I suppose I must kill Mukyeon after all.
The moment I made up my mind, I immediately set off.
It didn't take long to realize. As soon as I stepped outside, I felt gazes from all directions.
I was currently standing right in the middle of the Murim Alliance.
I had drawn attention even at the county where restoration was underway, so how much more would it be here, where the crowd was relatively larger?
Gazes pierced me from all directions.
I could feel not just martial artists, but even ordinary people staring at me.
Was it just staring? My qi sense could even pick up their whispers.
[The Sage King...?]
[What? The Sage King? Where?]
[Look over there. That young man.]
[Where are you looking at... Gasp!]
A man flinched as he saw me.
[A fierce face that looks like he'd kill you just for looking, paired with black martial robes... That's exactly as I heard.]
“...”
The way they recognized me was a bit weird, but it seemed they had indeed recognized me.
‘Damn.’
As if that man wasn't the only one, everyone else was staring at me too.
‘How did it come to this?’
I had expected my fame to rise, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.
To think they would recognize me just by my physical description.
‘Tsk.’
Feeling this, I channeled strength into my toes.
Hwaruk—!!
Flames blossomed as my body ascended.
Just like before, I leapt away before anyone could approach.
“Whoa!”
“Ah!”
Perhaps they were actually trying to approach; disappointed exclamations erupted as I leapt up.
Hearing that, an ominous premonition arose.
“...This is going to be...”
For some reason, I felt like things were going to get very troublesome from now on.
In many, many ways.
****************
Wuuung.
I briefly checked my body's condition.
Qi circulated through all my acupoints and swiftly returned to my heart.
Afterwards, I frowned as I assessed the information the qi had brought back.
‘I'm fucked.’
The state of my body was an absolute wreck.
Hwarureuk—!!
First, I burned away the turbid qi from my fingertips. I couldn't find all of it, but it was a simple enough remedy.
Throb—! The ensuing pain made me involuntarily furrow my brow.
“Huu.”
My body screamed in agony just from circulating this much qi. At this rate, it seemed I'd have to put a halt to training in Tuah Pacheonmu for a while.
I had been using it constantly except when sleeping, but with my body in this state, that would be impossible.
‘Judging by my regeneration speed... two months at the earliest, perhaps.’
It hurt right now, but objectively speaking, it would fully heal in two months.
In the past, I would have rested for over half a year, but my current body didn't require that.
Of course.
‘That two months is assuming I don't engage in any combat or training.’
Two months was only if I strictly rested; otherwise, it would take around four months.
Even so, it was fine.
‘I'll reduce this to one month.’
Since I possessed a way to heal this body quickly, I just had to endure for the time being.
The pain was immense, but it was nothing I couldn't endure.
Thud—! I used my inner qi to land softly on the ground, and someone immediately approached as if they had been waiting.
“I greet the Sage King.”
It was a man dressed in yellow martial robes.
A martial artist of the Hwangbo Clan. Seeing him, I gave a nod.
“I've come to see the Hwangbo Clan Head.”
“I was informed. The Clan Head is expecting you.”
After walking through the residence following his guidance, I soon stood before the bedroom where Maenghogugwon... no, where the Tiger King (Howang) was resting.
I could see a large man lying on the bed inside.
A middle-aged man wrapped in bandages. The Hwangbo Clan Head, Hwangbo Yeolwi.
“Clan Head. The Sage King has come to see you.”
“I see. Let him inside.”
With permission granted, I stepped into the bedroom. Seeing this, Howang raised a hand and spoke to the martial artist.
“You may leave us now.”
“But...”
“It's fine.”
The martial artist seemed concerned for the safety of the injured Hwangbo Yeolwi, but he couldn't defy his Clan Head's orders.
Eventually, the martial artist left.
Whooosh——!!
Instantly, inner qi erupted from Hwangbo Yeolwi's body.
The dense qi spread out, enveloping the room. It was a qi barrier for soundproofing.
A perfectly laid qi barrier.
