Jang Geuk was left speechless.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand the situation, but it was still baffling.
“Hahaha…! Well, I’m sorry. You look just like a bandit, so how could I not mistake you for one?”
The Fist King, Pae Jin-gwang, said that he thought Jang Geuk was trying to kidnap someone.
“I told you multiple times.”
“I said I’m sorry. When you get old, you just don’t hear things as clearly.”
Pae Jin-gwang laughed heartily, stuffing his massive body into a chair.
“Geez.”
Jang Geuk sighed internally, but also felt relieved. After all, this guy was just as much of a monster as his lord. In fact, this one was an ancient monster, having lived for hundreds of years.
If you compared who seemed more human between them, his lord was actually more monstrous... but that wasn’t the point.
For now, it was enough that they avoided a fight.
“But, Jibeak, are you alright? You look pale. Why did a soft-hearted guy like you get involved in a war?”
“I’m fine,” Jibeak replied, lowering his head slightly. His face was pale, as Pae Jin-gwang had pointed out, but his wounds were not physical. It was something he would have to overcome on his own.
“By the way, Senior, did you come here because you were summoned by the Martial Alliance?” asked Namgung Chang-hwi.
Pae Jin-gwang shook his head.
“No, I just followed my gut.”
“I see…”
“Are you still putting your faith in the Martial Alliance, even at your age? No matter how hard that guy Jegal works, there’s only so much he can do. What authority does the Martial Alliance have that anyone would listen to them?”
“Then what about me?”
Everyone turned at the unexpected voice.
With a flap, the curtain was pushed aside, and Seo-jun stepped into the tent. Jang Geuk’s eyes widened. Wasn’t he just unconscious?
“Lord! Is it really okay for you to be up already?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Nothing serious happened.”
At Seo-jun’s casual response, Pae Jin-gwang burst into laughter, almost deafening.
“Hahaha…! There’s no one else in the world who would say something like that after getting their head chopped off!”
“W-what? Your head was chopped off!?” Jang Geuk, who hadn’t seen it clearly, was utterly shocked, but Seo-jun just shrugged it off.
“You live long enough, your head gets chopped off here and there. It’s not a big deal. You just stick it back on, and it works.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Why not? It stuck back on fine.”
“No, it’s definitely not fine…”
“Eh, what’s the big deal?”
Seo-jun laughed as he plopped down onto an empty chair.
“But anyway…”
“Don’t ‘but anyway’ me!” Jang Geuk exclaimed, but Seo-jun silenced him with a gesture.
“From what I know, I was sent here as part of the Martial Alliance’s request too, right? And the others? Are they ignoring the request?”
“Exactly. They’ve got their own circumstances. No matter how big their sects are, manpower is short these days.”
“What the… So what about the Black Lotus Sect?”
“Well, that’s a different story. Unlike the Martial Alliance, the Black Lotus Sect is a single force ruling over all the unorthodox sects.”
“I see.”
Seo-jun nodded brightly. Maybe he really should consider moving to the Demon Sect.
“But… things are going to change from now on. In times of war, the orthodox sects tend to unite pretty well.”
Seo-jun lazily slumped back in his chair. His body felt heavy, and it seemed like he hadn’t fully recovered yet.
He wasn’t too keen on listening to any more serious conversations.
Sure, maybe he was behaving inappropriately in a meeting room like this, but what could they do? He had contributed to their success, after all. This much was fine.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Hm?”
Pae Jin-gwang nodded.
“Sure, but I get to ask you a few things too.”
“Why do you get to ask multiple things when I only want to ask one?”
“If you don’t like it, don’t ask.”
“Agh…”
Pae Jin-gwang stared blankly at Seo-jun, who clicked his tongue in annoyance.
‘Where’s Chun-bong when you need her?’
She would have taken his side.
Grumbling, Seo-jun asked, “By the way, are you really only a second-class martial artist?”
“Huh? Well, if you want to get technical, yeah. Why? Is that what you’re curious about?”
“Yeah, I’m curious.”
No matter what people said about power and rank being separate things, it still seemed like the quickest way to get stronger was just to raise your level. Why bother with sword energy when you could just move on to sword qi and destroy everything?
Namgung Chang-hwi let out a dry laugh after hearing Seo-jun’s question.
“I’d recommend not saying things like that in other places. If martial artists who’ve hit a wall hear you, they might try to kill you.”
“Well, that’s just because they didn’t work hard enough.”
“Hm…”
Namgung Chang-hwi rubbed his forehead. Pae Jin-gwang, meanwhile, flexed his massive arms, showing off his bulging muscles.
“Kid, take a look. How about this?”
“That’s gross.”
“Ugh…! This is why I hate guys who only practice internal energy!”
Pae Jin-gwang suddenly stood up, striking a pose that showed off his colossal muscles. Seo-jun frowned.
“Eugh.”
“Muscles, my boy! They’re just like internal energy! Anything you can do with internal energy, you can do with muscle!”
“Wow, really?”
Seo-jun responded half-heartedly but didn’t outright deny it.
After all, this crazy guy had shattered space with a punch. He had proven his point.
“Wait, hold on. But aren’t you only second-class?”
“Well, my muscles are at least close to the Flowering Stage!”
“No, that’s not what I mean. What about your lifespan? You can’t extend it without raising your rank, right?”
Pae Jin-gwang sneered.
“Didn’t I already tell you? Muscles are just like internal energy! Fully developed muscles can resist aging!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Seo-jun couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Of course, he didn’t realize that others were looking at him with the same confused expression.
