Book 12 Chapter 13

In the words of Bisamagun

- Three questions

The fighting was over, but there was still a lot of cleanup to be done. Among them was the treatment of an old man buried deep in the ground.

Either out of sheer panic or because they couldn't find him, they didn't take the fallen marshal. He was unrecognizable, though, with his limbs buried in the dirt and his face barely visible, stunned. Even that tiny face was covered in a strange substance. The fallen trees also played their part in hiding him, and so he was left in the middle of enemy territory.

In a word, he was an outcast.

"Hmm…, where am I?"

Over the din, she barely opened her eyes. Slowly, his thin eyelids lifted. A person's figure stepped into his field of vision, accompanied by a piercing sunlight. A face obscured by long bangs. His mind flashed as if struck by lightning as he realized that it belonged to the very person who had reduced him to this state.

He sat leaning against a large tree, dozens of eyes circling him. Yeomdo, Iceblade, Zhu Zhaodan, Na Yerin, and a few friends were the owners of those gazes. Realizing that he was now in the worst possible situation, the Snake-Eyed Mosaic Lord tried to move his body in a panic, but he couldn't move a single finger, as if he were weighed down with lead.

"Yuck…, yuck, yuck, profit……."

No matter how hard I tried to use my dragon, I was as weak as a watered-down cotton ball.

"It's no use trying to move, they've shut down all the blood vessels in your body. You'll probably only be able to move your mouth."

In a formal, respectful voice, Bi Ryuyeon said.

"What are you going to do with me, kill me?"

In a snarling voice, the Mothership called out.

"Well, that remains to be seen, but I don't think your sin is light enough to be atoned for by death. You tried to destroy something so precious to me."

In an emotionless voice with no undulations in her tone, Bi Ryuyeon replied.

"If you're going to kill me, go ahead and kill me!"

And then she smiled.

"Kill, kill, kill. You're a scary man, but don't worry, even if you don't wish death so fervently, everyone has to pay for their sins, so let's make a bet!"

"Bet?"

The words were incomprehensible to the captive marshal.

"Yes. We'll make a bet, and if you win, I'll set your body free."

"Really?"

"I'm absolutely responsible for what I say once I say it, don't worry."

[That, that].

Yeomdo was about to say no way, but Bi Ryuyeon raised her hand to stop her.

[But you have to interrogate him to find out who's behind it].

[You can pretend you don't know him, and he doesn't look like the kind of guy you'd want to interrogate, even if he does look like a snake.]

[That's probably true, but…….]

I kept pleading with her that she shouldn't make such a decision, but she was unyielding.

"So what's the bet?"

"It's a very simple bet! "

Bi Ryuyeon pulled a bamboo barrel from her waist dance and pulled something from inside.

"Huh!"

Everyone around her gasped in horror, and some of the women turned pale. In Bi Ryuyeon's hands were two crimson twin snakes. Holding the two snakes in each hand, she smiled brightly and said.

"The rules of the bet are simple: when I put these two snakes in my hand on the ground, whoever gets them will win."

"Yeah…, you. Are you out of your mind?"

"Of course! "

She nodded in a firm voice. However, she seemed to be the only one who thought so. The people around her, including Yeomdo and Zhu Zhaodan, seemed to be dying to agree with her.

What kind of snakes are those scarlet pythons? They've lived with the Bisama army for over a hundred years. Do I need to explain any further? I couldn't understand Bi Ryuyeon's intentions in proposing such a bet that was already decided in the first place.

"Instead, since this bet is clearly in your favor, there are conditions on this side as well."

He knew he had the upper hand, but how could he do that?

"What?"

Mosaic asked, his expression unwavering.

"If I win, you answer three questions from my side, how about this?"

For a moment, he was silent, his face serious, then he nodded. It was a risky proposition. But he couldn't afford to lose this bet.

"Very well. I swear by the honor of the Bisashin Army. If you lose this bet, I will accept your terms."

"It's good that it's hot, good, good, that's what makes it fun."

She clapped her hands in delight.

[No complaints now, right?]

