Chapter 27 : One Must Pay for Their Sins (3)

Chapter 27: One Must Pay for Their Sins (3)

‘No!’

Hayeong quickly reached out her hand to grab Sewoon.

As soon as Tang Hoyeol’s weakness was exposed, Sewoon suddenly broke formation and dashed forward.

Hayeong’s heart dropped.

‘That’s a trap.’

The intuition she had cultivated through her experiences in the martial world warned her of danger.

And as expected—

“You fool!”

Tang Hoyeol immediately corrected his stance and fiercely swung his Toad’s Saliva Whip at Sewoon.

Swiish!

At the same time, a suspicious liquid, clearly dangerous at a glance, sprayed out from the whip.

‘Poisonous liquid?!’

To unleash poison like a sudden downpour at such close range…

Even she wouldn’t be able to dodge that.

‘Yes, if I just blow it away with Sword Wind—!’

Infusing qi into the blade and unleashing that power outward was known as Sword Force.

Once one mastered Sword Force and learned to freely regulate their inner qi, they could project shockwaves at their opponents.

Although inferior to Sword Qi, Sword Wind held the advantage of being able to strike from a distance.

Wooooong!

A resonant hum spread from her sword.

Fortunately, many of Mount Emei’s sword techniques were tied to Sword Wind.

Hayeong, too, had reached the level where she could wield it freely.

But at that moment, she hesitated, unable to draw her sword.

‘…Too close.’

Sewoon’s position was far too close to the effective range of Sword Wind.

It was far too dangerous.

If she tried to blow away the poison, she might accidentally inflict a fatal sword wound upon Sewoon instead.

‘Even so—!’

She couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Hadn’t Sewoon saved both her and Cheong Yeon’s lives?

She had to do everything she could.

Slash!

‘…Huh?’

At that instant, a chilling sound of slicing rang out.

She was utterly bewildered.

What?

She hadn’t even drawn her sword yet.

“It was far too obvious, Uncle.”

That was when Sewoon’s icy voice reached her ears.

The scene, overturned in an instant, entered her vision a moment later.

Tang Hoyeol’s legs, severed cleanly at the ankles, rolled across the ground in a gruesome sight.

And the Black Threads, hidden beneath the soil, shimmered in the sunlight as they revealed themselves.

A shiver ran down her spine.

So the very threads that had dragged her and Cheong Yeon around had such cutting power…

Her body froze stiff in shock.

“Gwaaaagh! Grugh!”

Tang Hoyeol, who had splashed himself with his own poison, convulsed violently as the venom poured into his throat.

Drip. Drip.

Black blood gushed from every pore and orifice of his body—a sight so horrifying that even Hayeong was thrown into shock.

‘What…?’

But what unsettled her even more—

Was that Sewoon, the very one who had caused this catastrophe, appeared utterly calm.

It was incomprehensible.

In such a grotesque massacre, the only ones who could remain so composed were either bloodthirsty fiends or Demonic Practitioners.

Could it be…?

Suppressing her trembling heart, she looked into Sewoon’s eyes.

In her memories, those consumed by madness all carried the same emotions in their gaze.

The thrill of vengeance completed.

The ecstasy of subjugating others with violence.

The excitement that craved even greater stimulation.

Such things.

But—

What flickered in Sewoon’s eyes now was different.

A dreadful hatred of himself.

A void that could never be filled.

A sorrow so profound that its depth could not be guessed.

Just glimpsing it for a moment was enough to shake her composure to its core.

This was no fiend in disguise, no Demonic Practitioner.

He was simply an ordinary man—one who blamed himself, regretted his actions, and suffered because of them.

Yet that made her all the more curious about Sewoon.

How much torment and despair must one endure for an ordinary person to become so desensitized to killing?

And she wanted to ask one more thing.

‘Tang Sewoon, just why…’

Even as he looked at her—

Was he carrying that regret, that guilt, and that sorrow?

‘He’s dead.’

At last, Tang Hoyeol’s eyes lost their light.

His body sagged limply, having drained all its blood.

Sewoon slowly bent down.

‘Just in case, I’d better gather these too.’

Feigning that he was checking for a pulse, Sewoon collected all of the Forbidden Poisons and Forbidden Artifacts that Hoyeol had used.

To avoid suspicion, he discarded the Toad’s Saliva Whip, which was little more than an inferior replica of Heavenly Net.

He stored the remaining poison in small beads forged from Black Threads and hid them within his sleeve.

The Crane Spirit Liquid, distilled from the Crane Spirit Herb, was among the deadliest of plant-based poisons.

The instant it touched skin, it seeped inward and rotted blood from within.

He also retrieved the Soul-Chasing Bolt that had been mounted on the man’s arm.

