Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: The Green Forest of Mount Waok
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Among the many mountains in Sichuan, there was one called Mount Waok.
This mountain was famous for being sparsely traveled, as it was home to a vast, primeval forest.
For this reason, many fugitives fled here, but it was also a place of strange rumors, as far fewer people left than entered.
Of course, a certain faction had established a community of a considerable size here. They were a remnant of the Green Forest, who had hidden here after their defeat in the past Orthodox-Green Forest War.
At this moment, two of them, the Chief and the Second-in-command, were in conversation.
They were in a secluded area, away from the settlement they had built deep within Mount Waok.
It was a place where even their own brothers rarely came, ensuring their conversation would not be overheard.
“Chief, it’s been almost four months since we last heard from them. I fear their infiltration of the Demonic Cult has failed, and they’ve met with disaster…”
“You fool, haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘no news is good news’? Come on, use that head of yours for something. This is the Demonic Cult we’re talking about, not some backwater. Do you think our men who snuck in are crazy enough to send us a message? They’d get caught for sure, even if they weren’t going to be. Tsk.”
“But they always sent a message once a month. And they’re not just ordinary men…”
“Hmph, you’re right, they’re not ordinary. They’re from the Windless Killing Curtain, after all. I thought if anyone could find out something about Lord Maeng Ak, it would be them.”
Although the Chief chided his second-in-command, he had his own suspicions.
Even for the Windless Killing Curtain, infiltrating the main headquarters of the Demonic Cult and extracting information was no easy feat.
But it was too valuable an opportunity to simply give up on.
This was information about the Fist King of the Green Forest, Maeng Ak, who could perhaps raise the Green Forest once more.
If the Windless Killing Curtain could find even a successor of his, the Green Forest could rally its strength again in the current martial world, which was in the calm before the storm.
Of course, even that was a slim possibility.
The Green Forest was already scattered to the four winds, weakened by the death of its central figure, Maeng Ak, and most of its leadership.
‘He never spared any effort in his teachings, but he never officially named a successor…’
As far as he remembered, Maeng Ak hadn’t even raised a successor.
Part of it was to consolidate their strength during those tumultuous times, and part was to prevent factions from forming among the brothers.
Back then, no one had imagined the Fist King of the Green Forest would fall, so there were no complaints. Now, only regret remained.
‘Well, even if he had a successor, those bastards from the Orthodox Faction wouldn’t have left them alone.’
What he was waiting for was a tiny glimmer of hope.
Yes, if they could just learn the source of the martial arts he had learned from the former Grandmaster, the Green Forest could reunite around that origin.
“Haa… The path forward is impossibly long and dark. Is the Green Forest truly going to disappear like this?”
Of course, for them, hiding in such a remote place, it was an absurdly empty dream.
Especially now that contact with the Windless Killing Curtain, their source of information, had been lost.
The second-in-command shook his head at the Chief’s deep sigh.
“Chief, let’s not worry too much. At least we won’t have to worry about dinner tonight, since the boys took on a big job today.”
“You’re right. A bandit needs to think positive, especially at times like this.”
The Chief’s spirits lifted slightly as his second-in-command’s words reminded him of something.
The “big job” the boys had taken on was nothing special.
They had simply picked up some manual labor from the Sichuan Tang Clan, a good distance away.
After years of hiding, the bandits had become villagers of Mount Waok, and the Sichuan Tang Clan would occasionally hire strong men for odd jobs.
Since the younger members had only a shallow knowledge of martial arts, there was no risk of being discovered. It was a decent way to make a living.
“Still, in times like these, the rules Lord Maeng Ak set have been a great help.”
“Indeed. Back then, the men complained, asking how bandits could live without plundering. But in a place like Mount Waok, where few people pass through, it’s an easy rule to follow. Thanks to that, we can even take on honest work.”
As the Chief said, ordinary merchants and commoners rarely entered Mount Waok.
Thus, there was no opportunity for the bandits to collect tolls.
If they had known nothing but how to collect tolls, as in the old days, they would have either starved to death or been wiped out after being caught committing crimes.
But having been under Maeng Ak, who had established strict rules, they did not break the law even after coming here and earned their living through honest work.
They did this by selling information about the mountain trails or escorting people safely for a fee.
Thanks to this, their reputation improved, and they gained a new identity as mountain villagers.
Of course, the Chief and his second-in-command, being quite skilled in martial arts, rarely showed themselves outside.
They simply led the younger members from behind the scenes.
This time was no different.
They had arranged the job with the Sichuan Tang Clan for their men through an intermediary and simply waited.
All while protecting the brothers and families within Mount Waok.
Just then, one of the men who was supposed to have gone to work for the Sichuan Tang Clan came rushing back into the mountain.
He ran about frantically, searching for the Chief and the Second-in-command. The commotion was so great that it was impossible not to notice.
“Wait, Chief, that sound…”
“Yes, that’s definitely Gae-ttong’s voice. Did something happen?!”
The moment they heard the voice, the two of them used their movement techniques, heading toward the sound.
The way they burst through the dense trees in an instant showed their skills were anything but ordinary.
They grew closer to the settlement from where the sound originated.
When they arrived, they saw Gae-ttong, a man whose muscular, brawny physique belied his timid nature, searching for the Chief.
