Chapter 122
The knife had been thrown with such force that the hilt had partially embedded itself into his chest.
“V-Vice Leader, what is this…?” Dang Yejun’s entire body trembled in agony.
The Vice Leader slowly rose to his feet.
Meanwhile, Dang Yejun barely managed to stay upright, struggling not to collapse.
Step, step.
The Vice Leader walked over, stopping just in front of him, tilting his head slightly as he looked down at Dang Yejun.
“You should have tried harder to amuse me.”
The Vice Leader’s pitch-black eyes bore into Dang Yejun. His gaze was like a deep, thick swamp—impossible to fathom.
Then, he smiled slyly.
“If you had, I wouldn’t have decided to cut you off so quickly.”
Dang Yejun, frozen like a mouse before a predator, could only watch as the Vice Leader’s hand approached him.
“You came to us asking for help to overthrow your father?”
The Vice Leader’s lips curled into a smirk.
“That’s just too cliché.”
With those words, the Vice Leader flicked Dang Yejun’s forehead with his finger as if brushing off a speck of dirt.
*Thud.*
*Crash!*
Dang Yejun’s body fell to the ground like a broken puppet, his limbs sprawled in a pitiful heap.
The Vice Leader gazed down at him with cold, indifferent eyes.
“Especially since there’s not much time left before the Blood Demon returns.”
The words, like a death sentence, echoed in Dang Yejun’s ears.
‘The Blood Demon?’
With that faint thought, the last thing Dang Yejun felt was his vision turning pitch black.
Slowly, the focus faded from his eyes.
“Well, since the Young Master of the Dang Clan came all the way here to warn me that his family is planning to cut ties with us…”
The Vice Leader nudged Dang Yejun’s lifeless body with his foot as though kicking aside a piece of trash.
“I suppose I should return the favor by cutting the Dang Clan off first.”
With those final words, the Vice Leader tore his gaze away from Dang Yejun.
He glanced behind him, where a figure dressed in black was already kneeling, having silently entered the room.
“What about the leader of the Martial Alliance?” the Vice Leader asked nonchalantly.
The man in black swallowed nervously before answering.
“Everything is ready. Shall we proceed?”
“Good.”
The Vice Leader nodded.
“What should we do with the Young Master’s body?”
“Throw it away. Feed it to the dogs, or—ah.”
The Vice Leader paused and waved his hand dismissively.
Suddenly, his face brightened as though a particularly amusing thought had struck him, and he began to smile broadly.
“On second thought, he is the Young Master of the Dang Clan, after all. His body might prove useful. Keep it for now.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the man in black disappeared, the Vice Leader murmured to himself.
“The time has come. The moment I’ve been waiting for, for so long…”
A crazed gleam appeared in his jet-black eyes.
“The Blood Demon is returning.”
The Vice Leader whispered like a madman.
“Once that happens, the whole world will kneel before the Blood Demon. Ha, haha… Hahahahahaha!”
He clutched his forehead, laughing maniacally.
The scent of blood hung thick in the air, and the Vice Leader’s eerie laughter echoed throughout the room.
—
In the pale moonlight of early dawn, Hyuk Min-woo was unable to sleep.
‘Where have all the missing people gone?’
It wasn’t as if they’d vanished into thin air or fallen into a pit.
From the laborers and the village women who had disappeared at the start of the investigation to the others who had secretly gone missing, no one knew where they had ended up.
“Haa…”
Hyuk Min-woo sighed deeply, unable to shake the frustration building inside him.
‘And still, no response from the Northern Sea Ice Palace…’
Given the vast distance between Sichuan Province and the Northern Sea, it was no surprise.
Furthermore, the Millennium Snow Lotus was one of the Ice Palace’s most treasured artifacts. Even if the Matriarch had requested it, it couldn’t be removed without the consent of the elders.
And since Yerin wouldn’t have asked for the lotus without Doyul’s approval, it was clear that Doyul must have also needed the lotus.
Hyuk Min-woo’s eyes narrowed as he pondered.
‘Why did the two of them ask for the Millennium Snow Lotus?’
As soon as she set foot in the Northern Sea, Yerin, who had dedicated her entire life as a Gamo to the Northern Sea Ice Palace, felt a sense of urgency.
There was no doubt in her mind about it.
‘If that’s the case, something of great significance must be happening that requires the Millennium Snow Lotus.’
She had urgent business to attend to the next day, and she knew she would have to force herself to sleep, but her anxious mind wouldn’t let her close her eyes.