The crossbow bolts had already been discreetly taken back with his Black Threads earlier.

‘This should suffice.’

He stiffened.

Sewoon flinched in shock.

It was because of his own appearance—killing a man mercilessly and then, without the slightest emotional turmoil, naturally weighing profit and loss first.

‘…Have I grown this dull to murder?’

The advice of his father, Tang Muyeol, came to mind.

Perhaps it was the years he had spent before his regression, living alongside Demonic Practitioners, that had worn down certain senses.

It felt as if his chest had dropped with a thud.

‘No.’

He forcibly denied it.

Hadn’t he executed, after Lee Hoseong and Sun Ugon, yet another one who would have become a calamity in the future?

But no matter how much he tried to excuse himself or deny it in his heart—

The bitterness and sorrow at how he had already changed did not easily fade away.

And just as he was drowning in those thoughts—

“Uueegh!”

He heard the sound of someone retching.

Sewoon quickly snapped back to his senses and turned around, finding Cheong Yeon vomiting.

‘Damn it—.’

And beside her, Do Hayeong was staring at him with half-lidded eyes.

Sewoon immediately composed his expression and carefully spoke.

“My apologies. Lady Cheong Yeon, are you all right?”

“N-no. I-I was just a little startled, that’s all. Uugh.”

“Perhaps the law of our Tang Clan—executing a traitor—was too extreme in the eyes of those from other sects.”

Sewoon answered cautiously.

He wondered if the look in Do Hayeong’s eyes was because he had been too ruthless.

“No. Even if just one Forbidden Artifact or Forbidden Poison is used, the Murim Alliance’s laws also order immediate execution.”

“…Is that so.”

Yet Do Hayeong defended Sewoon’s actions instead.

It was a situation completely beyond his expectations, leaving Sewoon uneasy.

“Ah, this is not the time for that.”

Sewoon’s eyes widened to the point they might burst.

For she suddenly bowed her head deeply to him.

“Disciple of the Emei Sect, Do Hayeong. Though belated, I thank Young Master Tang for the grace of saving my life.”

“Ah, Disciple of the Emei Sect, Cheong Yeon also thanks you!”

Startled by her Senior Sister’s sudden action, Cheong Yeon hurried to show courtesy as well.

‘Why all of a sudden?’

The one who had always kept her distance and remained wary of him from the very first meeting—

Now looked at him with an unfamiliar gaze.

“…Why do you do this? Calling it a lifesaving grace is unfounded. Please rise at once.”

“During the battle, I was saved multiple times from death by your Black Threads. That is clearly a lifesaving grace.”

“Ha, it is said that excessive courtesy is discourtesy. Even without my help, both of you would have avoided harm well enough.”

“No. If not for you, Young Master Tang, we all would have suffered fatal injuries.”

“That is not so.”

“It is!”

It was an absurd scene.

There were countless people in the world who would kill for even the smallest connection with the Silver Phoenix Do Hayeong.

Yet here was Sewoon, frantically waving his hand, insisting he was no benefactor.

‘…Senior Sister Do?’

Cheong Yeon only blinked in confusion.

Wasn’t this the same Senior Sister who always directed frostbitten gazes toward men?

For her to openly show familiarity toward a man like this—it was the very first time.

“Young Master!”

“Are you all right…ugh!”

Just then, a few martial artists from the main household appeared.

Their faces instantly turned pale at the gruesome sight.

Sewoon turned his gaze toward them as if relieved.

“Tell the Hall Leader of Heaven’s Medicine Hall to handle the detoxification of the corpse. Then, have the remains preserved so they can be delivered to the Murim Alliance.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

His subordinates departed swiftly with the order.

Sewoon cleared his throat and spoke to the two disciples of the Emei Sect.

“A carriage has been prepared in advance. You two should take the official road and rejoin Geum Hwa Sa-tae as quickly as possible.”

“Huh? Isn’t Young Master Tang coming with us?”

“No. I plan to search treacherous paths alone and pursue them from a different direction.”

“Ah, I see. Then Senior Sister and I will—”

“No. I will go with Young Master Tang.”

At Do Hayeong’s unexpected words, Cheong Yeon’s mouth fell open once again.

Sewoon’s expression hardened.

A clear refusal flickered in his eyes before quickly vanishing.

“…With me?”

“Yes.”

Sewoon started to speak, but shut his mouth again.

Truthfully, he wanted to push her away immediately.

But the moment his eyes met hers—firm, unwavering—

‘Haah, there’s no helping it.’

He gave up.

He concluded that her stubbornness would never bend.

“Very well, I do not mind. But I will be moving at full speed. I will not have the leeway to watch out for you as I did in this battle.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If you cannot keep up with my pace and fall behind, I will leave you without hesitation.”

