Chapter 12 (1)
Chapter 12 (1)
"Did you know?"
"When this guy was getting beaten up, the warriors protecting you were radiating killing intent. You'd be better off hiring professional bodyguards who only care about protecting their client, regardless of who lives or dies."
And Jin Cheon, who was well aware that his personality would make many enemies, trained himself to expand his senses and confirm the presence of those around him rather than trying to fix his personality.
It was not a choice but a necessity to train his senses, as he never knew when or where he might encounter an enemy.
"You are truly arrogant. The Haomun might be weak individually, but our power isn't something to be looked down upon."
"You'd better stop, Agassi. If the Haomun collapses over a measly issue like this, wouldn't it just become a laughingstock?"
"How dare you spout such nonsense in front of whom!"
The two bodyguards protecting the woman were stimulated by Jin Cheon's provocative remarks and looked ready to pounce at any moment.
Dare to collapse the Haomun?
Coming from a brat whose identity they didn't even know?
This was a statement that absolutely should not have happened, nor should it be let slide.
"Back off, minions. This isn't a place for the likes of you to butt in."
"What did you say!"
"Agassi! Just give the order! I will cut off that bastard's head and offer it to you!"
The bodyguards protecting the woman were indignant at the sight of Jin Cheon, who kept spouting such absurd and infuriating lines the more they listened.
"......."
"......."
However, the woman watched Jin Cheon quietly from behind her veil, and Jin Cheon also kept his mouth shut, waiting for her reaction.
"Follow me."
"Agassi!"
"He is an expert who subdued Wi Gang-yeon-ajusshi in one go. It's not worth it to engage in an all-out war against such a skilled person."
"Ooh~ Good judgment. Since you showed goodwill, I'll return the favor with some good info. When I took down that Wi Gang-yeon-ajusshi, I only used 10% of my power~"
"What? Don't lie!"
"You used 10% of your power against the Soul-Snatching Flying Daggers?"
The bodyguards protecting the woman glared, as if they couldn't believe that he had only used 10% of his power against a peak expert.
'If that ajusshi hadn't let his guard down and had gotten serious, I would have used more power. But either way, I didn't lie.'
If Wi Gang-yeon, the Soul-Snatching Flying Daggers, hadn't jumped to the conclusion that Jin Cheon lacked experience and had instead fought while recognizing him as a stronger expert, he would have made things as troublesome as possible to induce the consumption of Jin Cheon's internal energy.
However, since he had arrogantly judged Jin Cheon to be an inferior novice with less experience than himself, Jin Cheon had been able to subdue him with only 10% of his power, so he hadn't lied.
"Stop it, all of you. And you, stop provoking them."
However, the woman who seemed to be in charge opened her mouth in a semi-scolding manner, telling them to stop the childish posturing.
"Okey-dokey~ Will do~"
"And stop using that weird way of speaking. It's strangely annoying."
"Yapsul!"
"...Huu."
Though she had dealt with countless martial artists until now, this was the first time she had met someone who could make people this angry. She calmed her insides and guided Jin Cheon somewhere.
"Gang-yeon-ajusshi. Recover your body and return. As soon as we get back to headquarters, I'll arrange for a physician."
"...I am ashamed......."
Judging by Wi Gang-yeon's reaction, the woman seemed to be a person of quite high standing.
'Hmm, she doesn't have a thin enough patience to get angry at this level. Looking at her, she seems like a lady in a pretty high position, and her voice is a passing grade. She's wearing baggy clothes, but I can tell she has an S-line figure. I'd like to see the face behind the veil, but that seems a bit difficult.'
Does she know?
That Jin Cheon is calculating whether or not to add her to his harem while evaluating her worth.
If she had known this fact, she would have ordered them to kill Jin Cheon immediately, negotiation or not.
Anyway, an uncomfortable companionship had begun, but Jin Cheon followed behind her with a light heart, humming along, as he instinctively guessed they were heading to the Black Spot.
However, Jin Cheon, who had become a bit bored at having to move without any conversation, opened his mouth toward her.