Yeomdo nodded with a look of resignation. But what's the point? You have to have a chance of winning. He decided to just give up and let it go.

"So, shall we get started?"

"Anytime!"

The marshal replied, confident of his victory by 12. Bi Ryuyeon raised his hands upward, and his eyes met the eyes of the Crimson Twins. The two beasts stared at him warily, as if to say, "What in the world do you have up your sleeve?

Having learned her lesson the hard way, she seemed to have given up on the idea of rebelling. As she gazed at the Crimson Twin Pavilion, her eyes gradually began to turn golden with the light of dawn, and the two beasts were the only ones who could see the mysterious scene for themselves. Silent, yet calm and powerful words slowly flowed out of Bi Ryuyeon's mouth.

"Now, the time has come for you to choose one side or the other. Decide where you want to go. I'll take you where you want to go!"

For a moment, they looked at each other like humans, and then, without hesitation, they turned to Wenzhou. But Bi Ryuyeon hadn't finished speaking. Once again, the two heads turned as if forced.

"Oh, and if you want to die with your master, that's fine too. I might even erect a monument to you, like a monument to a loyal dog. But don't forget. If you go over there, you're destined for nothing but a snake bath. Snakes are said to be good for virility, and there are quite a few mouth-watering ones. It's nice to die and pave the way for someone else's happiness. Now, what are you going to do?"

Did it understand human speech? Certainly a spirit animal was a spirit animal. The two snakes that had been released from Bi Ryuyeon's hands began to hesitate in the center of the two men's presence. It was obvious that they were troubled.

"Now, decide your fate by your own judgment!"

Bi Ryuyeon shouted, his current words carrying such authority, as if imbued with the power of a spirit, that no one would dare to disobey him. They stood at a crossroads. Their decision was soon made.

Grrrr!

The two Crimson Twins that had been pretending to crawl toward the Bisama Army suddenly turned around.

"Holy…, no way!"

Mo Shaolin's eyes widened as he realized that he hadn't even realized that Chu Hao was following him. In front of his eyes, the two crimson twins gently wagged their tails and headed toward Bi Ryuyeon.

Bi Ryuyeon laughed out loud.

"Hahahaha! Life over duty! Self-interest over sentiment……. I see the lives of the ungodly are not so different from the lives of fallen humans."

He could feel Bi Ryuyeon's gaze looking down at him from up there, which meant the same thing: she had admitted total defeat to him. The Crimson Twins rubbed both of Bi Ryuyeon's shoes with their horned foreheads. The abomination had taken all hope of life out of her. Bi Ryuyeon's gaze snapped back to Mo Shaolin, who seemed to have aged fifty years in an instant.

"Well, what can I do about it? You see, these guys came to me because they like me, and the will of Mother Nature shouldn't be thwarted by the will of one individual, right?"

The horror, heartbreak, and despair of the Bisama Army is indescribable. No, I am now too ashamed to even use the name Bisamagun.

"I, I…, lost, lost!"

As she looked at Bisama-kun, a small smile curved her lips. But it was the kind of smile that would send the Mosaic Lord spiraling downward.

"Heh, heh, heh. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh……."

A weak voice, thick with despair, slipped through the old man's gnarled teeth. Today, his life as a warrior of the Bisama Army's Mossa Clan has come to an end. He would never rise again. The loss of his value as a martial artist! That was a punishment harsher than death.

Beside the old man, who was laughing hysterically, half-sliced Mansa plasma lay in the sandy wind.

"Yay!"

Yeomdo's face crumpled like coals in a brazier. On the other hand, Bing'er's face was as cold as ice, but only Bi Ryuyeon was watching them from the sidelines as if she were amused.

"I'm going to kill you, you damn inspiration!"

Foul language spewed from the mouth of the red-headed middle-aged man, his face flushed. The red-haired middle-aged man's face was grimacing as if he had chewed on a bug, but even so, his harsh impression had evolved even further, becoming more terrifying than a ghost.

"How can that possibly answer our question? Do you think that makes any sense? We're not playing games here."

