Chapter 42
42.
Shop Assistant Victory!
Jang Deuk-su looked at the Red Monkey collapsed on the table and asked,
"She fainted at your word? She's not dead, is she?"
I looked at the Red Monkey's neck and shook my head.
"By the way, you had a martial sister?"
"I didn't, but I do now. I'm the Black Cat Clan Leader now, you see."
"Huh?"
Jang Deuk-su looked at me with surprised eyes, so I confirmed it again.
"I'm the Black Cat Clan Leader."
Jang Deuk-su recalled my past actions and immediately understood.
"Ah, congratulations."
"Don't mention it. This girl is also a member of the Twelve Divine Generals, Red Monkey."
"Aha, so she's your martial sister?"
"We've both become disciples of Daenachal. This fight is, how should I put it? A fight over whether Daenachal is a scary person or whether I'm a scarier person."
Jang Deuk-su, who roughly understood the situation, clicked his tongue and said,
"Look at her fainting right away. It's obvious, you're scarier. If you've got a martial sister you weren't expecting, treat her well. She's pretty too."
I quickly turned my head to check Jang Deuk-su's eyes and expression.
"Don't tell me..."
"What? What is it?"
"You've fallen for her? At first sight? A fateful? Escape?"
Jang Deuk-su avoided my gaze and replied,
"You're talking nonsense."
"Hey, Jang Deuk-su. Can't you stand still? Is it hard to control your expression?"
"I'm going to do the dishes."
As Jang Deuk-su went into the kitchen, the Red Monkey's breathing became clearer. The deeper one's Inner energy, the more sensitive one becomes to sound. The Red Monkey was still lying on the table, as quiet as a mouse.
I glared at the Red Monkey and muttered,
"She fainted because the Pork Backbone is so delicious that you wouldn't know if your partner died while eating it."
Jang Deuk-su, who was doing the dishes in the kitchen, chuckled and laughed.
"...So, you've completely taken control of the Black Cat Clan?"
"I have. There are a few guys who are scheming, but there won't be any problems. So Gun-pyeong is very meticulous."
"Ah, the guy who lost to the kitchen knife back then?"
"Yeah, that guy."
"How long are you going to hide your identity?"
"Until I kill Daenachal."
"One mountain after another."
I said to the Red Monkey, who was lying on the table, in a casual tone,
"There are ten days left, are you sleeping?"
The Red Monkey got up like a ghost and replied,
"No. I will complete it ten days before."
Jang Deuk-su, who poked his head out from the kitchen, looked at the Red Monkey with a surprised expression. The Red Monkey bowed deeply to Jang Deuk-su, who was talking to me comfortably even though he was a member of the Twelve Divine Generals. It was an attitude that she would be careful about anything related to me from now on.
"Thank you for the Pork Backbone, I enjoyed it."
"Don't mention it. Come again."
"Then, I'll be going."
The Red Monkey cupped her fist in salute and ran out of Chunyang Restaurant as if fleeing.
The Red Monkey ran away with big steps, then inadvertently turned her head to look inside the store.
The Fake Martial Brother was glaring at her.
"..."
Then, the Fake Martial Brother slowly raised both hands.
Upon closer inspection, it was clearly sign language indicating that there were ten days left. Then, the Fake Martial Brother made a gesture of slitting his throat with his hand, and the Red Monkey quickly turned her head in fear.
The Red Monkey ran away quickly, looking back and flinching at any sound she heard, like a person possessed.
"Huk! It's nothing. It was a leaf."
A moment later, as soon as she heard a rustling sound in the bushes, the Red Monkey said in a surprised tone,
"Martial Brother? Is that you, Martial Brother?"
Only after seeing a wildcat running away did she let out a sigh of relief.
"No. It was Wildcat Martial Brother."
The Red Monkey, who was trying to return cautiously, eventually started running like crazy towards the Safehouse she had prepared in the past.
'Scary, so scary.'
A fairly successful thief tends to prepare Safehouses in various places, and the Red Monkey was no exception.
Today, she was going back to the nearest Safehouse and trying to calm her mind first. It felt like the Juhwa-ibma that was flowing backward from her stomach had reached her chin.
The Red Monkey, who was running at the fastest speed since she was born, passed through a bustling downtown area, weaved through alleys, and then calmly entered an ordinary house, realizing the principles of the world anew.
"As expected, home is the best. Home is the best."
It was a cozy Safehouse consisting of a small pond, a yard, a training ground surrounded by high walls, and a main building and an annex.
