chap 453

"Hey, you damned dogs!"

A cold wind sliced through the air, or maybe it was the sheer force of my shout, thunderous enough to be mistaken for a cold wind.

More likely the latter.

Ssssssh.

Dozens of people scrambling for silver coins froze, and a hushed silence fell over the once bustling street.

Then, with a steely edge, I broke the stillness.

"I'll count to three."

"…?"

"One."

"…!"

They say even the dimmest dog learns to recite a poem after three years in a village school or, under relentless pressure, memorize the classics.

Thus, Hyuk Mu-Jin, hardened by a year under my violent rule, was quickest to act.

"Regroup!"

A chorus of affirmatives followed, and Hyuk Mu-Jin skidded to a stop before me with precision.

Barely a moment later, realizing the gravity of the situation, Goong Gi-Bang employed his Qinggong and joined us nearly as swiftly, while Cheong Pung was...

"Pancake! Give me the pancake quickly! My Savior is angry!"

That son of a bitch is worried about pancakes even now.

After he had wrapped up some snacks, I called out gently to the swiftly approaching Cheong Pung.

"Take it easy. I'm not angry."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm not angry. I'm fucking pissed."

"Ah, ah…"

My gaze shifted between the uneasy Cheong Pung and the other two, who were awkwardly avoiding my eyes.

'When will these kids ever act like ordinary people?'

All the effort it took just to get them here, and they're flinging martial arts over a handful of coins as if it's nothing.

Especially that Goong Gi-Bang, sneakily pilfering coins from another's grasp. At this rate, he's no mere beggar — he's a damned thief.

'Fuck my life…'

Despite all my efforts to boost employee welfare, this is the thanks I get.

Gazing up at the clear sky, I spat into my palm.

"Hyuk Mu-Jin. Forehead."

"Yes?"

Hyuk Mu-Jin looked up, perplexed.

"Just me?"

"Yes. Just you first."

"What about Young Master Goong?"

"He's a beggar to the bone. Honestly, I can't really fault a beggar for picking up coins."

"A wise and accurate judgment indeed."

As Goong Gi-Bang, previously tense, chimed in with grave sincerity, Hyuk Mu-Jin couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"No, what makes that so? You're always angry when I call you a beggar."

"Me? That's nonsense. I'm a beggar from head to toe. I was born a beggar and I'll die a beggar."

"…You really are a beggar."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Goong Gi-Bang, you beggar."

"Ah, such sweet words."

Amidst their banter, Hyuk Mu-Jin shot Goong Gi-Bang a look that could kill, then redirected the conversation.

"What about Young Master Cheong?"

"Cheong Pung is Cheong Pung."

Ever since he descended from Mount Hua, Cheong Pung has always been this way.

At that cryptic remark, Hyuk Mu-Jin muttered, a hint of resignation in his voice.

"It's unfair, but I accept it..."

"There are many eyes watching. Let's finish this quickly."

"How many hits?"

"Tell me. How many hits do you think it'll take for you to reflect?"

"How about one?"

"Three."

"Damn it, okay."

"You swore, so make it five."

"…Just hit me ten times then. Let's get this over with."

"I'll give you bonus points for your resolve. So let's try again. How many hits?"

"One hit!"

At those words, Hyuk Mu-Jin enthusiastically thrust his forehead forward, ready to receive the strike.

"Stop right there."

"…?"

As I turned, lowering my hand, silence fell like a heavy cloak across the middle of the road.

Ten men and women perched on a palanquin surveyed the scene with a blend of displeasure and curiosity.

Among them, one young man stood out, his garb as lavish as his apparent wealth.

He was the source of the interruption.

"I've stopped. Now tell me why you wanted me to?"

At my question, the young man's eyes widened, his disbelief morphing into amusement as he chuckled.

"It seems you don't know who this Young Master is."

"Do I need to know that?"

"Who are you, you arrogant bastard?"

It wasn't the young man who responded. I watched as another figure catapulted from the palanquin, flipping through the air in a dramatic display.

'What fuckery is this now?'

Shush, crash!