After confirming it was fully in place, Hwangbo Yeolwi, who had been lying down, suddenly sprang up.
His massive frame moved swiftly as he changed his posture.
He knelt and faced me.
“I greet the Cult Leader.”
Howang bowing respectfully. Looking at him, I gave a slight nod.
This old man amazed me every time I saw him.
‘He seems to have a talent for acting.’
He had looked like he was on death's door just a moment ago, but now there wasn't a single trace of that.
Of course, considering that him lying down for treatment was a lie to begin with, it made sense.
“So, have you been well?”
“They have been the best of days. All thanks to you, Cult Leader.”
“There's no need to sweet-talk me to that extent.”
“Not at all. How could I...”
“Enough. I have something to ask you.”
“I will listen closely.”
“About last time. How did you do that?”
Coughing up blood and flying back without even being hit.
Then trembling violently before losing consciousness. Just how did he pull that off?
To my curious question, Howang replied,
“I stimulated my acupoints to artificially induce hemoptysis... and simultaneously detonated a bit of my inner qi to send my body flying.”
“I understand up to that point. I mean the trembling and how you handled things after.”
“Pardon?”
Hearing the question, Howang seemed briefly taken aback before speaking to me with a peculiar expression.
“I thought it would seem a bit more natural that way.”
“...”
An answer that somehow felt entirely expected.
Hearing that, I slightly furrowed my brow.
‘...What a talent.’
This old man had talent.
Could that really be done so easily?
It was a literal talent.
To think the Hwangbo Clan Head would be a hidden genius of acting.
I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
“Umm, right... Good job.”
“Thank you.”
“Anyway, that's enough about that.”
It passed off well, so it was fine. Now it was time to get to the main point.
“Did you receive the message?”
“If you mean the one from the Murim Alliance... Yes. I received it.”
Just as I expected. Like me, Howang had also received a summons to attend the Alliance.
However, since Howang's current setting was that he was in critical condition, it seemed he couldn't show himself at the Alliance.
‘Hmm.’
It wouldn't be a problem if Howang went there. If we needed to align our stories, we would have done so long ago anyway.
What I was curious about here was,
‘Would they also mention the position of Pavilion Lord to Howang?’
Would the Murim Alliance spout the condition they offered me to someone else?
I was a bit curious about that.
‘Probably not.’
It was just a guess, but I was ninety percent certain.
They needed the Sage King. They wouldn't make such an offer to the Hwangbo Clan Head.
He was a Clan Head, to begin with. Plus, the Hwangbo Clan was currently at a crucial juncture.
‘I heard debates have already started over whether they'll rise to become one of the Four Great Clans.’
With the Tang Clan stepping down, they were now called the Three Great Clans.
On top of that, the incident with the Snake King had erupted, shaking even this status.
But in the midst of this, the Hwangbo Clan had made massive contributions during the attack incident.
Seeing their actions, talks were piling up that they were more than qualified to rise to the Four Great Clans.
‘Not bad.’
This was exactly the situation I wanted.
Given this situation, it would be an overplay for the Hwangbo Clan to side with the Alliance.
The Murim Alliance knew this as well, so they wouldn't make unnecessary demands.
“Hwangbo Clan Head.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
“There are a few things I need you to do after the assembly.”
“I shall obey.”
Howang agreed to do it before I even asked. Seeing that, I let out a chuckle.
How could he say he'd do it right away without even knowing what I was going to ask?
Was it because he had reached the King tier, or because he now had hope of rising to the Four Great Clans?
Howang's gaze toward me seemed more intense than before.
“It's nothing major. I'll organize it and send it to you later.”
What I was going to ask of him was this:
“You know the merchant guilds that used to sponsor the Murim Alliance but turned their backs on them.”
“Yes.”
“I'll send you the list of those guilds. Approach them separately for me.”
Howang's eyes widened slightly at my words.
Approaching the merchant guilds that had fallen away from the Alliance. Howang seemed to vaguely understand what that meant.
