Crack!
The moment my fist connected with his foul-smelling mouth, I knew. From now on, the only thing that man would be eating was corn soup.
Crash! Bang!
The first man, sent flying in a straight line, lost consciousness before his body even hit the ground. Level 31. A martial artist who had just entered the first-rate, but he couldn’t dodge my fist.
“Where the hell do you get off breathing that stench in my face, ruining my appetite, you fucking bastard.”
For a moment, all sound in the inn ceased.
But it lasted only for an instant.
“Gwangsu’s been taken down!”
“This little brat!”
“Kill him!”
Ch-ch-clang!
Five curved sabers were drawn in unison. Five pairs of eyes gleamed with killing intent. Screaming, the inn’s patrons scattered.
I was suddenly reminded of the scent of blood that had been coming from the man I just knocked down.
Hah, look at these guys.
They were men accustomed to killing. I could tell just by the way they didn’t hesitate to draw their weapons, despite being the ones who started the trouble.
“Who the hell are you guys?”
“The grim reaper.”
As he answered, they charged. Four curved sabers aimed for my limbs, while the remaining one stabbed precisely at my chest.
Swish, swish, swish!
Slow. Of the five, one was first-rate, the other four second-rate. Their ambition to do something to me was admirable, but their feet were slow, and the net of blades they spread from the front was sloppy.
“Next time, at least try to surround me.”
With that friendly advice, I flicked both hands toward them. For a very brief moment, two daggers summoned from my inventory cut through the air.
Swoosh!
Throwing daggers. In Murim, is it called the art of flying daggers? I’ve never learned it for practical combat, but that’s fine. All that matters is that they hit, whether with the blade or the hilt.
Thwack! Thud.
Yes, just like that.
One of them, his forehead split by a dagger’s hilt, collapsed without even a scream. And the other one?
Clang!
“Don’t try such petty tricks!”
Whether he was lucky or just had better eyes than I thought, he managed to block it.
I gave him a wide smile.
“Is that your dagger?”
“You’re the one who threw it, what nonsense is this?!”
“What an honest child. As a reward, you can have them both.”
Thwack, thwack!
“Kuh… your hands were clearly empty…” Thud.
“My daggers multiply infinitely.”
I was glad I had stopped by the armory before leaving the Jin Family estate. I had gone in empty-handed and come out empty-handed, but my inventory was now stacked with dozens of weapons claimed as spoils of war.
“Wh-what is this.”
It all happened in the blink of an eye. The remaining three men, who had been charging, faltered and stepped back.
“Not coming? Then shall I?”
“W-wait, Young Hero! We have committed a grave offense. We will offer our sincerest apologies and compen—”
Look at how fast they change their tune. Just moments ago, they were calling me a little brat, and now it’s “Young Hero.”
“An apology?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Don’t need it!”
I clenched my fists and charged at them. I didn’t even need martial arts to deal with guys like these.
“Damn it, get him!”
Swoosh!
One step to the side.
I dodged the curved saber that came straight down toward the crown of my head. Then I drove a fist into the man’s exposed side.
Crack.
Heok! Leaving the man who collapsed with a stifled groan, I rushed toward the next opponent. I could see the system window above his head, reading Level 35.
“You bastard!”
Whoosh!
As befitting a first-rate master, he showed signs of decent training. His movements were clean, and his curved saber swung accurately toward my vital points.
But…
It’s useless in the face of overwhelming power and speed.
My level and internal energy might be low, but in terms of stats, I had far surpassed the first-rate realm. Add to that the combat experience I had accumulated in Murim. This man was no match for me.
Crack!
His eyes lost their focus. The curved saber he had yet to fully swing slipped from his grasp.
Clatter.
The last man, who had witnessed the entire scene, was half out of his mind.
“Th-the leader… in a single exchange… Who are you?”
“You can introduce yourself to my fist. Here, say hello to my right hand. And you are?”
As I approached with a clenched right fist, the man swung his saber wildly in the air.
“D-don’t come any closer!”
“You have to ask nicely.”
“Please don’t come any closer, sir!”
“He actually did it.”
Well, if he asks so politely, I should listen.
As I stopped walking, a look of relief washed over the man’s face.
“Th-thank you! I’ll live a good life from now on!”
“No need to thank me. And you don’t have to live a good life.”
“Huh?”
“Turning over a new leaf isn’t that easy. Isn’t that right, Mujin?”
Hyeok Mujin, who had appeared behind the man at some point, answered.
“Indeed.”
“Gasp!” He gasped and turned around, but it was too late. Hyeok Mujin was in the middle of bringing a wooden chair down on the man’s head with all his might.
Thwump!
With a dull thud, the last man collapsed. Hyeok Mujin set down the chair and muttered.
“Thanks, and sorry.”
“Why are you thanking guys like these?”
“There are reasons.”
That’s a rather insolent look in his eyes.
Just as I was contemplating punching him for a change, Hyeok Mujin, who was searching the pockets of the fallen men, tilted his head.
“Huh? Squad Leader, these guys are a bit suspicious.”
“In what way?”
“Look at this.” Hyeok Mujin casually rolled up one man’s sleeve, revealing a scar that looked like it had been made with a branding iron. No, it wasn’t just a scar.
This was like…
“A tattoo?”
It was crude and barbaric, but it was definitely a kind of tattoo. It was in the shape of a running horse.
“Is it just this one guy?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t checked them all yet.”
“Check the others.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hyeok Mujin gathered the unconscious men in one place and stripped off their tops. Arms, chests, necks. The locations varied slightly, but they all had the horse tattoo.
So they belong to some kind of group…
I knew they weren’t just simple thugs. There were two first-rate masters among them, and the word the last man had let slip had been bothering me.
