Almighty God of War - Chapter 117

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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117

 

 

That night when Jupyo and the warriors departed.

In the darkness past midnight, Guyang Cheongang was examining the Laughing Buddha Statue.

With urgent matters taken care of, he had gained some leisure time.

Only a single candle dimly illuminated the separate building, and the stillness of night deepened his concentration even further.

But today too, confirming the statue’s secret proved difficult.

Because there were intruders.

[Doctor, there are individuals approaching the separate building.]

‘How many?’

[Two. Distance 100 meters… 80 meters… continuing to approach.]

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes sank deeply as he tucked the statue into his chest and asked.

‘Hostility?’

[No hostile biological signals detected. Rather, they’re not intentionally hiding their presence.]

It was indeed so.

The approaching footsteps were stealthy, but they weren’t trying to completely conceal themselves.

It was as if they were trying to signal that they weren’t enemies.

‘Interesting. Who could it be?’

Soon the presence stopped in front of the door and a low voice was heard.

“Prince Hahou, may we have an audience?”

The voice cutting through the night air was cold and restrained.

It was a young man’s voice.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and two shadows with moonlight at their backs entered.

The man who entered first was a handsome man with features so refined it was hard to determine his gender.

The face revealed beneath his hood was like flawless white jade, but his eyes alone were cold and deep as ice.

The woman following behind was beautiful like a painting under moonlight, but her beauty wasn’t the kind that put people at ease.

So dazzling that it rather sent chills down one’s spine, like a well-honed blade containing poison.

[Doctor, the male’s hormone levels differ from ordinary men. His testosterone concentration is remarkably low.]

Fine wrinkles formed between Guyang Cheongang’s brows.

Testosterone was a male hormone, and for a man to have low concentrations of it had an obvious meaning.

‘He’s a eunuch?’

[It seems so. And he’s one who has learned martial arts. Same for the woman.]

Guyang Cheongang smoothed his brow and welcomed the two people.

“Please come in.”

The handsome eunuch entered the separate building first and bowed politely.

“Young Master, I am Hanjo, an inspector of Dong Chang. I have come to see you under His Majesty’s secret orders.”

‘A Dong Chang inspector?’

He had somewhat expected that the man was a eunuch from the Imperial Palace.

But Guyang Cheongang’s eyes widened as he hadn’t thought he would be from Dong Chang.

Dong Chang was the Emperor’s direct secret intelligence organization, and an inspector was a mid-level manager of that organization.

Though not very high in official rank, his actual power rivaled that of 2nd or 3rd rank high officials.

Next, the woman gracefully performed a cupped fist salute and spoke.

“I am Pung Socheong, Red Moon Scar, Branch Master of Hao Gate Imperial Capital Branch.”

Her voice was clear like jade beads, but not entirely pleasant to hear.

Because a Branch Master of Hao Gate, whose main business was information gathering and trading, couldn’t be an ordinary female warrior.

Guyang Cheongang was inwardly bewildered.

A Dong Chang inspector and a Hao Gate Branch Master.

One was a shadow-like existence of the Imperial family, and the other was an information broker of Murim.

It would be hard to find a more mismatched combination.

“Please sit.”

Guyang Cheongang offered them seats.

A subtle current flowed between them as they sat facing each other.

The candlelight flickered, alternately illuminating the faces of the three people.

Hanjo spoke first.

“Young Master, His Majesty had words to convey to you before departing for Murim.”

His voice had a machine-like coldness, completely devoid of emotion.

Pung Socheong spoke up with an alluring smile.

“Our Hao Gate also has information that must be conveyed to you, Young Master.”

Her smile was beautiful, but the intentions hidden behind it were hard to read.

Guyang Cheongang’s gaze alternated between the two people.

Hanjo remained expressionless, while Pung Socheong maintained her mysterious smile.

Guyang Cheongang asked.

“Is there a reason you two came together?”

Hanjo and Pung Socheong glanced at each other.

Pung Socheong spoke first.

“Young Master, do you remember the intermediary who brokered the job for Ya Wol who infiltrated the Yeom Family Warehouse?”

The corner of Guyang Cheongang’s eye twitched.

