Commander Gam’s mouth dropped open.
‘One strike… you say? Just one strike?’
In his eyes appeared the image of union warrior, pinned to the ground and writhing.
‘Does this even make sense…’
The Black Fish Union was not exactly a great sect.
No matter how large Henan was as a city, the Black Fish Union, which couldn’t even properly swallow a single Jinan lacking a proper Justice faction and was constantly fighting for influence here and there, couldn’t be that impressive.
But just because the Black Fish Union wasn’t a great sect didn’t mean everyone affiliated with it was worthless.
Sects of the Evil faction usually consisted of a few capable men and a majority of incompetents. Unless it was one of those legendary, breath-taking Shenzhou Five sects, most were much the same.
The problem was that the one now thrust into the dirt, the Mae-Dang, belonged to the few skilled fighters within the Black Fish Union.
‘How did he take down Mae-Dang… in a single strike?’
While Commander Gam was unable to fully grasp what had occurred before his eyes, Baek Cheon lifted his head and growled once more.
“Next one, come out. Today I’ll show that there are Taoists in the world besides Wudang.”
Commander Gam flinched and was about to say something.
“Taoists in the world besides Wudang, you say.”
Seo Gun-Hong rose from his seat and looked at Baek Cheon. He then asked, his voice clearly cautious.
“Was the deceased perhaps affiliated with Mount Hua of Shaanxi?”
“Hm?”
Baek Cheon narrowed his brows.
“How did you know? Folks around here didn’t know.”
“How did I know? Simpletons uninterested in the rivers-and-lakes will find the name Mount Hua unfamiliar, but how could anyone active in the Central Plains not know Mount Hua’s name? It’s the most talked-about name in today’s central Plains.”
“Mm. Hm. That’s true.”
Baek Cheon cleared his throat a few times and nodded.
“…Are you satisfied, sasuk?”
“Look at that smug face.”
“To think you act all puffed up just because a Black Path boss showed you some recognition, given your title as a Mount Hua disciple.”
“Sh-shut up!”
Embarrassed, Baek Cheon turned and snapped. But Seo Gun-Hong, who saw that almost comical scene, wore an even graver expression.
‘Mount Hua, eh…’
A sect that had once been one pillar of the Nine Great Sects. Yet it had fallen so thoroughly that its past seemed meaningless.
‘And recently it has begun to regain its renown.’
Thus he couldn’t get a read on them—how seriously to regard this thing called Mount Hua.
“So the reason renowned Mount Hua adepts have come here is…”
Seo Gun-Hong glanced over at Seok Han-Bin.
“To reclaim this child, you mean?”
Baek Cheon nodded.
“That’s right.”
“Why? What connection could this child have with Mount Hua? That seems unlikely.”
Baek Cheon looked at Seo Gun-Hong with resolute eyes.
“Do we have any reason to explain that?”
“….”
“Whether there’s a tie or not won’t change anything, will it?”
A silence fell from Seo Gun-Hong’s mouth.
Before he could finish collecting his thoughts, Baek Cheon stepped forward and declared.
“Whatever the reason, we will take that child back.”
“This child has caused our hall considerable damage.”
“If you’ve suffered losses, demand compensation. Suffering damage doesn’t grant you the right to capture, torture, and kill people, does it?”
“That’s how the evil sects operates.”
“Then let’s call this our way.”
Seo Gun-Hong’s eyes narrowed.
“What will you do? Fight, or hand him over?”
The one who bristled at that wasn’t Seo Gun-Hong but Commander Gam.
“You insolent brats! How dare you…”
“Hand him over.”
“Union leader!”
“I said hand him over!”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Commander Gam whimpered and bowed his head. Seo Gun-Hong bit his lip until it ached.
Undoubtedly Seok Han-Bin had caused them no small harm. Beyond financial loss, considering the affront to their face, it was more damage than they had expected.
But did that mean they had to make an enemy of Mount Hua over a single Seok Han-Bin?
