Chapter 600
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 600
Chapter Title: Can You Do It?
"Hoo. What a headache... Even a Dark Blood Jiangshi is thinking now."
Dam Mu-hyeon muttered as he stared in the direction where Bang Sa-uk had vanished.
Dark Blood Jiangshi.
A body tough beyond reason, an enormous reserve of energy, and terrifying martial arts.
It was truly a formidable foe, but it had one glaring weakness: it couldn't think.
A monster that moved purely on instinct.
Nothing more, nothing less.
The problem was its sheer monstrous power, but they could still handle it by exploiting its lack of thought.
But the Bang Sa-uk who had just fled possessed all the traits of a Dark Blood Jiangshi—and he retained his reason and intellect.
That made him incredibly tricky to deal with.
"The final form seemed even stronger than a Dark Blood Jiangshi, Vice Corps Leader."
Dam Mu-hyeon nodded at the squad member's words.
If it had only been Dark Blood Jiangshi level, it couldn't have broken through their encirclement and escaped.
"Damn it. What's going on here? The Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest was completely smashed, and the Blood Cult wiped out... So why the hell did a monster like a Dark Blood Jiangshi suddenly pop up in Cheonjung Mountain?"
Dam Mu-hyeon rubbed his temples as if his head ached.
Then he turned his gaze.
Gwang Hwan-gae was there.
"How are you holding up?"
"I'm feeling better now."
Dam Mu-hyeon approached Gwang Hwan-gae.
Upon checking his condition,
"Tch. You did well. No, impressive. To think you'd even burned your innate true energy..."
A Hocheon Corps member's palm rested on Gwang Hwan-gae's Gate of Life acupoint, channeling internal energy nonstop to replenish his strength.
"Th-those five... fled toward Gae-bong... I-I'm out of internal energy..."
Gwang Hwan-gae barely managed to speak.
Dam Mu-hyeon immediately grasped the implication.
To buy those five time to escape, this man had likely burned even his innate true energy.
And with the time he'd bought, the five had fled.
If they were out of internal energy?
"You heard him? We need to find them fast. Go!"
At Dam Mu-hyeon's command—no specific names given—five men shot northward.
They were the five on site most skilled in tracking, in order of proficiency.
Watching the five depart, Dam Mu-hyeon turned back to Gwang Hwan-gae.
He pulled a pill wrapped in oiled paper from his bosom and placed it in his mouth.
"It won't restore your consumed innate true energy, but it should help."
Gwang Hwan-gae shot him a grateful look, then sat cross-legged and entered meditation.
With the biggest concern addressed, he could finally rest and regulate his breathing in peace.
Three of the remaining Hocheon Corps members surrounded him to stand guard.
Dam Mu-hyeon and the other two handled the corpses of the Beggar's Sect disciples with black knots on their waists.
Dam Mu-hyeon's eyes fixed on the black knots at their waists.
"Hoo. For the Black Knot Troop to suffer like this."
He already knew Bang Sa-uk was strong from their clash.
Yet it still felt stifling.
"Hm?"
Iron Beggar Cheol Dam-gae frowned.
No particular reason.
He was eating, and his begging gourd had cracked.
It was old, but not to the point of breaking like this.
"Ominous."
Iron Beggar muttered softly.
There was a reason he took it so seriously.
A cracking begging gourd was an extremely ill omen for him.
Every time it broke like this, something bad always happened.
His gaze turned south.
'The bad thing about to happen now... has to be...'
Bang Sa-uk, no doubt.
He'd sent twenty Black Knot Troop members.
And notified the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
Their reply had come too.
Hocheon Corps Leader Dam Mu-hyeon leading ten Hocheon Corps members.
Even with that response, the gourd had cracked.
Anxiety set in.
"Tch. To avoid this crap, maybe switch to an iron gourd from now on..."
An iron begging gourd.
Not something a beggar would carry, so Iron Beggar always used one split from a tree fruit.
A beggar should act like one.
His philosophy.
But these ominous signs kept happening, tempting him to get an unbreakable iron one.
Shaking off the stray thought, Iron Beggar hesitated a moment before calling a subordinate.
"Anyone there?"
"Yes?"
Hu Gae pushed aside the straw mat blocking the entrance.
Iron Beggar's room neighbored Hu Gae's.
Behind was the empty clan master's room.
"The kids?"
"Busy with the alert order you gave, Vice Clan Master."
Hu Gae answered calmly.
"Tch."
Iron Beggar clicked his tongue, displeased by the attitude.
Hu Gae flinched.
"Where's Ha Mu-baek these days?"
He'd heard Ha Mu-baek turned Huashan Sect upside down recently.
Huayin County in Shaanxi wasn't far from Kaifeng.
No, it was far—but not for that man.
Especially compared to Xibei in Jiangxi, where the Fierce Dragon Corps was camped.
Huayin was closer.
"He entered Nak Young City a couple days ago."
Iron Beggar's face lit up.
Nak Young City was in Henan.
Even closer than Huayin.
"But he's traveling by cart with two kids."