“By approach, you mean...?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
The quality of the prey dropped, so the big fish fell away one by one.
Originally, the ones gathered in one place would scatter to find other feeding grounds.
But I had no intention of just sitting back and watching that happen.
“Tell them there's something that will whet their appetite. Tell them to hear us out before they go joining hands with someone else.”
Before the prey vanished and they scattered.
If an even more delicious-looking piece of bait was placed nearby, the big fish would naturally swarm to it.
I needed to hook the big fish first.
Only then could I buy time until I cast the net.
Yes, a net.
A net to ensure the gathered big fish could never escape again.
I planned to use the Hwangbo Clan to create that.
With this in mind, I conversed a bit more with the Hwangbo Clan Head before stepping outside.
We needed to discuss the details further, but for this part, I would have to bring Cheol Jiseon along later.
Just as I was about to head to my next destination.
“Whoa!”
I turned my gaze at the sound of someone's surprise.
There, I saw a familiar face.
“Oh, long time no see?”
“...”
The bulky figure froze up the moment he saw me.
A young man with a rugged look resembling his father. A direct descendant of the Hwangbo Clan. This was Young Master Hwangbo Cheolwi.
“I just said hello. Aren't you going to greet me?”
“L-Long... long time no see.”
His stiff, frozen posture was quite comical.
Looking at Hwangbo Cheolwi, I said,
“I was going to ask if you were doing well, but seeing your condition, it seems you are. You must have trained hard?”
His cultivation realm had risen significantly compared to before. By the looks of it, he had broken through the wall of the Peak realm.
Was he only First-rate when I last saw him?
A few years had passed since then; reaching the Peak realm already meant he had decent talent.
‘It only feels slow because I'm surrounded by insane monsters. This is actually the normal pace.’
Reaching the Transcendent Realm before even turning thirty. Reaching the Transcendent Realm right at the age of twenty.
Those were utterly absurd feats to begin with.
Even reaching Perfected Peak would have people calling you a madman.
By that standard, Hwangbo Cheolwi reaching the Peak at his age meant he possessed considerable talent.
“...Thank you.”
Hwangbo Cheolwi smiled awkwardly at the praise.
It seemed he found it a bit absurd to hear those words from me.
Honestly, if I were him, hearing that from me would feel pretty shitty too.
A guy younger than himself, recently hailed as a King, telling him he must have worked hard to raise his realm—if it were me, I probably would have wanted to kill him too.
‘I'm being serious, though.’
But it meant little if I was the only one who was serious.
Knowing that, I just gave his shoulder a few light pats.
“Keep working hard from now on.”
As I did, I leaned in slightly and whispered into his ear.
“That way... you can surpass your older brother and become the Clan Head, right?”
“...!”
Hwangbo Cheolwi trembled at my words. I patted his shoulder a couple more times.
Then.
“I apologize, but you are standing too close to the Young Master.”
A hand reached out to block me.
Wondering who it was, I looked at the owner of the hand.
“Ah.”
Seeing who it was, I let out a low sigh.
The one who blocked me was none other than Hwangbo Seon.
The one known as Mukgwon (Silent Fist) in my past life.
“Y-You bastard! What do you think you're doing!”
Hwangbo Seon was the one who blocked me, yet Hwangbo Cheolwi was the one who freaked out and yanked him back.
However, Hwangbo Seon didn't budge.
Looking at him, I asked with a peculiar gaze.
“Are you... acting as this guy's guard?”
“Yes, sir. I am Hwangbo Seon, the guard of this Young Master.”
I wondered what he'd been up to, and it turns out he was working as Hwangbo Cheolwi's guard.
‘It's certainly much better than before.’
He was one of the elites who ran wild in my past life. His talent was several times greater than Hwangbo Cheolwi's.
As if to prove it, Hwangbo Seon's cultivation realm was actually higher than Hwangbo Cheolwi's, unlike in the past.
Seeing this, I asked Hwangbo Cheolwi.
“I'm sure it was decided that the cadet branch would be given the same opportunities as the main family. Wasn't that the case?”
