The sacred object of the Scorching Fire Sect.
The moment that unfamiliar phrase left the Fire King’s mouth, the Raging Roar Sword Expert’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
“W-What do you mean by that, sir?”
“Is a man not yet seventy already losing his hearing? I’ll say it one more time, so listen carefully.”
Jeok Cheon-kang gestured towards me with his chin, his face a mask of annoyance.
“I entrusted my sect’s sacred object to that brat. Got it?”
Got what?
I looked around with a bewildered expression. Everyone, including Jin Wi-gyeong and Baek Mu-seong, was looking back and forth between me and Jeok Cheon-kang with faces of pure shock. In this cauldron of chaos, only one person remained unaffected as he opened his mouth.
“Benefactor, what’s a sacred object of the Scorching Fire Sect? Let me see it too.”
I couldn’t answer Cheong Pung’s question.
I don’t know either, you bastard.
A sacred object of the Scorching Fire Sect? What was that? I swear, I had never heard or seen of such a thing. The only items I had received from Jeok Cheon-kang were the manual of the Flaming Divine Palm Arts and a single sword…
Ah, wait a minute.
“Could it be?”
At my doubtful gaze, Jeok Cheon-kang clicked his tongue.
“To not even know what you’re carrying on your back. You foolish boy.”
I felt as if I had been struck on the back of the head with a hammer. I hastily untied the securely fastened knot. As I peeled away the tightly wrapped cloth, a plain and rough scabbard revealed itself.
The Nameless Sword.
The very item that Jo Pil had stolen from his master, and that I had taken from him. I grasped the hilt and pulled.
Sreung.
With a sound that made the fine hairs on my arms stand up, the pure white blade was revealed. In the encroaching darkness, the people gasped at the sight of it shining like a legendary holy sword.
Then is this really… the sacred object of the Scorching Fire Sect?
Until now, I had never once suspected it. Why Jo Pil had stolen this from Jeok Cheon-kang. Why, unlike the Flaming Divine Palm Arts or the Blazing Divine Pill, it was given the strange description of [Nameless Sword]. Just as I was staring blankly at the blade…
“T-This is impossible!”
It was the Raging Roar Sword Expert. Unlike him, who was seized by extreme panic and excitement, Jeok Cheon-kang’s complexion was the picture of serenity.
“What is?”
“T-That is.”
“I entrusted the sacred object of my sect to that boy. Even if your head is full of shit, you should know what that means.”
My mind suddenly cleared. I had been so mesmerized by the sword that I had momentarily forgotten. The meaning of a sacred object from a martial arts sect, especially one that has been passed down to a single successor for hundreds of years. Along with that, the words Cheong Pung had spoken just half a day ago flashed through my mind.
‘Isn’t he trying to make you his disciple, benefactor?’
At the time, I had laughed it off as ridiculous nonsense. But now…
Fuck, I don’t know anymore either.
As I was just swallowing dryly, the Raging Roar Sword Expert’s accusatory finger was pointed at me. But before he could even open his mouth, Jeok Cheon-kang’s fearsome gaze bound him tightly.
“I said, I entrusted my sect’s sacred object.”
That was all. But the opponent was none other than the Fire King. The Raging Roar Sword Expert no longer had the courage to retort. Chewing his lip, he suddenly glared at me.
“You brat. You are lucky.”
Why is this old man picking on me again?
Even Jeok Cheon-kang said nothing. Was he telling me to handle this on my own? I shrugged my shoulders at the Raging Roar Sword Expert.
“You’ve got the wrong person. I’m actually very unlucky.”
If I were lucky, fuck, would I have met a bastard like you? I wasn’t sure if I should call Jeok Cheon-kang’s arrival in this touch-and-go situation a great misfortune or a great fortune.
“Well, anyway, it was nice meeting you. Have a safe trip back.”
“You cunning brat. Why don’t you try acting like you did before?”
“Like before? Ah, you mean when I said it was shitty?”
Without giving the Raging Roar Sword Expert a chance to speak, I bowed my head deeply.
“I apologize for that part. I have a personality where I can’t stand injustice. Please consider it a slip of the tongue from a far-junior martial artist and forgive me. Great. Hero.”
The Raging Roar Sword Expert’s body trembled. Blood dripped from his tightly clenched fist. In his appearance, I saw myself from just a few minutes ago. The difference between us was that I had not yielded to the Raging Roar Sword Expert, but he had yielded to the Fire King.
One who brandishes power kneels before a greater power. Reconfirming this essence of the world, I didn’t feel entirely triumphant. No, it was even bitter.
This feels dirty.
