Chapter 58: Bamboo Garden Soul-Shattering Formation (2)
"You’ve probably heard that there's a massive group on the hill intending to attack us. If we can't stop them now, there will be no tomorrow for us. If you don’t bring out the poison, we’ll all die."
At those words, Seomun Seoseol stepped forward.
"Brother, let’s go with what Young Master Yong says. We have to survive first, don’t we?"
Seomun Yuwon glared at Yong Hwarin.
"How did you know we had poison?"
This level of deception was nothing for Yong Hwarin. He could lie with his eyes closed.
He had mastered the precise art of lying, characteristic of merchants, so it wasn’t a problem.
"My nose happens to be unusually sensitive. When I was young and ignorant, I once got poisoned while playing with poison, and I was bedridden for a long time. That’s why there are rumors I’m frail. Ever since then, I’ve been able to smell poison even from afar. I could catch the scent of poison from every warrior of the Seomun Clan."
"Lies!"
Seomun Yuwon pulled a small pouch from his chest—it was made of deer hide.
Because of its distinctive scent, deer hide could block out any other aroma.
Moreover, Seomun Yuwon opened the pouch and pulled out a small jade bottle, sealed with wax around the neck so that not even a trace of scent could escape.
"It was sealed precisely to prevent the smell from leaking! And yet you say you smelled it? You're claiming to have picked up on a scent that even a dog couldn't detect?"
The Seomun Clan, wary of the poison being exposed, had tested it using a dog beforehand.
Yong Hwarin hadn’t expected them to go this far. He was momentarily speechless.
At that moment, Pang Giyok became his savior.
"Young Master Yong, we’ve finished setting up formations in all the directions you mentioned! What do we do next?"
Yong Hwarin nodded at Pang Giyok’s words and then looked at Seomun Yuwon.
"I’ll explain that later. Now’s not the time to argue about the poison. We simply need it right now."
He had already exposed it, so there was no taking it back.
Though cursing his own carelessness, Seomun Yuwon resolved to take an active role in the situation now that it had come to this.
If they all died, so be it—but if they survived, he could become a hero. With the calculations in place, Seomun Yuwon gave an order to the clan's warriors.
"Give all the poison in your possession to Young Master Yong."
Seomun Seoseol also handed over the poison she had been carrying in her robes and spoke.
"Young Master Yong, you're quite the mystery. Just who are you?"
It was a ridiculous question—an instinctive response born out of confusion. She really was growing curious about his true identity.
The sickly heir of Heavenly Central Sect, based on Mount Cheonjung in Henan. That was supposed to be Yong Hwarin. But experiencing him firsthand, he didn’t match that description at all.
Yong Hwarin was again left speechless by Seomun Seoseol’s wide-eyed question.
"I’ll explain that later, too."
He awkwardly gathered the poison and returned.
By then, the formations arranged by the Jaegal Clan were completed, and everyone gathered in the clearing.
*
"Whether there are ten or a hundred of them, rats are still rats."
Zhao Qiansheng, the Martial Protector of the Origin Sect, had lost his patience as he watched the happenings in the bamboo forest.
"Let’s go."
As soon as he said that, Song Deok, the leader of the Blood Dragon Unit, shouted out.
"None in that bamboo forest should make it out alive. Kill them all!"
At his command, the Blood Dragon warriors released their suppressed killing intent and surged toward the bamboo forest.
*
When the murderous presences on the hill finally began to move, Yong Hwarin spoke.
"From this point on, you must follow my instructions precisely to maintain the formation. Stick close to the Jaegal Clan’s formation and kill enemies trying to break through it to reduce their numbers. If the Jaegal formation is broken, fall back to the formation I set up. Once the Bamboo Garden Soul-Shattering Formation activates, you won’t be able to re-enter. Poison will be released. The attack within the Jaegal formation is left to each clan’s discretion."
Jaegal Byeok asked with effort.
He was one of the foremost tactical minds in the Jaegal Clan. If it hadn’t been for him, they wouldn’t have held out this long.
"Who created the Bamboo Garden Soul-Shattering Formation?"
He thought he had mastered all of the world’s great and esoteric formations, but he had never heard of this one.
"It’s originally a formation passed down in my family. I made some modifications."
Even at a glance, it was clear that deploying the Bamboo Garden Soul-Shattering Formation required deep expertise in formation arts.
But there was something he couldn’t understand.
"The fundamental principle of formations is to keep the enemy as far from us as possible. But this formation is designed to allow the enemy to approach within a few feet. At that range, even if the formation holds, sword energy alone could destroy it."
Yong Hwarin nodded toward Jaegal Byeok.
He truly was one of the top three minds of the Jaegal Clan.
He was one of the famed Jaegal New Three Minds, along with Jaegal Yohye.
The nickname flashed through Yong Hwarin’s head at that moment.
Just from one glance, he had grasped the entire setup of the Bamboo Garden Soul-Shattering Formation. It was remarkable.
