Chapter 138 <It’s Not Over Yet>
The Owner of White Flower House first checked the extent of the damage to the Hao Clan.
While all the enemies who had stormed into the White Flower House that day were killed, those who attacked the other branches of the Hao Clan were not dealt with in the same manner.
First and foremost, they needed to take care of those intruders.
To handle this, the Owner of White Flower House involved both the Murim Alliance and Black Lotus Sect in the matter.
Fortunately, the damage to the Hao Clan was not as severe as initially feared.
This was because Jang Gakwoo and Yuk Taegu had dispatched unorthodox warriors and wanderers to protect the Hao branches at the time.
Even so, the enemy’s power had been greater than expected, resulting in unavoidable losses.
By quickly assessing the situation as soon as the attack began, they were able to concentrate their forces on where the enemy appeared, minimizing the damage.
The problem, however, was that not all the attacking enemies had been captured.
A significant number had managed to escape alive.
From now on, the Hao Clan’s task was to track them down, annihilate them, and uncover the forces behind them.
Since the kidnapped warriors from the Murim Alliance and Black Lotus Sect still hadn’t been found, it was necessary to bring those two groups into the fold for this matter.
The enemies were terrifying adversaries.
Had it not been for Byeok Taesan, they would have been utterly defeated.
The enemies had shaken the Hao Clan’s intelligence network, created vulnerabilities, and directly struck at its headquarters.
How many organizations could achieve something like that so effortlessly?
The Owner of White Flower House, with a grave expression, contemplated these formidable foes.
At that moment, Hwaryeong quietly approached her.
“What has you so deep in thought?”
“Oh, you’re here? I was just... thinking about the enemies we faced.”
“They are truly formidable, aren’t they?”
“Indeed. Without the Young Master, we’d all either be dead or in a fate worse than death.”
Hwaryeong nodded in strong agreement with those words.
“Just the fact that they’ve managed to take control of the streets and establish themselves over the past ten years shows they’re not ordinary.”
The Owner of White Flower House’s eyes gleamed at that comment.
“But do you think such people exist only in Wuhan? And is there only one such district in Wuhan?”
Hwaryeong’s expression also grew serious.
“You’re right. Surely... there must be others in other cities as well. Unless Wuhan holds some uniquely special value to them.”
“But we’re too lacking in resources to investigate all of that.”
“Even so, we must. What if we took this opportunity to expand our reach a bit?”
“Expand...?”
It was indeed a tempting suggestion.
Recently, members of the Heaven Guard Corps had gradually joined forces to support the Hao Clan.
Even just combining their strengths would create a drastic difference from the current situation.
With a determined expression, Hwaryeong looked at the Owner of White Flower House.
“I believe more people will continue to join us in the future. Don’t you also suspect who they might be?”
At Hwaryeong’s question, the Owner of White Flower House hesitated with a conflicted expression.
She had a hunch, but she didn’t want to voice it out loud. For some reason, it frightened her.
“They are scattered across the world, just like the Hao Clan, aren’t they?”
“That’s true.”
“With the Young Master’s permission, I don’t think this would be an issue. The Young Master isn’t someone who gets caught up in trivial matters.”
“I feel the same way.”
The two exchanged silent glances for a while before nodding simultaneously.
•••••
“Catch him!”
A group of warriors rushed forward.
In the distance, a man dressed in black was fleeing swiftly.
Though the gap between them was considerable, it was gradually closing.
After all, it had been nearly half an hour.
The pursuers had switched shifts during this time, but the fleeing man had not rested even once.
No matter how skilled he was in lightfoot techniques, at this rate, he would inevitably be caught.
Still, the man continued to run desperately.
Then, from the side, someone lunged at him.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Fists and feet clashed in an instant.
Though the man’s skills were formidable, the assailant who ambushed him was equally strong.
After a few exchanges of blows, the pursuers surrounded the two in a wide circle.
Then they launched an attack on the man in black.
Their coordinated movements, practiced as if they had rehearsed countless times, left no room for error or confusion.
Crunch!
“Gahhh!”
The man in black collapsed to the ground, his shoulder and knee crushed.
“Huff... How many is this one?”
