Those Who Touch My Things All Die! (3)
“Heh, heh, heh. These greenhorn punks.”
Gwigokmuyeong, the eldest of the Gwigok Samsal, bared his teeth as a murderous blue glint flared in his eyes and fixed the Mount Hua disciples with a predatory stare.
“You don’t even have the skill to back up your greed, yet you’re reaching for a treasure? That’s just asking for death. This old man will kill you without letting you suffer.”
If this hadn’t been inside the Sword Tomb, even the infamous Gwigok Samsal would have hesitated before laying hands on Mount Hua’s disciples.
No matter how far Mount Hua had fallen, its power still surpassed that of most small and mid-sized sects. To make an enemy of people like that was hardly a wise choice.
But this was the Sword Tomb.
A place beyond the reach of outside eyes.
In a place like this, even if someone died, there would be no way to know who the killer was. That meant they could act without restraint.
The Beggars’ Sect brats standing beside the Mount Hua disciples were a little irritating, but if they killed them all too, there’d be no chance of word getting out.
The more competitors, the better to cut down.
Gwigokmuyeong slowly licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. His large blade caught the light of the night pearl and shimmered a cold, blue-white.
“Heh-heh-heh. Those little brats got greedy for something they had no business chasing, Eldest Brother.”
“They’ll regret it once their flesh starts peeling off.”
His younger brothers also raised their weapons and threatened the Mount Hua disciples.
And yet…
Why are those bastards reacting like that?
The Gwigok Samals were so infamous in the Hunan region that even crying children were said to stop wailing at the mere mention of their name. No matter that the other side were disciples of Mount Hua, once a prestigious sect, or that the people beside them were the Beggars’ Sect’s Luoyang branch members, none of them should have been able to stand against the Gwigok Samsal.
And yet the people in front of him were so calm they almost looked bored.
“Those kids must not know what fear is…”
“Hey.”
Yoon Jong let out a tired sigh and spoke.
“I get what you’re trying to say, but you really should think carefully about this.”
“What?”
Gwigokmuyeong’s eyes bulged.
“You insolent bastard!”
“No, that’s not what I mean… Haa. I don’t even know anymore. Do whatever you want.”
“You’ll still be saying that even when I rip your mouth open—”
Then it happened.
Kuooooooong!
Suddenly, a thunderous roar exploded beside him. Gwigokmuyeong’s eyes went wide as he turned to look.
W-what?
Some unfamiliar bastard had appeared beside him before he’d even noticed.
Huh? Then where’s my younger brother?
What had become of the brother who had originally been standing there?
Gwigokmuyeong’s gaze slowly dropped.
“Grrk… grrrr…”
There, writhing under the foot of the stranger, was his younger brother.
Seeing his brother’s limbs twisted in some grotesque shape, confusion hit first, long before anger could.
“Uh…”
Gwigokmuyeong lifted his head slightly and looked again at the person standing on his brother.
And right on cue, that person—Chung Myung, who had dropped down at the perfect moment—looked back at Gwigokmuyeong as well.
“……”
How could a human face look that annoyingly nasty?
Just as it seemed he might speak, Chung Myung beat him to it.
“What the hell are these?”
“……”
No, I think that’s my line.
Who are you?
Baek Cheon, who had been watching the situation, sighed and said,
“They’re called the Gwigok Samsal… They’re pretty well-known in Hunan.”
Chung Myung cocked his head.
“Samsal? Does that mean they die three times?”
No, that’s not what it means…
“Well, whatever. Doesn’t matter.”
Crack. Crack.
Chung Myung rolled his neck from side to side.
“Let’s start by beating them up.”
“Huh?”
Baek Cheon shut his eyes tightly as he looked at the Gwigok Samsal, now reduced to a mangled heap and shoved into a corner of the stone chamber.
How pitiable.
The Gwigok Samsal were still considered more fearsome than a tiger in the Hunan region. If even Baek Cheon knew their name, it would not have been an exaggeration to say their infamy had spread throughout all of central plains.
