Chapter 76

Light Novel: Volume 4 Episode 1
Manhwa: N/A

The appearance of the gorgeous Hundred Flower Room was nowhere to be found. This is because more than half of them were destroyed in the war with the Qingcheng sect.

In this battle, Jeonghwa, the great disciple of Emei, and Geum Ha-ryun, the sect leader of the Hundred Flower Room, lost their lives.

Yong Seol-ran was the one who united both the Emei and Hundred Flower Room’s disciples who lost their focus. If she hadn’t been on time, the Hundred Flower Room would have completely collapsed in Chengdu.

Yong Seol-ran commanded the disciples of the Emei sect and Hundred Flower Room to restore the collapsed battle line and re-established the security line. Then, she sent people to clans that were friendly with the Emei sect, including the military officer, and asked for their cooperation.

Thanks to her quick action, the Hundred Flower Room was able to avoid the worst possible outcome.

Jang Muryang, who was watching her, was amazed.

“You’re such a wonderful woman. It’s strange how such a talented person has never been known.”

“From what I know, they say that she is the best talent that the Emei group has had in 100 years. However, she is quiet and the great disciple Jeonghwa is keeping her in check, so she seems to have lived without revealing herself.”

At the reply of Daoshi Goh, Jang Muryang laughed.

“Now that Jeonghwa is dead, she will show off her talents to her heart’s content.”

“Yeah, you can see how talented she is by looking at the situation right now, can’t you? She is very good at placing people in the right place and using them in the right place. If she becomes the sect leader, the Emei sect will be able to take another leap forward.”

“Hmm! Whoever possesses her might become the true master of the Emei sect.”

“Why are you greedy?”

“Fufu!”

Instead of answering, Jang Muryang gave a meaningful smile.

Daoshi Goh also smiled.

“If the captain can get her, it’ll be a great loot. It’ll make it easier to reach the captain’s goal.”

“That’s why I’m worried. The wall around her heart seems pretty solid.”

“The more colorful roses, the more they hide sharp thorns, and unless you are prepared to get hurt to some extent, you can never break them.”

“Daoshi Goh always tells me only good words to hear.”

“Am I not always on your side?”

“I hope that you will never change. And please take care of Ranju.”

“Why Ranju?”

“The circumstances are unfamiliar. Don’t you know what the outcome will be if that child goes wild?”

“Alright. I sn’t handling her my specialty?”

Jang Muryang nodded as if he liked Daoshi Goh’s answer.

That was then.

Tuuung!

Suddenly, an intense aura was felt outside.

The complexion of the two changed.

“This?”

“It’s strong.”

Whoever the owner of the intense aura was made them feel the goosebumps. It was as if it’s the energy benefiting a sect leader.

At that moment, the door opened and hundreds of disciples came out of the Hundred Flower Room.

At the center was an old woman reminiscent of a crow.

An indescribable bizarre energy was emanating from her whole body as she stepped into the floor with her staff.

The owner of the intense wave they felt was the old woman.

Jang Muryang and Daoshi Goh quickly recognized the old woman’s identity.

“This incident must be pretty important for her to look into it personally.”

“Yeah, it’s a pretty huge matter after all….”

As if to prove their words, the Emei and Hundred Flower Room disciples all rushed out to meet the Abbess Gu Hwa.

“We pay our respects, Abbess Gu Hwa.”

“We welcome your visit from the bottom of our hearts!”

The disciples of the two sects, regardless of who came first, knelt down on one knee to meet the Abbess Gu Hwa.

It was a sight to see how powerful Abbess Gu Hwa was.

The whole Hundred Flower Room froze at her appearance.

Not only the students of the Hundred Flower Room, but also the disciples of the Emei sect, who had already been there, could not even breathe calmly.

Abbess Gu Hwa was not only the absolute leader of the Emei sect but also a powerful person who can cause a tremendous impact on the entire Sichuan Province.

If it were just that, the disciples of the two factions would not have held their breath here.

Everyone knows.

How cruel Abbess Gu Hwa was. And what happens when someone gets in her eyes.

Abbess Gu Hwa was not just a ruler, but a vicious leader.

At least within the reach of the Emei sect, there was no one who could oppose her intentions.

“I pay my respects, master.”

“I, Woo Seonha, of the Hundred Flower Room sincerely welcome your visit.”

