Chapter 23
“Brother, are you just going to sit there? Shouldn’t we report this to the main camp?”
The man called “Brother” sat on a roughly hewn wooden chair, deep in thought.
Two young men had suddenly appeared and destroyed the mountain stronghold.
“One of them didn’t even do anything….”
How could such a monster come from the Cheonhajang?
Even the later generations of the Five Great Families couldn’t do something like this.
“Stand up.”
When the order from Asoche’s leader, Lee Jagwang, came, Jang Woong, who had been lying down, stood up with a flushed face.
“Are you sure it was the young lord? Not a warrior from the Celestial Guard?”
“Yes, I clearly heard that rascal say to prioritize protecting the young lord….”
“Understood. Don’t tarnish the Asoche’s reputation again.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Lee Jagwang sighed as he watched Jang Woong’s retreating figure.
“The Cheonhajang….”
The furrow in his brow deepened.
“What are you worrying about? You should report this at the upcoming main camp meeting. No matter how powerful the Cheonhajang is, they can’t ignore the Green Forest.”
The main camp of the Eighteen Strongholds of the Green Forest was at Inwang Stronghold.
Every year, the leaders of the eighteen strongholds gathered there for a meeting.
“Idoo.”
“Yes, Brother.”
The man called Idoo bowed respectfully.
As the second-in-command of Asoche, he had great respect for Lee Jagwang, who was always sincere and took care of his subordinates.
“I don’t understand what the chief is thinking. The Green Forest should stay in the mountains.”
“Brother, not that again? Maybe the Green King is getting greedy now that he’s one of the Twenty-Four Masters.”
Green King Jin Sacheok.
The chief of the Green Forest and a newly ascended master among the Twenty-Four Masters.
After becoming one of the Twenty-Four Masters, he wasn’t satisfied with mountain activities and was trying to expand into urban business territories.
Lee Jagwang thought this went against the fundamental principles of the Green Forest.
Having already clashed with the Green King several times, Idoo was worried.
It wouldn’t be good for his brother to fall out of favor with the Green King any further.
Lee Jagwang’s concerns didn’t end there.
“Did you see that guy’s level?”
Idoo shuddered as he recalled Eunho.
“Honestly, I couldn’t gauge it.”
“Me neither. It felt like he was in a place I couldn’t even see.”
Idoo’s mouth fell open at Lee Jagwang’s words.
“Your level is at the pinnacle, yet you couldn’t see him? Is that possible?”
So that young man was a master at the supreme level!
“I did see one thing.”
Lee Jagwang recalled his first encounter with Eunho.
Even though Eunho had just stood there looking at him, his whole body had frozen.
It wasn’t a matter of high or low martial arts skills.
It was his gaze.
Deep within that calm gaze was the essence of an absolute master.
“It’s hard to believe, but when I faced him, two people came to mind.”
“Who are they?”
“The Green King, Jin Sacheok.”
“Brother, how can you compare that young man to the Green King?”
Jin Sacheok, one of the Twenty-Four Masters of the Martial World, and that young man?
“And I saw His Majesty.”
“…”
It was known that Lee Jagwang had served in the military before becoming a bandit.
He had been a quite capable general before leaving the palace.
“I never had the honor of meeting His Majesty up close, but I saw him from a great distance once. Do you know what it was like?”
Idoo didn’t say anything.
He just swallowed hard.
“Every nerve in my body was on edge. Just seeing His Majesty from afar, who hadn’t even learned martial arts, was overwhelming.”
“…Is that possible?”
Even though it was something he had experienced firsthand, it was hard to believe. It was such an incredible experience.
But one thing was certain.
“That is an absolute being. Those destined to rule over others from birth.”
It couldn’t be explained logically, but at least that’s how Lee Jagwang felt.
“And that guy felt more similar to His Majesty than to the chief.”
***
Eunho was satisfied with his wind technique.
He had never pierced a human forehead before, so he was worried about failing to control his strength.
Fortunately, it didn’t pierce, and the man only fainted.
Even if he met his master in the afterlife, he could proudly say, ‘As you instructed, I lived a life refraining from indiscriminate killing.’
“Was it you, you bastard?”
The panicked men shouted, but all they got in return was a finger.
Eunho’s index finger pointed at the shouting man in black.
“For a martial art I just created, it’s quite useful. I don’t have to kill unnecessarily. Hmm, the problem is the name…”
Whoosh.
Thud!
Another man fell.
Eunho’s eyes met the last remaining man in black.
“I-I don’t know anything! I just followed them!”
“I see. Name this martial art. If I like it, I’ll let you go.”
At Eunho’s sudden proposal, the man’s eyes darted around frantically.
How could he come up with a name on the spot?
At that moment, Eunho raised his finger.
“Wait! I got it!”
“Tell me.”
“Great, Great Extermination Heavenly Technique!”
“Too grandiose.”
Thud.
As the last man in black fell, Yang Jin-tae’s eyes shook violently.
