2
1.
Originally, the commander, Ak Byeong-bi, should have spoken, but for some reason, he kept his mouth tightly shut and just glared at me as if to kill me, doing nothing.
I was thinking how fortunate it is that Akbyeongbi didn’t reach the level of the Heart Sword.
“Oh my, are you planning to make the girl walk?”
Eventually, Yeom Gwi-bi was the first to speak.
At her sly and brazen words, the two escorts glanced at Ak Byeong-bi, then dismounted and handed over the horse they were riding.
Yeom Gwi-bi’s eyes curve like a crescent moon.
Oh my, thank you. I just meant that it wouldn’t matter if we rode together.
Her actions, radiating a mysterious gaze and smile, were quite seductive, but the escorts instead remained on edge and kept their distance from her.
No matter how stunningly beautiful she was, she was a woman who remained unfazed even after staining her hands with blood.
For those with ample experience in the martial arts world, it is only natural that they would be a target of caution.
“…….”
I approached the half-baked bandits who were still shivering on one side.
Are you alright?
“……
“Yes, four? Ah, yes, old time!”
Those who had had their names and life histories called out in front of King Yeomra were still dumbfounded and unable to regain their senses.
I understand that things are difficult due to the famine, but banditry is not something just anyone can do.
I wonder how many heads of households could just sit by and watch their wife and children waste away day by day, but still, you have to be alive to be able to do anything, right?
Moreover, with the recent formation of the Black Dao Alliance in Shanxi Province, it is highly likely that a significant number of the people passing through are martial artists, so I think it would be best to come down the mountain.
“Th-of course. If you spare my life, I will never be a bandit again.”
I looked at the half-baked bandits.
Seeing how sunken each and every one of them looked, I thought they had really held back their patience until they finally climbed the mountain and engaged in banditry.
I took a pouch containing silver coins from my bosom and handed it to them.
However, the half-baked bandits had absolutely no intention of accepting it and just waved their hands.
“No. I swear. I will never again covet another person’s belongings.”
I forcibly pulled their hands and handed them the pouch.
For now, please feed your family with this.
I have given quite a heavy pouch of silver coins, so it will be able to fill the bellies of the people here, as well as the starving people in the village.
I added as I watched the half-baked bandits who couldn’t bring themselves to tightly grip the pouches in their hands.
Besides, there are those who have passed away. At the very least, a funeral should be held for them, even if it is just a small one.
In the end, the bumbling bandit grips his pocket tightly with all his might.
Just as the warm atmosphere was about to continue, he hesitated and opened his mouth.
“B-but… actually, those people aren’t part of our group.”
“huh?”
That is the group of those two people over there.
I didn’t recognize them because their faces were all crushed and their heads were blown off, but they were actually the party that fought a bloody battle with Empress Yeom.
We also sensed something was off, so we weren’t blocking the road, but suddenly they started fighting amongst themselves, and then… like that..
what?
No matter how heinous a big shot of the Dark Sect he is, why did he suddenly kill his own party?
On top of that, what’s with dragging in some lousy bandits and staging a hostage situation?
Um, so you don’t have to give this to me…
The bumbling bandit, cautiously holding out his pouch once again.
I looked at him and said.
That’s enough. Please take it and buy some rice for the starving people in the village.
I immediately turned my gaze to Yeom Gwi-bi and Hyeol-tu.
Moreover, the price they offered for not killing those half-baked bandits was simply to have me accompany them. ‘What on earth are they up to…’ I couldn’t figure out what they were thinking at all. ‘Are they perverts who get pleasure from killing me after making me their comrade?’ Somehow, that seems plausible.
Is the Black Way really the Black Way for nothing?
Common sense or not, since I live according to my instincts, isn’t that the path of darkness?
Moreover, those two are the kings of the bunch of idiots.
He was likely to have perverted tendencies.
Just as I trembled with anxiety, a clear voice was heard.
“Confucius! I think we’re about to leave now!”
Yeom Gwi-bi shouting at me as if she had been part of my party from the start.
I mounted my horse, shaking off the throbbing thoughts. It was only the third time I had seen Chief Strategist Zhuge Xiaoming this close since joining the Murim Alliance.
Furthermore, the previous two times, it was situated between the ends of the tables, so I didn’t even dare to think about approaching it.
