27

Namgung Paengsaeng.

The master of the great palace located to the north of the estate.

A real power within the Namgung Clan who had served in the Council of Elders since the previous Clan Head’s era.

Chui quietly examined Namgung Paengsaeng’s face.

Eyes slit like a snake’s, a harsh-looking hooked nose, a gray beard grown down to his chest, scars running vertically across his cheek and eye.

‘That’s him.’

Chui nodded.

He looked somewhat younger than the face in his memories, but that hardly mattered.

The name and appearance that had once sat at the very top of Hoyeyang’s death list.

The charge was simple.

‘A man who received reports of the extermination of the Hojeong Clan, yet covered it up without properly investigating it. Because he was a distant relative of the Jo Clan’s master, Jo Yangja.’

Namgung Paengsaeng had been receiving under-the-table money from Jo Yangja, the head of the Jo Clan, in addition to protection fees.

Not only that—he had also taken bribes or various forms of entertainment from other subordinate sects.

If he fancied the daughter of a declining household, he would use his power and status to forcibly take her as a concubine more times than one could count.

Moreover, Namgung Paengsaeng had directly incurred enmity with both Hoyeyang and Chui.

He was the one who had relentlessly pursued Hoyeyang all the way to the frontier, ultimately leaving deep wounds on her chest and waist.

He was also the one who had waged a public opinion campaign branding Chui—who had wiped out the remnants of the Five Poison Cult and earned the sobriquet Spear King—as a public enemy of the martial world.

In any case, Chui and Namgung Paengsaeng were enemies who could not live under the same sky—sworn foes beyond reconciliation.

Crush—

Chui tightened his grip on Namgung Yul’s neck.

Then he asked Namgung Paengsaeng, who had climbed onto the altar,

“I heard it from the butchers at the slaughterhouse. You’re the one who caught these wolves. Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“Catching the mother wolf would’ve been enough. Why did you kill the cub too?”

At Chui’s question, Namgung Paengsaeng snorted.

“Dangerous breeds must have their bloodline wiped out. Leave them alive and they’ll only grow into beasts harboring hatred toward humans.”

“…”

That was answer enough.

Namgung Paengsaeng had likely chased Hoyeyang—the sole survivor of the Hojeong Clan—with the same mindset.

The death of Hoyonam, the clan head of Hojeong, should have been the end of it. Yet the fact that he still hunted down the child showed just how persistent and vicious he was.

Chui spoke toward the mother wolf and cub lying dead atop the altar.

“I’ll take care of that old fox for you.”

At the same time, Chui lifted Namgung Yul in his hand.

When he pressed her mute point, her mouth opened.

Namgung Yul spoke slowly, her paralysis partially fading, her voice slurred.

“Y-you… bandit… in the very heart… of the Namgung Clan… doing something like this… and still think you’ll… get away with it…”

But Chui paid not the slightest attention to her words.

Swoosh!

Something entered Namgung Yul’s open mouth.

A tongue.

Chui’s tongue.

“…!?”
“…!?”
“…!?”

Everyone watching was horrified.

Namgung Yul was no exception.

Regardless, Chui continued intertwining his tongue with hers.

Gulp—

When something slid past her throat, Namgung Yul jolted in shock.

“Ghk!?”

The moment their saliva mixed, a burning, spicy sensation exploded inside her mouth.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

As Namgung Yul screamed, Namgung Pa, standing below the altar, shouted urgently.

“W-what are you doing!? This isn’t what we agreed on!”

“I didn’t injure her. I only fed her poison. I didn’t break my promise.”

Chui wiped his mouth once with his sleeve, then kicked Namgung Yul hard in the backside, sending her tumbling off the altar.

Namgung Pa leapt into the air, caught her, and landed.

Namgung Yul’s eyes rolled back, foam bubbling from her mouth.

At a glance, it was obvious she was poisoned.

‘Damn it… what kind of poison is this?’

Even Namgung Pa, who had experienced countless trials, couldn’t identify it.

It seemed to be an extremely rare type of mountain poison.

“Physician! Where is the physician!?”

Carrying Namgung Yul on his back, Namgung Pa ran as fast as he could toward where the physician was.

Meanwhile, the Namgung Clan’s warriors drew their swords and surrounded the altar.

Now that Namgung Yul had been rescued, there was no reason to let the intruder live.

But—

Chui pulled out a small vial from his trouser pocket.

“This is the antidote.”

“…”

“If anyone else comes up onto the altar, or if you run, Namgung Paengsaeng, this vial will be shattered immediately.”