Those men were elite members of the Unorthodox Alliance sent to monitor him, and their martial skills were not low.
Eunho, who had easily defeated them, seemed like a monster.
Eunho spoke in a low voice as he looked at the trembling Yang Jin-tae.
“Sometimes I worry. I haven’t faced many humans, so what if I accidentally kill one?”
Eunho pointed his finger at Yang Jin-tae’s forehead.
Yang Jin-tae banged his head on the ground and shouted urgently.
“I-I had no choice! Do you think I wanted to raid the battlefields and anger the Murim Alliance?”
“Do you?”
“Do you think so…?”
“It sounds like you’re saying someone forced you to do it.”
“I was threatened with my life! I had no choice!”
Eunho stared intently into Yang Jin-tae’s eyes.
‘Is he lying?’
A skilled master could observe the subtle breaths and tremors of their opponent.
For someone of Eunho’s caliber, it was impossible for Yang Jin-tae, no matter how skilled a thief, to lie.
“Who ordered you?”
“That is…”
Even though it was already revealed that there was someone behind it, he couldn’t easily speak.
He was that scared.
“Do you not intend to tell me?”
“If I do, I’ll die.”
“I’ll kill you if you don’t.”
Yang Jin-tae swallowed hard.
He could feel that Eunho was serious about killing him.
“The truth is… I was poisoned with ‘Godok.'”
“Godok? What’s that?”
“Godok is a poisonous insect. They come in pairs, male and female. If the female dies, the male also dies, releasing poison.”
Eunho rested his chin on his hand, looking intrigued.
“So the male is inside you, and if the person with the female kills it, the male inside you will die and release poison? So you’ll die too?”
Yang Jin-tae nodded vigorously, tears welling up in his eyes.
“That’s right. I can’t betray that person.”
“I’ll remove it for you.”
“What?”
“I’ll get rid of the Godok.”
“Do you know a divine doctor!?”
Hope filled Yang Jin-tae’s face.
If it was the divine doctor, known for curing any illness, he could remove the Godok.
The divine doctor is known for not meeting just anyone, but if it’s the young lord of the Cheonhajang!
“No? I’ll burn it away with the energy of extreme yang.”
Yang Jin-tae’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“No… If it could be removed that easily, who would use Godok?”
“Then I’ll remove it the hard way.”
As Eunho approached, Yang Jin-tae panicked and backed away.
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
“I said I’ll remove it.”
“You can’t remove it!”
Regardless, Eunho continued to approach slowly.
In desperation, Yang Jin-tae drew a dagger.
“Godok dies as soon as it comes into contact with internal energy!”
“Then I’ll burn it away before it dies.”
Eunho, now right in front of him, grabbed Yang Jin-tae by the nape of his neck.
Then, he restrained him with force and placed his hand on Yang Jin-tae’s chest.
“Ugh, you bastard! Are you trying to kill me…!”
Thud.
Yang Jin-tae couldn’t speak anymore.
The damn young lord had sealed his pressure points.
“This will be a good experience.”
‘Don’t do such things with my life on the line!’
Yang Jin-tae cursed with his eyes as hard as he could.
But Eunho, with his eyes closed, sent a faint energy to explore every corner of Yang Jin-tae’s body.
Feeling Eunho’s energy, Yang Jin-tae resigned himself.
His whole body was stiff, and this bastard’s energy was already circulating throughout his body.
Soon, it would meet the Godok.
‘Ah, it was a good life. Mother, I’ll be joining you soon.’
As Eunho’s energy slowly approached the Godok… it touched it.
‘Huh?’
The Godok didn’t die?
The energy definitely touched it, but the Godok didn’t die.
Eunho’s lips curled into a smile.
The energy he sent wasn’t internal energy. It was unrefined natural energy!
It was literally the energy that exists in nature itself.
‘There’s no way the Godok would react to this.’
Using natural energy, Eunho crushed the Godok and enveloped it to prevent the poison from spreading.
Then he slowly moved it upwards.
In fact, even a divine doctor couldn’t remove the Godok.
It was only possible for Eunho, who could handle natural energy to the extreme.
Cough!
Yang Jin-tae vomited a handful of dark, clotted blood.
Among the blood, there was a crushed lump, presumed to be the Godok.
Yang Jin-tae looked at it.
Even after carefully circulating his energy to check, there was no Godok left in his body.
‘I’m alive! He really removed the Godok!’
With teary eyes, he looked at Eunho.
Eunho was no longer a damn bastard. He was a benefactor who had saved his life.
“The Godok is gone now. Tell me, who ordered you?”
“Huh, after doing all this, you still don’t intend to talk?”
Eunho shook his head as he looked at the still-silent Yang Jin-tae.
That’s how thieves are.
Eunho’s fist struck Yang Jin-tae’s face.
He hit his shoulders, chest, waist, thighs, calves, and even toes.
He hit every place he could.
With Eunho’s diligent punches and kicks, Yang Jin-tae quickly became a ragged mess.
