<Chapter 1223> The Ascension of Light
“Manager, get out here!!!”
My voice echoes through the inn.
In an instant, a suffocating silence followed. Though not martial artists themselves, the commoners living on the edge of the Jianghu world instinctively lowered their gazes and sealed their lips tight, careful not to offend or provoke me in any way.
I scanned the inn with sharp eyes, my Celestial Vision piercing through walls to detect hidden presences. The old cook trembled in the corner of the kitchen, while the guests in the rooms waited silently for the situation to resolve itself.
‘Last night, I saw the innkeeper – a middle-aged man with a mole beside his nose.’
He was nowhere to be found.
Even after sweeping the entire inn three times, there was no sign of the innkeeper.
‘…Did he escape?’
This was certain. The innkeeper was one of the assassins who had disguised himself as a servant. He fled the moment things went awry.
‘The cook appears to be an ordinary person unconnected to this affair.’
I sat down on a chair.
Though annoyed at letting one slip away, I couldn’t exact revenge by killing everyone present. It was broad daylight, and there were too many witnesses.
I remained seated, doing nothing. At one point, the smell of blood became bothersome, so I kicked the corpse and the bowl of congee into the corner with my foot.
There was no one around anymore. The inn’s customers, seeing that I wasn’t doing anything, had quietly slipped out like mice.
KWAHNG!
The inn’s door shattered as martial artists stormed in. The character “Xian” (先) emblazoned on their martial robes stood out brightly. Roughly twenty warriors poured in, surrounding me with oppressive energy.
“…”
Without releasing my seals, I’d surely die if we fought now. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like they intended to kill me.
Thud-thud.
A man entered the inn calmly, his face familiar. Xian Haidao, the patriarch of the Xian family. He flopped down onto a chair opposite me.
“To think you’d openly kill someone in Haja City’s inn… Do you find the Xian Family so amusing?”
“…”
“Should we take this as a declaration of war from the Heavenly Horse Cult?”
“This is personal business. The dead man wasn’t a servant but an assassin sent to kill me. Search his body; you’ll find a poison vial.”
Xian Haidao signaled his subordinates, who immediately began searching the dead servant’s body.
“We’ve found them! A poison bottle and a dagger. This man is indeed an assassin. Judging by the dagger’s design, he seems to be from the Death Squad.”
“…That’s correct. This is a matter of the Jianghu, something beyond my interference.”
Xian Haidao stood up without hesitation, his cold gaze bearing down on me.
As the head of the Xian Family, Xian Haidao was responsible for maintaining order in Haja City. As the city’s representative, he had the authority to execute anyone who committed murder within its borders.
However, when it involved Jianghu affairs, things changed. If the conflict between martial artists affected civilians…
However, assassins are treated as criminals, not martial heroes or ordinary folk. Killing an assassin outright? Justified self-defense, no questions asked.
“Passing hero, was that you?”
“You show up out of nowhere spouting nonsense.”
“Corpses were found in the alleyway. The street thugs who hung out there were mercilessly slaughtered. Their time of death lines up with when you left the inn. The alley isn’t far from the inn either.”
“So you’re saying I killed them?”
“Isn’t that right?”
“Any evidence?”
“…”
“Even a witness?”
“…”
“So nothing at all. Don’t bother me with baseless accusations.”
Xian Haidao’s face twisted for a moment before returning to blankness, like the flicker of a drawn sword.
“…You’re quite the lucky one.”
“I am lucky.”
“I hope your luck holds.”
Xian Haidao left with his subordinates, who explained the situation to the gathered townsfolk.
‘Why did Xian Haidao come himself? Sending underlings would’ve been enough. Did he come to kill me?’
No, he wouldn’t dare with the Heaven Horse Cult watching.
‘Did he want to arrest me on these charges? …No, he just probed and left. Just…probed?’
Xian Haidao’s purpose became clear.
He came to personally check if I’m still in one piece. Last night’s hired killer must’ve been his doing. He came to confirm my condition – probably would’ve laughed if I were injured.
‘Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue.
Xian Haidao has reached the realm of martial intent. His insight surpasses even masters. He surely noticed something’s off with my right arm.
‘No need for me to be anxious anyway. I planned to use my arm’s condition as bait against him.’
Gathering information on Chujie, I spent the time until noon when I headed to the Xian Manor.
The gatekeepers glared at me, tense.
I drew internal energy from my dantian, filling my lungs. Like a dragon breathing fire, I unleashed the energy while shouting:
“Yan Qiu Shi of the Heaven Horse Cult has arrived! Guest of the Xian Manor! Traitor to the Heaven Horse Cult! Fire Feather Demon Sword Chujie! I challenge you to a duel!”