“This makes seven.”
“Do you know how many the Black Lotus Sect has captured?”
“They’ve captured seven as well, as far as I know.”
“We’re severely short on manpower. At this rate, we might fall behind.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to one side.
Standing there was a Hao Clan scout, looking visibly troubled.
“Hurry up and lead the way. You’ll need to put in more effort.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The Hao Clan scout had no choice but to respond that way.
This task was critical in many ways.
It was an opportunity for the Hao Clan to put both the Murim Alliance and the Black Lotus in their debt.
Furthermore, with the recent revelation that the Hao Clan had aided the Hubei Martial Alliance, their reputation was steadily rising.
The Hao Clan had also been tasked with assisting in the interrogation of those captured.
It was a strategy that served two purposes: rooting out the enemy remnants while further enhancing the Hao Clan’s standing.
How could they afford to handle it carelessly?
“I will guide you to the next location. While the heroes pursued the enemies, I gathered some preliminary information.”
The enemy’s position had been tracked using the clues left behind during their recent attack on the Hao Clan.
The urgency of the situation had prevented the enemy from erasing their traces as thoroughly as before, and this allowed the Hao Clan to pursue them.
As the Hao Clan scout began leading the way, the warriors of the Murim Alliance followed closely behind.
Similar efforts were underway all across Wuhan.
The operation wasn’t limited to just the Murim Alliance and the Black Lotus.
The Namgoong Clan and the Zhuge Clan had also joined the search and eradication efforts for the remnants.
Officially, their involvement was to assist the Golden Wall Merchants, but their true goal was to obtain intelligence on the organization known as Nameless Sect.
Of course, they couldn’t interfere recklessly.
The Hao Clan controlled the information, and the involvement of the Murim Alliance and Black Lotus had to be negotiated.
Ultimately, all these factors aligned to provide justification and information, and they too were diligently capturing enemy remnants.
The whole of Wuhan was abuzz with activity as a result.
Yet, for most people, life went on as usual, unaffected by these events.
•••••
“Was the Hao Clan always this formidable?”
A man clad in a pristine white robe stood there. His sculpted features exuded dignity, and his posture and aura gave off the unmistakable impression of nobility.
Before him knelt a woman dressed in jet-black attire, her head bowed as she rested on one knee.
“Hyeok Ryeon’s underlings are no pushovers. How many did he send this time?”
“Four hundred, sir.”
“Four hundred. He really scraped together everything he had, didn’t he? And yet, the Hao Clan came out unscathed?”
“Yes, there was almost no damage.”
“So, the Hao Clan managed to overwhelm Hyeok Ryeon’s trained forces? How is that even possible? What’s your take?”
“If the Hao Clan scouts I observed are of average skill, it should have been impossible.”
“Which means someone else intervened…”
The man let out a short laugh.
“Hyeok Ryeon Bi Gwang, that venomous snake. He wouldn’t just hand over Wuhan so easily.”
His gaze turned cold as he looked down at the woman.
“Our forces aren’t moving, right?”
“No, sir. I’ve ordered them to stay completely out of it, even if opportunities arise. Everyone is holding their positions.”
“Good. Have them hold out until the end. There’s clearly something going on here, and we need to figure out what Hyeok Ryeon Bi Gwang is hiding.”
“As you command.”
“There’s no trace of involvement from the Murim Alliance or Black Lotus, is there?”
“It’s unclear. The Murim Alliance, Black Lotus, Namgoong Clan, Zhuge Clan, and even the Hubei Martial Alliance are all tangled together. It’s impossible to determine who is acting and how.”
“Tch, if even one of them had survived, it would’ve been easier to piece things together. But they’re all dead.”
“We’re gathering information steadily. The situation should become clearer soon.”
The man nodded.
“Well, it’ll take some time, but it can’t be helped. Oh, and don’t touch the Golden Wall Merchants.”
“Yes, I’ve made that abundantly clear.”
“This is such a tangled mess; it’s giving me a headache. So, once the Golden Wall Merchants are dealt with… is everything more or less finished?”
“That’s what I understand, but who can fathom the intentions of the elder?”
