Chapter 122. Suspension of the Passage

From time to time in the boundless streets, the name Namgung Hyun could be heard. It was not in a good sense. Rather than praise for a martial artist, the rumors attached to him were consumed with greater interest.

Yet Namgung Hyun walked quickly as if he could not hear.

Only once, but he had clearly heard the rumor that Tang So-hwa had disappeared.

During the Martial Arts Tournament, all attention had been fixed on him, so he could not make contact with the Blood Sect. Thus, the moment the finals ended, he left the headquarters.

Entering an inn, Namgung Hyun sat at a wide table on the first floor. A black cloth hung as a curtain, but it was a thin veil that could be easily lifted with just a hand. The waiter who guided him to his seat asked,

"What would you like?"

"No meal, just bring me a cup of wine."

Namgung Hyun placed one tael of silver on the table. For wine, it was an excessive amount. The waiter glanced at him briefly.

"There are many guests, so you may have to wait a little. Is that all right?"

Even if orders were piled up, it would not take long to bring out a cup of wine, yet the waiter asked as he pocketed the silver.

"I cannot stay long, so bring it as quickly as possible."

The waiter nodded and quietly disappeared.

But even after a long time, the waiter did not return. From time to time, footsteps could be heard, telling only that customers were leaving.

As the Hour of the Rat (11 p.m. – 1 a.m.) was about to end, the black cloth was lifted and the waiter reappeared.

"If you are seeking fine wine, you may go select it directly from the storage. Would you like to do that?"

"I will."

When Namgung Hyun rose, the waiter guided the way.

Opening the storage door, the waiter stood still while Namgung Hyun entered alone.

The storage, lit by a single lamp, was very dark.

A man seated in the corner held the lamp and was examining wine barrels. Perhaps checking inventory, the man, writing something while glancing at the barrels, spoke.

"How could such an honored guest come to such a shabby place?"

There was scorn in his voice.

"For one carrying so many eyes upon him to come here so boldly, this lowly one's heart pounds wildly."

This was an inn operated by the Intelligence Hall of the Blood Sect. The man had been working here since before the Blood Demon closed the passage, and he had once belonged to the Blue Blood Hall.

At the Blue Blood Hall Lord's request, he had come to the Central Plains ahead of others to secure a position, so close was his relationship with the Hall Lord. Yet before the Blue Blood Hall could even settle, the passage was closed, and for three years, he had to suffer hardships under the gaze of the Main Blood Hall.

He had long hated that brat from the Profound Emptiness Pavilion, the root of all these troubles—but who could know how things would turn out?

Now, he was once again aiding the Blue Blood Hall Lord by dealing with this very man.

The man let out a deep sigh, displeasure evident.

Hubei was the base of the Main Blood Hall Lord, so Namgung Hyun's visit here, drawing attention, was uncomfortable.

Three years ago, when the Blood Demon punished the Intelligence Hall, he had said that all members of the Intelligence Hall could be killed. Yet the Main Blood Hall Lord had not done so. Those from the Intelligence Hall who submitted to him were spared.

The man had once thought himself someone who valued pride above life, but on that day he had to realize that he was wrong.

Recalling that humiliating past, strength naturally filled his body. Once he helped the Blue Blood Hall Lord kill the hound, this one would be next.

Namgung Hyun sensed the man's anger. The murderous intent he so openly exuded was suffocating.

Yet Namgung Hyun concealed his thoughts with his characteristic gentle voice.

"In the end, it is only the gaze of the Main Blood Hall. Why be so concerned?"

"It seems you have not come to draw the gaze of the Main Blood Hall, but rather of the Blue Blood Hall."

"It's amusing that Main Blood Hall and the Blue Blood Hall, both being dogs, can distinguish between each other."

The one gauging the stock gave a short laugh, tucking a thin brush behind his ear. At the same time, his cold gaze lifted toward Namgung Hyun.

"I have seen many whelps who, because their master favored them, forgot their place. In the end, such creatures were always torn to pieces by a fiercer dog behind them."

At the Blood Sect member's warning to watch his mouth, Namgung Hyun instead smiled.

"The Cold Iron has fallen into someone else's hands. It feels like it was just yesterday when you were so confident about winning, so this is strange."

