2
5
9.
I just thought that the stupid guy was hastening his own demise.
It was the ones furthest ahead who sensed something strange.
Thump—as the sashes were torn and the fronts of the clothes were exposed, and the cold wind chilled their chests, everyone involuntarily bowed their heads.
And I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Hmph!”
A distance close to five chapters.
I still needed a few more steps to reach Baek Haegwang, but my chest was already completely exposed.
“…….”
If that were all, I would not have stopped.
However, he had no choice but to stop as those running beside him and those running behind him all showed the exact same reaction.
“What is this…….”
The sash of the person behind, obscured by the person in front, was cut off.
And without a single scratch.
Just what level of mastery is required to make such a sword technique possible?
Martial arts before surprise
Those walking the path could not help but marvel at the phenomenon itself.
However, on the battlefield, even a moment of carelessness can threaten one’s life.
Baek Haegwang was once again taking a sword-drawing stance, and the Asura sect members were at a loss for what to do.
“Huh?!”
Unable to approach or run away, Baek Haegwang swung his sword.
ping
Once again, the sound of a piercing air echoes throughout the area.
The disciples of the Shura Gate felt goosebumps at the piercing sound ringing in their ears, and at the same time, felt their right arms becoming lighter.
Tutter-tuck—one hundred wrist armors falling to the floor at the same time.
Chak.
Baek Haegwang, having sheathed his sword, asked in the same calm tone as before.
“Will you continue?”
Baek Haegwang’s calm question.
The Sura sect members stared blankly at Mt. Juyeong, having lost their will to fight.
Those gazes resembled the eyes of a frightened puppy searching for its owner.#“Hmph…….”
Wang Geum-san could not close his gaping mouth.
His state of mind was no different from that of the Shura Sect members who had just received Baek Haegwang’s sword.
“What the….”
With just two swings of the sword, the sash is severed and the sturdy wrist guards fall limply to the floor.
It is hard to believe that the laws of nature are correct.
And wouldn’t he have seen gentlemen who are masters of martial arts?
Continental Four
With the financial power of a great merchant, one can do many things beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.
He invited renowned martial arts masters to watch demonstrations, and there were also those who sought him out first to build a friendship and showcased their lifelong achievements.
However, even among such renowned figures, there was no one capable of creating a harmony like Baek Haegwang’s.
“Did you know, Taesan?”
Turning my head to look at Jin Taesan, I saw that he, too, was so surprised that he had his mouth wide open and was dumbfounded.
“Mo, didn’t you know?”
“How could I have known?”
“And yet you made him step forward on his own?”
“I was planning to mobilize people just in case something happened.”
As Jin Tae-san pointed to one side, the ronin inside the Daecheon Merchant Guild were also staring at Baek Hae-gwang’s spirit with faces just as dazed as theirs.
“They say the number of hidden hermits in the world is greater than the warriors of the Jianghu. There is not a single false word in old sayings.”
Jin Taesan replied to Wang Geumsan’s despondent words with a blank expression.
“Even so, isn’t that level beyond common sense?”
“I don’t know much about my martial arts, but it certainly doesn’t seem to be at the level of human power.”
“I know a little about martial arts, but even to me, it is not of the human world.”
As a shadow fell across Jin Taesan’s face, Wang Geumsan tilted his head.
“But why the long face? The one who should be worried right now isn’t you, it’s me…”
Wang Geum-san regretted having said things like “the matter has gotten out of hand” in front of Baek Hae-gwang.
In that short amount of time, I even calculated that I should bring a huge amount of sponsorship money to the new sect that was being established.
On the other hand, Jin Taesan showed loyalty to Baek Haegwang.
He showed unwavering composure despite the surrounding pressure.
Moreover, didn’t he promise to establish a sect for us, even if it meant emptying his entire fortune?
“Still, aren’t you too strong? Too much for the mere Taeeulmun to handle…”
“What kind of foolish things is this person saying…….”
Wang Geum-san, a merchant, could immediately calculate how huge a benefit it was to build a friendship with an absolute master for the cost of establishing a martial arts sect.
