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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Serpent Spirit Party
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"So, you failed?"
"We were completely wiped out. We tried to recover the bodies, but they burned them all, so we couldn't even find the corpses. This is all we managed to bring back."
The man hurriedly placed something in front of him. It was a half-burned corpse.
"This was all that remained when your subordinate arrived."
The corpse floated lightly and vanished into the curtain. A heavy silence followed for a while.
"So it's that guy."
The man looked up.
"You mean…?"
"Yes, the one who slaughtered thirty members of the Heaven-Shaking Squad. I wondered why we couldn't track him down, and here he was."
The corpse emerged from the curtain again. The man quickly caught it and tossed it outside. The subordinates waiting there collected it and carried it away.
"Shadowless."
"Your orders, my lord!"
"Withdraw the Bird-Rat Party deployed at Mount Hyeong."
"Understood!"
"And strike the Jo Family Manor."
At the Blood Demon's command, Shadowless's body froze for an instant. But he had no choice but to respond.
"Understood."
"Make haste."
No sooner had the Blood Demon spoken than Shadowless's body melted into a shadow on the floor. Silence then enveloped everything.
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The Umun Family. Though not among the Five Great Families, it was in no way inferior. The world ranked it alongside the Jo Family Manor, but in truth, the Umun Family's power was incomparable—vastly superior.
Among its many strengths, the most outstanding was its financial might. It dominated not only the commerce of Shaanxi, where it was based, but a full third of the trade routes across the land.
It was said their martial prowess fell short of the Jo Family Manor's, but that wasn't entirely true. The Umun Family harbored considerable hidden strength unknown to the world.
In the heart of the Umun Family, inside a small secret chamber, two men conversed with grave expressions. One was an elderly man radiating benevolence; the other, a stern-faced middle-aged man.
"So, have you looked into it?"
"Not definitively yet."
"'Not definitive' implies you've grasped the outline, at least. I know your abilities better than anyone, Division Leader."
The middle-aged man, addressed as Division Leader, nodded slightly and spoke.
"What they obtained from the Tang Family seems to be Thunderclap Bombs."
"Thunderclap Bombs!"
An exclamation of shock burst from the elder's lips. The mere mention of Thunderclap Bombs carried immense weight.
"How could the Tang Family acquire such things?"
"It appears they collaborated with the Hwa Family near Heochang to produce them. Though it's not confirmed."
"The Hwa Family?"
The elder tilted his head. He knew of them well—a fledgling house with little promise of growth. Even in partnership with the Tang Family, they hardly seemed capable of crafting peerless weapons like Thunderclap Bombs.
"They're descendants of the Thunderclap Sect."
Only then did the elder nod in understanding. That changed everything. The Thunderclap Sect had vanished from the jianghu centuries ago, taking their secrets—including the formula for Thunderclap Bombs—with them. Only the bombs they'd left behind lingered as echoes of their former glory.
And now, those Thunderclap Bombs had reemerged. Through the power of the Thunderclap Sect's remnants and the Sichuan Tang Family.
"This warrants careful consideration."
The man fell silent, waiting as the elder pondered. When he thought, one simply waited. The elder always arrived at the most rational conclusions.
"How much?"
The man answered without hesitation.
"Enough to fill five large wagons."
"Hmph, an enormous quantity. Considering historical records of their use… it could obliterate several sects without a trace."
His words finished, the elder's eyes gleamed.
"Yang Division Leader."
"Yes, speak."
"We must seize those Thunderclap Bombs—and their formula."
"It shall be done."
The elder nodded in satisfaction at Yang Division Leader's resolute reply. But his expression soured moments later.
"And the young lady knows as well."
The elder glared at Yang Division Leader.
"Stealing a few scraps of intelligence from within the family is child's play for the Serpent Spirit Party."
"Hmph, using the Serpent Spirit Party like that…"
"You entrusted it to her yourself, Family Head."
"I know."
"In truth, the Serpent Spirit Party is almost too valuable just as her personal guard."
The elder—no, Umun Family Head Umun Hwang—shook his head firmly.
"It's not enough."
If Umun Hwang said so, it was so. Yang Division Leader bowed lightly in agreement. Whether Umun Hye truly warranted such protection was another matter.
"What's Hye doing now?"
"She's already left the family grounds."
Umun Hwang pressed a hand to his forehead. Umun Hye was the only one who could give him headaches.
Chapter 6. Serpent Spirit Party
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Dawn broke. And Ma Yuk departed.
With a slightly lighter load, Ma Yuk hurried toward Heochang. Having traveled only two days, a bit of strain would get him back to the Henan Escort Bureau soon enough. There, he'd decide on reinforcements for the escort.
Hyeong Pyo watched Ma Yuk's receding figure with a twinge of unease. He had ample experience, but commanding an escort was a first, leaving him tense. Especially with Tang Family warriors along.
"Whew, time to get moving, I suppose?"
At Hyeong Pyo's signal, the wagons lurched forward again. The escort warriors, scarred by yesterday's ordeal, were eager to end this run swiftly. Their pace quickened considerably.
The Tang Family warriors formed a wide perimeter around the cargo. It was the escorts' role by rights, but with none left, the Tang warriors filled in.
Tang Ho-gwan and Tang Cheol-gi led ahead, separate from the rest.
"Even after all this, do we really need to stick with the Henan Escort Bureau?"
Tang Cheol-gi's expression was skeptical. No matter how he turned it over, there was no reason to continue. It was day three, after all.
