Episode 68. Who Am I Talking to Right Now?

“I’m going to explain the operation now, so clean up and sit down.”

The main hall, which had been a complete mess, fell silent in an instant. After clearing away the dining tables and tidying the surroundings, one officer brought the tactical map that Chief Byeok had used.

I waited calmly until the officers were ready to listen.

Once the tidying was finished, So Gunpyeong spoke.

“Bangju-nim, please speak.”

I pointed to the large sheet of paper that Chief Byeok had used.

“Spread that out on the table.”

The white paper was laid across the table, and an officer seated at the end extended a brush moistened with ink. After taking the brush, I stood up, looked at the white paper, and placed a single dot.

“Heukmyo Bang.”

I wrote the character for water (水) at a height of about one hand-span above it.

“Master Su.”

Between Heukmyo Bang and Master Su, I roughly drew a triangular cone in the shape of a mountain (山).

The pointed tip precisely indicated the characters for “Master Su,” and the base was where Heukmyo Bang was positioned.

“The Merciless Charge Formation.”

Hong Sin asked.

“Is this a surprise attack?”

I nodded.

“It’s a surprise attack. Personnel will be limited to those who can perform qinggong without resting even once from here until we reach Master Su. So Gunpyeong.”

“Yes.”

“You understand the plan, right?”

So Gunpyeong asked as if to confirm.

“In one breath, using qinggong all the way to Unuhoe. Those who fall behind don’t need to participate in the surprise attack at all, is that correct?”

“Precisely. But that’s not all. You have to follow the details too. This is not simply a qinggong competition to follow me. I’ll depart together with the officers. I’ll run in the lead, but I won’t bother checking whether you’re keeping up. Naturally, gaps will form depending on each person’s qinggong skill. It doesn’t matter. As soon as you arrive, cross the walls of Unuhoe and keep moving. Straight to Master Su’s residence without exception.”

So Gunpyeong’s eyes widened.

“We keep running even after arriving at Unuhoe?”

I nodded.

“You all keep running until you find Master Su too. I am the spearhead, the apex, and the awl. You follow behind me, cut down whoever blocks the way or throw hidden weapons to deal with them, and then keep moving. Ignore those who flee. Only kill those who block the front and charge, charge, charge…… Until I meet Master Su, just follow me and charge unconditionally.”

I checked the expressions of my subordinates.

“You all understand the plan now, right?”

“Yes.”

“Everyone except the slow ones departs.”

“When do we depart?”

I answered Cha Seongtae’s question.

“Now.”

At the word “now,” everyone sprang to their feet.

Even Yu Sacheong, who had been listening together, stood up while reading the room.

I said to Yu Sacheong,

“Prisoners are excluded.”

“Yes.”

“Seongtae, you keep watch over the prisoners.”

“Yes?”

Dokgo Saeng passed by, patting Cha Seongtae’s shoulder.

“Chief, good luck.”

The Four Divine Generals were also now casual with Cha Seongtae.

“Chief Cha, good luck.”

“Put in the work.”

“Keep a good watch.”

“Damn, you’re finally earning your keep.”

So Gunpyeong spoke in an urgent tone.

“Bangju-nim, we don’t have time to explain to the subordinates……”

“There’s no time for that. Just tell them to follow. Those who are late can think of it as qinggong training, and Master Su is enough with just me and all of you.”

Last night, the Muak Gate Master and Lady Cheolseom had deserted, and the force whose morale had already been dampened was Unuhoe. Of course, even before that, the vice leader had died by the axe I wielded. Naturally, it wasn’t the Iryong Nogun but the weakened Unuhoe that needed to be trampled first.

I stopped briefly at the main gate and looked back at the officers.

“I’m curious what order you’ll arrive in too. Think of it as a ranking battle and run. Let’s go.”

At the words “let’s go,” Dokgo Saeng kicked the main gate and shot out like a gale.

So Gunpyeong glared at Dokgo Saeng.

“That crazy bastard……”

I said to the officers and martial siblings,

“Why are you taking it easy? Depart. I’m faster than you all anyway.”

“Huh?”