“...It is.”
“Then what is this?”
Why was Hwangbo Seon acting as a mere guard for you? When I asked this, the answer came from Hwangbo Seon himself.
“I volunteered for it.”
“You did?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why?”
“I don't see any reason why I must tell you that.”
“Haah...”
Hwangbo Cheolwi's face turned deathly pale at Hwangbo Seon's attitude.
He seemed worried about how I would react.
However.
“...”
Looking at Hwangbo Seon, I didn't show any particular reaction.
Should I have gotten angry? Unfortunately, I didn't feel like it.
Rather...
-None of you can approach the Pavilion Lord.
I merely stiffened for a moment at the resurging memory.
-As long as I stand here, you will not take a single step closer.
-Come.
-I am the Black Flame Division's Mukgwon, Hwangbo Seon.
The face of that crippled bastard, taking sword needles all over his body, came to mind.
I had screamed at him to just get out of the way, but that damn bastard refused to budge until the very end.
“...”
That time faintly brushed past my mind, leaving me blank for a moment before I forced a smile.
“Do you know who I am?”
“I do.”
At those words, I narrowed my eyes slightly.
“Because it would be ridiculous for anyone in Henan Province not to know you nowadays.”
The following words naturally weren't the answer I was expecting.
“But you're acting like this? Did you know how I would react? Can you beat me?”
“I cannot.”
It was a confident answer.
“However, as long as there is someone I must protect, such things don't matter.”
At his words filled with conviction, the corners of my mouth dropped.
A few years ago, he was so cowardly that I doubted he was truly Mukgwon, but seeing this, it seemed he was indeed.
“Right. But you know...”
I said as I slightly moved my hand.
“...Kuh!?”
As my hand moved, Hwangbo Seon reacted, but it wasn't enough to block it.
My swiftly moving hand bypassed Hwangbo Seon entirely and came to a stop right against Hwangbo Cheolwi's throat.
If I hadn't stopped, it would have been a motion that instantly killed Hwangbo Cheolwi.
Hwangbo Seon's eyes widened considerably at the sight. Looking into his eyes, I spoke.
“It's best to know your place before stepping up. Otherwise, you won't even be able to protect what you want to protect.”
The intent is good, but you should size up your opponent first.
That way,
‘You can at least keep your own life.’
I swallowed that final intention deep down.
Perhaps feeling a sense of powerlessness, Hwangbo Seon's expression darkened rapidly.
Confirming that, I retracted my hand.
“I'm leaving.”
“...Haa... huu... Y-Yes, sir.”
Ignoring the startled Hwangbo Cheolwi, I walked away without any lingering attachment and took a short leap.
I clicked my tongue as I brushed away the heaviness in my chest.
Was I bothered because Hwangbo Seon stood before me declaring he would protect someone else?
‘Disgusting.’
Even feeling this kind of emotion was disgusting.
It was a good thing, actually.
It was definitely meant to be.
-Pavilion Lord.
-I'm sorry.
-If we ever meet again... I will... be a little... more...
Yet, at the resurging thought, I had to stretch out my stiff neck.
Next time, my ass. What do you mean see again?
‘Just live your life as is.’
Don't get pointlessly consumed by revenge; just live protecting what's right in front of you.
I'll handle my own business, so you just stay where you are.
I repeated that to myself a few times, pushing the memory away.
“...Mm.”
I felt a slight craving for alcohol for the first time in years.
How long has it been? Just how long had it been since I last felt a craving for a drink?
I didn't even like alcohol, but strangely enough, I wanted a little drink right now.
However, I probably wouldn't drink.
Wasting time and emotion on something like that was too much of a waste.
My steps had slowed down a bit.
“...Nahi.”
[Yes, Master.]
An immediate answer followed my softly spoken words.
“Tell them.”
What I chose instead of alcohol was always just one thing.
“Tell them all to gather. I have something to say.”
I continued forward without pausing for even a moment.
It was always just that.