Head of the Northern Heavens Clan, Chapter 20
“…….”
Yu Cheong-a fell silent at my suggestion.
A brief moment of silence.
However, that silence did not last long.
Her voice drifted from beyond the door once more.
“That is a remarkably dangerous plan. What will you do if something goes wrong?”
“If the enemies attack that day, we’ll have to fight them regardless. Isn’t it better to lay a trap for them ourselves? Don’t you agree?”
“Are you confident?”
“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”
“Very well.”
Yu Cheong-a readily accepted my proposal.
“I shall trust the Young Master.”
“A wise decision.”
I smiled broadly and said to her,
“You may look forward to it. I will never let you down.”
* * *
A few days later.
As the Medicine King Divine Pill neared completion, Yu Seon-u moved secretly toward the warehouse, pretending to take a stroll.
Hidden in his robes were a gourd filled with oil and a flint.
‘The Green Snake Sect bastards told me to set the fire, but… is this really okay?’
A sense of unease gnawed at him.
This was on a completely different level from the various incidents he had orchestrated until now.
If things went wrong, it could escalate into a truly massive disaster. If he were caught, wouldn’t it end in more than just being expelled from the clan?
‘Hoo. Calm down.’
Yu Seon-u forced his anxious heart to settle.
‘Most of the clan’s warriors are at the Medicine King Hall right now anyway. There’s no way I’ll be caught.’
He only needed to cause a small commotion.
Since it was the middle of the night, the chances of being caught were almost zero.
And from the start, he intended to keep the scale of the fire small.
He planned to ignite a place where less important items were stored, not the truly vital warehouse.
‘All of this will eventually belong to me when I inherit the clan, so I can’t burn my own assets.’
This act was merely to teach his arrogant, oblivious younger sister a lesson.
Just as Yu Seon-u, thinking this, began to pour oil onto one of the warehouse walls:
“I was half-doubting the Young Master’s words, but I never imagined you were truly such a madman.”
Thwack!
Someone suddenly struck the back of his head.
“Ugh!”
With a scream, Yu Seon-u collapsed, unconscious.
The man who had knocked him out, Im Ho-gyeong, tied his arms with a look of contempt.
Then, he took the oil and flint that had been in Yu Seon-u’s robes.
“Young Master. I’ve secured everything.”
“Good, you’ve worked hard.”
Hearing Im Ho-gyeong’s report, Jin Cheon-hwi blew a high-pitched whistle.
A matching whistle returned from the distance.
It meant the preparations were complete.
The two of them poured the oil onto a pre-arranged pile of trash and set it ablaze.
As the trash began to burn, black smoke rose up, illuminated by the moonlight.
* * *
“Heh. It seems that fellow Yu Seon-u did his job properly.”
Watching the sky from outside the Shanxi Yu Clan, the leader of the Green Snake Sect wore a sinister smile.
“I was worried that an incompetent fool like him might fail, but this is fortunate.”
“It only goes to show how great his inferiority complex toward his younger sister is. How pathetic.”
“Well, thanks to that, won’t things be easier for us? We just need to seize the Medicine King Divine Pill and kidnap Yu Cheong-a while they are busy putting out the fire.”
“Indeed. Now, if we wait, the ones who infiltrated earlier will open the gates for us.”
It was as his subordinate had said.
Creak.
The gates of the Shanxi Yu Clan, firmly shut for the night, opened, and a dozen or so Green Snake Sect black-path martial artists, who had infiltrated by pretending to be patients, revealed themselves.
“Here, take these.”
The leader of the Green Snake Sect distributed weapons to the black-path artists.
Dozens of fully armed black-path artists entered the Shanxi Yu Clan and headed toward the Medicine King Hall.
But something was strange.
“Why is there no sign of anyone?”
The path to the Medicine King Hall was completely empty.
It was strangely, eerily quiet.
“Aren’t they all off to put out the fire?”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
They had exchanged those words after seeing the black smoke from afar.
Because the Shanxi Yu Clan’s grounds were so vast, the flames themselves weren’t directly visible, but…
Since the smoke was so thick, it was certain that something had caught fire.
“Fine. We’re already inside, so there’s no turning back now. We advance!”
Guided by those who had infiltrated earlier, they headed toward the Medicine King Hall.
“Kehehe. Soon, the Medicine King’s secret medicinal herb will be in my hands!”
The Green Snake Sect leader shouted in excitement.
The Medicine King Divine Pill.
It was created to feed patients suffering from severe injuries, but it was also effective for martial artists.
It not only raised one’s internal energy to a certain level but also strengthened the bones and organs.
That was why it was so incredibly expensive.
To be able to obtain it through this opportunity put him in a great mood.
“Boys, let’s go!”
And when the excited Green Snake Sect black-path artists finally arrived in front of the Medicine King Hall:
They realized something had gone wrong.
“It’s them!”
“Block the retreat!”
Dozens of martial artists who had been hiding nearby were there to greet them.
The Green Snake Sect leader’s eyes widened.
“Wh-what?”
Why were the people who should have been busy putting out the fire here?
* * *
“They’re here.”
Leaning against a pillar of the Medicine King Hall, I rose slowly as I watched the Green Snake Sect martial artists enter.
There were a few dozen of them.
It was a gang that anyone could tell were black-path practitioners.
Their attire lacked uniformity, and their weapons looked of poor quality.
However, the leader in the middle was someone to be wary of.
‘He’s flustered now, but his skills seem quite decent.’
Judging by the aura he exuded, he was likely in the middle stage of the Peak Realm.
If he was this strong just standing there, it was safe to assume his actual ability was even higher.