At Chui’s calm words, Namgung Paengsaeng’s expression twisted once more.

The Namgung warriors who had been about to charge onto the altar retreated again, grinding their teeth in frustration.

Then—

Snap!

Chui cut the ropes binding the wolf.

The massive black staff—one that had required several strong men to move—was now in Chui’s hand.

Only then did a few seasoned experts, including Namgung Paengsaeng, recognize what it was.

“That is… what connection does it have to the staff of the Nine-Jawed Dragon of the Abyss, or the Soul-Collecting Demon of the Four Paths Alliance?”

“No idea.”

When Chui waved his hand dismissively, Namgung Paengsaeng ground his teeth.

“I see. I get it now. You’re that man—Samching Hwangcheon—who slaughtered the Jo Clan and the Black Road Gang.”

“Think whatever you like.”

“You insignificant trash. Compare me to someone like Jo Yangja again and you’ll regret it.”

With the antidote vial placed between them, Namgung Paengsaeng raised his fighting spirit.

Surrounded by Namgung warriors with drawn swords, Chui likewise entered combat.

Tssssssss—

The black staff in Chui’s hand began to glow red-hot.

Spear wraiths crawled up the tip, weeping tears of blood.

Only Chui and Namgung Paengsaeng could see them.

“J-Jo Yangja!? Why are you here…!?”

Seeing Jo Yangja’s wailing face at the tip of Chui’s staff, Namgung Paengsaeng’s eyes widened as if he might faint.

He then shouted as if spitting out the words.

“Demonic arts! This is demonic arts! No—this is clearly devil cultivation—ghk!?”

But his voice was swallowed by the wind.

Chui’s black staff came crashing down with overwhelming force.

Boom!

The black lightning that fell straight down split the towering altar cleanly in two.

Craaaack!

The altar split apart to both sides.

Namgung Paengsaeng hastily swung his sword to meet Chui’s staff.

But—

Slash—

The moment Chui split the altar, he released the staff.

From his robes, he drew two awls and hurled them straight at Namgung Paengsaeng’s eyes and heart.

“…!?”

Namgung Paengsaeng hurriedly raised his left hand to shield his eyes and twisted his body aside.

As a result, the awl aimed at his heart only severed his beard, while the one aimed at his eye pierced straight through his left hand and stopped there.

Drip— drip—

Blood spraying, Namgung Paengsaeng retreated—only for a hammer to come crashing down toward his head.

He hastily stepped back to avoid it, but—

Crunch!

He stepped on several caltrops already scattered across the ground.

“Ghk! What kind of damned—!”

Grinding his teeth, Namgung Paengsaeng looked at the caltrops that had pierced through his sole and jutted out the top of his foot.

In that moment—

Click!

Chui pulled his hand back.

The silk thread tied to his wrist reeled in the staff that had fallen to the center of the altar.

Clatter-clang! Whoom—

Chui swung the staff once more.

“Do it properly. Or do you not need the antidote?”

“You arrogant little whelp!”

Namgung Paengsaeng poured all his inner energy into his sword.

Sword and staff collided.

Baaang!

A heavy metallic roar shook the entire estate.

Namgung Paengsaeng’s inner energy, honed to its peak, was indeed profound.

The sword energy blooming from his blade surpassed a gaseous state and became a dense liquid.

Sword tears—thick droplets like honey—splashed violently toward Chui.

“…”

Chui bent his body like a bow, dodging the sword tears.

Wherever the droplets landed, the ground split and burned violently, like molten lava.

Boom! Crack! Clang!

Chui struck away every incoming droplet.

‘Go.’

Chui commanded the spear wraiths clinging to his staff.

Countless wraiths converted their resentment into inner energy, swirling through Chui’s veins.

It soon transformed into highly refined spear energy, stretching from the staff’s tip like viscous liquid.

Seeing this, Namgung Paengsaeng’s eyes went wide.

Chui charged straight at him.

“I told you.”

Then he scattered all the caltrops hidden in his robes.

“I can beat someone like you easily.”

Chui’s staff surged toward the caltrops suspended in midair.

Bang bang bang bang bang! Clatter-clatter-clang!

Amid sparks, countless caltrops were struck and sent flying.

All of them hurtled toward Namgung Paengsaeng.

“Ghk!?”

Namgung Paengsaeng swung his sword, spreading his sword tears wide.

They formed something like a sword membrane.

But Chui’s spear energy clung to the flying caltrops.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

They pierced through the sword membrane and embedded shallowly across Namgung Paengsaeng’s entire body.

He deflected several caltrops aimed at his eyes and vital points with his sword.

