Chapter 8: Another Pushover in My Life (1)
Chapter 8: Another Pushover in My Life (1)
“Oh… Ohhh….”
Go Seok-hyeon could not contain his overwhelming emotion.
His eyes grew red, and soon, tears began to stream down his cheeks.
And why wouldn't they?
“To think… that I would return here alive.”
With tear-filled eyes, Go Seok-hyeon gazed at the manor before him.
This was the original site of the Twin Dragon Sect. It was the very place where the memories of his youth were etched into every corner. After decades of wandering, he had finally returned.
Petrick spoke to the weeping man.
“Come now, hang the plaque you brought.”
“How could I possibly…?”
“This is a task for you, the Sect Leader.”
When Petrick spoke with such stern authority, Go Seok-hyeon nodded, convinced.
He pulled out a plaque wrapped in cloth from behind his back. It was the sect’s signboard, something he had cherished and protected even as the Twin Dragon Sect fell into ruin. To some, it might just be an old wooden board, but to him, the leader of the Twin Dragon Sect, it was a symbol more precious than life itself.
He never imagined he would hang it upon these gates again.
“Ugh… hnnngh….”
After finally hanging the plaque, Go Seok-hyeon wiped away his tears of joy.
“Thank you, Great Master. All of this is thanks to your grace.”
Petrick nodded at those words.
Indeed. This is all thanks to me. I really am quite impressive.
Go Seok-hyeon looked at Petrick and bowed deeply and respectfully.
“Thank you. To be honest, I was skeptical even as we traveled here. I truly didn't know you would find this place for us.”
“Hahaha. I’m not a man who makes empty promises… often.”
So you do make them sometimes?
Unlike Mun Yul, who had that skeptical thought, his master, Go Seok-hyeon, looked at Petrick with eyes that were, to put it bluntly, completely infatuated.
“Hahaha. You are truly incredible. You are indeed the successor of the Great Master, the Radiant Dragon Hero.”
“Wuhahahaha!”
[Are you happy? You like that?]
His Master heckled him from the heavens, but Petrick didn't care.
Hey, I did a good deed and I’m being praised for it. What’s the problem?
[You’re the Great Master, and you feel the need to act so smug just because you found a home for your descendants? Huh? Doesn't your conscience prick you even a little?]
Nope. Not at all.
[You little brat!]
Regardless of the bickering, Go Seok-hyeon was sincerely moved.
When Petrick first said they should head back because he had reclaimed the manor, Go Seok-hyeon thought it was a joke.
[What do you plan to do about the Black Dragon Gang?]
[Oh, don't worry about them.]
Following him here with half-doubts, he found the Twin Dragon Sect’s manor completely cleared out. The thugs of the Twin Dragon Gang, who had been committing all sorts of atrocities in Cheonsu County, were nowhere to be seen.
Go Seok-hyeon made a silent vow. He would trust and follow Petrick implicitly.
From now on, if this man says the sun rises in the west, I shall believe him.
Go Seok-hyeon was making a very dangerous resolution—one that would have made the people of the Schneider Grand Duchy gasp in horror and try to stop him.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Go Seok-hyeon spoke up.
“By the way, what did you do with Kang Man of the Great Bear Twin Axes?”
“What do you think I did?”
As Petrick spoke with a smirk, Go Seok-hyeon asked, “Did you perhaps kill him?”
“Haha. How could I? Our Twin Dragon Sect is a righteous and prestigious Orthodox Faction. How could we kill someone so easily?”
Who exactly was spewing this nonsense?
The sad part was…
“Indeed. Of course you wouldn't.”
“Heh heh. Naturally.”
“You are truly the successor of the Radiant Dragon Hero.”
“Hahaha, it was nothing really…”
“And you’re humble to boot!”
“Ehehehe. I suppose I am.”
…that it was actually working.
Watching Petrick laugh so flippantly, Persona let out a deep sigh.
We’re going to ruin at this rate.