For men like that to be beaten like neighborhood thugs who’d picked the wrong mark and then dragged off and dumped in a corner was genuinely moving.
“Where are all these nobodies coming from?”
They’re not nobodies… They’re pretty famous in their own right.
But instead of explaining, Baek Cheon just shook his head.
At the very least, there was a glaring difference between Chung Myung’s standards and those of ordinary people, as wide as the Yangtze River.
“You jumped down here like an idiot?”
At Yoon Jong’s words, Chung Myung let out a snort.
“No point wasting time.”
“What a maniac.”
Yoon Jong shook his head. He and the other Mount Hua disciples had descended here by driving their swords into the wall to slow themselves down. The others had done the same.
What was more astonishing wasn’t that they could withstand the impact of hitting the ground at that speed. It was their nerve—maintaining that speed without even knowing what might be waiting at the bottom.
At least it was those bastards who got stepped on.
“Where are the others?”
“Look.”
Baek Cheon pointed to one side. At one end of the stone chamber, a door stood wide open.
“Looks like there’s only one way. At least out of here, anyway.”
“Hmm. Really?”
Chung Myung glanced toward the door once, then looked down at the floor.
“Hm?”
As if he’d found something, he began gathering the fragments scattered across the ground.
“What are you doing?”
“Looks like this used to be a door.”
“Hm? Why?”
“Just help me put it together.”
Chung Myung assembled the broken pieces into their original shape and narrowed his eyes.
“A sword.”
Two swords pointed at each other as if aiming to strike. And carved across them was the large inscription: Sword Tomb.
“Subtle as a brick.”
Chung Myung gave a slight laugh.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
At Yoon Jong’s question, Chung Myung shrugged.
“Who put the name Sword Tomb on this place?”
“Well… maybe Yakseon?”
“You put your own name on your own grave? Don’t you think that’s disgusting behavior?”
“Uh…”
Come to think of it, there was something to that.
“Usually, a grave gets its name after it’s made. But this place was called the Sword Tomb from the entrance. And it’s a tomb that had never once been discovered until now.”
Yoon Jong frowned.
“You’re saying Talgeom Muheun gave his own grave the name Sword Tomb and spread it to the world?”
“Could be.”
“Why?”
“Who knows?”
Chung Myung shrugged.
“How would I know what a dead man was thinking two hundred years ago?”
With a crooked grin, Chung Myung turned his head. The only door leading out of the stone chamber came into view.
“One thing’s certain. Whether this is really Yakseon’s tomb or not, the person who made this place wasn’t normal.”
Everyone nodded.
To dig a tunnel this deep and build a chamber this large inside it was no ordinary feat. It was something few people in the world could even imagine.
“Don’t let your guard down. This is definitely no ordinary tomb.”
While the Mount Hua disciples were lost in thought, Hong Dae-gwang cautiously edged up to Chung Myung.
“Mount Hua Divine Dragon.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you plan to do now? Judging from the people who entered ahead of us, this place is practically a tiger’s den. It won’t be easy to get through with just the people here.”
“Hmm.”
“I think it wouldn’t hurt to find suitable allies and form a coalition. For now, wouldn’t it be best to build up our strength, fully map out the Sword Tomb, and confirm whether the Honwon Dan actually exists?”
Chung Myung’s face turned a little sullen.
“If they were the kind of people willing to split the loot peacefully, they wouldn’t have come in here in the first place.”
“……”
He wasn’t wrong.
Chung Myung snorted and continued.
“And there’s no need for us to go out of our way to do that anyway. It’s already started. If those idiots had any brains, they’d have allied already.”
“Hmm. True enough.”
Hong Dae-gwang nodded.
Inside the Sword Tomb now were all sorts of people. They might be at each other’s throats outside, but once they’d entered this place, they would have no choice but to join forces.
Since Wudang got in first.
Wudang’s reputation was by no means small. No matter how renowned the others here might be, in front of Wudang’s name they were no more than fireflies before the sun.