"To fail to win because of your own inadequacy, and then to blame others—tsk, tsk. How pitiful."

The smile hanging on Namgung Hyun's lips slowly faded.

A vague suspicion had now turned to certainty.

The trial the Blood Demon had once given him was withdrawn.

The Tang Clan's eldest daughter, and the two passages.

It did not matter that the Blood Demon had abandoned the passage. But taking Tang So-hwa—this could not be overlooked.

Rather than foolishly bring up the Tang Clan's eldest daughter, Namgung Hyun instead spoke of the passage he had until now ignored.

“When the time came, I agreed to pave the path he had long desired. I had heard it was a road he yearned for all his life, yet now, for some reason, he seems more preoccupied with something else.”

He spoke with a sly voice, dragging out the end of his sentence.

"If you make the wrong choice, it may take a very long time to open the passage."

The Blood Sect member's gaze sharpened, but Namgung Hyun narrowed his eyes with a smile.

"This is not something I can control. Even in what cannot be seen, there is a natural order. One choice inevitably affects the next."

The Blood Sect member clicked his tongue inwardly.

A youth with a delicate face, yet with something bizarre about him. Behind his pure white face, like a lotus blooming from muddy water, there was the stench of rot.

'This is why one must not draw close to a sorcerer.'

It was said since ancient times that entangling with them only brought misfortune, so sorcerers had hidden themselves away among their own kind. Only because the Blood Demon had shown grace and delivered them could they now brazenly walk with their faces uncovered.

And yet, having even seized the seat of a Namgung Clan Young master, he now dared to look with such ungrateful eyes. The Blood Sect member found the snake-like sorcerer unbearably offensive.

Though he revealed his killing intent, the sorcerer did not shrink back. Instead, with an arrogant face, he smiled at the Blood Sect member.

"If you break your promise and covet something else, you may not be able to obtain the path from me."

"Watch your tongue, sorcerer. There is nothing in this world the Blood Demon cannot obtain."

"My mother once told me: if you rashly twist the natural order and covet what is not yours, heaven itself grants enlightenment. To teach the way of emptying greed, it is said Heaven takes much away. Seeing that worry creep into my heart, it seems the Blood Demon is coveting what is not his."

The sorcerer raised the corners of his lips.

When the Blood Sect member gave no reply, the sorcerer plucked the brush from his ear. Then he scrawled something across the man's ledger.

"Deliver this to the Blood Demon."

Reading what was written, the Blood Sect member muttered coldly,

"Your arrogance pierces the heavens."

Even at the man's warning, Namgung Hyun's smile did not falter in the slightest. As though he had said all he meant to, he turned without another word.

When Namgung Hyun left the storage, the Blood Sect member looked again at the ledger.

What was written was a line of verse from a poet born in Sichuan. A famous phrase drunken braggarts would recite endlessly, one that anyone working in a tavern could not fail to recognize.

The Blood Sect member's expression twisted fiercely.

It was a warning, written in those words: since all things under Heaven and Earth have their owners, one must not touch even a hair that is not theirs.

The sorcerer had left behind a foreboding message, declaring that the Blood Demon would not achieve his will.

"This is why one must breed them properly. With so few in number, even when they act this arrogantly, it is difficult to kill them..."

The sorcerer's arts existed solely for the Blood Demon.

What he had spoken could be concealed, since a lowly Blood Sect member could hardly meet the Blood Demon directly, and so the message might be delayed without end. But written words could not be ignored. What was written could always be delivered to the Hall Lord and passed on to the Blood Demon.

'How Cunning. He must know the Blue Blood Hall Lord has withdrawn, and so he came to use me as his messenger bird.'

The Blood Sect member cursed the sorcerer and tore out the page he had written on.

In that instant, a strange thought crossed his mind, and his eyes narrowed.

"But would that sly bastard really come looking for me during the Martial Arts Tournament just for a paltry warning like this?"

He had not even left behind any particular demand. Only an uneasy warning not to lay hands on what was not his.

'What exactly is it that he warns not to covet?'

The sorcerer's cryptic letter left him uneasy.

The Blood Sect member tucked the torn paper into his robes and swallowed a sigh. For now, it seemed best to report the matter as soon as the Blue Blood Hall Lord returned.

