Chapter 336
Once enough evidence had accumulated to show that the Gathering Demons Division’s leadership had fled in haste, Elder Yue Yeong-bo of the Shandong Yue Family spoke.
“Taoist Hyeonam, it is now clear that the Gathering Demons Division’s leaders abandoned their headquarters and retreated.”
Having stated his conclusion almost as a declaration, Yue Yeong-bo continued with a regretful look.
“The ambushes we suffered along the way were probably meant to buy their leaders enough time to withdraw.”
“Damn it.”
Peng Seong-u, commander of the Hebei Peng Family contingent, cursed under his breath and said roughly,
“Then all that caution on our advance only gave the bastards more time to escape.”
Taoist Hyeonam was somewhat displeased by Peng Seong-u’s words, which subtly laid the blame on his decisions.
The Gathering Demons Division’s first night raid had caused heavy casualties.
After that, he had no choice but to advance cautiously if he wanted to reduce further losses among the campaign force.
But as commander of the advance detachment, Hyeonam could not show his displeasure.
Moreover, the operation was not yet completely over.
With a composed expression, Taoist Hyeonam addressed the Unit Leaders.
“I will gladly accept any criticism from my fellow martial artists later. For now, however, I remain commander of the advance detachment, so I ask that all Unit Leaders continue to follow my orders.”
Speaking on behalf of the others, Elder Yue Yeong-bo said,
“Go ahead, Taoist Hyeonam.”
“I do not believe the demons of the Gathering Demons Division would surrender their own headquarters this meekly and simply withdraw. They may have prepared some dangerous trap somewhere in Sword Demon Valley. Until the main force enters, I want every possibility thoroughly investigated.”
“What sort of trap do you have in mind?”
“I am concerned that they may have hidden gunpowder or other combustible materials inside the buildings.”
Peng Seong-u nodded.
“With an empty-fort ploy like this, leaving traps behind is common enough. Taoist Hyeonam is right. We should be careful.”
Encouraged by his agreement, Taoist Hyeonam continued addressing the Unit Leaders.
“The demons may also have coated objects inside the buildings with poison. Please warn your men not to touch anything carelessly unless they are wearing poison-resistant gloves.”
Yue Yeong-bo nodded.
“Understood.”
Peng Seong-u and the other Unit Leaders readily agreed as well.
“I’ll order my men not to touch any money, valuables, or secret martial manuals they come across.”
“Taoist Hyeonam, we’ll search the entire place from top to bottom as instructed.”
Once the Unit Leaders took their men and began a full search of the Gathering Demons Division headquarters, Taoist Hyeonam turned to the Wudang disciples.
“The Gathering Demons Division may still attempt a provocation. Go up onto the fortress walls and keep watch in every direction.”
“Understood.”
The Wudang disciples bowed in unison and quickly moved out.
Kwak Yeon and his companions left the guesthouse restaurant and headed for the northern streets of Baotou City.
“Ugh! Little Martial Uncle, it reeks of piss here!”
Taoist Cheongmu pinched his nose, and Hu Gae said,
“Taoist Cheongmu, that’s horse piss.”
“Big Beggar, why does it smell like horse piss?”
“Because this is a market where they buy and sell horses. See those stables over there? Ah, now I can hear the horses snorting too.”
“Oh. You’re right.”
Baotou City was also famous for its horse market, where outsiders from the lands north of the Gobi Desert came to sell their horses.
“Then did we come here to buy horses?”
Hu Gae shook his head.
“Taoist Cheongmu, why would we buy horses when we already have a boat waiting for us? Besides, it’s nighttime. The horse market is closed.”
“Now that you mention it, there are horses everywhere, but no people.”
The market was not entirely deserted.
A few grooms guarding the stables must have heard them passing, because faces briefly peeked from the empty-looking windows.
When Kwak’s group continued quietly down the street, the grooms soon lost interest and disappeared back inside.
A moment later, however, the door to one of the stables slid open.
