Chapter 106 – A Strategic Man
I look at the Baijian Society members lying around me.
“Go and look at those who are still breathing. There must be a few living. Do not let this go.”
Actually, this is a command that Situ Kang should be giving. His soldiers still get up with some surprise.
I sit across from Situ Kang, who is looking at me with a complicated expression. It’s like he’s struggling to say something.
Even if we try to fight, I am clearly stronger. His pride will not let him apologize, and arguing will be difficult since I have helped him.
If I didn’t help them today, the South Horizon Sect would have also suffered.
My conclusion is this.
The South Horizon Sect will be dealt with by Situ Kang, but it is up to me to absorb the loot and remnants of the Baijian Society.
This idiot doesn’t deserve to grow in power.
Situ Kang and I clearly know who is above and who is below. It is quite easy.
Crave, kill, or give…
Looking at Situ Kang, who might faint from exhaustion, I say.
“Situ Kang, I won’t kill you. Let’s make our positions clear and then break apart.”
Situ Kang is shocked, but I don’t care.
He then says.
“My skills aren’t good enough. What can I do?”
“So what if your skills are lacking? What have you done to weaker people in the meantime? From what I’ve heard, you are the kind of person who will make backstreet bastards kneel in front of you. Isn’t that true?”
“There was no such thing. All twisted stories. However, I was certainly never nice to Unorthodox people weaker than me. I’ve never felt the need to.”
“Leader, do you know who I am?”
“I do not know.”
“When your subordinates went and asked various sects to participate in the war, they came to me too and acted rudely. And look at the results today. When you charged earlier, no hired soldier of yours came into the gorge. All of them began to run. You understand? What kind of idiot would want to enter that place and die?”
“…”
“And you ignored my words and went anyway. The corpses of your men who died are all over the gorge, and it is all because of you.”
Situ Kang doesn’t move his face, so I reflexively slap him on the head.
“Look around you, moron. Those who died because of you… look at them and thank them, fucking moron. Say you are sorry.”
All his men turn towards me when I slap him on his head. The act of hitting their leader on the head doesn’t sit right with them, but none of them make a move.
“It is my fault. I cannot see all this, so leave me alone.”
For a moment, I suppress my anger.
At that moment, I think it might be better to just kill this man here. Then his men begin to surround me.
As I glance around, one of his men says something unexpected.
“Leader, we should have pulled our leader back. We apologize for it. Please forgive us.”
Situ Kang is puzzled.
“Chief Jang, what do you mean?”
The man called Jang then explains.
“The messenger under me recognized him as the Low Down Sect leader. He participated in this war as our ally, and I received a report that we shouldn’t treat him harshly as he has a radical personality, but I could not convey this to everyone.”
This, too, is Situ Kang’s mistake.
Since his subordinates are not given the right to speak out openly, even things that should be reported never get to him.
Situ Kang gets up and bows.
“Low Down Sect leader, I apologize. Thanks to your help, I am well aware that I and my subordinates here managed to survive and not get annihilated. From today on, the South Horizon Sect will make sure to run to pay back the grace shown to us by attending whenever you call. I am lacking, but I live by what I say.”
As Situ Kang, who has received a smack in the head, apologizes, the people around us do the same.
“Thank you, leader. We will be there when you call.”
I rub my forehead.
‘Ah, what are these bastards doing changing the situation like this?’
I sigh as I can’t go back to slapping a man who just apologized.
“…”
I don’t want to bow back to these assholes, so I ask Chief Jang.
“Is that messenger still alive?”
The messenger, who is bleeding from the thigh, is a little distance away and raises his hand.
“Leader, I am alive!”
I remember this guy’s face.
“Ah, it was you.”
He was the one who listened to my words during the drinking party. I look at him and nod.
“It is good if you are alive.”
“Yes.”
The heavy atmosphere dissipates as I say good words to the man. Situ Kang then says.
“Leader, can we visit the Low Down sect after tidying up here?”
I look him in the eyes and then say.
“Don’t, because it is unlucky. You take good care of the South Horizon Sect, and I will have my subordinates handle the Baijian society.”
I honestly don’t like this.
“According to my nature, Situ Kang… don’t talk. Realize that I endure your actions because you have brave warriors around. There is no other reason.”
Situ Kang looks down.
“You need to know that the life of an idiot is still there because your men rushed into the gorge to save you. They jumped in despite losing limbs and lives. For you.”
Situ Kang nods.
“I will keep…”
Suddenly I turn my head towards where Head Cheon had appeared earlier.
“…”
Everyone’s gaze follows mine. The surroundings have become too quiet.
Two people are standing at the gorge’s entrance, and I am struck with the absurdity.
The man on the left is holding a fan in his hand. The man on the right is wearing rags like a beggar.
Even though I am a bit shocked, I am happy.
They are the warriors who usually come to play in the gorge.
