"What is it?"
It was an incredibly short phrase, but with that single utterance, everyone present, except for Dong Bongsu, was overwhelmed.
Dong Bongsu felt a brief, thrilling sensation in his heart from the brown-robed man's cold words, but he did not feel intimidated.
It was simply the first time he realized what it felt like to have one's voice imbued with Internal Energy.
He was not the type to feel fear or cower before anyone.
He only pretended to.
The brown-robed man turned his head and looked around at the people.
Dong Bongsu hid his eyes behind Yeoro.
It was an instinctive motion.
In this world, he was still a fledgling Predator.
There was nothing to be gained from catching the eye of another, more powerful Predator.
This was especially true when he needed to size up his opponent, as he did now.
The brown-robed man glanced at Yeoro for a moment before looking back at Gi Daehyo, as if uninterested.
Dong Bongsu also focused his gaze back on Gi Daehyo.
Gi Daehyo was the hands, feet, and eyes of the Danri Family.
He hoped the man would explain the brown-robed man's identity.
However, as if he too was unaware of the man's identity, he swallowed hard and announced his own name and rank.
"I am Gi Daehyo, the Corps Leader of the Danri Family's Black Crow Corps. And the person you are currently oppressing is a Young Master of the Danri Family. If you do not remove your foot at once, we will not stand by idly."
Although Gi Daehyo was making a threat, his voice was clearly not confident.
He was already being overpowered by the man's presence.
Dong Bongsu knew that Gi Daehyo had no idea who the brown-robed man was.
From that, he could infer several things.
The Black Crow Corps Leader had met someone in Soaring Sun whom he did not know.
In other words, that man was not a Martial Artist from Soaring Sun.
No, beyond that, he was likely not a Martial Artist active in Anhui Province.
Gi Daehyo and the Black Crow Corps possessed an outstanding intelligence network, knowing every corner of the Anhui Murim.
If he didn't know the man, it was clear he was not from around here.
'An outsider. And a Master whose power is impossible to measure.'
Dong Bongsu had to make a decision.
A Master at least ten Levels higher was showing hostility toward them.
He couldn't be certain, but in his judgment, the brown-robed man was an even greater Master than Danri Cheonwoo.
The people here could never defeat him.
Should he flee? Or watch the situation unfold further?
His deliberation was not long.
Dong Bongsu was a man who was innately without Killing Intent, but he had an exceptional talent for reading it.
The intensity of Killing Intent was immensely useful in determining a Predator's rank.
Those like himself, with no Killing Intent, were at the very top.
However, once Killing Intent was detected, he could measure the degree of their savagery and predatory nature by its intensity.
For now, the man was not emitting any Killing Intent.
He was not the type who originally lacked it; it was more like the feeling of a lion looking at insects.
He certainly had no intention of eliminating Dong Bongsu and the Black Crow Corps.
Dong Bongsu chose the latter option.
As his eyes gleamed sharply, the brown-robed man stared at Gi Daehyo and slowly opened his mouth.
"The Danri Family? What's that? Something to eat?"
To Gi Daehyo, the words were utterly contemptuous, but to Dong Bongsu, they were a clue to the man's strength.
Dong Bongsu realized that this was a person who didn't give the slightest thought to the likes of the Danri Family.
However, he still stood his ground.
He still felt no Killing Intent from the opponent.
Instead, Gi Daehyo's face was turning red and blue.
It must have been hard to endure.
After all, his family held considerable prestige in Anhui, yet he was being treated this way.
But, as expected, Gi Daehyo was a calm man.
Either that, or he was completely overwhelmed by the brown-robed man's presence.
Gi Daehyo clenched his teeth and spoke to the brown-robed man.
"Those words are an insult to the Danri Family. May I take it as such?"
For Gi Daehyo, it was the best response he could manage.
If he had his way, he would have drawn his sword and attacked immediately, but he must have instinctively known he shouldn't.
So, the few words he had just spoken were the best course of action he could take.
Regardless, the brown-robed man responded to Gi Daehyo's words with an even colder expression than before.
"Well? I don't know if the Danri Family is for eating, for shitting, or for stepping on."
"... "
As the brown-robed man said the last words, "for stepping on," he pressed down with his foot.
