The Fortunate Sword God of the Zhuge Clan - Chapter 59

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 59.
Dok Go Hyun accepted the bundle without letting his expression slip.
“You’re not going to claim it’s counterfeit, I hope?”
At Dok Go Hyun’s sharp question, Yi Young waved his hand dismissively.
“Not at all! How could I commit such a deed against you? The effect is certain. Only, take care. Side effects shouldn’t trouble you, but if word were to get out that you used it, complications could arise.”
“I’ll handle that myself. If it’s genuine, there’s no problem.”
Dok Go Hyun received the Spirit Medicine and turned to leave.
As Dok Go Hyun turned away, Yi Young offered a fist salute.
“I’m grateful for the kindness you’ve shown. I hope we might meet again someday as we wander the Jianghu.”
“Indeed. You’ve worked hard too. Then.”
“Yes. Go carefully inside.”
The two exchanged these light parting words and headed to their respective lodgings.
Once they’d put some distance between them, Dok Go Hyun paused briefly to examine the Spirit Medicine Yi Young had given him, then kicked off the ground with all his strength.
Dok Go Hyun’s body shot forward like an arrow.
His destination was naturally the Jegal Family Estate’s lodging.
‘It could threaten my life?’
Dok Go Hyun was a Peak Master.
Ordinary objects could not threaten his life.
However, Dok Go Hyun placed absolute trust in Mu Heun’s words.
Because of this, Dok Go Hyun, rushing forward with all his strength, arrived at his destination in less than a moment.
“Junior!”
Mu Heun was waiting for Dok Go Hyun outside the gate.
“Take it!”
At Mu Heun’s command, Dok Go Hyun unhesitatingly threw the red bundle he held in his hand.
Catching it, Mu Heun activated a formation at unprecedented speed.
Sinbaekgi Formation No. 6. Gwan Hyun Byeok Yeong Formation.
The green barrier that had protected the Medicine King from the Black Guard unfurled around Mu Heun.
Then Mu Heun raised his index and middle fingers and traced a cross above the red bundle.
The green barrier of the Gwan Hyun Byeok Yeong Formation transformed into a small bandage-like wrapping that enveloped the bundle.
Seal.
The bundle was instantly enclosed without gap or flaw within the green bandage of the Gwan Hyun Byeok Yeong Formation.
Dok Go Hyun looked down at the bundle wrapped tight in the green bandage and asked Mu Heun.
“…I did as you said, but what is this thing that threatens my life?”
“I don’t know for certain. I didn’t see it.”
“Huh?”
“But I can make an educated guess.”
Mu Heun set the bundle on the ground and put some distance between them before continuing.
“The fact that you came here means he questioned me about our relationship. He probably asked whether we would meet again.”
“…That’s right.”
“In other words, he’s hoping we take this object and meet. That’s strange. They want us dead to hide their existence, so why would they hope for that? What if I receive this and ask my father to analyze it?”
Mu Heun nodded and continued.
“Then this must be something that shouldn’t exist in that scenario. It means this is something that could eliminate us before we could do anything.”
“…So that’s why you said it could threaten my life.”
Dok Go Hyun understood why Mu Heun had said such a thing, but there remained a puzzle he couldn’t solve.
“But what kind of object could eliminate a Peak Master? And you—not just anyone, but a son of the Five Great Families—to be eliminated? Right in the middle of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering?”
It was hard to imagine, yet they had already laid the groundwork.
“Since last night, rumors have been spreading rapidly that the Tianmo Divine Sect will summon a Fire Demon to the Dragon Phoenix Gathering. It’s their stratagem to divert attention. And there do exist objects that could eliminate a Peak Master, though they’re rare. For instance….”
Crack!
Suddenly, something shattered inside the bundle wrapped in the green bandage, releasing an enormous flash of light.
“What, what is that?”
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The bundle flashed endlessly, continuing to emit deafening blasts.
The bandage of the Gwan Hyun Byeok Yeong Formation that enveloped it trembled without cease, its size swelling bit by bit.
The bandage, once small enough to hold in one hand, had grown to a size difficult to lift with both hands.
Swelling as though it might burst at any moment, the two stepped back further, yet—
Whoosh.
With a sound like air escaping, the bandage deflated like wind leaving a sail, returning to its original size.
The Gwan Hyun Byeok Yeong Formation, spent of its strength, lost its green color and turned white, separating from the bundle to reveal what lay within.
Nothing. Nothing remained but smoke.
“…It seems it was a variety of Byeok Ryeok Bomb. It was made to detonate after a set time had passed.”