Still unwilling to relent, Sewoon deliberately provoked her pride.

For the first time, the delicate brows of Do Hayeong wavered.

Since joining the Emei Sect, she had never once been treated like excess baggage.

Sewoon hoped she would take offense, curse him, and decide to go separately.

But instead—

She smiled.

“Thank you for your concern, but I am the Head Disciple of the Emei Sect. My movement arts are not so lacking that I would slow you down, Young Master Tang.”

“Then I will take that as permission. Time is urgent, so shall we depart at once?”

“…Follow if you can.”

Finally giving up on shaking her off, Sewoon turned on his heel and walked ahead.

Do Hayeong quickly followed, afraid he might change his mind.

And finally—

“Hiiiing…”

Watching Hayeong move farther away toward the carriage outside the gates, Cheong Yeon, on the verge of tears, hurriedly chased after the two of them.

“Ugh, uugh.”

With groans of pain, the Head Escort of the Escort Party, Tang Hyuk, regained consciousness.

He felt sticky dampness and the nauseating stench of blood.

‘Where is this…?’

Through the faint moonlight seeping in from the cracks above, he realized he was inside a cave.

But something was terribly wrong.

His insides churned, and it felt as though blood was surging to his face, about to burst.

When Tang Hyuk tried to move in order to stand upright, he was struck with horror.

He couldn’t move his body properly at all.

His body was dangling upside down from the cave ceiling, like a caterpillar caught in a thread.

“Ugh, ughhh!”

Tang Hyuk struggled in shock, desperate to break free, but it was in vain.

Worse, making noise turned out to be the worst possible choice.

“Kihihi, do you know what is most important in making a flower bloom?”

“Hiik!”

The voice of the Poison Demon, Yelü Sheng—the one who had dragged him here—whispered right by his ear.

Appearing like a shadow, the Poison Demon leaned in close, murmuring into his ear.

Just as Tang Hyuk froze in helpless terror—

Slash!

“Arghhh!”

“If you do not answer, your other arm will fall as well.”

“Kilkil, then quickly answer. What is most important in making a flower bloom?”

With the slicing sound, Tang Hyuk’s right arm was severed and dropped to the ground.

Blood poured down in streams from the wound.

Enduring the horrific pain, Tang Hyuk forced himself to answer in order to survive.

“…Soil and water. Nghh! And sunlight…”

“Kihihi! Correct, correct. As expected of a Tang Clan man, you know a little.”

“Indeed. If even one of those three is missing, no flower can ever bloom.”

Though Tang Hyuk was quickly losing consciousness from the massive blood loss—

Yelü Sheng, overjoyed, continued to chatter in his twisted dual voices.

“Kihihi. But there is one flower in this world.”

“The flower that blooms from this seed requires none of those three.”

“Kilkil, for this flower despises all purity!”

As Tang Hyuk listened to his words—

A forgotten legend surfaced from the hazy memories of his infancy.

A flower that planted its roots not in soil, but in a heap of corpses.

That fed not on water, but on fresh blood.

And that grew not in sunlight, but only in complete darkness.

“Kihihi! A flower that contains the beauty of every blossom in existence within a single bloom—!”

“But the fruit it bears carries poison that can kill all living things.”

A poisonous flower said to have sprouted from the tears shed by a god of calamity to destroy the world.

“…Angshin Tears.”

Tang Hyuk muttered unconsciously to himself.

But something didn’t add up.

The escort entrusted to their Escort Party was not some seed.

It was only a treasured blade set with a jewel, said to have been discovered in the southern barbarians’ lands.

Then, Yelü Sheng cleared his doubts.

“Kihihi! Those Murim Alliance fools—past, present, and future—will never know!”

“That what they carried was the very seed of Angshin Tears.”

At some point, Yelü Sheng was holding the treasured blade—the very escort item.

Clang!

He forcefully pried out the large jewel embedded in its center.

And then he dropped it to the ground.

Tang Hyuk’s fading gaze followed it downward.

Oh, Heaven and Earth, gods above—please have mercy.

His pupils widened in horror.

There was no ground where the jewel fell.

Only mountains of corpses piled high and a sea of flowing blood.

And beneath that, countless souls and resentments of Demonic Practitioners coursed like a river.

Shaaah!

The jewel sank into the sea of corpses and resentment, radiating a dreadful light.

Crack! Craaack!

Then slowly, it began to take root.

“Kihihi! When the Angshin Tears blooms!”

“I shall become the true Poisoned One!”

Yelü Sheng’s two voices merged into one.

““I will turn all martial artists—orthodox or unorthodox—into nothing but blood.””

Slice!

At last, Tang Hyuk’s vision faded into darkness.