Chapter 107. Reunion (2)
With the full backing of True Immortal Hyeon-cheon, she became one of the strategists of the Martial Alliance and accomplished many things.
Not only did she make great contributions to uncovering the Heavenly Demon Castle branches hidden all over the Central Plains, but in battles against the Heavenly Demon Castle, she repeatedly saved the Martial Alliance from crisis with astonishing tactics and outstanding decisiveness.
At the beginning of the Black–White War, the Heavenly Demon Castle's momentum was so overwhelming that her participation and performance were all the more significant to the Martial Alliance.
When they were pushed to the extreme by the Heavenly Demon Castle and even the Gansu martial world collapsed, some people even said that without her, the orthodox sects might have been completely finished.
An appearance as beautiful as a fairy.
Unpredictable strategic wisdom.
And on top of that, Do Heo-ok's martial arts.
Truly, it was a rebirth as the greatest talented woman in the martial world.
Thus, Namgung Hye became the most spotlighted among the many strategists of the Martial Alliance, the Martial Fairy.
***
The Martial Fairy, Namgung Hye, responded to the people's cheers with a heavenly smile.
Meeting their expectations was something necessary, and also an easy and effective kind of "packaging technique."
People cheer for a plausible shell. It was the same now. They were intoxicated by a slightly—perhaps quite a lot—pretty appearance, without seeing her true nature. Looked at another way, it was proof that her performance was excellent.
However, the man walking slowly beside her right now—what he was thinking, whether he was being properly fooled—there was no way to know.
'Hehe. This variable is quite proper.'
Of the "two variables" that entered the Martial Alliance yesterday, one of them seems to be the real thing.
"May I ask for young hero's honorable name?"
Namgung Hye asked.
"Zhong Zhihang. Probably..."
It was a name she had never heard before. It did not exist anywhere in the Martial Registry stored in her head.
Namgung Hye smiled brightly once again.
Most of the young martial artists who were looking at her staggered as if about to collapse. The image of the Martial Fairy, added to the beautiful shell called Namgung Hye, strongly tempted the youths.
The closer they got, the stronger her influence inevitably became. So as she and Zhong Zhihang moved forward, the crowd split cleanly to both sides.
But Zhong Zhihang, walking beside her, seemed to have no interest at all in such subtle currents and simply followed quietly.
"If it is not rude ..."
"Don't do it. If it is rude."
"..."
How impudent.
So Namgung Hye smiled slightly again.
The young ones did not even know why she was smiling and fell over themselves once more.
Foolish.
An impudent one and foolish ones.
She found the former far more interesting. And when the former was overwhelmingly stronger, was there any value in even mentioning it?
Even just walking beside her, the qi of the man called Zhong Zhihang tightened around her heart as if suffocating her. He seemed far stronger than all the scarecrows around here who knew nothing and were dying over the mask called Namgung Hye combined.
Perhaps...
'Maybe about that heavy guy standing in line over there?'
Namgung Hye's gaze turned from the very front of the long line to the man who had just entered the hall being used as a temporary reception office for the All-Under-Heaven Youth Martial Arts Tournament application.
A man in black light armor with a distinctive scar cutting across his left cheek.
She did not know what his name in the Central Plains was, but his original name—or rather, his alias—she knew very well.
'Gwangun.'
***
Star Radiance.
Gwangun, letting the noisy sounds coming from outside pass through one ear, wrote those two characters on the application form.
He thought he had forgotten everything after becoming one of the Eighteen Clouds, but... it seemed he had not forgotten everything after all.
Gansu Cheng Family Manor.
In the empty space under the name, he wrote three more familiar characters.
The receptionist martial artist who received his application opened the Affiliate Sect Registry placed at the corner of the desk. After searching through the registry several times, he tilted his head and said.
"Gansu Cheng Family Manor? Is this really a sect affiliated with the Martial Alliance?"
Gwangun's left cheek twitched. The long, torn, hideous scar on his face writhed like a living thing. The sight was quite threatening.
An inexplicably sharp presence. The martial artist swallowed once and searched the affiliate sect list again.
After searching for quite a while, he finally found the words "Gansu Cheng Family Manor."
But this time too, as if something was strange, he tilted his head and said.
"Ah! Here it is. But there's a red line drawn here ..."
A red line means death. If a red line is drawn over a sect's name, it means the death of the sect—in other words, extermination. So from the start, he had not looked at the names with red lines when searching.
That was why the martial artist had tilted his head. It was the first time a descendant of an exterminated sect had applied to participate.