“Ah……”

The quick-witted Hong Sin, perhaps mindful of the qinggong ranking, shot out after Dokgo Saeng, while Baek In, Cheong Jin, and Baek Yu departed simultaneously. Only then did the other officers, including So Gunpyeong, startle and begin performing qinggong.

I walked three or four steps before belatedly performing qinggong.

As I ran faster, I soon caught up to the officers of Heukmyo Bang, including So Gunpyeong.

I passed So Gunpyeong and said,

“Gunpyeong, faster.”

Without answering, So Gunpyeong focused on his qinggong.

Cheong Jin and Baek Yu were running side by side up ahead. As I overtook them, I saw Baek In. After leaving Baek In behind and looking forward again, Hong Sin and Dokgo Saeng were competing for the lead.

I went behind the two and spoke as if whispering.

“I’ve already caught up.”

Hong Sin suddenly let out a shriek, and her speed increased even more as she surged into the lead.

Running side by side with Dokgo Saeng, I let out a chuckle.

“Dokgo Saeng, not bad?”

Dokgo Saeng let out an incomprehensible, strange shriek. I left Dokgo Saeng behind—who was squealing like a slaughtered pig—and pursued Hong Sin.

I caught up to Hong Sin and said,

“Martial Sister Hong, are you in a hurry to use the restroom? You’re pretty fast.”

Hong Sin seemed to have no spare energy to reply. However, perhaps she truly possessed an innate talent, as she maintained quite a fast speed.

Though having deep internal energy doesn’t necessarily make you fast.

Hong Sin seemed to have deep internal energy and a talent for running.

But I was someone with even deeper internal energy than Hong Sin, and running suited my constitution.

Recalling the experts of the Kwaedang for the first time in a while, I increased my speed and overtook Hong Sin.

“Martial Sister Hong, you’re the fastest. Maintain this speed. If you run like that, the others won’t be able to catch up.”

Hong Sin replied briefly.

“Yes.”

Leaving Hong Sin behind, I ran while thinking this.

Perhaps Hong Sin could join the Kwaedang. At her current level it would be difficult, but if she kept building her internal energy and trained even more ruthlessly in the future, she seemed to have more than enough talent to catch the eyes of the Kwaedang experts.

Though the distance between me and my subordinates was widening, I deliberately did not slow down.

I ran with the mindset that I was simply storming in alone.

Even if Master Su had sent scouts near the Black Cat Gang, I was moving faster than those scouts, so there was no way he could properly stop this kind of surprise attack.

As I ran, I imagined what Master Su might be doing.

He would have plenty to do.

First, since he would be anxious, he would have begun moving his assets out.

He would have urgently asked the experts he knew for help.

If Master Su had gone to Old Lord Iryong, I intended to burn the Cloud Rain Society down entirely while I was at it. Whether Master Su was at the Cloud Rain Society or not, I ran with the thought that I would destroy the Cloud Rain Society today.

A moment later, as soon as I saw the walls of the Cloud Rain Society, I soared high into the air.

Now my subordinates were nowhere to be seen, and Master Su’s men came into view.

Had I leapt too high?

While I was descending after crossing the wall, some of those who spotted me merely let out sounds like “Huh?” and stood there blankly.

When I kicked off the ground and started running again, only then did I hear the shout, “It’s the enemy!”

But it seemed they did not know that this enemy was the man who had danced like a madman under the moonlit night.

As the rear grew noisy, the men on guard began chasing after me.

I passed near the pond, ran beside the incinerator, and entered by smashing the main building’s front doors apart with a flying kick.

Perhaps because the main building was mostly used for performances, there was no one inside.

In one breath, I leapt over the audience seats, stepped once onto the stage, and entered the passage in the back. Only then did the riffraff’s attacks begin to come at me from time to time in the corridor.

But since I was still running, I let any attacks that weren’t threatening slide past, and only kicked or used acupoint-striking techniques on the ones who blocked me head-on as I moved. I passed through the corridor, climbed the stairs, and advanced while slapping the cheeks of the bastards who suddenly popped out. Then, in front of the room guarded by escorts, I drew Black Cat Fang.

To the guards’ commonplace shouts, I replied like this.

“It’s me. The madman of the moonlit night……”

Just as the startled guards hurriedly reached for the blades at their waists.

