Fragment (1)
The wind that swept through the Dabie Mountains was refreshingly cool, despite the sweltering heat of summer.
It was nighttime. A slender crescent moon hung in the sky, surrounded by countless twinkling stars that created an oddly enchanting atmosphere.
The breeze felt pleasant, and the scenery was beautiful. The swaying leaves looked like the long, flowing sleeves of a dancing maiden.
Cheon Gang’s eyes gleamed.
In the middle of a clearing in the forest, a man stood with his back turned, hands clasped behind him.
Cheon Gang instinctively realized who he was.
“Lightning?”
The man let out a soft, involuntary chuckle.
Lightning? What a truly ridiculous nickname.
The man turned around. Moyong Gun’s face was revealed.
Moyong Gun spoke calmly.
“Then what should I call you? Shall I call you Fire?”
“Was it you? The bastard who called me out?”
His tone was quite aggressive.
Though he looked younger than his actual age, Cheon Gang was indeed significantly younger than Moyong Gun. In the culture of the Central Plains, such a manner of speech was not easily accepted.
Of course, Moyong Gun paid no attention whatsoever to the other man’s tone or voice.
Simply looking at Cheon Gang made killing intent slowly rise within him. Suppressing that urge required a considerable amount of mental effort.
Moyong Gun asked casually, as if tossing the words aside.
“How was life in the prison? Bearable?”
Cheon Gang growled in a low voice.
“Did you call me out here just to spout that kind of nonsense?”
If there was one thing about Cheon Gang that had to be acknowledged, it was his mental fortitude.
His dantian had been half-crushed, causing him to lose all his internal energy. On top of that, after a long period of imprisonment, he had grown gaunt and emaciated. Being locked in solitary confinement the entire time must have been mentally devastating.
Yet he still displayed the same demeanor as before. It was something impossible for an ordinary person.
Moyong Gun smiled as he spoke.
“You’ve finally stepped back into the outside world after so long. Why not take a deep breath? The air here is quite different from the prison, isn’t it?”
“You son of a—”
“What? If you prefer that air so much, shall I send you back?”
Cheon Gang froze.
No matter how strong his spirit was, the suggestion of being sent back to rot in that prison sounded undeniably threatening.
If the prison had been damp and crawling with insects, he might have given up on life long ago.
The Martial Alliance’s prison, absurd as it sounded, was not quite like hell. Meals were provided twice a day, it wasn’t overly filthy, and whenever he was given drugs and lost consciousness, he would wake to find the space spotlessly cleaned.
That was what made it harder.
If the environment had been truly horrific, it might have been different. But because it was bearable, it drove him closer to madness. A master who had broken through the Wall of Martial Arts would not crumble under such conditions, and that only tormented Cheon Gang even more.
Moyong Gun smiled.
“Do you know who suggested that we not turn the Martial Alliance’s prison into a sewer? It was me.”
“……!”
“The Martial Alliance is meant to become the central pillar that brings stability and peace to the gangho. How could such an important organization allow its prison—regardless of the prisoners inside—to be so inhumane that it invites criticism? That is why, after working with my faction members, we achieved the current state of the prison.”
“…….”
“Do you understand? The fact that you can stand before me right now, raising your voice and flapping your tongue, is all thanks to me.”
“Stop spouting sophistry and get to the point! Why did you call me here!”
“I have something I want to confirm.”
Moyong Gun jerked his chin toward the warden.
The warden bowed his head and withdrew.
Once the warden had disappeared, Moyong Gun spoke.
“You heard what he said, didn’t you?”
Cheon Gang bit his lip.
Do not throw away this chance to be released.
In other words, if he accepted Moyong Gun’s request, he could escape this wretched place.
“How can I trust you?”
Moyong Gun smiled.
“Is there any reason not to?”
“If I don’t get a definite promise, I’ll end up being toyed with by you and have nowhere to vent my resentment. What’s the difference? There is one. At the very least, I can refuse to give a bastard like you what you want.”
His words were laced with venom.
