Chapter 183 Chaos (3)

Chapter 183 Chaos (3)

Seeing this, Ma Yi stroked his chin and twisted one side of his lips.

“That’s strange… If he’s a reincarnated being, shouldn’t he naturally know about Jin Muwol of the Plum Blossom Sect?”

At those words, Gu Yangjeok realized his slip, but quickly put on a sly expression.

“Must I pretend to know?”

“That’s true.”

Ma Yi revealed a thin, serpentine smile. His gaze was sharp, as if he might bare his fangs at the slightest opening.

‘He claims to have given up, but he’s still a troublemaker.’

Gu Yangji’s expression hardened. He didn’t know what Palma thought of Ma Yi, but if he came to rescue him, it would be Huashan Sect who would see blood.

“Finished with your speech?”

When Gu Yangjeok grabbed the binding rope, Ma-ui flinched visibly.

“I’ll stay put. Could you spare me the ropes?”

“If you want a stake driven into your spine, I’ll oblige.”

Ma-ui’s face drained at the words, but Gu Yangjeok remained utterly vigilant.

What kind of man had Ma Yi been up until now?

He was a man who served as a subordinate among monsters like Palma, dreaming of his own ambitions.

Above all, hadn’t he always maintained a blank expression, hiding his true intentions?

Gu Yangji bound Ma Yi’s entire body, tying the knots meticulously. Even so, he searched him thoroughly once more, checking for any hidden talismans.

Only after searching for a long while did Gu Yangjeok rise.

“I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“That’ll be boring.”

“The Taoist will be guarding you, so it’s best not to act rashly.”

“Whoever you’re talking about, I’ll definitely guard them.”

Watching Ma Yi respond without missing a beat, Gu Yangji frowned.

Why was he so confident? On a whim, he scanned the walls but found not a single trace of magic.

Gu Yangji pressed Ma Yi’s pressure point and tapped his lips lightly.

“You’d do well to be more careful about this in the future.”

“……”

When Ma Yi offered no reply, Gu Yangjeok muttered, “Quick to understand, aren’t you?” and exited the prison.

Shortly after, once Gu Yangjeok had disappeared from sight, Ma Yi gazed up at the ceiling, impenetrable to even a sliver of light.

“If you intend to abandon me like this… I won’t stand idly by. Crow.”

A flicker of defiance blazed in Ma Yi’s eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gu Yangjeok, having left the prison, hurried toward Plum Blossom Valley.

He had much to ask Jin Muwol, and the spiritual energy he’d sensed from Yu Jangmyeong had clearly originated near Plum Blossom Valley.

From the moment they first met until now.

Gu Yangjie harbored countless questions, but Jin Muwol had evaded answers, leaving him still without resolution.

‘I must hear it clearly now.’

Even if Jin Muwol tried to subdue him by force.

Gu Yangjie straightened his hunched shoulders and unleashed his lightness skill, gliding through the branches.

Squeak, squeak.

Occasionally, sharp leaves snagged his robe, but he paid it no mind.

His focus was elsewhere.

The height of summer.

A time when all life flourished and moved more vigorously than ever.

That summer heat made Gu Yangjie feel even more complicated. Above all, he was confused.

‘If Yu Zhangming remembers his past life.’

Could I meet my senior brother’s gaze?

Gu Yangjie let out a soft sigh. It was a soliloquy only possible because he was heading alone to Plum Blossom Valley.

Just then.

“…Ah.”

His lips parted slightly without his knowing. Somehow, far off, two men had come into Gu Yangjie’s field of vision.

Brother Yu Zhangming, now called the Plum Blossom Heavenly Sword, and Tong Tianong, the elder of the Huashan Sect, Dan Wuling.

Their gazes were fixed on the newly arrived figure.

Gu Yangjie’s brows narrowed.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“No.”

Tong Tianong answered concisely.

“We just happened to arrive, that’s all.”

His eyes questioned Gu Yangjie.

Curiosity about why he had come here, and displeasure, wishing he would step aside for a moment.

