Chapter 124

“Was it the Changnan Golden Tiger? I didn’t see it that way.”

Jayu nodded with a voice that was dull with regret.

“Wang Ya, just say the word. I’ll make sure that thick-faced swindler kneels before you right away. Ah, of course, not me, but those old dogs here. I’m not specialized in combat, am I?”

“Not yet. He might have his reasons. It’s never too late to ask once you understand the details. Doesn’t everyone harbor some untold circumstances?”

“How surprising. You’re being too lenient, Wang Ya. After all, traitors should be torn apart to set an example.”

Yeon Pa’s eyes gleamed weirdly as she said this, three tails of ethereal flames swirled slowly within her gaze.

If Qing had seen it, she would have exclaimed, “Wow, space-time! Storm!” in utter awe.

And a Martial World Individual, upon witnessing it, would gasp for a different reason.

For this was the Wheel Eye of the Great Wheel Witch, who had thoroughly exterminated the Yeonseong Sect thirty years ago and vanished.

Such was the trait of one among the top ten Demonic Arts Masters, the Wheel of Law.

“It has come to this. When I first received the treatment, I remarked that since my true nature is a swindler, I wouldn’t be able to endure it for long. I was told then to stay and leave when the time came, so I suppose now is that time.”

“Wang Ya… How can your heart be so kind?”

Yeon Pa sniffled and wiped her eyes.

The debts of the Martial World are vast and deep, much like a great ocean; as one advances with a sword drawn, they tend to sink deeply.

When one sinks and gazes at the world, the grand beauty once seen from above is long gone.

Instead, a dark, damp landscape of despair reflects back, for the debts of the Martial World are merely the accumulation of resentment.

Gratitude can become someone’s grudge.

Humans are creatures that easily forget kindness while firmly etching resentment in their minds.

What ultimately remains is only resentment, leading Martial World Individuals to miry swamps of grudging entanglement.

This leaves some to lose their aspirations in the Martial World and seek refuge in distant, secluded places, while others might cast aside their swords and play the part of ordinary individuals, only to find the ending bitter and unpalatable.

Yet, a very few fortunate ones may find salvation by meeting kind people during their bleakest times.

Prince Deokhyeon was one such person.

A great man who, tired of the world, unable to bear the burdens of resentment, and having lost everything to false accusations, welcomed those truly demonic into his family and embraced them within his fold.

Jayu smiled bitterly.

“Is it true that a kind-hearted person only worries about the safety of their family and watches this crisis unfold?”

A moment of silence lingered.

Then, a young voice inquired.

“So, then you should start preserving your health, right?”

Inquiries were made about whether, now that the rats had been dealt with within the Wang family, it was time to leave the Tang Family.

Jayu hesitated with a complicated expression, as though deep in thought, and eventually seemed to come to a resolution.

—

Last night, Old Dog came to inform me of leaving.

And the next day, Pang Choryeo also departed.

“You’re leaving too, Young Lady Pang?”

“What can I do? The eldest daughter of the Hebei Pang family got embroiled in a revolt, making it impossible to face the elders.”

The Hebei Pang family is based in Hebei.

And there, lies Beijing.

As the Demonic Cult rises, the Gongdong Sect, located along the route of invasion into Gansu Province, faces the first wave of devastation. So, when the Imperial Family brandishes their swords, the closest Pang family always bears the brunt of it.

Thus, the Pangs would absolutely avoid any conflict with the government.

“I’ll gift the Great Sword, so continue to cultivate diligently.”

“Hmm. I wonder if Grandpa can carry it around.”

Choi Riyong is a master of the Realm of Transformation, but due to switching to a fundamentally different Divine Skill, he is starting from scratch with an empty Dantian.

Qing also pondered if it were okay to pass the Great Demon Lord’s secret technique to Old Dog, but seeing as she had already granted him the privilege of special care, it was an unavoidable choice.

Having directly experienced the mental protection properties of the Great Demon Lord’s secret technique for Old Dog’s well-being, Qing felt it was for the best.

What if the already slightly senile Old Dog completely lost it?

Whether it worked or not, Old Dog’s demeanor was gradually transforming into that of a compassionate Buddha.

He had begun to gain some weight, and his once sunken, hollow-eyed skull appearance was becoming a thing of the past.

Pang Choryeo burst into laughter at this mumbled observation.

“That’s something you should say. You’re strong, after all.”

“No way, then it seems like I’m pushing it onto him. He’s taking it away from me, right?”

“Right. It seems pretty natural for that.”

“If he’s doing it to make me comfortable, but I feel uncomfortable, what’s the point? If I’m comfortable, then Old Dog will also find it worthwhile.”

Hearing that, Choi Riyong nodded in agreement.

Thus, Seomun Qing obtained the Hell of Torment (3rd Edition)!

Pang Choryeo laughed again at this sight and then added:

“I think Nan-ah was quite shocked. Since she’s staying, do take care of her. It seems she hasn’t realized yet how ruthless the Martial World can be. The Martial World has been just too kind to her. You know what I mean?”

“……?”

Qing responded with a puzzled expression.

Pang Choryeo then flapped her hands in front of her face a few times as if to gesture her words in place of a reply.