“Don’t you realize that you and your sect, rooted in the martial arts world, cannot escape the logic of power? There are plenty of people in the world willing to bring you a golden carriage if it meant forging a relationship with someone like that.”
“Y-I suppose so. But where did such a master just appear from at that age?”
Wang Geum-san also shook his head in puzzlement.
“I know, right. I looked into it too, but I couldn’t figure out where on earth that person had been.”
Of course, I did find a few people with similar names during the investigation, but I couldn’t imagine that any of them were the same person as Baek Haegwang. ‘Moreover, there was even the Sword Demon…’ Looking back now, it was a huge relief that I hadn’t mentioned that he was suspected of being the Sword Demon, who was bloodthirsty and went around committing indiscriminate slaughter within a massive sect.
Leaving aside the fact that Baek Haegwang must have been displeased, I couldn’t leave a lingering sense of unease on Jin Taesan, who was desperately trying to clear up the misunderstanding that he was acquainted with the Black Path.
A short while later, Baek Haegwang, having sorted out the situation, approached where the two were.
Lord Danju.
Strength naturally surged through Wang Geum-san and Jin Tae-san’s bodies.
“Yes, yup!”
“D-did you call?”
Baek Haegwang tilted his head for a moment at the unexpected use of honorifics.
“I don’t know why you’re acting like this all of a sudden…… Anyway, this bastard…… No, Yono…… Ha, well. This isn’t easy.”
Baek Haegwang, frowning for a moment, cleared his throat.
“Ahem, anyway, I hear this gentleman has something to say.”
Where Baek Haegwang had quietly stepped back, Ju Yeongsan was trembling violently with a pale complexion.
He bent over with a creaking sound.
“S-sorry, I’m sorry…… *Cough*!”
Baek Haegwang tapped Ju Yeongsan’s thigh with his sword scabbard.
“Aren’t you doing it properly?”
“Hiccup!”
Ju Yeong-san, trembling as if struck by lightning, knelt on the floor and bowed his head.
“I, I, I apologize. I apologize for everything that has happened.”
“What is that…….”
Ju Yeong-san was trembling in fear even more than Jin Tae-san and Wang Geum-san.
He is the leader of a fairly prominent sect that has taken over Baekpalbong, and a master who has made a name for himself in his own way.
It was difficult to understand why he looked so terrified.
Swoosh
Joo Young-san, with a pale face, slightly raised his head to gauge Baek Hae-gwang’s reaction.
It was evident that he wanted to run away from this place right away.
As Baek Haegwang gestured with his chin, Ju Yeongsan prostrated himself again.
“Um, we at the Shura Sect will… completely give up on expanding into the merchant caravan…!”
“yes?”
Jin Taesan was actually taken aback by the sudden declaration, but Ju Yeongsan continued speaking without lifting his bowed head.
“From now on, ha, the Shura Sect advancing into Hefei is, I, absolutely! Never…
There probably isn’t… … .”
After saying that, Ju Yeong-san gently raises his head and looks at Baek Hae-gwang.
A gaze riddled with fear, utterly harmless.
Baek Haegwang, who had been looking at him, waved his hand as if annoyed.
That’s enough. You can go now.
“Yes, four!”
however.
“Oh right! Wait a minute!”
Baek Haegwang grabs the back of Ju Yeongsan’s neck again as he runs away.
“Yes?!”
Looking down at Ju Yeong-san’s eyes, which were even more terrified, Baek Hae-gwang quietly asked.
“I heard you’re close with the Shaolin Temple?”
That, that.
The way he rolled his eyes, he looked like he didn’t know how to answer.
As Baek Haegwang turned his head to the side, a popping sound echoed all around.
Are you going to go and tell them?
“Are you going to go and tell them?”
Soon, Baek Haegwang presses his sword firmly against Ju Yeongsan’s cheek.
It looked just like a scene of back alley thugs stealing money from children.
After teasing him for quite a while, he suddenly seized the mood and scowled intensely.
“I don’t mind if you go and tell them…”
“Yes, yup! *Hiccup*! Th-that’s right?”
I cannot take responsibility for what happens next.
“……
What do you mean by “what comes after”?
