Chapter 133

Chapter 133

Kuk!

“Your posture is collapsing.”

“Eok!”

When I poked him with the scabbard of the Uicheongeom I’d retrieved, Gwiyeon, whose posture had been crumbling, jumped in shock and firmly planted his head back into the ground. His skull embedding into the stone with a kwak.

“Who did you say you were?”

“I am the core of the Great Nokrim Seventy-Two Strongholds. The Commander of Pungrim Inspection Corps! Gwiyeon……!”

“Again, who did you say you were?”

“……Nokrim vermin.”

“You understand words well. Good.”

Nodding my head, I looked at the Nokrim bandits with their heads planted in the ground and slightly shifted my gaze. The disciples were looking at me with expressions full of things they wanted to say.

“Is something wrong?”

“That…… is it really okay? No matter what, he’s still a master of Nokrim Alliance.”

“It’s fine if I’m stronger.”

“But future trouble…….”

“It’s fine because I’m overwhelmingly stronger. Children don’t worry about future trouble when throwing stones at frogs, do they?”

“If you’re really worried about future trouble, just make sure they can’t walk out of here.”

“There, there will be no future trouble!”

“None at all—!!!”

“I see.”

I chuckled at Seonwoo Gang’s pale expression as he watched the bandits responding in unison. The fact that these guys who had boldly carried out a plan to set fire to mountains were awkward about treating bandits seemed rather refreshing.

“You did well.”

“You did better than I expected.”

When I spoke with a smile, Seohwa, who had been keeping her mouth tightly shut, looked at me with an expression that said she didn’t quite understand. Soon after, Seohwa asked with a disbelieving expression.

“Did I…… really do well?”

“Yes.”

“But I didn’t properly achieve the objective.”

“No, you sufficiently achieved the objective.”

What was the purpose of this test?

It was a test to see whether the disciples had the ability to protect themselves when going to make a request to Haomun. I’m confident I can protect myself in any situation, but these children can’t.

When I’m away for some reason, or when I can’t block all the approaching dangers, the Uicheonmun disciples must seek survival on their own. That means they must judge and act without me.

Do they have the ability to survive in that situation? And do they have the will to survive?

Seeing that was the purpose of this test.

Seohwa and the other disciples passed it very well.

“It was good that you thought outside the box. You did well.”

“But what I valued most wasn’t that, but that you clearly measured your abilities. In this Gangho, what shortens one’s lifespan is mostly arrogance and recklessness.”

Confucius said, if you know yourself and your enemy, you’ll never be imperiled in a hundred battles.

If you know yourself and know your opponent, you can clearly decide whether to fight or flee. It’s an especially important virtue for those who want to stand out in Gangho.

“Then…….”

“You’ve passed the test. Let’s go to Anhwa County together.”

At my declaration of accompaniment, Seohwa let out a silent scream and stamped her feet excitedly. Besides Seohwa, the other disciples who didn’t say anything but looked happy.

Are they that pleased?

“Now, then…….”

I chuckled watching the disciples jumping around in joy and turned my head. There was still work left to handle.

“What should we do with these guys?”

Gwiyeon, receiving my gaze, slightly rolled his eyeballs while his head was planted in the ground. He looked deep in thought.

“If we release them, they’ll just go back to banditry. If we hand them to the magistrate, they’ll escape. To kill them all, I don’t want to teach the disciples about killing yet…….”

“Very reasonable words!”

“Should we moderately cut their limb meridians and cripple their dantians before sending them back?”

“You’re fucking ki—very reasonable words!!!”

I grinned watching Gwiyeon tremble like an aspen at my words. Anyway, I need to handle this.

“I have a good idea. Let’s do this.”

“……Wh-what?”

“We’ll cripple the dantians.”

“You know you can’t keep up the banditry anyway, right? Whether it’s Murim Alliance or Sado Alliance, they’ll soon try to clean up this entire area.”

Compared to the Janggang Waterway Strongholds that receive tremendous geographical advantages fighting along the Yangtze River, Nokrim isn’t that difficult an opponent to conquer. The problem is their numbers, but if someone decides to sweep them away, Nokrim has no choice but to fall.

“From what I’ve learned, Jeokwangchae didn’t kill people. Though you did rob them clean.”

