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‘The Mara Sect?’
It was a name Pyo-wol had never heard of before.
Well, at least among the factions Pyo-wol knew in Jianghu, not one have used such a name.
‘Could it be a sect from the Western Region?’
Since Tarha and Yul Ayeon said they were from the Western Region, the thought seemed possible.
Pyo-wol does not know the name of all sects that exists in the world, especially those from the remote regions where information was limited.
Tarha’s martial arts were shocking.
It wasn’t simply because of his Rebound Force Qi.
Everything that exists has a purpose.
The same was true for martial arts.
Every martial art has its own purpose and it develops in a direction that aligns with that purpose.
In the case of the Buddhist martial arts, such as those of the Shaolin Temple, they developed their martial arts in such a way that they would be capable of subduing people without hurting them.
This doesn’t mean their techniques don’t have the power to kill, but at least they give their opponents a handful of mercy.
It was for this exact reason that punch and palm strikes are the mainstays of the Shaolin Temple’s martial arts. The idea is to avoid using blades with high lethality as much as possible.
Conversely, some martial arts focused on maximizing lethality. This was often the case for martial artists who pursued the use of poison or demonic arts.
As such, martial arts naturally developed in different directions based on their respective orientations.
And from what Pyo-wol had seen just now, Tarha’s martial arts seemed to have been created with only one purpose.
Destruction.
His martial art was meticulously designed to thoroughly destroy the human body.
Despite having fought numerous martial artists before, Pyo-wol had never encountered a martial art that was created with only one purpose in mind.
While Yoo Il-seok had dreamed of becoming the king of Haimen, in the end he was nothing more than a leader of a small region.
Tarha, on the other hand, possessed the skills to dream of ruling the world.
He was on par with the Eight Constellations, or perhaps even surpassed them in terms of destructive power.
Pyo-wol realized once again just how vast the world was.
Jianghu is not the entirety of the world. There existed a wider world beyond, filled with numerous powerful individuals.
Tarha was proof of that.
At that moment, Yul Ayeon looked at Pyo-wol and said,
“Are you surprised?”
“To some extent–”
“It doesn’t seem like it at all. People usually freeze up whenever they see grandfather’s martial arts.”
Yul Ayeon looked at Pyo-wol with a meaningful expression.
Pyo-wol also considered the possibility of Yul Ayeon being a skilled martial artist.
She had that unique refined aura and gleam in her eyes that showed a hint of maturity and intelligence. It wouldn’t be easy to have such an intense gaze without practicing martial arts.
Likewise, Yul Ayeon also thought of Pyo-wol as a martial arts master.
With how Pyo-wol remained unmoved by the sight of her grandfather, Tarha’s martial arts in front of him, it was impossible for an untrained martial artist to remain calm in such a situation.
Yul Ayeon felt a sense of curiosity toward the beautiful man in front of her.
“Until when will Master Pyo stay here?”
“I don’t know.”
“It sounds like you haven’t decided yet.”
“That’s right.”
“Well, that’s good, then.”
“What’s good about that?”
“It means that nothing is set in stone. It means that you can extend your stay here as long as the situation demands it.”
“It also means that I could leave this place as early as tomorrow.”
“Maybe, but maybe not. Just having the element of surprise is enough for me.”
Yul Ayeon flashed a bright smile.
Her appearance was quite captivating.
Perhaps due to the mixture of the West and the Central Plains in her blood, she had a charm that was unique and absent in women of the Central Plains.
Her charm was so deadly that most men could not help but fall in love with her the moment they saw her.
Pyo-wol stared at her for a moment before turning his attention to Tarha.
Tarha was giving instructions to Yoo Il-seok, who was kneeling and nodding continuously.
It seemed impossible for any variables to arise in this situation.
Pyo-wol stood up, then Yul Ayeon looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.
“You’re going in already?”
“I’m tired.”
“Well, I suppose so. Please go ahead. It seems like Grandfather still has some unfinished business with them, so I’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
“Mm.”
Pyo-wol left Yul Ayeon behind and went for the outbuilding.
Watching Pyo-wol’s back as he walked away, Yul Ayeon muttered to herself,
“What an interesting man.”
Her blue eyes sparkled in an unusual way.
Yul Ayeon smiled and took a long sip of her drink. But even then, she did not feel intoxicated and drunk at all.
“The liquor in the Central Plains is definitely weak.”
In terms of flavor, the liquor in the Central Plains was definitely superior to the liquor in the West. However, it couldn’t match the West in terms of strength.
To Yul Ayeon, who was accustomed to the liquor of the West, the liquor of the Central Plains was too weak.
Thud!
Yul Ayeon nervously put down her glass.
“What’s wrong?”
Tarha approached her.
“It’s nothing.”
“Is the liquor weak?”
“Well, kind of.”
“No one could match your drinking even in the Mara Sect anyway.”
“Why are you bringing that up?”
“I’m just saying.”
“Anyway, how did the story go?”
“Fortunately, they agreed to move according to our intentions. The people from the Central Plains are really kind. They came here on their own and offered to help us.”
Tarha replied cheerfully.
Upon hearing that, Yul Ayeon burst into laughter.
In fact, when they first arrived here, they were very lost. They needed to find something, but they had no idea where to start.
So they asked Pyo-wol what’s the easiest way of obtaining information.
Pyo-wol provided not just one, but two methods for them to obtain information. And as if that wasn’t enough, he even arranged for the host of the meeting to come by himself.
To the two of them, Pyo-wol was nothing short of a great benefactor.
“Did they know anything?”
“They don’t, but I told them to look into it. They should have some good news soon.”
“I see.”
Yul Ayeon looked at Yoo Il-seok as he pulled himself together with his men. Their faces filled with fear.