Cheon Gang gave a savage smile.
“It seems you want something from me. In that case, I suppose I’m the one holding the hilt of the blade?”
“What an amusing fellow. Are all the Three Sects bastards like you? I mean, you can’t even tell what’s in front of your face.”
“You’re the one who can’t tell what’s in front of your face.”
Cheon Gang spread his hand, palm open.
His uncut nails were caked with dirt.
“I may have lost my internal energy and ended up like this, but I still have enough strength left to slit my own throat.”
Moyong Gun chuckled.
“You’d rather die?”
“I’ll admit I don’t want to go back to that prison. Even if I only live for three days, I’d rather do it outside.”
Cheon Gang growled again. He truly looked like a beast filled with nothing but venom.
“So stop trying to toy with me with your nonsense. I wouldn’t feel much regret even if I died right now.”
This was sincere.
From Cheon Gang’s aura and his eyes, Moyong Gun could read the truth.
At least ‘for now,’ it was sincere. If he provoked him carelessly, the man really would die.
Moyong Gun smiled.
“I see. You really do look like you’d die.”
“Of course.”
“As expected, there are no easy opponents. Even those lowly barbarians were able to build such power for a reason.”
Killing intent surged from Cheon Gang’s eyes.
“Keep wagging that rotten tongue of yours, you trash. Barbarians? Don’t make me laugh. You people are the real beasts who only know how to tear each other apart. No, even beasts form packs. You lot are worse than beasts.”
Moyong Gun’s eyes sank coldly.
“To think I have to hear such words from a wretch like you. I suppose this is when one uses the phrase ‘how lamentable.’”
“Shut up and listen to my conditions first. Prepare an extremely yang-natured spiritual medicine that can restore my dantian. And as a hostage—”
“Die.”
“What?”
Moyong Gun spoke indifferently.
“I said, just die.”
“……?”
“Why should I feel any regret over a bastard like you? Just die.”
The corners of Cheon Gang’s eyes trembled slightly.
“You called me here because you wanted something, didn’t you?”
“That’s right. There is something I wanted to confirm with you. But even if I don’t ask you, I’ll find out eventually. The only difference is whether I learn it a little sooner or a little later.”
Sssssss.
Black killing intent flowed from Moyong Gun’s body like smoke. No matter how much he tried to suppress it, after exchanging words with Cheon Gang, the killing intent had swelled like a snowball.
“Consider yourself lucky. Given the situation, I cannot kill you myself. It would leave traces.”
“…….”
“If your life were entirely in my hands, you would have been preserved alive—unable to die or live—on the wall of the Martial Alliance’s Alliance Leader Hall.”
A chill ran down his spine!
Cheon Gang felt goosebumps rise all over his body.
Moyong Gun turned around with his hands still clasped behind his back.
“What a waste of a night. Just facing a worthless piece of trash like you ruins my mood. I came here despite that, yet all I’ve done is sour my own disposition.”
“…….”
“Get lost.”
It was an utterly cold response.
Cheon Gang, who had been silently glaring at him, lowered his hand.
“What do you want? I’ll listen to that first.”
“Did you not hear me tell you to get lost?”
Whooooooosh.
A faint trace of true qi began to gather in Moyong Gun’s clasped hands.
“Are you truly hoping that I will make a move?”
Cheon Gang’s eyes wavered.
Asking what he wanted had been a test. If Cheon Gang had pretended to yield and obediently spilled everything, it would have been proof that Moyong Gun could seize complete control.
But the opponent’s reaction remained unchanged. On the contrary, the density of the killing intent slowly leaking out grew thicker, as if he truly intended to kill him.
‘This bastard really means to kill me.’
Of course, Cheon Gang also thought that dying right now wouldn’t be a great loss.
However, if he could live, it was better to live. That was only natural.
“I’ll say it one last time. Tell me what you want.”
For Cheon Gang, this was his final gamble. If the other man still said he would kill him after this, then he would truly die.
And Moyong Gun’s reaction was exactly the same as before.
Crackle!
