Chapter 130: Ti for the Hunt. -02
Seonwu Bang nodded his head.
It was not as though Ban Hojin had beco widely known in a bad way, so there was absolutely no reason for him to shrink back.
Nor was it in his nature to do so.
Instead, as his na spread, the number of those who coveted Ban Hojin would naturally increase as well.
‘Like that bastard.’
Even though he was gaining fa alongside Ban Hojin, Murong Cheok’s expression was far from pleasant.
As more and more rivals appeared, it was only natural that Murong Cheok felt uncomfortable.
But he was in no position to say anything to Ban Hojin, so he could only stew inwardly.
“Let’s leave matters concerning Ironblood Fortress to the Beggars’ Sect and the Hao Sect and focus on our own work.”
“Do you think there are more remnants left?”
“Even if there are, it’ll be hard for them to move easily. Back when it was the Blue and Red Twin Fiends, nothing was known about them, so it was easier for them to operate in the shadows. But now it’s different. If there’s even the slightest suspicious sign, the Beggars’ Sect and the Hao Sect will investigate from behind the scenes. Even if they have forces capable of moving, they won’t be that many.”
“That’s true, but.”
“Why? Are you scared?”
Ban Hojin, who had been walking at a leisurely pace, grinned.
At the unmistakably teasing expression, Seonwu Bang put on a confident look.
“Scared? We’ve already clashed with them once. We’re past the point of no return with Ironblood Fortress anyway. I’m just worried about variables.”
“Oh.”
Ban Hojin let out a peculiar sound as if impressed.
But despite Ban Hojin’s teasing reaction, Seonwu Bang continued calmly.
“I’m confident, but the kids are different.”
“What do you an by that?”
“I’m confident too.”
Except for the pensive Murong Cheok, Seo Joun and Jeong Iryong imdiately protested.
Seo Joun in particular reacted fiercely.
Seonwu Bang had broken out of his shell and grown much stronger, but Seo Joun was also growing at a terrifying pace.
If one judged purely by internal energy, excluding Ban Hojin, he had the most among them.
“Who got injured the most back when we dealt with the Blue and Red Twin Fiends?”
“You can’t use that as the standard. It should be based on how many enemies each of us took down. There’s a reason the word ‘rit’ exists.”
Since using injuries as the asure put him at a disadvantage, Seo Joun waved his fingers dismissively as he spoke.
Instead, he chose a standard that favored him.
“Did anyone even count the numbers?”
“I did. I figured this kind of argunt might co up later.”
“I didn’t.”
“I counted.”
Unlike Seonwu Bang, who shrugged, Murong Cheok spoke up for the first ti in a while.
He did so with his characteristic overbearing expression.
“You’re fighting over the most trivial things. What matters is whether we won, not how many we killed.”
At the sight of his companions bickering over sothing so insignificant, Ban Hojin clicked his tongue.
Their builds were like mountains, yet their minds seed like those of little children.
“Bang-hyung started it.”
“That’s true.”
At Seo Joun’s attempt to shift all the bla onto him, Seonwu Bang looked dumbfounded.
But when Jeong Iryong sided with Seo Joun, Seonwu Bang let out a resigned sigh.
“Fine. I was wrong. I’m the bad guy.”
“Hey, that’s not what I ant. I just wanted to make things clear.”
“To , that’s the sa thing.”
“It’s not.”
Seo Joun shrugged exaggeratedly as if to insist it absolutely was not.
But inwardly, his thoughts were complicated.
After Nine Heavens Gate, Ironblood Fortress had also revealed its ambition toward the Central Plains, and that naturally made Seo Joun think of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
‘Maybe hyungnim knew from back then. That’s why he’s been preparing step by step. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense.’
When the others had not been around, Seo Joun had gone to the Northern Sea personally with Ban Hojin.
At the ti, he had been excited, as it was his first ti going there since birth. But now that he thought about it, Ban Hojin must have had a purpose.