He didn't care if Boone was an old man with no resistance, he was ready to punch him. Beside him, Binggum barely managed to tear himself away. Two questions had already passed, but to no avail. Neither of them could be in a good mood. Whether they knew it or not, or whether they knew it and were doing it on purpose, the old man said.

"Isn't that why I told you to be careful what you ask? I warned you……."

"This is a scam!"

Yeomdo cried out.

"A scam?"

The old man's eyes, which had been drooping helplessly, suddenly flashed open.

"I am answering to your honor. I said I would tell you the truth, and this is the truth. It is up to you to find the answers in my answers. Not mine."

"You sneaky little inspiration!"

Yidou's face turned bright red with anger.

'I'm totally screwed!

That's what they both thought.

The first question was about Yeomdo.

"Who's behind you?"

The answer was simple.

"You ask the obvious. Three Tenebrous Spirits, two more to go."

Needless to say, the answer was so disheartening that Yeomdo went on a rampage, threatening to tear Mo Shaolin's guts out, but was fortunately restrained by the Ice Sword and Bi Ryuyeon.

The second question was asked by Bingum. It was more informational than Yeomdo.

"Where are you based?"

The second answer was just as dismal.

"The shadow of the mirror you believe in! "

And then he said, "There's only one more! No wonder his pent-up anger exploded. When he asked how that could be an answer, the answer was, 'It could be.

"What are you waiting for? There's only one question left. Quick, quick question!"

It was a gut-wrenching sound, but given their previous history, he couldn't bring himself to ask questions. For a moment, Yue Yang and Ice Sword deliberated, and it was a miracle that the two, who had always been at each other's throats, could come to a consensus. It was a consensus that would not be flawed when the sun rose in the west tomorrow. Finally, after much deliberation, the ice sword approached. It seemed that they had finally settled on a water source.

Bing'er's silent mouth finally opened as she stared at Mo Shaolin.

"Okay, last question, our third question is……."

"Can I let them go? "

Yeomdo asked as he watched the back of the mosaryung recede further and further into the thick twilight. Inwardly, he was troubled by the idea of letting such a big man go. Bing'er's objections were even more fierce. But a promise is a promise, and for the sake of the honor and pride of the martial arts, it must be kept.

"It's okay, he's not a martial artist anymore, and Bisama-kun, who was a martial artist just a moment ago, died right here, so he's just a helpless old man walking over there now, and he won't be able to do any harm in the future."

Yeomdo and Ice Sword's gazes shifted back to the shrinking shadow of Mo Shaolin. Sure enough, the old man's gait was precarious now, as if he were about to be blown away by a gust of wind. He was like a candle whose wick had burned out, its life force exhausted. Perhaps the slightest breeze would soon extinguish it.

"Well, I got this and that, but I can't get the last one, can I?"

Bi Ryuyeon said as she took something out of her arms. Apparently, it was one of the things she had secretly, or rather, fairly, confiscated during the physical examination (?) of the fainted Mo Saryeong earlier.

Bi Ryuyeon called for Dangsam. He came running. Without a word, she held up an object in front of him. It was a black flute. The flute was meticulously carved with snake and centipede designs on its surface.

Tang Xiu's eyes widened. His breathing became ragged and his hands and feet shook with excitement. He knew very well what it was. To a poisoner, to those who sought the ultimate in poison, it was a priceless treasure. To a poisoner, a flute that allowed him to control venomous snakes and worms was a treasure of the highest order.

It was the equivalent of a swordsman getting a legendary new sword.

"Hey, how do I do this……."

The excitement spreads through my veins. I can't control this excitement anymore.

"……."

Bi Ryuyeon is still holding the caterpillar in front of her, unmoving. Moreover, her eyes were looking elsewhere. It was a look that said, "You're on your own.

"Ah!

Suddenly, Tang San realized something. After living with Bi Ryuyeon for so long, his eyesight had already reached a considerable level. This was no longer the dull-eyed Tang San he'd once been. Discernment was the first and most essential virtue in life with the Bi Ryuyeon. Tang San grabbed the flute like an eagle grabbing a rabbit, and shouted, "I'm going to play!

"It's a golden ten!"