It was also a house that she had worked hard to earn with money she had ruthlessly stolen. However, the Red Monkey quickly sprouted a flower of suspicion, quickly examining every corner of the house.
She was afraid that someone might be hiding.
Even after confirming that no one was there, she sat on the floor and uttered nonsense.
"Martial Brother? Have you come? If you've come, come in and have a cup of tea. Haha, ha..."
"..."
After confirming that everything was quiet, the Red Monkey erased her fake smile and looked at her condition calmly.
'I'm going crazy like this. This isn't right. Let's get a grip.'
At this time, someone knocked on the gate, which looked ordinary from the outside.
Knock, knock, knock.
The Red Monkey asked in surprise,
"Who is it?"
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it! I'm not buying anything!"
Suddenly, the Red Monkey calmed her mind with a deep breath. With an expression that she was finally getting used to it, she got up and headed to the gate.
"Ah, is that you, Martial Brother? I'm coming."
The Red Monkey thought that it would not have been difficult for the Fake Martial Brother to follow her because his Light Body Skill was superior to hers.
When she opened the gate, a young man she had never seen before stared at the Red Monkey.
The Red Monkey frowned and said,
"What are you? Why are you knocking on the door without saying anything? Do you want to die?"
The young man, who was holding something tightly in both hands, parted his dry lips.
"Ten days left... I don't know!"
The man ran away with a flurry of noise. It was a movement that had not been trained in Martial arts.
The Red Monkey stared at the fleeing man with a dazed expression.
"That beggar..."
The young man seemed to be running away well, but he clumsily bumped into someone and dropped what he was holding on the floor. The young man quickly picked up the Silver Coin that had fallen on the floor and ran away in a hurry.
'Ah, my money...'
Suddenly, the Red Monkey heard a buzzing sound in her head and grabbed her forehead.
People are animals of adaptation, or so they say.
The Red Monkey pressed her trembling chest with her hand and took a deep breath.
"It's money that was lost because I lost. Let's forget it. Let's forget it. It's not my money. Peace of mind, hoo..."
The Red Monkey closed the door and said as she went inside,
"I can earn it again."
At this time, someone's laughter echoed for a long time from a very distant place. It seemed that he was laughing while using Light Body Skill on a roof or something, as the sound was initially drawn out and gradually decreased.
It was a strange talent to stretch out laughter like taffy using Light Body Skill.
With that level of skill, it could only be the Fake Martial Brother.
Suddenly, the Red Monkey swept her hair up with a serious expression.
Then, the Red Monkey's eyes narrowed into a straight line, and even her expression turned ruthless.
What words should be used to describe this change?
To express it as closely as possible, it was the look and expression of a crazy woman.
The Red Monkey, with madness in her eyes, said in a cold tone,
"...I will definitely kill you."
Has she finally awakened? Or is it a declaration of war against the Fake Martial Brother?
The following words were like this.
"Baekja, Hwang-o, Noksul, you are all dead in my hands. Ohohohohoho."
The Red Monkey's laughter also continued as long as the Fake Martial Brother had uttered.
How far can a person go crazy?
One doesn't know.
Anyway, the Red Monkey was also in a state of stepping into that world.
Madness is a contagious disease.
The Red Monkey was not an ordinary woman, but the invisible hierarchy of madness was organized like this.
Shop Assistant Victory!
* * *
After training in Light Body Skill for the first time in a while, my body felt more refreshed.
I ran at full speed from Black Tang Street, where the Black Cat Clan is located, to Ilyang Prefecture, and from Ilyang Prefecture, I ran again to the Magnolia downtown area where the Red Monkey's Safehouse was hidden.
Helping a martial sister who was feeling uncomfortable, and anxiously following her on the way back in case she needed to find a bathroom, were all part of the training.
Training must never be stopped even for a moment.
In particular, Light Body Skill needed to be raised to the highest level quickly.
There were more than one or two advantages.
Above all, it was an escape skill essential for survival, and it could also help someone when they faced a crisis of diarrhea.
Above all, when the level of Light Body Skill reaches the highest level, one can join the Swift Society, a mysterious force that most Martial World people don't even know exists.
Since ancient times, there have been crazy guys in the Martial World who only dug into one field of Light Body Skill, and these people secretly gathered regardless of their sect and competed in Light Body Skill.
A title given to only one person.
To obtain the Fastest Under Heaven.
Or, in words they elevate among themselves, they are called Swift Exalted or Swift Society Lord.
