At the man’s words, the three Gate Masters stared at him as though he had lost his mind.
“What? Are you making fun of us?”
“Not at all. I mean it sincerely.”
“Shut your mouth! If you insist on being taught a lesson... fine. Let’s do this!”
SHIIING—
The Gate Master of the Azure River Sect drew his sword, and the hundreds of martial artists behind him immediately followed suit.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Promise that you’ll leave this place by tomorrow, and I’ll withdraw quietly today.”
“You’re too late.”
“What?”
“The moment you drew your swords, my people began moving. If you don’t want to die, don’t move.”
“What are you—”
He could not finish.
A cold, dreadful sensation had touched his throat.
When he lowered his eyes slightly, he saw a sharp dagger already aimed at his neck.
“Shh.”
Someone whispered into his ear.
A chill ran down his spine.
When?
He turned his eyes to the side and saw that every martial artist who had come with them had already been subdued.
“All right, pick out only the capable ones and bring them over here.”
At those words, the Escort Sect martial artists grinned as they looked over the men at knifepoint.
“This one looks promising.”
“This one isn’t bad either.”
“Come on, move to the front. Otherwise, you’ll lose your head.”
Their voices were gentle.
Their actions were not.
In an instant, the formation was divided in two.
One group consisted of martial artists who looked useful.
The other consisted of those who did not.
“All right. The capable men here will undergo proper escort-guard training and become members of the Escort Sect. Anyone who dislikes that, raise a hand.”
No one raised a hand.
The sharp killing intent pressing in from every direction made it seem as though raising a hand would cost them their heads.
Everyone merely lowered their heads and watched the situation nervously.
“You all agree to become escort guards, right?”
No one answered.
“What’s wrong? Why is no one answering?”
Before his words had even finished, anguished cries rose from all around.
“AAAAARGH!”
“Ghk!”
“Uaaagh!”
The martial artists writhed in pain, tears and mucus running down their faces.
“I-I’ll do anything!”
“P-please!”
“I’ll give you one last chance. You all agree to become escort guards, correct?”
“Yes!”
Their answer rang out loud and clear.
Only then did the man nod, seemingly satisfied.
“What should we do with those men?”
The martial artists judged unfit for escort work stood off to one side.
“Put them to work doing chores. Everyone has been complaining about being short-handed anyway.”
“Understood.”
The Gate Masters of the Azure River Sect and Fire Sword Sect could do nothing but stare blankly as their subordinates were dragged away in misery.
Before them, the representative who had first come out to greet them smiled and cupped his fist.
“Thank you for the fine gift. In return, we’ll spare your lives.”
GULP—
“Th-thank you.”
The representative smiled at the three terrified Gate Masters.
“We won’t be seeing each other again after today, will we?”
“N-no, we will not.”
“I-I’ll disband my sect immediately and return to my hometown to farm.”
“Farming. That is a fine idea. I’m busy, so I will not see you out. Travel safely.”
“Th-thank you.”
“It seems they understand. Make certain one last time before you let them go.”
After the representative turned around and returned to the Escort Sect, the martial artists holding daggers to their throats spoke in low voices.
“You understand, right?”
The Gate Masters nodded.
“Use your words.”
“Y-yes! We understand!”
“Good.”
The cold sensation at their throats vanished.
Drenched in cold sweat, the three Gate Masters fled the area in blind panic.
*****
The Gate Masters of the Azure River Sect, Fire Sword Sect, and Iron Mountain Sect ran without stopping until they were far away from the Escort Sect.
Only then did they finally catch their breath.
Once the Escort Sect was out of sight, the fear that had gripped them began to fade.
Humiliation soon took its place.
“Damn it!”
The shame and wounded pride were so unbearable that tears streamed down their faces.
The three men stood with their backs turned toward one another in silence, trying to compose themselves.
“How are we supposed to repay this humiliation...?”
“We were too hasty. We should have investigated properly before going there.”
“What are we supposed to do now? Those damned bastards took all our elite men, and when we return, nothing but useless chaff will remain. I am worried whether we can rebuild and lead our sects with those who are left.”
They all let out deep sighs.
Then the Gate Master of the Fire Sword Sect spoke, as though something had occurred to him.
“I have an excellent idea.”
“What is it?”
“We turn the True Martial Sect and the Escort Sect against each other.”
“The True Martial Sect?”
“That’s right. If we go to the True Martial Sect and explain how we were wronged, the Gate Master of the True Martial Sect will surely act. Judging from how arrogant those Escort Sect bastards were, they will undoubtedly try the same thing on him.”
“Oh!”
“Then the Gate Master of the True Martial Sect will not stand for it, and the two forces will come to blows. While they fight, we can pull our men out.”
“Do you think the men who went there will return?”
“They did not go willingly. They were forced into it. Of course they will return when we call for them.”
“That’s right! Look at everything we have done for those bastards. They will definitely come back.”
“We can even tell our men to join forces with the True Martial Sect and strike the Escort Sect. Those bastards will be thrown into complete chaos.”
“That truly is an excellent idea. Let us go to the True Martial Sect at once.”
*****
Jeok Rihyeon, the Gate Master of the True Martial Sect, was receiving an unexpected guest.
“I heard you established a sect in Yullyang County. Welcome.”
“Thank you for the welcome. It is a sect in name, but it would be more accurate to think of us as a company that handles guard work and escort runs.”
Escort runs.
The True Martial Sect had been in need of escort guards, and the Escort Sect had appeared at precisely the right time.