“…Byeok Ryeok Bomb?”
“Precisely. A bomb with significantly enhanced destructive power. In a case like this….”
Mu Heun tried to lift a fragment of the pale bandage from the Gwan Hyun Byeok Yeong Formation, but failed.
The exhausted bandage crumbled to dust the moment his fingers touched it.
“The Gwan Hyun Byeok Yeong Formation—the seal has been compressed to reduce its size while increasing its hardness. Even a Peak Master cannot break through it, yet this Byeok Ryeok Bomb nearly succeeded.”
Had it struck true, the ones reduced to powder would have been Mu Heun and Dok Go Hyun.
Dok Go Hyun stared blankly at the remains, then his expression twisted and he turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“Obviously to find that bastard Yi Young and beat him to death.”
What if Mu Heun had failed to see through their scheme?
Yi Young would have pinned the blame on the Tianmo Divine Sect and slipped away from the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, celebrating his success in peace.
The attempt on his own life was infuriating enough, but what burned most was the knowledge that Yi Young had tried to kill Mu Heun as well.
‘He tried to use me to murder someone else?’
More than relief at surviving, the realization that he’d been manipulated ignited a towering rage in Dok Go Hyun.
Mu Heun watched the younger man’s retreating figure and spoke.
“Hold on.”
“What, trying to talk me out of it? Don’t bother. I need to kill that bastard to settle this.”
“That’s not the direction.”
“What?”
Dok Go Hyun turned back to face him.
“That way leads to Yi Young’s quarters, but he won’t be there. He’s already packed and left, likely the moment he handed you the bomb. With his exit from the sparring tournament, no one would think to stop him.”
Dok Go Hyun’s jaw clenched.
“…So he’s already fled? There’s no way to catch him?”
“I said no such thing.”
Mu Heun’s lips curved into a thin smile.
“There’s simply no need for us to rush. I’ve already sent someone reliable ahead.”
***
A night draped in hazy moonlight.
Three figures descended rapidly from Wudang Mountain.
One of them was Yi Young, and to any observer, he appeared to be departing the Dragon Phoenix Gathering alongside his companions from the Sung Gwon Sect.
The truth, however, was entirely different.
Yi Young extended his Ki Sense to sweep the surroundings, confirmed no one was near, then exhaled with relief and grasped his own neck, pulling upward.
Crack-crack-crack—
The Human Skin Mask fashioned into Yi Young’s likeness peeled away, revealing the rough-haired man beneath.
His features were unremarkable, but his eyes gleamed with an unsettling, absolute indifference.
It was Heuk Gon, the Fragmented Skeleton of the Black Guard.
Heuk Gon turned to the gaunt man standing beside him and spoke.
“Pa Gong, the Byeok Ryeok Bomb’s performance was reliable, yes?”
“Tee-hee-hee. You don’t trust me that much?”
The man called Pa Gong let out an unpleasant laugh.
“I controlled both the timing and the force perfectly. By now, they should be powder.”
“If you’ve failed, the powder will be you.”
“Ah, what a bloodthirsty tone. Makes me want to kill you.”
Pa Gong’s eyes narrowed into fierce slits as he glared at Heuk Gon.
“Think you’re everything because you’ve been given command?”
“I merely stated a fact.”
“Stop fighting, you two. Do you bicker every single day without fail?”
A woman carrying a large musical instrument on her back sighed and scolded them both.
Heuk Gon turned to her and clicked his tongue.
“Hwan Ju. If this fails, you’ll have accountability to face as well.”
“Me? What for?”
“How many men have you consumed? Five? What will you do if this gets exposed?”
Hwan Ju glared at Heuk Gon with a cold expression.
“Those fools approached me wanting to try their luck, so what? I worked hard spreading rumors about the Tianmo Divine Sect, and using the Fang Zhong Art to recover some energy—isn’t that reasonable?”
“Energy? You merely satisfied your own filthy desires.”
“You… Sigh, never mind. How could someone like you understand an artist’s heart? I’ll just have to be patient.”
Hwan Ju shook her head as if to say she accepted his ignorance.
Heuk Gon seemed about to retort, then abandoned the effort, closing his mouth and fixing his gaze ahead.
“In any case, the plan proceeded as intended, so let’s move past it.”
“Your tone’s gotten awfully sharp today.”
“Pa Gong, you don’t understand. That bastard’s never had an ounce of manners to begin with.”
Heuk Gon walked on stubbornly, as if deaf to the jeers of his two companions.