“Aiyoo, if a small stronghold like ours killed people too, there’d be big trouble. Whether it’s government troops, Murim Alliance, or Sado Alliance, it’s obvious someone would come out and beat us all up.”

“That would be the case. Head.”

“Got it.”

I nodded watching the bandit who briefly released his head-planted posture before planting it again. The judgment that followed.

“The Jeokwangchae bandits will have their dantians crippled and their weapons confiscated before being returned to civilian life. Their martial arts aren’t impressive anyway, so they won’t be able to commit tyranny. As for the stronghold leader and vice-leader…… hmm.”

It’s awkward to release them, but what should I do?

“I’ll do anything! Just spare my life!”

“Anything?”

“Yes!”

“I’m not really up for doing anything though.”

“Quiet! Even if thrown in water, only your snout would float.”

The horse bandit, who struck his subordinate’s head with a kwang, planted his forehead back on the ground and shouted.

“If you spare my life, I’ll do anything! If you tell me to lick, I’ll lick! If you tell me to bark, I’ll bark!”

“Anything, you say.”

I nodded watching the horse bandit desperately shouting. With that kind of resolve, it wasn’t bad.

“I was just lamenting how unfortunate it was to lose training time to chores. This works out well.”

“What do you mean?”

“You two will come with me. I’ll use you as servants of Uicheonmun.”

“……Thank you!”

I grinned watching the horse bandit rolling his eyes at my words. I could clearly see what he was thinking.

“Try to escape if you can.”

“……What?”

“You can escape anytime. You can flee in the middle of the night, or slip away when I’m absent. I won’t even cripple your dantian, so you’ll have no trouble escaping. However, if you’re caught…….”

“……What happens if we’re caught?”

“Do you want to know?”

Cooperative relationship with Haomun. Acquaintances in Gaebang.

I have connections with both sects that never fall behind in information. If a major sect at the level of Nine Sects and One Gang deliberately and thoroughly hides, I might not find them, but could ordinary bandits achieve that level of concealment?

“I won’t even dream of it!”

“I’ll only dream about it.”

“Good.”

I looked with satisfaction at the two servants who had become like dead fish eyes and were bowing deeply, then shifted my gaze. There was one last thing to handle.

“Hmm. I’ve decided how to handle the others, but what about you?”

“Me as a servant too……!”

“That won’t do.”

I’ll be able to control the previous two servants sufficiently even in my absence. Seonwoo Gang, Seomun Cheok, or Baek Risan. There are three people stronger than the horse bandits.

But this guy is different, isn’t he?

“I know well about the Pungrim Inspection Corps. You must have killed quite a few people?”

“……The Pungrim Inspection Corps only handles Nokrim bandits.”

“That’s the corps’ work. But seeing you came here, you must be different.”

I could tell just from the one move he made against Seohwa. Unlike the other bandits, this guy has no qualms about killing common people for his own profit.

Moreover, he’s quite a master, so even if his dantian is crippled, he’ll be able to handle most martial artists.

“Sibal…….”

Gwiyeon, who intuited that he couldn’t survive, spat out profanity.

“Kill me. My luck has run out.”

“Hmm.”

“Still, I’m fortunate to meet my end at the hands of a master like you. I’ve maintained my dignity, so that’s enough.”

“Dignity?”

“That’s right. Someone of your caliber could easily enter the Hundred Great Masters of Murim, couldn’t you? It’s not as good as dying by the hands of the Ten Heavens, but it’s a great honor for a martial artist. Unless.”

Gwiyeon, wearing a bloody smile, sprawled out spread-eagle on the ground.

“You’re not thinking of having those youngsters commit murder, are you? From what I can see, they look like greenhorns who’ve never killed anyone.”

Murder.

I looked at the disciples gripping their weapons tightly with tense expressions, then shook my head. While living as martial artists, they’ll eventually kill someone somewhere, but not now.

“I’ll kill you myself.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“But whether I’ll preserve your honor or not is a separate matter.”

“What does that even mean, keuaaaaak!”

Pajijijiik!

When I drew up lightning energy and brought it to Gwiyeon’s neck, his body flailed like a fish on land. Gwiyeon’s eyes rolled back.