Iron Beggar tensed.
He scowled.
Why the hell was that guy suddenly with two kids?
What was the story?
"Why?"
The sharp question flew at Hu Gae.
"From the intel, he's probably taken them as disciples."
"That guy?"
Iron Beggar was stunned.
He'd never imagined Ha Mu-baek taking disciples.
"This is a headache..."
If Ha Mu-baek really had disciples, he wouldn't leave them behind.
He treasured his people fiercely.
He wouldn't dash full speed to the Beggar's Sect, abandoning kids he'd just taken in.
Not with Bang Sa-uk's suspected position—time was short.
"Because of Bang Sa-uk?"
Hu Gae asked cautiously.
Iron Beggar clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, but Hu Gae was Beggar's Sect material.
No slouch in ability.
He quickly deduced from Iron Beggar's actions regarding Ha Mu-baek's location.
Iron Beggar nodded.
"What's scary about Dark Blood Jiangshi is when someone unexpected turns into one and starts a bloodbath. But we know and are prepared. Even at that power level, the Beggar's Sect can handle it, right? Plus Hocheon Corps is involved."
Perfectly reasonable.
Dark Blood Jiangshi were fearsome, but forewarned was forearmed.
Of course, casualties would be heavy.
But.
Still.
The gourd had cracked.
Iron Beggar's eyes went to the split gourd.
Mixed food spilling through the crack.
Hu Gae's opinion was logical.
But Iron Beggar's instincts screamed for Ha Mu-baek.
In the end, he shot to his feet.
"Wh-why?"
Hu Gae jumped.
"I'm heading to Nak Young City."
"What?"
Hu Gae jumped again.
The clan master was away.
Now the vice was leaving too.
"Can you handle it?"
Hu Gae shook his head at Iron Beggar's question.
There were elders and protectors, but stepping up now was too much.
Iron Beggar asked again.
"Or do you want to fetch Ha Mu-baek on time?"
Hu Gae jolted far worse than before.
Impossible.
Plus, Ha Mu-baek already had it out for him.
Back with the Pang Clan incident.
Hu Gae had met Ha Mu-baek with Iron Beggar then.
He'd shown youthful bravado at Ha Mu-baek's demeanor.
Iron Beggar's rebuke had kept it in check—saving Hu Gae's life.
Ha Mu-baek's skills later stunned him.
As Hu Gae, he'd seen all the Beggar's Sect intel here.
The full conquest of Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest had shocked him.
When he learned it was one man, Ha Mu-baek.
Chills down his spine.
Memories of their first meeting flooded back.
And now, fetch that same Ha Mu-baek?
Better to guard headquarters against Bang Sa-uk.
"I'll do it."
"Huh? You're going?"
"No. I'll guard headquarters."
Iron Beggar couldn't help chuckling at Hu Gae's firm reply.
Wondering if Ha Mu-baek was that scary.
'Well, first impressions.'
What Ha Mu-baek had said to Iron Beggar then.
"The Beggar's Sect still sucks at picking Hu Gae."
Ha Mu-baek's blunt assessment of Hu Gae.
"Fine. Do well. Do good."
With that, Iron Beggar grabbed a new gourd from his quarters and vanished like the wind.
They stayed two days in Nak Young City.
Resting and diving deeper into martial arts, even if briefly.
The focused time was rewarding.
"Next is Luoyang."
Ha Mu-baek said as they exited the east gate.
Anticipation lit the children's eyes.
They'd stayed there recently.
Luoyang held the longest stretch of their short lives.
Like home to them.
They even had a few friends.
The horse walked slowly along the official road.
Ha Mu-baek figured it was time to outline the full journey.
Suddenly realizing the kids were just following blindly, unaware of the destination.
"Want to stay long in Luoyang?"
Gong Hae-bin answered promptly.
"As Master wishes."
Gong Hae-jun nodded.
Ha Mu-baek chuckled at their unchildlike responses.
"Your friends are there, and it's been a while, so five days."
The siblings' faces brightened despite their words.
"I'll tell you the rest of the trip."
First time hearing it, their eyes sparkled at Ha Mu-baek's back.
"Our destination is Anfeng in Jiangxi."
Jiangxi.
Vast Central Plains, so the kids had heard the name in passing.
"From Luoyang, we'll head south."
Ha Mu-baek spoke casually, reins lightly held.
"To Wuchang in Hubei, then take a boat."
The siblings' eyes sparkled again at "boat".
"Down the Yangtze to Nanchang in Jiangxi, then overland to Anfeng. It'll be long."
The two nodded slightly.
Ha Mu-baek's route was circuitous.
No need to go to Nanchang.
But he chose it to show the kids the world.
No rush anyway.
Whoever awaited in Anfeng would be shocked.
Ha Mu-baek wanted his disciples to see and experience broadly within the time.
So they traveled leisurely.
Schedule loose.
One thing Ha Mu-baek overlooked:
Even with plans, trouble always found him.
Iron Beggar was racing full tilt to Nak Young City.
Tracking Ha Mu-baek's position relentlessly.