Book 21 Chapter 4

West winds blow

-triggered by the

Late nights.

A young man pierced through the darkness to the guest room where the Martial Master <Jin Tian Thunderwall Sword> Nie Bai Tian was staying. His footsteps made no sound, as if he were wearing cotton shoes. In-young's new form stops in front of the door. The room was still bright.

Smart!

In-young cautiously knocks on the door twice.

"Come in."

You will hear a sound in the statement.

After looking around a couple times, In-young cautiously steps inside. He removes his cloak to reveal a figure. It was Nam Gung-hyun, the head of the Sichuan branch.

"I'm sure you were surprised by the unannounced inspection."

"Oh, no."

In fact, it kept the Sichuan chapter up at night for a few nights, but I didn't tell them that.

"Rest assured, I'm not interested in your other pockets."

At those words, Nam Gung-hyun's face immediately paled.

"Dang, another pocket, I'm not even pulling it."

Hearing the panic in her voice, Bai Chen replied dryly.

"Or good, because I'm actually here for something other than an inspection."

Nabaxian held out a scroll in front of Namgung Hyun.

"This, this……."

He's hesitant to grab the searchlight.

"Do you recall the theft that occurred two years ago at the headquarters of the Martial League?"

"Uh, of course. Isn't this the case where the Seventh Secret was robbed overnight?"

That was when he still had enemies at his headquarters. The Seventh Vault was the most important and secretive warehouse of the Martial League. How could he forget that seven layers of surveillance had been breached and the contents stolen.

"You didn't know what was missing then."

"Yes."

The fact that it was so tightly controlled that even someone like Nam Gung-hyun didn't know about it was a good indication of its importance.

"I'm sure you did, since you were so thorough, and that thing is……."

Nabaxian deliberately lowered his voice even further, as if the sound barrier he had created with his inner qi wasn't enough. The more he talked about the object's identity and origin, the more the blood drained from Namgung Hyun's face, and the more gaunt it became.

"Seriously, there's no way that happened……."

Nam Gung-hyun's jaw dropped as he listened to the whole story.

"It's unbelievable, the only people who know about it are the three Samsungs, me, and a few others. And now that it's gone, it's like the world has been turned upside down."

Several people were relieved of their positions and forced to take off their clothes. It was a case where all of our intelligence and manpower was exhausted and we couldn't find a single clue.

"This was left behind by the killer two years ago. Hurry up and read it, it's something you need to know."

Namgung Hyun's eyes widened at that.

"Did the killer leave the clues back then?"

"But it's top-secret, because it was clear as day that if the horse got out of the barn, the powerhouse would be in turmoil!"

Bai Xiaochun said in a serious tone. What on earth was he talking about that was so stern, and it made Namgung Hyun feel even more uneasy.

"I'll know it when I see it."

As if reading his mind, Nabaxian replied. Nam Gung-hyun cautiously opened the letter from the killer two years ago. His hand, holding the scroll, immediately twitched violently, like the trembling of an aspen tree.

"This… is……."

It wasn't just his hands that were trembling. Bai Xiaochun nodded with a solemn face. With a look of disbelief on his face, Namgung Hyun looked at the scroll once more. No matter how many times he reread it, no matter how many times he reread it, what was written on it didn't change.

We're off to find the missing item. Thanks for keeping it safe in the meantime. See you next time.

-The one who owes the debt.

"But the stuff that was stored in the Seventh Vigo is……."

Nam Gung-hyun was afraid to say the name he'd just heard, and he paraphrased it.

"Yes, it's the 'Frenzy of the West Wind', one of the Sichuan Fears, the Poisonous Gatekeeper of Sichuan!"

"So, you don't mean to tell me that Xu Tian is still alive……."

Namgung Hyun looked like a man who had just heard that the sky had fallen. Even though he was fifty years old, he was still one of the younger members of the Martial Kingdom. A hundred years ago, the Heavenly Fear Blood Tax had been the stuff of legend; he had only heard occasional stories from his grandfather, who had also fought in the Great War. However, the residue of fear in those stories was enough to give him a sense of the fear and terror of the time.