Did Wigang pull some strings?
The timing was so perfect that the thought even crossed Jeok Rihyeon’s mind.
“Is that why you named it the Escort Sect?”
“That is correct. I heard the True Martial Sect also operates a merchant company. Call on us anytime you need our people. We are neighbors, so we will charge you less.”
“Hahaha! We were in quite a bind because of the shortage of escort guards. Did you come here knowing that?”
“No. We only just established the sect, so we have not had time to look into such matters. Tell us how many you need, and we will send you an estimate.”
“We need thirty escort guards immediately.”
“Thirty? You must truly be in a hurry.”
“That is right. We need to send an escort run toward Chengdu, but we lack the necessary manpower. We cannot even depart, and we may have to abandon the job.”
“Then, since this is our first transaction, we will do it for half price.”
“Half price? Truly?”
“Consider it a gesture of goodwill for our future relationship.”
“Hahaha. Excellent.”
“I look forward to working with you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
They were exchanging warm greetings when a subordinate quietly entered and whispered in Jeok Rihyeon’s ear.
“The Gate Masters of the Azure River Sect, Fire Sword Sect, and Iron Mountain Sect have come to see you.”
“Why have they suddenly come here?”
“I do not know. They are urgently asking to see you.”
“Urgently?”
“Yes.”
“Hm.”
What could this be?
The fact that they had all arrived together made it clear that this was no trivial matter.
“My apologies. Something urgent has come up. Would you mind if I attended to it for a moment?”
“Of course. Please take care of your business.”
“When I return, I will treat you to a drink. Please make yourself comfortable.”
“Yes. I will wait.”
As Jeok Rihyeon left, he earnestly instructed his subordinates.
“He is a valued guest. Do not show him any discourtesy.”
“Yes!”
Once Jeok Rihyeon departed, the man left alone in the reception hall was Jin Muryang.
At that moment, the door opened and someone entered.
Assuming that someone from the True Martial Sect had brought refreshments for him, Jin Muryang did not even turn his head.
Then—
“Just as I thought. It was you.”
At the familiar voice, he turned around.
Jeok Wigang was standing there.
“Brother?”
“I sensed your qi and came to check, just in case. I was right.”
Jeok Wigang walked over slowly and sat across from him.
“You were already here?”
“Yeah. Why are you so late?”
“My apologies. It took longer than expected to merge with Nameless Hall.”
“With Nameless Hall?”
“Yes. We are family now, so I thought it would be much more efficient to establish one sect together rather than open separate ones. Fortunately, the Nameless Hall Master felt the same way, so we combined the two forces. I will serve as Gate Master, while Ungyeol will be the Deputy Gate Master.”
“You did well. Is that why you were late?”
“Yes. Constructing the sect buildings also took more time than expected. My apologies.”
“Well, you had a valid reason. It’s fine.”
“Thank you. I brought the thousand-year ginseng.”
“You can give it to him later.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, what were you discussing?”
“Ah! He said they could not send out an escort run because they lacked escort guards, so we agreed to provide some.”
“That worked out well. I was about to contact you about that myself. What did you decide on for payment?”
“Since this is our first transaction and we are celebrating becoming neighbors, we agreed to accept only half.”
“You did well.”
“But is it really all right for us to accept payment?”
“You should. Otherwise, with my father’s temperament, he will never do business with you. Take it and put it toward operating costs.”
“Thank you.”
“Just make sure you send only reliable people.”
“Yes! I will select only the best.”
Jeok Wigang smiled in satisfaction, and Jin Muryang smiled along with him.
“Oh, Ye Yahyeon is here too.”
“What?”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Where did you find that bastard?”
“He was in the imperial palace. He is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
“That bastard?”
“Yeah. He thought I would never find him if he hid in the imperial palace. He never imagined I would rise so high.”
Who could have anticipated that?
The Jeok Wigang Jin Muryang had known hated leaving home more than anyone.
Ye Yahyeon had not made the wrong choice.
He had simply been unlucky.
“Stay for dinner. There are more people I want to introduce you to.”
“What? More people?”
“There is someone who has wanted to meet you more than anyone.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. My grandfather.”
“Is the Heavenly Martial Emperor here?”
“Yeah.”
“Does Ye Yahyeon know that?”
“Of course he does. He even had quite a fight with Grandfather.”
At the mention of Ye Yahyeon fighting Jeok Mugun, Jin Muryang stared blankly at Jeok Wigang.
Then he came to his senses and asked about Ye Yahyeon’s condition.
“Good grief... he is alive, right?”
“Of course. They put aside their old bad blood and became close.”
“Close...”
He could not believe it.
Ye Yahyeon had once sworn that he would kill Jeok Mugun with his own hands if they ever met again.
More than that, the Heavenly Martial Emperor himself had not seemed to care much for them.
The only reason they could have grown close was probably Jeok Wigang.
“By the way, where did Father go?”
“Ah, he said guests had arrived and hurried out.”
“Guests?”
Jeok Wigang tilted his head and listened toward somewhere in the compound.
“Hm. It sounds like this may concern you.”
“Me? We have not even begun any real activity yet.”
“It seems the other sects in Yullyang County are wary of the Escort Sect.”
“That is understandable. Then they must have come to the True Martial Sect to keep us in check.”
“Hm. We will need to hear the details ourselves. Come with me.”
“Me too?”
“Yeah. You are the Gate Master of the Escort Sect. You should resolve this yourself.”
“Understood.”