***

Namgung Hyun was deep in thought. He even considered going directly to Jin Yin Mountain, but since he was confined to the headquarters, it was impossible. If someone were to notice the formation left behind on the ground, suspicions might arise.

Still, he could not simply sit by and watch as the Blood Demon took Tang So-hwa away.

'How can I bring Young Lady Tang back...?'

A sigh escaped him from the stifling situation—when suddenly, a strange sight caught his eyes.

A long line had formed at the headquarters. From the familiar faces, they seemed to be Alliance members returning late after drinking.

Step.

As he halted, a young man at the front recognized him and waved cheerfully.

"Oh, Young warrior Namgung Hyun!"

It was Hwang Bo Rim, the Young Lord of the Hwang Bo Clan, infamous as a rake.

Though he could not participate in the tournament since he had already won once before, he had still come to the headquarters, boasting everywhere that he longed for the taste of Hubei's liquor. His speech was coarse, and Namgung Hyun had no wish to associate with him.

Feeling a deep weariness, Namgung Hyun nevertheless managed a smile.

Back during the Alliance of the Five Noble Clans, it had been troublesome enough shaking off Hwang Bo Rim's forced friendliness. And now, in the middle of the night, he had to deal with the man drunk on wine.

When Namgung Hyun subtly averted his gaze, the tactless Hwang Bo Rim waved even more vigorously.

"Ah, come this way!"

"No. Others have been waiting before me, I'll line up at the back."

"Mm?"

Blinking, Hwang Bo Rim turned his gaze to those standing before Namgung Hyun.

At the rake's eyes, the young martial artists flinched and quickly sidestepped. In an instant, a path opened.

Hwang Bo Rim grinned and called out brightly,

"Young Hero Namgung Hyun, quickly come to the front. After fighting in the finals, of course, you should enter first and rest!"

"That's right. Please, come forward."

One of Hwang Bo Rim's companions even rushed over to pull Namgung Hyun to the front.

Once he joined the Hwang Bo group, the young martial artists resumed their conversation.

"By the way, it's such a pity about Taoist Yeon-ah. Doesn't this mean she won't be able to receive the Cold Iron?"

At those words, Namgung Hyun furrowed his brows.

"What do you mean she won't be able to receive the Cold Iron?"

In his place, Hwang Bo Rim answered with a bitter look.

"They say a Blood Sect bastard showed up here in the headquarters. Bold as can be, he wore Young Lady Tang So-hwa's human-skin mask and sneaked into the Alliance Leader's quarters. Because of that, the headquarters locked its gates, and here we are suffering for it."

Namgung Hyun flinched.

So it had been exposed that Young Lady Tang was kidnapped.

"Even hearing it again, that bastard's nerve is astounding. To impersonate the direct descendant of the Tang Clan of Sichuan inside the Alliance Leader's own quarters—does he think he has two lives?"

"Ah, exactly my words."

Hwang Bo Rim clicked his tongue in agreement. At that moment, one who stood beside him gave a late explanation for Namgung Hyun, who had just arrived.

"They say they don't know if there are more Blood Sect bastards inside the headquarters, so they're carrying out inspections. That's why the gates are closed. But in this situation, would the headquarters hand out the Cold Iron? For all we know, the Blood Sect entered for that very reason."

"The headquarters saved themselves some money then."

"Eh, would Wudang just sit still? They'll force it out eventually."

While the young men of the Hwang Bo Clan exchanged their opinions, Hwang Bo Rim sighed as he looked at the long line.

"Ah, I should have come back earlier. At this rate, my drink will wear off before I even pass out. No worth in paying so much for wine."

When he turned back, Hwang Bo Rim stiffened. Namgung Hyun's expression was dark.

Only then did Hwang Bo Rim recall what he had seen during the Alliance of the Five Noble Clans—the strange undercurrent between Namgung Hyun and Tang So-hwa. The rumors had been even worse.

Disliking complicated affairs, he normally had no desire to meddle in others' romances. But wanting to befriend Namgung Hyun, Hwang Bo Rim gathered every bit of social tact he possessed and offered comfort.

"Young warrior Namgung Hyun, there's nothing you can do right now. Don't torment yourself too much. Besides, I heard the Tang Clan Head, the Black Sky Demon, and Hak—no, no, the Tang Young Lord went to search for her. Not only that, the Alliance Leader himself went along, so all will be fine."