Baek Haegwang grinned as he watched the Sura Sect Leader trembling like a baby rabbit.
I’ll leave that to your imagination.
At Baek Haegwang’s straightforward words, only Ju Yeongsan shivered as if he had imagined something.
“Go ahead and see for yourself.”
yes.”
Ju Yeong-san ran out in panic.
Ju Yeong-san fleeing without delay, urging his disciples on.
Baek Haegwang, who had been watching until their figures disappeared, finally turned his head and clenched his fist.
Since you successfully persuaded them through conversation, there shouldn’t be any major issues anymore.
“……?”
“……??”
Baek Haegwang’s polite attitude.
However, the gazes of Jin Taesan and Wang Geumsan were infinitely intertwined.
Anyway, since no blood flowed, can this also be called persuasion?
Jin Taesan had the illusion that his son’s face was superimposed on Baek Haegwang’s. “M-Master! Should I inform the Shaolin Temple?”
The Asura Sect members rushing madly, as if to blow away the forest.
Ju Yeong-san, who was fleeing at the very front, nodded vigorously at the question from the leader of the Hogwondan.
“Of course! It’s not just the Shaolin Temple. Send the secret scrolls to every sect in Hefei and the entire Anhui region!”
“Ah, understood! I will request reinforcements immediately…….”
“You stupid idiot!!”
Ju Yeong-san, who had been running as if his horsehair was on fire, came to a sudden stop.
The leader of the Hogwondan and his disciples, who were following him, also hurriedly stopped in their tracks.
“Why, why are you doing this, Sect Leader?”
“Do you truly wish to see the pillars of the Shura Gate uprooted?”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
Ju Yeong-san trembled violently, as if the scene from earlier had come to mind.
“He is a master of a different caliber. It is practically the same as having such a being as a guest of the Daecheon Merchant Group… no, the Taeeul Sect and the Wang Family Manor.”
“Th-then, you mean to send a secret letter…?”
I mean that we need to find out about his existence.
“If that man were to settle into the Taeeul Sect permanently…”
Gulp.
The leader of the Hogwon Clan, who was listening to the story, swallowed hard.
“The power dynamics in the Hefei area… no, the entire Anhui Province will be completely overturned.”
Is, is it that bad?
Ju Yeong-san shook his head, his face still pale.
“I have faced countless masters throughout my life. No, if you count what I have seen while racing through the martial arts world… you certainly cannot say my insight is narrow.”
All the eyes of the Suramundo were fixed on Juyeongsan’s mouth.
“But I have never seen anyone as skilled as him in my entire life.”
It is not merely important to develop the sect and expand its influence. The survival of countless sects, including the Shura Sect, depends on it.
At Ju Yeong-san’s earnest story, the Asura Sect members forgot even to breathe. “Hahahaha! Great Hero Baek! In my entire life, I have never seen such a satisfying scene!”
You are too kind.
“Please forgive me if I have slipped up in my speech and offended you, Great Hero. It is all because I was worried about the safety of my sworn brother and future in-law.”
At Wang Geum-san’s words, where he emphasized the words ‘blood brothers’ and ‘in-laws’ particularly strongly, Baek Hae-gwang shook his head as if he didn’t care.
“No. Anyone would naturally be wary if a strange person approached someone precious to them. I am not concerned.”
At Baek Haegwang’s thoughtful words, a broad smile bloomed on Wang Geumsan’s face.
“To think you are so boisterous and magnanimous. Your character is as magnificent as your skill! Hahaha!”
While Wang Geum-san was clinging to Baek Hae-gwang and exchanging the Wang family’s precious wine, Jin Tae-san was having a conversation with Nie So-jeong.
Is there anything bothering you?
“No, not at all. I am perfectly comfortable right now, and it is more than I deserve.”
The annex is too small for the three of you to live in. I will look for a site for the clan as soon as possible.
“As I mentioned last time, it seems like it would be too much of a burden…”
As Seop So-jeong looked flustered, Jin Tae-san shook his head with a warm smile.
“I don’t know if you are aware, but you are practically my son’s teacher. My son even sent me a letter asking me to treat him like a mentor, so this is exactly what I ought to do.”