Kwak walked inside without hesitation.
Hu Gae followed without a word.
And Taoist Cheongmu, like thread following a needle, naturally trailed after them.
CREEEAK.
Once all three were inside, a groom closed the stable door behind them and spoke respectfully.
“Taoist Kwak, you’ve had a difficult journey.”
Taoist Kwak?
Hu Gae’s eyes widened as he stared sharply at the groom.
The man’s shabby clothes and grimy appearance made him look exactly like an ordinary stable hand.
Yet a keen light flashed in his eyes.
I’ve definitely seen this man somewhere...
The groom stepped forward, and the lamplight fully illuminated his face.
“Damn! You’re Kang Su!”
The man dressed as a groom was Kang Su, Chief Protector of Ghost Night Castle.
His bushy beard, wildly tangled hair, and filthy appearance—as though he had not washed in days—made it almost impossible to recognize him as a notorious demonic-path master.
Kang Su clasped his hands and gave a restrained bow.
“I, Kang Su, Chief Protector of Ghost Night Castle, greet the Sub-Branch Master again.”
“Kang Su, how are you here...?”
Hu Gae could hardly help being shocked.
The man had vanished without a trace from the wine house in Nanchang Prefecture, only to appear thousands of li away in Baotou City.
“Brother, shouldn’t you return his greeting first?”
At Kwak’s prompting, Hu Gae reluctantly clasped his hands.
“Chief Protector Kang, I am truly surprised to see you again.”
He had no idea what circumstances had brought Kang Su together with Kwak or why the man was here.
Whatever the reason, Kang Su was still a major figure of the Demonic Eight Divisions.
As the Sub-Branch Master of the orthodox Beggar Clan, Hu Gae could hardly greet him with open warmth.
“Chief Protector Kang, this is Taoist Cheongmu of Samryeong Palace.”
At Kwak’s introduction, Kang Su gave Taoist Cheongmu a meticulous bow.
“I am Kang Su, Chief Protector of Ghost Night Castle. It is an honor to meet Taoist Cheongmu of Samryeong Palace.”
Cheongmu looked at Kwak with a troubled expression.
“Little Martial Uncle, I’m not good at greetings like this...”
“Brother Cheongmu, just do what you normally do at Samryeong Palace.”
“Okay!”
Cheongmu brightened immediately, then bent almost double in a bow toward Kang Su.
“My name is Taoist Cheongmu. My master is Palace Lord Hyeonhae, and he’s Little Martial Uncle’s eldest senior brother. So that makes me Little Martial Uncle’s martial [N O V E L I G H T] nephew.”
Of everyone present, Hu Gae understood Cheongmu’s bizarre self-introduction best.
That was because Cheongmu’s world revolved not around himself, but around Kwak Yeon.
Once Cheongmu had finished his awkward but earnest attempt at a formal greeting, Kwak added an explanation about Kang Su.
“Brother Cheongmu, Chief Protector Kang is someone who protects Young Castle Lord Jin.”
He wanted to make sure the guileless Cheongmu did not misunderstand Kang Su and make some unfortunate mistake.
Cheongmu’s eyes widened.
“You mean he protects Sister Jin?”
Kwak nodded.
“You could say that.”
“Ah! Then he’s a good person.”
Hu Gae watched every trace of wariness vanish from Cheongmu’s eyes.
That really is some simple logic.
Hu Gae wondered whether perhaps he himself ought to become a little simpler.
He could feel that his own preconceptions were still keeping Kang Su at a distance.
Once the greetings were over, Kwak turned to Hu Gae.
“Just as you probably guessed, Brother, Chief Protector Kang stopped by outside the guesthouse restaurant earlier. He didn’t show himself because there were too many eyes on the place.”
“I figured as much.”
Hu Gae nodded readily.
Nine lives depended on this affair.
Secrecy was only natural.
That also explained why Kang Su had disguised himself as a groom.
