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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Prelude to a Counterattack
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As the wind blew, the moonlight appeared and disappeared behind the clouds.
In the dead of night, as this pattern repeated, Un-pyo carried oil barrels toward the northwestern warehouse of Blade Leaf Valley.
Behind the warehouse was a slight hill, where he stealthily and silently placed five large wooden oil barrels.
Then, he heard the voices of two men chatting.
"Kekeke, aren't the residents here just idiots? To think they gobble up the white powder we hand out, not even knowing it's actually Bewitching Soul Powder~ Bwahahahaha!"
"Pathetic fools. Kekeke, by the way, what did you do to that guy who was crying and begging you for leftover white powder the other day?"
"Of course, I smashed his face into a pulp. Bwahahaha! We have to show those damn addicts the might of the Divine Cult, don't we?"
"Bwahahaha, what was that? Are you out of your mind? Drink in moderation. You need to be sober before our shift change!"
The two martial artists guarding the warehouse were sitting and chatting, drunk. Watching them, Un-pyo's blazing emotions turned ice-cold.
'No mercy is needed.'
He then swiftly moved, unleashing a blade of wind.
Leaf-Cutting Wind.
The two martial artists, who had let down their guard while drinking, were bisected before they could even sense the incoming blade of wind.
Red blood sprayed in front of the warehouse.
The two martial artists died with their eyes wide open.
The scent of alcohol that had emanated from the two men was soon met with the thick stench of blood.
"Filthy bastards."
Un-pyo muttered under his breath before taking three oil barrels into the warehouse. He then poured the contents evenly.
The faint scent of oil, having seeped well between the wooden boxes inside the warehouse, slowly spread through the air.
"The smell isn't pleasant."
A night where the scents of alcohol, blood, and oil mixed and spread.
Finally, he poured the two remaining barrels from the warehouse roof, emptying the last of them. His work done, Un-pyo looked at the Bewitching Soul Powder warehouse and spoke.
"Finally, one source of the evil."
He lit the fire.
The start of a great fire. Ignited by oil and wood, the flames surged like a fiery demon.
Chunks of fire fell inside and outside the warehouse, and the blaze rapidly and terrifyingly consumed the entire structure.
The crimson flames lit up Blade Leaf Valley from its outskirts to its center.
As the scarlet flames soaring from the northwestern warehouse illuminated the surroundings like daylight, one of Gu Cheong's subordinates, who had spotted the blaze, ran over and discovered the burning warehouse. He immediately tried to mobilize forces to extinguish the fire, but Un-pyo blocked his path, preventing him from advancing.
Ultimately, judging it was too much to handle on their own, the martial artist ran to Gu Cheong's room.
"Gu Cheong! We're under attack! The warehouse storing the Bewitching Soul Powder is on fire!"
Gu Cheong, who had been pondering the previous day's explosion, asked in alarm at the report of an attack.
"What? Why is the warehouse suddenly on fire? What were the men guarding it doing!"
"They... they were all taken down. A masked man in black attacked, and all the guards are dead. Other warriors are confronting him, but it seems they're struggling just to hold their ground."
"This... I understand. I'll go myself."
"Yes, sir!"
Gu Cheong gritted his teeth.
A master from the Divine Cult? No... if that were the case, my subordinates wouldn't even be able to confront him. They would have been wiped from existence in an instant. Then, has some rat-like bastard suddenly appeared to ruin things?
"Jang-pal and Jang-bong are still cleaning up here... It can't be them, can it?"
'I can't afford to run out of Bewitching Soul Powder now...'
* * *
Gu Cheong hurriedly led his subordinates to the warehouse.
"Who are you, bastard!"
"..."
Gu Cheong shouted as he stepped in front of the masked man.
As soon as the masked man saw Gu Cheong appear, he fled into the forest.
"Hey, that bastard...!"
The warehouse burned fiercely. Amidst the mixed scents of oil and blood, a few subordinates collapsed, intoxicated by the smell of the Bewitching Soul Powder.
"Everyone, tear your clothes, wet them with water, and cover your mouths and noses!"
"Yes, sir!"
A few subordinates were pouring water, but the flames did not die down easily. It was a deliberate act of arson, with a massive amount of oil having been spread.
The martial artists who had been on guard lay fallen, reeking of blood.
Gu Cheong gritted his teeth and said.
"He couldn't have gone far. After him, now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Figures cut through the night, chasing the masked man. Gu Cheong's subordinates flew across the treetops, moving swiftly through the forest, but the masked man was twice as fast.
