Chapter 44: Tangerines and Kumquats

Of course, as befits his nickname, "Secretive Executioner," Sim Yanggak is a smooth talker. However, that's only when dealing with experts. To lesser opponents, he is as ruthless as the King of Hell.

It was hard to imagine that such a man would follow the instructions of the man before him.

"Is he really Fang Tong?"

Sangjeom Sword Yang Woon observed the old man called Fang Tong with a doubtful eye.

For a moment, Yang Woon's eyes flashed.

The moment he saw the red sword sheath hanging from Fang Tong's waist, memories of the past swept through his mind.

Five years ago.

While performing a certain mission with Gao Tian, the Righteous Swordsman, in Fuyang, Sim Yanggak was witnessed killing someone in a brothel. That day, Sim Yanggak had beheaded a martial artist simply because their eyes met.

There was no time to stop or intervene in his lightning-fast sword strike.

When they tried to catch him later, he had already leaped out the window after a brief exchange of blows.

As he was halfway out the window, he blocked the stab with that red sword sheath.

There was a mark left from that encounter... it was still there.

Seeing the mark on the red sword sheath, the events of that day came back to him as vividly as if they had happened yesterday.

Unlike other members of the Fengyun Corps, he had exchanged blows with Sim Yanggak, so he was certain. This old man is not Fang Tong but the Secretive Executioner, Sim Yanggak!

Yang Woon gripped the hilt of his sword and shouted.

"Secretive Executioner Sim Yanggak! You won't escape today!"

In a tense moment.

Sim Yanggak held his breath and stared at Yang Woon.

The Fengyun Corps members naturally blocked the entrance to the inn.

Even amidst the commotion, the leader, Righteous Swordsman Gao Chuo, did not rise from his seat.

Gao Chuo is a disciple of the Yitian Sect, known as the Seven-Flower Sect. The Yitian Sect was founded by the Yitian Sword Venerable, and most of its disciples have entered government or the military. Uniquely, only a few, including Gao Chuo, are active in the martial world.

The Yitian Sword Venerable, a remarkable figure who converted from Buddhism to the Quanzhen Sect in his youth, was proficient in both Buddhist and Taoist martial arts. Based on this, he created new martial arts.

The Xiantian Eight-Pole Divine Skill and the Eight-Pole Divine Skill are among them.

Gao Chuo was secretly channeling the Eight-Pole Divine Skill. He was protecting himself from the strange dark energy that had come with the words, "You won't escape today."

The Fengyun Corps is a military organization of the Righteous Alliance, and the leader's orders are absolute. While they can freely counterattack when attacked, they must wait for the leader's command to initiate an attack.

Yang Woon waited for Gao Chuo's permission before crossing the final line.

The other members were the same.

The warriors who had blocked the entrance and cleverly surrounded Sim Yanggak were all looking at Gao Chuo.

However, Gao Chuo said nothing.

Under the immense pressure, it seemed he would collapse at any moment. How could he even speak?

His eyes were scanning the martial artists who seemed to be part of Sim Yanggak's group, desperately trying to find out who was channeling the dark energy at him.

Dark energy, or "yinxing," is a tangible manifestation of energy.

Not every expert can use yinxing. Yinxing signifies that one has reached the realm of "killing with intent," where one can kill with mere thought.

Perhaps the so-called "ten great experts of the martial world" could achieve this?

For most experts, killing with intent is a dream.

Gao Chuo held his ground with his inner strength and focused his eyes.

He wanted to know if the person was trying to kill him or simply warn him.

On the other hand, Yan Jie looked satisfied.

He had tried using the technique he learned from the Green Forest Conference, where he faced the Heaven-Shattering Demon, Shi Wu Hai. It seemed to work well.

This was not much different from drawing a picture in one's mind. When he strongly thought about pressuring the opponent, it felt as if he had been hit in the back of the head, and the opponent reacted immediately.

"Wow! This could be useful!"

It might be good to use when he didn't want to fight or wanted to secretly torment someone.

