novelzi Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Accusation
The White Sky Pavilion, located at the heart of the Anhui branch of the Martial Alliance, was eerily still. Dust motes danced in the sunlight, the only signs of movement within the otherwise empty hall. All its occupants were below, in the secret underground chamber.
A breathless gatekeeper, his face creased with worry, paced anxiously outside. “Damn it!”
The White Sky Pavilion was a restricted area, a hub for gathering sensitive information not only from Anhui but from across the central plains. Access to the underground chamber had been further restricted two months prior, with the Young Master, the Pavilion Lord, issuing a direct order forbidding entry to anyone but himself.
Orders were orders, but still...!
He glanced nervously behind him, then, with a sigh of resignation, descended into the depths of the White Sky Pavilion. Though defying the Pavilion Lord's orders carried a heavy penalty, he would face the consequences. He couldn't stand idly by while the Namgung Clan, his clan, faced a potential crisis.
***
The underground chamber, specifically designed to maintain a frigid temperature, felt like a separate world, detached from reality. Perhaps this was what the Ice Mountain Hell was like. Unlike the warm spring air above, a chilling cold permeated the chamber, the air thick with a white mist that clung to every breath.
Several wooden platforms, large enough for a man to lie on, lined the walls. Upon them lay corpses, their bodies stitched together with black thread, like grotesque rag dolls.@@@@
A lone figure, bundled in thick cotton clothes, meticulously removed the threads from one of the bodies, addressing the Young Master and the unit leaders assembled before him.
“In short, the cause of death is poison.”
The coroner removed the threads from around the heart and opened the chest cavity, revealing a blackened, shriveled heart. It had clearly been removed and examined before, resting loosely within the ribcage, like an object placed inside a box.
“It was strange to see such extensive organ damage without any signs of putrefaction. Upon closer examination, I discovered that the blood had turned black.” The coroner wiped the heart with a cloth, the black discoloration transferring to the fabric, revealing the heart’s natural crimson color. “It was the same with the other bodies. I found it odd that there would be ash-like residue within the body. Then, upon further examination, I discovered that the black particles... were insects.”
He shuddered, a look of disgust on his face. He placed the heart back inside the chest cavity and traced the blood vessels leading to it with his finger. “These tiny insects swarmed the heart, blocking the blood flow, causing death.”
He pointed to the blood vessels. Those closest to the heart were completely black, the discoloration fading gradually as they branched outwards, eventually appearing as scattered black spots.
Namgung Jin closed his eyes and rubbed the space between his brows. They had captured nine Blood Cult members and five unidentified warriors, but their interrogation had yielded little. The Blood Cult members had died shortly after arriving in Anhui, blood seeping from every orifice. The five warriors, after days of silence, had offered a few cryptic answers, then died suddenly.
Poisonous insects.
Poison, again.
His eyelids fluttered open, his eyes heavy with fatigue. He recalled the Tang Clan heiress on Mount Emei, the sharp accusation in her eyes when she questioned his suspicions of the Tang Clan. Though it was natural to be offended by such accusations, the intensity of her anger had been unsettling, a cold fury that her smile couldn't mask.
In the past, such a bizarre display of poison techniques would have made him wary of the Tang Clan. Now, however... he sighed and rubbed his chin.
Namgung Jin’s gaze shifted towards the door. The voice had abruptly ceased. It wasn’t as if the speaker had stopped talking, but as if the sound itself had been... swallowed.
A strange, unsettling silence filled the chamber. He instinctively reached for his sword.
The door suddenly swung open, and a group of warriors, clad in white uniforms, poured into the chamber.
“What is the meaning of this?! How dare you trespass on another branch’s territory without authorization?!” Namgung Munseon shouted, stepping forward to shield Namgung Jin.
A black emblem was embroidered on the left side of their chests: fifteen thin crescent moons arranged in a circle, the symbol of the Martial Alliance.
Unlike his agitated uncle, Namgung Jin remained silent, his gaze fixed on the open doorway. The silence was more unsettling than the intrusion itself. The frozen hinges of the heavy door always emitted a loud, grating screech. Yet, they had opened silently, smoothly, without a sound.
And even the headquarters didn't have the authority to barge into another branch’s territory like this.
Except for one...
A sense of foreboding washed over him, and he tightened his grip on his sword hilt.
The Martial Alliance, a powerful coalition of fifteen prominent sects. It was impossible for a single person to control such a vast and diverse organization. Thus, the first Alliance Leader had established the Four Seasons Hall to mediate disputes and maintain balance between the member sects.
Within the Four Seasons Hall were the Spring Discernment Pavilion, which mediated disputes based on the Martial Alliance's regulations; the Summer Revelation Pavilion, which investigated accusations of wrongdoing within the branches; the Autumn Inspection Pavilion, which audited the branches based on information received by the Summer Revelation Pavilion; and the Winter Punishment Pavilion, which enforced the judgments of the Spring Discernment Pavilion.
Only one of the Four Pavilions had the authority to enter another branch’s territory without prior notice: the Autumn Inspection Pavilion.
However, this was the Anhui branch, protected by the Namgung Clan’s formidable forces, not some weak, easily infiltrated outpost.
As if to confirm his suspicions, the warriors parted, creating a path. A lone figure walked through the opening. He reached the center of the chamber without a sound, his face devoid of any expression.
Shoulder-length hair swayed gently around his slender face. But it was his eyes, not his almost feminine features, that commanded attention: pale, grayish-blue eyes, clouded as if with a perpetual mist.
Jegal In-hwi, the Lord of the Four Seasons Hall, his blind eyes fixed straight ahead. Though seemingly unable to see, he stopped precisely before the platform where the corpses lay.
A heavy silence descended upon the chamber. His eyelids fluttered open and closed, revealing glimpses of his pale, watery eyes. He stood motionless, as if reading the air currents, assessing the situation.
Then, his lips, which had been pressed together in a thin line, curved into a gentle smile.
“It seems the White Sky Pavilion has acquired a new coroner, Young Master.” His soft voice, cutting through the frigid air, hung heavy between the Namgung Clan and the Four Seasons Hall.