Episode 161:
Just before I parted ways with the messengers of Ha-eul Pyo-guk, I secretly sent a message to Pyo-du.
[There may be eyes watching, so listen without being disturbed. There is one thing I would like to ask of Pyodu.]
[...Do you mean a favor?]
[If you leave here, please contact the Hwayang Sangdan branch as soon as possible.] [
You mean the Hwayang Sangdan? Not the party?]
[There is no time to wait for support from the party.]
[I understand. What can I tell you?]
[I will place a bounty on the heads of the demon cultists. Fifty gold coins per head. In the case of a captain, it is ten times that amount,
500 nyang.] [500 nyang?! Do you mean to bet 500 gold coins instead of silver coins?]
[The opponent is a master who has reached the edge of transcendence or the state of flowering. If you can catch it for 500 gold coins, it’s a profitable business.]
At that time, my party and I were located near the border between Sacheon and Shaanxi.
Because it was such an ambiguous position, it was impossible to expect support from either the party or the Hwasan faction.
So I thought.
Now is an opportunity to take a close look at the English music college.
‘Perhaps Yeongeumdae did not pay much attention to the ambassadors of Haeulpyoguk who moved away from me.’
Even if the envoys contact the capital and request support, it will take a long time for the party’s military personnel to be dispatched.
Since there was enough time, there would have been no reason for Yeongeumdae to disperse its personnel to monitor or attack the envoys.
‘If things had gone well as planned, the nearby martial arts forces would have been frantically looking for the Youngeum members by now.’
The money I spent to purchase Gongcheong Petroleum in Heuksi the other day was five hundred gold coins.
The bounty was literally enough to buy an elixir.
It was clear that each segment and sect would search the entire area to catch at least one more demonic member.
In fact, only the film crew members would not know this because they were wandering deep in the mountains chasing me.
It couldn’t have been a truly enjoyable situation.
Right now, this side is at a disadvantage, but the position will soon change.
The chased becomes the chaser, and the hunter becomes the hunted.
It was for that time that I gave Chujonghyang to Bangcheoksam in advance.
“It moves slowly.”
I walked ahead, encouraging the group that had finished the fortune-telling exercise.
“It’s not long until we reach our destination. “Please have a little more strength.”
* * *
Wow!
The arrow flew with a heavy impact and lodged itself in the shoulder of the member of the Yeongeum team.
Leaving behind him, who was screaming and collapsing in place, Yeongeumdaeju rushed towards him and clashed swords with me.
I pushed away the man who was persistently spraying weeds and unleashed the weeding sword.
Twenty-third herbivorous month (水月).
The remnants that remained along the sword’s path crumbled into countless blades.
The Lord Yeongeum was not embarrassed by the waves of welcome.
After carefully picking out only the weeds and crushing them, he unexpectedly swung the iron ball and aimed at my shoulder.
Whoops!
As I hit the metal ball with the blade, my wrist felt cold.
I frowned and swung my sword to shake off the shock.
‘The power is truly brutal.’
Although it was just a miscellaneous item made of iron beads and threads, the skill of the person handling it was outstanding, so it felt more threatening than any other new recruit.
I glanced back and muttered in my mind.
‘It would be nice to have an environment where I could only focus on the enemy in front of me.’
The image of Seo Ho-sun clutching his side and letting out a suppressed moan came into view.
As soon as the fight started, he was attacked by three members of the film corps.
Fortunately, his life was saved with the help of Bangcheoksam, but he suffered a stab wound to his side while escaping from the passing camp.
The wound itself was not that deep.
The problem was internal energy and poison that had penetrated through the affected area.
If not treated quickly, he could become disabled or even lose his life.
“Can I look away?”
The Lord Yeongeum closed the distance without a sound and raised his sword diagonally.
As if I had been waiting, I took the chair and took it away, replying harshly.
“I never thought I would get caught in such an obvious trick.”