“Ch-Chief! You have to come out right now! Chief! Where did the Second-in-command go?!”
Seeing that even the Second-in-command, who was usually always present, was gone, he shouted even louder.
When the Chief and Second-in-command finally came into view, he rushed over, panting as he poured out his words.
“Gah! Where have you been? Huh? Do you know who’s here?”
“How would I know that! Spit it out already! I oughta…!”
Gae-ttong couldn’t seem to calm down.
Finally, the Second-in-command, having had enough, raised a hand and shouted, which finally brought some order.
“You know those men who came for information a while back? Their leader and another man who seems to be high-ranking in the Demonic Cult have come.”
“What?”
Gae-ttong held up both thumbs, gesturing that two leaders had arrived.
The Chief asked where they were, and upon hearing from Gae-ttong that they were in a standoff with the remaining men, he immediately used his movement technique again.
*CRACK!*
The Chief increased his speed, even punching through a tree that got in his way.
He intuitively realized that one of the men Gae-ttong mentioned was the master of the Windless Killing Curtain, Musal, and he was certain the man had brought information about the Fist King of the Green Forest.
“We must hurry!”
“Yes, sir!”
At the same time, the mention of a standoff with his men worried him.
As far as he knew, figures from the Demonic Cult would kill people like swatting flies if things went wrong.
If something went awry, his men could be in danger.
He quickened his pace, inwardly praying that none of his men would act rashly.
Meanwhile, near the entrance of Mount Waok, a young man dressed in a black robe that looked expensive at a glance was provoking the men surrounding him.
“Is there truly no one who will step forward? I’d heard the Green Forest lost all its teeth after the Fist King died, but I never thought it would be this bad.”
The surrounding men each held a weapon, but the young man was bare-handed.
Yet no one dared to touch him, merely grinding their teeth.
“Grrr…! Brother, how much longer must we endure this!”
A burly, fur-clad man in the center, in particular, looked as if he was about to burst from anger.
He gripped his iron club, his hands trembling as he barely suppressed his rage.
If not for the middle-aged man with a hand on his chest, holding him back, he would have swung his club at the young man in the black robe long ago.
The middle-aged man pressed his hand firmly against the burly man’s chest, calming him once more.
“You fool! Gae-ttong will be back with the Chief and Second-in-command soon, so calm down! That man is a master. We can’t handle him even if we all attack at once!”
“B-But, a man has his pride!”
“Do you think I’m standing here like this because I value my own neck!”
He, too, wanted to rush at the young man who was so shamelessly provoking them, but he had the responsibility of leading the men here.
As someone who had learned a fair amount of martial arts, he knew instinctively.
The young man before them was a monster who could annihilate them all with a single gesture.
He was terrified that one of his men might make a mistake, bringing harm to the families of the Green Forest who had survived and fled all the way to Mount Waok.
Seeing this, the young man seemed to lose interest. He waved a dismissive hand at the man in the straw hat beside him and spoke.
“Tsk. Since when did the men of the Green Forest start weighing their options? Musal, you handle the talking.”
“As you wish.”
Musal, who had been silent until then, finally removed his straw hat and greeted the middle-aged man.
“My apologies. It’s not that the Windless Killing Curtain has forgotten the help we received. Ahem, my master has a bit of a mischievous side.”
“…It’s fine. I don’t wish to speak further. Wait for the Chief to arrive and talk with him.”
The middle-aged man stared intently at the young man in the black robe—Maeng Ak—who had turned his back, before turning away from Musal.
Musal, now caught between the turned backs of Maeng Ak and the middle-aged man, put a hand to his head with a troubled expression.
In truth, even he didn’t fully understand the reason for this situation.
He couldn't fathom why his master was tormenting the very people who had helped him.
Of course, when they first set foot here, a few men had acted threateningly.
They probably saw Maeng Ak’s expensive-looking black robe and assumed he was some young master from an Orthodox sect who had just left home.
Was that the reason?
Maeng Ak, who was usually composed, had started provoking the men, leading to this state of affairs.
The biggest factor was how he had deliberately chosen words that would irk the men, mentioning the Fist King of the Green Forest and so on.
Musal couldn't understand how his master planned to unite and absorb the Green Forest by acting this way.
In fact, Maeng Ak was testing them in his own way.
He was checking how well they had followed the legacy he had left behind in his past life, and just how dire the Green Forest’s current situation was.
The results were neither good nor bad.
They had followed the rules he set—no plundering or collecting tolls—but they had well and truly lost their fangs.
‘Still, to think they can’t even subdue a man who’s provoking them so recklessly.’
He wasn’t disappointed.
The fact that they were being so cautious meant the Green Forest’s situation was that much worse.
And the responsibility for that lay with him.
Of course, he planned to change everything, starting now.
‘It begins here, on Mount Waok.’
As he was lost in his thoughts, the Chief that Gae-ttong had gone to fetch finally appeared.
“I am the one in charge here! If you have something to say, say it to me.”
He shouted loudly as soon as he emerged from the forest, worried that something might have happened.
Thanks to this, Musal quickly recognized his face and sent a signal to Maeng Ak, confirming it was the Chief.
Maeng Ak turned back around and opened his mouth.
“Alright, let’s begin.”