The Fifth Martial General
Dang Sang-ah’s face burned crimson, as though flames had been kindled beneath her skin.
Dang Gwan studied his daughter in silence before speaking.
“Enough.”
“Kuhk!”
Dang Sang-ah collapsed where she stood.
“Hah… hah…”
Her body was drenched in sweat as she gasped for breath. She was so exhausted that she trembled from head to toe and could neither speak nor lift her head.
Dang Gwan placed a hand on her back.
Wuuuung.
A sharp thread of true qi raced through her meridians, expelling the turbid energy. It did more than that—it replenished her severely depleted inner force, restoring vitality and accelerating recovery with dense, potent qi.
A moment later, Dang Sang-ah straightened.
“Thank you, Father.”
Dang Gwan spoke in a stiff voice.
“You’ve improved since yesterday, but you’re still far from ready.”
“Yes.”
“The Emperor’s Poison Scripture is no trivial art. While the Doban Samyang Gwiwongong is one of our family’s supreme techniques, the Emperor’s poison arts surpass it. They demand not only the proliferation of poisonous qi, but also the ideal realization of martial enlightenment. Knowing the mnemonic alone is insufficient, and even abundant poisonous qi cannot generate true qi.”
Dang Sang-ah listened with a grave expression.
“However, martial enlightenment is not obtained through endless contemplation alone. To approach it, one must continually break the limits of the body through ascetic training.”
“Yes.”
“Those who understand pain also understand the value of a single sip of water. When that value is realized, a new path opens.”
Just then, Ga Deuk-sang appeared in the distance.
“Clan Head.”
Without turning, Dang Gwan raised a hand. Ga Deuk-sang flinched and halted on the spot.
Dang Gwan continued.
“The cycle must be swift. To break through one’s limits, peak physical condition is essential. In this vicious process of perfect recovery and complete breakthrough, you must seize what your power—what your very soul—seeks to liberate. That is the realm of Bungjeongseungje spoken of in the Emperor’s Poison Scripture.”
“Yes.”
“I will be away from the Alliance for several days.”
Surprise flickered across Dang Sang-ah’s face.
“Is something the matter?”
“It is a matter of utmost secrecy. It may take three days at the earliest, or up to half a month.”
“Ah…!”
“When I return, you must have improved, even if only by a fraction. Remember: the reason I passed the Poison Scripture to you before Yang-seon is because I saw in you the slightest possibility of elevating our family’s name.”
Dang Gwan turned away.
“Do not overexert yourself.”
His stride toward Ga Deuk-sang was unhesitating.
Dang Sang-ah called out without thinking.
“Father!”
Dang Gwan stopped.
Dang Sang-ah forced a bright tone.
“Please return safely.”
Dang Gwan glanced briefly at the sky, then continued toward Ga Deuk-sang.
“Let’s go, beggar.”
“Yes!”
“Last night, the Moyong Clan Head left the Alliance. Given his skill, he should reach Kaifeng in four to five days.”
Jegal Mun-ho’s eyes gleamed.
“The Vice Commander’s movements have been traced. He is currently at Sangan Tower in Kaifeng. We do not know what he is doing there, but it is suspicious enough that the highest military authority in Henan Province has remained at a tavern for several days.”
Yeon Wi asked, “Will the Moyong Clan Head be in danger?”
“We have taken sufficient precautions. Even if something occurs, he will find a way to return alive. Moreover, Kaifeng is filled with the Beggars’ Sect’s finest. There should be no cause for concern.”
“That is a relief.”
“The real problem lies with the Dang Clan Head and Commander Yeon.”
Jegal Mun-ho turned to Dang Gwan.
“Are you in good condition?”
Dang Gwan replied curtly, “Who are you asking?”
His words carried unbridled confidence. Jegal Mun-ho nodded.
“We must assume the enemy’s strength is equal to or greater than that of our clan heads. If they have allies the Beggars’ Sect failed to detect, the situation could become truly dangerous.”
Dang Gwan snorted.
“I will be the safest among us, so spare me your needless worries.”
Jegal Mun-ho nodded again.
“Understood.”
It was not mere bravado. Dang Gwan was the head of the Sichuan Dang Family and the son of the Dark King, Dang Hyeong—one of the Sacred Heavens. His talent and ability had been acknowledged by the strongest man in the jianghu. Perhaps, as Dang Gwan claimed, he truly was the safest.
“And you, Commander Yeon.”
“Yes.”
“Will you be enough on your own?”
“Hmm.”
Yeon Hojeong let out a sigh.
“Honestly, I’m not confident. That’s why I’m thinking of bringing one more person.”
“Who?”
Yeon Hojeong silently pointed at Muk Bi.
Jegal Mun-ho smiled.
“Yes, if it’s Department Head Muk, her skill is trustworthy.”
Muk Bi bowed her head.
“I will do my best to handle it without complications.”
“You have my thanks. Ah, and now the moment is truly upon us.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean your breakthrough of the martial wall. I’ve never seen anyone break through so gently, so gradually.”
“Ah…”
Muk Bi lowered her head, embarrassed.
“I still have a long way to go.”
Yeon Hojeong snorted.
“A very long way.”
Dang Gwan sneered.
“You’ll be overtaken soon at this rate.”
“I can’t let that happen. It would be humiliating.”
“Those who rise by their tongue fall by their tongue. You could use some humility.”
“Is that something the Clan Head should be saying?”
“……”
“Rude brat.”
Jegal Mun-ho watched the two bickering with an expression of fond exasperation, then turned to Yeon Wi.