Gu Yangjie smiled brazenly and turned to look at Yu Zhangming.

“Senior Brother, is the poison in your body manageable?”

“I can move about, more or less.”

With that reply, Yu Zhangming turned his head away.

His head, which had merely throbbed before, now burned maddeningly whenever he saw Gu Yangji.

The Gu Yangji clad in armor and the Gu Yangji standing before him now.

A completely different Gu Yangji was taunting Yu Zhangming’s vision.

“What business do you have here? Isn’t this a forbidden area of the Huashan Sect?”

“…I have someone I must meet.”

Saying this, Gu Yangjeok shot a sidelong glance at Tongcheonong.

Whether a good connection or not, since he was someone who had faced Jin Muwol together, he believed Tongcheonong would back him up.

But Tongcheonong barked out firmly.

“Can’t you hurry down!”

“Master Jin!”

When Gu Yangji suddenly bellowed for Jin Muwol’s whereabouts, Tongtianweng’s expression hardened.

Moreover, his features twisted into a hideous grimace, reminiscent of the Guardian King statue at Shaolin.

“You brat! Do you think this is your front yard? How dare you shout so loudly!”

His deep yet resolute voice lashed out at Gu Yangji.

But Gu Yangji’s footsteps moved even closer than where he had stopped.

Thump, thump.

As Gu Yangji drew nearer to Plum Blossom Valley, Tongcheonong gripped the fishing rod tucked under his arm.

Though his arms were thin from age, to Gu Yang-jeok they appeared thicker than those of most burly men.

Just as the distance between Gu Yang-jeok and Tongcheon-ong closed to about ten paces.

Gu Yang-jeok spoke.

“Am I not allowed to enter?”

“……”

“Is there something I shouldn’t know?”

“Be quiet.”

Complex emotions tangled in Tongcheonong’s eyes as he looked at Gu Yangjeok.

A lingering resentment that even Gu Yangjeok, who had faced countless warriors and fought countless battles, couldn’t resolve.

Seeing Tongcheonong’s previously unyielding aura gradually flicker like flames, Gu Yangjeok steadied his voice.

“I believe there must be a reason the Elder brought Brother Yu here. If that reason stems from changes arising from the battle against the Unkillable Demon, then I too must be present.”

“…Ji, did you follow me?”

Why did Yu Zhangming’s voice feel particularly cold today?

Gu Yangjeok did not deny the implication.

Claiming he was late because he was interrogating Ma Yi would likely make him look even worse.

“I was worried.”

Gu Yangjeok looked at Yu Jangmyeong with genuine sincerity.

“In that final moment when you slew the Immortal Demon, I didn’t recognize you as Brother Yu. The Brother Yu I’ve known never smiled when taking a life, no matter how wicked the person.”

He paused mid-sentence, steadying his trembling breath. Still, the cracking at the end of his words was unavoidable.

Gu Yangjie’s gaze shifted toward Meihua Village.

“The Master I saw then was imbued with the spiritual energy I felt here. But when I later asked the other warriors, they said they hadn’t sensed anything like that.”

“……”

The wrinkles etched into Tongcheonong’s face deepened further.

“Among the martial artists, there were those who had mastered the same Taoist earth-tapping technique. There were also those who had cultivated the An Gong technique, granting them exceptional eyesight. Yet, I was the only one who sensed that spiritual energy.”

“Enough.”

“Does the Elder know the reason for this?”

At those words, Tongcheonong’s eyes snapped open wide.

“Enough!”

This time, it was Gu Yangji who should have kept his mouth shut. Moreover, the moisture gathering at the corners of Tongcheonong’s eyes made him look pitiful.

Whatever the story might be.

Gu Yangji realized the tale tied to Plum Blossom Valley was longer than he’d thought. Simultaneously, he understood how Tongcheonong had been looking at him.

“Where… where is Master Jin?”

Gu Yangji’s voice trembled weakly. It was faint, as if it might scatter at the slightest breeze.

But Tongtianong could not answer.

At that, Gu Yangji’s eyes sharpened with intensity.