It is impossible to know when the gathering started. At first, it was just a small, irregular gathering.
But as time passed, this crazy gathering transcended the Orthodox and Unorthodox Demonic Sects.
It became a mysterious force that even the Murim Alliance could not properly grasp. In my previous life, I became a member of the Swift Society with my excellent Light Body Skill, but I never reached the position of Swift Exalted.
The world is wide, and there are many masters.
In particular, it is not easy to subdue with speed the crazy guys who regard combat-oriented Martial arts as if they were worn-out shoes and train only to run fast.
I got to know several masters in the Swift Society.
They could not leave their camps to which they belonged since childhood due to their origins and blood ties, but they dreamed of breaking away while working in the Swift Society.
I recalled reuniting with the masters of the Swift Society and sprinted to Ilyang Prefecture again.
There is nothing in the world that is obtained for free.
The fact that one can step into a world that one did not even know existed only after becoming stronger and faster is the fun that the subtlety of life gives.
Therefore, I am running, aren't I?
Even helping a martial sister who needed to poop has all these hidden meanings, that's what I'm saying.
* * *
Having temporarily escaped from the rough Heukdo world where scheming was constantly going on, I folded my arms behind my back and wore a satisfied expression.
This is because the construction of the Purple Glow Inn was proceeding smoothly.
As I was looking at the construction site with a satisfied smile for a long time, Yeon Ja-seong, who had received a report from the workers, came to me with a white band around his head.
"Sect Leader, have you come?"
I nodded.
"You're working hard."
"Working hard? You can just call me 'hyung' in a place like this, right?"
"Of course."
"Where have you been? Seong-tae hyung said you went to attack the Black Cat Clan."
I replied in a calm tone.
"The Black Cat Clan Leader left for business in heaven, and I have inherited that great responsibility. I will have to go back and forth between Ilyang Prefecture and the Black Cat Clan for the time being, so it will be difficult to see you often."
"Ah, I see."
"Have there been any guys causing trouble in the meantime? I'm a little worried about the Black Fan Stronghold."
"That guy with the pigtail, Sima Military Advisor, right? That person often patrols Ilyang Prefecture with his subordinates. Everyone has a grim atmosphere and carries swords, so it's an atmosphere where no one can cause trouble."
"Ah, Sima Fei was there."
I forget people's existence so easily like this.
"How about Cha Seong-tae?"
As soon as I asked, Yeon Ja-seong smiled and told me about the events that had happened in the meantime.
"He challenged Sima Military Advisor with a wooden sword and was scolded, so he is training these days. He has already lost all ten battles. It has become a famous sight these days, and a lot of spectators gather when Sima Military Advisor and Seong-tae hyung fight."
"Where do they fight?"
Yeon Ja-seong pointed to the wide open space in front of the construction site and said,
"Since the place is wide, they always face off here."
I chuckled and replied,
"What a pathetic guy, the Sect Leader of the Construction Sect loses every day, I'm ashamed."
In summary, it was good news for me that Sima Fei's group had blended well into Ilyang Prefecture. Since they were skilled, Sima Fei's group would be able to handle it even if the Black Fan Stronghold attacked.
It was not good to hold onto a busy person for a long time, so I took out a Money Pouch. Yeon Ja-seong grabbed my arm.
"Ah, hyung. It's okay. What money is this? You are giving us plenty of wages."
I made a sound and flicked Yeon Ja-seong's arm away.
"Tsk, tsk."
I took out five Gold Coins from the Red Monkey's Money Pouch and handed them to Yeon Ja-seong.
"Keep it and buy everyone a drink whenever you think it's appropriate. We're working to make a living, so if you only work too much, your body will be ruined. You have to play a little. Put it away."
"Still, aren't you giving too much? It's a rare Gold Coin."
"The Construction Sect has a lot of people."
Yeon Ja-seong grabbed the Gold Coins and said as if he was sorry.
"Hyung, I'm really sorry for the money you worked so hard to earn. I'll buy snacks for the people from time to time, and I'll buy them drinks too. I'll use it well."
"It's not like it's money I worked so hard to earn. Use it comfortably. I'm going."
"Take care."
I waved my hand and walked away.
Money is to be earned and spread.
Therefore, for the time being, my actions had no choice but to be to beat up Heukdo and earn money. This is because Heukdo are the guys who suck the marrow out of ordinary people in the first place.
The world sometimes has to go like this to be delicious.
I raised the corners of my mouth at the cheers of the workers that suddenly erupted from the construction site.