly stunning features!”

Sure enough, upon catching sight of Flame Ghost Consort’s face, a man with a long saber hanging over his shoulder sauntered over and insolently flicked her chin.

“Oh my!”

Flame Ghost Consort widened her eyes in a display of youthful innocence and let her face flush pink; the Black Path man leered at her, visibly salivating.

“Tonight, I intend to show you some passionate pleasures of cloud and rain……”

Don’t do it, you idiot. You’re about to have your True Qi drained to nothing…….

Unaware that the woman he was leering at was a lethal witch, the Black Path man was essentially thrusting his head into a tiger’s maw.

I glanced at Dang Seo-hui and gave a sharp nod.

“That one seems like a fitting target.”

I slid the chopstick container I had confiscated toward her, and Dang Seo-hui let out a scoff, quickly grabbing a handful of chopsticks.

Are you trying to turn him into a pincushion, or what?

Ignoring my bewildered look, Dang Seo-hui pointed at the man with practiced, disciplined precision.

“Halt! You villain who disrupts the natural order of the martial world! It would be for your own survival if you ceased your actions right now……”

Just as Dang Seo-hui was mid-way through a monologue that seemed ripped from a pulp martial arts novel, and just as she prepared to hurl the chopsticks.

THWACK! CRUNCH.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

A sickening impact echoed through the room, and the man spasmed in agony as he shrieked.

Wow! How on earth can a limb bend like that? It looked so fluidly gruesome that for a moment, I actually wondered if joints were meant to move in such a fashion.

As the Black Path man, whose arms were now contorted into impossible angles, gasped for breath, Flame Ghost Consort snapped her fingers, conjuring a flickering flame.

“Pleasures of cloud and rain…… Hehe, how adorable! I’m afraid not, though. Your True Qi tastes absolutely vile.”

Whoosh.

The fire erupting from her palm instantly engulfed the man’s entire head.

Even with his shattered arms, the man thrashed about in a desperate attempt to extinguish the inferno, but the only result was the thickening scent of charred flesh. The flames showed no signs of receding.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

His companions rushed forward, frantically striking his head and dousing him with water, but the fire refused to die.

It only flickered out after it had singed away every strand of his hair and left raw, red burn marks across his scalp.

“…….”

“……What just happened.”

“Gulp.”

It had been a single, decisive motion, but its sheer dominance left everyone inside the inn paralyzed with fear.

Flame Ghost Consort, the architect of this chaos, daintily pinched her nose with slender fingers and put on a tearful expression.

“Phew…… The stench is unbearable. I don’t think I can stomach any more food.”

Do you really think acting like a naive girl will convince anyone now?

Ignoring my incredulous glare, Flame Ghost Consort widened her eyes, feigning ignorance while offering a bright smile.

“He seemed to enjoy things hot. I am a maiden who appreciates high heat as well, you see? Ohoho.”

If things heated up twice, we might be witnessing the onset of a literal fiery hell.

I exhaled and averted my gaze.

……My eyes landed on Dang Seo-hui, who stood clutching her chopsticks with a look of deep resentment, like a child whose favorite toy had been snatched away.

‘Oh, this is bad!’

If she arrived at the Black Thought Alliance and started engaging in bizarre antics like “delivering justice” or “performing chivalrous deeds,” it would lead to a massive catastrophe.

That was exactly why I had been trying to exhaust her stamina beforehand……. But my entire strategy had been undermined.

Furthermore, now that everyone had witnessed a single strike from Blood Battle and Flame Ghost Consort, no one dared to challenge us.

‘What do I do? I can’t exactly relocate to another inn.’

Why was it that there were never any ruffians around when you actually needed them to occupy the troublemakers?

Just as I was preparing to console Dang Seo-hui by suggesting we could try again later, she asked with her typical vacant expression,

“If a villain deals with another villain…… is that also considered delivering justice?”

“Hmm…….”

Now I was genuinely curious as well. When a hero acts, it is called justice.

But when a villain performs a heroic act, can that be labeled justice too?

As I sank into contemplation, they answered for me.

“Of course not. I was merely venting my frustration. He touched my jade-like face with his filthy paws.”

“I simply swatted away a pest buzzing in my ear.”

Hearing Dang Seo-hui’s question, Flame Ghost Consort and Blood Battle had provided their own answers.

What excellent lessons to teach a child. Damn it.

I spent several days observing those two lunatics to discern their true motives for joining us, but they did absolutely nothing of note.