Yan Jie's gaze met Gao Chuo's in the air.

Gao Chuo instinctively realized that the boy was channeling yinxing at him.

It was hard to believe, but they say one should be cautious of children, women, and old men!

After confirming his opponent, Gao Chuo inwardly sighed with relief.

It didn't seem like the mysterious boy had murderous intent towards him.

If so, this was a warning.

Gao Chuo looked at the boy with a pained expression.

"Please stop! I beg you!"

It seemed his earnest plea worked. The mountain-like yinxing disappeared as if by magic.

"Phew! I'm alive."

As Gao Chuo sighed with relief, Yan Jie said to him.

"Uncle, there seems to be some misunderstanding. That person is Fang Tong. Got it?"

Surprised by Yan Jie's sudden words, Yang Woon shouted.

"What misunderstanding? That old man is the demon of Henan Province, Sim Yanggak! Five years ago, I..."

Yang Woon's words were cut off.

Gao Chuo had stopped him with a heavy, low voice.

"Yang Woon, stop and come back. That old, dangerous, old man is not Sim Yanggak."

"Leader? It's true! There's a mark on the sword sheath. Five years ago, when I stabbed him with my sword, that demon... "

"Tsk! Stop and come back. All of you, return to your positions."

Following Gao Chuo's orders, the members guarding the entrance and surroundings began to move.

Yang Woon, reluctantly returning to his position, said with a sense of injustice.

"Leader! That guy is really Sim Yanggak. Believe me. I even confirmed the sword mark on the sheath."

"If you plant a tangerine tree south of the Huai River, it will bear tangerines, but if you plant it north of the river, it will bear kumquats."

"Huh?"

Yang Woon didn't understand what Gao Chuo was saying.

Why were tangerines and kumquats suddenly mentioned in a place where a demon was to be killed?

"Tangerines and kumquats look similar but have completely different tastes and fragrances. Sim Yanggak and Fang Tong are different people. So, don't mention it anymore."

"..."

Yang Woon just blinked.

So, were they completely different people, or were Sim Yanggak and Fang Tong the same person? He was confused.

Gao Chuo wrote a message on Yang Woon's table with tea.

"Shut up [閉嘴]."

Only then did Yang Woon realize that Gao Chuo was pretending not to know for some other reason.

Yang Woon, who was not completely clueless, nodded silently.

The Five Peaks Ten Heroes finished their meal and stood up first.

Gao Chuo did not even glance at the eleven men and women until they completely disappeared from the inn. He seemed to avoid looking at them to prevent any trouble.

After a moment, Gao Chuo asked as if nothing had happened.

"Are they gone?"

"Yes."

At that, a deep sigh escaped Gao Chuo's lips.

"They're gone. Gone. What a relief. They said they were from the Flying Dragon Sect?"

"Yes, but what happened?"

"Strange. They didn't seem to be from the evil faction."

Yang Woon nodded.

Indeed, the auras of the others were clear and pure.

"Sim Yanggak might be hiding his past and traveling with them."

"Hmm!"

Gao Chuo couldn't understand why the Flying Dragon Sect members were traveling with Sim Yanggak. It was unlikely that such a high-level expert would follow Sim Yanggak. What was their relationship?

"But, Leader, why did you let Sim Yanggak go?"

"One of them was using the technique of killing with intent to pressure me."

At the mention of "killing with intent," Yang Woon's eyes widened.

As a martial artist, he knew what that realm meant.

"Wow! There's such a high-level expert in the Flying Dragon Sect? That's really surprising."

"Have you heard of the Flying Dragon Sect before?"

"Today is the first time I've heard of it."

"Indeed, with such a high-level expert, it's the first time I've heard of this sect. How should I interpret this? Tsk."

The Fengyun Corps were dispatched to Hefei to mediate the conflict between the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Ascending Heaven Sect. From the Righteous Alliance's perspective, the emergence of such an outstanding sect was a subtle burden. After all, it was a sect that the Righteous Alliance had no influence over.