“Doesn’t matter. We’ll be reaching the meeting place soon where Cheong Gal was supposed to have the carriage ready. We just get in and leave—”
Then, abruptly, Heuk Gon stopped.
The two following behind him sensed something as well and froze in place.
“…What is it?”
A new presence had entered their Ki Sense—someone who definitely had not been there a moment before.
“Something’s coming.”
“Heh heh… this isn’t ordinary.”
All three were agents of the Black Guard.
Meaning, all three were Peak Masters.
What it meant for such a presence to suddenly pierce through their Ki Sense was unambiguous.
“A master. Someone who transcends the Peak is heading toward us.”
At Heuk Gon’s words, Pa Gong and Hwan Ju nodded in agreement, their tension mounting.
As long as they hadn’t left Wudang Mountain, this was enemy territory.
Worse—the worst of enemy territory, where the monstrous leaders of the Orthodox Faction gathered in one place.
For that reason, they did not lower their guard.
No matter how strong this one presence might be, only a single entity registered in their Ki Sense.
There were three of them; they could handle it somehow.
Yet what happened immediately after shook them with profound confusion.
Thud.
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“….”
A corpse was hurled from empty air.
And it was someone they all knew very well.
“…Cheong Gal?”
Cheong Gal, who had descended Wudang Mountain earlier to prepare the carriage, lay dead with a massive hole torn through the center of his body.
Recognizing the deliberate provocation, Heuk Gon drew up his True Energy while staring in the direction the corpse had come from.
“Who are you?”
It was a question asked without much expectation of an answer, yet unexpectedly, the opponent responded.
“Speaking in casual tone from our first meeting? Ah. Looking at your faces, you do seem fairly aged. Even so.”
A languid voice drifted through the air, but the speaker’s form remained invisible.
“Did you kill Cheong Gal?”
“What, you think he just tripped and smashed his chest into a rock? I’d appreciate it if you’d think a bit more before you speak.”
At that response, Heuk Gon gave his companions orders in a voice of absolute certainty.
“It’s an assassination attempt. He’s hiding in the darkness, planning to take us down one by one. Stay together and cover all directions.”
“That’s true enough, but the commanding tone is a bit much, isn’t it? You’re definitely going to die today.”
“Ugh. Is that what we need right now? Let’s just go with it for now. One person commanding is more efficient.”
The three agents stood back-to-back, watching in all directions.
Pa Gong drew out his specialty—the Byeok Ryeok Bomb—while Hwan Ju took up the Musical Instrument slung across her back, preparing to play a deadly melody.
Heuk Gon too clenched his calloused fists together, completing his combat readiness.
They had formed a position from which they could respond regardless of when or where the opponent emerged.
Yet the opponent acted in a way they had not anticipated.
“An assassination attempt?”
A man in red robes, a spear slung across his shoulder, stepped out boldly in front of the agents.
“I never hid to begin with. It’s just that you couldn’t find me.”
“…A spearman?”
“Yeah, so you do have eyes after all.”
Doubt flickered across Heuk Gon’s face.
“You’re not a martial artist who participated in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering. Who are you? Why did you kill Cheong Gal?”
At Heuk Gon’s question, the man let out a cold laugh.
“Why I killed that bastard? Well, there are several reasons, but I’ll give you the two biggest ones.”
The man spun his spear as he spoke with a brazen tone.
“First, I owe your organization a significant debt, and I’ve been waiting a long time to repay it. This is just the beginning of that.”
“…You owe our organization a debt?”
“That’s right. And the second reason is a matter concerning our organization.”
The man stopped spinning his spear and lowered it slowly.
“I heard your people touched one of our members. I’m the captain there, so I can’t just let it slide.”
“Your organization? What do you…”
Crack!
“The sound….”
Heuk Gon’s words caught in his throat.
Before he could even finish speaking, Pa Gong’s head standing beside him exploded.
It wasn’t that he’d been careless.
He’d been braced for the possibility that this man could strike at any moment, and Pa Gong must have been thinking the same.
Yet they hadn’t reacted.
No—they couldn’t have.
From the start, none of them—not Heuk Gon, not Pa Gong, not Hwan Ju—had even seen the blow coming.
“Ah, and one more thing.”
The man who’d cut down Pa Gong with that impossible strike smiled as though it were nothing at all.
“My name is Yang Mujin. Last heir of the Yang Family and commander of the Cheon응 Group. If they ask you in the next life who killed you, that’s what you tell them.”
Yang Mujin’s cruel smile widened as he raised his cold blade toward the two remaining warriors before him.

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