"Hush! You shouldn't say that so easily. Nothing is finalized yet."

Nie Baiqian cautioned with a cautious face.

"I, I was too hasty."

Nam Gung-hyun admitted his mistake. Bai Chen's intentions were clear. There is such a thing as impersonation in the world. The culprit could have used the trick at any time. Making a big deal out of it would be self-defeating before it even started.

"Do you see now why I called you here on purpose and in secret, and reserve all judgment until after the fact?"

"Yes, I will keep that in mind, my lord!"

Bai Xiaochun nodded lightly, seemingly satisfied.

"This is a scout that has arrived at my doorstep in stealth this time."

Bai Chen held out his second sword. Unlike the faded one from earlier, it was still fresh. That must be what set Nabaxian off and caused the people of the Sichuan branch to leak for days and days.

Nam Gung-hyun opened the scroll with a stiff, nervous hand. The font of the words "Pro-War with the Martial Masters" on the cover was the same as the one from earlier. The words were short, but not light.

The time has come. The winds will begin to blow again from the western end, beyond the western gates.

-The one who owes the debt.

"By gateway, I assume you mean the Sichuan Jade Gate, a fortress of heaven at the western end of the Zhongyuan. If it's the western end of Zhongyuan, it must be here."

"So to Sichuan……."

"Exactly."

It could have been a trap to lure him away from the headquarters. It was actually because of this anxiety that Bai Chen had brought his daughter with him. It was better to bring her with him, even if it was dangerous, than to leave her in the unknown. In any case, I had no choice but to go out on my own, even if it was a trap. The search was also a kind of challenge.

"It's the only lead I've gotten in two years. How could I neglect it?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it's the Mighty One himself.

I'd been wondering why I'd hauled myself all the way over here for days on end, but now it all made sense.

"What do I need to do?"

Swallowing dryly, Nam Gung-hyun asked, his shoulders feeling heavy as if they were pressed by a thousand muscles.

"First, I want you to see if you have any leads. Don't tell me what it is. Confidentiality is of the utmost importance."

"This is going to be hard, I don't know where to start."

Unless you can leak information to your subordinates, it's not worth the hassle. The point of having servants is lost.

"Don't worry. If he's really Seocheon, we have a clue. It's a piece of evidence he left behind."

"What are those clues?"

Nie Bai Tian's inner light shone sharply as he looked at Nangong County.

"A hundred years ago, he had his right arm chopped off by the Three Immortals."

"So he's a one-armed……."

But Nabaxian shook his head.

"No. Two years ago, sure, but not now!"

"Yes?"

Ignoring Namgung Hyun's dumbfounded look, Nie Bai Tian spoke with a firm voice.

"That one-armed weapon is his arm, so find one who is both one-armed and not one-armed!"

* * *

"This is going to be a blast."

The boy standing on the mountainside muttered to himself as he watched the gathering dark clouds. The damp wind was beating against his small body.

The black clouds in the sky were unusual. Their thickness and color made it clear that they held a lot of rain and wind. It was like a raging dragon circling in the thick dark clouds.

"Ryuyeon, hang up the laundry, there's a storm coming."

He heard his master's voice from within the chrysanthemum that stood behind him.

"I know."

The boy, Bi Ryuyeon, replied bluntly.

"But won't the house fall down, not the laundry?"

Glancing at Chu Jade, Bi Ryuyeon said in a worried tone. It wasn't strange if the standing form collapsed at any moment.

"You just have to hang in there!"

His advice was completely useless.

"If you have grit, you don't need a budget or a plan?"

The boy protested.

"Ugh!"

The protest was immediately silenced.

* * *

Outside the room, a storm was raging. The man stared down at what lay on the table. It was a long tube of iron, an iron box with intricate chains tied around it.

The man's right sleeve flapped wildly as the wind blew in through the rattling window. He was a one-armed man.

"A storm…what a night for this guy!"

Bam! Bam!

The one-armed man slowly removed the chains around the double triplets and opened the box. The box opened with a friction sound.

"Finally……."

A wicked grin spreads across the man's face as he looks inside the box.

Flash!

Lightning flashes outside the window.

Oomph! Quack!

