Chapter 102 : Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Hidden Shadow

The Mistress of the Flower Moon Pavilion, Yeo-wol.

One of the five hidden branch lords of the Rogues' Guild.

And a skilled person who, in Myeong-gae's timeline, rose to become the next leader of the Rogues' Guild on her own strength.

The news that Ma Sok brought was that such a person had been kidnapped.

And that was after breaking through the protection of Ma Sok, a master of the State of Harmony.

“……Please rescue the Mistress of the Pavilion.”

Ma Sok's desperate voice proclaimed that the news was true.

As I mentioned before, the place that the Beggar's Gang pays the most attention to is the Rogues' Guild.

It means that when it comes to information about the Rogues' Guild, they do not take any action lightly.

Of course, the Rogues' Guild was also not an organization so lenient as to let the Beggar's Gang know everything about them.

It is not for nothing that they are called the two great pillars of the information sects. It means that there is almost no way for the Beggar's Gang to uncover information that the Rogues' Guild has decided to hide.

Therefore, the Beggar's Gang ultimately did not obtain much information about the five hidden branch lords of the Rogues' Guild.

Among the five hidden branch lords, the only ones known were Yeo-wol, who had won the position of the next leader of the Rogues' Guild, and Geombigak, who had been the most promising candidate and had competed with Yeo-wol until the end.

Perhaps the Dragon Head Clan Leader Musan-gae or Elder Chwipung-gae would know more, but from the perspective of Myeong-gae, who had been a Three-Knot Beggar, that was how it was.

In other words, it also meant that the Beggar's Gang had a lot of information about the Rogues' Guild Leader, Yeo-wol.

This was because, unlike the well-hidden branch lords of the Rogues' Guild, the leader of the Rogues' Guild engaged in many external activities.

Due to the characteristic of the Beggar's Gang's information being poorly recorded, it cannot be said that I know everything about Yeo-wol's past, but I am familiar with the major flows.

Since Yeo-wol, who had been the leader of the Rogues' Guild, was also a person recorded in the Thousand Immortals of the Jianghu, this was a natural fact.

Therefore, I could be sure.

Nowhere was there any record of her ever being kidnapped.

The possibility that the Beggar's Gang had missed or not recorded such a momentous event is nil.

My guess is that fate has been twisted.

Probably in a direction that is not good for me.

Ma Sok is repeatedly asking me to rescue Yeo-wol, but there is someone who needs to be rescued before that.

Namely, Ma Sok, who is right in front of me.

“Take this.”

“……What is this?”

Not every martial artist can be an expert on spirit herbs.

Therefore, it was in a way natural that Ma Sok did not know that what I held out was a spirit herb called the Stabilizing Immortal Fruit.

The Stabilizing Immortal Fruit is a high-grade spirit herb that shows the best efficacy in replenishing qi and blood and recovering from internal injuries. Along with Chun-baek hyung's Five-Leaf Immortal Orchid, it was one of the three types of spirit herbs I had taken from the Garden of Joy.

It was a preparation for an unforeseen situation, and it would be right to see this as that unforeseen situation.

“Trust me and just take it.”

Ma Sok's condition was not good enough for a detailed explanation.

This was because the way his qi and blood were boiling seemed to be a precursor to Qi Deviation.

A master of Ma Sok's caliber would not lose his life so easily, but it might leave a great aftereffect on his martial arts.

For reference, among top-tier masters, there are some who say that it is better to die than to lose their martial arts level due to the aftereffects of Qi Deviation.

I don't think a person like Ma Sok would make such an extreme choice, leaving Yeo-wol behind, but it's better if it doesn't happen in the first place.

Crunch.

Ma Sok, who had been looking at me for a moment, chewed and swallowed the Stabilizing Immortal Fruit without hesitation.

It meant that he trusted me that much.

“Endure it.”

Without delay, I placed my palm on Ma Sok's life gate acupoint.

Unless one is a direct family member or in a master-disciple relationship, touching another person's life gate acupoint would be a taboo, but my actions were unhindered.

There was also the fact that the matter was urgent, but I also had faith that Ma Sok would understand my rudeness.

“What……”

“Stay still.”

The energy refined by the Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art, which came from my palm, followed the life gate acupoint and reached Ma Sok's Qi Center.

“Keuk.”

Because it was forcibly pushing through his turbulent qi and blood, Ma Sok's expression was colored with pain, but he endured it in the end.

Following the guiding of his true qi was acupoint stimulation.

Trusting in Ma Sok's cultivation and the power of the Stabilizing Immortal Fruit, I roughly suppressed his turbulent qi and blood.

In truth, this was not a method that someone who had learned a righteous sect's mind art could use on a master of the Evil Faction.

If it weren't for the Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art, that is.

Cough-

“Keoheok.”

When the acupoint stimulation was added to the Stabilizing Immortal Fruit, Ma Sok vomited out a pool of thick, stagnant blood.