"That's right. Even Wudang's Tai Chi Sword Saint has gone!"

"And the Four Seasons Hall Lord, too."

"I heard from someone in the front line that Mount Hua's Elder Muso also went."

As his retainers added on, Hwang Bo Rim clapped his hands.

"Ah, see! With that many, what danger could there be?"

With a hearty laugh, he set his hand on Namgung Hyun's shoulder.

"Besides, since it was said the Blood Sect used formations, Zhuge Clan Head sent four masters of formation arts along. Even Lady Cheon-yu, whom he treasures, was sent. If it were truly dangerous, would he have let Young Lady Zhuge go there? So you may rest easy."

Yet despite his effort, Namgung Hyun's face did not brighten.

When his consolation failed, Hwang Bo Rim changed the subject.

"Ahem. By the way, what of the closing banquet? With things like this, will it even be held...?"

"With the Alliance Leader absent, there's no one to lead it. And yesterday, a large portion of the headquarters' staff departed for the North Sea Branch. They were already short-handed, and with this chaos, it likely won't be held."

Hwang Bo Rim covered his mouth with his hand, lowering his brows.

"Haa, what a shame. Listening to the elders’ speech for hours in such tense air was truly a delight."

"Young Lord, lower your hand. Looks like you're smiling."

Though the Hwang Bo group tactfully shifted the topic to the closing banquet, Namgung Hyun's face remained set.

He lifted his head, straining every nerve to listen. But beyond the courtyard wall, no bird call could be heard.

Swallowing dryly, Namgung Hyun turned to leave.

"Oh? Young warrior Namgung, where are you going?"

"My body is weary, I can hardly stand. I'll rest at an inn in Wuhan and return in the morning."

Hwang Bo Rim stared at him in disbelief and muttered,

"... Young warrior Namgung is wise indeed. Why didn't we think of that?"

As Hwang Bo Rim admired him, one of those beside him spoke with concern.

"There won't be any empty inns left in Wuhan. Won't it be a wasted trip?"

"It's fine. If there's none, then it can't be helped."

With those words, Namgung Hyun stepped away from the line.

Back on the streets of Wuhan, he searched for an empty inn. The remaining establishments were shabby, but he paid them no mind.

Namgung Hyun immediately asked the innkeeper to send a letter to the Platinum Pavilion.

It was an act that would have shocked the Main Blood Hall Lord if he knew, but Namgung Hyun made a reckless decision.

The Alliance Leader and members of the Murim Alliance had gone to meet the Blood Demon—this was a rare chance.

If he informed them that the Alliance was moving, the Blood Demon might release Young Lady Tang back into the Central Plains to cut off pursuit.

Namgung Hyun intended to lure the Main Blood Hall Lord to Jin Yin Mountain with this news.

The Hall Lord, more than anyone, wished to prevent the Blood Demon from gaining influence over the Central Plains. If he learned that the Blood Demon had kidnapped a direct descendant of the Tang Clan, he would certainly move to interfere.

In any case, with the Blood Demon having already withdrawn the test, there was no longer a need for Namgung Hyun to keep the secret.

Yet even after a full day had passed, no reply came.

Not even a messenger appeared to punish him for making unauthorized contact. Considering the Main Blood Hall's reputation for severity, this was strange.

Namgung Hyun returned to the headquarters several times, but even after days, the gates did not open.

Though the situation was urgent, Namgung Hyun remained completely in the dark. His face grew haggard with worry.

‘Could Young Lady Tang possibly withstand the Blood Demon?’

The Tang So-hwa he knew could not even last for a moment, let alone a half hour, against the Blood Demon. She was closer to a physician than a martial artist.

On his way back to the inn, Namgung Hyun suddenly changed his mind. Instead of the inn, he turned toward the Platinum Pavilion.

Upon arriving, he frowned.

The pillars bore marks as if hacked by an axe.

Approaching the main gate, he touched the gouges carved into the crimson wood. There were traces of an applied technique.

‘Did the Red Blood Hall infiltrate here?’

His instincts warned him not to enter.

Yet without further thought, Namgung Hyun pushed the doors open.

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