Although I sat before such a fearsome person, I could not stop the questions from bursting out. [Is it… discipline?]
A message to go as an envoy of the Black Alliance.
Ak Byeong-bi forgot that the person sitting in front of him was Zhuge Xiaoming of the Mantong Bureau and asked a question that he considered rude.
Srrk.
Zhuge Xiaoming, who was drinking tea, moves his wrinkled eyelids and stares at Ak Byeong-bi.
Suddenly, Ak Byeong-bi shivered, feeling as if he had been pierced right through. [Why do you think that?]
As these were the words of someone sitting at a dizzying height who moves the world, the question carried a different weight, even though it was a simple one.
Ak Byeong-bi swallowed hard at the fear he had never felt in his life.
Since I had already asked the question first, I couldn’t take it back.
I barely managed to squeeze out a voice to answer. [It is because the mission of an alliance with the Black Alliance is certain to fail… no, the probability of failure seems high.] [Hmm… .]
Zhuge Xiaoming closed his eyes for a moment and savored the aroma of the tea.
Finally, he slowly raised his head. [I know. That it will fail.]
Even though he hasn’t raised his energy at all, an indescribable sense of immense pressure emanates from Jegal Somyeong.
For the safety of the world depended on every single word he spoke. [And Meng will not judge you as a foregone conclusion.]
There was no way any conspiracy could be hidden in Zhuge Xiaoming’s words.
He is a ruthless person who does not side with any faction within the alliance.
Because he was cruelly cold even to his own family.
Even so, he could not understand why he, a member of the Inspection Bureau, had to go to the Black Alliance.
As Ak Byeong-bi’s eyes still wavered in confusion, Jeon Gal So-myeong added, “[Hmm… Consider that a punishment. Regardless of the outcome, the fact is that you provoked Jin So-un and privatized the power of the Inspection Pavilion.]”
Gulp.
It seemed as though Zhuge Xiaoming’s two eyes had become daggers, piercing Ak Byeong-bi’s entire body.
As expected, Zhuge Xiaoming knew everything. [Although I have appointed you as the head of the delegation, there isn’t much for you to do. Try negotiating moderately, and if it doesn’t work out, just return.]
But isn’t the matter too serious to just let it slide?
When harboring such thoughts.
Jegal So-myeong continued. [However, from the moment you leave the Murim Alliance, if Jin So-un suggests anything, you must follow his lead. That is precisely why I chose you.] [… … .]
Ak Byeong-bi squeezed his eyes shut as he recalled his private meeting with Jeon Gal-somyeong. ‘What on earth is the Commander-in-Chief thinking?’ The result of acting according to the Commander-in-Chief’s orders and Jin So-un’s intentions was a bloody battle and the joining of a mysterious woman.
I cannot understand Zhuge Xiaoming’s intentions at all.
If they wanted a scarecrow leader, there would have been many other candidates.
It wasn’t necessarily just me who held a grudge against Jin So-woon; there must have been others who were favorable toward him… ‘Could it be… that he was hiding his intentions in this as well?’ In Jin So-woon’s mind, wasn’t the order to obey unconditionally a command to judge what kind of ulterior motives he held?
And if you look into his true intentions, you will be able to tell if he is a spy for the Dark Sect who has infiltrated with a hidden agenda.
Come to think of it, it was a simple thing.
The reason why personnel from the Inspection Bureau, who were at odds with the Black Sect, were included in the delegation.
“In the end, isn’t this a special order to find the spy?” “I see!” Ak Byeong-bi turned his head and looked at Jin So-un.
The way he acts as if nothing is wrong, despite the bigwigs of the Black Island being right next to him.
Could such a natural appearance emerge without having shared joys and sorrows with the Black Sect since childhood?
Moreover, it seemed that Hyeoltu knew the sword technique Jin So-un used when they fought a fierce battle.
Even just looking at these clues, it is extremely suspicious.
Sensing the suspicious gaze, Jin So-un points at the woman and speaks.
“Director, do you happen to like this person?”
Oh my?
Ak Byeong-bi could not hide his bewildered expression.
What are you talking about?
Jin So-un shrugs his shoulders and answers.
Since you keep looking this way, if I may offer some advice, I would tell you to give up. He is a very scary person.
“Th-th-that! Damn it!”
Ak Byeong-bi grinds his teeth, but Jin So-un and the woman seem completely unconcerned.
