Chapter 49. Today’s Ordeal

The carriage Geumhae was riding in had been blocked off by the Black Cat Gang’s subordinates using their own carriages.

Amid the chaos of people trying to calm startled horses and others shouting, some bastard was slapping the cheek of my subordinate, who was disguised as a coachman.

What enraged me now was not that my subordinate had been slapped.

It was because the coachman was originally a member of Haomun.

That was why, to my eyes, it did not look like a subordinate of the Black Cat Gang being beaten, but an ordinary coachman being slapped.

Without slowing my lightness skill in the slightest, I sprang into the air.

A flying kick was an attack technique the average boy could use from the age of seven or eight, and a move one could easily perform until the age of eighty.

No wonder it was called the representative martial art of useless men.

Naturally, I, the very representative of useless bastards, could also use a flying kick.

First, while airborne, extend the right foot straight out.

The left foot should be slightly folded, like a counterweight maintaining balance in midair.

It is best to stretch the right arm out so that it runs parallel to the right foot.

The left hand should be loosely clenched and drawn back like a bowstring, as though preparing for a counterattack.

As long as you take that posture, it is a perfect flying kick that even the instructors of the Murim Alliance would have nothing to criticize.

With a thud, the man who had been slapping the coachman’s cheek went flying far away, and in an instant, I drew everyone’s attention.

Geumhae was wearing a mask, so I could not see his expression, but in any case, he was looking at me.

“What is a stinking servant like you doing here?”

“A stinking servant… That much is true. But I cannot tolerate being mocked for smelling when I washed before coming here.”

Geumhae retorted.

“What kind of bullshit is that? Do you think I’ll let this slide just because you’re Senior Brother’s servant?”

At that moment, the fellow who had been sent flying by my flying kick, which had not contained any internal energy, approached.

“Young Master, I will deal with him.”

I had my arms crossed, but then I moved at tremendous speed toward the approaching swordsman and unleashed a side kick. The swordsman had barely drawn his sword halfway before he was struck by the side kick and sent flying again, rolling across the ground.

This time, perhaps he had fainted, for he lay there quietly on his stomach.

I had not infused internal energy into the flying kick, but I had put internal energy into the side kick.

That was the difference.

If I go easy on someone and he still doesn’t know his place, I have no choice but to hit him seriously.

Geumhae briefly scratched the flesh of his cheek that protruded outside his mask. He seemed to have grasped my skill and was pondering something.

“I suppose I shall have to take issue with Senior Brother over your conduct.”

Then Geumhae sensed the strange atmosphere and carefully examined the faces and mood of the coachmen around him before speaking.

“So you deliberately staged this. Surely you know that I am Master Great Rakshasa’s disciple and, at the same time, affiliated with the Geumsan Merchant Guild (金山商團). If you are Senior Brother Myo’s subordinates, then the entire Black Cat Gang will have to endure Master’s wrath. And if you did this after receiving money from someone, our guild will find out. I have an appointment today, so consider yourselves fortunate that I am withdrawing at this much, and get out of my sight.”

Geumhae pointed at me with his finger.

“And you. You don’t seem to be a servant. In any case, if I spend money, finding out your identity will be no trouble at all.”

Geumhae was seeing me as a spy who had infiltrated the Black Cat Gang from outside. When one is clever, it seems one considers all sorts of variables.

I nodded as I approached Geumhae.

“Find out if you want.”

“Don’t come closer. You stink.”

I drew right up in front of Geumhae and said,

“I said I washed, but you’re asking for a beating. Surround him widely so he can’t run.”

My subordinates retreated to a distance and took positions at every road.

Meanwhile, Geumhae and I engaged in a staring contest.

If Geumhae’s martial strength moved between seventh and eighth place, that meant he ranked somewhere in the middle among the Twelve Divine Generals.

Geumhae stared at me, then swiftly thrust out his right palm.

I immediately thrust out my left palm as well.

With a sharp crack, we began contending in palm force.

The two of us explosively raised our internal energy at the same time and poured out waves of qi. In an instant, Geumhae’s loose robes swelled up as though wind had been blown into them.

The reason Geumhae drove this fight into a contest of palm force was that he was the son of a merchant guild.

What I mean by that is…

Since he was originally the child of a wealthy household with lots of money, he had more confidence in a contest of internal energy than in a messy fight.