Fortunately, the critical situation was over.

Since the efficacy of the Stabilizing Immortal Fruit would remain, he would soon recover to his original state.

“Thank you, Young Master Myeong.”

Ma Sok, who had realized his condition, bowed to me.

I just gave a slight nod in return.

The Mistress of the Flower Moon Pavilion, Yeo-wol.

A skilled person from the Rogues' Guild with whom I had formed a connection through the Immaculate Pomegranate.

A benefactor who, without delay, dispatched Ma Sok and the Rogues' Guild members during the Dancheon Clan's crisis.

In other words, a friend.

That's right. Yeo-wol and Ma Sok were my friends. My heart told me so, so it would not be a wrong fact.

In fact, I had also received a great favor from her.

Nevertheless, I had felt uneasy about excluding the Rogues' Guild from the matter of the Garden of Joy.

I could not not know what it meant that the Rogues' Guild, which must have caught the scent, did not show up at all while I was cleaning up the Garden of Joy.

“Explain the situation. In detail.”

It would be right to repay the favor.

Perhaps now is the right time to repay the favor.

“I will help.”

A twisted fate may not be entirely bad.

***

Thump-

A sharp yet dull striking sound.

Thud.

Before he could even feel the question, Ma Sok's body crumbled.

“Keoheok!”

Only after his body crumbled did Ma Sok let out a groan from the pain that pierced his lungs.

It was because his body's reaction had been faster than his cognition.

The surprise attack, which came without any portent or presence, had transcended the cognition of Ma Sok, who had reached the State of Harmony.

The fortunate point was that Ma Sok was not so foolish as to be flustered by the fact that he had been attacked and let go of everything.

This was because the path he had grown up on and lived had always been a field of struggle.

Ma Sok, who had quickly assessed his own body, noticed that he had been struck near the Gate of Closure acupoint.

It seemed that his breath had stopped also because his lungs had contracted.

In the midst of the urgency, the first thought that came to Ma Sok's mind was…….

‘Fist and foot techniques? No, a palm art?’

This was it.

It was an unavoidable thing, the instinct of a martial artist refined over a long period of time.

The answer was 'I don't know'.

How could he know what kind of attack it was, an attack he couldn't even perceive?

He should just be grateful that it was not a bladed weapon.

In truth, it was also an unimportant problem.

The important information right now was that he had been struck by a surprise attack and had suffered a fatal injury, and yet he was still breathing. That was enough.

So, what he had to consider now was whether to manage the damage and respond, or to give up on managing it and attempt a mutual destruction in this state.

Ma Sok's thoughts moved swiftly.

‘Penetrating force.’

The attacked area is the Gate of Closure acupoint located near the lungs, and the attack method is a high-level penetrating force.

It resembled the method of an assassin, being extremely stealthy yet fatal.

The internal organs, which had been thrown into turmoil unlike the relatively intact muscles and bones, proved that fact.

Fortunately, there was no immediate follow-up attack.

He didn't know if the opponent was being careless or deliberately being leisurely.

‘In that case, let's manage it first.’

The State of Harmony, in other words, it was said that for a master of the Three Flowers Realm, the operation of true qi is as fast as the speed of thought.

Ma Sok, who had confirmed the extent of the damage, rapidly operated his true qi to block the meridians flowing near the Gate of Closure acupoint.

It was truly swift first aid.

“Keo-heueo-”

As if the first aid was effective, his breath fortunately returned.

As fresh air flowed in and his mind cleared, he was finally able to think rationally.

If until now he had been the martial artist Ma Sok, instinctively managing the damage, he had now returned to being the intelligence agent of the Rogues' Guild and Yeo-wol's personal guard, Ma Sok.

“Ho- you are amazing.”

The Rogues' Guild branch lord, Geombigak.

A competitor currently vying with Yeo-wol.

Hearing this bastard's smooth voice, his mind became as cold as if ice water had been poured over it.

At the same time, the circumstances that had led to this situation flashed through Ma Sok's mind like a revolving lantern.

-Geombigak wants to meet.

-It is dangerous, Mistress.

-I know.

-And yet you will see him?

-……I suppose I have to.

Although the identities of the Rogues' Guild branch lords are classified as top secret, that was a story limited to the outside.

This was because it was impossible for them, who were competing for the single position of the Rogues' Guild leader, not to know each other's information.

If someone who wants to become the head of an information sect that divides the Jianghu Murim can't even dig up information on their own adversary, wouldn't they lack the capability in the first place?

-It could be a trap.

-I know that too.

-So…….

-I still have to go.

-…….

Due to the recent overheating of the competition, damage had begun to spread within the Rogues' Guild.

This is because the silent wars in the shadows are inherently more fierce.

The swords of Geombigak and Yeo-wol never aim at each other. To be precise, they cannot aim at each other.