I even feigned sleep at night to see if they would launch a sneak attack, remaining vigilant in case they provoked others or committed acts of violence, but their conduct remained strangely ordinary.

It really did seem as if they were merely accompanying us.

Once I stopped focusing on them, the trek to Tae-won became excruciatingly tedious, and I began ruminating on martial arts concepts I had previously pushed aside.

While I couldn’t practice the techniques physically, I could still map out the concepts or engage in Mind-Image Training.

Lately, I had been obsessively absorbed in the Void-Annihilation Fist.

It projected force across physical space through the power of pure will.

It bore some resemblance to Airborne Object Grasping, yet it was an entirely different fundamental concept.

Murong Gang had promised to tutor me if I joined his clan, but that was hardly a realistic path, so I had to decipher it on my own terms.

First, I pondered the core principle.

If Airborne Object Grasping was an extension of materialized internal qi, then the Void-Annihilation Fist had to be approached as the manipulation of external energy.

In simpler terms, it was the act of controlling and commanding energy that did not inherently belong to a human body, purely through Intent.

‘But does that hold any water by common standards?’

From the viewpoint of a grounded person like me, it sounded like absolute lunacy. But having witnessed it firsthand and having been struck by it, my body had to accept the reality, regardless of what my rational mind told me.

I meticulously scrutinized the memory of Murong Gang’s technique, frame by frame, as I studied the Void-Annihilation Fist.

‘What on earth is it?’

Even in retrospect, I couldn’t grasp the essence of it.

A void, seemingly empty of anything, suddenly distorted, coalescing into the shape of a massive palm.

The raw power it exerted was terrifying.

‘What if he had manifested it into the form of a blade with a razor-sharp edge?’

Even if I had dodged, the sheer pressure would have left me critically wounded.

That realization made the technique all the more alluring.

‘Again.’

This time, I didn’t fixate on the visual, but on the “sensation” of that memory.

In my previous existence, this memory was a source of constant torment, a vivid playback of nightmares. I never imagined a time would come where I would utilize that curse as a tool for growth.

As I immersed myself in this new sensation, a strange, disjointed fragment surfaced amid the deluge of memories.

I quickly rewound to the moments just before and locked onto that sensation.

Murong Gang was pursuing me like a demon.

I was fleeing for my life.

Between us, an incredibly faint, minuscule strand of energy was catching up to me.

‘What is that?’

I paused the mental image, zoomed in, and analyzed it.

A tiny dewdrop that contained a spatial distortion, mirroring the Void-Annihilation Fist.

A tiny dewdrop…….

A tiny dewdrop…….

‘……!’

In that heartbeat, it clicked.

This was the key to unlocking the mystery of the Void-Annihilation Fist.

‘The issue remains, what exactly is it?’

I scoured all my memories and records, recalling every traumatic experience I’d had with the Demonic Cult, but no one I knew utilized such a specific energy.

I had uncovered the thread, but without knowing what it was, I had no way to weave it.

I then thoroughly combed through Murong Gang’s teachings. And then…….

[An attempt to fuse the Dao of martial arts with the Dao of nature into one. That is the Void-Annihilation Fist.]

Within his words, I stumbled upon a peculiar term.

He had used the word “attempt.”

Murong Gang had claimed the foundations of the Dao of martial arts and nature were identical.

Yet, he qualified it with the word “attempt.”

This suggested that the Void-Annihilation Fist was not in a state of true union with nature.

‘If he had truly achieved union, there would have been no reason to play cat and mouse with me. He could have simply appeared in front of me or subdued me instantly.’

Therefore, this “tiny dewdrop” was the essence of what he meant by an “attempt.”

The Dao of martial arts is driven by Intent, while the Dao of nature follows its own immutable laws.

Emulating Murong Gang, I gathered energy in my palm and manifested it.

A ball of energy completely devoid of intent.

I injected pure, concentrated will into it and launched it forward.

Pop.

The energy failed to travel even half a zhang before vanishing with a pathetic popping sound.

There was no spatial distortion, no reaction from the surrounding natural energy—nothing like the Void-Annihilation Fist.

‘Well, is Intent something you can just shoot into the air? If that were the case, I would have already attained the realm of the Mind Sword……. Damn it! Was that man scamming me about the Mind Sword?’

As suspicion bred more suspicion, everything related to Murong Gang became suspect.