I poured out blade qi horizontally, then kicked the great door.

With a bang, the heads of the guards severed by the blade qi rolled off their bodies. As I advanced into the room, I greeted him without preamble.

“Master Su, it’s me. Did you sleep well last night?”

It was a truly spacious room, with a large bed placed at the far end. Master Su, who had only just put on his pants, was scrambling toward the sword on the table.

There were other people there, but in my eyes, only Master Su existed.

I closed the distance in an instant with tremendous speed and swung Black Cat Fang. Master Su, who had barely managed to grab his sword, blocked my blade and only then looked at my face.

“……!”

For a moment, the two of us clashed blades fiercely without saying a word. I swung Black Cat Fang with my mouth shut. Master Su, not even properly dressed, resisted by swinging his sword with ferocity.

I stared into Master Su’s eyes as I swung my blade, then poured out palm force with my left hand, swung Black Cat Fang and unleashed blade qi in succession, then used Finger Wind and the Flame Realm Great Hand Seal. After knocking away Master Su’s sword, I used the Great Art of Star Absorption and seized Master Su by the throat in an instant.

“Ghk.”

I met Master Su’s eyes.

“Master Su?”

At the same time, I drove Black Cat Fang into Master Su’s abdomen and shoved him all the way to the wall. With another deep stab, Black Cat Fang pierced through Master Su’s abdomen and lodged in the wall.

I grabbed Master Su by the chin and examined his face this way and that.

“So this is what you look like?”

Only then did I pull out Black Cat Fang.

Spurt!

Master Su slumped down with his back against the wall.

After shaking Master Su’s blood off, I sheathed Black Cat Fang.

I tidied my disheveled hair once, then looked around. Only then did I see the young women on the large bed, covering their naked bodies with the blanket. Both wore dazed expressions.

I crouched down and looked at Master Su again.

It seemed Master Su was trying to say something, so I asked.

“What? I can’t hear you.”

“You son of a……”

“Son of a? You want your last words in life to end with that kind of curse? Pathetic bastard. Why didn’t you come surrender? Did I tell you or not that you wouldn’t have another chance to live? Learn to trust other people’s words once in a while. Don’t always insist only you’re right. What the hell are you doing in broad daylight? Master Su?”

“…….”

It seemed he had stopped breathing.

I spoke to the women who were still staring blankly at me.

“Who am I talking to right now? I was talking to a corpse.”

The women answered.

“Spare us……”

I replied before the women could even finish speaking.

“Yeah, of course. I should spare you.”

Only then did my subordinates appear in front of the door. Blood was dripping from all the weapons they held.

My martial brothers stared in shock at Master Su, who was already dead. It seemed absurd to them that their master’s longtime rival had died so futilely.

Dokgo Saeng, who appeared belatedly, looked inside and asked.

“Is it over?”

I said to my subordinates.

“Go down and clean things up. Tell them Master Su is dead. Don’t kill the ones who kneel. Kill every last one who keeps attacking.”

“Yes, sir.”

The officers who had gathered together went back down as a group.

I also went back down the stairs to finish things up. As I descended slowly, the shouting, the clash of weapons, and the screams were gradually diminishing.

When I stepped out in front of the main building, quite a few people were kneeling.

Although the situation had already been settled like this, many of the Black Cat Gang’s men had still not arrived. Some were appearing one by one at the front gate of the Cloud Rain Society, panting heavily.

I looked at the subordinates coming in while panting, then said to So Gunpyeong.

“Looks like we’ll have to train them even more harshly. How are we supposed to fight a strong force like this?”

So Gunpyeong nodded and replied.

“I’ll make the training harsher.”

I slowly looked over the kneeling bastards and my own men. They were all looking at me.

“……I slept last night, ate a hearty breakfast, and even drank in broad daylight while waiting, but Master Su didn’t surrender, so I came to kill him myself. Anyone who still hasn’t come to their senses and attacks will be sent to your master’s side. Cooperate with my men’s instructions as much as possible. The Cloud Rain Society is finished now.”

Since my subordinates seemed to be expecting me to say something else, I had no choice but to add one more remark.

“But there’s no way I’ll be finished. Do I look like I’m going to fall?”

“…….”

The reaction was not particularly good.