"Is that a problem?"
Gwangun said. It was a terribly unpleasant voice, like scratching a wall with sand, but strangely heavy.
The martial artist glanced up at Gwangun and carefully said.
"No, no. The seal of the Gansu Cheng Family Manor stamped here and the exclusive secret art … hm? It's erased so much that I can't really make it out?"
As the martial artist said, the name of the exclusive secret art proving affiliation with the Gansu Cheng Family Manor was almost erased and hard to recognize.
But Gwangun, as if he recognized it, said in a rough voice.
"Cheng Family Eight Forms."
After hearing Gwangun's words and looking again, it seemed—no, it was definitely those characters. The martial artist nodded and said.
"Ah, I see. Then now stamp here and demonstrate the Cheng Family Eight Forms—no, forget it. Even if I see it, I wouldn't know, so there's no need to 펼칠 it. The fact that you recognized these characters as the Cheng Family Eight Forms alone means you must be a descendant of the Gansu Cheng Family Manor, right? Hahaha."
Knowing the Cheng Family Eight Forms. That alone makes one a descendant of the Cheng Family...
It was an extremely humiliating remark, but the martial artist did not even realize what kind of mistake he was making.
For a moment, a terrible killing intent burst out from Gwangun's body and then disappeared. But no one here sensed it. No, they could not. There was no expert here capable of that.
Without a word, Gwangun took out an old seal from his chest, stamped it at the bottom of the application, and received the All-Under-Heaven Youth Martial Arts Tournament application confirmation slip from the martial artist.
He turned around and left the place straight away.
After he left, the martial artist muttered in a low voice.
"A brat from a fallen sect acts all high and mighty. Damn unlucky."
The martial artist roughly folded Gwangun's application and casually placed it on top of the pile of applications.
Then, in an irritated voice, he said.
"Next."
***
Yeon Yeong-ha stood behind the bustling crowd, opening her mouth wide like a child and smiling innocently. Her eyes were also sparkling like those of a child watching a festival. It was not only because of the intense killing intent she had felt a moment ago. Just the fact that she was standing here, in this dirty and polluted place, was immensely enjoyable.
"Elder Noh. There are so many interesting people here. As expected of the Central Plains! Lunatics that are hard to find even one of in Yunnan are lying around everywhere."
Madness raging everywhere, desires boiling up like an active volcano, greed that could not be contained and was discharged outside the body without any filtering. All these dirty emotions mixed together into an intensely strong alcohol.
Good, so good! It's really good!
[Kill them. Kill them all.]
Heavenly Slaughter Energy, just like her, was going mad from the unrefined emotions of the lunatics.
"Ah~ this scent is really nice. So ..."
"..."
"I want to kill them all. Really. Heh."
Playful words. But the tall old man standing behind her like a shadow knew better than anyone that it was not a joke.
Past experience. Like everyday life in Yunnan.
"There are too many people today. How about coming back tomorrow?"
The old man's voice was as low and shadowed as his gloomy face. Cold sweat was forming on his forehead, and his clenched fist was filled with strength.
"Eh~ that's not it, Elder Noh. Didn't I just say? Lunatics are lying around everywhere. Even if we can't apply today, let's just stay here a bit longer and smell this scent. Mmm~ how fragrant the air here is, right?"
"...…."
"And you know. That guy should be somewhere too. Maybe he's watching me right now. That..."
A human with no color, no taste, no smell. But ... also a dangerous human.
A ghost among ghosts, Dong Gwang-cheon.
Thinking of him, Yeon Yeong-ha's eyes were once again turning pitch black.
"Young lady. We should return at once."
Seeing that, Elder Noh hurriedly bowed and said to her. His fingertips were trembling. That was how worried he was about what might happen.
Yeon Yeong-ha could clearly tell what her eyes had turned into from Elder Noh's reaction.
She snorted a laugh, lightly poked Elder Noh in the side, passed by him, and walked toward Muhwa Gate.
"Ah, okay. Okay. Not yet. If we blow it up already, it'll be too boring. Go, go. Go back. Instead, bring me some proper prey. Last night's ones were too tasteless. Bring something delicious. Otherwise ... this time, I might eat you, Elder Noh."
"... Yes. Understood."
Of course, her words were not a joke this time either, and Elder Noh knew that fact all too well.
Tadak, tadak.
"Lululu~"
She lightly matched her steps, one by one, and left Muhwa Gate, like a child who had obtained a new toy.
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