Finally, Yong Seol-ran and Woo Seonha faced the old woman. However, Abbess Gu Hwa only looked at them with a cold expression.

At the indifferent eyes that can’t tell her thoughts, Seonha trembled.

‘Why do her eyes look like that—’

She was not used to the gaze that seemed to see through her inside like this. The feeling of standing naked in front of Abbess Gu Hwa made her uneasy.

It was a long time later that Abbess Gu Hwa opened her mouth.

“Everyone, let’s go in.”

She entered the hall without hesitation as if she had come to her own house.

Yong Seol-ran and Seonha followed, and those with higher ranks among the remaining disciples entered the hall.

As Jang Muryang and Daoshi Goh were contemplating what to do, an unfamiliar voice reached their ears.

— I’d like the two of you to go in as well.

It was the bellwether of Abbess Gu Hwa.

Jang Muryang and Daoshi Goh looked at each other. 

“We… need to join in, right?”

“I’d love to get away right now, but I don’t think that choice is available to us.”

“Daoshi Goh, please head on in first.”

“It’s always in times like these that an old guy like me gets to go first, huh?”

“Since I’m still young, I ought to try and live a longer life~”

“Make sure you live a long life to lead the Black Cloud Corps well~”

The two went inside the hall while exchanging meaningless jokes.

Abbess Gu Hwa was sitting in the most splendid king’s throne in the room. To the left and right of her were the disciples of the Emei and Hundred Flower Room.

There were a lot of people in the room, but not a single one of them could even breathe loudly so they could only watch Abbess Gu Hwa.

Jang Muryang and Daoshi Goh looked at them moderately, and snuggled into the back seat.

This is because when the atmosphere is not good, they did not want to come to the front and received the anger of Abbess Gu Hwa. Abbess Gu Hwa looked at Yong Seol-ran with her legs crossed.

“Tell me, what happened–”

She already knew the full story of the incident from the letter Yong Seol-ran sent, but Abbess Gu Hwa again demanded an explanation in front of everyone.

Knowing how tenacious the master’s temper is, Yong Seolr-an told everything she knew from start to finish.

Abbess Gu Hwa closed her eyes and listened to Yong Seol-ran’s voice. At Yong Seol-ran’s attitude, as if she would not miss a single word, the Emei sect’s disciples once again put on a tense expression on their faces.

However, Yong Seol-ran’s expression did not change even once as she reported directly.

They don’t know if it’s because Yong Seol-ran has a bold personality from the beginning, or because she’s not afraid of her master, but Jang Muryang once again admired the way she spoke calmly without being nervous.

He already had a desire to have Yong Seol-ran, but seeing her like this made him even more greedy.

“…That’s all we have found out about the incident.”

After a long time, the words of Yong Seol-ran have finally come to an end.

Up to that time, Abbess Gu Hwa did not open her closed eyes.

Yong Seol-ran looked at her master like that quietly. Now all she has to do is finish. It was the judgment of the rest of tAbbess Gu Hwa and the decision that followed.

It was only after a while that Abbess Gu Hwa opened her mouth.

“So, it all started when Nam Hosan, the young master of the Thunder Clan, was killed by an assassin. Did that assassin master the Qingcheng sect’s Seventy-Two Sword Waves?”

“That’s right.”

“And are you sure that assassin is the assassin who caused the incident 7 years ago?”

“As far as I know so far, yes.”

“We were thoroughly played by one assassin. Did you say his name is Pyo-wol?”

“Yes.”

“Pyo-wol… Pyo-wol, huh…?!”

Abbess Gu Hwa recalled Pyo-wol’s name. Her mouth was dry as if she was chewing a grain of sand.

At that moment, Abbess Gu Hwa’s eyes shone sharply.

Immediately after hearing the name Pyo-wol, she noticed the change in the expression on Seonha’s face. She tried hard to keep a calm expression, but her emotions already caught the eye of Abbess Gu Hwa.

“Seonha!”

“Ye, yes!”

In response to the sudden call from Abbess Gu Hwa, Seonha quickly answered.

Abbess Gu Hwa looked straight at Seonha

“Don’t you have something to say to me?”

“P, Pardon?”

She showed a perplexed expression but the eyes of Abbess Gu Hwa which stared at her seemed to see through her. Abbess Gu Hwa did not miss the reaction of Seonha

“Pyo-wol.”

“Yes?”

