Seo-jun and Hwan Bae-ho headed to the scene of the incident.
Along the way, Seo-jun noticed that Hwan Bae-ho had impressive qinggong skills. His speed was quite fast, especially considering his level, which seemed to be somewhere between first-class and the peak level.
Having nothing else to do on the way, Seo-jun asked about it, and Hwan Bae-ho replied, “I usually take charge when tracking is required. In those situations, qinggong is crucial. If I slow down the pursuit, it would be problematic.”
“Oh, so you focused on training in qinggong?”
“Exactly. That’s why my actual combat power is rather lacking.”
“You’re with the Namgung family, though. It doesn’t matter much, as others can make up for the lack of combat strength.”
Seo-jun figured this was the benefit of being in a group.
Traveling alone in Jianghu with insufficient combat strength would likely lead to trouble. After all, conflicts in the martial world often start with a misstep and escalate quickly.
However, for someone like Hwan Bae-ho, it was fine to develop his expertise without focusing on combat strength, as others could cover that shortfall.
"I’ll need to be cautious when fighting larger organizations in the future."
After several days of travel, they arrived at the Yangtze River. Gazing at the wide expanse of the river, Hwan Bae-ho spoke up.
“Young Master, I’ll go find a boat right away.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Excuse me?”
Seo-jun grabbed Hwan Bae-ho by the back of his neck and grinned.
“Keep your mouth shut. You’ll bite your tongue if you’re not careful.”
“What?”
With a powerful leap, Seo-jun propelled himself into the air. Looking down at the Yangtze below, Hwan Bae-ho gasped in shock.
“Young Master! You’re going to fall!”
“I won’t fall.”
Seo-jun soared forward using a technique that mimicked the movement of a Yellow Dragon crossing the river. Stunned, Hwan Bae-ho gaped at the display.
“This is… transcendent level…”
“Well, it might be a bit different from what you usually think of as transcendent level.”
Seo-jun, chuckling, landed gracefully on the other side of the river. Hwan Bae-ho, still in a daze, bowed his head.
“Thank you…”
“No problem.”
After that, Hwan Bae-ho became a bit more respectful. This newfound politeness also meant it would be harder to get closer to him.
Seo-jun hadn't seen Chun-bong in days, and with only Hwan Bae-ho’s slightly awkward company, he couldn’t help but feel a bit down. Even though his internal energy was balanced enough to prevent madness from overtaking him, he couldn’t shake the feeling of melancholy.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes, Young Master. We need to visit two locations for the tracking. Would that be alright?”
“Of course. We should follow the expert’s advice.”
After arriving at a small town where the incident had occurred, Seo-jun followed Hwan Bae-ho to the first location where the initial event took place.
Surveying the half-cleared scene, Hwan Bae-ho observed something carefully and nodded.
“It’s certain that five people were moving together. Identifying their characteristics here will help with the tracking.”
“What did you find here?”
“Oh, if you look here…”
Hwan Bae-ho explained, but honestly, Seo-jun had no idea what he was talking about.
Hwan Bae-ho’s tracking skills were more of a specialized technique than martial arts, making it impossible for Seo-jun, even with his mastery of internal energy, to follow along.
Having abandoned the idea of trying to track footprints, Seo-jun stood up.
“Shall we move to the next location?”
“Yes.”
The next place was a minor clan that had been wiped out.
The leaning signboard, traces of fire, and the smell of unburied corpses filled the air, causing Seo-jun to frown. Hwan Bae-ho quickened his pace.
“Young Master, I can check this place on my own.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m curious too.”
Inside the sect, Hwan Bae-ho swiftly examined the traces of battle and footprints left around.
After about five minutes, he turned to Seo-jun.
“This way.”
“Oh…”
Though Seo-jun couldn’t understand how, it seemed Hwan Bae-ho had figured out their path.
As they resumed their monotonous journey, they filled the time with idle chatter. Then, Seo-jun remembered something and asked,
“Those guys… What are they called?”
“Are you referring to the Anhui Five Heroes?”
“Anhui Five Heroes? Is that their nickname?”
“They’ve been calling themselves that, it seems.”
“Shameless bunch.”
Seo-jun scoffed, prompting Hwan Bae-ho to elaborate.
“Their leader, the eldest brother, gathered sworn brothers as he roamed Jianghu. They weren’t known for their good behavior, but it seems they’ve decided to take things further with this incident.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I believe it was in the report from the Chief Administrator.”