Even as he fled, he sliced the necks of the warriors who approached him, one by one. He wasn't an unbeatable master, but he was clearly a well-trained martial artist.
"Tsk, useless fools."
Gu Cheong, who had been gauging the masked man's skills from the rear just in case, drew his sword and began to lead the chase.
From what he could tell, his opponent was likely a peak master, at a level similar to his own.
'If his level is similar to mine, I can definitely catch him by joining forces with my subordinates.'
Gaining confidence, Gu Cheong drew his sword and launched a blade of wind at the masked man.
Gu Cheong's blade of wind flew swiftly, cutting through the air.
The masked man blocked the incoming blade of wind with the flat of his large saber.
As the masked man's movement was delayed while blocking the attack, Gu Cheong seized the opportunity and charged. But the masked man, as if waiting for this moment, kicked a tree with internal energy focused in his leg.
'Falling Flower Kick.'
At that, a pile of rocks and branches tied to the tree above fell all at once.
"Ugh."
Startled by something suddenly falling from above, Gu Cheong halted his attack and dodged.
Seeing the flustered Gu Cheong, the masked man hesitated for a moment, then suddenly turned and fired a blade of wind, cutting through the falling leaves.
"Leaf-Cutting Wind."
"Kuaargh!"
Gu Cheong immediately raised his internal energy and blocked the saber wind with his sword, but two of his subordinates chasing from behind couldn't dodge in time and were split in half.
Through the fluttering leaves, Gu Cheong saw his two bisected subordinates.
Everything severed fell, pulled by gravity.
"Dammit!"
By the time Gu Cheong, distracted by the sight of his fallen men, came to his senses and looked for the masked man, he had already vanished without a trace.
Gu Cheong, sword in hand, went to find his surviving subordinates.
'Five out of ten were taken down.'
Gu Cheong's expression soured.
'Something is wrong. Leaf-Cutting Wind? That's a technique used by the Blade Leaf Demon and his subordinates. Was he not a master from the Divine Cult, but one of the Blade Leaf Demon's men?'
"Dammit, what the hell is going on? Golden Fang Poison Claw... that old man should have dealt with the Blade Leaf Demon and all his subordinates. Did one of them escape?"
It was a complete failure.
The Bewitching Soul Powder used as a carrot for the peasants was all burned away, and the number of dead subordinates was not small.
The attacker wasn't even the Divine Cult master that Pa-sun and Baek Mu-heun had mentioned, yet he escaped without a scratch.
He was merely presumed to be one of the Blade Leaf Demon's subordinates. But he couldn't confront the Golden Fang Poison Claw about it.
It was one frustrating situation after another. Gu Cheong unconsciously gritted his teeth.
"To throw ash on a perfectly cooked meal."
'If I can't fully trust the Golden Fang Poison Claw, I need to come up with my own plan.'
"Dammit! You rats!"
Fortunately, the reinforcements sent by the Lord of the Red Demon Pavilion will arrive soon.
I don't know who that masked man who caused the commotion was, but his timing was terrible.
'You're nothing but a rat in a jar now. I'll make you regret showing yourself at this time.'
* * *
After confirming the commotion, Pa-sun and I finished our cleaning, then deliberately made sure to be seen by the warriors of the central pavilion before returning to our quarters.
Unlike the noisy outside, our quarters were perfectly silent. Inside the quiet room where Pa-sun and Baek Mu-heun were staying, only the voices of three people filled the space.
"Did you burn it all?"
"Completely. Nothing can be salvaged from there."
"Good. You did well."
"It was nothing."
Un-pyo had done even better than I expected.
'He's certainly a simple man, but his instincts are sharp.'
"Now that all the Bewitching Soul Powder that was distributed to the peasants in small daily amounts is gone, they'll have to come up with some kind of excuse starting tomorrow."
"I suppose so. It seems most of the peasants here are addicted to the Bewitching Soul Powder."
"Right, that's when you'll need to step in. Come here for a moment."
"Huh? Yes..."
"I'm going to carve a formation into your mouth, tongue, and eyes."
"Huh? Huh? On me?"
"Yes. Stay still."
"W-wait a mome—"
I used the potent spiritual energy filling my upper dantian to weave a formation, combining Soul-Stealing, a type of sorcery that uses spiritual energy, with the Spirit Eye, which can interfere with people's minds and souls and read their emotions.