Danri Ganghae's face instantly turned white, and his eyes began to roll back.
His airway was completely blocked.
A little more pressure, and he would surely die.
Accordingly, Gi Daehyo's face also turned deathly pale.
If Danri Ganghae died, he was a dead man too.
He no longer had any other choice.
He immediately raised his hand, pointed at the brown-robed man, and shouted loudly.
"All members of the Black Crow Corps, attack that man and rescue the Young Master!"
On the other hand, Dong Bongsu was still just watching the brown-robed man.
Still, no Killing Intent could be felt from the man.
Gi Daehyo simply couldn't feel what Dong Bongsu felt.
Dong Bongsu leisurely watched the confrontation between the brown-robed man and the Black Crow Corps.
Now that his safety was assured, all he had to do was witness the man's high-level Martial Arts.
To the brown-robed man, the Black Crow Corps were merely toys.
And no one kills their toys.
Though they might break them by mistake.
Pababak!
Gi Daehyo, Gi Manji, and all the members of the Black Crow Corps rushed toward the brown-robed man.
The brown-robed man remained composed as he watched them.
He kept his foot on Danri Ganghae's neck and simply raised one hand to shoulder height.
Dong Bongsu's sharp eyes saw hundreds of fine needles held between his fingers.
'A Hidden Weapon Art?'
The moment he thought that, the brown-robed man's hand flicked lightly towards Gi Daehyo and the Black Crow Corps members.
Pyubyubyubyu.
It wasn't fast.
The needles that left the man's hand were merely clustered in the shape of a butterfly, flying toward the elites of the Black Crow Corps, drawing strange arcs as if bees were moving in a zigzag.
But none of the Black Crow Corps could dodge the slow-moving needles.
No, they were unable to dodge.
To Dong Bongsu, they looked like the guided missiles one might see on modern Earth.
"Keuk!"
"Ugh!"
"Ack!"
With various short screams, Gi Daehyo and all the Black Crow Corps members collapsed to the floor at once.
It was a single move.
In one move, the pride of the Danri Family, the Black Crow Corps, had been subdued.
"Th-This is! Soul-Chasing Butterfly Art!? Th-Then, you are!"
Gi Daehyo, his body paralyzed, lifted only his head to look at the brown-robed man with a shocked expression.
It was the first time he had seen this technique, but it was a Hidden Weapon Art well-known in the Jianghu.
A martial art named for its movements, which were like a butterfly chasing a soul.
The Soul-Chasing Butterfly Art was a Secret Art of the Sichuan Tang Family, one of the Five Great Families of the Central Plains.
And in the Tang Family, there was one Master known to have reached a divine level with this art.
Gi Daehyo looked at the brown-robed man's face once more.
Ah, why had he only recognized him now?
The description of the greatest master of the Tang Family that Gi Daehyo remembered was a perfect match for this brown-robed man's appearance.
The brown-robed man sneered upon hearing Gi Daehyo's astonished cry.
He then looked down at Gi Daehyo and let out a cold voice.
"For a country bumpkin, your eyes aren't completely rotten. I am Tang Oh."
Tang Oh.
One of the twenty strongest in the Murim, a master belonging to the Ten Greats among the Two Gods, Three Monsters, Five Pinnacles, and Ten Greats.
The greatest master of the Sichuan Tang Family, one of the Five Great Families of the Central Plains.
An absolute Master who had no equal in Sichuan Province.
There were many words to describe him, but in the end, none represented him as well as his Title.
Soul-Chasing Poison Hand.
Those who displease Tang Oh will not be able to escape his poison hand, even if they die and become a soul!
Originally, the Tang Family was famous for its Hidden Weapon Arts and Poison Arts, a sect that walked the line between Righteous and Evil.
It was only when the Martial Alliance was first formed that they were persuaded by Great Master Hye-in, the Abbot of the Shaolin Temple at the time, to become one of the pillars of the Martial Alliance.
Since then, though they had seen their ups and downs, they were a powerful force that had never once been dislodged from their position as one of the Five Great Families of the Central Plains.
The Sichuan Tang Family, true to the origin of its martial arts, produced many masters famous for their venomous nature, but among them, Tang Oh was a singular existence.