Of course, it was a blunder he chose because he did not know my identity.

The problem was that, in a state neither Geumhae nor I had anticipated…

Cheonok’s absorption phenomenon occurred.

Was it because the center of his palm and the center of my palm had connected exactly?

In an instant, Geumhae’s internal energy was sucked in through my palm.

Startled out of his wits, Geumhae swung his left palm, so I had no choice but to meet it with my right palm.

Crack!

The speed at which his internal energy was being sucked in became even faster.

The ground beneath both our feet sank from the aftershock.

As two rather powerful palm forces locked together, mixed, and were then absorbed, Geumhae, so shocked he looked ready to faint, had no choice but to use all his strength.

Geumhae’s entire body trembled, and then, with a crack, the golden pig mask split apart.

Only then did I see Geumhae’s expression.

On the face of a man who had never suffered a hardship in his life, sweat was pouring down like rain. He barely managed to open his mouth.

“Let… let go!”

At that point, I realized Cheonok’s selfish nature.

It was truly mercilessly sucking in the opponent’s internal energy.

Even so, if I rashly stopped this, there was a chance I would suffer internal injuries from Geumhae’s palm force, which was still pressing in.

Because of that, I also sharpened my focus.

If I did not cut this off properly at some point, Geumhae’s life would be cut off as well. Since I had set out to deal with all of the Twelve Divine Generals, Geumhae dying was not, in itself, a terribly serious matter.

However, I did not want this bastard’s vengeful spirit or soul clinging to Cheonok.

If that happened, I would be no different from the leader of the Demonic Cult.

I was someone who wanted to survive in my own way, not someone who wanted to become a monster like the Cult Leader.

Fortunately, when a certain amount of Geumhae’s internal energy had been absorbed into Cheonok,

the power of the palm force Geumhae was pouring out weakened noticeably.

Without much strain, I cut off Cheonok’s absorption phenomenon myself. Then Geumhae, staggering backward, fell flat on his backside.

Thud…

I lightly scratched the back of my head for a moment.

‘I came to take his money, but ended up taking his internal energy.’

Geumhae looked at me as though he had lost the world.

“What the hell did you do?”

Would this bastard even know that I had spared him out of the generosity of my heart?

I wonder if there’s another wandering hero like me in the world.

I said to Geumhae.

“You attacked first. I merely blocked. Had my martial arts not been so bizarre and pushed you back, you would have died right here. I’m sure you know better than anyone that I deliberately halted the palm force contest. Shall I absorb your remaining internal energy as well?”

I crouched down and met his eyes.

Geumhae looked at my face with a vacant expression.

“…….”

I commanded my subordinates.

“Check inside the carriage. Since we’ve robbed him anyway, might as well take it all.”

Geumhae spoke.

“Stop. There’s also something meant for Baekyu Shinjang. Can you handle that?”

“For Baekyu Shinjang?”

Was Geumhae threatening me, or had he slipped up?

I replied while listening to my subordinates’ reports.

“Bring me that small box.”

A subordinate ran over carrying a small box and opened it without even being told to.

Inside were four roots of the hundred-year white salt herb, identical to the ones I had consumed.

I said with a surprised expression.

“This is bad for business. Three roots for Heukmyo, four roots on the sly for Baekyu. You staged a martial gambling match to completely ruin Heukmyo while you’re at it. That’s your scheme, isn’t it?”

Geumhae smirked and replied.

“You have proof?”

I struck Geumhae’s cheek as I spoke.

“I don’t, you bastard. What do you all think?”

My subordinates replied to my question.

“Isn’t this match-fixing? It’s not as if the ranking battle is decided by martial arts. To think there was a middleman pulling these kinds of tricks. No matter how dark our path is, this is an utterly despicable act.”

The subordinate had hit the nail on the head.

I glared at Geumhae and spoke.

“I was only trying to steal some money. If I report this as it stands, the Heukmyo Leader will be enraged, and Daenachal will be enraged as well. Chaos will erupt starting with the Geumsan Sangdan. If the Heukmyo Leader learns of this and mobilizes all his subordinates to strike Geumsan, I suspect Daenachal would sit back and watch. Why do I say that?”

A clever subordinate replied.

“Wouldn’t he stay still as long as he gets half of the Geumsan Sangdan’s wealth?”

Geumhae feared the damage to his main family, the Geumsan Sangdan, more than the humiliation he suffered today.

