Chapter 15
Chapter 15
15.
The weakest group in the Martial World.
As I applied for a duel with Jo Sam-pyeong, the Black Robe man looked around and said.
"Everyone watching, please step back and do not interfere in the fight. Jo Sam-pyeong, the Shop Assistant of the Purple Glow Inn, and the Poetry and Painting House Lord will engage in a Life and Death Duel. I, Neung Ji-seok of the Black Fan Stronghold, will be the witness."
The Black Fan Stronghold was a Heukdo force that mainly made money through gambling and auction businesses, so they were quite welcome guests in Ilyang Prefecture.
As the onlookers, including Jo Sam-pyeong's men, moved away, a circular dueling arena was created in front of the burning Purple Glow Inn.
While Jo Sam-pyeong drew his straight sword with a sullen expression, I examined the guy named Neung Ji-seok.
He was talking as if he was giving a fair chance for a Life and Death Duel, but that wouldn't be the case inside.
He would be watching my skills while I fought Jo Sam-pyeong, and then either step in himself or back off.
In the Martial World, such sly behavior is the most basic of basics. I may not be talented in the most basic Chicken Head Noodles, but I know these basic tactics well.
I glanced at the Purple Glow Inn engulfed in flames for a moment, then untied the whip from my waist. Seeing a hint of embarrassment flash across Jo Sam-pyeong's face, I asked.
"Why?"
"Why a whip? Draw your sword."
"This is perfect for a dog."
Ignoring Jo Sam-pyeong's nonsense, I swung the whip.
Whoosh... Crack!
The quickly flying whip aimed for Jo Sam-pyeong's feet, and Jo Sam-pyeong began to move, jumping around like a mad dog.
I swung the whip with a cold expression for a moment, but deliberately didn't hit Jo Sam-pyeong's body.
Because I had infused Inner energy beyond the level of a Wooden Chicken, if he was hit properly by the whip, flesh would fly off.
But I needed to hide my skills from Neung Ji-seok, who was watching. I infused only Inner energy and swung the whip carelessly.
A whip is convenient like this.
As long as it's backed by Inner energy, it's threatening even if you swing it roughly.
I was planning to draw my sword anyway if Neung Ji-seok attacked additionally.
Jo Sam-pyeong, on the other hand, was jumping around and trying to close the distance, but his swordsmanship was low-level, and his Inner energy was far inferior to mine.
Jo Ilseom or Jo Sam-pyeong, their skills were just so-so.
I just swung the whip as if I was beating a crazy monkey causing trouble in the neighborhood.
'It's better for you guys to disappear from this neighborhood forever.'
From the moment I thought Neung Ji-seok wouldn't intervene, I began to mercilessly beat Jo Sam-pyeong with the whip.
Whoosh! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Even the murmurs of the onlookers subsided, and only the screams of Jo Sam-pyeong, who had been hit by the whip, continued.
Jo Sam-pyeong's face and clothes were already in tatters.
I knocked Jo Sam-pyeong's sword away with the whip, then briefly exchanged glances with Neung Ji-seok. As I beat Jo Sam-pyeong with overwhelming skill, Neung Ji-seok chuckled and held out his hand as if telling me to do as I pleased.
It seemed like a gesture asking if I could kill Jo Sam-pyeong in front of him.
Or it could have been a gesture with a different meaning.
Whatever the meaning, I had no intention of letting Jo Sam-pyeong live in the first place.
I grabbed Jo Sam-pyeong's neck with the whip as he floundered, pulled him in, and then struck his forehead with Palm Strike.
Thud!
Jo Sam-pyeong's body, which had been pulled in, collapsed to the ground and died instantly.
Neung Ji-seok, who confirmed Jo Sam-pyeong's death, said in a seemingly indifferent tone.
"I certify that it was a Life and Death Duel without any problems. We'll meet again if there's another matter."
The moment Neung Ji-seok took a step as if to retreat, I swung the whip.
Whooosh!
The whip, which curved and bent, aimed for Neung Ji-seok's neck, and Neung Ji-seok hurriedly drew his long sword to block it.
As the whip wrapped around the long sword, it soon became taut horizontally.
Neung Ji-seok looked at me with surprised eyes.
