The Greatest Prodigy in the World
After spending a day resting in Limji to shake off their fatigue, Mu-jin and his party purchased two horses before heading towards the mountains.
“Why did we buy horses?”
“To make it easier to move around in the mountains, I suppose,” Mu-gung replied.
“Come on, knowing him, he’d probably prefer the uphill walk for the muscle benefits,” Mu-gyeong scoffed.
Riding the horses made the journey more comfortable, prompting Mu-gung and Mu-gyeong to exchange idle chatter.
“Of course, we bought them to attract bandits. We don’t even know where those bastards are hiding,” Mu-jin explained.
“Oh! Because bandits go crazy over horses?”
“That’s part of it, but if we push the cart without horses, wouldn’t they suspect we’re experts? Especially on such a steep mountain?”
Mu-jin handed over some cloth and wooden poles he had prepared the night before at the inn to Mu-gung.
“What’s this?”
With a puzzled look, Mu-gung unfolded the cloth, revealing the character [西風] (Western Wind) written on it.
“If we’re going to lure them, we might as well do it properly, right? From now on, we’re the Western Wind Caravan. Got it?”
Understanding Mu-jin’s plan, Mu-gung nodded and attached the wooden poles to the side of the cart, tying the cloth to them.
A large cart with two horses pulling it. With the flag waving, they looked like a small trading caravan.
They leisurely made their way up the mountain with the cart.
“Hohoho.”
As the figures rapidly approached from the mountain, a sinister smile crept onto Mu-jin’s face.
“We’ve got them.”
About a dozen rough-looking men on horseback were charging towards them.
Without a doubt, they were the infamous Black Wolf Brigade.
When they got close enough that even ordinary people could clearly see them, Mu-jin stopped the cart abruptly.
Feigning panic, he tried to turn the cart around.
“Hahaha! It’s too late for that!”
“Hand over all your goods quietly, and we’ll spare your lives!”
By the time Mu-jin had managed to turn the cart halfway, the bandits had already surrounded them.
“P-please, just spare our lives!”
Ignoring the puzzled looks from his companions, Mu-jin put on a show, causing the bandits to smile even more wickedly.
“Hahaha! Looks like this idiot values his life after all!”
The bandits laughed at Mu-jin and began dismounting one by one.
‘Tch. Some of them are cautious.’
Still, about half of them remained on their horses.
Mu-jin’s feigned panic and begging for life were all tactics to make them stop.
If the mounted bandits scattered, some might escape.
‘Still, with half dismounted, we should be able to handle them.’
Mu-jin signaled to his companions, indicating which of the mounted bandits each should target.
As soon as everything was set, Mu-jin sprang into action.
“Hahaha! If you value your life—”
Before the bandit could finish, Mu-jin’s fist smashed into his face.
“Just subdue them, don’t kill!”
As Mu-jin issued his command and leapt forward, his target was the furthest bandit who had yet to dismount.
The bandit tried to spur his horse, but Mu-jin reached him before it could gain speed.
Bam!
Another bandit was down before he even knew what hit him.
Looking back, Mu-jin saw the rest of the mounted bandits were also subdued by the Muja Trio.
The remaining bandits who had dismounted to approach the cart turned pale, staring at Mu-jin’s party.
* * *
“What did you say earlier? That only a fool would beg for his life?”
“I’m sorry!!”
At Mu-jin’s question, the bandit, now groveling on the ground, shouted in a panic.
“Hmm. Seems like you didn’t value your life much, huh?”
“Please, spare me!”
The bandit, still groveling, grabbed Mu-jin’s pants.
“Who told you to stand up?”
Bam!
He hadn’t truly become a bandit, though.
He simply wanted to spread the word that the Black Wolf Brigade was still active in Limji.
– Anyone who harms civilians will face the same fate upon return.
Mu-jin instructed them to only destroy property and take a small amount of money.
Of course, he planned to compensate for the damages afterward.
Days later, a group of about ten people arrived in Limji.
Just as Mu-jin and his group had noticed the eerie atmosphere when they first arrived, this new group sensed the same.
One man in his early to mid-twenties stepped forward after sending a message to the middle-aged man at the front.
– I’ll go investigate, Leader.
The man, with strong features and handsome looks, approached a village woman and asked, “Miss, is there a problem here?”
His deep, resonant voice and striking appearance made the woman blush as she explained the situation.
After hearing the details, the man reported back to the middle-aged leader.
‘Bandits, huh...’
Though the existence of bandits bothering civilians was troubling, it wasn’t their concern.
They were on their way to southern lands under orders from their sect, so they couldn’t afford to get involved in trivial matters.
As the middle-aged leader thought this, he saw the determined look on the younger man’s face.
Though outwardly stoic, he could sense the anger the young man was holding back.
– Do you want to eradicate the bandits?
– Yes, Leader.
– This is not Cheonghae, it’s Western Tibet. If you draw the attention of Podalap Palace, it could get complicated.
– If I act alone and quickly handle them, news won’t reach Podalap Palace.
– ...It sounds like you’re saying you’ll handle it alone, even if I refuse.
– It’s better to handle despicable bandits alone. If many of us go, they’ll hide.
The leader didn’t bother to say it was dangerous for him to go alone.
Could this man really fall to mere bandits?
It was unthinkable.
They were members of the Red Tiger Squad, one of the powerful groups of the Heavenly Demon Cult. They wouldn’t lose to common bandits.
Moreover, this man was the most skilled among the Red Tiger Squad members, even surpassing the leader himself.
‘An extraordinary talent.’
Not just in martial arts, but in all aspects, this man’s skills had been vital in ensuring the squad’s survival through numerous battles over the past two years.
He had grown at an incredible pace, becoming far stronger than when he first joined.
‘Blood doesn’t lie.’
Yet, it was because of this man’s lineage that the middle-aged leader remained in charge.
With his mixed heritage, the young man faced jealousy and envy, so he acted as the leader in name only to protect him.
Given his abilities, handling the bandits and rejoining the group within three days shouldn’t be difficult.
– I’ll give you three days. We will move ahead to the rendezvous point and join the others. You must catch up within that time.
– Thank you for your consideration, Leader.
Their conversation was transmitted silently, so there was no need for formal bows.
The young warrior, inheritor of the Heavenly Demon’s blood, quietly parted ways with his group and began tracking the bandits.
* * *
After several days of causing havoc in the village with the bandits, Mu-jin wondered when his target would appear.
‘When will he come?’
Growing impatient, Mu-jin continued to harass the bandits and train with weights.
Then, the lookout at the Black Wolf Brigade’s hideout shouted urgently.
“Who goes there?”
Turning his gaze, Mu-jin saw a man standing alone.
Just as they say, speak of the tiger and it will appear. The man was unmistakably the one Mu-jin had been waiting for.
The protagonist of the first part of the novel.
The greatest prodigy in the world.
The future Heavenly Demon. Ou-yang Pae (Gūyáng Pài).
Finally, Mu-jin was meeting the protagonist of the first part of the novel, following his encounter with the protagonist of the second part, Dao Yuetian.
However, Mu-jin’s expression wasn’t entirely pleased.
For the same reason he recognized Ou-yang Pae immediately.
“Wow. Damn, he’s insanely handsome.”
Seeing him in reality, he was a strikingly handsome man who could outshine movie stars, with a full head of thick hair, making Mu-jin feel a strange sense of inferiority.