His face had gone pale.

Since Geumhae didn’t seem to know how to threaten properly, I demonstrated it for him personally.

“Should I inform on you to the Heukmyo faction? Or should I inform on you to Daenachal? You choose. Personally, I don’t think either is a bad option. What do you all think?”

Subordinates replied from here and there.

“We like that too.”

“Sounds good, I suppose.”

“What if you told both places?”

I shook my head.

“That’d be no fun. I’m doing this to live an interesting life; that would spoil the fun. Geumhae Shinjang, it’s time to choose. Which will it be?”

I spoke while pretending to beat a small drum with my hand.

“Dugudugudugudu, hurry up and choose.”

Geumhae continued with a restless expression.

“If you held a grudge against me, you would have killed me by now. In the end, humiliating me like this must be about my family’s wealth, not revenge. Let’s not do that. Let’s be honest about what we both want. If you don’t inform my master, I’ll bring you plenty of money.”

Before I could answer, a deep voice came from beyond the path.

“Martial Brother, I’m here.”

The men’s gazes shifted in unison.

Hongsin was walking over with a tired look, and in her hand hung someone’s mask. Hongsin didn’t look completely unharmed either. Parts of her forearms and the hem of her clothes were stained with blood.

Geumhae also looked at Hongsin with a surprised expression.

“Why are you here?”

Hongsin looked at Geumhae and replied.

“You got caught too?”

Hongsin held out the bloodstained Noksul Mask to me.

“The ambush failed, but I stuck close and settled the ranking. He went to the afterlife. Won’t you give this pitiful Martial Sister the antidote? I keep urgently needing the latrine, so I can’t fight properly. Please show mercy. The watery stools keep…….”

I replied while standing up.

“Martial Sister Hong, good work. A promise is a promise.”

Geumhae looked at me again and asked.

“Just who the hell are you?”

When I put on a deliberately displeased expression, Hongsin—her under-eyes darkened from diarrhea—struck Geumhae’s cheek.

“What kind of way is that to speak to our Martial Brother?”

I looked at Hongsin and nodded.

“Well done, Martial Sister.”

“Thank you.”

I looked around and gave my final orders.

“Good. Load the box back onto Geumhae’s carriage. Sort out the rest and head back. Take that unconscious guy over there and release him later. Martial Sister Hong, I have somewhere to go with Geumhae, so let’s part ways here.”

I tapped Geumhae’s backside with my foot and said.

“Call your coachman over. There’s somewhere the three of us need to go.”

When Geumhae tried to open his mouth again, I looked at Hongsin.

Then Hongsin silently raised her hand.

“Gold Pig, don’t dare talk back to Martial Brother.”

Despite having stood up without saying a word, Geumhae was slapped by Hongsin again.

Smack!

I looked back and forth between Geumhae and Hongsin.

Was Geumhae unable to move against Hongsin to begin with? Or was he enduring it because his internal energy had been stolen?

Either way, Hongsin was taking out on Geumhae what she had suffered at my hands.

I mediated the two thoughtless ones with a calm voice.

“What good is it for martial siblings to lay hands on each other so often?”

Geumhae looked at me with his hand on his cheek, and Hongsin slightly lowered her head.

“I will be careful.”

The three of us boarded the carriage. Hongsin and Geumhae sat side by side, while I sat across from them.

The coachman asked.

“Where shall I take you?”

I replied in a grave tone.

“Martial Sister Hong was cut by a blade, and Martial Brother Geumhae has sustained internal injuries. Naturally, we must see a physician.”

“To which physician should I go?”

“There must be a physician your young master frequently summons.”

“Ah, I shall take you there.”

I extended my hand to Hongsin. She then placed the Noksul Mask onto my palm. Had Hongsin reached the stage where she could read my intentions from just a look? We were perfectly in sync.

As I deliberately put on the Noksul Mask slowly……

Hong Sin also slowly cupped his fist to me and said,

“Greetings, Senior Brother Nok.”

Geumhae’s eyes, watching from the side, trembled violently.

“……!”

Still holding his fist-cupping salute, Hong Sin suddenly scowled and glared at Geumhae. Expecting that he would be slapped again at this rate, Geumhae squirmed in an awkward posture before cupping his fist to me.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Nok.”

I responded with a cold expression and an imposing tone.

“At ease.”

“Yes.”

“……Yes.”