He definitely said ‘leader.’
Were they martial artists belonging to another sect? No. For that, their aura was too rough, and their clothes were not uniform. It was more likely that they were a rather large group of vagrants.
The horse tattoo, the horse tattoo.
Then, a certain word suddenly flashed through my mind. It was a name I had first heard during the war with the Hengshan Sword Sect.
“Horse bandits[1]?”
An answer to my mutter came from somewhere.
“There are dozens of horse bandit groups in the northern highlands. It was a big mistake for Lee Cheon-baek to hire them.”
I turned my head to find the owner of the languid yet captivating voice. Standing on the stairs leading to the second floor was a woman with a veil over her face.
“It’s been a while, my Young Master.”
My Young Master?
The moment I heard that phrase, I knew the woman’s identity.
Wol-hwa.
It was her.
***
Hyeok Mujin and I were led to a guest room on the top floor of the Phoenix Inn. It was more of a penthouse, as it took up the entire floor.
“This is the first time I’ve ever brought men to this place. And two at that.”
Wol-hwa’s smile, bathed in the soft light, was dazzling. I had felt it since our first meeting, but she was a true femme fatale. Even I, who had met her a few times, felt my stomach churn. Hyeok Mujin was a lost cause.
“It is… the honor of three lifetimes.”
Look at this bastard’s eyes glaze over. He’s completely smitten.
After giving Hyeok Mujin a charming smile, she threw her gaze to me.
“Have you been well, Young Master Jin? Ah, I suppose I can’t call you Young Master like before anymore?”
Seeing Wol-hwa’s mischievous expression, I could well imagine what she was about to say.
I quickly waved my hands.
“Just call me whatever is comfortable. Like you used to.”
“Hmm, then how about Hidden Dragon Young Master?”
“…That’s horrible.”
“Oh my, why? Hidden Dragon of Shanxi, isn’t it cool? You should be a little more proud to have earned such a martial name at your young age.”
Hidden Dragon of Shanxi or Charismatic Flame Tae-kyung, there wasn’t much difference. Seeing my expression, Wol-hwa giggled and brought a long smoking pipe to her lips.
“I’m joking. Anyway, I like that you’re so fun to tease, Young Master Jin.”
“Uhm, sorry to interrupt.”
Hyeok Mujin, who had recovered slightly, looked back and forth between Wol-hwa and me.
“If I may ask, what is the relationship between you two?”
“You don’t need to know.”
It was a rather embarrassing relationship to explain in detail. I cut him off sharply and gestured to Wol-hwa with my eyes—a signal to just play along.
She nodded, quickly catching on.
“He was a regular customer at my shop. Though not anymore.”
She caught on, my ass.
Then again, it would be strange for her, who was so uninhibited in front of Jin Wi-gyeong and Wi-peng, to hide it now.
Meanwhile, Hyeok Mujin looked half-convinced, as if he didn’t quite understand Wol-hwa’s answer.
“When you say your shop, are you referring to the Phoenix Inn?”
“No. This is a side business. I have a main profession. A job that only a beautiful and charming woman like me can do.”
“Then, could it be…”
“I believe what the young warrior is thinking is correct.”
“A pleasure house?”
“Correct.”
Hyeok Mujin’s eyes widened.
“To think the owner of the famous Phoenix Inn was a courtesan.”
“You should watch your words, warrior. As the one hearing them, I don’t find it very pleasant.”
“I apologize if I offended you. However, your own words and actions at this moment do not seem very proper either.”
I was more flustered than anyone by his sudden stern demeanor.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
“Squad Leader… no, Young Master is a direct descendant of the Taiyuan Jin Family. Even if she were the most beautiful woman under the heavens, she cannot treat the Young Master so casually. As a retainer of the main family, I could not stand by and watch.”
“You were talking about the honor of three lifetimes a moment ago.”
“…Anyway, how dare a mere courtesan to the Young Master… Oof!”
I smacked him squarely on the back of the head and spoke.
“She’s the Shanxi Branch Manager of the Hao Sect.”
“Whether she’s the Shanxi Branch Manager of the Hao Sect or whatever, huh? What did you say?”
“Are your ears clogged? I said she is the Shanxi Branch Manager of the Hao Sect. The one who gave us very, extremely, decisively helpful assistance during our war with the Hengshan Sword Sect.”
“It’s alright, Young Master Jin.”
Wol-hwa lowered her eyes sadly.
“I am but a lowly courtesan, after all.”
After a moment of silence, Hyeok Mujin bowed his head.
“My lady, no, Branch Manager. I apologize—”
“Then keep your mouth shut.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wol-hwa let out a dry laugh.
“You have an interesting subordinate.”
They say the foolish squid brings shame to the whole fish market. That bastard Hyeok Mujin is bringing shame to the entire Jin Family. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t even look her in the face.
“…I’m sorry for everything.”
“It’s not for you to apologize for, Young Master. And well, he’s not entirely wrong.”
It was a relief she let it go so easily.
Wol-hwa, exhaling a puff of smoke, spoke.
“You’re on your way to the Hengshan Sword Sect, correct?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask your purpose?”
“Don’t you already know?”
She was the number one information broker in Shanxi Province. There was no need to even ask how she knew.
“I was hoping you would tell me yourself, Young Master Jin… I’m disappointed.”
“Business and personal matters should be kept separate.”
“How heartless. Then may I make a proposal? You can call it a deal, if you like.”
“I’ll decide after I hear it.”
Wol-hwa tapped her pipe.
“Let’s go together. To the Hengshan Sword Sect.”
“What?”
What is she talking about?