"What is it? How dare you, the Black Fan Stronghold..."
Neung Ji-seok quickly shut his mouth because Inner energy was pouring out through the whip.
I looked at Neung Ji-seok and said.
"Black Fan Stronghold or whatever..."
I'm not the kind of person who would just let go of a guy who was subtly looking around and trying to run away.
Moreover, he was a guy who stood by and watched someone's house being burned down. That meant he would have stood by even if Jo Sam-pyeong was raping or killing a woman.
He was even more detestable because he was subtly looking for an opportunity.
Of course, even excluding all of this, I already knew the behavior of the Heukdo force called the Black Fan Stronghold, so I had no intention of letting him live at all.
In an instant, the Blazing Chicken of the Golden Turtle Wandering Skill, which had made me pour out waste products from my whole body, was transmitted through the whip to Neung Ji-seok's sword.
Then, a reddish light wrapped around the surface of the whip, and the color of the sword's surface was also changing due to the heat.
In addition, my eyes became similar to the Purple Glow Inn engulfed in flames.
As soon as Neung Ji-seok confirmed that his Inner energy was shallower, his face trembled.
'This won't do.'
Neung Ji-seok dropped his sword without hesitation and ran away using lightness skill. It must be because his life was more important than the sword. Neung Ji-seok had a lot of practical experience, so he collided his Inner energy with the whip in an instant to gain a fleeting gap and opportunity.
I immediately jumped into the air.
It seemed that Neung Ji-seok was trying to hide and disappear among the crowd of onlookers, but this was the wrong choice.
I moved while stepping on the shoulders of the onlookers. After moving by stepping on shoulders only about six times, I overtook Neung Ji-seok, who was running away. After pushing the man whose shoulder I stepped on last, I landed in front of Neung Ji-seok.
Neung Ji-seok gathered both palms and unleashed a Palm Strike that contained all of his Inner energy.
I raised my sword diagonally and poured the Blazing Chicken's power into the Sword Wind.
It immediately turned into a Sword Wind containing hot heat.
Neung Ji-seok's Palm Strike was split in half by the Sword Wind as soon as it covered my entire field of vision.
The two of us made eye contact for the last time.
Just as Neung Ji-seok was preparing to counterattack, I advanced and drew my sword diagonally downwards again.
With a "thwack!" sound, blood spurted out in a long stream, and then Neung Ji-seok's body fell to the ground in two pieces.
I stared at Neung Ji-seok, who had been split by the sword, for a moment.
The onlookers were all silent, looking back and forth between me and Neung Ji-seok's corpse.
* * *
While shaking off the blood on the sword, I said to the onlookers.
"The fire show is over, so everyone go back."
At that moment, I didn't forget Jo Sam-pyeong's men.
"Jo Sam-pyeong's men, stay. I'll chase after anyone who runs away and send them to Jo Sam-pyeong's side first."
Those who work in business must sleep early and wake up early. The ordinary people, who had been frozen stiff, hurriedly scattered, and Jo Sam-pyeong's leftovers remained.
Seven in total.
I sat down on a chair that was still intact outside the inn and glared at Jo Sam-pyeong's leftovers.
They were all trembling because I had literally beaten Jo Sam-pyeong and Neung Ji-seok to death in a terrible way.
Suddenly, I had this thought.
These bastards are just as much of a problem as Jo Sam-pyeong.
They were pathetic guys who would kill someone if they were told to, simply because they were afraid of their superior, and would accept orders to burn down someone else's house.
Naturally, the way of speaking from my Gwangma days flowed out.
"Don't just stand there blankly, kneel, you bastards. Unless you want to follow Jo Sam-pyeong."
All seven of them knelt down at the same time.
"Why do you burn down other people's houses so easily? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Do you want to burn a little too?"
"Please spare us."
"Answer me. Why did you set fire to someone else's house?"
"We were ordered to. We're sorry."
"We didn't have any particular feelings."
Similar answers flowed out.
"You can't burn down someone else's house without any feelings. Should I kill you without any feelings?"
"We're sorry."
"If I hadn't killed Jo Sam-pyeong, you guys would have lived your whole lives licking Jo Sam-pyeong's feet."
