Chapter 24
A mist-shrouded midnight had fallen.
In the Jagui Sect’s manor, around thirty martial artists had gathered, and about half of them were kneeling, trembling like leaves in a storm.
“So,” the source of their fear said quietly. “You took the goods and slipped out without a word, then came back empty-handed. No—more like you came back after getting stripped clean. Is that it?”
There was nothing especially threatening in his voice. If anything, it was soft, almost gentle.
“T-that is…”
Geumso was sweating so hard it looked as if he had run straight into a reaper.
Yang Bong, the sect leader of Jagui Sect, stood looking down at them.
The difference in rank between them was as vast as the sky, and everyone there knew what kind of man he was—obsessed with lining his own pockets—so no one dared speak carelessly.
“Geumso, answer me. You didn’t come back with your ears cut off, did you?”
A thick, viscous demonic aura seeped out of Yang Bong. The anger over their unauthorized action had curdled into killing intent.
Geumso shuddered under a fear that felt like hands closing around his heart.
W-what am I supposed to say…?
It sounded like the last question a reaper would ask before dragging someone away. After agonizing over it, Geumso finally squeezed out an answer.
“I-I was blinded by the thought of making a huge profit and earning merit. I’m truly sorry!”
“A huge profit?”
“Yes! There was someone who’d been getting on my nerves for a while, and that bastard used ice techniques. I thought if we caught him, we could bring back a big prize, but… he was too much for us, and we failed. I’m sorry!”
Geumso swallowed hard.
Even he had to admit that was a clever excuse. After all, he had only learned today that the man used ice martial arts.
“Ice techniques, huh…”
At once, greed glimmered in Yang Bong’s eyes.
“Then he might actually be worth something. Fine, let’s set aside the fact that you acted on your own. How do you plan to make up for the loss?”
“If we catch the ones we fought, that should more than cover it! Not the one who uses ice techniques—the other one is so handsome it’s almost ridiculous, so there’ll definitely be plenty of buyers!”
Yang Bong’s eyes curved into crescent moons as he looked down at him.
“Hm. He can be made to pay, and we can make money too. The numbers do add up. The problem is how we’re supposed to catch them. Surely the deputy sect leader has already thought that far ahead?”
“Yes! We were overpowered, but both of them are still quite young. If the sect leader and Heuksi step in, it shouldn’t be difficult to catch them!”
“Oh? Me and Heuksi?”
“Yes!”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely!”
Yang Bong burst out laughing, a low, chuckling sound.
What a vile little worm.
Even though he was basically admitting that he couldn’t solve this himself, he still held his head high as if that were enough. It was almost impressive, in a pathetic sort of way. Every word that came out of his mouth reeked of stupidity, enough to make a man sick.
Which is exactly why he’s useful.
Ignorance was best in abundance. Only then was it easy to control people with fear, and only then would they never dare entertain foolish thoughts like skimming money for themselves.
“Very well. I’ll go take a look myself.”
“Yes!”
Thinking the conversation had gone well, not only Geumso but the expressions of the other sect members began to brighten as well.
I thought I was going to die…
Ugh, I just want to rest a bit.
Damn it.
A man with a sneering face shot Geumso a sidelong glare.
If that bastard hadn’t insisted on dragging them back, none of this would have happened.
Instead of throwing those pathetic useless dart needles, they should have run. If they had, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.
And that kind of bastard is sitting in the deputy sect leader’s seat…
Then Yang Bong’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“Then let’s hear your story too.”
His gaze shifted to the man who had been glaring at Geumso.
“How will you make up for the loss?”
“What?!”
“I asked how you’re going to make up for it.”
“The price of the dart needles—just as the deputy sect leader said, if we catch those two men… Y-yes, we’ll definitely catch them and pay it back…”
“Tsk. That’s not what I’m talking about.”
Yang Bong’s hand reached for the back of the man’s neck. His fingers, which had been gently stroking the skin there, soon tightened around his throat.
“Your absence won’t matter much, but it’ll still leave a hole. So you ought to fill it before you go, don’t you think?”
“……!”
The man trembled all over in terror. The cold of the hand on his neck was so vivid it made his skin crawl.
“W-what do you mean by that…”
“How dull.”