The man, his eyes sharp as a sparrow's, landed gracefully after executing three somersaults and unsheathed his sword with a fierce glare.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd as they witnessed his ostentatious performance.

"It seems you are a wandering martial artist, but causing a ruckus in broad daylight is not enough, you dare to insult a noble!"

"You've studded it with many jewels. Is that for distraction?"

I gazed at the jewels adorning his sword, dozens of them shining brightly under the sunlight.

"What?"

"They're blinding. Put it away."

Clang!

His eyes bulged in shock.

With a simple flick of my wrist, his sword flew from his hand, plunging deep into the earth.

"Where do you get off waving your sword around in broad daylight like this, you damned bastard?"

'He's lost his mind.'

Could he be considered First-Rate?

Though his skills were polished, his flair for the dramatic knew no bounds.

"Th-this bastard...!"

"And you're the ones making all the noise, not me. I'm just quieting things down. So why don't you just go on your way, okay?"

I meant every word.

This wasn't my home. I was merely passing through. Spraying insecticide on the bugs swarming around me seemed pointless when I was about to leave.

Better to just wave them off and continue on.

But no matter how clearly I tried to explain, some people just couldn't grasp it.

Clank, clank clank!

Dozens of sword blades shimmered around us. Warriors clad in blue silk, members of the Blue Heroes Gang, encircled us, their confidence bolstered by their numbers. A smug smile spread across the face of the sparrow-eyed man.

"You seem to be a skilled wanderer. Yet even now, you should kneel and beg for forgiveness. Who knows, maybe the Young Master might mercifully pardon you."

I glanced past the sparrow-eyed man. At the forefront stood a young man, presumably their leader, surrounded by others whose eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Their stares reminded me of onlookers gawking at monkeys at a zoo.

"Well, it doesn't look like he plans to."

"What?"

"Of course, I don't plan to either. And from what I've experienced so far, this has been the most effective remedy. Don't you think?"

As I casually raised my fist, the Bermuda Triangle responded with enthusiasm.

"Exactly. You have to be beaten like a dog on the first day of the lunar new year to come to your senses."

"I was the first to receive that special remedy. Cured me right up."

"Savior, can I go buy some dumplings while you do this?"

"No. Stay here. This will be over soon."

Thud.

"Wait, just a moment!"

As I stepped forward, a spark of urgency flashed in the sparrow-eyed man's eyes.

A third-rate thug might blindly rush in, not knowing the true strength of their opponent, but this man was a martial artist of some skill.

Clearly, he understood that neither the ornamental warriors of the Blue Heroes Gang nor he himself were a match for me.

"W-we are from the Blue Heroes Gang!"

"So?"

"What, have you not heard of the Blue Heroes Gang's mighty reputation?"

"Yeah, I've been a bit hard of hearing lately."

Thud.

"Stop! I said stop!"

"Ahem."

The tension wasn't isolated to the sparrow-eyed man.

As he surveyed the escalating scene with a grimace, a member of the Jaegal family coughed discreetly and intervened.

"I will explain the situation, so it might be best if you stop now..."

Bam! Thud!

"Excuse me? What did you just say?"

"..."

The Jaegal family member, shifting his gaze between me, poised with clenched fists, and the sparrow-eyed man, now sprawled unconscious with a crushed nose, spoke with hesitation.

"It would be best to stop..."

"Yes?"

"There might be some complications..."

"Yes?"

"It's better to avoid unnecessary conflicts..."

"What?"

"…Never mind."

"Great."

I wiped my blood-stained fist on my shirt hem and surveyed the scene.

Goong Gi-Bang was grumbling, having predicted this outcome, while Hyuk Mu-Jin's face lit up, his life seemingly prolonged by these events.

And Cheong Pung...

"Hey! Where are you going!"

"Ah, Savior!"

Was he really sneaking off to buy dumplings right now?

Witnessing Cheong Pung's silent retreat, I began to question his very nature.

'I will definitely catch that bastard.'

With determined strides, I advanced, and the ornamental warriors encircling us gulped, parting to clear a path.