"……."

Bi Ryuyeon was unmoved. In fact, ten gold pieces for such a treasure was too cheap. Tang San's conscience was well aware of that, but it was probably Bi Ryuyeon's influence that made him call it ten gold pieces.

"It's a golden twenty."

Tang Shan shouted again. Before he knew it, ten gold coins were on the table. It was an enormous sum. But could it move Bi Ryuyeon's heart? Bi Ryuyeon's gaze fell on Tang San, who had been looking elsewhere. Tang San felt a pang as he locked eyes with his big brother. There was a sting.

"Should I call Moon Hye? Or someone else?"

It meant there were many people here besides you, but there was no way he had twenty golden nuggets. He had the guts to trust the family. Even if he spent the family's money, the credit would still go to him. Maybe he could get the rights to use this flute. Nothing could be more fortunate than that.

"Three, thirty niang. Big brother, please see to it. No more, not even with our family's wealth."

Of course, if you flip it, you get more. But that had nothing to do with bargaining. Finally, Bi Ryuyeon reluctantly released the lower part of the flute she was holding. Tang San's face was filled with joy and exultation as he accepted the offer. Today, he had obtained a treasure in an unexpected place and in an unexpected way (to the point where he was even skeptical that he could obtain something so precious in this way). He was so overwhelmed with emotion that tears threatened to flow.

'With this, not only will I be recognized by the elders of the school, but even Moon Hye, who always claims to be my elder sister, will be forced to call me brother!'

When Tang San retreated with a flying step, Bi Ryuyeon immediately called for Tang Wenhui. This time, she took out a booklet.

A caterpillar horn! It was indispensable for blowing and mastering the caterpillar. In front of it, she instantly recognized its value. A whirlwind of excitement engulfed her: she, too, was a direct descendant of the Tang family. She thought.

'With this, not only will I be recognized by the elders of the school, but even Tang San, who always claims to be my brother, will be forced to call me sister!'

She snatched up the pamphlet like a vulture swooping down on its prey, and then exclaimed.

"Golden ten!"

"It's really over."

"I see! "

Mo Yonghui frowned at Jang Hong's sentiments. There was still bloodshed everywhere in the canyon. There were many wounded on the delegation's side as well.

Hyorong seemed to have survived, but he hadn't spoken a word since waking up. His eyes were like the eyes of the dead, devoid of even a hint of life. Seeing him like that, Yi Jinxue's temper flared up again.

A dozen others were wounded by arrows, and several were poisoned by snake bites. If it had not been for the antidote, which had been procured from the spirits of Mosa, life might have been in danger. "Fools and fools!" was the cry of the people, but it was a miracle that there were no fatalities after such a great battle.

They were all exhausted and tired from the accumulated strain. Almost frozen with the loss of the bet, the marshal kept his promise, but the three questions they had expected to be answered with clarity left them with even more questions. Since they hadn't expected sincere answers in the first place, that alone was a victory.

Binggum and Yin Dao, who had asked him three questions earlier, had remained silent since then; the atmosphere was so murderous that no one dared to approach them or speak to them.

Once again, the fog rolled in, casting a white curtain over this ugly sight.

People were moving and treating the wounded, cleaning up the mess.

Boom!

On the other side of the fog was the Great Chuck.

"Who are you?"

CHANG!

The nefarious Dao slipped out of the dojo with blinding speed.

Kakang!

Someone's sword blocked his path.

"Hahaha, you're not seriously going to cut me, are you?"

A cheerful voice emerged from the fog, revealing In-Young. Once his identity was revealed, the tense crowd went back to their work.

But Gao Tianman was sincerely fighting the irresistible temptation to say, "Shall I cut him down?" But his reason overpowered his impulse.

"Where have you been and are you coming from, and can't you even see this wild mess that's spread out here?"

His eyes widened, and he spoke in a rage. He felt a burning desire to smash his fist into that skinny face.

"Hahaha, it wasn't intentional, it's a personal physiological need that can happen at any time, and besides, it's not like I had my hands free."

"If this makes you laugh, your nerves must be made up of structures I don't understand!"

