#73. The Black Flame Dragon Leaps the Pass
As they crossed Anhui Province and Cheonmok Mountain came into view, Eunho's face paled.
"Senior Brother, you're really planning to take on the Ssangmak Stronghold for the regular admission exam, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"...Is there maybe some side effect in the Tae-eul Divine Scripture that causes memory loss...?"
In the end, Eunho got a smack on the back of his head.
"You little punk, the more we travel, the less respect you show your big senior brother."
"No, but seriously. Even the Murim Alliance told us not to go there. Why risk our lives heading into a place like that?"
In this hellish regular admission exam, the bandit strongholds designated by the Murim Alliance popped up and vanished sporadically. By contrast, the 72 Green Forest Strongholds had firmly entrenched themselves across the major regions of the martial world, giving them the air of local overlords. That's why no one stepped up to subjugate one of the 72 Green Forest Strongholds as their first gate exam.
Moreover, Ssangmak Stronghold lived up to its name—two entirely different strongholds had staked their claims around Cheonmok Mountain. In short, it meant facing two strongholds at once.
"That's exactly it. Why poke the hornet's nest?"
Still, I'd chosen Ssangmak Stronghold as our target because it was easier to deal with than the other bandit dens in Sichuan Province.
To be precise, the bear does the tricks, and I pocket the money.
Eunho stared at me with eyes that screamed he wasn't buying it.
"Sometimes, what looks difficult isn't so hard after all."
How could a mere sparrow comprehend the depths of a great peng's intentions?
I ignored Eunho's grumbling and pressed on, soon arriving at our destination, Mokgi County.
"Senior Brother, looks like a war broke out or something..."
The state of Mokgi County was even more wretched than the reports I'd seen in my previous life.
"Worse than I thought."
Houses lay collapsed everywhere, and most shops that had once bustled with business stood shuttered. The streets held only a scrawny old man weaving straw mats in the sun and filthy children wandering aimlessly.
"......"
"......"
"......"
The three brothers, who had been chattering nonstop up to the village entrance, fell silent, overwhelmed by the eerie atmosphere.
We finally found an inn to grab a meal, but there was no clerk in sight—only a sharp-featured old man emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands.
"Order."
"We've been roughing it for days. What food do you have ready right now?"
"If you want real food, head to West Lake or Hangzhou. We only got noodles."
"...Then we'll take that."
The old man took the order without a word and vanished into the kitchen. I scanned the room for the person I was waiting for, but the only patrons were more elderly folks.
He should be arriving in Mokgi County today.
The three brothers sat in stunned silence, cowed by the mood. Only after a long pause did Eunho speak up, as if realizing something.
"Senior Brother, there are no young people in the village. Did they all leave for the cities to earn money?"
The old man, bringing out noodles and water, slammed the bowls down roughly.
"Don't go spoutin' that nonsense here. Folks with nothin' left to lose don't even see a warrior's sword."
"......"
Eunho shut his mouth like a clam at the old man's sharp retort. I could understand the reaction to some extent. According to Mantongbu records, Mokgi County had always thrived on the flow of goods and people heading to West Lake and Hangzhou. But after Ssangmak Stronghold underwent a generational shift and new stronghold lords took over, their plundering of nearby villages grew unspeakably brutal. The young men and women had all died off, leaving only the old and the children. On top of that, tolls on Cheonmok Mountain tripled, driving away even the merchants.
With the villagers bereft of any will to live or hope, waiting only for death...
That's when the man who stops it and takes over Ssangmak Stronghold appears.
Bang!
The rickety door flew open with a crash.
I slowly turned at the massive aura pressing from behind me.
"Hey, innkeeper!"
A man strode in, leading a group. His booming voice echoed through the empty inn.
"Bring out some five-spice pork and Hundred-Flower Liquor!"
A hulking figure with a rugged, bandit-like face and arms as thick as an average woman's waist.
"Brother Gang, can we really get five-spice pork in a dump like this?"
And the beauty cradled in his arms. It was none other than the future Nokrim Alliance Leader, Mountain King Bang Du-chil, and the alliance's master strategist, Baek So-ryeong.
The old man from the kitchen scowled deeply.