Blazing Soul-Bewitching Grand Art.
This grand art, carved into Pa-sun's mouth, tongue, and eyes, is a technique that uses words to maximize a specific emotion in the target.
"Now, for about a day, your words will carry the power of incitement and bewitchment."
"*Cough, cough*..."
Pa-sun asked, flustered.
"Incitement and bewitchment?"
In truth, it merely amplified specific emotions, but I explained just enough so that Pa-sun could carry out his mission without difficulty.
Perhaps if it weren't for Pa-sun, a natural pot-stirrer, this was an operation no one else could have performed.
"Yes. Incite the peasants addicted to the Bewitching Soul Powder and cause a disturbance."
"A disturbance?"
Hearing the word 'disturbance,' Un-pyo flared up.
"A disturbance! The peasants could be killed!"
"Don't worry. They won't be able to do that until their work is finished."
"..."
"Trust me. Right now, they absolutely cannot harm the peasants. Be patient. In just two days, we will be able to reclaim Blade Leaf Valley."
"I understand..."
After placating Un-pyo, I continued explaining the mission to Pa-sun.
"Make the protest as large as possible and stall for time. When Gu Cheong arrives, slip away quietly and give the signal to Un-pyo."
"Yes, I understand."
"Master Un-pyo, once you receive the signal from Pa-sun, please set fire to the Bewitching Soul Powder cultivation site immediately."
"Understood."
"Unless Gu Cheong is a fool, he won't go to the cultivation site again. Instead, he'll go to check on the thing he truly needs to protect, not the Bewitching Soul Powder."
"The thing he truly needs to protect?"
"Yes. A high-ranking member of the Divine Cult wouldn't cooperate with the Tang Clan over mere Bewitching Soul Powder. There must have been some other deal made."
"Ah..."
"Master Un-pyo, after setting fire to the cultivation site, please follow Gu Cheong quietly and find out what it is they are trying to protect."
"Understood."
"In that time, I will rescue the Blade Leaf Demon and his granddaughter."
Finally, burying my volcano-like emotions in my chest, with a mind as cold as the ice on a snow-capped mountain, I exuded a fierce aura and said,
"After that, it's an all-out war."
For a moment, his appearance was reminiscent of a black dragon, making both Un-pyo and Pa-sun flinch.
* * *
The next day, the peasants of Blade Leaf Valley discovered a notice on the wall.
Most of the peasants were illiterate, but a few who could read read the notice aloud. Its contents were as follows:
[ Due to a fire at the white powder warehouse, there is no stock remaining. Distribution of white powder will be suspended for the time being. ]
The notice contained shocking news for the peasants.
No more white powder!
The peasants gathered, murmuring amongst themselves.
No, they were despairing.
No, they were trembling with craving for the white powder.
All this time, Gu Cheong had deceived the peasants, telling them the Bewitching Soul Powder was a type of spice. He called it 'white powder' and distributed it, and the peasants had consumed it without suspicion.
In the end, Gu Cheong had manipulated the addicted peasants as he pleased, but there was one thing he had overlooked: the double-edged nature of addiction.
To the peasants already addicted to the Bewitching Soul Powder, the notice must have read like this:
[ Distribution of white powder will be suspended indefinitely. ]
It was a betrayal of a physiological craving that was already too late to control.
The betrayed peasants' emotions were on the verge of turning from despair to anger when Pa-sun stepped forward and shouted.
"What is the meaning of this? If you had never given it to us in the first place, that would be one thing, but our bodies can no longer live without the white powder! How can you suddenly say there's no more...? Huh!? No more distribution!! This is absurd!!"
"That's right! What kind of situation is this! Why won't they give it to us!"
"He's right! We work our fingers to the bone, and this is how they treat us! Where is the justice in that!"
Incited by Pa-sun, the peasants erupted in anger as if possessed.
Previously, they might have helplessly accepted their reality, but Pa-sun had ignited the latent anger within them.
Their minds, weakened by the Bewitching Soul Powder, were easily swayed, and the small discontent within them spread like ink in clear water, now uncontrollably.
The official announcement was [ Distribution suspended for the time being ], while [ They won't give it to us ] was merely Pa-sun's incitement.
But to the addicted peasants, his words were like a death sentence.
"Everyone, listen to me! According to information I've obtained, it's not that there's no more white powder. The story about the warehouse fire last night is a blatant lie. I heard it myself! I heard them!"
Pa-sun spread a baseless story to stir up trouble.