The old iron door was thrown open forcefully.

The pungent smell of poison that had filled the inside flowed out along the space connected to the outside.

"Hup!"

Il-u, pushing aside the elders of the Blue Green Sect who had frowned and hastily retreated, pushed away the poison's energy with his internal energy and strode inside, shining a torch.

"Th-this is!"

Il-u's face contorted.

It was because Cheonyeong's words, who had suddenly rushed in and said they might already be dead and that they should go to the place where the assassins were imprisoned, were true.

"Heh! How could this happen?"

As the poison's energy thinned with the flowing wind, the elders of the Blue Green Sect who had followed him in could not hide their surprise at the sight revealed by the torch.

The assassins, who had been captured as prisoners with their acupoints sealed, were still bound by chains connected to the wall. But no one was alive.

Horrific corpses with one side of their heads burst open, spilling white brain matter, or their chests exploded. The causes of death were varied. But the only passage was the iron door, and there were no signs of intrusion from the outside.

It couldn't be helped.

The places where the assassins' bodies had exploded were where the Gu had resided.

In the case of Gu that had the power to control the victim's mind, such as Bewitchment, Mind-stealing, Soul-stealing, and Spirit-snatching, they usually resided in the person's brain, but the Yin-Yang Gu roamed inside the body.

The moment the child Gu bursts, it spreads a deadly poison throughout the body, killing the host.

"Damn it..."

Although it was an expected result, he could not stop his face from contorting.

"Sect Leader."

"Yes?"

"Let's go out for now."

"Alright."

At Cheonyeong's words, Il-u nods heavily.

The corpses were already decaying. The poison's energy, which had thinned for a moment, was gradually getting stronger, so it was not good to stay for long. Someone might get poisoned.

"Nokun Pavilion Master."

"What is it?"

"By any chance, are there any other prisoners besides the dead assassins' corpses inside the cave?"

"There are not."

"Then set it on fire."

"Fire?"

"A corpse that has died from a Gu poison decays quickly. It won't be long before it emits a strong corpse poison."

"What did you say?"

Having already seen the disciples suffering from corpse poison, not only Ilhae but also the elders of the Blue Green Sect were startled.

"The best way to prevent the spread of the poison's energy is to burn it. If left alone, the cave will become a poison cave, and it will spread outside, filling the vicinity with corpse poison. Please set it on fire quickly."

"Hmm... I understand. I will do so."

Ilhae nods and gathers the elders and first-generation disciples to give the order. Only Il-u looked at Cheonyeong with a strange gaze.

"You must be curious."

Cheonyeong, who had noticed, asked, and Il-u did not deny it.

"Let's go. If I leave questions, only suspicion will grow."

"Thank you, Family Head Tang."

"Don't mention it."

In any case, a discussion with the Changlim Sword Saint was necessary.

Until now, it had been a fight between him and Jinkagu, but now the situation had changed.

From the moment the Blue Green Sect was targeted.

And he had many questions.

What was the chaos they had tried to cause through the Blue Green Sect for? If Jinkagu had moved, it meant there was a request from someone. Then what did that someone hope to gain from the chaos in the Blue Green Sect?

Unanswered questions just kept piling up.

And.

"Samyang Divine Art."

Jin Yiseon had clearly asked him.

-How did you know about the Samyang Divine Art?

Those words, which were stuck in his mind, made his head complicated.

He had discovered the Samyang Divine Art around the age of twenty-eight, after about ten years had passed.

When he had used the heat of the Samyang Divine Art to remove the Gu poison while escaping from Jingagu.

He had thought that the punks had learned about the Samyang Divine Art he had learned in the process of being chased.

But why did Jin Yiseon know about the Samyang Divine Art? Has something changed? Or was there an error in his memory?

Among the numerous questions, one thing was certain: he now needed someone's help.

For some reason, he felt that something much bigger than he had expected was lurking behind Jingagu.

***

"Will you ask first? Or shall I answer first?"

Cheonyeong, who had taken a sip of tea, asked Il-u calmly. Il-u, who had been looking at Cheonyeong steadily, sighed.

"Family Head Tang is truly bold."

"Is that so?"

"Even at this moment, you rarely show your feelings on your face."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Cheonyeong smirked and put down the teacup he had been drinking.

"Then I will ask. How did you know about the poison?"

At the calmly asked question, Cheonyeong smiled brightly.

"To explain that part, I'll have to start from the beginning."

"The beginning?"

"Yes, from how I came to know about them."

The beginning was from the kidnapping of a vagrant child in Inhoe.

Then, the incident at Dongting Lake and the reason he had participated in the Assembly of Elders.

