Chapter 167: Do You Think I’m a Rookie in the Jianghu?
When Yoo Geun-sik shouted “Ambush!”, Yeon Jeokha thought it was the work of the Yoomyung Cult. No one else would dare attack him.
In that instant, Yeon Jeokha, to minimize damage, broke through the carriage roof and leaped into the air using his sword technique. He knew he needed to draw the Demon Warriors’ attention to keep his group safe.
Then, a dozen arrows flew toward him.
Drawing his sword, Yeon Jeokha slashed all the arrows in the air.
Clang, clang, clang!
When the attacks ceased, Yeon Jeokha looked around from the air.
He saw a dozen men with astonished faces.
The attackers, who had been stunned, began to retighten their bows.
‘Don’t even think about it!’
Without wasting time, Yeon Jeokha executed the sixth move of the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship, the Heavenly Thunder No Return.
From the air, he swung his sword, sending a surge of energy that descended upon the attackers like thunder.
Crack!
Nine men fell to the ground, struck by the sword’s energy.
The remaining four, terrified, threw down their bows and started to flee.
Yeon Jeokha used his movement technique and landed behind one of them.
Plonk.
Feeling the cold blade on his shoulder, Chun Sang-gong froze.
“Please, spare my life.”
Chun Sang-gong didn’t dare turn around, begging for his life.
“Turn around.”
“Yes, yes.”
Yeon Jeokha looked at the man, around forty years old, with an incredulous expression.
“Who are you?”
“I am Chun Sang-gong of the Heukwoon Sect.”
“Why did you attack our carriage?”
“It was a mistake. If I had known there was such a formidable master, I would never have…”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Who said we were from the Cheongsan Sect?”
“Aren’t you from the Cheongsan Sect?”
“No.”
Yeon Jeokha sighed in relief.
Fortunately, they weren’t Demon Warriors.
Suddenly, he realized that the road to Seohwa Village might not be as safe. He knew the Yoomyung Cult was aware of his movements and that he needed to be more cautious in the future.
At that moment, Old Shim, who had dismounted from the carriage, came running.
“What kind of idiots are these? Hey, you! What bandits do you belong to? How dare you attack the Grand Inspector of Nokrim?”
Upon hearing “Grand Inspector of Nokrim,” Chun Sang-gong’s face turned pale.
Nokrim was synonymous with terror for the Heukwoon Sect.
“Please spare my life.”
Yeon Jeokha looked at Old Shim and spoke.
“Old Shim, they’re not bandits; they’re from the Heukwoon Sect. They thought we were from the Cheongsan Sect.”
Old Shim glared fiercely at Chun Sang-gong.
“Idiot! Did you try to kill without knowing who your enemy was? And if you were wrong? Were you going to say ‘sorry’ after killing them? If you’re at war with the Cheongsan Sect, attack the Cheongsan Sect, not bystanders.”
“Sorry. Sorry. Please spare my life.”
“What are you going to do about the carriage you wrecked?”
“I’ll speak with our leader. He’ll get you a new one.”
Yeon Jeokha, listening to the conversation between Old Shim and Chun Sang-gong, shouted.
“Old Shim, do you care more about the carriage than that they almost killed Yoo Geun-sik and the coachman?”
“Heh heh. That rookie won’t die from arrows like those. He even protected the coachman.”
“So, you want to compensate for the attempted murder with a new carriage?”
Old Shim looked at Chun Sang-gong and asked.
“Did you hear our Young Master? How are you going to compensate for this?”
“I don’t know…”
“Think carefully before answering. If our Young Master gets angry, he might blame the entire Heukwoon Sect.”
Chun Sang-gong’s face hardened.
That could mean the end of the Heukwoon Sect.
“Our leader will properly compensate the Grand Inspector.”
Chun Sang-gong had no choice but to mention his leader.
Indeed, such a serious matter should be handled by the leader.
Yeon Jeokha, thinking it wasn’t a subordinate’s issue, nodded.
“Where is your leader?”
“In Heungjung Village, at the Yeolrae Inn.”
“Fine. Take your men and go first. Make sure to deliver the message correctly. If not, I’ll tear you apart.”
Yeon Jeokha pointed to the nine men lying in the forest.
Chun Sang-gong asked cautiously.
“Aren’t they dead?”
“I withdrew their life force at the last moment, so they’re not dead. But I’m not sure if they’ll return to normal after receiving sword energy to the head. Find out when they wake up.”
“Yes, yes.”
Chun Sang-gong, bowing, went to the forest and touched the necks of his subordinates.
He felt a pulse.
He couldn’t believe they were still alive after seeing the sword energy pass through their heads.
Relieved, he woke his subordinates by slapping their cheeks.
“Ugh…”
One of them woke up with a groan and drool dripping from his mouth.
“Hey…”
‘Damn it!’
The awakened subordinate had a dazed look.
Thinking he was still in shock, Chun Sang-gong went to wake the others.
Soon after, leading his half-conscious subordinates, he left first.
Old Shim asked Yeon Jeokha.
“Young Master, those guys seemed out of it. What did you do to them?”
“I don’t know. At first, I thought they were from the Yoomyung Cult and didn’t hold back. But then I saw they weren’t that dangerous, so I withdrew their life force. I guess that’s why they ended up like that.”