However, I doubted he would lie about fundamental martial theories.

As I was spiraling into panic, Blood Battle drifted over.

“What are you doing?”

Please, stop encroaching on my personal space. People will think we’re actually close.

I shrugged, feigning indifference.

“Just bored.”

Suddenly, Blood Battle broke into a grin.

What? Is he even more deranged than I initially thought……?

“To think you’d be practicing Witchcraft in the middle of a Murim Alliance Envoy Delegation. You truly are a fearless bastard.”

“Excuse me?”

“……!”

Ak Byeong-bi, who had been patrolling some distance ahead, pricked up his ears at the word “Witchcraft” and pivoted toward us.

That bastard really does have ears like a demon.

Blood Battle clung to me with persistent interest.

“Won’t you tell me the name of your master?”

I sensed a potential breakthrough and, despite the risk, pressed forward.

“What are you talking about? Witchcraft?”

“Hmph! Are you still going to pretend you don’t know?”

“No, I’m genuinely asking because I have no idea.”

“Hm?”

Blood Battle, who had been eyeing me with deep skepticism, looked genuinely stunned by my serious expression before abruptly turning away.

“You won’t answer my questions, so why should I answer yours?”

What is with this guy’s mood swings?

He’s not a child.

Normally, I wouldn’t have engaged, but my curiosity regarding the Void-Annihilation Fist was too overwhelming.

“Then you ask first. In exchange, you have to answer my question as well.”

“Fair enough.”

Blood Battle wore a smug smile, then suddenly fired a Sound Transmission my way.

-How did you come to learn the Sword Demon’s martial arts?

Just as I suspected…… he knew.

Perhaps because he was being mindful of our surroundings, I responded in kind.

-I stole them.

“What?!”

No, why was he using Sound Transmission perfectly well only to suddenly shout out loud?

Because of his outburst, the cart drivers and the security team scrambled backward in alarm.

Ak Byeong-bi was busy stroking his steel spear.

Still, perhaps because he was the leader of the mission, he seemed to have at least some inclination to intervene if things went south.

I stared directly at Blood Battle.

“My turn. What exactly do you mean by Witchcraft?”

Blood Battle scowled.

“……You didn’t give me a proper answer.”

“I answered truthfully. If you don’t believe me, ask him yourself.”

“How am I supposed to track down that bastard?”

“He’ll show himself to the world soon enough.”

Blood Battle’s eyes flared at my remark.

“Is that so? If you’re lying……”

“Come whenever you like. Visit the Murim Academy and ask to speak with Academy Representative Jin So-un.”

The Sword Demon had told me to say that, so I wasn’t lying.

And even if I challenged him, could Blood Battle even step foot into the Murim Academy?

The Murim Alliance was practically on its doorstep.

Blood Battle studied me with a suspicious glare, then let out a groan and finally began to open up.

“……Was what you just used not a technique common to Witchcraft?”

“A technique?”

“Precisely. Like this.”

Blood Battle opened his palm and projected energy into the surrounding woods.

A moment later, a bizarre phenomenon rippled through the trees.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

It was a scream so unnerving it made my skin crawl.

Yet, no matter how hard I pushed my senses, I couldn’t detect a single presence in the forest.

“How did you do that?”

“I contained the sound and detonated it in a different pocket of space.”

“You contained sound?”

“Yes. It’s a method frequently used by Witchcraft practitioners to deceive people.”

Reflecting on it, the Blood Cult’s spellcasters had deployed illusion formations even from a significant distance.

At the time, I had assumed they had pre-set some kind of mechanism, but looking back, was that not equally strange?

“Did you truly not know?”

“How would I, someone who walks the Righteous Path of an Orthodox sect, know anything about such an Unorthodox side path?”

“Oh……!”

Blood Battle stared at me as if he found that fascinating.

“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s unsettling.”

Blood Battle nodded, as if to say he understood, and replied,

“That implies you were instinctively drawn to Unorthodox arts, doesn’t it? As expected of the Joint Successor of the Black Path Alliance, you really are different.”

Fuck, I am not!

Murong Gang was someone who walked the Righteous Path of an Orthodox sect……. Well, was he?

I suppose he couldn’t exactly be called a practitioner of the Righteous Path.

It was fortunate he had been born into the Murong Clan. That man was clearly someone who would have been more than capable of becoming a public enemy to the entire martial world.

“Can only sound be contained within that energy?”

“Hmm…….”