Then, with an air of total indifference, she turned around and confidently walked away.

After seeing her off and returning, she found Tang Nan-ah sitting idly on the Guest Hall stairs, shaking her legs helplessly.

“Aren’t you going to see patients today?”

“There are no patients…”

Tang Nan-ah replied with a disappointed tone.

Even the Tang Family’s physician had seen a drastic drop in patients.

Those truly suffering from severe illnesses or on the brink of death would show up once in a while, but most seemed to have resolved it themselves rather than risk getting involved in a revolt.

Slinking her shoulders in defeat, Tang Nan-ah casually threw out a question.

“What about you? Have you left?”

“Well, it concerns the family, so Young Lady Pang had no choice either.”

“Hmm.”

It sounded like she had muttered something about how their family was also involved.

Then she asked again.

“Then what about you? Aren’t you going? You’re a Disciple of the Divine Maiden Sect, after all.”

“I’m just an outer sect disciple, you know? I’m no one noteworthy.”

Qing had never registered herself as a disciple of the Divine Maiden Sect.

It was a warm gesture from her teacher, Seomun Sulin.

Though disciples could choose their own paths, if the Divine Maiden Sect ever crossed paths, they were ready to expel her at any time, encouraging her to follow her heart.

After all, expelling one outer sect disciple wouldn’t change much, aside from a title, which was not indicative of being cast out by the Divine Maiden Sect but merely an action urging her to quit as a named disciple.

“And besides, if you take Seomun Qing’s loyalty away, I’d still be a real man among men.”

Truth be told, even without the loyalty, they were still somewhat close to corpses.

But Qing remained unaware. Only two beings knew of this, one in this world and one beyond it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Tang Nan-ah asked playfully, her smile reappearing.

Then she jumped playfully onto her feet.

“Well, there are so many people who aren’t even men. Hmph! You’re remarkable, I guess.”

“Remarkable? What’s the point in seeing me again?”

“How about we go for a practice session?”

“Suddenly?”

“Oh, you see, um. I mean. Oh. Right. Last time, you were able to block the dart with your hand, right? You don’t know what’s dangerous. You should practice to discern what might pose a threat later.”

Indeed, this was a logical argument from a physician.

Qing, being weak against logic but sharp with nonsense, ultimately gave in.

And with it being tied to survival, she sighed.

“That does make sense. Let’s go right now.”

And thus, the Tang Family’s secret archive swung wide open.

In truth, memorization loses its power simply by prior knowledge and preparation for it.

Therefore, the outer sect disciples cannot enter the heart of the Tang Family unless they reach a certain level of achievement, let alone the outsiders.

This was a brutal act of friendship that only a terrifying villain could commit; to lay open such a valuable resource simply to build rapport.

What would happen if the elders of the Tang Family learned of this?

They would probably just sigh, saying, “Ah, what can you do about friends?”

Because it was well-known that Tang Nan-ah had no friends, and this fact caused widespread concern.

This proved Tang Nan-ah’s meticulous schemes but also fell short of her reputation as a great villain.

Thanks to this, Qing properly expanded her horizon.

She hadn’t realized just how many memorization techniques existed in this world.

She had thought it would be something like just shurikens or whatnot, but that was far from the truth.

Just the things she saw—sand, needles, nets, poison, and dozens of others, all manner of throwable techniques…

Tang Nan-ah excitedly explained them all.

Sand is used to blind, usually sprinkled with special techniques or via gloved hands.

“It’s best when it gets in the eyes, but masters can defend against that, you know? So, the best thing is to sprinkle it into hair. The poisonous sand that burrows into the hair is hard to get out. Plus, the toxins can cause hair loss. Hehe.”

This horrifying talk made Qing shudder.

This time, she truly felt the essence of a villain.

Needles can trap and can be thrown like meteors using poisoned threads.

Qing shivered at this point.

She really hated needles…

Bows are arrows, disguised through special mechanisms like folding instruments.

The general darts are well-known, and the mechanisms referred to as ‘dart launchers’ are simply devices to shoot them.

Then there are nets.

Qing shuddered again at this point.

She really hated nets…

The ‘ground traps’ aimed at the feet took various forms, simple three-legged traps and others, some flat ones that reminded her of her hometown.

As they looked like foot mines disguised as toys that kids play with and adults collect.

“Then we have shooting arrows. The special ones could be like white phosphorus or those that create a loud noise!”

And arrows shot with reed flutes, usually called ‘flute arrows,’ are fired by blowing into them.

This paragraph was followed by a mix of technique descriptions.

“This here is my favorite dart, and I’ve attached two separate rotating weights so that it wobbles like waves when thrown; once buried in flesh, it digs deeper and deeper like this, this, this…!”

Tang Nan-ah illustrated the scene with her hands, describing how the dart digs in.

When someone is talking about their favorite thing, their face tends to sparkle.

Sunshine-like, the radiant beauty of Tang Nan-ah radiated a pure and innocent charm unlike any other.

Watching her beautiful face, Qing pondered.

Talking about poison and darts digging into flesh while looking so cheerful is just a tad jarring…

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