She was technically a member of the Twin Dragon Sect now; could she really just stand by and watch the sect head down a path it definitely shouldn't take?
As she was agonizing over this, a voice spoke up.
“Um, Senior Sister… ma’am.”
Mun Yul, who was standing beside her, spoke cautiously.
“Hmm? What is it?”
Persona looked at Mun Yul with a smile, noticing how carefully he was treating her.
Wow…
Mun Yul thought. Such a beautiful person is my Senior Sister.
To be honest, she was so beautiful that he felt it was almost disrespectful to stare at her face.
As Mun Yul stood there dazed for a moment, Persona asked again.
“What’s the matter?”
Mun Yul snapped out of it and spoke.
“Is it true that you didn't actually kill Kang Man of the Great Bear Twin Axes?”
“For now, yes.”
“…….”
“It’s true. My Master might look like that, but he doesn't really lie.”
It was the truth. Kang Man was currently locked in the government jail, his mind completely shattered and his intelligence regressed to that of a five-year-old, but he wasn't dead. Though he would likely die soon once his sentence was carried out.
Mercy, my foot…
Mun Yul frowned and said, “Senior Sister. If that’s the case…”
“Just ‘Senior Sister’ is fine.”
“…Yes, Senior Sister.”
Mun Yul cleared his throat and straightened his voice.
“Ahem. If Kang Man is still alive, things might get complicated.”
“Why?”
“Behind Kang Man and his Great Bear Twin Axes stands the Blood Saber Sect.”
“The Blood Saber Sect?”
“Yes. Kang Man was sending a significant portion of the money he extorted from Cheonsu County to the Blood Saber Sect. If that money stops flowing, the Blood Saber Sect might take action.”
As Mun Yul spoke with a serious expression, Petrick chimed in.
“What? What’s going on?”
Persona explained, “Master. You know that guy you beat within an inch of his life?”
“Do you have any idea how many people fit that description?”
“The one you thrashed recently.”
“The pig in the slums?”
Oh, right. That was the most recent one.
He really updates his record fast.
“No, before that. The guy with the two axes who was living in this manor.”
“Ah, that… Kang Pan guy.”
“It’s Kang Man.”
“Yeah, him.”
It’s Kang Man, I said.
Well, did the name really matter? Persona didn't feel the need to correct him and continued.
“Apparently, someone is backing him.”
“Of course there is.”
“Oh, you knew?”
“Naturally. Usually, Underworld thugs have a backer, and that backer has another backer. If you keep hitting them, they all come out like a string of dried croakers. That’s the fun of beating up Underworld bastards.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s how it is. It’s no big deal, so don't worry about it. If they come, we just beat them up.”
Mun Yul, who had been listening to their conversation, stood there with his mouth agape.
Setting aside the fact that chivalry and the Righteous Path were completely absent from this conversation…
“Do you two not realize how serious this is?”
“I don't?”
“I don't either. Do we have to?”
The master and disciple were perfectly in sync. No, that wasn't the point. Mun Yul calmly suppressed his anger and continued.
“The one leading the Blood Saber Sect, the one backing Kang Man, is none other than the Blood Wolf Wanderer, Ma Jae-ho.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. You don't need to worry about that.”
“Exactly. If they don't come, great. If they do, even better. We’ll just thrash them.”
“…….”
Mun Yul’s jaw dropped.
Are these people rabbits? Did they leave their livers behind in the Dragon Palace or something? This didn't sound like a conversation between normal people of this world.
Wait, come to think of it…
“Excuse me, but you two came from the World Beyond, right?”
“That’s right.”
“You could say that.”
“Then how long has it been since you arrived in the Central Plains?”
“Has it been about a month now?”
“Hasn't it been over a month?”
Mun Yul asked cautiously, as if inquiring about something vital.
“Then, did you hear anything about the Central Plains before you came?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Me neither.”
Seeing the two of them answer so brightly, Mun Yul nodded.
And he thought to himself:
We’re screwed.
* * *
A short while later.