“I heard from Hero Yeom Pung that he was your blood relative, Branch Master.”

“Yes, that’s correct. He’s my elder brother.”

Pung Socheong smiled brightly and continued.

“Hero Yeom spared my brother’s life. Recently, he made one request of me as payment for that life-saving grace.”

Guyang Cheongang nodded.

The conversation he had with Yeom Pung at that time came to mind.

He had said he would seek help from the Hao Gate Imperial Capital Branch Master.

Guyang Cheongang asked.

“Was it an investigation into the ouroboros tattoo?”

“Yes. It was about that tattoo testified to by the palace maid you interrogated at Myeonghwa Palace, Young Master.”

Hanjo interjected with an expressionless face.

“I too was tracking the same tattoo under orders from the Admiral Eunuch.”

Only then could Guyang Cheongang guess how the two people before him had come to work together.

“Did you two meet while conducting your investigations?”

Pung Socheong nodded and answered.

“That’s right. We encountered each other by chance while investigating separately, and discovered we were tracking the same target.”

Hanjo nodded and said.

“His Majesty ordered me to inform you of what we discovered before you departed for Murim, Young Master. Since Branch Master Pung and I happened to be following the same lead…”

“We naturally came together.”

Pung Socheong finished the statement.

Guyang Cheongang looked directly at both of them and asked.

“What clues have you two discovered?”

The candlelight flickered greatly once more, and the tension inside the separate building grew even thicker.

Pung Socheong elegantly took a sip of tea before speaking.

“Young Master, do you know of Gwimun Mountain located about five hundred li northwest of the Imperial Capital?”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“If you go about fifty li further into it, you’ll find a gorge called Soul Loss Valley.”

Pung Socheong’s voice lowered as she continued.

“A hundred years ago, it was where two hundred thousand southward-moving nomadic peoples and about five hundred thousand troops of the Hwan Empire fought a great battle.”

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes deepened.

“Seven hundred thousand in total… It must have been a battle of tremendous scale.”

“That’s right. Of the two hundred thousand nomadic warriors at the time, more than one hundred fifty thousand died, and the Hwan Empire also lost two hundred thousand soldiers, making it truly a great battle that created mountains of corpses and seas of blood.”

Hanjo added in an emotionless voice.

“But the real tragedy occurred after that. At the moment when the battle was most fierce, a great earthquake struck.”

“An earthquake?”

“Yes. The earthquake completely twisted the terrain of the canyon, and hundreds of thousands of surviving soldiers from both nations were buried alive underground.”

Jegal Hwi picked up the story.

“After that, legends about the Canyon of Vengeful Spirits were born.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a space where the vengeful spirits of those who were buried cannot escape and wander deep underground as ghosts.”

“A place where hundreds of thousands died… the name Soul Loss Valley of Gwimun Mountain doesn’t seem out of place.”

Guyang Cheongang, his brow furrowed, continued to ask.

“By any chance, is that place related to the ouroboros tattoo?”

Hanjo nodded and pulled out a small wooden box from his sleeve.

When he opened the lid, an iron plaque the size of a palm was revealed.

On the surface of the iron plaque, the image of an ouroboros was intricately embossed.

Seeing it, Guyang Cheongang’s eyes sharpened.

[Doctor, I detect faint demonic energy from that iron plaque.]

“Where did you obtain this?”

Hanjo answered in a calm voice.

“I found it in a village called Ghost Valley Village at the entrance to Soul Loss Valley.”

“In the village?”

“To be precise… I found it in a village that had been completely wiped out.”

Guyang Cheongang’s expression hardened.

Hanjo looked directly at him and continued speaking.

“A month ago, reports came in that a strange plague was spreading in Ghost Valley Village. But there was something odd about it.”

“What was odd?”

“The corpses weren’t rotting. So Dong Chang secretly began an investigation. I was dispatched to the scene.”

“You found this iron plaque in that village?”

“Yes. I found it in the Village Chief’s house. The dead Village Chief was clutching it tightly in his hand.”

Guyang Cheongang glanced at the iron plaque and asked.