“How are you related to Pyo-wol?”

“W, What do you mean by that…? Related to Pyo-wol?”

“Seonha.”

Abbess Gu Hwa called Seonha’s name and stood up. She approached Seonha.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of her footsteps together with her staff hitting the floor was particularly loud. Seonha’s heart was also pounding heavily.

Finally, Abbess Gu Hwa reached the front of Seonha, spoke.

“Look me straight in the eye.”

“Come on, sect leader! I, I-”

Seonha was visibly embarrassed. With her appearance, others also thought that she was trying to hide something.

Seonha couldn’t look straight into the eyes of Abbess Gu Hwa. It was because her eyes were scary and there were things that bothered her.

Kwaaac!

At that moment, Abbess Gu Hwa reached out and grabbed Seonha’s chin. She forced Seonha to meet her eyes.

“Heuk!”

Unable to overcome the pressure, Seonha let out a rough breath. Abbess Gu Hwa looked at Seonha and continued.

“I don’t like people lying to me. What’s your relationship with Pyo-wol? Why were you restless when his name was mentioned?”

“T-That’s…”

Seonha couldn’t stand the pressure any longer.

She possessed an outstanding beauty that stole the hearts of many drunken men, but her heart was not strong enough to withstand the pressure of the Abbess Gu Hwa.

In the end, she burst into tears and opened her mouth.

“Actually—”

She confided everything that happened with Pyo-wol.

The first meeting with Pyo-wol, her relationship with him, and even asking for the assassination of Nam Hosan, the young master of the Thunder Clan.

“My apologies! I really didn’t know things would turn out like this!”

Seonha’s face was all stained with tears.

One of the most beautiful women in Chengdu was crying, but no one came forward to comfort her. It was clear that if someone went out to protect Seonha, they would completely receive the anger of Abbess Gu Hwa.

Seonha was trembling.

She really didn’t know that the man she was trying to take advantage of would be capable of causing all this mess.

Because of him, one of the Emei sect’s great disciples, her aunt Jeonghwa, and even Geum Ha-ryun, her master, lost their lives. Although she was not directly responsible for their deaths, she could not escape the accusations that they would throw at her because of her relationship with Pyo-wol.

Seonha got down on her knees and said,

“I’ll clean up this whole mess! If you assign a few people to me, I’ll capture him and bring him here! Just give me a few people and I’ll catch him. He trusts me, so he’ll fall into my trap easily…!”

“Weren’t you listening? Do you think he’ll fall into your trap? He’s a snake.”

Abbess Gu Hwa clicked her tongue.

If he had been captured by Seonha, he wouldn’t have been able to get away with making fun of the Emei and the Qingcheng sect 7 years ago.

Because of that one person, the Emei and the Qingcheng became rivals, and they have been fighting each other ever since.

There was no way that a man like Pyo-wol would ever be caught in the trap made by Seonha. His relationship with her was nothing more than a tool for him to go ahead with his plans. That assassin is not capable of giving a woman any feelings.

Abbess Gu Hwa reached out and stroked Seonha’s head.

“Seonha…You pathetic girl…”

“Abbess…!”

“Who asked you to kill the Thunder Clan’s young leader?”

“But he threatened me. If I don’t marry him, I’ll be on the side of the Qingcheng sect, so I couldn’t do it— Anyway, what I did was purely for the Emei sect and Hundred Flower Room.”

“All you had to do was live like a flower among men. That was your role.”

“What?”

“It’s not that hard. You just needed to do it as you usually do.”

“Oh, please forgive me.”

Seonha felt an unusual atmosphere and knelt down. However, Abbess Gu Hwa’s eyes who was looking at her were unbearably cold.

Yong Seol-ran, who was next to them, also sensed the unusual atmosphere and tried to move forward.

“Master! Seonha…!”

Pouck!

At that moment, a fountain of blood spurted from the top of Seonha’s head.

Abbess Gu Hwa struck Seonha with the palm of her hand. Seonha’s skull was smashed and her brain was crushed like tofu.

Seonha looked at the situation with a look of disbelief.

“I—”

She couldn’t finish her words and collapsed.

It was the vain death of Seonha, who was called the most beautiful woman in the city.

Abbess Gu Hwa muttered as she wiped the blood from her palms.

“Why did something like you even try to use your brain?”

The atmosphere in the hall froze in an instant.

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