‘It doesn’t add up.’
Whether Mount Hua was as great as the rumors or not wasn’t the issue. A sect with such a resounding name wouldn’t be shabby like the Poison Scorpion clan.
To swagger simply because their headquarters were far away would be to take on too great a risk.
“We’ll hand the child over; leave.”
“Hm?”
“We will not come back for the child.”
Chung Myung, quietly observing the situation, glanced at Seo Gun-Hong and snorted with a smile.
“Still, that head seems to work a bit after all.”
“…That phrasing sounds a bit odd.”
“Not wrong, but the nuance is strange.”
The murmurs of the Five Swords reached Seo Gun-Hong’s ears, but he thoroughly ignored those voices.
“Union leader, really…?”
“Commander Gam.”
Seo Gun-Hong ground his teeth.
“Do I need to say it again?”
“Ah, no. Union leader.”
As Seo Gun-Hong’s face twisted, Commander Gam quickly signaled with his chin, and the stick-disciples approached Seok Han-Bin.
Someone once said half of the evil sect was face. What made up the other half? Most would say skill, but Seo Gun-Hong thought differently.
‘Someone without tact will die even if they’re skilled.’
The most important thing to survive in the evil sect is knowing when to back down. The decades of cultivated tact told him now was the time to withdraw.
The approaching Black Fish Union men hauled Seok Han-Bin to his feet and untied the ropes that bound him.
“Go.”
“….”
Seok Han-Bin blinked in bewilderment and alternately looked at those who had untied him and at Seo Gun-Hong.
‘They’re letting me go this easily?’
What kind of men were the Black Fish Union? They were the cruelest ones no one in Henan wanted to get entangled with. In particular, the Union leader of the Black Fish Union, the double-faced fiend Seo Gun-Hong, was notorious as one of the most vicious among the Black Path rulers who divided Henan.
Those people would just let Seok Han-Bin go so easily? Even though only seven of them had barged in?
“I said get out.”
Apparently the Black Fish Union members couldn’t believe it either. Their faces showed both confusion and deep humiliation.
‘Can they really leave?’
If it were Seo Gun-Hong, he might still try some trick in a moment like this…
“Hey!”
“…Yes?”
Chung Myung, watching the scene, contorted his face and shouted.
“Stop scheming and get your ass over here already! Damn you! You’re dead today. If you’re going to die anyway, die by my hand.”
“….”
“Hurry up and come!”
Seok Han-Bin finally moved toward Chung Myung. But the Black Fish Union men who had untied him, Commander Gam, and even the double-faced Seo Gun-Hong all simply watched him.
‘No, this is…’
When he stumbled up to Mount Hua’s disciples, Chung Myung suddenly booted him in the rear.
“Aagh! Why did you hit me?!”
“Why hit you? Why? This bastard really needs to be disciplined today!”
“Hold it, Chung Myung.”
“Here is one thing. We’ll have a nice long(?) talk at home.”
“Hoo!”
Chung Myung exhaled deeply, grabbed Seok Han-Bin’s head, and sat him down at his side.
“Is that settled?”
When Seo Gun-Hong said that, Baek Cheon hesitated slightly, then clasped his hands together and extended them forward.
“We thank you for your consideration.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Baek Cheon clicked his tongue with a complicated expression.
They weren’t exactly pleased to be thanking an Evil Sect. But their response had been so clean that there seemed little to pick at.
‘For now, we have no choice but to back down.’
They had achieved their goal of reclaiming Seok Han-Bin and had received a promise not to touch him again, so retreating now was the sensible course.
“We’ll separately compensate for the collapsed wall.”
“No need. Consider it payment for forming ties with the sect called Mount Hua.”
“…Thank you.”
Baek Cheon frowned slightly, then forced himself to compose his expression and straightened his back.
“Let’s go back.”
“Mm. Yes, sasuk.”
“…We should be going.”
