Chapter 131

Chapter 131

“How is it?”

Near Makbusan.

Iryang, who had been looking down at the base of the mountain through a device that allowed him to see quite far even without internal energy, stiffly turned his head at Baek Riyun’s question. Baek Riyun stood beside him with a satisfied smile.

“Don’t you think they’re resolving it quite well?”

“That…… you call that?”

Iryang involuntarily questioned back and let out a groan at the sight below. And for good reason.

─It’s a fire──!

Black smoke was rising thickly from all directions around where Jeokwangchae was located.

“Set a fire, and while obstructing the bandits trying to put it out, demand what you want.”

“At first glance, it seems like an insane method. But it’s also an extremely rational method. Do you know why?”

“Why is that?”

“Because if this Makbusan burns, ultimately only the bandits will suffer damage.”

Pausing and checking the disaster below for a moment, Baek Riyun nodded. And the following explanation.

“There are no herb gatherers who come to gather herbs where bandits are lurking. Do you know why?”

“Well…… isn’t it because you don’t know where you might encounter bandits?”

“That’s right. Precisely because that mountain is the bandits’ territory.”

In this Central Plains Murim, especially in this Jiangxi, mountains are everywhere. What does that mean?

It means herb gatherers and woodcutters can make a living without specifically going to mountains with bandits. Unless there are no other work sites nearby, that is. Since mountains are everywhere, there’s no reason to climb a mountain with bandits when you could use a safe mountain.

“If the mountain burns, those who base themselves on that mountain suffer damage. But in this area, there’s no one basing themselves on Makbusan.”

No woodcutters, no herb gatherers, not even merchants passing through would have a problem if the mountain burned. Because there’s no one basing themselves on this mountain.

No one will suffer damage. At most, monsters who hid making the mountain their main dwelling would suffer damage.

“In that respect, this is a radical but quite excellent solution. Though it’s different from what I thought.”

“……I’m asking just in case.”

Iryang, who had been listening to Baek Riyun’s story, raised his hand slightly and threw a question at Baek Riyun.

“You said it’s different from what you thought, but how would you have resolved it, Sect Master? From what I hear, it sounds like there couldn’t be a better solution than this.”

“Do you want to hear it?”

“Well, yes.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Baek Riyun, thinking for a moment, wore a mischievous smile. The answer that soon flowed out.

“If I were in that position, I’d just walk to the main gate and announce I’m from Uicheonmun.”

“……Pardon?”

“Former Changcheon Corps Commander Baek Riyun is our sect master. What you took is our sect master’s sword, so return it immediately. If I announced that, they’d naturally cave. Especially Nokrim bandits.”

Since ancient times, merchant companies have had the most friction with Nokrim bandits, but the ones who deal with Nokrim bandits the most are the Murim Alliance’s Muryeok Corps. Nokrim bandits know better than anyone how troublesome and difficult the Muryeok Corps Commander is. But the stolen goods they ate belong to the former Muryeok Corps Commander?

The moment the Jeokwangchae Master learns that fact, he might bow deeply and return it immediately. Like how no hunter fights one-on-one with a bear to eat one tasty honey pot, because the loss outweighs the gain.

“The reason Seohwa and the other children didn’t do that is purely a problem of lack of experience. The method I thought of is something others with abundant Gangho experience could think of even if they’re not me. But I’m rather pleased.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. Such wit can’t be bought even with experience.”

The position of Uicheonmun’s Eldest Disciple.

Seohwa seemed to think that position was too heavy a burden for herself, but Baek Riyun didn’t think so. Because among the Uicheonmun disciples right now, Seohwa was the most suitable for the eldest disciple.

“The eldest disciple isn’t the disciple with the best martial arts, nor is it the one with the greatest wisdom.”

If traveling an unknown path, a person who can lead from the front. A person who can assert opinions that others can’t voice ahead of everyone else.

Despite that, not just looking forward but turning back while constantly doubting oneself.

“I think such a person should become the eldest disciple.”

Baek Riyun, wearing a slight smile, tilted his head slightly to look below, and Iryang also looked down. The smoke rising larger and larger.

“It’s about to reach the finale…… hmm?”

Iryang, who had been looking down with Baek Riyun through the device, hardened his expression at the sight.

In the distance, at the edge of their vision, something was flying toward them.

“That is…….”

Someone who was neither an Uicheonmun disciple nor a Jeokwangchae Nokrim bandit.

Majeok was going crazy right now.

Swaeeaeaek!

“Heoeoeoek.”

Already the fourth one.

Majeok, holding a water bucket and deploying qinggong, then hastily twisting his body at the sword qi that flew through the air striking the void, hid his hand behind him. But the water bucket was cut off without fail.

Seogеok─!

“Aaaaaaaak─!!!”

Even though he scattered that expensive salt, he surely dispelled the bad luck.

Majeok, emptily staring at half of the water bucket that was split in two again and fell to the ground, hastily wiped away the tears that formed without his knowing and shouted loudly.

“Hey, you bastards! What the hell is your objective!”

For about one meal period.

Roughly dozens of times during that time.

That was about how many times the Jeokwangchae bandits trying to fetch water with buckets to extinguish the fire were attacked by enemies. The number of cut buckets was similar too.

If they were attacking in earnest, it would rather be better. The other side seemed to possess martial arts superior to his own as Jeokwangchae Master, but ultimately they were a small force of just a few people, and as Nokrim bandits, they had plenty of methods to deal with masters at a numerical disadvantage.

This many people had been mobilized. Unless they were exceptional masters, he was confident he could win in a fight. Since they seemed to have an objective, if he pretended to go along and lured them in, they would soon be unable to contain their impatience and attack.

