Chapter 76: The Fist King Appears as the Merchant Alliance Leader 2
The Fist King Appears as the Merchant Alliance Leader 2
Episode 76: The Fist King Appears as the Merchant Alliance Leader 2
"I heard there are some idiots here who included the sect leader's treasure among the tribute goods."
At Dan Woo-sung's words, the martial artists of the Thunderbolt Sect scowled and began gathering around him.
The reason they hadn't immediately dragged Dan Woo-sung out was due to the twin Judge's Brushes in his hands.
"The old man from the Taihu Merchant Group..."
They quickly realized that the merchant group had called this man for help. But there was no reason to be overly afraid—after all, Silver Brush Master had already vanished from this world.
One of the men tilted his head and approached.
"Did I hear wrong just now...?"
Dan Woo-sung waited with a sour expression for the cheers from the recently concluded performance to die down. Even then, a few men were still staring at the woman whose clothes had been torn off near the end of the show. Since Dan Woo-sung was alone, they didn't seem particularly concerned. Only after the fan dancers had retreated did the atmosphere quiet enough for conversation to be heard.
One of the men asked,
"Did the merchant group leader send you?"
Dan Woo-sung set down the Judge's Brushes and nodded.
"As you can see."
"Are you one of Silver Brush Master's disciples?"
"Hardly. I came to see the fools who thought transporting the sect leader's treasure as tribute was a good idea. It's no different from boarding a boat just to shit in the river—utter nonsense."
Dan Woo-sung glanced at the man sitting beside him and asked,
"Black Path?"
The man beside him mimicked Dan Woo-sung's tone.
"Hardly. We're part of the Murim Alliance's special operations unit. Everyone here is a disciple of Alliance Leader Yoo Jung-hong."
As the Thunderbolt Sect members burst into laughter at the man's words, Dan Woo-sung grabbed him by the hair and hurled him straight to the first floor.
"Gyaaak!"
Since he was seated and only had the man's hair to grip, the throw sent the man flying, crashing into the stage as nearby patrons scrambled back in panic.
One of the men spoke in a cold tone.
"After the sect leader passed away, the disciples there urgently sent the treasure to the Thunderbolt Sect. I didn't expect the Taihu Merchant Group to resort to force instead of compensation. Can you handle the consequences?"
Dan Woo-sung looked at him.
"Are you the idiot in question? You didn't even warn the Taihu Merchant Group while entrusting them with such an important treasure? Impressive. Or rather, either you're impressive, or the Thunderbolt Sect is full of morons."
The oldest-looking man among them asked Dan Woo-sung,
"Young man, did you come here to die?"
The Thunderbolt Sect drew their swords.
The leader-like figure spoke.
"No need for this here. Let's take it outside. We'll settle this with the Taihu Merchant Group later."
As Dan Woo-sung stood, the men surged forward—some heading down the stairs while others blocked the exits, standing guard at the rear.
Dan Woo-sung retrieved his Judge's Brushes and stepped out of the pavilion, surrounded by Thunderbolt Sect disciples.
The sect members shouted at anyone who got in their way.
"Move aside."
Once outside, Dan Woo-sung walked with the Thunderbolt Sect disciples and asked,
"Who's the next sect leader?"
"Shut up and follow. We'll take you there."
As they moved, the number of Thunderbolt Sect disciples steadily grew.
This was precisely why they had lured Dan Woo-sung outside. As more men poured out from nearby inns and lodgings, Dan Woo-sung soon found himself walking encircled by fifty or sixty men.
"What's going on? Where's the enemy?"
Some were still looking for foes, unaware that Dan Woo-sung was the one surrounded. Armed martial artists with murderous expressions moved through the crowd, forcing bystanders to part ways.
...
At the front of the group, a Thunderbolt Sect member named Lee Geon-chang stopped walking, prompting the others to halt as well.
Lee Geon-chang had struck a deal with an unknown mastermind—if he cooperated, he would be made the next Thunderbolt Sect leader. The man was so bizarre and terrifying that refusing wasn't an option. Even if the plan was sloppy, it didn't matter.
Introduce the sect leader to the man? The sect leader would vanish.
Provoke Silver Brush Master into coming out? The old master would disappear without a trace.
Now, by provoking the Taihu Merchant Group and escalating the conflict, the mastermind would make his move, and everything would fall into place.
That was why following the mastermind's orders mattered more than the lives of his fellow sect members. Lee Geon-chang was a man reborn in malice, his wickedness blossoming anew under the influence of true evil.
Dan Woo-sung, having followed them to a secluded spot, asked,
"Where's the Thunderbolt Sect leader?"
Lee Geon-chang turned and sneered.
"You'll meet him if you survive. Try living first."
He then barked at the disciples,
"Kill him. We weren't ordered to bring him back alive."
One sect member hesitantly objected.
"Senior Brother, shouldn't we take him with us first?"
"I said kill him, you idiot! Who the hell talks back like that?"
Dan Woo-sung cut in.
"A few of you should stay behind. Someone needs to guide me."
"What kind of nonsense is that, you bastard? I'll guide you myself after I kill them all. Try me if you dare."
A blade shot toward Dan Woo-sung's neck.
Swish!
Dan Woo-sung sidestepped, drawing his twin Judge's Brushes. His movements were slightly slower than before, making the blade's passing dangerously close.