“You just made a very good suggestion to my disciples, so shall we try that?”

“Try to persuade me to preserve your honor. If I’m convinced, I’ll send you off comfortably.”

The lightning energy I handle is the strongest yet most capricious force in this world. If handled incorrectly, it’s a power that brings pain worse than bone-grinding torture.

“How long can you endure?”

Is enduring long honorable? Or is admitting quickly and dying honorable?

That’s not my concern. Because.

“I hope you can persuade me.”

Whichever way it goes.

You’ll die anyway.

Preparations to go to Anhwa County were quickly made.

“Are you leaving now?”

“That’s right.”

When I affirmed Lee Ryang’s question as he came out to meet us with a carriage, Lee Ryang smiled bitterly and looked behind me. The disciples bickering among themselves whom he hadn’t seen before.

“Shouldn’t I sit in front since I’m the eldest disciple? After all, I have the highest rank nominally among us.”

“What are you talking about? What sect neglects its guests? Naturally, I should sit in the comfortable seat.”

“To be honest, Baek Risan, you’re not even treated as a guest, are you? I, Seomun Cheok, who hasn’t even formally entered yet, should sit there.”

They’re fighting over nothing.

“As the sect master, I’ll sit in front. Isn’t that common sense?”

“If you have complaints, shall we do some training?”

At the sight of me slightly drawing the Uicheongeom, everyone who had been bickering looked away. The fight was instantly suppressed.

“Hahaha…….”

Lee Ryang, who had been letting out an empty laugh watching that scene, cleared his throat and spoke.

“About Anhwa County where you’re going. Actually, strange rumors have been circulating lately.”

“By any chance, the rumor that the Nokrim Alliance stronghold in Anhwa County was annihilated?”

“……How did you know?”

“How did I know, you ask.”

At Lee Ryang’s question, I recalled a buried memory. The sight of someone screaming and spilling all the information they had, which was no information at all.

—Please kill me! No, please kill me, sir!

“Someone told me.”

“Someone……?”

“More than that, I’d like to hear more details. I heard roughly, but didn’t hear accurately.”

“Hmm. It’s only a rumor though.”

Lee Ryang, who grimaced briefly as if displeased about conveying inaccurate information, spoke.

“You probably know this much already, Sect Master, but the Nokrim Alliance stronghold located in Anhwa County was suddenly annihilated without anyone knowing. Not a single piece of corpse remained; it was completely empty.”

“Wasn’t it Murim Alliance or Sado Alliance?”

“Anhwa County isn’t a strategic point; it’s quite remote, isn’t it? The priority would be low.”

“If it were a yokai’s doing, we would have quickly figured it out, so it’s not a yokai’s doing either.”

“They say the stronghold was too cleanly organized to be seen as an individual’s work. How should I put it…… it feels like they left the stronghold intact but only removed the people…….”

The stronghold remains, but only the people disappeared?

It’s certainly a strange matter. If plunder was the purpose, they wouldn’t have left the Nokrim Alliance stronghold intact, and if it was the work of someone with a grudge, at least corpses would remain.

“Suspicious.”

Perhaps this might be the cause of the red energy. In any case, it’s certain that something beyond my expectations exists in Anhwa County.

“I’ll be as careful as possible.”

“Yes. Then soon.”

I waved my hand to Lee Ryang, who bowed his head slightly, and when I boarded the carriage, the horse bandit sitting in the driver’s seat cleared his throat while stroking the horse’s mane. Soon after, the horse bandit asked in an obsequious voice.

“My lord, shall we depart?”

“Depart.”

“Yes.”

With an ireot sound, I confirmed the carriage gradually moving with rattling sounds and closed my eyes. There was much to think about.

‘An annihilated stronghold. Anhwa County. And Haomun’s request.’

I don’t know which is the problem. However, the fact that red energy appeared on the request form itself to go to Anhwa County means that once I go, I can’t avoid trouble.

‘Come at me.’

They say if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.

Whatever calamity comes, it’s all the same. I’ll just steadily do what I can do.

Confirming the gradually expanding energy sense, I caressed the hilt of the recovered Uicheongeom.

Beyond the spread energy sense, Hwayonghyeon was moving away.