Ghost Face - Chapter 271



Only Krnovel

Chapter 70. The Banquet is Held (3)

Hoyeonsang was a descendant of the famous swordsman known as Shipjado. He was also one of the few survivors of the final battle with the demons who had caused a bloody massacre in Shaanxi Province over a hundred years ago.

At that time, there were only three survivors.

They each took the mask, handcuffs, and armor that Mine had worn as loot, and at that time, Ssipjado had taken Mine’s red armor. It was a turtle shell. However, the armor itself was light and tough enough to be called a treasure, but the words written on the inside of the armor were a spell that could summon ghosts to one’s mid-battle. It was the starting point for summoning great strength and summoning chaos. Therefore, it was not wrong for Jin Ga-yong to specifically call this spell ‘turtle shell’.

The Crossroads had amassed great wealth and fame during his lifetime, but from the next generation onwards, incidents and accidents continued to occur and the lineage fell into decline, and by the time of Hoyeonsang’s father, it was barely holding on. Then one day, the entire family was slaughtered in an attack by unknown assailants, and only the young Hoyeonsang was lucky enough to survive.

I became an orphan overnight.

At that time, Hoyeonsang was so scared that he ran away from the villains without even thinking about what was going on. Then, as if the heavens were watching over him, he happened to meet Gwakbu-ui, who was passing by on some business. And as if it was fate, Gwakbu-ui, who didn’t have any disciples at the time, saw his brawn and took him in as his disciple after a simple test. It had already been over twenty years ago.

But was it really only heaven’s care and fate that Hoyeonsang became Gwakbu’s disciple?

In any case, when they first met, Hoyeon-sang had hidden the fact that he was a descendant of the Cross and knew the secret of the turtle shell. And until recently, he had firmly believed that he had kept it a secret.

Why would that be?

At that time, Hoyeonsang was young and confused about many things, but he still remembered clearly the two things his father had told him. One was that he should not reveal to anyone that he knew the Gukkeul of the Turtle Armor, and the other was that he should memorize the Gukkeul of the Turtle Armor so that he would not forget it, and he should never try to learn it.

“Why?”

“Treasures tend to invite trouble. So be careful, and be careful again.”

Father’s earnest request. This was the reason why Hoyeonsang never revealed it even though he became Kwak Bu-ui’s disciple. And the following conversation went like this.

“Well, you can’t tell it and you can’t learn it either?”

“Yes. Absolutely not. If you learn that, anyone will go crazy in less than a year. Your grandfather also went crazy in the end. And that’s not all. If you think about it, the reason our family fell is probably because many of our ancestors went crazy and ran wild, and the damage was not limited to just one person.”

“It’s horrible. Wouldn’t it be better to just get rid of it? It’s useless and will cause trouble.”

“That’s right. And yet, I can’t let go of it, dreaming of vain hopes… Maybe this is a curse from a ghost that has been placed on our family.”

“It’s a vain hope… Is there perhaps a separate key to lift the curse?”

“Yes, it exists. Since it exists, I can’t throw it away.”

“… … .”

The key was the mask. It was said that if one had the key to the mask, the curse of the turtle shell would be lifted.

However, Hoyeonsang disobeyed his father’s orders and ended up learning the tortoise shell first without even getting a mask. He thought that if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to survive on the Yeonman Plains. And his thoughts were exactly right.

That was the reason why Hoyeonsang had an obsessive reaction to the mask. Then, at some point, the cart was turned around and he imitated the mask and became obsessed with killing, but anyway. It was also the reason why he secretly delivered the turtle shell’s knot to various types of martial artists such as Hochi Wangbaekgun and Gubi Namok and tested various reactions. It was because he wondered if there was a way to lift the curse even without the mask.

In this way, Hoyeonsang was going crazy. He had no time to look back.

The stage was set up in the square in front of the main gate of the Lion’s Headquarters. The surrounding shops closed early in the late afternoon, and the preparations that began with about two hundred warriors from the Cheongungdang and Hongbokdang lined up along the nearby roads did not end until the evening.

A platform was built in the middle of the square that could easily accommodate a thousand people, and a tall cross-shaped pole was erected on top of it. A woman who looked exactly like Jo Baek-bing was hung there, dressed up to look exactly like her.

The woman was soaked in medicine and was half-asleep, not knowing that she would die. She was already so soaked that even if she didn’t burn to death, it would be difficult to see the sun tomorrow. However, the numerous warriors and workers who were busily walking around under her feet only glanced at her occasionally, and no one paid attention to her. They ignored her. Not all of them were evil, but the place made them that way. Indifferent and cruel. So this poor woman slowly died in indifference. And she cursed as if she was dreaming.

“… Heavenly punishment will come down. … Red blood will pour down like rain and wash you away.”

As darkness fell from the sky, the banquet began.

The tables surrounding the stage were filled with rare and delicious foods from the mountains and the sea. And at each seat, a jug of wine was placed, and even though the cork was not opened, a sweet fragrance wafted out. As if to hide the putrid smell that was emanating from this banquet.

There were no separate chairs. People ate and drank standing up, then moved around to chat whenever they felt like it.