The Soul-Chasing Butterfly Art, with the exception of the now almost lost Sky-Filling Flower Rain, is the most difficult Hidden Weapon Art to learn and to build Mastery in.
Having mastered it to near the Pinnacle of Mastery, Tang Oh was undoubtedly a Master who had made his mark on the history of the Tang Family.
In fact, he had corrected several weaknesses of the existing Soul-Chasing Butterfly Art, developing it into its current form, and with it, he had defeated countless Unorthodox Faction masters.
Furthermore, Tang Oh had a natural talent for Poison Arts, having developed numerous poisons that had not even been named yet.
If he had been vicious a moment ago, he would have deployed the Nameless Poison along with his Soul-Chasing Butterfly Art technique.
Had he done so, it was obvious that Gi Daehyo would not have been able to make such a surprised face now.
Tang Oh's reputation was so famous that even Dong Bongsu had heard his name a couple of times.
'One of the Twenty Strongest Masters of the Murim.'
Dong Bongsu looked at Gi Daehyo, who was paralyzed with only his head held stiffly erect.
He was staring at Tang Oh, his face pale as if his Soul had already left his body.
His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but with his spirit so shaken, how could he find the mind to speak?
An apology? He didn't seem to have the mental fortitude for such a thing.
Just seeing Gi Daehyo's reaction was enough to understand the weight of the names Sichuan Tang Family and the Twenty Strongest Masters.
As heavy as that was, the trouble Danri Ganghae had caused today was greater than all the trouble he had caused in his entire life combined.
He didn't know what mistake had been made, but if it had displeased someone of Tang Oh's stature, depending on the details, an incident that could easily cause a family on the level of the Danri Family to be forced to seal its gates could occur...
But Dong Bongsu was still at ease.
Although Tang Oh stood loftily, glaring down at them with cold eyes, he had not yet killed anyone.
And if he had intended to kill, they all would have died from the Soul-Chasing Butterfly Art a moment ago.
He was simply recalling the technique Tang Oh had just demonstrated, observing how the situation would unfold.
Just then.
"Grandfather."
A slender woman with her face covered by a brown veil walked out of the Apricot Tiger Inn.
A waist as slender as a willow branch, fingertips as white as jade and fluttering like willow leaves, the curve of her collarbone stretched taut, connecting her neck, chest, and shoulders.
She was a beauty who could make countless men weep with her figure alone.
Her voice, calling him Grandfather, was as lovely and gentle as her appearance.
If the man gazing at her had been anyone other than Dong Bongsu, he would have been lost in a daze, overwhelmed by a sense of ecstasy.
At her call, Tang Oh turned his head toward her.
His gaze had already softened considerably compared to when he was looking at Danri Ganghae and the others.
"Just let it go. They're people from a Rural Town, so they don't know any better, do they?"
Rural Town.
To them, Soaring Sun City was nothing more than the countryside, the Danri Family merely a small to medium-sized sect in a village, and Danri Ganghae was nothing but a fledgling pup.
A tiger does not react to the yapping of a day-old puppy.
Tang Oh nodded at the Veiled Woman's words.
"Let's do that, Hwa-a. By now, this fellow must have learned how vast the world is. Tsk. To think a supposed descendant of the Orthodox Faction has nothing better to do than get drunk and cause a ruckus in the morning."
Tang Oh shook his head as he looked at Danri Ganghae, who had fainted while foaming at the mouth.
The reason he had been a bit harsh with Danri Ganghae and the Black Crow Corps was to serve as a warning.
It was, one might say, a way of showing the fledgling pup the vastness of the world.
Of course, whether the unconscious Danri Ganghae would take it that way was another matter.
"If I followed my temper, I'd want to snap this fellow's wrist, but I can't bring myself to be so cruel to a child of the Orthodox Faction. When this fellow wakes up, tell him firmly that if he keeps hitting on any woman he sees, he won't live to see a natural death. Do you understand?"
Tang Oh said to Gi Daehyo, once again exuding a cold aura.
Only then did Gi Daehyo understand what had happened.
It was clear that Danri Ganghae had treated Tang Oh's granddaughter, who had stopped by the inn, the same way he usually treated courtesans.