Thunder strikes the atmosphere.

"It's about time!"

The one-armed man stuck his hand into the box and pulled out the item inside.

"Time for revenge!"

* * *

Blah, blah, blah!

A man walked down the hallway in front of the office of the Sichuan Chapter of the Martial Arts League. The man's footsteps stopped just outside the door.

Flash!

A flash of light created a human shadow on the windowpane.

"Who is it!"

Nam Gung-hyun exclaimed, grabbing his sword from its resting place on the table.

"……."

Drat!

Instead of an answer, the door swung open.

"What, was that you?"

Acknowledging his visitor, Nam Gung-hyun sat back down, resting his sword in his lap.

"You did it on purpose! Come in with a message. You took me by surprise, Lieutenant-Colonel."

In response to Namgung Hyun's criticism, Vice-Commander Nile Chen replied in a sullen tone.

"This is inside the Sichuan branch of the Martial Arts League. Who dares to pull a stunt? It's not good for the branch leader to be so timid."

"I don't want to hear that from you. So, what's going on?"

Nile Chen suddenly turned serious and said with a serious expression.

"We have a lead on Seocheon."

"What?"

Namgung Hyun's face instantly hardened. He was afraid to even say their names, the four henchmen who had escorted him, and the dreaded Four Horsemen. How could he not be nervous now that he had found a clue to the whereabouts of the missing Xu Tian. But something was wrong. There was an unexplained discomfort.

"Yes, yes, solving the riddle of 'one-armed yet not one-armed' helped."

Nie Tian's expression was still serious. Namgung Hyun studied his face carefully and nodded. He could see the source of his discomfort.

"Oh, right, right, right……. By the way."

"Yes?"

While Nie Tian rounded his eyes and questioned, Namgung Hyun slowly brought his hands to his lap.

"How do you know? I never said the word 'nirvana' to you."

Flash!

Against the backdrop of a flash of light piercing through the window, Nile raised his right hand like a bolt of lightning. The chair shattered as Namgung Hyun hurriedly kicked it, sending his body flying backwards.

"How can your right hand!"

There were hands where they shouldn't be. A sneer tugged at the corners of Nile's mouth. His tone changed.

"Did you just realize this? You're dumber than I thought."

"Oh, you!"

Even as Namgung Hyun drew his sword, Nile Chen remained frozen in place.

"Hoot!"

As the corners of his mouth twitched once more, Nile's right hand stretched out toward Namgung Hyun's heart.

Phew!

Without any preliminary movement, his right hand, extended like a sharp spear, chased after and pierced Namgung Hyun's heart at lightning speed. His sword fell to the ground with a clatter.

Quack!

The demonic hand that had pierced Namgung County's heart was still embedded in the wall behind him, with no reduction in strength.

Nam Gung-hyun was quickly skewered and left dangling in the air.

Thrrrrr!

Arms outstretched, Nile's body skimmed the ground as he approached Namgung Hyun.

"Xu, Xu Chen must be over a hundred and twenty years old……."

A gleam of disbelief filled Namgung Hyun's eyes as he looked down at the Nile.

"Well, let's just call it a day."

"My, what grudge do I have against……."

"Not really. I hate long hands."

Looking at the red blood dripping from the right arm that had pierced Namgung Hyun's chest, Nile spoke as if to say.

"You get everything just by having long hands. By the way, they last a long time, don't they?"

As expected, it should have died immediately.

"Indeed, you don't mind rotting, you've twisted yourself into a ball, then let me help you some more!"

With a clang, a thick iron blade shot out of Namgung Hyun's body. Blood gushed out like a fountain, soaking the floor.

"Farewell, prefect!"

Nile smiled happily and said.

Grrrr!

The arm that had stretched out shrank. A red heart rested on top of the plucked beast. It was the same heart that had been pumping hot blood from Namgung Hyun's chest just moments ago.

Wow!

With a bit of force, the heart crumbled into red juice, like an apple.

"Hmph!"

A cruel, amused smile formed on his lips.

"Okay, now let's go meet my cute niece!"

Nile murmured, running his tongue over his thin upper lip.

Outside, the storm was still raging.