At this point, Yul Ayeon and Tarha didn’t need to worry about betrayal.
These men would now act as Tarha’s subordinates.
Tarha then suddenly turned to Yul Ayeon as if remembering something,
“Where is he?”
“He already went back to his room.”
“Is that so?”
Tarha’s eyes narrowed.
* * *
Pyo-wol returned to the outbuilding.
He first took off the Black Dragon Robe and then hung it on the wall.
The Black Dragon Robe that Tang Sochu had made for him remained relatively undamaged. It had maintained its original form despite the numerous fierce battles he had been in.
As Pyo-wol took off his robe, the snake that had been coiled around his forearm stirred.
Gwiya used to be a silver-white creature that was almost transparent, but now, its current appearance was red like blood.
The little snake had gradually taken on a reddish hue as it devoured the venomous bees in Tianzhongshan, so by the time it left the mountain, it had turned completely red.
With Gwiya’s glossy and flowing red scales, the snake looked like a well-crafted bracelet as it coiled around Pyo-wol’s forearm.
Pyo-wol gently laid Gwiya down on the bed.
“I’m going to go wash up, so rest here.”
Gwia responded by flicking its small tongue as if it understood Pyo-wol’s words.
Pyo-wol then proceeded to go to the well near the outbuilding’s courtyard.
He took off all his clothes and stood naked by the well.
He had fought many battles on his way here, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his body covered in wounds or scars here and there.
But surprisingly, there was not a trace or scratch on his body right now.
It was as if he had never been injured in the first place.
He hadn’t always been like this.
After all, Pyo-wol is also a human.
And as a human, having injuries would naturally leave scars on his body.
But, the four months he had spent in Tianzhongshan made a huge difference in both his mind and body. During that time, the scars that remained on his body disappeared completely.
Pyo-wol stared at his sleek, snake-like body for a moment before drawing a long stream of water and pouring it over his head.
Splash!
Ice-cold water ran down his skin.
Pyo-wol continuously poured water and cleaned his body.
Only after washing away all the dust and dirt that accumulated on his body during the journey did Pyo-wol finally stop pouring water on himself.
“Hoo!”
Pyo-wol sighed as he looked at his own hands.
His hands were whiter and more delicate than a woman’s.
But these very same hands were stained with the blood of countless people.
The traces might have vanished, but the scent of blood still lingered. Pyo-wol could smell it, even if no one else could.
It was the burden he would have to carry with him for the rest of his life.
He didn’t know how much more blood he would have to shed in the future.
As much as he wanted to live without staining his hands with blood, Pyo-wol knew well that it was impossible.
Whether he liked it or not, Pyo-wol had already got himself deep in the center of Jianghu’s circle. It would be impossible for him to pull himself out of it until he died.
With a slight manipulation of his internal energy, the water on his body evaporated in an instant. Only after he was dry did Pyo-wol put his clothes back on.
When Pyo-wol went back to his room, Gwiya immediately made its way up to his body as if it had been waiting for him. Its appearance right now looked nothing but cute and playful.
Pyo-wol didn’t mind the little snake’s behavior.
Gwiya slipped in and out between his fingers, twirling around and playing with Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol spent some time playing with Gwiya.
His actions right now were something he didn’t think he would be capable of doing in the past.
After all, he was always on edge. His senses had to be on constant alert to notice the slightest bit of changes in his surroundings.
But it was different now.
He was certainly more relaxed as compared to before, but that didn’t mean that he had his guard down. His state was in perfect balance.
As Pyo-wol played with Gwiya, he pondered,
‘Mara Sect
’
It was a name he had never heard of before.
If there were a few more people like Tarha in the Mara Sect, there is a good chance that the sect held a high position in the Western Region.
The question is, for what reason did Tarha and Yul Ayeon enter Jianghu?
Even at first glance, the two individuals’ statuses seemed out of the ordinary. They wouldn’t have traveled all the way here just for sightseeing or leisure.
They clearly had a purpose for coming this far, and they had used Pyo-wol to lure the Red Bandana Association in.
They didn’t plan everything ahead. It was clear that they were improvising. Still, the fact that the situation had progressed so smoothly showed how much experience they had.
With how swiftly they subdued the leader of the Red Bandana Association and gave him orders, their actions
Pyo-wol fell asleep, thinking that he would have to find out more about the Mara Sect.
* * *
Only when the sun was high in the sky did Pyo-wol open his eyes.
This was something that would never have happened to the usual Pyo-wol.
He always only took the minimum amount of sleep and rest. But yesterday was different. Sleeping on a soft bed after a long time, he was able to sleep deeply. Thanks to that, his physical condition was very good.
After a quick wash, Pyo-wol left the outbuilding.
He headed to the restaurant which was on the first floor of the inn. The restaurant was already deserted since it was past mealtime.
Pyo-wol sat down at a table by the window overlooking the harbor. Just then, a servant came running up to him.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“I slept well.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Unlike yesterday, there was a glimmer of fear in the servant’s eyes as he looked at Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol immediately knew the reason.
It was because of Tarha and his grandchild.
Their display of power and behavior yesterday had frightened the servant. So seeing Pyo-wol, sitting at the same table as them, the servant naturally assumed that Pyo-wol was their companion.
Pyo-wol asked the servant,
“Where are they?”
“They ate early in the morning and went outside.”
“Really?”
“Yes! I don’t know their exact destination though. Shall I find out for you?”
“How?”
“Hehe! I have a lot of friends here.  If I ask around, I can quickly find out what’s happening in the harbor.”
“Are your friends native to this place?”
“Yes! They were all born and raised here.”
“Really?”
Pyo-wol looked intrigued.