“Did you deliberately leave a gap in order to induce this side to move? “For that matter, you seemed to be paying attention to the back all the time.”
“.......”
I circled in the air to avoid the iron ball flying at the back of my head, then swung my body around with my right foot and kicked Yeongeumdaeju.
The Great Lord of Yeongeum, who had been pushed out leaving a long mark, suddenly unleashed a lump of powerful energy and muttered.
“If you are anxious, it shows in your movements.”
The strength and strength collided, causing an explosion of drinking.
“Even so, there is one thing that is inevitable. Just because it is impermeable to all poisons doesn’t mean it is immune to all poisons.”
“......All right.”
I reluctantly accepted the contract cancellation that Seoyeon Dang gave me.
“Hmm...” Yeo So-
ok, who was watching from afar, drew a meaningful smile on her lips.
When I asked the meaning with my gaze, she turned her head and looked away, pretending not to know.
I frowned and muttered to myself.
‘I don’t know why they’re doing that.’
* * *
We finally arrived at our destination, the village.
We were attacked two more times on the way, but somehow we were able to defeat them all.
There were many people injured during the fierce battle.
It was a time when everyone in the group desperately needed rest.
“welcome.”
There was a strange tension in the village.
None of the original residents of the village were seen.
Instead of the landlords, the private houses were filled with dark warriors.
For a black sword, the level of each person was quite high.
‘I think a top-notch expert is at least twenty. ‘The level of power it possesses is incomparable to that of Shakyamuni.’
Not all black islands were the same.
Should we compare the black market that goes around the red-light district and extorts protection taxes from the large-scale Bangpa?
“My name is Heo Gyu-sang, the ark owner of Cheon Ik-bang.”
“Nice to meet you. “This is Yeon-woon, the branch leader of the Sacheon branch of the Murim League.”
“This is how I get to meet the famous Heavenly Dragon Grand Hyeop.”
A middle-aged man with an impressive scar running diagonally across his face spoke to me with a happy expression.
“Please come this way. “We will guide you to the accommodations you will use.”
Cheonik Bangju guided me and my group to the lodgings as if he were a fortune teller.
It was said to be an accommodation, but in reality it was an empty private house.
“Looking at you, it looks like you’ve been through a lot.”
“yes.”
“Rest assured. “With us here, you won’t have to worry about demonic attacks anymore.”
“That’s really reassuring.”
I said ‘pick’ and laughed.
The power of money was incredible.
I can’t believe these innocent black people are so polite.
‘To the great association and noble people. ‘The flattery is too blatant.’
Even though I didn’t order it, the black swordsmen I saw for the first time today were treating me as their master.
I suddenly felt happy.
“Where are the residents who originally lived in the village?”
“The soldiers in this room are protecting you safely.”
I turned my head and made eye contact with Cheonik Ark.
Perhaps he had misunderstood the meaning in his eyes, and Cheonik Ark started making excuses one after another.
“You don’t have to worry. “What the branch manager was concerned about did not happen.”
“.......”
“......We used a slightly coercive method, but it was only to evacuate the residents before the demon cultists arrived. “It didn’t cause much harm.”
“I’m glad that’s the case.”
I nodded with a satisfied expression.
Cheonik Ark heaved a sigh of relief and called out to his subordinates with a wave of his hand.
“Before you take a break, there’s something I’d like to show you.”
Four men tied to ropes were kneeled in the middle of the yard.
All four of them seemed unable to bear the hardships they had endured.
“They...”
“They are demons.”
“You mean they all were captured alive? It would not have been easy to capture them alive, as each one was of considerable skill...” “
Even if they are outstanding experts, they are still people in the end. “There is no answer in the face of an onslaught of volume. Even more so if you are poisoned and weakened.”
“Huh.”
An exclamation of exclamation naturally flowed out.
It was amazing.
A group of black thieves captured four peak masters.
‘I wasn’t even expecting to be captured alive.’
I curled up the corners of my mouth and smiled.
‘It’s just right.’