This is because the branch lords taking each other's lives is forbidden by the laws of the Rogues' Guild.

But that law cannot be applied to the rank-and-file members.

Yeo-wol is trying to meet Geombigak because she doesn't want to endure their sacrifices.

Although he thought she was being a bit hasty, Ma Sok could not bring himself to stop Yeo-wol, who cherished the lives of her subordinates.

That aspect of Yeo-wol was the reason why Ma Sok had come to follow her.

The reason why he could not call such a Yeo-wol weak was because he knew that Yeo-wol was not trying to surrender to Geombigak, but to settle things.

A strong-willed leader who had compassion for her subordinates. That was how Ma Sok evaluated Yeo-wol.

-Must you go?

Nevertheless, the reason why worry welled up was because he knew Geombigak's character well. The fact that he could not trust an unscrupulous loan shark was by no means just due to Ma Sok's prejudice.

Yeo-wol met Ma Sok's eyes.

-It's okay.

Saying so, Yeo-wol smiled faintly.

-You'll protect me, won't you?

-……I will serve you.

He could not refuse when Yeo-wol said so.

In fact, objectively speaking, Ma Sok's worries were also close to being groundless.

This was because there were various safety measures.

He was not just trusting in the law that the Rogues' Guild branch lords could not harm each other.

In truth, the thing that Ma Sok could trust the most was himself.

The reason why Geombigak was referred to as a promising candidate was because his faction was the largest, not because of the existence of an absolute master.

Since there was no martial artist under Geombigak's command who could single-handedly stop Ma Sok of the Soul-Chasing and Life-Taking Squad, he was confident that he could take Yeo-wol and escape if necessary.

No, he was confident that he could let only Yeo-wol escape even if he had to risk his life to stop them.

Since he himself was a master who had reached the peak of the State of Harmony, Ma Sok's confidence would by no means have been arrogance.

If so…….

“You are…… what?”

Who were those people?

Ma Sok could not know.

Among the beings who could ambush a master of the State of Harmony from outside his perception, there were no such figures in Ma Sok's information network.

“Can't we just kill this one?”

The opponent who had incapacitated Ma Sok did not pay him any mind.

Therefore, the gaze of the opponent who had dealt a fatal blow to Ma Sok was not on Ma Sok, but on Geombigak.

Shudder.

A voice so toneless that it gave him the creeps.

This level of peculiarity is bound to become information that can identify the opponent. Ma Sok, without realizing it, inputted that information into his brain.

“Hmm.”

Geombigak, who had been asked the question, did not answer immediately and scrutinized Ma Sok.

Ma Sok recognized the greed that seeped into his gaze.

“We can't kill him.”

Geombigak, who had smiled viciously, continued.

“He is the property of the Rogues' Guild. Let's keep him alive for now.”

It was an answer typical of the Geombigak that Ma Sok knew well, and at the same time, it was a statement that gave Ma Sok a feeling of humiliation.

But Ma Sok collected his emotions. This was because now was the perfect opportunity for a counterattack.

“Geombigak, you bastard!”

Because he had blocked the true qi flowing to the Gate of Closure acupoint, Ma Sok gathered his remaining true qi and rushed towards the opponent.

It was the last chance to turn the situation around.

But…….

Stop.

Ma Sok withdrew his life's ultimate technique with his own strength.

This was because, in that instant, the tip of Geombigak's sword was aimed at Yeo-wol's vital acupoint. Perhaps she had been subdued by a blood seal while Ma Sok was being attacked, as Yeo-wol was unconscious.

“As expected of the clan's property.”

Geombigak laughed.

“Keuk……”

And Ma Sok's expression crumbled.

Drip.

Because he had forcibly withdrawn his ultimate technique in an abnormal state, Ma Sok's qi and blood, which he had barely managed to calm, were thrown into turmoil once again.

“……You son of a bitch.”

Enduring the pain, Ma Sok spat out a curse at Geombigak.

This was because there was no other way to release the anger boiling inside him.

“Property will not harm its owner.”

Thump- Clatter!

“Keo-eok!”

Ma Sok could not avoid Geombigak's slow kick.

It wasn't because his qi and blood were in turmoil, but because he had to protect Yeo-wol's safety.

“Let's go.”

Leaving the fading Ma Sok behind, Geombigak and the unknown beings disappeared swiftly.

A moment later.

“Ugh……”

Fortunately, Ma Sok came to his senses not long after. It was thanks to his indomitable will to protect Yeo-wol.

“Young lady……”

He had to ask someone for help.

For some reason, the first person who came to Ma Sok's mind was Dancheon Myeong.

Ma Sok hurriedly moved his feet.

There was no time to care for his own body, whose qi and blood had been exhausted.

...

“That's what happened.”

Ma Sok's expression, after finishing his explanation, was utterly mournful.