"That’s exactly the trait of this formation. When the enemy thinks they’ve found an opening and charges in, they will find themselves surrounded from all directions. That’s when the Seomun Clan releases their poison."
"Ah!"
Poison couldn’t be dispersed from too far away.
It needed to be close to be effective.
"But in a bamboo forest like this, the wind direction changes constantly. Isn’t there a chance the poison could blow back toward us?"
As expected, Jaegal Byeok was sharp enough to point out potential dangers.
Everyone looked to Yong Hwarin, as if to ask if they were about to die from their own formation.
Especially the Two Wook Sword Demons and Mo Biyoung looked visibly worried.
‘Why is the Young Master going through with this formation that he doesn’t even seem to fully understand? I’ve never heard of him studying formations before… If he says he only read it in a book, that’ll be a disaster.’
Formations weren’t something one could master from books alone. Like martial arts, they required countless trials and actual practice to become effective.
If someone attempted to deploy one based only on book knowledge, they risked endangering themselves and everyone else.
There was concern that Yong Hwarin’s heroic mindset might be leading them all to death.
But it was too late to stop him now.
Everything was unfolding according to the Young Master’s will.
‘And also… why are these people listening to him so easily?’
They didn’t know how Yong Hwarin had won them over, but seeing them follow his orders was baffling.
These were no ordinary people.
Jaegal Clan, Shangguan Clan, Seomun Clan, Pang Clan of Hebei.
All were among the Twelve Great Martial Clans. If Heavenly Central Sect was a firefly, these groups were bonfires.
Seeing the heirs and elites of such clans follow Yong Hwarin’s commands without hesitation was nothing short of bizarre.
It was a strange feeling, hard to put into words.
If he had to describe it, it felt like this:
"I thought I was eating ginseng, but it turns out it was just wild burdock. Then I lost all my internal energy because I couldn’t do breathing exercises. That’s how I feel. What is this weird feeling?"
When Namwook mumbled this, Mo Biyoung nodded.
It was a silly metaphor, but it perfectly captured her mood.
Meanwhile, Jong Munhye and Jong Seok looked moved as they watched their sworn brother. Their expressions were like those of people who’d picked up a rock only to discover it was a lump of gold.
"Brother, I feel like I hit the jackpot."
"Me too… really."
Yong Hwarin’s group felt so out of place that all they could do was follow him with their eyes.
Yong Hwarin gripped Pang Giyok’s shoulder and said,
"Good, Young Master Pang. Everything now depends on the warriors of the Pang Clan."
"You’re putting a lot of pressure on me all of a sudden."
Pang Giyok responded with a completely unbothered expression.
The Pang Clan’s warriors were the type to become more combative when things got tough.
This only proved that the Pang Clan was a house of martial vigor.
"When I throw the jade bottle filled with poison, the Pang warriors must immediately shatter it."
"That much is easy. But what kind of poison is inside?"
To that, Seomun Yuwon approached and replied.
"I’m curious whether Young Master Yong knows that, too. If you do, tell us. Then I’ll treat you as an elder brother."
Seomun Yuwon was originally a year older than the other young masters of the clans.
So his statement was both humorous and meaningful. But they all understood what a concession it was for Seomun Yuwon.
For the heir of one of the Twelve Great Martial Clans to treat the heir of a mid-tier sect from Henan as a peer—no, as an elder—was unprecedented.
‘So this punk thinks I don’t know what kind of poison it is.’
Even in the urgency of the moment, Yong Hwarin found Seomun Yuwon’s provocation rather cute.
Yong Hwarin looked at Pang Giyok and said,
"The Seomun Clan is based in Jinan, Shandong, correct? What’s the most famous poison from Shandong?"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Pang Giyok shook his head, clearly clueless.
"It must be the Five Tea Poison of Mount Tai, no?"
At Yong Hwarin’s words, Seomun Seoseol asked,
"Why do you think it’s Five Tea Poison?"
"Five Tea Poison is made by steeping five toxic types of tea leaves. When released into the air, it forms a faint poisonous mist. That mist enhances the power of the Seomun Clan’s swift saber techniques. Even if an enemy dodges the blades, they’ll die from the poison. This Five Tea Poison is practically made for the Seomun Clan."
Seomun Yuwon stared at Yong Hwarin with even fiercer intensity.
"You’re someone who reveals his true worth in times of crisis. Back at the Shangguan Clan, I thought you were just the well-bred heir of a mid-tier sect."
Jaegal Byeok chimed in.
"Heh heh, I used to think no one could match the Jaegal Clan when it came to brains. But today, I may have to revise that opinion because of Young Master Yong."
It was the highest praise. Coming from one of the Jaegal New Three Minds—whose pride rivaled that of the Namgung Clan or the Tang Clan—this recognition was not given lightly.
What they didn’t know was that Yong Hwarin already lived through the future and knew all of this.
Just then—
"Young Master Yong! The enemy is coming!"
At those words, Yong Hwarin looked up toward the hill.
The masses of murderous energy were descending, slowly entering the bamboo grove.