Cheonyeong appropriately mixed in things about the Gu poison. He also revealed that he had a considerable amount of knowledge about poisons and medicinal herbs.

"This is all I know. That the organization's name is Jinkagu. That there are high-ranking assassins called Sangcheon-gwi and special-grade assassins, and numerous assistant assassins. And, that they are still kidnapping children from all over the world and raising them as assassins."

"I see. So you came to know about the poison while chasing them."

"Yes."

"Hoo, but a Gu poison. How could they use such a vicious poison."

While Cheonyeong was speaking, Il-u sometimes frowned, and sometimes nodded with a surprised face, marveling.

Especially in the part where he said he couldn't turn a blind eye to the kidnapping of children, he even made a deeply moved expression.

Il-u had already heard a certain amount about the Tang Family's estate.

A family composed of vagrants.

What he had initially considered insignificant all had a meaning. In fact, weren't these things that all those who called themselves the Orthodox Faction had turned a blind eye to?

"Immeasurable Life Buddha."

The Taoist greeting was filled with shame.

He recalled the moments when he had looked down on him and had seen him lightly.

What is Orthodox and what is Unorthodox?

Although he called himself in-between Orthodox and Unorthodox, and was pointed at as a Flood Dragon, he was walking in a more righteous direction than anyone else. Even this time, he had tried to help with just the guess that an assassin had infiltrated the Blue Green Sect, which had no connection to him...

But he himself had planned to manipulate the matches, thinking only of the future of the Blue Green Sect, deceiving everyone. Without even dreaming that the place would be targeted by someone and become a place of death.

"Listening to Family Head Tang's words, my face is so hot I can't lift it."

"Don't mention it. I understand completely. And this is not the situation to discuss the Sect Leader's shame."

"Hmm."

At Cheonyeong's answer, Il-u, who had become even more ashamed, blushed without realizing it.

"I and Baekta will be the only ones who know about the inside story of the Assembly of Elders. There's no need to bring up what's already been covered."

"But..."

"Sect Leader. Right now, the top priority is to investigate the culprit, Jinkagu, and their purpose."

As Cheonyeong said with a wink, Il-u nodded with a faint smile.

Il-u was very grateful for Cheonyeong's consideration in not embarrassing the Blue Green Sect. It was natural, since the Blue Green Sect had already resolved a difficult situation with his help.

"I understand. Although I must atone for my lack of virtue, for now, I will accept Family Head Tang's consideration."

"Of course, please accept what is given without burden. There's no one to point fingers at."

Cheonyeong nods back and grins.

Of course, you have to accept it.

The more you receive, the harder it will be to refuse my demands.

"First, you must make this public."

"Make it public?"

"Yes, announce to the public that assassins attacked the Assembly of Elders at someone's request, and ask for help from the Cheongcheon Alliance."

"What is the reason for asking for help from the Cheongcheon Alliance?"

"We don't know, do we? If they are punks who would dispatch assassins to a great sect like the Blue Green Sect, they might do the same to other sects."

"I understand now. You mean to sound a warning bell."

"Yes."

Cheonyeong's righteous eyes began to sparkle sharply, like a beast aiming for its prey.

But Il-u, who was already looking at him favorably with extreme goodwill, would not find fault with it.

And wasn't the request reasonable?

The reason he had requested to make it public was to tie up Jingagu's feet.

The request for the Blue Green Sect.

The number of thirty people, and even the Sangcheon-gwi, Jin Yiseon, had been deployed.

It must have been a very important request for Jingagu as well.

So he needed time to find the requester.

And at this time, he also had to find out how they had known about the Samyang Divine Art. If the story of him and the Samyang Divine Art had leaked out even a little, the Tang Family's estate would be in danger.

So, he had to block Jingagu's movements by any means necessary. Only then could he protect the Tang Family's estate.

Baekta?

It was difficult with just the power he had.

Since he hadn't even become a successor yet, there was a limit to how much he could move the Beggars' Sect.

But what if the name of the Changlim Sword Saint was added?

He would be able to move Sicheon, and the Cheongcheon Alliance.

I'll ride on your back for now.

On the power of the Changlim Sword Saint, and on the power of the Cheongcheon Alliance.

"Hoho, Family Head Tang."

"Yes?"

"You are a good person."

"Pardon? What do you mean?"

At Il-u's voice, Cheonyeong, who had been awakened from his thoughts, tilted his head, wondering what kind of nonsense it was.

"You are a very good person."

Il-u just smiled without any other explanation. Although the hidden meaning was puzzling, it was good as long as it was good.

"Ah, Sect Leader. I have another favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"Well, last night I told you about the Blue Serpent Sect..."

"Family Head Tang."

"Yes."

