Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Light Novel: Volume 3 Episode 8

Manhwa: Chapter 35

There was tension in the Qingcheng mountain.

It was because of the crowd who visited at sunset. The people who climbed Mount Qingcheng carrying a coffin with the body were Tae Yeonho and the martial artists of the Thunder Clan.

The warriors of the Qingcheng sect looked displeased at the martial artists who visited without notice. It was not considered polite in Jianghu to make such a sudden visit with another sect without a message in advance.

Much less, the Qingcheng sect is a sacred sect with ties to Taoism.

There was no reason to allow a group with swords to enter without permission. However, the matter was so urgent that the Qingcheng sect had no choice but to let in the martial artist of the Thunder Clan.

They are now facing each other in a big hall in front of the great Daejeon.

In the middle between the Qingcheng sect and the Thunder Clan, there was an Ongwan held from the bottom of the mountain.

At that time, the top leaders walked out from Daejeon. As they appeared, the warriors of the Qingcheng sect bowed their heads.

In the center of the leadership was Muryeongjin, the sect leader of the Qingcheng sect.

Muryeongjin looked at Tae Yeonho with clear eyes and said,

“What are you trying to do with me, sect leader Tae?”

“That’s what I want to ask you, sect leader Muryeongjin.”

“Let me hear the full story. For what reason have you brought this coffin here?”

“Inside this coffin is my disciple’s corpse.”

“It’s unfortunate that sect leader Tae’s disciple died, but I don’t think this has anything to do with our sect.”

“Do you truly not understand?!”

Tae Yeonho’s eyes widened as he looked at Muryeongjin. At that, the disciples of the Qingcheng sect were furious.

“Show some respect!”

“How dare you persecute the sect leader of our Qingcheng sect!”

The disciples of the Qingcheng sect had the momentum to attack the martial artists of the Thunder Clan at any moment. This was the home of the Qingcheng sect, so their power and numbers were superior.

If the Qingcheng sect wanted to, they were capable of subduing all of the martial artists of the Thunder gates who came up here in a hurry.Nevertheless, the reason why Muryeongjin and the rest of the disciples keep their manners is because of their roots as a Taoist.

Muryeongjin raised his hand to calm down the agitated disciples. He then asked Tae Yeonho,

“I really don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Can you explain to me what happened?”

As the news of Nam Hosan’s assassination had not yet been reported to the Qingcheng sect, Muryeongjin did not know why Tae Yeonho was making such a fuss.

“Very well. In that case, I will show you myself.”

Tae Yeonho opened the coffin lid. Then the body of Nam Hosan, lying in a miserable state, was revealed.

“Ugh!”

“Namu Amida Butsu Buddha!”

The appearance of a corpse full of terrible sword slashes was enough to shake the hearts of the Qingcheng sect warriors.

“This is the body of my disciple. Do you not feel anything when you see this child?”

“I express my deepest condolences to the disciple’s misfortune. But what do we have to do with the disciple’s death?”

“Can’t you see this child’s wound? Even though it’s a wound from the Seventy-Two Sword Waves!”

“No way.”

It was then that the Muryeongjin people and the rest of the department heads took a closer look at the scars left on Nam Hosan’s body.

“Hm!”

“Are you saying it’s really the Seventy-Two Sword Waves?”

They unknowingly let out a sigh. This was because the scars left on Nam Hosan’s body were traces that appeared when the Seventy-Two Sword Waves was used.

A confused expression appeared on Muryeongjin’s face.

This is because the Seventy-Two Sword Wave was definitely a technique of the Qingcheng sect.

Tae Yeonho shouted,

“Are you still going to deny it? My disciple was assassinated by an assassin using the Seventy-Two Sword Waves of the Qingcheng sect. This cannot happen without the Qingcheng sect killing him.”

“Sect leader Tae! Calm down first.”

“How can I calm down? My disciple was killed by the sword of the Qingcheng sect.”

“I’ll get to the bottom of this…”

“Do not procrastinate, and give me a proper explanation. Is it because you think that if my disciple marries the Woo Seolha of the Hundred Flower Room, we will be on the side of the Emei sect? Are you worried about the Emei sect that much? Enough to commit such a cowardly thing.”

At the words of Tae Yeonho, Muryeongjin’s eyebrows twitched.

At that moment, the lion’s hood exploded.

“The imprudence!”

After the huge roar that resounded all over the Qingcheng sect, Tae Yeonho and the rest of the Thunder Clan covered their ears and stumbled.

At that time, a man with a cold expression jumped out from among the department heads.

A middle-aged man reduced the space in an instant and appeared in front of Tae Yeonho. He was Mu Jeong-jin, the strongest warrior of the Qingcheng sect.”