A golden bolt of lightning flashed from Moyong Gun’s hand.
The boiling murderous intent had stimulated his Noejeonggong. There was no turning back now.
Cheon Gang’s face twisted.
‘Damn it!’
It was then.
“You’ve become quite aggressive.”
At the sudden voice, Cheon Gang flinched in shock.
Srrrr.
Before anyone realized, Yeon Hojeong had appeared from the forest beside Moyong Gun.
“I knew you hated the Three Sects, but I didn’t realize your emotional control had deteriorated this badly.”
Crackle!
“Calm down. You really can’t kill him.”
Crackle! Crackle!
Moyong Gun’s fingers twitched. He was debating whether to ignore Yeon Hojeong’s words and rip the man’s throat out in one strike, or hold himself back.
A moment later.
Ssssss.
Having suppressed his lightning qi, Moyong Gun turned around with a calm expression.
Cheon Gang felt a shiver of terror. Despite having emitted such explosive killing intent, his current face was the picture of composure. It was as if he were an entirely different person from the one who had radiated that murderous aura just moments ago.
That capricious change instilled a strange sense of fear.
Moyong Gun spoke to Yeon Hojeong.
“I wanted to handle it myself, but it seems that won’t be possible.”
“Those with high enlightenment know how to perfectly control their true qi. However, your lightning qi is the most destructive among the sixty-four hexagrams. Perhaps it is the influence of that qi that has made your temperament so aggressive.”
“My temperament was always aggressive. That bastard simply lit the fuse.”
Yeon Hojeong gave a bitter smile and raised his hand.
“Enough. I’ll speak with him.”
Moyong Gun glanced at Cheon Gang once more before turning away again.
“Finish within one hour. If I have to endure any longer, I might end up skinning that bastard alive.”
“Understood.”
Yeon Hojeong walked toward Cheon Gang.
Cheon Gang flinched involuntarily.
“You…!”
This was a man who remained in his memory just as vividly as Moyong Gun—perhaps even more so.
It was only natural. Although he had fought a life-or-death battle with Moyong Gun, the one who had rendered him combat incapable was this very young man.
Srrk.
Yeon Hojeong, who had stopped one zhang away from Cheon Gang, simply stared at him without saying a word.
Cheon Gang’s body flinched again.
The face of Yeon Hojeong looking at him with those transparent eyes was utterly expressionless, as if carved from stone. That blank face looked even harder than a mask.
‘This…!’
Neither Moyong Gun nor Yeon Hojeong saw him as a person. That fact filled Cheon Gang with rage.
However.
Flinch!
Cheon Gang could not easily open his mouth.
Yeon Hojeong simply stared at him in silence.
There was no way to tell what he wanted. Normally, one could read emotional states from expressions or eyes, but this opponent displayed none of that.
His eyes looked like they were made of glass, and his expression was stiffer than an iron mask, showing not the slightest movement.
“…….”
A strange silence lingered between the two.
Yeon Hojeong’s expression remained unchanged, while Cheon Gang’s eyes and cheeks began to tremble more and more as time passed.
How long had it been?
Cheon Gang finally burst out.
“Just what the hell are you—!”
At that moment, Yeon Hojeong’s hand moved.
Grab!
“Ugh!”
His collar was seized in an instant.
The speed was so fast it couldn’t even be seen. Even though he had lost his internal energy, his lifelong training in eye technique remained intact. He should have been able to catch most speeds, yet he hadn’t seen Yeon Hojeong’s hand move at all.
Clench!
Cheon Gang grabbed Yeon Hojeong’s wrist with both hands. It was an instinctive reaction.
And only then.
A smile appeared on Yeon Hojeong’s face. It was nothing more than a slight movement at the corners of his eyes and mouth.
“Good. That’s the kind of reaction I wanted.”
Flash!
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes blazed as he swung the hand gripping Cheon Gang’s collar in a wide arc.
Whoooooooong!
As Cheon Gang felt the world flip upside down, he began to unleash the peak martial arts of the Shinwha Sect engraved within his body.