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
At the sa ti, a question arose.
‘Just how did hyungnim know? He didn’t et anyone in particular. And since we left the Main House, we’ve always been together.’
Seo Joun’s gaze shifted toward Ban Hojin.
Everything was full of questions.
But he could not ask.
Even if he did, it did not seem likely that Ban Hojin would answer.
‘Then all I can do right now is what I’m capable of.’
If Ban Hojin did not tell him, there must be a reason he could not.
Seo Joun believed that when the ti was right, he would explain.
Ban Hojin cherished and looked after them all attentively. If he could not speak of it, there had to be a valid reason.
So Seo Joun resolved to do his utmost in what he had to do now.
“You all seem a bit too relaxed. You do rember where we’re headed, right?”
“Of course. Isn’t it Bulgwigo Valley? The hideout of the Insect Fiend.”
“I thought it would be in Miaojiang or Yunnan Province, since they said venomous insects were swarming there.”
“I figured everyone assud that since its exact location hadn’t been revealed.”
No sooner had Ban Hojin finished speaking than Seonwu Bang, Seo Joun, and Jeong Iryong spoke in turn.
But none of the three seed particularly tense.
They did not take it lightly, but neither were they overly anxious.
“It’s always darkest under the lamp.”
“But don’t venomous insects require a specific environnt to be raised? Setting Miaojiang aside since it’s in the Neo-Outer Murim, wouldn’t Yunnan Province or Guangxi Province, or at least Sichuan Province, be more suitable?”
“Sichuan Province would be difficult. The eyes and ears of the Sichuan Tang Family are spread everywhere. They practically monopolize poisonous herbs and venomous insects. For the Insect Fiend, it would be the worst possible place.”
“Now that you ntion it, that makes sense.”
“You all rember the plan clearly, right?”
As they gradually drew closer to Bulgwigo Valley, Ban Hojin asked lightly.
Excessive tension interfered with one’s true abilities, but being too relaxed was not good either.
All accidents stemd from carelessness, so Ban Hojin firmly tightened the atmosphere.
Each of the four had been carefully chosen. He could not afford to lose them aninglessly to sothing like the Eight Evils.
“Of course.”
“I rember it clearly!”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’ve been reviewing it over and over. As long as no one else makes a mistake, I won’t either.”
Ban Hojin smirked at the replies, each reflecting their personalities.
But he did not bring it up again.
From here on, he had to trust the four of them.
Mistakes were natural, and even failure was acceptable.
Success brought experience, but failure brought even more.
And even if they failed, it did not matter.
Because he could clean it up himself.
Whooooosh!
True to its na, Valley of No Return, the surrounding scenery changed in an instant.
The lush and refreshing forest landscape turned bleak and ominous after only a few steps.
At the sa ti, sounds resembling ghostly wails echoed from various places.
“A formation?”
“Not that. It looks like the environnt’s changed a bit because of the venomous insects.”
At the distinctly altered scenery, Ban Hojin crouched and fiddled with the soil.
He picked up a small amount of the strangely lifeless-looking dirt and sniffed it.
It was not sour, but it felt slightly dry.
“The poison really is formidable. It’s what allows an ordinary person to kill a martial artist.”
“He might have run away.”
Seo Joun cautiously offered his opinion.
Given what had happened with the Blue and Red Twin Fiends, there was a strong possibility that information had leaked again this ti.
Although Nan Hui-ju was searching desperately for traitors, the sheer number of people involved made it impossible to verify them all in a short ti.
So Seo Joun believed they had to leave room for even the slightest possibility.
“That’s possible. But while ordinary martial artists might abandon a hideout, poison practitioners and thieves can’t do so easily. They’ve hidden too many things over ti. Especially for those who practice Poison Arts, research and experintation are indispensable, so they can’t readily change their hideout because of the facilities. Not unless they have plenty of ti.”