In doing so, he failed to notice the hammer descending toward his crown.

“Ghk!?”

Namgung Paengsaeng jerked his head aside.

Chui’s hammer dropped straight down, tearing his ear and smashing his collarbone.

Crack!

Beyond simply breaking, the bone crumbled like sand.

Namgung Paengsaeng clenched his teeth.

Overwhelming martial power versus unorthodox combat.

Where such an unreasonable monster had emerged from, and why he harbored such hatred toward him—Namgung Paengsaeng could only feel baffled.

“Die!”

But more important than satisfying his curiosity was killing the enemy before him.

Blue sword tears raged from Namgung Paengsaeng’s blade.

A long crescent-shaped arc painted the essence of the Azure Vault Unfettered Sword Art across the air.

At that moment—

Chui lowered his body.

It wasn’t a particularly effective defensive stance.

If anything, it was the posture for rolling across the ground to escape.

Orthodox martial artists who valued dignity would scoff at such a move.

But facing an abnormal opponent who might even crawl to escape, Namgung Paengsaeng tightened the sword arcs even further.

A heavenly net—like a net cast down from the sky—his sword strikes closed in on Chui.

At that instant—

“Ptui—”

Chui spat.

Spittle mixed with bright red blood shot through the gaps in the sword-tear net.

It flew straight into Namgung Paengsaeng’s half-open mouth.

“Ghk!? Kahk!”

Namgung Paengsaeng abruptly withdrew his sword.

His entire mouth felt like it was burning.

Sweat drenched his scalp, armpits, and groin in an instant.

The searing pain felt like his tongue was being ripped out, sending his mind reeling.

Chui recalled something Honggong had once said.

“One who masters this art is called Yiol. The blood of Yiol is extreme poison to most martial artists, as it burns and dries up inner energy that is not their own.”

Exactly so.

Chui’s saliva was like deadly poison.

Along with the vicious heat, it dried out another’s inner energy like a drought-stricken rice field.

‘My level as Yiol is still low, so the duration isn’t long… but it should be more than shocking enough.’

The saliva Chui had fed Namgung Yul earlier through the kiss worked on the same principle.

“Ghk! Kahk! Ugh!?”

Clutching his throat, Namgung Paengsaeng staggered backward.

Then Chui made a sudden move.

Something no one gathered there had anticipated.

Clink!

Chui threw the antidote vial at Namgung Paengsaeng’s feet.

Then he spoke calmly.

“The antidote to the poison I fed you—this is the only one.”

Chui was about to continue.

“Choose. Will you give it to Namgung Yul, or will you take it yourself—”

But his words were cut off.

“Aaaaargh!”

Namgung Paengsaeng picked up the antidote and immediately shoved it into his mouth.

With his inner energy shriveling by the second and his mouth burning unbearably, he could no longer maintain his sanity.

But—

“…”

“…”

“…”

No one in the crowd sympathized with him.

The man who swallowed the only antidote that could save his niece just to save himself.

That was how the crowd saw Namgung Paengsaeng.

However—

“Ghk!?”

After swallowing the antidote, Namgung Paengsaeng’s condition worsened even further.

Burning heat, inner energy incinerating, and now his breathing grew labored.

His complexion turned ashen.

“…? …? …?”

As Namgung Paengsaeng looked up in confusion, Chui spoke casually.

“It was a lie.”

The opponent had fallen into a mental trap.

The toxicity of Chui’s saliva faded naturally in less than half an hour.

But what Namgung Paengsaeng had just swallowed, believing it to be the antidote, was the infamous poison of the Jiang Tribe.

The very same deadly poison Chui had used when exterminating the Jo Clan.

In other words, the vial itself had been the real trap.

‘It’s over.’

Chui sensed the battle nearing its end.

Along with it, his business with the Namgung Clan would soon be finished as well.

Rrrrrrk—

Dragging the heavy staff along the ground, Chui walked toward Namgung Paengsaeng.

Meanwhile—

“Kraaaaaaagh!”

Namgung Paengsaeng screamed in agony, black tears streaming from his eyes.

His bloodshot gaze seemed to see nothing at all.

From beginning to end, he had been led by the nose—only to fall into a mental trap and be poisoned at the very end. Losing his reason to rage was only natural.

Namgung Paengsaeng flailed wildly, slashing at empty air.

“Y-you coward! Th-this isn’t fair!”

“…Fair?”

Chui laughed, raising the hexagonal iron pillar high overhead.

Fairness and cowardice.

What a joke.

One he hadn’t heard in a very long time.