"Five-spice pork? If you want that crap, go to West Lake or Hangzhou."
I had to admire the old man's unflinching spirit. He truly seemed to have nothing left to fear, even from the likes of us, who looked barely out of our teens. And Bang Du-chil? His sheer presence was intimidating enough.
The old man treated everyone equally with his cranky demeanor, death be damned.
Who was Bang Du-chil? A reverse-scale-upsetting powerhouse. Called the reincarnation of Xiang Yu, this man possessed the Heavenly Gang Infinite Body, reaching the Super Peak realm without any formal training—a being beyond heaven's reach. Without a sect, he took the Murim Academy exam alongside his lover and comrades, even accepting a request for a mere one tael of silver to subjugate Ssangmak Stronghold.
Though his dantian was damaged in the process, forcing him to forfeit the exam, he later unified the 72 Green Forest Strongholds with that very injured core, founding the Nokrim Alliance and claiming the title of Mountain King.
What a fearless old codger.
"Kahahahaha! You're a feisty one, old timer. Fine, what can we eat?"
"Noodles."
"Alright then. Bring every noodle you got."
"...Wait here."
In my previous life, I'd fought alongside him several times against the Demonic Cult. The true king who first united the green forest, yet as the one tael of silver tale showed, a man brimming with chivalry and affection.
If not for his wounds from the Ssangmak Stronghold battle worsening and claiming him young, and if the Murim Alliance had properly allied with the Nokrim Alliance, we could have pinned the Demonic Cult south of the Yangtze—that was the view of Jegal Cheongi, the Small Justice Squad's strategist.
Of course, questions lingered. How did a man with the Heavenly Gang Infinite Body suffer irreparable dantian damage? I'd asked him over drinks, but he just said it was due to his inexperience.
"Innkeeper, this the best you got?"
The old man piled the table high with noodles, but Bang Du-chil and his men didn't look thrilled.
"That's all there is. You got the money?"
As the old man eyed them suspiciously, Baek So-ryeong smiled and handed over a single tael of silver.
"If you've got liquor, could we have some too?"
"...Sure."
Even the grumpiest heart melted before Baek So-ryeong's smile. As the old man cleared his throat and turned back inside...
"Great meal. Here's the pay for the noodles."
I held out payment for the noodles.
"......"
The old man stared blankly at the single tael, then frowned.
"Who pays a whole tael for four bowls of noodles?"
"Keep the change."
"......"
The old man's face twisted with something like guilt.
"You seem to be in tough straits. You okay?"
I broached the subject lightly, bridging Bang Du-chil and the old man.
"...Drought's been bad this year. Need some snow this winter to get over the hungry gap."
Unfortunately, no snow would fall in Zhejiang Province this winter. Reports from the Murim Alliance branches in West Lake and Hangzhou noted the drought starting two years ago persisting through winter, bringing famine across the province. Around Cheonmok Mountain, so many starved that even the corrupt magistrate opened his granaries.
"Is it because of Ssangmak Stronghold?!"
Eunho blurted out, making the old man's eyebrows shoot up.
"What?"
"I'm asking if the village is suffering this much because of Ssangmak Stronghold's plundering."
The old man's eyes darkened.
"Like I said, don't talk like that here."
"From what I know, Mokgi County is a must-pass on the way to West Lake and Hangzhou, always overflowing with goods and people."
"...That was the old days."
"If the plundering's that bad, why not ask the Murim Alliance for help?"
Eunho shouted as if it had happened to him, and the old man's face flushed red.
"We did! We tried! But when has the Murim Alliance ever stepped up for powerless, penniless folk like us?"
"...How could... such..."
As the three brothers gaped in shock at the harsh reality...
Bang Du-chil's rowdy group, slurping noodles, fell quiet and focused on us.
"Ha... You lads best not stay in this village. Be on your way."
The old man left the silver on the table and cleared the half-eaten bowls.
"Elder...! Just a bit more talk..."
I stood first at his dismissal but left the silver behind.
"Thanks for the meal."
"...But Senior Brother!"
"He's right. Let's go."
"But Senior Brother clearly..."
As Eunho tried to argue, I sent a transmission.
-Not now. There's a way to fix this all, so get up first.