“That monstrous old man sure has lived a long time.”
The woman cautiously lifted her head to look at the man.
“What should we do? Shall we leak traces of the remaining forces?”
“Of course. And everything Hyeok Ryeon Bi Gwang left behind in Wuhan? Hand that over too.”
“Yes, I’ll proceed immediately.”
“And make sure it doesn’t get discovered. We were never involved and were just quietly waiting. You understand?”
“Of course.”
The woman bowed once more before retreating.
The man watched her leave silently. Once she disappeared, he muttered to himself.
“I’m getting tired of her. But she’s too competent to replace… Maybe it’s time to cultivate a competitor for her.”
A sly smile twisted his lips.
“Well, everything’s falling into place nicely, so I can’t complain. Hyeok Ryeon Bi Gwang, my foolish friend, you should’ve come in person, like I did. Hah, hah, hah.”
••••••
The Owner of White Flower House and Hwaryeong cautiously looked at Byeok Taesan, who was seated in the upper seat.
Byeok Taesan’s expression was the same as usual, but for some reason, he seemed slightly intimidating today.
“You found the kidnapped men?”
When Byeok Taesan spoke first, the Owner of White Flower House quickly responded.
“Yes. Their bodies seem to be in decent condition.”
“They’re unharmed? Even after being abducted by those lunatics?”
“They have injuries, but nothing beyond what can be fully healed. I personally took some physicians to confirm their condition.”
Instead of involving the Heavenly Divine Healer or the Needle Master, three physicians from the Heavenly Medicine Pavilion were brought in to provide minor treatment and perform a thorough diagnosis.
As if gauging Byeok Taesan’s thoughts, the Owner of White Flower House added, “It’s very suspicious, but since nothing tangible has surfaced, everyone seems to be letting it go for now.”
But this wasn’t the end of the matter.
The enemy had planted seeds of doubt between the Black Lotus Sect and the Murim Alliance.
“Leave that part to them… We’re far from finished here. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, there’s certainly more to this.”
The Owner of White Flower House and Hwaryeong exchanged thoughts, speculating on the situation.
“The group that previously operated in Wuhan and the ones that attacked the White Flower House this time are clearly from different organizations.”
“I think so too. If they were from the same organization, it wouldn’t make sense for them to have no information on the Young Master. They showed no preparation against him whatsoever.”
“And it seems like there’s yet another related organization.”
“That’s right. During the search for the remnants, there were traces of interference by someone else.”
“It was so subtle that it couldn’t have been done without extensive experience handling information.”
“If it weren’t for us, it would’ve been nearly impossible to notice.”
The two exchanged meaningful glances and nodded in agreement.
“They’re similar but distinct groups.”
“I agree.”
Byeok Taesan, who had been silently listening to their exchange, finally spoke.
“So, even these incompetent fools are squabbling amongst themselves.”
“That’s correct.”
They might not all be incompetent, though.
“Furthermore, thanks to those subtle pieces of information, we were able to completely clean up the remnants of the Nameless Sect that had been operating in Wuhan.”
The Owner of White Flower House spoke with sparkling eyes, and Hwaryeong chimed in.
“By analyzing that information, we’ve figured out how the Nameless Sect organized its spies and how they established their information bases.”
Interest gleamed in Byeok Taesan’s eyes.
“Does this mean you can locate their bases in other cities as well?”
“It’s definitely possible.”
“As long as they don’t change their system.”
A faint smile appeared on Byeok Taesan’s lips.
“So you’re saying time is limited.”
Once this situation became known, the enemy would undoubtedly take action.
The first step would likely be reorganizing their structure.
Byeok Taesan glanced at the Owner of White Flower House and Hwaryeong in turn.
“Focus on the reconnaissance first. I’ll visit personally.”
Their eyes widened in shock.
“You mean you’ll go in person, Young Master?”
Byeok Taesan grinned.
“If there’s someone worthy to take along by then, I’ll bring them.”
It was a subtle encouragement to train diligently and become stronger.
With a resolute expression, Hwaryeong pressed her lips together firmly.
Meanwhile, the Owner of White Flower House, wearing a troubled look, glanced at Hwaryeong.