Yang Bong turned his head.
“Bring me Heuksi.”
Creaaak.
As if he had been waiting for that very order, a man in red martial robes appeared between the hall’s pillars. Yang Bong let out a dry chuckle and looked at him.
“Do you even have a hobby of eavesdropping? Did I keep you waiting too long?”
“I was curious what had happened, so I listened. If it offended you, I apologize.”
“No need for apologies. Just give me a price. How much is this one worth?”
“Let’s see.”
Heuksi narrowed his eyes and examined the subordinate from head to toe.
“If I were to give a comprehensive evaluation, I’d say he’s a wreck. His features look as though someone kneaded them into dough, and his complexion is poor as well, so there’s no market value. There’s no reason to think his internal energy is deep, either… ah, you said his dantian was completely shattered, correct?”
Yang Bong frowned.
“Not even worth a single silver piece?”
“I don’t think you’d get even one copper coin. Honestly, he’d be better off tossed to the dogs.”
“Tsk. I hate a losing deal.”
“O-objection!”
Just as the man, insulted and enraged, was about to wrench his hand free,
Crack!
Yang Bong’s fingers bored indifferently into his throat. Blood welled up and stained Yang Bong’s nails red. The man gasped for breath and looked desperately around the hall.
He was begging the others who had eaten at the same table to save him.
“……”
But no one moved. In fact, many of them looked at him with open contempt.
What a pathetic bastard.
Serves him right for getting ideas.
Seeing that, Yang Bong smiled faintly.
These ones might still be worth using.
Anyone who entertained thoughts beyond making money was useless in his sect. Of course, from a long-term perspective, it was a poor arrangement. But Jagui Sect had been founded by people who prized only themselves, so for the time being, what he needed were obedient pieces on a board.
And then—
BOOM!
A deafening blast suddenly thundered through the manor.
“……!”
Every head in the hall snapped toward the entrance. The heavy main gate was shaking violently.
BOOM! CRASH!!
“W-what is that…?”
Yang Bong tossed the man aside and laughed in disbelief.
“Geumso, and now you’ve even brought your tail along with you?”
“……What?”
“Who on earth would have found this place? We worked so hard to choose this location.”
Realizing what was happening, Geumso cried out in alarm.
“S-sorry! It looks like we have an uninvited guest. What are you all standing around for? Draw your swords!”
Swish!
The sect members all drew their blades at once and moved into a guarded stance.
BOOOOOM—!
At last, the gate that had protected their home shattered apart, sending pale dust billowing into the air.
Everyone’s attention naturally fixed on the person who had smashed it. And as Yang Bong watched the man emerge through the haze, he immediately became certain.
So it’s you.
The man’s features were so sharply sculpted they looked like they had been carved by a master craftsman. He really did look like something worth a great deal of money.
The man, Cheon Sohyeon, stepped inside over the splintered remains of the gate.
One step, then another.
He walked as though out on a casual stroll, looking around him with a calm, almost leisurely air. That only made the sect members grip their weapons more tightly, their faces twisting in confusion.
He had already slipped inside the range where blades could strike, and yet they still hesitated.
Why… why isn’t he giving the order?
These were people who reacted only to fear that had been branded into them. They fixed their eyes on Yang Bong and waited for his command.
“Stand by for now.”
With visible interest, Yang Bong walked toward Cheon Sohyeon.
“Who are you? By the look of things, and the timing of your arrival, you must be the one in conflict with my men.”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it a conflict. More like a light scuffle.”
At that quiet answer, Yang Bong’s face filled with puzzlement.
His gaze slid past the broken gate. Beyond the haze of dust, the silhouette of another man swayed faintly.
“From the looks of it, all you’ve got for backup is one green youth gathering his breath over there. You’ve got quite a lot of confidence. Could it be that you judged my level based on the combat skill of those sect members?”
Yang Bong’s eyes turned murderous.
“If so, I’d say that’s rather insulting.”
But Cheon Sohyeon ignored him and turned his attention to Geumso instead.
“I gave you a chance to repent, didn’t I? So why are you out here playing dog again? Was my guidance lacking?”
“……?”
“Was that my mistake? Are you saying this is my fault?”