“That’s right.”
A strange voice flowed out from within the ominous and deep valley that befitted the na Valley of No Return.
With a wind that sounded like ghostly wailing, a plump middle-aged man revealed himself.
Yet despite his well-built physique, his face was gaunt, making him appear grotesque.
“So you already knew?”
“I also know that you captured the Blue and Red Twin Fiends.”
“Hmm. So you’ve secured a decent intelligence network?”
“Who knows?”
The middle-aged man—known in Jianghu as the Insect Fiend—wore a sinister expression.
At the unpleasant look that mixed ridicule and mockery, Ban Hojin grinned.
He thought it would be amusing to see that face twisted in agony.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. In a little while, you’ll spill everything on your own.”
“Your confidence reaches the heavens. But it seems you still haven’t grasped the situation. Do you know where you stand—and who the master of this place is?”
“I do. Did you think we ca here without knowing that?”
At Ban Hojin’s utterly calm attitude, the Insect Fiend narrowed his eyes.
It was completely different from what he had expected.
What irritated him even more was that the other four also did not seem particularly tense in his presence.
“So you think you’ve prepared thoroughly? Very well. Show . But no matter how much you struggle, the outco will not change.”
Glancing at each mber of Ban Hojin’s group one by one, the Insect Fiend boasted arrogantly.
Truthfully, if Ban Hojin had truly dealt with the Blue and Red Twin Fiends alone, then even he would not be confident of defeating Ban Hojin in a one-on-one fight.
But that was if they fought as martial artists.
The Insect Fiend was a poison practitioner who specialized in venomous insects, and poison practitioners had their own way of fighting.
Srrr—
Moreover, this place was his hideout—his domain.
And not only the visible valley was his domain.
“Spiders!”
“They’ll all be venomous!”
At the Insect Fiend’s gesture, the ground turned pitch-black.
Finger-sized black spiders appeared from sowhere, covering everything in all directions.
“Let see. Show how well you’ve prepared.”
Controlling the venomous spiders that blanketed heaven and earth in an instant, the Insect Fiend wore a crooked smile.
As if he was genuinely curious about their counterasures.
Sssk—
“I’ll take the front!”
Even without being bitten, Seo Joun could tell the mont he saw them.
The spiders were laden with deadly poison.
And their small size was no reason to underestimate them.
There were so many that even a mont’s carelessness would result in being bitten.
Fwoooosh!
So Seo Joun stepped forward.
Individually dealing with the venomous spiders would be inefficient, and their bodily fluids were also a problem.
Killing them would not be the end of it, so Seo Joun chose to burn them instead.
“Fiery Yang Art?”
The energy boiling throughout his body gathered instantly into the center of his palm.
Then he unleashed that Extre Yang Energy forward.
He judged that a palm strike would be more efficient than a sword.
Yet even as hundreds, thousands of venomous spiders burned in Seo Joun’s grasp, the Insect Fiend’s face remained relaxed.
Swish.
As if to prove it, the Insect Fiend waved his hand once more.
This ti, vividly colored spiders, scorpions, and centipedes began crawling out.
The venomous insects that had been hidden underground revealed themselves all at once.
Unlike the earlier spiders, these creatures varied greatly in size.
“I’ve heard that the Blazing Dragon is impressive. But how long can you keep that up?”
Seo Joun’s performance was undoubtedly remarkable.
In a situation where an ordinary martial artist would be overwheld rely by the sight, he instead burned the venomous spiders like autumn leaves in the wind.
But the problem was that the Insect Fiend did not possess only venomous spiders.
And what he had just revealed was rely the tip of the iceberg.
‘You will pay for your arrogance.’
The Insect Fiend’s eyes glead viciously.
Ban Hojin’s group may have prepared thoroughly—but so had he.
Moreover, this place was practically his front courtyard.
He was confident.
Confident that he would lt them all down with poison water.
“Cha-hap!”
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