Last Vacation (4)
"What? Ah, no, yes?!"
Man Beom-seong, the man himself, panicked greatly and staggered at my words laced with killing intent. He was already in agony from his severed arm and piercing wounds, and now I was telling him to fix the plaque—naturally, it must have been frustrating from his position.
"If you don't want to fix it or compensate, just say so."
Crack! I approached him calmly, cracking my knuckles.
At this point, even someone as bold as Man Beom-seong couldn't help it.
"Ahem! Understood. How much will it be?"
Sichuan Province's peak expert, the Savage Twin Gon Man Beom-seong. He was one of the top five masters in the Black Heaven Gang and received treatment on par with a division leader or higher. In other words, he was quite wealthy, and the cost of a plaque wouldn't be a big deal for him.
"What you broke isn't just any ordinary plaque. Though modest in size, it's the plaque of the Throwing Sword Sect, boasting history and tradition, having produced excellent martial arts and warriors. So, unless you fully restore it to its original state, it's hard to put a proper price on it."
I had a specific reason for laying this groundwork.
Whoosh! I spread all ten fingers toward Man Beom-seong as a signal.
"Ten taels of silver? That's not hard. I'll pay right now..."
What nonsense is this? I furrowed my brow deeply and cut him off.
"Silver? You messing with me right now? They say you're a division leader of the Black Heaven Gang—did you just come from playing house? The Black Heaven Gang's generosity ends at that? Disappointing."
"Urk."
Man Beom-seong panicked at my unusually ominous words from the start.
"Got it. I lacked insight. Then, ten gold taels as fair compensation..."
As he spouted more nonsense, I placed my hand on his head and gripped it tight.
Crunch! Activating the Great Power Iron Hardening Skill, I squeezed his skull—it was like the agony of the tightening headband from Journey to the West that Sun Wukong endured.
"Gya! Gyaaack!"
The pain was so intense that Man Beom-seong let out bizarre shrieks unfit for his burly frame, writhing in torment. Both arms were already severely injured, doubling his suffering. But he couldn't even pass out.
"I'm a physician. Even if you faint or lose consciousness, I can wake you anytime."
I was a doctor whose medical skills matched my martial prowess. If he faked fainting, I'd immediately prescribe the ultimate poison, Formless Poison Skill.
"Kuh-huh. Then how much do you want?"
In the end, he conceded to pay whatever I demanded.
"One hundred gold taels."
Why else would I hold up ten fingers?
"Wha? No, a plaque for a hundred gold taels? There's no precedent for..."
"Then restore the original Throwing Sword Sect plaque perfectly. Fail, and I won't let you leave alive."
"Kheung-heung!"
Under my razor-sharp threat, the Black Heaven Gang's key figure, Man Beom-seong, crumbled helplessly.
"Understood, ugh!"
"Don't even think of tricks. Write the promissory note right here."
A division leader in an evil sect faction would surely have the authority for a provisional note. My maternal uncle and I had crafted that world ourselves—he couldn't fool me.
Scribble! Man Beom-seong sobbed like a child, drafting the note for one hundred gold taels on the spot. His hand trembled so violently as he stamped his seal that a stranger might think I was the villain.
Whoaaa! Regardless, the Throwing Sword Sect disciples felt a refreshing catharsis seeing the absolute villain of Sichuan—feared like Yama the King of Hell—treated like a naughty nephew.
Enjoy it to your heart's content. This was all for the Throwing Sword Sect disciples.
"Sect Leader, here. Even this shameless bastard says he'll pay for the plaque."
I handed the promissory note guaranteeing one hundred gold taels straight to Meng Dan-ya.
"Huh?"
Never expecting it would come to him, Meng Dan-ya jumped in surprise.
"The plaque belongs to the Throwing Sword Sect, not me, right?"
Did I extort Man Beom-seong for my own gain? Far from it. Since I was here at the Throwing Sword Sect, my plan was to properly boost the spirit of my close friend Meng Yuon.
'Of course, delivering a satisfying revenge on the Black Heaven Gang.'
They say crisis is opportunity. I'd show a miracle to revive the declining Throwing Sword Sect.
"My goodness, my goodness!"
Meng Dan-ya was stunned by the sudden windfall of one hundred gold taels. That amount could rebuild the sect buildings burned to ashes, let alone replace the plaque.
"It's astonishing. But this is just for the plaque."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
I told the surprised Throwing Sword Sect Leader.
"We'll properly extract payment for burning the Throwing Sword Sect and killing your disciples too."
Black Heaven Gang Leader Du Jeong-cheong. Of all people, you targeted my friend Meng Yuon's sect?
'You messed with the wrong guy.'
I'll play with the Black Heaven Gang until its pillars crumble. This was just the prelude.