Hoping that some fresh air might help, Hyuk Min-woo pushed the window open.
Swish…
The night breeze rushed in.
With a complicated heart, Hyuk Min-woo gazed out the window.
Beyond the glass, a tranquil dawn unfolded, devoid of any signs of life.
Is it just my imagination?
The bluish darkness seemed to writhe as if it were alive.
It felt as if something was secretly hidden beyond that darkness.
“…”
Hyuk Min-woo found himself swallowing nervously.
‘Something feels ominous.’
Suddenly—
“Cough!”
A fluffy white creature jumped over the window, leaping right in front of Hyuk Min-woo’s face.
Startled, he widened his eyes.
“Are you a cloud?”
“Cough cough!”
Standing proudly with its chest puffed out was the white beast, Somi.
Somi hopped right onto Hyuk Min-woo’s lap.
“Did the Gamo send a message?”
Hyuk Min-woo hurriedly searched the creature’s neck for any hidden notes.
He felt a crumpled paper tucked away.
As he quickly read through it—
“…”
Hyuk Min-woo’s expression turned serious.
He raised his voice immediately.
“Is anyone outside?”
“Did you call for me, Hyuk Min-woo?”
The figure of a servant appeared, bowing deeply.
“Send a message to Seok Gwandu and Yang Gun. Apologize for calling them at this early hour.”
The servant’s eyes widened at the sudden command.
But Hyuk Min-woo reiterated firmly.
“It’s urgent, so you must bring them here without fail. Do you understand?”
“Yes, understood.”
The servant then left, and after a while, Seok Gwandu and Yang Gun rushed into Hyuk Min-woo’s office, breathless.
“What on earth is going on? You called us so early…”
“Is it that the Dang Clan found something to criticize?”
They seemed to have jumped out of bed, still wearing light clothing over their nightwear.
Despite this, the warrior still had a sword strapped to his waist.
“This is speaking from the worst-case scenario, but…”
Seeing the confused expressions on their faces, Hyuk Min-woo spoke gravely.
“We may need to prepare for battle.”
“Battle?”
“What do you mean…?”
The two men’s gazes sharpened in an instant.
They had been managing this land for six years now.
While there had been minor clashes with the Dang Clan during this time, nothing had escalated to the point of preparing for actual combat.
Yet, if the cautious Hyuk Min-woo was considering a battle…
He suddenly posed a question.
“Are you aware that people have been continuously going missing in the capital recently?”
“Oh, I’ve heard about that.”
“Even the workers we hired have disappeared, right?”
The two nodded absentmindedly.
Hyuk Min-woo continued with a heavy voice.
“Those disappearances could be the handiwork of the Blood Sect.”
“Excuse me?”
“That can’t be!”
Both of them widened their eyes in disbelief.
However, Hyuk Min-woo’s words were not over yet.
“From what I’ve personally gathered, at least thirty people have gone missing.”
“…”
“…”
A heavy silence filled the room.
After a moment, Yang Gun cautiously asked.
“Then, has the Dang Clan started an investigation into these disappearances?”
“No, there has been no investigation.”
Hyuk Min-woo replied decisively.
“The Dang Clan has remained silent.”
At this point, both men could no longer ignore the strangeness of the situation.
‘Now that I think about it, the Clan Leader did hint that the Blood Sect was moving in the shadows.’
‘And the Head mentioned that there were incidents of missing persons occurring across the Central Plains.’
The fact that the Dang Clan was remaining silent in such circumstances was troubling.
Just as the two were beginning to feel a sense of dread…
Hyuk Min-woo added another point.
“Furthermore, the Gamo has informed me that there is a hidden location within the Dang Clan that is concealed by a formation.”
Both of them fell into deep thought.
After a moment…
“…I understand that the Dang Clan is acting rather suspiciously.”
Seok Gwandu, the first disciple of the Jongnam faction, spoke up, his expression somewhat troubled.
“But wouldn’t it be a bit difficult to storm the Dang Clan right now?”
In fact, directly confronting the Dang Clan would be a heavy burden, not just for them but also for the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
What kind of place was the Dang Clan?
They were one of the top four families among the Five Great Families.
Even though they had recently refrained from external activities, their influence over the orthodox martial world was substantial.
“Wouldn’t it be better to inform the Martial Alliance instead?”
“No, that won’t do.”
In response to Yang Gun’s cautious question, Hyuk Min-woo shook his head firmly.