He kept his eyes on Lee Geon-chang's expression. The man wasn't afraid of him—rather, something else seemed to be weighing on his mind.
For now, dealing with the men here took priority.
As the Thunderbolt Sect disciples rushed in, Dan Woo-sung steeled himself internally.
'...Relax.'
Moving lightly, he focused on the attackers' shoulders. Every one of them was tensed up.
Their intentions were obvious before they even fully committed to their strikes.
Thanks to Dan Woo-sung's experience and heightened senses—honed under the guidance of the former Strongest Under Heaven—new clues became apparent.
'So this is how it feels.'
He swung the Judge's Brushes as he moved.
He didn't waste energy deflecting blades or leaping back to create distance. Instead, he kept his eyes on their shoulders, dodging multiple attacks by the narrowest margins while surveying the battlefield like a commander.
There was definitely more to see now.
Just by observing the shifts in their shoulder height and direction, he could predict their next moves—without expending a shred of internal energy.
For a long while, he moved like this, stabbing shoulders, forearms, the backs of hands, wrists, ribs, and necks with the Judge's Brushes.
Thud! Stab! Thud!
The Judge's Brushes were crueler weapons than he'd expected. Despite their name, they were essentially thick, pointed steel awls.
His grip constantly shifted—sometimes reversed for downward stabs, other times adjusted for slashing at faces or throats. Thanks to his continued training with Baek Yak, he could anticipate movements and strike first.
Thud!
The Judge's Brushes were also easy to retrieve after stabbing. Each time the sharp metal brushes pierced flesh, blood sprayed like ink from a brush, staining the fighters' clothes crimson.
No one died immediately.
They were all left bleeding profusely but still alive.
As some began trying to flee, Dan Woo-sung blended footwork techniques into his movements, darting after them.
"Run, and you die first."
True to his word, he pounced like a beast on the first man who tried to retreat, driving both brushes into his chest before kicking him away to yank them free.
Squelch!
This man was the first to die instantly.
Witnessing this, the others had no choice but to keep fighting.
Lee Geon-chang, unable to advance or retreat, glared at Dan Woo-sung.
'This damn bastard must've trained like a madman.'
He had no intention of fighting himself—but he also couldn't run. The mysterious man he'd met would only be happier if he brought someone like Dan Woo-sung to him.
...
All the Thunderbolt Sect disciples except Lee Geon-chang now lay writhing on the ground. Some screamed in agony, while others hurled curses at Lee Geon-chang for just standing there watching. Clearly, he wasn't a senior brother they respected much to begin with.
Some tore their clothes to staunch bleeding, while others stripped the dead to use their garments as makeshift bandages.
When one of the less injured men tried to stand, Dan Woo-sung walked over and stabbed a Judge's Brush into his other shoulder.
Thud!
"Ghk!"
A grotesque wail of pain, resentment, and sobbing followed. After that, no one else dared to attack.
Dan Woo-sung had ended this fight without using lightning energy at all. It had been a live refresher on his adjusted combat style.
He turned to Lee Geon-chang.
"Will you guide me now?"
Lee Geon-chang gave a single nod, as if agreeing.
As far as he knew, there had been fifty-five men besides himself—not just Thunderbolt Sect members, but also the subordinates the mysterious man had brought. All of them were wicked individuals recruited through strange means.
Not that Lee Geon-chang could betray the man who had killed the former sect leader right in front of him. If anything, witnessing that horror had only cemented his loyalty. No matter what, he considered that man far more terrifying than this youth sent by the Taihu Merchant Group.
Lee Geon-chang said,
"What are you waiting for? Follow me."
"Hold on."
Dan Woo-sung looked at the sprawled bodies, then violently clashed the two Judge's Brushes together.
CRACKLE-ZZZT!
Pure internal energy, the screech of metal friction, and lightning energy combined into a deafening roar that sent the wounded men convulsing or clutching their ears. Already injured, none could properly defend against Dan Woo-sung's sound attack.
Lee Geon-chang covered his ears too.
Dan Woo-sung watched the men writhe like worms in agony before gathering more energy and clashing the brushes even harder.
This time, the sound was shorter but more intense—CLANG!
The wounded men all passed out simultaneously. With how much blood they'd lost, they'd likely all die soon.
Only then did Dan Woo-sung approach Lee Geon-chang.
"Lead the way."
...
"The sect disciples are all dead. He's a master sent by the Taihu Merchant Group."
Upon hearing Lee Geon-chang's report, the man responded in a smooth tone.
"Good work."
Dan Woo-sung had expected to be taken to a mountain lodge, an inn, or some Black Path-style hideout. Instead, he found himself in the estate of an ordinary wealthy man.
Except—the estate was large, yet there were no servants in sight. No workers, no maids, no elderly or children.
Just a man in loose robes lounging at a table with his feet up. The clothes were loose because they weren't his—he'd likely killed everyone else in the estate too.
Lee Geon-chang, keeping his distance from Dan Woo-sung, asked,
"Should I wait outside?"
Before he could finish, Dan Woo-sung hurled the Judge's Brush in his left hand straight at Lee Geon-chang's throat.
Thud!
The brush embedded itself in Lee Geon-chang's neck, and he collapsed to the floor.
The man glanced at the corpse before turning to Dan Woo-sung with an annoyed expression.
"Tch, what a waste. Why'd you have to kill him? People these days..."
Just those few words were enough to reveal that this was a man who had killed—many, many times before.