As if the thought had never crossed his mind, Blood Battle fell into deep thought for a long time.

Then, a clear, melodic voice drifted from the other side.

“Young Master is truly fascinating. To think you’d ponder containing other elements within energy……. Would you perhaps like to discuss martial theory with me in detail tonight?”

Before I realized it, Flame Ghost Consort had placed her fingers on my shoulder.

Her intentions were clear, and I offered a blunt refusal.

“Not necessary. And remove your hand.”

“Oh dear…… I thought the Joint Successor of the Black Path Alliance would naturally have a deep grasp of the Yin-Yang Union Art as well.”

Stop bringing up just anything and slapping the word “martial art” onto the end of it.

And why do you keep acting like we have an intimate connection? It’s deeply uncomfortable.

At this rate, I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if Ak Byeong-bi decided to treat me like a Black Path spy.

Ignoring the gloomy expression Flame Ghost Consort made, I looked back at Blood Battle. Having finished his thinking, he shook his head.

“There’s no need to force the containment of other elements. The more an energy is refined, the more its inherent characteristics vanish.”

“Its inherent characteristics vanish…….”

For some reason, the last words Blood Battle uttered kept echoing in my mind.

At that moment, an escort turned to Ak Byeong-bi and suggested,

“Even if it adds a bit of travel time, I believe it would be wiser to take this route. I’ve heard Gakmun Stronghold has been causing quite a stir lately.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Many other Traveling Parties are reportedly using this route as well.”

Just as Ak Byeong-bi prepared to respond to the escort, Blood Battle, who had been speaking with me, shouted in a noticeably loud voice.

“I would prefer to go this way.”

“Excuse me?”

Every gaze shifted toward his pointing finger.

“…….”

No one could easily find their voice.

The path Blood Battle indicated was exactly where the notorious Gakmun Stronghold was situated.

Since this was completely unexpected, the escort couldn’t mask his bewildered expression.

“But Gakmun Stronghold……”

“Would it not seem cowardly for a Murim Alliance Envoy Delegation to detour just to avoid a single mountain outpost? Wouldn’t you agree, Delegation Leader?”

He was even talking down to Ak Byeong-bi, whom everyone had been walking on eggshells around……

‘What exactly is he plotting?’

Given Ak Byeong-bi’s temper, he wasn’t the type to tolerate such a provocation.

At the same time, with a world-renowned figure like Blood Battle making such a demand, he was unlikely to yield his own authority.

……In the end, it was destined to turn into a brawl.

I began calculating who I should strike first if violence erupted: Blood Battle or Flame Ghost Consort.

After all, as an elite of an Orthodox sect, I was obligated to enforce “justice.”

Yes, naturally.

While I was absorbed in these thoughts,

-What is your preference?

Ak Byeong-bi’s Sound Transmission suddenly cut through the air.

What?

Why is he suddenly deferring to me?

Until now, the only choice he’d offered me during the entire trip was “when I would drink water.”

……And now he is asking for my opinion on something this critical?

While I remained bewildered, I heard something even more absurd.

-I will follow your decision.

Fuck, dealing with Blood Battle alone was enough to make my head throb. Now I couldn’t even gauge what Ak Byeong-bi was thinking. Truly.

I clutched my aching head and answered.

“Let’s just go around. Encountering a mountain stronghold would be nothing but a headache.”

When I gestured toward the alternative path, Blood Battle crossed his arms and retorted,

“I insist on going this way.”

“Then you and your companion can take that route.”

“In that case, you will have broken your promise to accompany me, and I suppose I’ll have to slaughter all of you instead.”

Fuck, what is his game?

I suppressed my reaction as best I could to keep my face from contorting and looked at Ak Byeong-bi.

“Delegation Leader, I think it might be better to do as the elder says after all.”

No matter how terrifying Gakmun Stronghold might be, it was undoubtedly less frightening than Blood Battle.

After all, Blood Battle didn’t just kill; he destroyed people.

At my sudden shift in stance, Blood Battle smiled as if satisfied.

And Ak Byeong-bi’s gaze twisted in an inscrutable way.

-So that is how it is after all…….

Ak Byeong-bi ended the incomprehensible Sound Transmission and abruptly turned away.

Dragging along a lunatic and an Ideological Inquisitor felt as if my lifespan was being whittled away hour by hour.

Damn it, just wait until I get back.

I am going to extract something from them that matches the years they have shaved off my life.