Majeok thought that way, and his thinking was somewhat correct.

Only, the problem was that his thinking was only half right, and that the enemy only targeted water buckets.

“Let us put out the fire, you sons of bitches─!!!”

Teong!

Majeok, throwing the two-piece bucket on the ground, unable to contain his anger, huffed and swung his fists at the air. His muscular fists tearing through the air with whooshing sounds.

‘Cunning bastards……’

They weren’t splitting every water bucket. Right now, about half of the subordinates fetching water were arriving and working hard to suppress the fire, weren’t they?

However, the problem was they couldn’t secure enough water to completely extinguish the fire. Since the negotiation material would disappear if the fire was suppressed or grew so large it became unmanageable, they seemed to be controlling it.

“……Fine!”

Anyway, he had to draw out the opponents. Only then could he do something.

Having organized his thoughts, Majeok clenched both fists and stepped forward.

“One-on-one! If you beat me one-on-one, I’ll return the sword! Send out one representative from your side too!”

─One representative, you say?

“That’s right!”

At the voice transmission carried on the wind, Majeok hastily answered and swiveled his head around looking at his surroundings. But the enemy’s figure wasn’t visible.

“You damn bastards. Fight fairly in a duel and take the sword! Isn’t this sword what you want!”

Puuuk!

Majeok, shaking the sword he had tucked at his waist and showing it, stuck the Uicheongeom into the ground with its scabbard and drew his greatsword.

“If you just win, I’ll let you take it!”

“If you’re Murim people, come out! Surely you’re not going to say you can’t come out because you’re afraid of me, are you!”

Majeok, shouting loudly, looked around while swallowing. Though he had spoken boldly, he had no intention of returning it.

‘I just need to take one hostage.’

He just needed to stall for a bit. Then his shrewd subordinates would gather on their own and ambush to subdue the opponent.

A fair duel? Pride as a Murim person?

A mere bandit wouldn’t have such things. Would such things be important when livelihood was at stake?

“Why aren’t you coming out! Are you afraid of this Jeokwangchae’s hero, Master Majeok!”

At Majeok’s appearance constantly shouting and surveying his surroundings, his subordinates fell silent and lowered their split water buckets. Despite Majeok’s intentions, no one came out.

Silence covered the mountain.

Contrary to the fire demon opening its mouth, everyone closed their mouths at the quiet stillness that arrived.

“Y-you bastards! Don’t you want to receive the sword……!”

As Majeok’s anxiety reached its peak as the fire demon grew larger.

─Are you stupid?

An irritated voice flew on the voice transmission.

“……What?”

─Why would we go out? If you have something called a brain, use it to think while living. Or is that too difficult for bandits?

─This is an ultimatum. Nokrim vermin. Leave the sword there and scram. Unless you want us to burn down your entire house. If you leave that sword, we won’t obstruct you anymore.

Hwaleuleuleuk! Kwaaaaang!

“Heoeoeoek!”

The moment the words finished, Majeok, frightened out of his wits by white flames falling from the sky, involuntarily moved away from the sword and shut his mouth tight. Surging humiliation.

‘These damn……’

Even his last trick, abandoning his pride, was blocked.

Now only two choices remained for Majeok. Give up the sword and put out the fire, or catch them even if it meant burning all of Makbusan.

‘……What should I do?’

If it had been a sword he would use himself, he would have just given it up. No matter how precious a sword, it’s not more precious than my house right now, is it? Unless he could sell that sword and live off it for life, naturally the stronghold’s safety was important as a matter of course.

‘I already sent word that there’s a good tribute item……!’

He sent word to the superior stronghold as soon as he obtained the sword. It was a trick to receive a slightly better master. Since there were only a few days until tribute, he thought nothing would change by informing them a bit faster.

‘If……’

If in this situation he handed over the sword, and if a Nokrim master came while the sword was handed over. And if they realized the sword was gone?

‘It’s over.’

In a dilemma.

Feeling the cold sensation rising up his spine, Majeok reflexively opened his mouth.

“I-I’ll give you something else.”

“That sword has somewhere it must be used. How about money? We have quite a bit of plundered money……!”

─Receive money instead of a sect’s sacred relic? Are you in your right mind?

“Without that sword, we’re in trouble too!”

─Bandits being in trouble isn’t my concern.

“……Damn it!”

At the cold woman’s voice, Majeok shut his mouth tight and silently calculated in his head. The Nokrim master’s wrath and this fire. Which was more problematic?

‘No matter what, without the mountain……’

Though he desperately needed Nokrim’s protection, tribute could only be paid consistently if he could do business anyway.

Nokrim masters were human too. If it was really difficult, he could explain the situation and pay more tribute with something else.

“……Fine.”

Having finished his calculations, Majeok left the Uicheongeom stuck in the ground, raised both hands, and stepped back.

“I’ll leave the sword. So don’t block us anymore. Will that do!”

─Scram.

“……You really won’t obstruct us, right?”

─I said I got it, so scram.

Hwaleuleuk!

“Huuu.”

It was a waste, but it couldn’t be helped.

At the flickering flames, Majeok sighed and turned his body toward the stronghold to go fetch water buckets.

“Damn, today’s an unlucky day.”

The moment Majeok, grumbling, drooped his shoulders and was about to turn back.

“Haha. Young heroes. Young ladies. Unfortunately, it can’t be that way.”

The wind blew.

“That sword is probably the sword I’m supposed to receive.”

Like a forest not yet consumed by fire.

A deep green wind.