Heat poured from between his breaths, and Geumso flinched.
“Y-yes? That’s not…”
Was it because the pain had penetrated clear to the bone? The words had slipped out of Geumso’s mouth reflexively. He realized his mistake and tried to backpedal at once, but the spilled water could not be gathered again.
“Tsk. You’re hopeless.”
Yang Bong clicked his tongue and flicked out a hand.
BOOM!
Geumso’s body crumpled as if crushed, then went flying clean across to the other side of the hall. The demonic energy packed into that single strike was monstrous, proof of Yang Bong’s overwhelming cultivation.
Yang Bong let off a grim aura and turned his head.
“Whether it’s your sect members or that idiot deputy sect leader… before I start settling accounts, I think I’ll make you pay the price for your arrogance first.”
SLAP!
Cheon Sohyeon met the onrushing palm strike head-on.
When their palms collided, the force of the impact spread outward and the watching sect members staggered backward.
And then their faces filled with shock.
“……!”
For a moment it seemed as though the intruder had been pushed back by the sect leader’s palm force, yet in the end he held his ground and steadied himself.
Worse, he even smiled as he glared at the sect leader.
“You were making such a big show of yourself, so I thought maybe I’d misjudged you—but it doesn’t look like I was wrong after all.”
The corners of Yang Bong’s mouth stretched wide.
“Fool. You don’t even know you’ve fallen into a furnace.”
His twin hands moved like lightning. A barrage of strikes aimed at vital points flashed through the air in an instant.
BOOM! CRASH! CRASH!!
Soon, a storm of fists, palms, and kicks followed. Every block, parry, and dodge sent shockwaves through the ground around them, shaking it again and again.
As the recoil surged through him, the fingertips of Cheon Sohyeon’s hand twitched faintly.
He isn’t someone to take lightly.
So he wasn’t merely some lowlife who gathered thugs and ran around committing banditry.
Unexpectedly, Yang Bong’s movements were clean and efficient, with no wasted motion. The evidence of systematic training was plain everywhere, and the completeness of his body and the level of his inner energy were both excellent.
The gap in their martial skill was larger than expected, but not so large that he was being overwhelmed.
So this is how much effect it had.
It was thanks to the Demon Return Pill.
That was enough. After all, the efficiency of one’s qi always varied wildly depending on enlightenment and the completeness of one’s forms.
Amitabha!
Cheon Sohyeon drove forward, slapping aside a blocking palm strike and stamping down hard as he advanced. He closed the distance to fist range in an instant, then unleashed his own boxing while stirring Muryeonggi.
It was Nahan-gwon, the Arhat Fist, said to be the root and essence of Shaolin.
An arhat was one who had attained enlightenment. For a monk, enlightenment meant freedom from all afflictions and restraints, and the fist method followed the same principle.
The exchange unfurled in repeated blasts like exploding cannon fire, yet the mind and body at the center of it—Cheon Sohyeon’s—remained utterly still.
Stillness within motion, motion within stillness. Calm gave birth to fury, and fury still carried calm at its core.
BOOOOOM!
The sheer force made Yang Bong’s brow crease.
With fist energy bursting out one after another, Yang Bong’s defenses scattered helplessly, and he began to take strikes one after another.
“Cough!”
In the end, Yang Bong spat out blood. He wiped his mouth roughly and opened the distance between them.
“You bastard…”
He had been restraining his power, worried that some precious merchandise might be damaged. But now that the other side’s arrogance had gone too far, his mind changed.
“I ought to bleed you a little first.”
As Yang Bong laid a hand on the scabbard at his waist, the air around them sank with weight. Just as he was about to draw his blade—
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
BOOM!
White sword qi crashed into the manor as a wall was blown apart. The pure, white sword aura scattered like petals in the wind, slicing through the earth as it rushed straight at Yang Bong.
“Pathetic struggle.”
Yang Bong drew his sword with a light motion and scattered the sword qi to pieces.
However—
“Wh-what is this!”
“I can’t see anything!”
The manor had been swallowed whole by thick, cloudlike smoke. Gang Hyeon’s opening strike had stolen the sect members’ vision.
“There’s no time to panic. First, the smoke… cough, disperse it.”
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