A ferocious light flashed in Mu Jeong-jin’s eyes as he looked at Tae Yeonho.

Muryeongjin, who saw it, cried out.

“Don’t!”

“How dare you act in such a way after coming to the Qingcheng sect unnannounced?!”

Mu Jeong-jin did not care and extended his hand to Tae Yeonho.

It was one of the techniques of the Qingcheng sect, Thunderstorm Palm.¹

“You musn’t, junior brother!”

Tae Yeonho quickly drew his sword and performed a defensive stance. However, it was not enough to block the sword of Mu Jeong-jin.

Bang!

Tae Yeonho’s body bounced back with the explosion. The sword he was holding split due to the formidable power of the Wind Thunder Palm.

Mu Jeong-jin jumped and then followed Tae Yeonho.

Tae Yeonho bit his lip at the unfamiliar flashing eyes and fierce momentum.

Mu Jeong-jin’s Wind Thunder Palm shook Tae Yeonho’s internal organs, so he couldn’t bring out his power.

“Junior brother! Show mercy!”

“You must not kill him, Junior brother!”

Muryeongjin and Muhwajin shouted at the same time.

At that moment, Mu Jeong Jin-in’s hands pounded Tae Yeonho’s whole body.

Purberbuck!

“Geuh!”

Tae Yeonho screamed and collapsed.

Luckily, Mu Jeong-jin controlled his attack, so Tae Yeonho did not stop breathing. But Tae yeon-ho’s appearance still looked very miserable. He knelt on the floor filled with his blood.

Mu Jeong-jin looked down at Tae Yeonho while holding his back.

“Do you find our sect that laughable? To the point that you would try to persecute us with such an outrageous accusation?”

“I didn’t lie.”

Tae Yeonho answered with difficulty. Then, Mu Jeong-jin’s eyes turned even colder.

“Quiet. If you talk nonsense again, I will kill not only you, but also everyone who climbed the mountain.”

Tae Yeonho kept his mouth shut at the terrifying threat of Mu Jeong-jin. There was a gloomy expression on his face. When he experienced the formidable power of a Mu Jeong-jin first hand, he couldn’t dare to respond.

Clearly, it was the Qingcheng sect who did something wrong, but they were the one being persecuted here. Tears wanted to come out from his heart.

Tae Yeonho looked at Muryeongjin.

“Is this how the Qingcheng sect does things? To suppress others with force so that no objection can be raised?”

“I apologize, sect leader Tae!”

Muryeongjin hastily tried to make excuses. But before that, Mu Jeong-jin kicked Tae Yeonho in the chest.

Puck!

Taeyeon-ho couldn’t even scream, flew away and lost consciousness.

“Priest! Why are you attacking him here? It will not be too late to find out the circumstances first and then act later.”

“Once we subdue it, it is not too late to check the situation. The more we look at the situation, the more they would look at us with ridicule. Namu Amida Butsu!”

Mu Jeong-jin replied coldly and went into Daejeon. Muryeongjin looked at his back and murmured.

“What the hell happened to the priest in the past? Although he was cold in the past, he was never that frenzied.”

At some point, Mu Jeong-jin changed little by little. He became ferocious and vicious. And he couldn’t hold back his anger.

At first, he thought that Mu Jeong-jin was just going through a simma in the process of learning martial arts. When anyone learns martial arts, they tend to experience a little bit of heart demon², and most of them escape safely.

Qingcheng sect’s martial arts contain the essence of Taoism, so it is especially easy to escape from heart demon. So he didn’t pay much attention to it, but as time went on, the brutality of Mu Jeong-jin was increasing.

The problem is that there is no way to control Mu Jeong-jin right now.

The martial arts of Mu Jeong-jin could be said to be the best of the Qingcheng sect. In order to control him, it was possible only at the level of Go Yeopjin, an elder from the previous generation. However, he retired a long time ago and it has been a long time since he left the Qingcheng sect.

Muryeongjin sighed softly and said to the Muhwajin.

“Hoo… Let the priest talk to you as soon as sect leader Tae wakes up. Give them a place to live.”

“Okay. Namu Amida Butsu!”

After the Muhwajin politely stood up, he approached the members of the Thunder gates.

Muhwajin was respected by many for his mild personality. He led those who were angry at Tae Yeonho’s injury and took them to their own quarters. In addition, a physician was sent to Tae Yeonho to treat him.

After the situation seemed to have calmed down to some extent, the Muryeongjin spoke to the nearby master of the Cheongsu Koreansang.

“Cheong-yeob!”

“Yes, sect leader.”

The name of the monk who responded politely is Cheong-yeob. He was a great disciple of the Qingcheng sect famous for his nickname as the Swordsmanship Scholar.³

“It looks like you’ll have to head to Chengdu.”

“Are you talking about me?”