“Hehe. It looks like the Heukwoon Sect will have a hard time keeping them.”
“Do you really think they’ll stay like that forever? They’ll get better over time.”
Yeon Jeokha was trying to convince himself.
It was better than killing them, but making them idiots also bothered him.
As Yeon Jeokha and his group returned to the carriage, a group from the Cheongsan Sect approached.
Seeing the arrow-riddled carriage, Jong Daseo of the Cheongsan Sect stopped his horse with a surprised look.
“Oh no! What happened?”
Jong Daseo looked at Seol Chasu’s group, with whom he had spoken earlier at the dock.
Seol Chasu responded with a bitter expression.
“We were ambushed by the Heukwoon Sect. They thought we were from the Cheongsan Sect.”
“Oh no! Is anyone hurt?”
“Fortunately, only the carriage was damaged. No one was injured.”
“Tch, tch! Those guys always attack without thinking. If we had arrived a little earlier, we could have helped.”
Jong Daseo hoped the Justice Alliance would join the Cheongsan Sect against the Heukwoon Sect.
But seeing the indifferent faces of the group, it seemed unlikely.
After observing the situation, Jong Daseo left with a disappointed expression.
Old Shim said, watching Jong Daseo leave.
“Young Master, did you see how that guy tried to use our hands to wipe his nose? As if there was someone less capable than me here.”
“Really? I thought he was a kind person.”
“Are you joking?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
Yeon Jeokha seemed hesitant, so Old Shim kept pressing.
“Young Master, there’s no kindness without reason in the Jianghu. Much less in a conflict. That’s like saying you want to use someone else to do the dirty work.”
“I know, I know. I was just kidding.”
“Do you really know?”
“You’re incredible! I was just joking. Do you think I’m still a rookie in the Jianghu?”
With their banter in the background, Lee Sa gently snapped the reins.
“Let’s go!”
The carriage, which had been still, began to roll down the road again.
Heungjung Village.
Yeolrae Inn.
Pung Wooseong, the Leader of the Heukwoon Sect, looked at his men in disbelief.
That morning, he had sent his team of assassins to deal with the Cheongsan Sect’s support.
But that afternoon, the men who returned were not in their right minds. It looked like they had been hit on the head with a stick, their eyes unfocused, and drooling.
“Are you saying they were struck on the head with sword energy?”
Chun Sang-gong replied in a trembling voice.
“Yes. I clearly saw the sword energy pass through their heads. But instead of dying, they ended up like this.”
“Idiot! I told you to deal with the Cheongsan Sect’s support, and you end up messing with the wrong people. Now we have nine idiots! What are you going to do?”
Pung Wooseong glared at Chun Sang-gong with furious eyes.
If he weren’t his brother-in-law, he would have killed him right there.
“Leader, that’s not the most important thing.”
“What else is there?”
“The Grand Inspector of Nokrim is coming to demand compensation.”
“What compensation? You turned nine men into idiots! And wasn’t no one supposed to be hurt?”
“The carriage roof was broken.”
“But he broke it himself, didn’t he?”
“Yes, but it was our fault. If we don’t compensate, he said he would destroy the Heukwoon Sect.”
“Damn it! Gather everyone. I’ll end this today.”
Pung Wooseong, furious, was stopped by Chun Sang-gong.
“No. It’s a mistake. That guy can fly fifteen meters into the air and unleash sword energy. If we fight, we’ll be annihilated. They say he even destroyed the Demon Warriors of the Yoomyung Cult. It’s not just a rumor.”
“Is he really that strong?”
“Yes. Even worse than the rumors say. There were also other experts in the carriage. If we touch them, we’ll disappear.”
“So, you want me to compensate them?”
“Yes…”
Chun Sang-gong lowered his head, ashamed.
He knew this was all his fault.
“How much will it be?”
“Replacing the carriage and giving them something extra should be enough.”
“Naive! Do you know what Nokrim is?”
“…”
“They’re thieves who will take everything with just a look. If they demand compensation, it won’t be settled with one or two thousand taels of silver.”
“Then what?!”
“Call all the good carpenters. First, repair the carriage.”
“Yes.”
“And don’t get involved in the fight with the Cheongsan Sect for now. Just focus on repairing the carriage. Make it like new.”
“Understood.”
“And what do we do with these?”
Pung Wooseong looked at the nine men with open mouths and unfocused eyes.
It made his stomach churn just looking at them.
“What did the doctor say?”
“He said they suffered a major impact to the head.”
“Did he say if they would improve with treatment?”
“He wasn’t sure.”
Pung Wooseong, after thinking for a while, looked at his bodyguard, Gyung Ho-beop.
“Gyung Ho-beop.”
“Yes.”
“Take them and hide them. If the Cheongsan Sect finds out about this, they won’t stay quiet.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Now there’s only the Grand Inspector of Nokrim left. He should be here soon.”
As Pung Wooseong looked out the window, the large carriage stopped in front of the inn.
Then, some strange warriors entered.
Upon seeing Yeon Jeokha, Chun Sang-gong exclaimed:
“Leader, he has arrived.”
Tags:
HIS (Novel)