Yet, they weren't the only members of the Blue Heroes Gang present.

"Ha ha! Isn't this entertaining? Don't you all think so?"

At the young man's chuckle, the four bearers of the palanquin responded in unison.

"Yes, my lord."

"We cannot let such an amusing man go so easily. I am unharmed, so go quickly and bring him back."

"Yes, sir!"

A cry filled with vigor erupted as the bearers of the palanquin set it down and surged towards me like a gust of wind.

As they transformed from humble palanquin bearers to exceptional martial artists, they advanced from all sides with swift coordination.

Whooosh!

The Qi behind each thrust interwove seamlessly.

Bam, bam, bam, bam!

With exactly four hits, four bodies were thrown down, continuing at the speed they charged with.

And they did not rise again.

"What the hell? Damn it."

"…!"

"…!"

"…!"

The street fell into an eerie silence.

I nudged the unconscious bearers with my foot and shrugged at the young man, whose smirk had morphed into a quiver.

"Isn't this entertaining? Don't you all think so?"

The Jaegal family member pressed a hand to his forehead while Goong Gi-Bang and Hyuk Mu-Jin nodded stiffly.

"This is the most fun I've had in my thirty years of a beggar's life."

"Squad Leader, my belly button has popped out from laughing. I can't find it anywhere."

"We cannot let such an amusing man go so easily. So... grab that guy by the scruff of his neck and bring him here."

"Yes, sir!"

"Ugh. Let's just get this over with."

Hyuk Mu-Jin, eager to avoid any harm, showed more zeal than anyone, while Goong Gi-Bang, though grumbling, stepped up.

The mood had completely shifted from the start.

As their esteemed guards fell, the shouts of the men and women from the Blue Heroes Gang grew loud and desperate.

"No, no! Do you know who I am?"

"A scoundrel of this world! How dare you defy the laws of a great nation!"

"If you lay a hand on me, do you think my family will just sit still?"

I had aimed to apprehend just one, but they appeared inseparably linked, each following the other.

To the one who had yelled first, I posed a simple question.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Young Leader of the Great Bamboo Mountain Escort Agency..."

"Oh, the Great Bamboo Mountain Escort Agency?"

"You know of us then!"

"No, I don't, you damn fool. Get down before I throw you off this palanquin."

To me, regional fame like that in Hubei Province meant little. If I hadn't heard of you, you were nobody important.

I continued with calm clarity.

"If you get down now, I'll only smash the palanquin. If you don't, I'll smash both the palanquin and your legs. What will it be?"

The Young Leader of the Great Bamboo Mountain Escort Agency glared but made his decision.

"I'll get down."

"You should have done that in the first place. But why are you glaring like that?"

"I'm sorry. If I don't, I feel like I might start crying..."

Fair enough.

With one resolved, I turned to address a woman who was shouting indignantly.

"Which family are you from?"

"Hmph! Even if you're a thug, you must have heard of the Punishing Sword Family!" [Note: the romanized version of this family name, 형문검가, is Hyeongmun geomga. "Geomga" translates to sword family, but "hyeongmun" was a bit harder to track down, as these words typically mean older brother and door/gate. However, hyeongmun is an ancient form of interrogative torture, where interrogators would beat the shins of their suspects with bats.]

"I haven't. Stop the nonsense and get down."

"…!"

"Next, who are you?"

"I-I am from Echoing Star Trading Company..."

"Echoing Star or whatever, if you don't want to get beaten until you shit yourself, you better get down too."

"Yes."

As two or three began to descend from the palanquin, the others followed suit, stepping down silently.

All except for one.

"So, who are you?"

The smile had vanished from the young man's face, replaced by a chilling stare.

"You have crossed a line you shouldn't have."

"Seems like you've crossed the line of your life too. So, who are you?"

"Heh, what an experience this is."

The young man, chuckling scornfully, declared with authority.

"I am Lord Zhu Won-Gong, a noble with the blood of a dragon and eighth cousin of His Majesty the Great Emperor! If you would like to apologize for your sins, kneel now!"

"Okay, Mr. Dragon. Get down."

"...!"