“But how did you get in contact with Kang Su—no, with Chief Protector Kang?”
That was what Hu Gae most wanted to know.
“Chief Protector Kang contacted me while I was still at the Martial Alliance.”
Kwak briefly explained how he had met Kang Su at Dragon King Hall in Golden Sand Village.
“Ah! So because Chief Protector Kang saved Sa Gwirang, First Kill of Hidden Moon Forest, outside Aju County City, you were able to expose Right Military Strategist Baek Ri-gi’s true nature.”
Hu Gae exclaimed in surprise, then looked at Kang Su with new eyes.
“Well now. I may have to revise my opinion of you, Chief Protector Kang.”
Kang Su looked uncomfortable.
“Sub-Branch Master, I wasn’t trying to perform some good deed. I helped her because I wanted something for myself at the time.”
Hu Gae nodded.
“That’s how good deeds usually work. Even compassion, if you examine it closely enough, is ultimately founded on the benefit of satisfying oneself.”
“...”
“...!”
When not only Kang Su but even Kwak turned to stare at him, Hu Gae hurriedly changed the subject.
“Anyway, now I know how the two of you came into contact. But Brother Kwak, why did you call Chief Protector Kang all the way here?”
Kwak answered,
“I thought the Eight Demonic Venerables would be severely weakened after being imprisoned in the Great Demon Prison for so long. If that were the case, it would be difficult for the Young Castle Lord to care for all eight of them alone. I wanted someone there to assist her.”
“And then you remembered that Chief Protector Kang had been hovering around Sister Jin, so you contacted him before leaving the Martial Alliance?”
“That’s right.”
Once again, Hu Gae could only marvel at Kwak’s meticulous nature.
Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.
What had Kwak intended to do if the Eight Demonic Venerables refused to sign the Righteous Heaven Banner?
Not that something like that would have mattered much to Brother Kwak.
Given Kwak’s nature, whether they signed the Righteous Heaven Banner or not would never have changed what he did.
He certainly was not the sort of man who would abandon them to starve simply because they refused to sign it.
When Hu Gae fell silent, Kwak turned to Kang Su.
“Chief Protector, did you encounter any difficulties on the way here?”
What difficulty could a master at the Transcendent stage like Kang Su possibly encounter merely traveling from one place to another?
Kwak was indirectly asking whether anyone had followed him.
“I came here exactly as Taoist Kwak instructed, working as a groom for an escort agency along the way. Thanks to that, I was able to avoid attracting attention.”
Even after arriving in Baotou City, Kang Su had continued working as a groom and stayed in the stables.
A suspicious outsider who remained at a guesthouse for days with no apparent business would inevitably draw attention.
Hu Gae was more than a little surprised by what Kang Su told them.
Demonic masters were arrogant and fiercely proud.
Even with a blade at their throats, they refused to act servile.
They were the kind of people who would walk openly with their bare faces exposed even with a bounty of ten thousand gold pieces on their heads.
And yet Kang Su, one of the most notorious demonic-path masters under heaven, had been working as a mere groom and hiding in a reeking stable.
The sight gave Hu Gae a genuine shock.
More astonishing still, Kang Su openly said that he had done it because the Cave Hermit Taoist of Wudang told him to.
Back at the wine house in Nanchang Prefecture, Kang Su had stubbornly told Kwak that he would never submit to him and had practically dared Kwak to cut off his head on the spot.
Hu Gae had sensed earlier that something about the man had changed.
Now he knew for certain.
Good grief. Can a person really change this completely?
It went without saying that Kwak was the one who had changed a demonic master like Kang Su.
That Cave Hermit Taoist really is one strange fellow.
Hu Gae looked at Kwak with equal parts admiration and pity.
He knew that to inspire another person to change, one had to endure at least as much hardship oneself.
For someone so young to have become the person Kwak was now, Hu Gae could scarcely imagine how much suffering he must have gone through.
Then again, perhaps that was precisely how Kwak had reached such heights.