The problem is that they might feel offended as the place they enjoy is filled with corpses.
I speak to Situ Kang in a calm tone.
“You need to walk away as soon as possible. Quietly, quickly and in an orderly manner. Do not look at them.”
I say this to him, and the man nods. He immediately begins to clear the scene alongside his subordinates.
I feel like he understands what I am saying, but the two men at the canyon’s entrance have disappeared.
Since they are human beings who live their own way, it is difficult to predict their actions. With so many corpses here, they could have just gone to play elsewhere or…
Now that the South Horizon Sect is taken care of, I begin to meditate.
The madness inside is different.
Among them, the anger that those two men could have is pure. This is because they are the ones who focus on seeking pleasure but are not idiots who only play.
The speed they have also signifies strength.
However, I am a bit shocked since this is the first time I’ve seen the combination of a beggar and a scholar.
‘Friends?’
The beggar has to be a member of the Beggars Union, and he also looks old. In my previous life, he was called the Slow Man.
It means that he has a dull body, which is why such a title is given because there are people faster than him. Actually, he is the fastest person in the Beggars Union.
Being the fastest there means being the fastest beggar in the world.
The other man is the more questionable one.
It is because I sense a lingering demonic power from him. Perhaps he is a person who doesn’t have the power to control many? Or maybe he is someone more important than that?
Because they use demonic martial arts.
I am not sure which one to hate more, but…
There is a man who escaped from the faction that he was once in to commit to the Murim Alliance, so he could be someone different.
Someone joined the Demonic Sect in the past, but now I see one who jumps out of it.
A man who has moved to a different faction, and now I have met that man here. What is most surprising is that he continues to come to this place despite having a place he belongs.
I’m not sure what he is called now.
But in my past life, I knew him as the Demonic Gentleman.
I am shocked that these two strong people had come here to compete.
I am in deep thought because they are men with such an impressive background and had seen such a mess happen.
‘How do I deal with them?’
If I recruit all the warriors into the Low Down Sect, I will become the leader of a sect with a stronghold.
But that is unlikely because of my selfish and eccentric attitude.
The two men didn’t seem interested in a fight either. They are more interested in their own fights.
It is then that I hear Situ Kang.
“Leader, we are leaving.”
I nod to him.
“You, if you find out anything about the assassin group I told you about, inform the Black Rabbit Union.”
He nods his head.
“I also plan to pursue it, so I will contact you if I find them.”
“Hurry up.”
As I watch him leave, I cross my legs. The subordinates have their own jobs, and the leader has his own.
It doesn’t matter, even if we fail. Trying is more important to me.
In my previous life, I had actually joined the Swift Society, which met in this canyon. This time, however, I want one of them to join the Low Down Sect.
And maybe run with them.
Running isn’t everything in life. I will maybe respect their madness and obsession.
What the world needs now are martial arts. If I can bring these people who have detached themselves from the world to my side…
What might kill hundreds of my men in a future battle might end with just three or four deaths if I have them. This is why getting them is important.
I decide to close my eyes and wait.
After a while, I hear their whispers.
[He hasn’t gone yet?]
[This is difficult. Do we chase him out?]
[Let’s wait longer.]
The Demonic Gentleman and the Slow Man are looking at me. Because I look young, they must think I am some swordsman who fought in this war.
As soon as I confirm that the two are still here.
I get up from my seat and take a deep breath.
I move in a relaxed manner in the middle of the gorge.
“Phew… um… phew…”
I exaggerate my breathing on purpose and sprint to the cliff. I jump loudly on a pile of stones to move up.
Papapak!
Few people know the truth about the Swift Society. They are essentially filled with people mad with footwork.
I jump from the cliff and run quickly across the center.
Anyone who sees me will be sure of my craziness. For them, however…
‘Uh? He is pretty good.’
I climb, jump, move upwards, and run through the place like a madman.
I feel a bit weird.
‘I didn’t even eat anything. What am I doing…’
After a while, I could see the two of them slowly come out, their eyes shining like a cat who found something interesting.
I should also keep an eye on…
“You, little one… you are running?”
I nod my head and say.
“What bastard are you?”
“…”
The old man looks bewildered at hearing my words as the other chimes in.
“No, what kind of person openly calls a beggar a bastard?”
The Demonic Gentleman says this.
“I don’t know, you beggar.”
The man folds his hands and shakes his head.
“Your form isn’t good. It is lame. If you run like that, your knees will give out.”
I stare at him.
‘I know that too, you idiot.’
But I respond differently.
“Where does your intellect come from? You look like someone who hides in a tortoise shell.”
My words shock him.
“…!”
The beggar giggles.
“Uhahahaha….”
I look at the two of them with my arms crossed. I am now betting the luck of the Low Down Sect and have said some serious words.
A strategic person who speaks nonsense.
That is me!