Perhaps mesmerized by the Veiled Woman's captivating figure, Danri Ganghae had tried to remove her veil or had been openly lewd.
He was truly lucky.
Even between members of the Orthodox Faction, a situation like this could lead to bloodshed.
And considering the difference between the Sichuan Tang Family and the Danri Family, what more needed to be said? It was as clear as day that it wouldn't be mutual, but that the Danri Family would be the only one shedding blood.
"...Ye-yes!"
Gi Daehyo answered hastily, afraid Tang Oh might change his mind.
Hearing Gi Daehyo's reply, Tang Oh, along with the Veiled Woman, Tang Hwa, walked past the fallen members of the Black Crow Corps.
Swoosh.
For some reason, with each step Tang Oh took, the Black Crow Group Members began to regain consciousness one by one.
As he walked, Tang Oh was using Grasping Objects from a Distance to retrieve all the needles he had deployed earlier.
Dong Bongsu's eyes shone as he carefully watched every detail of the scene.
It was such an incredible sight that he would have found it hard to believe if he hadn't seen it himself.
A spectacle that directly contradicted the laws of physics, he had considered absolute truth.
The deep, hidden desires within him began to stir.
A path to attaining a strength that transcended limits, something impossible in his past world, was unfolding before his eyes.
The thought of needing to learn martial arts grew even firmer in his heart.
Then, by chance, Dong Bongsu and Tang Oh's eyes met.
"Hm?"
What was this? Tang Oh's gaze turned strange.
Halt.
He even stopped walking and looked at Dong Bongsu.
"Grandfather?"
"Hwa-a. Wait here for a moment."
Without any particular explanation to the puzzled Tang Hwa, Tang Oh approached Dong Bongsu.
'What is it?'
Another unpredictable event had occurred.
Dong Bongsu quickly bowed his head.
He had no idea why Tang Oh was coming toward him.
Tap, tap.
The sound of Tang Oh's footsteps grew louder.
"Grandfather? What's going on?"
Tang Hwa called out to the suddenly strange Tang Oh once more and followed him.
Tang Oh raised his hand to stop her and said.
"It's nothing. I just have something to ask this child."
Something to ask.
It meant he had direct business with him.
Dong Bongsu's brain whirred rapidly.
But there was still nothing he could figure out.
Just then, Tang Oh, who had come right up to Dong Bongsu, spoke.
"What is your name?"
"......"
Dong Bongsu was still Ma-ah-sam.
So-sam, the mute Stablehand.
A person who was not supposed to speak.
"I asked what your name is."
Tang Oh's voice grew slightly louder.
But Dong Bongsu remained silent, and the answer came from behind him instead.
It was Gi Daehyo.
"That fellow is a Stablehand named So-sam. He cannot speak."
"A mute?"
Hearing Gi Daehyo's words, a flash of disappointment crossed Tang Oh's face.
But despite that, the interest in Dong Bongsu had not yet vanished from his eyes.
His gaze was still scanning Dong Bongsu up and down.
Dong Bongsu's eyes had a dull, listless color, having lost their original light, but he was watching everything without missing a detail.
And finally, he was able to guess what Tang Oh wanted.
Tang Oh's current gaze looked just like that of a pirate appraising his captured treasure.
Treasure.
A word not usually fitting for a person, but it meant something precious nonetheless.
And for a martial artist, especially a Peak Master like Tang Oh, to look at a young man as if he were a treasure? And to show a brief hint of disappointment upon learning he was a mute?
It had come unexpectedly in an unforeseen situation, but Dong Bongsu instinctively realized that he had finally seized the opportunity to shed the shell of a Stablehand.
And he was not the kind of person to let it go.
Tang Oh stared intently into Dong Bongsu's dull eyes.
Dong Bongsu, matching his action, let his eyes reveal, just for a fleeting moment, not the gaze of So-sam, but his original gaze.
A brilliant light flashed in Tang Oh's eyes, and he grasped a measure of Dong Bongsu's excellence.
However, he did not realize that all of this was a performance staged by Dong Bongsu.
Tang Oh suddenly reached out, grabbed Dong Bongsu's wrist, and checked his pulse.
A look of sharp surprise spread across his cold face.