"By the way, you seem like a lady in a pretty high position, so why did you come to find me yourself?"
"I was curious. Because until now, there has never been anyone who did such ignorant things just to find the Black Spot."
"Ayy~ You're making me blush with such compliments~"
"Sigh...Huuuuuu......."
He doesn't listen.
No matter how much they curse, mock, or insult him from this side, he takes it that way, making them feel like the fools instead.
'What on earth is his identity? Can such a weirdo really be born among the rigid martial artists?'
The existence of a martial artist is such that it wouldn't feel out of place to say they are the personification of pride.
If ignored, they absolutely cannot endure it, and there are often cases where they kill each other over mere honor, even escalating to wars between sects.
However, Jin Cheon was on a different track from those martial artists.
It felt like a human who had learned martial arts from a place with a completely different ideology than this one.
'That aside, it's strange. Why is no one visible?'
Jin Cheon felt puzzled that there were no people wherever she went.
It felt as if other people had taken the initiative to clear the path she was walking on?
'Even if we are going through back alleys, she is a person with enough power to control the streets themselves. Is she a bigger shot than I thought?'
But it didn't matter anyway.
Having learned all sorts of martial arts from the secret vault of the Shadowless Divine Thief, he was currently in the process of getting stronger.
'Yanggeuk Daejinryeok. With just this, I don't even need to circulate my energy.'
The internal energy cultivation method obtained from the Shadowless Divine Thief's secret vault, Yanggeuk Daejinryeok.
This cultivation method is a martial art that can be learned by a person with strong Yang energy, but because the required amount of Yang energy is massive, it is an internal energy method where even entering is impossible with ordinary Yang energy.
However, for Jin Cheon, who had obtained extreme Yang energy due to the Humanoid Child Ginseng, this internal energy method was a perfect match.
The characteristic of Yanggeuk Daejinryeok is that it burns the toxins that have entered the body with Yang energy, and while making the Yang energy move throughout the body, it pulls in the surrounding energy and circulates it as internal energy.
In other words, whether he is sleeping, running toward a destination, or eating, his internal energy continues to accumulate.
Of course, if he were to sit in a lotus position and circulate his internal energy, more would accumulate, but for Jin Cheon, who likes to move here and there rather than quietly circulating his energy and training, it was the perfect internal energy method.
Following the woman, Jin Cheon entered a pawnshop located inside an alley.
A pawnshop with iron bars to prevent customers from entering carelessly, and only a hole in the middle of the iron bars to exchange items.
The woman and her guards entered through a door located on the side.
'Oh my. It's crawling with them like cockroaches, isn't it?'
Although the security of the Black Spot is tight, it's not usually to this extent.
Since he had devastated a few gambling dens just to find the Black Spot, the security was naturally tighter than usual because they didn't know for what purpose he was looking for it.
"Huh? Stairs going down? We're going all the way down there?"
"The Black Spot trades not only information but also items that can't be shown to the world. As Agyang is a huge city, countless items and customers must come, so it is better to keep it underground for defense and security."
"I'm only planning to buy information, not items."
"The place where information is gathered is also down there. Are you scared, by any chance?"
The woman sneered from behind her veil at the sight of Jin Cheon, who seemed to be feeling a sense of crisis as they arrived at what could be called their home base.
"Scared? Me? Ha, this lady really......."
Jin Cheon, who felt the sneer that could be felt even through the veil, laughed as if it were absurd, and then,
Boom!
"Ugh!?"
"Huk!?"
Suddenly, he used the Dominating Nine Dragon Palm to attack the two guards who were standing guard to the left and right of the woman.
It happened suddenly and out of nowhere, and because there was no killing intent, they defended against the Dominating Nine Dragon Palm late, but Jin Cheon's goal was elsewhere.
Grab!
"Eek!?"
"You know me so well. That's right, I'm scared of what kind of traps might be in there. So, Agassi, you'll have to be my meat shield."
"L...Let go!"
'That a person of this skill would do such a thing......!'
She was flustered because it was so sudden, but because he had skills overwhelmingly superior to the martial arts she possessed, she had no choice but to be caught helplessly.