After glancing around at the people nearby, Seo-jun asked after a brief moment of contemplation.
“By the way, did you see it?”
The vague question drew puzzled looks from the others.
However, Pae Jin-gwang seemed to understand and answered.
“You mean the Sovereign Sword Form ?”
“Agh, damn it…”
Seo-jun groaned, but Pae Jin-gwang just scoffed.
“No one really cares, except for maybe the Namgung family. The old guys there might freak out, though.”
Seo-jun raised his middle finger and looked over at Namgung Chang-hwi.
Chang-hwi smiled bitterly and nodded.
“Many people probably saw it.”
“Well, that’s annoying.”
Would this cause a hassle? As Seo-jun pondered, Namgung Chang-hwi added.
“I’ll try to keep it from spreading, but even if it does, it won’t be too much trouble.”
“Really? I doubt it’s something that can be brushed off so easily.”
“Well, if the elders or former masters hear about it, they might try to destroy your dantian and cut off your tongue and wrists.”
“What? But you just said it wouldn’t be a big deal!”
“Then our family head would challenge them to a deathmatch. The fact that he taught you the Sovereign Sword Form means he considers you family. If anyone messes with his family, he’d march right into the Black Lotus Sect by himself.”
“Wow.”
Seo-jun clapped in admiration.
But Pae Jin-gwang looked puzzled.
“That goofy guy? Isn’t the current head of the Namgung family Namgung Jincheon?”
“Hey, what did you just say about my father-in-law?”
“Haha, kid, I’ve known that guy since he was a baby.”
“Damn old geezer…”
“What’s a ‘geezer’? Is that another one of those new words?”
“You don’t need to know, Elder.”
Seo-jun ignored Pae Jin-gwang with a bright smile.
“So, when are we going home?”
To sum it up, it took about four days before they could leave Daedong-hyeon.
The martial artists who came to relieve them had set up camp in a nearby city instead of at the original location.
It was a natural decision.
Previously, they couldn’t return to the city due to frequent clashes, but the battlefield was no place to stay for long.
Once they finished handing over responsibilities, Seo-jun and his group headed south toward the Yellow River, where they parted ways with the Beggar Sect and Shaolin.
“Until next time.”
“Take care.”
They exchanged farewells with Venerable Jibeak and the others. Seo-jun couldn’t help but feel a bit gloomy as the numbers of martial artists had noticeably dwindled since they first arrived in Daedong-hyeon. He didn’t even see the beggar who had sworn to avenge his master, leaving him feeling unsettled.
“What the hell are the Black Lotus Sect guys thinking? Living their lives peacefully, and now suddenly starting a war?”
“They say it’s because the martial arts world has become too soft. They want to see some bloodshed to promote the growth of martial artists. They’re not entirely wrong. The martial world has been quite peaceful lately.”
“What a load of crap.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind.”
“Kids these days…”
Pae Jin-gwang naturally followed Seo-jun, occasionally lecturing him when he realized how little Seo-jun knew about the world.
“From the Black Lotus Sect’s perspective, they have nothing to lose by starting a war. They’re probably looking to use the corpses of Flowering Stage masters to create pills that will help them break through.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ve heard it’s quite effective. Be careful, kid.”
His tone was more suspicious than concerned. Seo-jun frowned as Pae Jin-gwang laughed heartily.
“The way you are, I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up eating people whole!”
“Hmph, well, our lord does have his quirks.”
“Even you, Jang Geuk!?”
Seo-jun leapt up in frustration, thinking to himself.
If it seemed like they were going to lose the war, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to turn one of those Flowering Stage masters into an elixir.
Though it was said to be useful for ascending to the Heavenly Stage, it should also help in reaching the Flowering Stage from Absolute Mastery.
Or maybe an elixir for Absolute Mastery wouldn’t be bad either.
If he ascended to the demonic equivalent of the Flowering Stage and joined the Demon Sect, he could probably secure a high position.
While Seo-jun was busy with his scheming, the group secured rooms at an inn and retired for the night.
That night…
Boom—!!!
Seo-jun, lying on his bed, watched as the wall exploded in front of him.
“What the hell is going on?”
The Fist King, Pae Jin-gwang, stood nearby, steam rising from his muscular body as he looked around.
“There’s an assassin nearby!”
“Yeah, I know.”
Namgung Chang-hwi knocked on Seo-jun’s door, having also sensed the assassin’s presence—or maybe just because of the commotion—but Seo-jun sent him away, telling him to rest.
Jang Geuk merely poked his head out, clicked his tongue, and went back to his room.
Sighing, Seo-jun got up and opened the window.
“Hey, you might want to come out quickly. Otherwise, this guy might destroy the entire inn.”
“Hehe, should I?”
A woman emerged from the shadows.
“Hello, handsome young lord.”
“Uh, sure. What’s this about?”
Before Seo-jun could finish, Pae Jin-gwang shouted.
“Why do you think she’s here, you idiot? She’s an assassin!”
Ignoring him, the woman answered.
“I came to deliver a message.”
“Oh? Want something to drink?”
“Oh my, would you?”
The woman gracefully stepped inside, swept aside the broken pieces of the wall, and sat in a chair.
Pae Jin-gwang blinked.
“Wait, you know her?”
“Nope. First time meeting.”
Pae Jin-gwang looked even more confused by Seo-jun’s response.
“…Is this some kind of modern youth culture?”
He couldn’t understand any of it.