These guys are men who have never been responsible for anything in their lives. They were afraid, so they followed Jo Sam-pyeong's words, and thanks to that, Jo Sam-pyeong committed evil deeds to his heart's content. I thought it would be futile and worthless to kill these guys one by one.
But there was something to order them to do.
"You guys will completely restore my Purple Glow Inn from now on. Cha Seong-tae and the guys who survived while clinging to the House of pleasure will all stick together and restore it together."
Everyone had puzzled expressions at the word "restore," but it was exactly as it sounded.
The Purple Glow Inn is a good inn to see the dawn breaking or the sunset in the evening, and it's my home.
Although I can't make Chicken Head Noodles deliciously, there was no need for the inn to disappear like this.
Since it was completely burned down, I was thinking of making it a better inn this time.
If someone sets fire to it again, I was thinking of catching them and ordering them to restore it again.
If the Purple Glow Inn burns down ten times, I was planning to restore it all ten times. That's the point where my past and present are different.
They may have been able to set fire to it as they pleased, but if they get caught by me, they would have to clean up the ashes first and then restore it in the same way.
The seven leftovers were lost in thought.
"How should we restore it?"
"What do you mean how? You guys carry the stones yourselves, build the walls, and apply the mud. Cha Seong-tae will provide the necessary expenses. If there aren't enough hands, the guys in the House of pleasure will be mobilized."
Cha Seong-tae, who had heard the news late and arrived, happened to arrive and responded to my words.
"...Is Jo Sam-pyeong dead?"
I pointed to Jo Sam-pyeong's corpse with a chin gesture. Cha Seong-tae, who was looking at Jo Sam-pyeong's corpse, finally discovered the remains of the Purple Glow Inn.
"It's completely burned down."
Cha Seong-tae's expression, which was usually playful, became serious for a moment. This was because the thing he had been vaguely wondering about while watching the situation had finally come to an end like this.
'The Shop Assistant really won after all. I can't believe it even though I'm seeing it with my own eyes.'
I called out to Cha Seong-tae, who was staring blankly at the Purple Glow Inn.
"Seong-tae."
Cha Seong-tae turned around with a smiling face.
"Yes, please speak."
I pointed to the seven men and said.
"Do you know them all?"
"I know them well. They're the guys under, under, under me."
"Mobilize them to restore the Purple Glow Inn. And you also take your men and restore my Purple Glow Inn. Completely."
"Why me?"
I smiled slightly at Cha Seong-tae's words.
"A joke is a joke, and the truth is the truth, but what I just said is not a joke."
Cha Seong-tae looked at my serious eyes and lowered his head slightly.
"I will restore it. I'll just make it better than before. The site here is quite large, should I restore it in the style of a House of pleasure? Or should I restore it as an inn where anyone can come and go comfortably like before? First of all, it used to be a single-story building, but this time I'll restore it as a multi-story building."
"Build a wall around the perimeter to make the inner space wide."
"I will do so."
"Create a training ground and a backyard too."
"Are you telling me to create a Martial World family instead of an inn?"
"Haven't you ever created a Martial World family-like inn? What can you even do?"
"Is that how it works? Then I'll try to create a Purple Glow Inn Sect, which is a Martial World family-like inn."
Cha Seong-tae suddenly examined the condition of the seven men. They were all terrified, and their appearance was a mess.
I needed to make it clear while Cha Seong-tae and the leftovers were gathered.
"The guys remaining in the House of pleasure will go to the Rebirth Sect. I'll say it again, there's no need to hold on to anyone who says they're leaving. Of course, let those guys out after they complete the inn. If they run away, tell me. I'll chase them all the way to the Great Desert."
"I understand."
The first principle of a bottom-level organization that I think of is this.
A place where people who have reached the end of the line, with no place to leave or return to, gather.
I was thinking of not just having people with terrible behavior, but only taking in those who really had nowhere to go and telling them to live within the fence I created.
That's the image of the Low Filth Sect that I had in mind.
It's a group of weak people with no place to turn. If I create an organization in this way, the Low Filth Sect might become the weakest group in the Martial World.
But that's okay.
I just need to become stronger.
I will embrace all the life's trash and those who have reached the end of the line, and only my hands will be stained with blood.
I thought that was the role of the Low Filth Sect Lord.