"What?!"
The upstart force eyeing hegemony in Sichuan Province, the Black Heaven Gang. At its pinnacle stood the man, Black Heaven Gang Leader Black Heaven Sword Demon Du Jeong-cheong, currently dumbfounded.
"Kuhk-kuk!"
His trusted subordinate, the Savage Twin Gon Man Beom-seong, had returned with both arms mangled and nearly an idiot.
"So... you got beaten by a Cheonmu Academy cadet from the Throwing Sword Sect and his two friends?"
Du Jeong-cheong pieced it together from Man Beom-seong and the other surviving Black Heaven Gang members' accounts.
But no matter how he heard it, it was unbelievable.
"Beaten by three Cheonmu Academy cadets... Even if caught off guard and ambushed, does that make any sense?"
Not against a righteous sect, not even nameless experts—just three academy cadets not even properly debuted in the martial world? Absurd.
What burned him more was...
"Th-that guy, Cheon Myeong, challenged you to a one-on-one duel, Leader."
At this, Du Jeong-cheong burst into laughter.
"Ha! Hahaha!"
Facing the half-mad, crippled Man Beom-seong, Du Jeong-cheong laughed like a maniac. But only briefly. He sobered, seized Man Beom-seong's collar in rage.
"How much did you underestimate them to accept such a proposal?!"
Black Heaven Sword Demon Du Jeong-cheong, a native Sichuan warrior, rose from a single sword through stormy duels. In one-on-one fights, he'd never lost. A greenhorn challenging him? Unthinkable.
'Who the hell is this Cheon Myeong?'
He even investigated if it was Baek Muhon, son of the world's top martial artist, Invincible Wind Cloud Sword Baek Taeryeong, feared by evil factions. But info was scarce—just his feats in the academy exchange tournament.
'No matter how he shone in the academy exchange, he's still a novice not worth a real martial artist.'
Challenging him with that fame and skill? Infuriating.
Whoosh! So heated, his black uniform fluttered from surging inner energy. His eyes gleamed blood-red, exuding suffocating killing intent.
"Euk! Urk!"
Man Beom-seong writhed in agony. If uninjured, maybe tolerable—but to his wounded body, a peak expert's aura was poison.
"Not only defeated by a brat... but lost a promissory note for a hundred gold taels?!"
Patience snapped, Du Jeong-cheong casually reached out and took Man Beom-seong's life.
Crack! A spine-chilling sound, and the infamous Black Heaven Gang merit-maker, Savage Twin Gon Man Beom-seong, died without a final cry.
To Du Jeong-cheong, the current Man Beom-seong was a broken pawn. Irreparable body and mind—worthless.
"Hmph! Useless fool."
Insulting the corpse, Du Jeong-cheong fumed before shaking his head.
"Fine. I'll handle it myself—crush that insolent brat and the Throwing Sword Sect, completing our minor sect purge in Sichuan!"
Regretting not acting sooner, with the Throwing Sword Sect merger stalled, he'd step in.
'Cheon Myeong, was it? You'll see.'
Crunch! Clenching his fist, he swore to heaven and earth.
"You won't die easily."
He planned to celebrate conquering western Sichuan by toppling the Throwing Sword Sect alongside that fearless brat's head.
Could Black Heaven Gang Leader Du Jeong-cheong's plan succeed?
I waited a week for the Black Heaven Gang's response.
But what was this? Their reaction was more proactive than expected.
'I only told Man Beom-seong, yet Sichuan's martial world is buzzing.'
Clearly, the Black Heaven Gang had spread the info everywhere. Why?
The answer was simple.
"His real target isn't me—it's the Throwing Sword Sect, and a warning to all opposing the Black Heaven Gang."
To the arrogant gang leader, a novice like me was beneath notice. Publicizing the one-on-one duel was to send a message.
'Also to showcase his skills before crowds and boost his fame.'
With Sichuan's Tang Clan, Qingcheng Sect, and Emei Sect on alert to the Black Heaven Gang's storm, this was his chance to shine.
"Hey, Cheon Myeong. You okay? Don't tell me you're helping our Throwing Sword Sect and end up defeated."
As I pondered deeply, Throwing Sword Sect Leader Meng Dan-ya approached worriedly. To him, it looked like a giant versus a child.
While Meng Dan-ya and the disciples fretted, my two friends reacted differently.
"Master, don't worry."
"There's a saying at Cheonmu Academy: Worrying about Cheon Myeong is the world's most useless thing."
Bolstered by my friends' trust, I felt confident.
'Southeast Color Demon Hwa Wol-un, Nine Yin Demon Lord Neung Se-geuk. Formidable foes, but their carelessness led to defeat by my hand.'
Black Heaven Sword Demon Du Jeong-cheong. You're next.