'Moreover, his behavioral principles are completely different from other martial artists!'
According to his words, the reason he took her hostage was that he was scared of what kind of traps might be down there.
If it were a typical martial artist, they would have pretended not to be scared for the sake of their pride, but this man confessed that he would take her hostage because he was scared, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She had dealt with all kinds of martial artists her entire life, but this was the first time she had ever seen such a martial artist.
"Agassi!"
"You bastard! Do you not want to return alive!"
The two guards were furious and prepared to attack at any moment, and those hiding in every space beyond the walls also began to look for openings in Jin Cheon.
"Ah, stop. Like I said before, I'm done once I buy the information. Once I buy the info and finish my business, I'll let this lady go. If you don't plan on ambushing me or putting me in a trap, it doesn't matter, right?"
"What do you trust to make such a promise, you bastard!"
"If you harm the Agassi, I will kill you for sure!"
"Oh my, how scary~"
Whooooosh--!!
In an instant, blue energy began to form on Jin Cheon's fist.
It was fist energy that enhanced power by concentrating Qi.
Jin Cheon controlled the fist energy, making only one finger concentrate the Qi.
"I'm so scared that I might accidentally poke this lady's head without knowing it? A guy I know said he felt the best when he poked his own temple with his finger. If you all act so scary, I might have to make this lady feel good too?"
"What on earth are you thinking? Don't you know that responding in this way only makes enemies?"
The woman reacted as if it were absurd, sighing at Jin Cheon's coercive method.
"I know. I know that I have a personality that makes it easy to make enemies. But do you think I'd be scared just because I made the likes of you my enemies, when this body will be the greatest under heaven in a few years?"
"Haa....... Can't you just be sure of one thing, whether you're arrogant or a cautious person who is easily scared?"
He took a hostage because he was scared to enter a place where there might be traps, yet he says it doesn't matter if he makes them his enemies because he can be the greatest under heaven in a few years.
She had no idea how to explain this man, and even if others asked, she couldn't even fathom how to answer.
"Let's call it a frank yet cautious personality that watches out for traps. Even a super-duper strong martial artist can get taken out in one hit by a trap. Do you think assassination is used for nothing?"
"Huu."
The woman sighed, thinking that the sighs she had let out today would be equal to or exceed her lifetime's worth.
"Guide me to the information disclosure room."
"Agassi?"
"But......!"
"Then what will you do? Is there any way to save me in this situation?"
"......."
"......."
No one could answer her questioning.
No matter how fast they were, they couldn't be faster than Jin Cheon piercing her head if he just flicked his finger.
In the end, the guards had to guide the way according to her orders, and Jin Cheon patted her head as if he liked it.
"You're smart. I like smart women who listen well."
"Shut up. And don't pat my head."
"Okey-dokey. I'll shut up."
"Huuuuuu......."
It's infuriating.
Setting aside his personality, my blood boils every time I hear that way of speaking.
No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't feel like he was listening to my words properly.
"Ayy, if you sigh like that, I look like a bad guy, don't do that. This is also a connection, so let's introduce ourselves first. My name is Jin Cheon. The future greatest under heaven."
"Exchanging names with someone you've taken hostage... And 'future greatest under heaven'? I can't see where the end of a man like you lies."
"My grandma told me to greet and introduce myself properly, but I guess you didn't learn that?"
"I guess that grandma didn't teach you not to take women hostage?"
"She told me to grab them first if I think they're my woman."
"Who's your woman!"
She exploded.
The woman, whose patience had been pushed to the limit, burst into anger and raised her voice, even though she was in a situation where she was being held hostage.
"I haven't lived long, but you are the first human I've met who is specialized in making people angry like you! Do you understand!? I'm angry, so shut your mouth!"
"......."
"......."
The ones most surprised by her sudden outburst were the two guards.
"A...Agassi......?"
"Ugh......!"
The guard who had served her closely, having always maintained coolness and composure, became flustered at the sight he was seeing for the first time, and she, having realized what she had done only then, had to turn her gaze to the side out of shame, even though she was wearing a veil.