"The Blue Green Sect is busy. We have to find the culprit right away, and we have to contact the Cheongcheon Alliance to discuss countermeasures. For a while, we plan to avoid meeting with outside guests."

"Ah!"

It was permission.

It seemed that was better than a disciple of the Taoist sect telling a lie.

"Thank you."

"What thanks? We are just scheduled to be busy. Immeasurable Life Buddha."

At Cheonyeong's thanks, Il-u mutters a low Taoist greeting and bows his head.

"Ah, and..."

"Is there another favor you want to ask of me? Feel free to speak."

"Well."

As Cheonyeong hesitates to speak, Il-u urges him on, as if feeling curious.

"Speak. Is there anything we can't say to each other?"

"Hah, how should I say this?"

"Ahem, Family Head Tang! Are you going to tell me after this old man has passed away?"

As Il-u becomes impatient, Cheonyeong, who had been hesitating, smiles in satisfaction.

It was so easy to move a person's heart.

"Can you hand over the assassins' fire bombs to me?"

"...Huh?"

"I mean the fire bombs the assassins were going to use on the Blue Green Sect."

"Ah... um, that... ahem."

Even though he had brought the atmosphere to a sufficient level, Il-u was suddenly at a loss for words and hesitated.

Because they were fire bombs.

Weren't fire bombs a forbidden item for martial artists?

Regarding fire bombs, even the government dealt with them strictly, not even discussing the 'invulnerability of government officials to martial law'.

"Family Head Tang, fire bombs are..."

"They are a very important item for us."

"Important? What do you mean by that?"

What do you mean?

Now that we've finished all the important talk, it's time to make up for some losses.

Didn't I blow all the money bet on winning the Assembly of Elders? I have to take something with me.

Cheonyeong, who had hidden his true intentions behind a face feigning righteousness, said with a serious expression.

"I am not trying to satisfy my personal greed."

"Then?"

"I plan to research them and find a clue."

"Find a clue by researching fire bombs? What kind of clue are you talking about?"

"The method of making fire bombs and their materials are all controlled by the government."

"That's right."

"Could the assassins have obtained them without someone's help?"

"...?!"

"They must be connected to someone in the government. If we report the fire bombs to the government and have them collected, there is a high possibility that they will fall into their hands again. The fire bombs will be used to harm the martial world again."

"Hmm, that might be the case."

"Although it is a matter that has not yet been made public, in fact, there is someone among my family members who has a lot of knowledge about this."

"Are you saying there is a technician who can make fire bombs?"

"That's right."

"Heh!"

Il-u's eyes widened in surprise.

It was a lie.

Just as fire bombs were a controlled item by the government, those who knew how to make fire bombs were also managed under the government's control. If every Tom, Dick, and Harry could make fire bombs, what would happen to the country?

He was just planning to throw it to Danya.

To try and research it.

But to Il-u's ears, all his words now would sound like the truth.

"Heh! To think there is a technician in the Tang Family's estate who can make fire bombs... what on earth kind of place is the Tang Family's estate?"

"Shh! Please speak quietly. As I said again, it is a secret that no one outside knows. I am telling you this because I trust the Sect Leader deeply."

"Hmm."

In a word, only you know.

It was an expression full of a detestable intimacy, as if to say, 'I'm telling you because it's you'.

"I will look into it. Perhaps I can catch the assassin's tail."

"Can you really catch them?"

"Of course."

Cheonyeong made a confident expression.

A tail? He could tell him that much right away.

Because he remembered some of the safe houses of Jingagu located all over the world.

He just hadn't gone because he had thought he was still lacking in strength. He didn't know if they were in the locations he remembered in the past, which was now, but there was no law that said there wouldn't be some overlapping places.

Of course, he didn't know the location of the main headquarters.

Because the secretive punks hadn't even taught him, who had been a special-grade assassin.

"Family Head Tang, this is..."

"I will definitely keep it a secret. Please trust me. And there will never be a case where fire bombs are used for personal greed."

Cheonyeong said, as if making a promise.

"Umm."

After a long deliberation, Il-u sighs and nods.

"I understand. Since you say you will use it as a clue to chase the culprit, I will trust you and leave it to you."

At Il-u's decision, Cheonyeong smiled slyly to himself.

Hehehehe.

Of course, you have to come out like that.

This is it.

Jingagu punks, try running away with your hands and feet tied up by the rumors and pursuers coming from all sides.

How shitty that is.

What's so great about revenge?

Using barbarians to fight barbarians is also revenge, and borrowing a knife to kill is also revenge.

If it weren't for Il-u, Cheonyeong would have wanted to open his eyes eerily and laugh until his mouth tore.

(End of Chapter)