"With all their escorts dead, they've got nothing to say anyway."
"So what do you propose?"
Tang Ho-gwan's question eased Tang Cheol-gi's face. His idea was gaining traction.
"After Mount Pyeongjeong, contract a new escort agency."
"And the Henan Escort Bureau? Just send them packing?"
"They failed the mission. No need to pay them, right?"
Tang Ho-gwan smiled faintly at Tang Cheol-gi's words.
"Is that truly what you think? Recall why we chose them in the first place."
Tang Cheol-gi replied instantly.
"Their reputation."
"Good. That's all."
But Tang Cheol-gi pressed on.
"A minor issue like this would be better handled by pulling in a smaller agency…"
Tang Ho-gwan frowned. He knew exactly what Tang Cheol-gi meant. He'd argued the same from the start: hire an obscure agency and eliminate them cleanly after.
"I said no. You think that wouldn't draw attention? It's far riskier."
Tang Cheol-gi shut his mouth. He didn't agree, but Tang Ho-gwan was in charge.
"Besides, no other agency could transport these goods to Sichuan within a month."
Tang Ho-gwan paused, then continued in a low voice.
"And who knows what else might happen? Why send them away now?"
Tang Cheol-gi couldn't follow. If danger loomed, shouldn't they hire stronger escorts? None outmatched Tang warriors, true—but he doubted the Henan escorts would help against future threats.
Tang Ho-gwan looked at him incredulously.
"You really have no idea?"
"I can't understand what you mean, Uncle."
Tang Ho-gwan fell silent, glancing around at the Tang warriors. They ringed the cargo, eyes sharp in all directions, brimming with confidence. Amid them, Dan Hyeong-u stood out.
Tang Ho-gwan turned to Tang Cheol-gi.
"Who do you think handled those beasts yesterday?"
Tang Cheol-gi answered matter-of-factly.
"You, of course, Uncle. Truly the Tang Family's secret art, Heavenly Thunder."
Tang Ho-gwan couldn't help but falter. Heavenly Thunder? Who in the Tang Family even practiced it now? Only then did he grasp Tang Cheol-gi's proposal: he mistook Tang Ho-gwan for its master.
"You could've at least hinted to this foolish nephew that you'd perfected Heavenly Thunder. Haha."
Tang Ho-gwan glanced at the warriors again. Now he saw the source of their confidence.
Heavenly Thunder.
Among the Tang Family's martial arts, the most famed and devastating? A hundred outsiders would name Shower of a Thousand Flowers. But every Tang clansman would say Heavenly Thunder.
Shower of a Thousand Flowers unleashed a sky-darkening barrage of hidden weapons. Heavenly Thunder infused each with thunder qi—a literal thousand bolts crashing down, the family's ultimate secret.
Of course, no one in Tang history had mastered it. Except one: Tang Ak, its creator.
Tang Ak, dubbed Thunder Emperor, had crushed famed experts and annihilated the North Sea Ice Palace's bid to conquer the jianghu.
Centuries ago.
Tang Ho-gwan recalled yesterday. Speed so immense even he might have missed it passing before his eyes. No wonder the others hadn't seen. And the bolts raining like simultaneous lightning strikes.
'Easy to mistake for Heavenly Thunder.'
Legend held it unleashed hundreds of thunderbolts at once. The thunder-qi weapons must have looked the part—no one alive knew the truth.
"Whew, Cheol-gi. You really think I've mastered Heavenly Thunder?"
"Of course. If not you, Uncle, then who?"
Admiration gleamed in Tang Cheol-gi's eyes, mingled with envy—and fleeting greed for the secret.
"You're greatly mistaken. If I had, would I have just watched ten of our kin die?"
Tang Cheol-gi paled in confusion.
"N-No way… Then what was yesterday…?"
"One of the Henan Escort Bureau's escorts."
Horror washed over Tang Cheol-gi's face.
"W-What do you mean?"
"One of their expert escorts did it. Now do you see why we must stick with them?"
Tang Cheol-gi still couldn't process it. An escort wielding Heavenly Thunder? Absurd.
Tang Ho-gwan shook his head lightly at the reaction and quickened his pace. Tang Cheol-gi remained bewildered; the Tang warriors' confidence pierced the heavens.
Tang Ho-gwan walked mechanically, deep in thought about Dan Hyeong-u's true nature. Before he knew it, they'd left Henan and entered Shaanxi.
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Jo Family Manor Head Jo Il-hyeon was a spear master who had forged his house with it. Many wielded spears in the jianghu, and no few earned acclaim as experts, but only he dominated a region as overlord. Henan's Foremost Spearman, Heochang's Greatest Expert—and naturally, the world's finest, Heaven's First Spear.
To uphold that fame, Jo Il-hyeon never neglected training. Nearing fifty, he adhered rigidly to his regimen: two hours at dawn to start the day, one at night to end it.
Today, too, after his duties, he visited the training hall.
Seating cross-legged at the center, Jo Il-hyeon quietly regulated his breathing, circulating his qi. Spear drills mattered, but inner cultivation was equally vital.
And as realm advanced, manipulating qi or gaining insight through meditation eclipsed physical exertion.
Mid-cultivation, Jo Il-hyeon sensed an ominous aura. Subtle enough he might have missed it without focus.
He opened his eyes, concentrating senses outward once more. Nothing unusual this time.
"Did I imagine it?"
He shook his head. No mistake—it had been vivid. Yet now it was gone. An ill foreboding gripped him. He hurried to his study.