“Clan Head Yeon, please guard the eastern grand gate of the Alliance. If the Dang Clan Head fails, the enemy will surely come here.”
“Understood.”
“In a sense, the Clan Head and I are the final line of defense. The Dang Clan Head and Commander Yeon will handle their parts, but we must not let our guard down either.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“I’ve honed my sword so it can be drawn at any moment.”
Jegal Mun-ho laughed and nodded. Yeon Wi’s straightforward response inspired genuine trust.
“Well then.”
Jegal Mun-ho rose from his seat.
“Let us begin.”
Whoosh.
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone in the room vanished.
***
Drip. Drip.
The sound of cold sweat falling from his brow rang like thunder in his ears.
It was inevitable. The man standing before Dong-gak now was a far higher-ranked expert than the Twelfth Martial General, Gyu Jeok, whom he had met recently.
“I expected someone from within the top ten, but…”
Dong-gak swallowed unconsciously.
“I never imagined it would be him.”
It was not merely a question of strength. This man possessed not only formidable martial arts but also a ruthlessly cold and cruel temperament.
Gyu Jeok had understood dignity and restraint; he had even been somewhat lenient toward subordinates’ mistakes. This man was different.
He was the Fifth Martial General, Yo Roe—one of the Eighteen Martial Generals of the Shinhwa Sect, and a true monster even among the top ten.
“Damn it! Why him, of all people…?!”
Just then—
“Your name was Dong-gak, was it not?”
Dong-gak flinched.
“Yes, Lord Yo Roe.”
“So you know nothing of Gyu Jeok’s whereabouts?”
Dong-gak’s face turned deathly pale. The intense killing intent and authority in that voice seemed to shake even his dantian.
What frightened him most was that excuses were forbidden. Any answer had to be clear and truthful. Stating the facts as they were might leave a sliver of hope, but the moment he offered excuses or lies, he would die instantly.
Dong-gak squeezed his eyes shut.
“I am deeply ashamed.”
“……”
Silence fell.
Though it lasted less than a quarter of an hour, to Dong-gak it felt like half a day.
After a moment—
“Rise.”
“Yes!”
Dong-gak scrambled to his feet.
His eyes fell upon Yo Roe. “……!!”
Dong-gak’s gaze trembled as though struck by an earthquake.
“He’s grown even stronger.”
A massive man sat in a languid posture, reading documents brought by an old servant.
He was so enormous that he evoked the image of a mountain. Even seated, his height nearly matched Dong-gak’s. His limbs were as thick as an adult man’s waist, and his torso was broad and solid like a great tree.
His entire body was wrapped in immense muscle. At this size, he could truly be called a giant without exaggeration.
Despite his overwhelming physique, his beard and hair were neatly groomed. His features were fierce, yet his attire and bearing were no less refined than those of any noble.
Wuuuung!
“Hup!”
Dong-gak desperately suppressed the inner force that threatened to run wild of its own accord.
It was worse than with Gyu Jeok. The pressure of facing him at close range was truly immense. People said that among experts of the same level, a single step’s difference was like heaven and earth—but he had never imagined the gap could be this vast.
Those who cultivated the same inner force would inevitably be disarmed before a higher and more powerful force. Dong-gak controlled his qi with superhuman patience.
The giant, Yo Roe, spoke without lifting his eyes from the documents.
“On the way here, I saw signs of a fire.”
His voice rumbled low, like someone speaking inside a cave.
His presence was entirely different from Gyu Jeok’s. It was not merely a matter of strength; his very temperament radiated differently.
“I checked the traces just in case. The area was too vast to search completely, but at least in what I examined, there were no traces of the Heat Yang Art.”
“……!”
“Yes, that’s what it looked like. But this damned intuition of mine keeps nagging at me about that place.”
Yo Roe asked offhandedly, “What do you think?”
The question was extremely difficult to answer.
Dong-gak maintained as much composure as possible.
“If it troubles you, Lord Yo Roe, then there must be a reason. I will investigate once more.”
His voice trembled despite his efforts. Yo Roe let out a derisive chuckle.
“Listen, Dong-gak.”
“Yes, Lord Yo Roe.”
“Do you know why I’m keeping you alive?”
Dong-gak swallowed. His face had already turned as pale as it could.
“……I do not know. I am deeply ashamed.”
“If I killed you, I would have to bring another person here in secret and retrain them. We don’t have the time, and I don’t have anyone to spare right now. That’s why I’m keeping you alive.”
“……!”
“But there won’t be a second time.”
“Y-Yes!”
Fwoosh.
Yo Roe incinerated the documents in his hands.
“Find Gyu Jeok’s whereabouts. I’ll give you ten days. If you fail, I’ll go to the trouble of finding a replacement.”
Dong-gak prostrated himself on the spot.
“I will definitely find him!”
“You will be held responsible for those words.”
“Yes!”
After glaring at Dong-gak for a long while, Yo Roe finally yawned.
“Still, it feels refreshing to have run a bit after so long. That side was so stifling.”
It was not said for anyone in particular to hear. From the beginning, Yo Roe did not regard Dong-gak or the old servant as equals.
Yo Roe gazed languidly at the ceiling, then suddenly asked, as if struck by a thought, “There was a village nearby, wasn’t there?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Yo Roe stroked his chin.
“I’d like to unwind a little, but the Martial Alliance is right next door, so that’s difficult… Perhaps it would be better to march on the Martial Alliance right now?”
Yo Roe’s eyes flashed.
His gaze, filled with azure flames, was not human.
“This is unbearably dull. Isn’t there anything interesting to do?”