Wang Geum-san, who was laughing heartily while clinking glasses with Baek Hae-gwang, also joined in.
“Of course! My son-in-law is not such a rude fellow as to pretend not to know his master!”
“Lord Wang…”
bang
Finally, Wang Geum-san put the wine glass down on the table.
“No, this isn’t just a matter of doing this. I should be sponsoring it too! Isn’t this the sect established by the master of So-un, who is my sworn brother’s son—my nephew, and also my future son-in-law? Of course, I should lend a hand!”
Oh, no. It’s fine.
As even Baek Haegwang was flustered, Wang Geumsan took another step closer.
Instead of doing this, why don’t you move your residence first? There are many empty houses in Wangjiazhuang.
I am already being treated with sufficient consideration. Anything more than this would be burdensome.
Wang Geum-san smacked his lips at the polite refusal.
However, being a shrewd merchant, he naturally changed the subject.
“But, Great Hero Baek, how on earth did you master such amazing martial arts?”
“Ah, did I perhaps cause a disturbance…?”
Baek Haegwang hurriedly waved his hand.
“Oh, no. I was actually supposed to tell you anyway.”
Did you perhaps live in seclusion in a deep mountain valley?
“That wasn’t it…….”
Baek Haegwang, who had been watching Seop Sojeong’s reaction, spoke as if he had made up his mind when his wife nodded.
Actually, I have a past.
“The past?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to, but…… I was once a member of the Dark Sect.”
“No, is that even possible?”
If it is the Black Path, it is the Black Path; if it is the White Path, it is the White Path. What else could it mean to have unwillingly joined the Black Path?
As if recalling the past, Baek Haegwang’s face gradually darkened.
It was because I acted as I pleased back when I was full of youthful vigor.
“Aha! So you were resisting the coercion of the stuffy Murim Alliance!”
You could say that.
Wang Geum-san spoke with even greater delight.
“In that case, what fault could that be? Looking at the way the Murim Alliance is run, I am not pleased at all, either. Just look at the Shura Sect; could those guys have pressured their opponents solely with their own skills?”
As Wang Geum-san said that, Baek Hae-gwang’s face, which had been filled with sorrow, began to brighten little by little.
“Don’t worry. The past is the past; isn’t what matters how you live in the present?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
Come on, cast away your past in this cup, and have a drink.
Wang Geum-san refilled his glass and asked subtly.
“Then, regardless of the circumstances, it means you lived a life in the martial arts world…… Did you have a nickname?”
“Well, it’s really not something to brag about…….”
Wang Geum-san, who had become quite drunk before anyone realized it, lightly patted Baek Hae-gwang on the shoulder.
“Hahaha. What is there to be ashamed of for a true man to bring up his past shameful secrets! I, too, was once famous as the Young Master of Gold, hahahaha!”
“I-Is that so? Indeed, compared to Master Jang, my title is utterly wretched.”
Wang Geum-san became even more delighted when the word ‘Master’ came out of Baek Hae-gwang’s mouth for the first time.
With such a master of such immense skill, and feeling as if the gap between us was gradually disappearing, I felt like bringing out every single drink available today.
“So, what were you active under? Judging by your skills, I don’t think you would have just used any random nickname…”
Baek Haegwang scratched his head as if embarrassed.
It’s nothing special.
Then, after downing the glass in one gulp, he wiped the droplets of alcohol from his lips and spat them out.
“Sword Demon.”
“huh?”
Pitter-patter.
The precious wine that had been filling Baek Haegwang’s cup once again filled the glass and overflowed.
“Huh?”
Wang Geum-san suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly put down the liquor bottle, making a fuss.
“Ah, oh dear, I’m sorry. I think I just heard something… Um, I mean, that, the nickname…”
“Ah, yes. I used to be called the Demon Lord. It is a shameful past.”
Wang Geum-san’s neck moved awkwardly like a doll.
Then, when his gaze, which had turned with a clicking sound, looked at Jin Taesan.
Jin Taesan’s eyes were also shaking more violently than ever before.