“Where did Grandmaster Jin go!”

At his shout, Tongtianong answered with a stubborn expression.

“He returned to where he originally belonged.”

“Dan Elder!”

Even as Gu Yangjeok, overcome with emotion, carelessly called out his name, Tongcheonong did not stop him.

He simply couldn’t bring himself to do so.

“The world, the Martial Alliance, claims they eradicated the Old Demon Sect. But I, Tongcheonong, alone know the truth.”

“…….”

“That it was Senior Brother Jin, with his heroic spirit alone, who brought about the dissolution of the Old Demon Sect! “

Those words struck Gu Yangji like a hammer to the back of his head.

The Old Demon Sect hadn’t vanished after losing a war, but had disbanded?

Then, as Mantongzi had said before, was the creator of the True Mirror, Dao Chao, truly a survivor of the Old Demon Sect?

‘If that’s true, then the True Mirror… wasn’t it an artifact created thanks to the late Grandmaster Jin Muwol? ’

As Gu Yangji’s lips trembled in shock, Tong Tianong gazed at Yu Zhangming with a look of deep regret.

“And it is your senior brother, Yu Zhangming, who carries on the legacy of the immortal Jin Wuyue.”

“Wait, hold on.”

Gu Yangji waved his hand dismissively.

“If what you say is true… then the war against the Nine Demon Sect wasn’t resolved by the Martial Alliance coalition, but by Grandmaster Jin himself?”

“Yes. But he ensured he wasn’t exposed externally.”

At those words, Gu Yangji realized that half of Ma Yi’s words were true.

Jin Muwol’s martial prowess was one issue, but the justification for forming the Martial Alliance would be shattered.

From the crow’s perspective, fearing Jin Wuyue was inevitable.

Yet the doubts still lingered. Above all, the greatest question remained unanswered.

“Then why, Grandmaster, did you have to seclude yourself here? And where have you vanished to now?”

“…….”

Tongtianweng’s sudden silence filled Gu Yangjie with dread.

It felt like an unchangeable fate had seized his throat.

Even if he defeated the Eight Palms, must Yu Zhangming remain as a member of the Plum Blossom Sect?

Was that truly the destiny decreed by Heaven?

As Gu Yangji clenched his teeth, Tong Tianong lightly swung his fishing rod from left to right.

Whoosh—Swoosh!

The steel wire shot from the rod instantly cleaved the tree in two. The belated sound whirred like it would shatter eardrums.

While Jin Muwol was certainly inferior in martial prowess, that didn’t mean he was weak.

The very fact that he could be compared to him was proof of just how formidable a master Tongcheonong was.

As Gu Yangjeok’s momentum gradually stabilized, Tongcheonong spoke in a dark voice.

“I failed, but you might not.”

“……”

“Just as later generations receive and develop martial arts created by their predecessors, creating new martial arts, you too have an opportunity.”

Tongcheonong’s words echoed solemnly through the Plum Blossom Valley. The gradually setting sun filled the valley with crimson hues.

At that moment, Yoo Jang-myeong raised his head and looked at Gu Yang-jeok.

“Young man.”

“Yes.”

“Before, I was too flustered and only threw it out there. This time, I want to ask you clearly.”

“…Speak.”

Gu Yangjie, sensing what Yu Zhangming would ask, lowered his head.

As always, his ominous premonition was never wrong.

“Does the armored you have no connection to the you of now?”

“……”

His canine tooth pierced his lower lip hard, blood flowing into his mouth.

The nausea threatening to make him vomit tormented Gu Yang-jeok. But what he truly dreaded facing was something else.

‘How could I possibly say I killed the executioner in my past life?’

Even if he did say it, could he ever be forgiven?

Gu Yang-jeok wanted to tremble his lips violently. He wanted to convey the truth without any words, even if that was all he could do.

But the experience from his past life made that impossible.

Gu Yangjie painfully parted his lips.

“Do you… remember?”

At those words, Yu Zhangming wore a genuinely relieved, peaceful smile.