As the gold-silver-bronze brothers slumped and rose...
A booming voice rang from a corner of the inn.
"Innkeeper! I'm curious about that story. Tell us more."
Bang Du-chil and his crew had taken the bait.
My part's done.
The old man whipped around, eyes blazing at Bang Du-chil.
"Didn't you hear? Even the Murim Alliance gave up! And it's none of your business! Either leave or shut up and eat your damn noodles."
"No way! I wanna hear it!"
Bang Du-chil heaved his massive frame to his feet.
"Let's go."
By then, I'd already led the three brothers outside.
"Senior Brother! That's not what you said earlier!"
Unlike his pale panic that morning at the mention of subjugating Ssangmak Stronghold, Eunho couldn't hold back his outrage at the village's plight.
"There's a way. Just wait a bit."
The four of us taking on Ssangmak Stronghold alone? Absurd. But if Bang Du-chil and Baek So-ryeong stepped up with their men, lending a hand during their subjugation? More than doable.
Whether due to his Heavenly Gang Infinite Body or not, Bang Du-chil prized loyalty and justice above all. Be it becoming the Green Forest King as in my past life or joining the Murim Alliance in this one, his fate as a Demonic Cult foe was set.
Satisfied with my maneuvering, I stepped out of the inn—
When a childish voice piped up.
"Mister... Are you the Black Flame Dragon hero?"
A grubby kid, looking untouched by parental care. Unlike my furrowed brow, Dongryong couldn't hide his grin and answered instead.
"How'd you know?"
The kid pointed at my sword.
"Heard you got a pitch-black sword and clothes, and a sly face."
"...?"
What? Wasn't there a weird word at the end?
"Mister, you the Black Flame Dragon hero?"
"Seems some odd rumors are flying. I am called that, yeah."
The kid suddenly thrust out what he'd been clutching in both hands.
"Then please save my mom and dad. Grandpa said they went to Kunlun Mountain to earn money, but that's a lie. Mom and Dad are captured by Ssangmak Stronghold."
What the kid offered was a grimy, tarnished tael of silver.
"Huh?"
Why give this to me? And what about the parents being alive?
"Heard you saved tons of people. Please save my mom and dad too."
"......"
Something was seriously tangled here.
"Kid, you sure your parents are alive?"
"...Whoa."
"How do you even ask that...?"
"...Damn."
The gold-silver-bronze trio shot me disappointed looks.
No helping it. The Murim Alliance Hangzhou branch report said Bang Du-chil, eager to prove his strength, used the one tael of silver request as his excuse to act.
No way... those bastards...'
Before the Upright-Demonic Great War, the rift between the black and white paths ran deep. The Murim Alliance wouldn't have welcomed the 72 Green Forest Strongholds uniting under the Nokrim Alliance, so downplaying their foe in reports made sense...
"Damn... bastards..."
No matter how much you want to belittle the enemy, there are lines you don't cross.
"Huh?"
While I was lost in thought, the kid started trembling at my face.
"Oh, sorry. But are you sure your parents were kidnapped?"
"Whoa... Senior Brother, really...?"
"Quiet. Gotta hear the full story."
Tears welling at thoughts of his parents, the kid said,
"I saw them on Cheonmok Mountain. Dad was digging, Mom washing dishes. Ilseong's parents, Jeongjeong's dad—all there."
"Hm..."
Time for a full plan revision. Even with the Mountain King's inhuman constitution, we couldn't rampage freely with hostages in play.
And considering the man I knew from my past life... if hostages were involved...
Now the missing piece from the past clicked into place. Why a transcendent being, impossible to injure, suffered irreparable damage.
"It was because of the hostages."
I looked at the kid for a moment.
With hostages confirmed, we couldn't follow the past script.
"You live alone?"
"With Grandpa here."
The cranky old man from earlier was the kid's grandfather.
I took the kid's hand and reentered the inn.
"Please take this."
The kid stubbornly tried shoving the silver at me.
"No. The one who should take this money isn't me."
"Then who?"
"One of the people inside..."
I pushed open the door and pointed at Bang Du-chil.
"The scary-looking guy over th—"
I couldn't finish.
Bang Du-chil was in the middle of a headbutt on the old man.