"I don't want to get involved with such a sect. We shouldn't."

"If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have stepped in."

Yang Woon shuddered lightly.

The thought of trying to capture Sim Yanggak in front of a high-level expert capable of killing with intent was chilling.

***

Hefei.

When Huayong Duxin, Nangong Yan, pointed out Huang Yandong of the Heavenly Dao Sect as the culprit, Huang Yandong did not deny it. Instead, he boldly claimed, "He died during a legitimate duel."

The Ascending Heaven Sect was thrown into chaos.

Although they were from the same righteous faction, the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Ascending Heaven Sect were secretly in competition. Given the circumstances, the situation could not be resolved through dialogue.

The Heavenly Dao Sect quickly tried to define the incident as a duel and defuse the situation. Objectively, that was the right approach.

However, the Ascending Heaven Sect demanded compensation for the victim's family. When the Heavenly Dao Sect tried to push it as a duel, the Ascending Heaven Sect insisted on compensation.

But there is no precedent for compensating a victim during a duel. If there were, martial artists would be cutting each other down every time they met.

When the Heavenly Dao Sect rejected the demand as unreasonable, the Ascending Heaven Sect gathered its disciples. Rumors soon spread that the Ascending Heaven Sect would attack the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Around this time, the Righteous Alliance's Fengyun Corps arrived in Hefei.

The next day, the tension between the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Ascending Heaven Sect quietly subsided.

Through the mediation of the Fengyun Corps, the Heavenly Dao Sect paid 100 silver taels to the family of Sangjeom Sword Dang Chao.

Although it was not a simple matter, the Heavenly Dao Sect unexpectedly bowed its head.

The reason was not publicized, but it was because of the rumor that "the Flying Dragon Sect was helping the Ascending Heaven Sect."

The existence of the Flying Dragon Sect, though vague, was significant. While the rumors of the bounty hunters could be dismissed as exaggerations, no one could ignore the stories from the Fengyun Corps.

The war between the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Ascending Heaven Sect, which had shaken Hefei, ended before it even began.

The mediation was successful, but the "compensation from the Heavenly Dao Sect" was a topic of discussion within the Righteous Alliance for a long time. Despite the successful mediation, the internal evaluation was not good. The reason was that it set a bad precedent of compensating the opponent in a duel. From the perspective of the Seven-Flower Sect, a dominant force, compensating the loser was an uncomfortable conclusion.

***

Henan Province.

Zhougou.

Eleven men and women were walking on the imperial road, facing the early winter wind. They were the Five Peaks Ten Heroes. Since entering Henan Province, their expressions seemed somewhat listless, perhaps because they were thinking that their journey was coming to an end.

The sixth in line, Zhang Sufeng, muttered as he looked at the milestone on the road.

"Wow! Zhougou is just around the corner. We'll reach Wufeng Mountain in ten days."

"Already?"

The youngest, Xia Soba, did not hide his gloomy expression.

He had been imitating a female hero of the martial world, and now that he couldn't do it anymore, he seemed quite disappointed.

Han Caiyan poked Xia Soba's side and laughed.

"Why? Do you want to keep traveling?"

"Do you not want to, sister?"

"I don't mind, but how can someone wander forever? When the time comes, you have to return home."

At the mention of "home," Xia Soba smiled bitterly.

Honestly, the mountain retreat was not yet a home to her. It was just a place she stayed because she had nowhere else to go. Recently, this feeling had become stronger.

"Sister, are you going to keep living in the mountain retreat?"

"Why? Do you have somewhere to go?"

"No, but I feel like I can live anywhere now. I've learned martial arts and have been homeless for over three months, so I'm not afraid anymore. Isn't that true, sister?"

"That's true."

Han Caiyan nodded vigorously.

Indeed, she felt capable of doing anything these days. Reflecting on why, it seemed to be due to her martial arts and the hardships she had endured.

Yan Jie, who had been listening quietly, added a comment.

"Do what you want. Anything is better than stealing."