The woman, on the contrary, wraps her arms around herself and even acts coquettishly.
“Confucius! What do you mean by that! The girl is very frail and delicate…….”
Jin So-un also fights back without backing down.
What kind of ridiculous joke is that?
“Oh my! Did I get caught?”
“Look at that! How dare the elite of the renowned White Dao Sect joke around with the Black Dao? I will surely strip you of your mask on this journey!” As Ak Byeong-bi was grinding his teeth, a bodyguard approached him and handed him a water jug.
what?”
No, I mean, your face is flushed, so you look like you’re hot.
“no!”
“Ah, yes… … .”#-What on earth are you thinking?
At first, he readily answered Akbyeongbi’s question.
We can’t just let people die, can we?
“This delegation is the Murim Alliance! The Black Dao must not be involved!”
And soon I realized that they weren’t asking out of genuine curiosity, but because they wanted to torment me.
Come to think of it, you seemed to know the true nature of the bloody battle as well. How do you know?
So, you were a spy for the Black Sect after all?
Why aren’t you answering?
So you were a spy for the Black Sect after all, right? Right?
Ah, I’m going crazy.
If someone doesn’t answer, you should assume there’s a reason. Why are you constantly pressing for an answer that won’t even come out?
I snapped my head and looked at the Evil Spirit Monument.
“If you are unhappy about them following you like that, speak to them directly!”
Because it was quite a loud voice, the attention of Yeom Gwi-bi and the bloody battle is drawn to this side.
“……!”
Akbyeongbi glared at me as if to kill me, then immediately urged his horse forward.
Just then, Dang Seo-hui trots over to my side.
Are those two the axis of evil? If we kill them, will justice be established in the martial arts world?
Haa… What’s wrong with you again?
I asked Dang Seo-hee.
“Absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely! Do not lay a hand on those two first. Absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely!”
I don’t know about the bloody battle, but Yeom Gwi-bi has very poor compatibility with Dang Seo-hui.
Yeom Gwi-bi’s fire energy, which accumulates and utilizes Yang energy through the Yin-Yang Great Method, is different from the general Yang family martial arts.
Because it absorbs only the hottest energy of men, the firepower itself is stronger than existing Yang energy martial arts, and the energy circulating within is so powerful that it can completely burn away even strong poisons.
It is truly the enemy party itself.
The bloody battle… needs no introduction.
Since you must have already achieved immunity to all poisons.
“Why am I unable to perform acts of chivalry?”
Dang Seo-hee puffs out her cheeks with a blank expression.
Let’s go to an inn and find a suitable punk.
I guess I just need to find someone who can serve as a chopstick target, right?
Coincidentally, Empress Yeom’s appearance was good enough to attract fools.
After throwing chopsticks a few times and delivering a few lines, you will get bored with this work.
Aren’t kids just like that?
Of course, it is a bit strange that he is two years older than me, though.
At this point, I can’t tell at all if I’ve joined a delegation or if I’ve taken a picnic with unruly kids of different age groups.
It is a relief that at least Il-myeong is a somewhat normal person in the midst of all this.
“I should be grateful just that he isn’t blindly revealing his guard against Hyeoldu and Yeom Gwi-bi.” “But where did this guy go?” Seeing that the bald man who usually followed Akbyeongbi around was nowhere to be seen, I looked around and saw a glint of sunlight reflecting off him from behind.
He was riding his horse next to the bloody battle with Yeom Gwi-bi. ‘What are you doing?’ He sharpened his hearing and focused on what they were saying.
Therefore, the Buddha renounced all worldly wealth and glory, sat under the Bodhi tree, and began to meditate. Afterward… ….”
What are you doing? Proselytizing in the midst of this? And against a big shot of the Dark Sect at that?
As I looked at him, Il-myeong, whose eyes met mine, smiled as brightly as his shining hair.
“Ah! Master Jin. We were just having a pleasant conversation. Would you like to join us? I hear from the Disciple Ilgak that you lack faith, don’t you?”
It was so absurd that Yeom Gwi-bi and Hyeol-tu were staring at Il-myeong like a madman.
Wow, to get those looks from those crazy people… … Is the greatest prodigy in Shaolin really different?
ha…….
They say that if you keep sighing, your luck will drop.
At this rate, I’ll lose even the little bit of luck I have left.