“Ahem… Lord Bong Gong.”
“Could you say that one more time?”
“…Lord Bong Gong.”
“Heh heh heh. Yes, yes. Go ahead and tell Lord Bong Gong. Why? What is it?”
“…….”
Mun Yul thought, God, this is embarrassing.
Once they were accepted into the same sect, they needed appropriate titles to address each other. In that sense, how to address Petrick was very ambiguous. If they were to discuss seniority, they would have to trace it back to the era of the Radiant Dragon Hero, and there was no way to know how many generations had passed.
In truth, there weren't any generations to trace.
To decide on a title for Petrick, whose seniority was impossible to determine, everyone sat down to deliberate. Go Seok-hyeon even offered to hand over the position of Sect Leader to Petrick, but…
[You are the Sect Leader of the Twin Dragon Sect.]
Petrick had refused with an uncharacteristically serious face. Then, after thinking for a moment…
[Bong Gong should be about right, don't you think?]
Mun Yul was momentarily speechless at those words.
A "Bong Gong" was a position so high that even the Sect Leader had to treat them with reverence. While the exact role was vague, the status implied a rank above that of an Elder.
The most serious problem was…
[Um, only prestigious Orthodox Sects with large scales create and maintain the rank of Bong Gong.]
That was the truth. Originally, the title of Bong Gong was a position created by sects like the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families to honor someone truly special. For the Twin Dragon Sect to imitate that was to risk being mocked as a crow trying to act like a crane. However…
[It’s fine. Our Twin Dragon Sect is also a prestigious sect with a long history.]
[No, that’s… well…]
[Oh? Don't tell me our Yul thinks the Great Twin Dragon Sect isn't a prestigious sect? Is that it?]
[N-no, of course not. How could I possibly…]
[Right? Then there’s no problem, is there?]
[The… the scale?]
[We can just grow it.]
Resistance was futile from the start. His only hope, his Master, had said…
[Hahaha. Then we shall do as Lord Bong Gong wishes.]
And his newly acquired Senior Sister was looking at him with pitying eyes that said, Give up. There’s no stopping that man anyway.
[I… I understand.]
And so, Petrick Schneider obtained the grand title of Bong Gong of the Twin Dragon Sect.
Returning to the main point…
“First, I will explain the current situation in detail, which Lord Bong Gong and Senior Sister may not be aware of.”
“Yeah. Go ahead.”
At Petrick’s word, Mun Yul let out a sigh and began.
“The Twin Dragon Gang that occupied our Cheonsu County operated with the backing of the Blood Saber Sect.”
“I heard that part.”
“The Blood Saber Sect is the largest Unorthodox sect in Gansu Province, with over five hundred regular members.”
“Five hundred? Wait, wait.”
Petrick spoke with an incredulous expression.
“You’re telling me five hundred Unorthodox thugs are gathered here in Gansu Province, basically shouting, ‘Here we are’?”
“That is correct.”
“What is the Kongtong Sect doing? Aren't they doing their jobs?”
Gansu Province was home to the Kongtong Sect, a member of the Nine Great Sects. Except for the period when the legendary talent Jincheon, the Radiant Dragon Hero, was active, they were the ones responsible for the order of Gansu Province.
And yet, an Unorthodox sect had taken root? And the Kongtong Sect was just watching it happen?
As Petrick struggled to understand, Mun Yul spoke.
“While the Blood Wolf Wanderer Ma Jae-ho is indeed a master, he isn't strong enough to handle the Kongtong Sect on his own.”
“Then why? Ah, I get it. He has someone backing him too.”
Mun Yul answered as if he had been waiting for that.
“Exactly. The Blood Wolf Wanderer Ma Jae-ho is none other than one of the disciples of the Heaven-Shattering Martial Emperor.”
“The Heaven-Shattering Martial Emperor?!”
“Yes. Now do you see how—”
“And who the hell is that?”
“…….”
Why do you act like you know when you don't? Why?!
Mun Yul felt like crying.