“…”
No response came.
The gatekeepers stood motionless as if instructed to do nothing.
I shouted again:
“Chujie! You cowardly worm! I respect your parents! If I were your parent, I’d have smashed your disgusting head with a rock! But they just abandoned you! Oh, how merciful they must be! I believe your parents are reincarnations of Buddha!”
“…”
“Chujie! You dirty traitor! I will definitely kill you!”
“…”
Still no answer.
I spat at the Xian Manor gates and turned away.
•••
“Calm down, Master Chujie.”
Xian Haidao urged urgently.
Chujie clenched his fists, trembling with rage. A fierce blaze of anger burned within his chest, demanding he go out and kill that man immediately.
“Manor Lord… This is the most outrageous insult I’ve heard in decades!”
Chujie had no tolerance for blasphemy.
A second-rank Martial Intent cultivator, he was respected as a high-level expert. He always maintained his dignity as an expert, believing mutual respect would follow. This kind of vulgar abuse was unprecedented for him.
“Normally, a scared dog barks loudly. It shows he’s anxious. He’s already in our palm; no need to play along with his antics.”
“That bastard’s right arm isn’t normal, we said. If that’s true…”
“I can win even if we duel.”
“That information is uncertain. Given how hastily he came… it seems he’s also confident in victory. He probably has a hidden ace up his sleeve. And listen, I wish for him to suffer and die miserably. For now, suppress your anger, Jee-soo. He will meet a pitiful end in Ha-gasi Square.”
“Hmph. I’ll trust you and wait. Do you intend to keep using the Byung-sal Squad?”
“The squad leader himself will move.”
“…You hired the squad leader too? Considering the cost… that’s impressive.”
“Not at all. That guy killed Byung-sal’s assassins too cruelly at the inn. As a result, rumors about the drowned assassins have spread throughout Ha-gasi.”
“The reputation of the Byung-sal Squad is tarnished.”
“Mercenaries are finished the moment they’re underestimated. But don’t worry, the squad leader won’t kill him. You will.”
“I’ll await that moment with great anticipation.”
Joo-soo gritted his teeth and departed to the training ground.
A few minutes after Joo-soo left, Sun-hae-do shattered a wooden post with his fist.
“Yum Gyu-seok… you damn bastard…”
Yum Gyu-seok was provocatively shouting in front of Seon Family Manor’s gate, clearly showing disrespect. While imagining Yum Gyu-seok’s impending miserable death in a few days, Sun-hae-do tried to calm his boiling rage.
…
“Sir, S-swordmaster! We apologize! The madam ordered not to let you enter!”
“…”
“We sincerely apologize!”
The head of the pleasure house, along with various men from the underworld, bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle and spoke to me.
This was the third time I’d been refused entry into a pleasure house.
It was due to the incident I caused at the inn earlier today. They didn’t want any troublemakers inside.
Without saying a word, I turned around.
Seon Family Manor was watching my every move, as was the heavenly horse sect. Causing chaos without reason would be disadvantageous in the long term.
As evening fell and the entertainment district opened for business, I strolled through the streets pondering.
“It’s been a while since I visited a brothel. Though they may not match high-class courtesans, the expensive ones should still be quite beautiful…”
I stopped abruptly when I grabbed the wrist of a boy passing by. He looked to be in his early teens, but his hand held a sharp dagger. If I had reacted just a bit slower, I might’ve been gutted.
“…Your presence was completely hidden. How did you notice me?”
His voice matched his young appearance, yet his tone and demeanor were chillingly dangerous.
‘Good thing I maintained divine vision since this morning.’
I had been using divine vision to monitor my surroundings. It was tiring, but nothing compared to the safety it provided.
“Do you think I can’t kill you just because you look like a child?”
I tightened my grip on his wrist, intending to crush it. However, before I could, his wrist slipped out of my grasp. It felt strange, as if his arm had turned into smoke and disappeared.
‘Slash.’
Evil Slash from the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique.
Without further ado, I slashed at the boy. No blood gushed from his body; instead, his form distorted and vanished like a ghost.
“The Byung-sal Squad is watching you! Tremble in fear of death!”
His mental voice echoed in my ear.
“…”
Pain surged through my right arm, injured last night by an assassin. This was the price of forcing it to move. Growing increasingly annoyed, I activated complete recovery.
[Using Complete Recovery.]
Not only did my arm heal, but accumulated fatigue in my body dissipated. Feeling much refreshed, I walked out of the city.