And at regular intervals, they lit bonfires. They also lit bonfires in front of the houses surrounding the square. And the patrolling warriors carried small torches. Small lights swayed not only in the square but also around it and on the rooftops. In total, more than three hundred large and small fires lit up the surroundings, so that from a distance, the square itself seemed to be on fire.

So what about the boundaries?

As mentioned, the warriors of Cheongungdang and Hongbokdang who had been mobilized since the afternoon were spread out around. The warriors of Hongbokdang were in charge of receiving guests, organizing and tidying up the inside of the building, and even maintaining security in case of any unfortunate incidents. The warriors of Cheongungdang were stationed at major intersections outside the square and also patrolled the outside.

And all fifty of the acting bodyguards guarded the main character, Hoyeonsang. However, this was actually a formality for Hoyeonsang to show off his authority. Behind him, Jang-an Ilgeom Masik was already following him like a shadow, and around him were Ilwang and Lee Goi, among his guests.

By the way, among the guests, Samgung and Ohgyeon were all killed by Jin Gayong in Jogajang three days ago. Then where are the Four Gentlemen of Cheolsan, called Sagun? They were each hiding in the darkness with a hundred of Hoyeonsang’s private soldiers. It was to welcome the uninvited guests.

As such, with over 350 people in total welcoming the guests, it was a grand banquet, although it was a bit crowded.

All kinds of warlords gathered.

Most of them were strong men, but among them were former and current officials in politics and big names in business. The reasons for their attendance were varied. Some came to see what kind of person Hoyeonsang was, while others had already established a relationship with him or wanted to do so. Some already called themselves loyal servants, and some even attended to satisfy their own perverted desires by holding a cremation ceremony in the middle of the city.

Let me introduce some of them who have already turned to Hoyeon Sang.

-Six arms and iron legs, upper body is straight.

As an elder at Mugoksanjang, he was in charge of secretly delivering turtle shells to the Grand Duke and observing the target.

-Iron beggar Winam-guk.

He, the Haomen Chang’an branch chief, had maintained a close relationship with the Grand Duke since long ago and had been the eyes and ears of the Grand Duke. And recently, with the Grand Duke’s help, he destroyed the rival Western Kingdom Party of the Silver Moon and monopolized information in Chang’an.

-Spectral Sword Master.

As the commander of the castle’s garrison, he was in charge of the southern gate among the east, west, south, and north gates, which meant he was the one who received national funds from the country. While the commanders of the other three gates drew a line with the martial arts world (*of course, they all took bribes well), he wandered around the martial arts world and recently decided to side with the Grand Duke for some reason.

As the night deepened, the banquet grew more and more lively. The people seated chatted while enjoying food and drinks. Singers and dancers came up onto the stage to sing and dance, livening up the atmosphere. In between, the dancers also came up and demonstrated a rhythmic dance. Applause erupted and laughter followed. As the crowd gradually grew more excited, they waited for the main performance.

“It’s been so long and there’s still no news. Do you really think he’ll come?”

The one who spoke to Hoyeonsang was Cheonchuchang Yeohui. And behind him were the Iron Man, Danjin, and the Icebreaker, Gongsun Xuewan. The figures of Chumyeon Gapjo. The three of them had returned from the hell of the Ice Mountain far away.

It was a close call.

In this way, the heavens had not yet permitted their deaths. Just as they had prevented the deaths of Jin Ga-yong and Bi-ho on that day. In that sense, they may have been unwilling to let the ill-fated relationship between this side and that side fade away.

Hoyeonsang looked back at his friend Yeo-Hwi, who had come back from the brink of death but had failed his mission. You idiot. He muttered to himself once and confidently answered in his characteristically rough voice.

“That’s right. Have there ever been an operation that went wrong because I designed it? Oh, of course, there have been a few operations that were designed correctly but were poorly executed and ruined. But that’s not my fault, is it?”

“… … .”

“Ahem. It seems like you’re bored of waiting and your thoughts are wandering. Then, shall we start with the lighting ceremony?”

After Hoyeonsang tried to lighten the awkward atmosphere with a humorous expression, he raised both hands to the sky and clapped his hands loudly.

Snap~

It was a signal to stop burning the woman. At this, some of the quick-witted guests responded with applause.

Then the dancers went down, and the drummers beat the drums to liven up the atmosphere. Then the clown who had been waiting appeared. He held a torch in his hand and danced around the cross pole to which the woman was tied, making a scene. He heightened the atmosphere.

Boom~ Boom~ Boom~ … Boom.

An arrow flew.

The arrow pierced the clown’s face, and he fell down. The torch he was holding fell to the wooden floor of the stage and started to catch fire. At first, the audience thought he was joking, and they laughed at the clown’s behavior. And before the laughter could die down, another arrow flew.

puck.

The arrow struck the heart of a woman tied to a tall pole. She died before she could even cry out in pain, but her mouth was still cursing.

Divine punishment… … .

Red rain… … .

And he appeared alone! He jumped in instead of the one who should have been enjoying the clear life, saving the one who should have been saved from this cesspool of shame.