“Even after this, you still won’t talk. You’re a tough one.”
As Eunho was about to kick again, Yang Jin-tae hurriedly got up and pointed to his own neck.
“Are you now choosing where to be hit?”
And he spoke with his eyes as hard as he could.
‘Release my pressure points, you bastard!’
Did his sincerity get through?
Eunho tilted his head for a moment, then exclaimed, “Ah!” and released the pressure points.
“Sorry about that. I forgot.”
“…”
“I don’t like people who open their eyes like that.”
Yang Jin-tae flinched and opened his eyes properly.
“Now, speak.”
Yang Jin-tae let out a long sigh and began to speak.
“It’s Cheol Mu-seong.”
“Are you talking about Cheol Mu-seong, the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance?”
“Yes. So give up. I’m going to run away now. Even if I’m caught, I will never reveal your name.”
It was a natural reaction.
The one behind it was Cheol Mu-seong, the Evil King, one of the Twenty-Four Masters.
What difference would it make even if he knew?
“I see. Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“Such things need to be uprooted to prevent recurrence.”
“Are you saying you’re going to the Unorthodox Alliance? That could lead to a major conflict between the righteous and unorthodox factions.”
“That won’t happen. I’ll go alone. Ah, with you, that makes two.”
Yang Jin-tae wanted to wash his ears with water and pretend he hadn’t heard.
“Haha, what a joke….”
“Are you serious?”
It wasn’t a question.
It was the look of someone who was truly going to go.
After some hesitation, Yang Jin-tae made a determined expression.
If he took Eunho to the Unorthodox Alliance now, they would surely die.
He couldn’t put Eunho in such danger.
“Eunho, I mean, young hero.”
“?”
“I’ll go alone. If we go together now, it will only lead to death. It’s better if I…”
“I saved you just for you to go die? Shut up and lead the way.”
Eunho grabbed Yang Jin-tae by the nape of his neck and stomped his foot.
Thus, only three men in black lay side by side in the alley.
***
The main base of the Unorthodox Alliance, Cheolhyeol Fortress.
A group of people had gathered in the deepest part of the hall.
“It is an honor to meet Cheol Mu-seong, the supreme leader of the Unorthodox Alliance.”
Cheol Mu-seong, sitting at the highest seat, rested his chin on his hand and looked at them.
“The supreme leader of the unorthodox faction… Can you say that in front of the Green King?”
“What?”
Of course not.
Cheol Mu-seong was one of the Twenty-Four Masters, but so was the Green King.
As the warriors from Namman hesitated, Cheol Mu-seong laughed heartily.
“Hahaha, it’s a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
Cheol Mu-seong’s voice and build seemed twice as large as an ordinary person’s.
“Haha… You’re quite mischievous.”
The warriors from Namman wiped their sweat and forced a smile.
“Still, it’s disappointing. If we weren’t on the same side, I would have killed you all.”
The eyes of the Namman warriors widened like saucers.
To them, the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance was someone they didn’t want to deal with.
His personality was unpredictable, and his martial arts skills were high, making him extremely difficult to handle.
But what could they do?
For Namman to advance into the central plains, they had to ally with the Unorthodox Alliance.
“…Y-Your jokes are quite mischievous.”
“It’s not a joke.”
The warriors quickly stopped laughing and lowered their eyes.
No one could laugh when a master of the supreme level said such things.
Growl~!
However, the beasts brought by the Namman warriors bared their fierce teeth at Cheol Mu-seong.
This was the strength of Namman.
Namman had always been skilled at taming beasts.
The warriors looked troubled as they tried to calm the beasts.
“Just as I heard.”
Cheol Mu-seong looked at this with a satisfied expression.
The only reason he allied with the southern barbarians of Namman was because of the beasts. They were known for their bravery and never cowered in front of any master. Even now, look.
When their master was threatened, they didn’t hesitate to bare their teeth at him, a supreme master.
To Cheol Mu-seong, the beasts seemed better than a bunch of mediocre people.
“By now, the Cheonhajang should have been raided, and soon, Mangum Hall will be next. Many people will be anxious and try to withdraw their money.”
As Cheol Mu-seong started talking about business, the warriors from Namman sighed in relief.
“That’s right. That will be the perfect time. We’ll set up the battlefield and kill Yang Jin-tae, hanging his head at the main gate.”
“Hahaha! A battlefield that even the ‘Divine Thief’ who raided the Four Great Battlefields couldn’t rob!”
“People will flock in droves.”
Just imagining it was delightful.
The scale of the battlefield would grow rapidly, and it would also deal a blow to the Murim Alliance, which had been a thorn in their side.
By supplementing the lack of skilled warriors with beasts, an impregnable battlefield would be created.
“The era of the Four Great Battlefields is over. Now, it’s the era of me, Cheol Mu-seong.”
Everyone in the hall laughed in agreement and nodded.
Bang-!
It was around that time that a loud explosion was heard from outside.