"Huu...Huuk....... Sim Eun-nang."
"Hmm?"
"You said you wanted to exchange names, right? Sim Eun-nang is my name."
Sim Eun-nang judged that she shouldn't be swept away by Jin Cheon's pace, and calmly encouraged herself, telling him her name.
She didn't necessarily have to tell him, but thinking of it as the price for losing her self-control, she replied as coldly as possible.
Jin Cheon also seemed to feel that there was no fun in provoking her further as she regained her composure, so he moved to the room where information was bought and sold.
They entered a bleak space where there was nothing but a table and chairs where two people could sit facing each other.
"We've come this far, so will you let me go now?"
"Hmm~ I want to feel the soft skin of a woman a little more~"
"It's creepy, so shut up."
"Ayy, that didn't work."
Jin Cheon, judging that there was no way a belt or something would come out and tie his body as soon as he sat down in this era where there was no way there would be complicated mechanical devices, let her go and sat in a chair.
Sitting in the chair facing each other, her atmosphere changed even though she was covered by a veil.
"What information are you looking for?"
"The current location of Hwan-yo Im Ha-yeon."
"3 gold taels."
When she demanded 3 gold taels as an information fee, Jin Cheon took out 3 gold pieces from his pocket.
One might think that 3 gold taels for finding just one person is too much, but if it's the Demonic Cult, the risk burden increases exponentially.
If it were another sect, it could have been resolved in 1 gold tael or silver tael units, but because it was a member of the Demonic Cult, the price had soared.
Furthermore, it was even more so if she wasn't just a general member of the Demonic Cult, but a Dharma Guardian of the Demonic Cult.
Im Ha-yeon.
For Jin Cheon, his female who he had to find as a top priority.
Sim Eun-nang, who received the money, kept her mouth shut as if thinking about something for a moment, then,
"Drawer number 6, third from the top."
At her order, someone who had been hiding in the space beyond the wall was caught by Jin Cheon's senses leaving.
And not long after, someone who opened the door appeared and handed a piece of paper to Sim Eun-nang.
Not forgetting to glare at Jin Cheon once before leaving.
"Hwan-yo Im Ha-yeon is currently heading to the Demonic Cult's base, the Ten Thousand Mountains, and will arrive in 2-3 days."
"Kuh......."
If it's there, Jin Cheon, as he is now, cannot go there no matter what he does.
'Damn it. If it weren't the Ten Thousand Mountains, I'd leave right away......!'
Going to the Ten Thousand Mountains with his current skills was tantamount to suicide.
He had no choice but to wait for her to come out of the Ten Thousand Mountains.
'It's strange? He's disappointed...but I don't feel any killing intent.'
At first, she thought he might want revenge on Hwan-yo Im Ha-yeon.
However, the look of disappointment now wasn't because he couldn't get revenge, but.......
'It's like he's looking for a lost family member?'
But soon she shook her head inwardly.
Hwan-yo Im Ha-yeon is a wicked Dharma Guardian of the Demonic Cult, and an old witch looking at the age of sixty.
The man in front of her is between twenty and twenty-five at most, even if she counts generously.
There is more than double the age difference, so it is impossible for there to be a family-like relationship.
"Then let's move on to the next question."
Knowing that she was at least alive and well was a big harvest in itself.
He had been worried that his relationship with her might have been discovered, but if she was going back and forth to the Ten Thousand Mountains, it meant she was receiving various missions as a Dharma Guardian, so at least he didn't have to worry about safety issues.
"I want general information on famous female martial artists in the Murim."
"...Excuse me?"
"I mean, I want the names, ages, and sects of female martial artists. It's basic information, so collecting it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"......."
'What is this man?'
She couldn't understand what he was trying to do.
Information on female martial artists?
She couldn't understand why he limited it only to female martial artists.
'...Don't tell me.'
A certain prediction came to her mind, but she, who thought that even if Jin Cheon was an idiot and arrogant, this was a bit too much, quietly pushed the first prediction that came to mind into a corner.
However, for some reason, she began to feel a feeling creeping up that perhaps that prediction was the correct answer.