“…Ah.”
So I didn’t read it thoroughly? Embarrassed, Seo-jun fell silent.
As they continued traveling, they eventually reached an area with vibrant autumn foliage. Time seemed to pass quickly, as if they were on a scenic autumn journey.
Then, after days of travel, Hwan Bae-ho’s eyes brightened.
Honestly, it was almost like he was using some kind of tracking magic.
Still, he was likely just heightening his senses using internal energy. Seo-jun marveled at how effective it was.
“Young Master, we’ve caught up with them.”
“Already?”
“Yes. It seems they haven’t been moving very fast.”
“They’re quite relaxed.”
Did they think the Namgung family was some small-time operation?
Sure, tracking would’ve taken longer without Seo-jun, but they seemed entirely unconcerned.
Not that many of these Jianghu fighters were known for their smarts.
Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed. Seo-jun sensed the presence of five martial artists through his energy perception.
Were they planning on causing even more trouble now? Seo-jun let out a hollow laugh.
“Follow me closely from now on.”
Seo-jun’s eyes grew cold.
While the southern Jiangnan area was quite developed, not all cities were prosperous.
In one small city, a terrified voice echoed through a dark alleyway.
“P-please… spare me…”
A girl, not yet fully grown, was trembling as she backed away.
Five men were closing in on her with sinister smiles. She had been dragged here, unable to believe what was happening.
It had been an ordinary day. Yet, in a flash, it had been shattered with no warning.
Even someone as naive as her knew she wouldn’t escape this situation unharmed.
Her only hope was a small martial sect in the city.
“The Windstorm Sect members will be here soon… Please let me go… Ah!”
Smack!
A massive hand struck her face.
As she collapsed, trembling, she saw a huge man towering over her, smiling confidently without a hint of fear of the Windstorm Sect. Despair filled her eyes.
“Ugh…”
The man leaned closer, his breath brushing her skin. He spoke.
“Stay quiet. No one in this tiny city can stop us.”
“Oh, really?”
A new voice broke through, and the girl slowly turned her head, a glimmer of hope sparking within her.
“Who’s there?”
The five men glared at the newcomer.
It was Seo-jun, who surveyed the familiar scene before him with a slight sense of déjà vu.
An alley. Thugs. A girl. Screams.
The only difference now was his strength and the nature of the thugs.
“So young…”
The trembling girl looked up at him with desperate eyes. This wasn’t like the time he intervened, only to end up injured.
“Scum.”
The sight of the young girl reminded him of Chun-bong. Realizing this, Seo-jun’s anger began to surge, his eyes filling with a deep, golden light.
With a faint sound, Seo-jun vanished, reappearing before the girl. One thug hastily surrounded his hand with qi to block Seo-jun’s path.
Crack!
It was futile. Seo-jun tore both of the thug’s hands away and gripped his neck.
“Urk…!”
Fear filled the thug’s eyes as he flailed his bloodied, handless arms, but to no avail. Blood sprayed around as he struggled.
Seo-jun didn’t hesitate. He bent his wrist, swinging down, and the man’s torso split into several pieces.
Covered in blood, Seo-jun turned to the remaining four men.
“He killed the third brother…!”
“Don’t act rashly. He’s a high-level martial artist.”
“We’ll meet at the agreed spot!”
Abandoning their fallen comrade, the thugs scattered.
Seo-jun was about to pursue them when he heard a sound behind him.
Turning, he saw the girl had fainted, eyes rolled back.
Seo-jun blinked, surveying the scene he had created. He realized it was probably too much for a child who had seen nothing of the world.
“Oh, geez.”
Scratching his head, Seo-jun loaded qi bullets onto his fingers.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
The bullets flew, hitting the fleeing thugs in the back.
One died instantly as his back was pierced, another’s arm was grazed, and the remaining two either blocked or dodged the attack.
“Sir.”
“Yes, Young Master?”
Hwan Bae-ho approached quickly.
Seo-jun nodded toward the unconscious girl.
“Take her back home, will you?”
“Understood.”
“You can catch up with me on your own, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Giving a thumbs-up, Seo-jun pressed his foot against the ground.
Boom!
His body launched into the air.
First, that guy.
Seo-jun’s eyes narrowed, glowing with a strange light as he set his sights on his target.