“A month ago… you wouldn’t have known the significance of this when you were investigating, Hanjo.”

“That’s right. I simply thought of it as the Village Chief’s personal belonging. But…”

Hanjo’s voice seemed to grow a bit heavier as he continued.

“After returning to the Imperial Palace and making my report, His Majesty gave me a new mission. He ordered me to support the Young Master. Right after that, I also learned about the Myeonghwa Palace incident.”

“That’s when you discovered the connection?”

“Yes. I heard about the Palace Maid you interrogated at Myeonghwa Palace. About the ouroboros tattoo on the wrist of the one who used the Soul Absorption Technique.”

Guyang Cheongang nodded and looked at Pung Socheong.

“Then how did you become involved in this matter, Branch Master Pung?”

A lonely smile appeared on Pung Socheong’s lips.

“Our Hao Sect had planted an informant in Ghost Valley Village. He was someone who ran a small tavern, but suddenly contact was cut off.”

“So you went to see for yourself.”

“Yes. A few days ago I encountered Hanjo there… at first we were wary of each other. I said that the government and Murim should just mind their own business, but…”

Pung Socheong looked at Hanjo and continued.

“This person was honest with me. He said he was investigating the ouroboros pattern on the iron plaque and needed the Hao Sect’s help.”

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes deepened.

“You immediately realized the connection between Chief Hanjo and me?”

“Yes. Hero Yeom Pung had asked me to investigate the ouroboros tattoo. The fact that we were tracking the same target ultimately meant…”

“You thought you needed to meet me.”

Hanjo picked up the conversation with an indifferent expression.

“His Majesty’s orders and the Hao Sect’s investigation were pointing in the same direction. That’s why I came here with Branch Master Pung.”

Guyang Cheongang remained silent for a moment, organizing the situation.

[Doctor, it seems we’ll have to go to Ghost Valley Village.]

‘It seems we’ll have to.’

Guyang Cheongang looked back and forth between the two and asked.

“Looking at both your expressions, it seems you have more to say. What is it?”

Hanjo and Pung Socheong looked at each other.

In their eyes was clearly a reluctance to speak about something.

Guyang Cheongang frowned and looked at them for a moment before asking.

“By any chance… is there a more serious problem beyond what you’ve told me so far?”

Hanjo’s expression darkened.

He looked down at the iron plaque for a moment, then opened his mouth in a heavy tone.

“Actually, there was something even stranger than the corpses not rotting.”

Guyang Cheongang leaned forward.

“What was it?”

“After completing the first investigation and returning to the Imperial Palace, I headed back to Ghost Valley Village a few days later. I thought there might be clues I had missed.”

Hanjo paused, his pupils trembling slightly.

“But… when I arrived at the village, I couldn’t help but be shocked.”

“Why?”

“Not a single corpse remained.”

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes widened.

“What? What do you mean?”

“When I first investigated, there were over a hundred corpses scattered everywhere. In houses, on the streets, by the well area… the entire village was like a giant tomb.”

Hanjo’s voice sank even colder.

“But on my second visit, I couldn’t find a single corpse.”

Guyang Cheongang asked.

“Didn’t someone bury them?”

Hanjo shook his head.

“There was no cemetery anywhere nearby. To bury over a hundred corpses would require a considerable-sized common cemetery…”

“Are you saying there wasn’t even a trace?”

“That’s right. There was no sign of dug-up ground or newly made graves anywhere.”

“What about the possibility that someone moved the corpses elsewhere?”

“That’s why I investigated the nearby villages, but I couldn’t find anyone who had seen such a sight.”

“Hmm…”

Hanjo continued.

“Moving that many corpses is no ordinary task. It would require dozens of carts and take several days. You’d also need dozens of people to transport them. It doesn’t make sense that no one saw such a large-scale operation.”

Guyang Cheongang looked back and forth between the two and asked.

“So you’re saying the investigation has hit a dead end.”

Hanjo nodded.

“There are no more clues to pursue. Only this iron plaque remains as the sole evidence.”

Pung Socheong spoke with a meaningful expression.

“But now that the Young Master is here… perhaps you might discover something we overlooked?”

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes deepened.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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