Gao Yan didn't like what he saw, to the point where he felt the urge to crush the nonchalant Wolf Qihan's face. Then something caught Gao Yan's eye.

"What is he holding in his left hand?"

"Oh, this."

He carried a man in his arms. It was a cloaked figure, its entire body wrapped in black. He didn't bother to ask who it was.

"Are you alive?"

The mysterious figures retreated cleanly, leaving no corpses behind. It was indeed an ideal retreat for a raider. It was frighteningly easy to see from that alone how highly skilled they were.

A tycoon who could have gained so much more information had already been let go because of a promise. Wolverine shook his head in rueful disbelief.

"Until a little while ago."

Not now, he said.

"Chet, that's what you do, you take a dead body and use it for something, don't you know the rudimentary story that the dead can't talk, and you want to brag that you finally got around to it?"

He spoke as if he were stabbing you in the heart with an awl. But the responding wolf-wolf was no ordinary human by any stretch of the imagination, and he began his story with a nonchalant face.

"A while ago, I was in a very difficult situation. I went to attend to some personal business, and suddenly arrows were flying at me from all directions. I was in a hurry, but I was in a very difficult situation. I was in a lot of trouble, and I thought I was going to die. Then I realized that I was separated from my companions, and I tried to rush over here. But then arrows started raining down from the sky, and then chains fell and blocked my path, and then a bunch of venomous snakes crawled over me, and I couldn't get to them even if I wanted to, and then I captured this guy. He was wandering around for some reason, and it took me a while to capture him."

True to his word, his white robes were tattered with tears here and there, but none of the wounds seemed to reach his flesh.

"You're in pretty good shape for that, huh? Did you keep your bowels cool?"

It was uncharitable of him to bypass it without asking, "Did you poop well? Upon closer inspection, Wolfy's clothes were only superficially cut, with no blood anywhere to be seen. This was a disappointing result for a grotesque who wanted to make sure that every stab, every arrow, every venomous snake, everywhere, hit the mark.

"It sounds much better to me if you tell me you have the skills."

"If I had any skill, I wouldn't have cut the hems of my clothes to the point of tattering. And you wouldn't have left your prisoner to die such a futile death. I also thought they'd tipped you off before the surprise attack. How convenient for a coward like you!"

Wolfgang's face hardened at the vile insults.

"You speak too harshly," I said, "but I'd love to hear the story of the late Nosa's epic battle, and I'm already wondering if he's hiding behind the guards."

"What, what!"

Sparks flew from the nasty eyes.

"Stop it! Why do you guys fight so much?"

It was the ice sword that stopped them from tearing at each other like dogs. He still looked stiff and hardened, but he was much better than he had been a few moments earlier, when the northern winds had been blowing snow.

Neither of these two dared to defy Binggum.

"What a way to go, hurry up! "

Iceblade spoke again. Their gazes met for a moment.

"Huh!"

The two strongly avoided looking at each other's ugly faces. And with that, the battle of Lightning Song came to an end, but for some, it left many questions unanswered.

Binggum had a strong premonition that this fight would be the beginning, not the end.

"This is my last question. What is the purpose of your cowardice this time?"

"A volcano with red flowers!"

His last words still echoed in my head.

That night was cold enough to make my skin frost over.

A cold breeze caressed the stars as they drifted in a sea of blackness. It's a scene that can only be described as peaceful. Off to one side, a bonfire blazes with sparks flying. The bloody battle of the day seemed like a distant dream.

But a few groans here and there gave only a fragmentary indication that it was a reality, and they ended up homeless, unable to reach the nearest town. The only good thing is that there are no critically ill people fighting for hourly wages…….

But there are daylight hours, and from the looks of their coloring, it's hard to believe that they'd back down so easily, so we can't let our guard down.

Water for the wounded was fetched from a nearby stream by uninjured male guards. It didn't take them long, as they were all very skilled. Because they were traveling, they didn't have the usual wooden and wire canteens, but they had specially made thin, large water bags to carry the water.