Wasn’t it only natural for lonely wolves of the martial world to band together and then split apart again according to their goals? There was no way the people who’d entered here hadn’t thought of that much.
In that case…
As Hong Dae-gwang looked at Chung Myung, he shivered. Chung Myung was staring at the door with a wicked smile on his face.
They have no idea that a viper is lurking behind them, ready to strike, while they exhaust themselves fighting Wudang.
Judging from Chung Myung’s expression, things were going exactly according to plan.
“Hey, Mount Hua Divine Dragon.”
“Yeah?”
“I think I know what you’re planning, but you do realize that if they get their hands on the Honwon Dan first, we’ll be like a dog chasing a chicken, right? If we’re going to move, we need to move now.”
“Of course.”
Chung Myung turned to the Mount Hua disciples.
“Let’s go.”
“Understood.”
The Mount Hua disciples followed behind him without another word.
“This doesn’t look like a place made with good intentions, so stay close behind me.”
“……Understood.”
Hong Dae-gwang also peeked at Chung Myung’s face before slipping in behind the Mount Hua disciples. Then the Beggars’ Sect disciples hurried after him in a rush.
At that sight, Chung Myung frowned and jabbed a finger at Hong Dae-gwang.
“Don’t you dare try to cling to us!”
“B-but I might be useful!”
“I’ve never once in my life heard that a beggar was useful. Shoo! Shoo!”
“What, am I some chicken you’re driving off? Don’t do that. Let’s help each other and survive, huh? I’m telling you, I’m a huge help once I get outside. Hong Dae-gwang! I’m Hong Dae-gwang!”
A blatant sneer appeared on Chung Myung’s lips.
“Help my ass.”
“Ughhh…”
Hong Dae-gwang scratched his head hard. It wasn’t as though he was the sort of man who got looked down on everywhere he went, but in front of this monstrous bastard, he couldn’t bring himself to stand tall.
“I-I’m sure I can do something.”
“Something you can…”
Chung Myung shut his mouth.
Huh?
Originally, Chung Myung’s plan was to establish some connection with the Beggars’ Sect.
The Beggars’ Sect controlled information. If Mount Hua was going to grow any further in the future, the power of information would be absolutely necessary.
Right now, if they stayed cooped up on Mount Hua, information wouldn’t mean much. But once they expanded their reach across the central plains, information could become more valuable than martial power itself.
So he’d intended to make some casual acquaintance through this matter and use a little of the Beggars’ Sect’s information, setting aside any bad feelings for the time being.
But as soon as he thought that far, something else came to mind.
I almost forgot why I had bad feelings in the first place.
With his eyes fixed ahead, Chung Myung spoke.
“Branch Leader old man.”
“Hmm?”
“What kind of position does a branch leader hold in the Beggars’ Sect?”
“……Even if you searched the world, there couldn’t be more than a hundred beggars above me.”
“Then you can catch a Three-Patch Beggar whenever you want, right?”
“A Three-Patch Beggar? That’s easy enough to grab with your toes.”
“Riiight?”
Chung Myung slowly turned his head.
Seeing his face, Hong Dae-gwang flinched and instinctively stepped back.
Something in Chung Myung’s eyes was burning hot.
“Looks like the old man’s got a task after all. Catch me one beggar bastard.”
“……What kind of beggar?”
“There’s a bastard beggar in Wuhan named Jongpal. Once we get out of here, bring him to me, and I’ll help you.”
“Jongpal? That shouldn’t be too difficult… But what’s this about? Do you know each other?”
“He owes me.”
A very deep debt, at that.
He was the beggar who had inflicted the most intense shock Chung Myung had suffered since being reborn into this body.
Chung Myung snorted through his nose and said,
“A debt that absolutely has to be repaid!”
“……”
He didn’t know what that beggar had done, but apparently someone had pulled the whiskers of a tiger and lived to tell the tale.
Hong Dae-gwang silently offered his deepest condolences to the beggar in Wuhan in advance.