“Yes. Something is amiss there. You should take some disciples and check the situation over there.”

“Alright.”

“If you’re struggling, go to Priest Woo and ask for his help. Even though you’re heartbroken and let go of public affairs, I won’t refuse your request.”

“I will.”

Cheong-yeob bowed his head.

Priest Woo, whom Muryeongjin spoke of, was referring to Woo Jinpyeong.

After the death of his son, Woo Jin-pyeong, who made the greatest contribution to the success of the Qingcheng sect, has lost all his motivation and returned to his hometown.

Muryeongjin quietly closed his eyes and muttered.

‘How the hell did things get to this point? Oh Primordial Heaven. Please look over the Qingcheng sect.’

His eyes didn’t open for a long time.

* * *

As night fell, the Song Guest House was as quiet as a dead mouse.

This is because many of Song Guest House’s guests just used the restaurant and returned home. There were not many guests who stayed overnight. Thanks to this, Pyo-wol was able to spend time quietly alone.

There was only one small lamp illuminating his room.

Pyo-wol leaned his back against the wall and looked at the oil lamp swaying. Even with the windows closed, the wind was blowing from somewhere and waving the lanterns.

Pyo-wol thought that the oil lamp resembled himself a lot.

He lived a precarious life where he can’t even see what’s going to happen. If he wanted to, he could leave Jianghu and live comfortably. With his current ability, it was enough to enjoy a life filled with glory or wealth.

Still, Pyo-wol chose revenge.

Without hesitating.

He was arrested at the age of 14 and lived without seeing the light properly for 14 years.

He’s been living like an angler in order to somehow survive in a hellish environment where his fellow captives were dying right next to me.

For this reason, his emotions and way of thinking were remarkably different from those of ordinary people.

Even Pyo-wol knew that fact.

And he realized one more thing.

It’s the fact that he will never be able to live like everyone else.

Shruck!

At that moment, the sound of someone pulling their skirt was heard in Pyo-wol’s ear.

Someone approached his room.

Pyo-wol turned his head slightly and looked at the door.

The sound got closer and closer and stopped right in front of his door. Then the door carefully opened and someone came in.

Even though the woman who arrived was just wearing a light dress, she had a gorgeous rose-like appearance.

It was Woo Seolha.

Seolha, who came in with the door open, was looking straight at him. She had a surprised expression on her face. But it was only for a short time, she soon came to Pyo-wol with a bashful smile.

“So you’re still awake.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“There’s no place in Chengdu that our Hundred Flower Room’s eyes don’t reach. It’s not particularly hard to find a remarkably handsome man like you.”

Seolha naturally approached Pyo-wol as if it was her own room and sat down next to him. When Seonha sat down next to him, the fragrant body scent of Pyo-wol stimulated her.

“How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Young lord Nam Hosam of the Thunder Clan. What did you do for the Thunder Clan leader to be so furious and accuse the Qingcheng sect of being the culprit?”

“Who knows?”

“Aren’t you the one who killed him?”

Seolha had a confused expression on her face. It was her who asked Pyo-wol to kill Nam Hosan, but she was not sure if Pyo-wol really killed him.

“Be honest with me. What happened?”

“Why does it matter who the killer is? All that matters now is that he’s dead.”

“That’s it, but…”

“Whoever is responsible for killing him, you’ve accomplished your purpose anyway. Isn’t that what you want?”

In an instant, Seolha’s eyes became hazy.

It was because Pyo-wol had a strong body scent that made her light headed.

“You’re right. Nothing else matters.”

Seonha’s breathing became ragged involuntarily.

At this moment, her mind is empty, and she can’t think of anything else. All she had in her mind was the thought of wanting to be embraced by Pyo-wol.

And she did what she thought.

“Haaa…”

Seolha hugged Pyo-wol’s waist and looked up.

Editor’s Notes

Enjoy reading!

To remind people of the names:

1. Muryeongjin. Qingcheng sect’s Sect Leader. Saint of Martial Spirit.
2. Mu Jeong-jin. Qingcheng sect’s Greatest Warrior. Saint of Martial Justice.
3. Woo Jinpyeong. Qingcheng sect’s Second-in-Command. Father of Woo Gunsang.

Terms:

1. Thunderstorm Palm. Other translations: 풍뢰장(風雷掌).
   • 風 wind, air
   • 雷 thunder
   • 掌 palm of hand, paw
2. Heart demon. Other translations: Simma, 심마를.
   • Meaning: A demon that resides deep in the heart, usually unaware of its existence, but is described as an ordeal before one attains enlightenment by cultivating the Way.
3. Swordsmanship Scholar. Other translations: 검백학(劍白鶴)
   • 劍 sword, dagger
   • 白 white, pure
   • 鶴 crane