Mount Hua’s disciples also seemed to understand and followed without protest.
“…Chung Myung?”
Of course, everyone except one obeyed.
Squatting on the ground, Chung Myung held Seok Han-Bin’s head with one hand and propped his chin with the other.
“Hmm. So, we’re going back?”
“Yeah. For now, isn’t that the right thing to do?”
“Alright.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go back then.”
Baek Cheon breathed a sigh of relief.
“But before that.”
“Hm?”
Chung Myung thrust his hand into his bosom and pulled out something, giving it a little shake.
“You, that…”
“Heave-ho!”
Muttering as if half-asleep, Chung Myung suddenly hurled the sleeping Baek Ah forward.
Screeaaam!
Baek Ah, startled awake by being tossed through the air, reflexively lashed out with her hind legs at the Black Fish Union man in front of him.
Wham!
“Aaaah!”
The Black Fish Union member, inexplicably struck by the marten, flew back in a spray of blood. Mount Hua’s disciples couldn’t help but applaud at the sight.
“That was a perfect Plum Blossom Strike.”
“…That thing actually uses martial arts. What kind of marten uses kung fu?”
“Well, that’s not the important point right now, is it?”
Seo Gun-Hong’s face flushed bright red.
“What is this! We clearly showed you goodwill!”
“Talking about goodwill, are you? You Evil Sect bastard.”
Chung Myung snorted a mocking laugh.
“Listen. There’s a nag I know who told me something countless times.”
“What nonsense…”
“One person cannot clean up all the trash in the world. That’s impossible. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t clean up the trash right in front of me.”
“….”
Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s the same with Evil Sects. You can’t eliminate all Evil Sects in the world. But that doesn’t mean I’ll send the ones I see off gently. Right?”
Pressing Seok Han-Bin’s head down, Chung Myung rose from his seat.
“You lot over there.”
“Hm?”
Following Chung Myung’s gaze, Seo Gun-Hong saw the torture implements laid out on the floor.
“Well worn, aren’t they? You’ve used them a lot. You don’t happen to pass them around among yourselves for reuse, do you?”
“…You are…”
“Shut your mouth. There’s no name from which Black Path brats can cower. Just take your beating like decent folk.”
Just as Chung Myung was about to add something, Seok Han-Bin grabbed his sleeve and tugged.
“W-wait a moment.”
“What is it?”
“Get a grip. There aren’t even ten of them here. And these aren’t all of them—if they all gathered, there’d be well over a hundred!”
“Really?”
“Let’s just leave. There’s no need to make this worse. They offered to let us go; why poke the hornet’s nest…”
Bang!
“Kyaaaa!”
Seok Han-Bin clutched the top of his head and rolled on the ground.
“Look who thinks about it. Hey, your ancestor risked his life charging the Demonic Cult with that shabby skill of his! What now? Go back? Bah, what a waste of blood, you bastard!”
“Ah, shut up.”
Chung Myung grinned and looked at Seo Gun-Hong.
“So, ready to be cleaned up? Piles of trash?”
Seo Gun-Hong’s face contorted like a murderous mask.
“You… you… I’ll tear you apart and kill you!”
Kwang!
Seo Gun-Hong stamped the ground hard.
“I was going to let you kids go since killing youngsters is a bother, and now what? What the hell?”
Seething with murderous intent, Seo Gun-Hong shouted in a voice almost crushed by rage.
“Kill them all! Slaughter every last one! Charge!”
“Yes!”
The Black Fish Union members, as if they’d been waiting, rushed toward Mount Hua’s disciples.
Seeing that, Mount Hua’s disciples smirked and drew their swords.
“What shall we do? sasuk?”
“What do you mean, what shall we do?”
Baek Cheon sighed.
But in truth, wasn’t this what they’d been hoping for?
“Do not kill them.”
“Yes!”
Mount Hua’s swordsmen, without hesitation, charged out to meet the Black Fish Union men.