The problem was boiling water. There was no way they were going to have an iron pot on a trip like this, so the solution was a rather ignorant one. While everyone was wrapping their heads around the problem of boiling water, Bi Ryuyeon walked over to a rock without saying a word. It was a round boulder shaped like a bowl of rice, about waist high and quite large in area.

She tapped it with her finger to measure its hardness and nodded, seemingly pleased with it. There was no hesitation in her actions.

There was a brief flash of silver. No one saw what had just happened, as everyone was busy with one thing or another. Except for one person, Na Yerin.

All they saw was a large hemispherical boulder sliding down the face with a "thud. Bi Ryuyeon discarded the one below and took the one above. Whatever weapon or trick she had used, the cut was as smooth as a mirror.

The approaching ice sword marveled at the clean workmanship. To the delegates gathered here now, cutting a rock of this size was not something to be proud of. It was as simple as raising a hand or walking on one's feet. But to be able to do it so neatly and smoothly could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Moreover, he had no sword, so with what? The more you knew about him, the more mysterious he became.

Ryuyeon Bi said.

"Dig! "

Bing Rou understood what Bi Ryuyeon wanted now. With a flash of light like a star lighting up the darkness, Bing Lu was pulled out, his gaze focused on the center of the mirror-smooth rock face.

Eek!

The ice sword moved in a picture-perfect arc. It was like a mirage of swordplay, slicing through the rock like tofu, and a fine stone pot was born. The magically dug pot was very thin. This proved that the ice sword's swordsmanship was remarkable.

As the people marveled at the skill of the ice sword (Bi Ryuyeon's skill was not in the spotlight at this time, so he could not be the object of their admiration), they poured a long stream of water over it, gathered firewood, and started a fire.

The campfire crackled and crackled, lighting up the darkness of the night like tiny fireflies.

"How's Hyorong?"

Yeomdo approached and asked Dangsam, who was busy tending to the patient.

"Yes, it's not life-threatening, but……."

Said Tang Sam, the most accomplished of the councilors. All Murimans have enough medical knowledge to perform basic first aid, but the children of the Tang family are taught a more formal course of study. Poison and medicine are inseparable, after all.

He couldn't wait to study the interesting things he'd gotten from his big brother, but for now, tending to the wounded was his first priority.

"Just what is it?"

"My mind seems to have been struck by the blade of the Thunderbolt. My eyes have yet to regain their focus. It's almost like I'm dazed. It's temporary, of course, but it's going to take me a while to recover."

"It's not unreasonable, a sword of that caliber, that close……."

A little more blackness and I could have been a complete idiot.

"The nursing care of this Sojae is extreme."

Since then, Lee Jin-sul had forgotten about the erosion and cared for Hyo-ryong, never leaving his side. She was so obsessed with him that she couldn't see anything else. It was a sight that bordered on madness.

It was too much for her to bear, and Dokgo Ling advised her to rest, saying that if she did anything wrong, her body would be the first to be destroyed, but she didn't listen, instead focusing on Hyo-ryong's care.

"Is she really capable of pouring her heart out like that for one man? "

The sight of Iinsul was apparently very disturbing to Na Yerin. Na Yerin tried to replace her with herself. She quickly shook her head.

Honestly, the sight before her now was beyond her comprehension, but something in her heart told her it made sense. She couldn't tell which was right. She was only confused. Suddenly, the image of Bi Ryuyeon flashed into her mind.

"Again!

She doesn't know why she's been thinking of him so often lately. It just seemed like he was taking up more and more space in her mind. But as it grew, so did the fear of the unknown that generated on the other side of her mind.

'No way…….'

She soon denied her thoughts, refusing to acknowledge them. The tiny emotion that grew in the depths of her heart was too frightening to accept. Unconsciously, her gaze followed Bi Ryuyeon. He was on one side of the campfire, discussing something with Yeomdo and Ice Sword. The faces of the two middle-aged men listening were more serious.

'There's no way he's going to suffer an injury like that…….'

It was an unfounded belief, but it suddenly occurred to her. But later, Na Yerin had to realize that Bi Ryuyeon was not all-powerful and immortal. At a heavy price…….