Not a bad level for a black-path practitioner.
‘Are there any other enemies?’
I pushed my senses to the limit to scan the surroundings just in case, but no one else was visible.
Even if there were, the Medicine King Divine Pill and Yu Cheong-a would be fine.
I had placed Sa-gong Cheon by her side to prepare for any contingencies.
With him, the most skilled among our party, he could easily handle the situation unless a master of the Harmony Realm appeared.
In that case.
*Dash!*
I drew my sword and stood before the enemies.
“What business do black-path bastards have at a clinic in the middle of the night? You don’t look like you’ve come for a check-up.”
I said with a smile.
“Are you here for the Medicine King Divine Pill?”
“Kuh!”
The Green Snake Sect leader let out a groan.
Having finally grasped the situation, he erupted in a loud, angry roar.
“It was a trap! That bastard Yu Seon-u led us into a trap!”
There seemed to be some misunderstanding, but I didn’t bother to correct him.
There was no need, and besides, these men wouldn’t be leaving this place alive anyway.
Of course, if they surrendered now, the story might change, but…
“Damn it! We have the numbers! Kill them all!”
There was no way black-path bastards who had come all this way to pull such a stunt would make that choice.
“Block them!”
“Don’t let them get inside!”
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
A battle broke out in front of the Medicine King Hall.
Dozens of black-path artists clashed with the warriors of the Shanxi Yu Clan.
Seeing Cheon-hwi and Im Ho-gyeong rushing over from a distance, I raised my sword.
I would leave the grunts to the Shanxi Yu Clan warriors and those two, while I intended to deal with the leader.
*Whoosh.*
My body moved forward as if sliding.
It was a movement like a ghost, devoid of any presence.
However, the Green Snake Sect leader must have been watching me, for he reacted nimbly.
He drew the sword at his waist and aimed straight for my throat.
*Ka-ang!*
Our swords collided, and we locked in a brief test of strength.
“Kuh!”
The man groaned.
It must have been because my physical strength was greater than he had anticipated.
I felt the Vajra Yaksha Energy wrapping around my entire body, strengthening it.
A faint, subtle golden radiance emanated from me.
It was the precursor to the 'Yaksha Transformation,' the profound mystery of the Vajra Yaksha Divine Art.
If I continued to train diligently, I would surely succeed one day.
But not yet.
Thinking this, I stomped my foot heavily into the ground. At the same time, I pushed the Green Snake Sect leader back and unleashed the Gale Chain Sword.
First Form: Gale Slash.
*Boom!*
A strike of immense power slammed into the enemy’s sword.
“You bastard!”
The man, as if refusing to be outdone, immediately launched a counterattack.
A faint light gathered on his blade. It was sword aura, the mark of a Peak Realm master.
He swung his sword with a confident expression, intending to kill me.
*Vroom!*
“What!?”
*Clang!*
If it’s sword aura, I can use it too.
The two swords clashed, emitting a sharp metallic screech.
Another test of strength ensued.
Once again, the man could not overcome the physical strength reinforced by my Vajra Yaksha Divine Art and was pushed back.
“You, what are you! I knew you were from the Northern Sky Sword Clan, but how can a young brat like you reach such a realm…”
“You’ve been playing king in a backwater village, so you must not know how the world turns. In this Central Plains, there are plenty of people my age who have reached the Peak Realm or higher.”
Though, of course, they are called geniuses.
But isn’t the Central Plains vast?
Even if there were only one or two such geniuses in every region, searching the entire Central Plains would reveal dozens of them.
It was no surprise that I had reached this level.
“And I am the Young Master of the Northern Sky Sword Clan. If I am to lead a clan in the future, shouldn’t I be at least this capable?”
“……!”
At my words, the man wore a look of utter astonishment.
“The Young Master of the Northern Sky Sword Clan? What kind of nonsense is…”
“Why, have you heard rumors about me?”
I was widely known as sickly and lacking in skill.
It wouldn’t be strange if he had heard stories about me, given how close this place was to the Northern Sky Sword Clan.
But that was then, and this is now.
Whether he felt cheated because I was different from the rumors or not, what did that have to do with me?
I only needed to do my job.
“Let’s finish this.”
“Shut up!”
Seemingly enraged, the man’s sword flew in a diagonal arc.
Perhaps it was a desperate move, but it was an attack containing power on a completely different level than before.
I immediately unleashed the second form of the Gale Chain Sword: Returning Heaven.
*Swish-swish-swish!*
Sword aura spread out in a semi-circle, deflecting his blade.
“This!”
He scrambled to regain his stance, desperate to continue his assault, but it was already too late.
I was already driving my blade into his chest, the golden sword aura blazing.
*Whoosh!*
Wind coiled around my sword as the Gale Strike pierced his heart.
*Thwack!*
“Gah!”
He stared at me, unable to believe what had happened. But it was only for a moment. Once his heart had been run through, there was no way for him to survive.
*Clatter.*
The sword held by the leader of the Green Snake Sect fell to the ground.
At that, the faces of the black-clad warriors, who had been locked in a fierce struggle while keeping an eye on our duel, were etched with horror.
“T-the Sect Leader has fallen!”
“Aaaargh!”
They were paralyzed with terror, never having imagined such an outcome. I pulled my sword from the leader’s chest and leaped into the heart of the enemy ranks.
And then.
*Slash!*
The one-sided slaughter began.
It did not take long for the battle to reach its end. I cut down the last remaining enemy and turned around.
Yu Cheong-a was already standing outside the Medicine King Hall.
I flashed a grin at her as she stared blankly at the battlefield and said, “I told you. You could look forward to it.”
“……!”
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