If not for Jeok Cheon-kang, the humiliation and anger that man was feeling now would have been my and the Jin Family’s share. It wouldn’t be difficult for a few people here to take down the Raging Roar Sword Expert himself. But behind him was the Zhongnan Sect. I hated to admit it… but the gap between them and us was large. It was a gap that, for now, could not be closed.
For now, that is.
I, who was once a perennial F-class Hunter, had come this far. You never know what will happen in life. Who knows, maybe one day the Taiyuan Jin Family will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
Ah, am I getting too ahead of myself? That’s like a small-town mayor running for president.
As I snickered at the thought, the Raging Roar Sword Expert ground his teeth.
“You dare to laugh at me?”
“I just have a naturally smiling face.”
“Shut that mouth!”
The moment his rage-filled shout erupted, Jeok Cheon-kang’s right foot shot out like lightning and kicked the Raging Roar Sword Expert in the shin. A joint kick¹ from a Transcendent Realm master.
POW!
“Keoheok!”
“You shut up. Where does a young punk raise his voice in front of an adult?”
“What do you think you’re doing!”
“Look at this bastard. I was trying to end this nicely, but you’re asking for a beating?”
“Ugh!”
Wow, that one went in deep. With a duller thud than before, the Raging Roar Sword Expert collapsed, clutching his shin.
Heh, even an elder of the great Zhongnan Sect is no different.
Despite his high social standing and being over sixty, his opponent was on a completely different level.² Age, martial arts, status. The Fire King Jeok Cheon-kang was a being he could not match in any aspect.
“That level of bullshit is a disease. If you’ve done enough, get the hell out of here.”
“…I will.”
Just as the Raging Roar Sword Expert, who had been glaring at me with eyes full of resentment, was lifting his dirt-covered body, a cold voice continued.
“Furthermore, I will keep today’s events a secret, so do not speak of this matter again. Do you understand what I mean?”
I really need to start a fan club. Although I had just blurted it out on a whim, it was true that I was worried deep down. If the Raging Roar Sword Expert were to retaliate later using the Zhongnan Sect as a front, the Jin Family would have no way to stop it. But with Jeok Cheon-kang’s mediation, the story changes.
Though I’m not sure if it’s mediation or a threat.
The grudge from today’s events would remain, but at the very least, they wouldn’t be able to apply official pressure. Even if such a thing happened, the burden would be far less with the strong breakwater³ that was the Fire King.
“Why is there no answer?”
The Raging Roar Sword Expert’s face, his scheme seen through, was tragically distorted. Of course, Jeok Cheon-kang paid him no mind.
“Say it with your own mouth. Right now.”
“…I understand. I give you my name on it.”
“What’s your name worth? Promise on the name of the Zhongnan Sect.”
“Grind, I understand.”
Only then did a satisfied smile appear on Jeok Cheon-kang’s lips. He laughed heartily and patted the Raging Roar Sword Expert’s shoulder.
“Where did a young punk like you learn to bare your teeth? Should I just pull them all out?”
“Hahaha, I’m old too, so I can’t do that in front of people. Hahaha!”
I never knew the laughter of a white-haired old man could be so terrifying. Not just the Raging Roar Sword Expert, but everyone listening shuddered at the same time. Jeok Cheon-kang, who had been laughing like a demon, turned his head to me.
“You haven’t done anything right either. Whatever the circumstances, to spew such profanity at an elder who is so much your senior. Are you in your right mind?”
I quickly bowed my head. Whatever the case, the facts were the facts, and I felt I had to wrap things up with the Raging Roar Sword Expert, an elder of the Zhongnan Sect, at this point.
“I apologize.”
“Even if he ate his age through his asshole, at sixty, he’s old enough to have a grandchild your size without it being strange.”
“…Ah, yes.”
“Even if he’s a dog-like bastard, he’s an adult and a great senior in the martial world. Even if it’s dirty and cheap, from now on, treat him with the utmost courtesy.”
“Great Hero Song. I offer my sincerest apologies.”
As I straightened my back after a full folder-bow, I could see the Raging Roar Sword Expert’s flushed face. He probably didn’t feel like he had received an apology at all. On the other hand, despite having apologized to a man I disliked, I felt as refreshed as if I had just regulated my energy.
Is this what they call the wisdom of age?
Look at that verbal skill, honed over a hundred years. Not only his martial arts were at the Transcendent Realm. At this rate, he could change his title from Fire King to Tongue King. The Tongue King, having concluded all agreement procedures under his supervision, declared in a solemn voice.
“Now, all uninvited bastards, get out. If you’re hungry, go have a bowl of rice or something on your way out.”
Now he was treating them like beggars. The Raging Roar Sword Expert, trembling with humiliation, finally opened his mouth after a long while.
“…Then we will take our leave.”
“I won’t see you off.”
“Let’s go!”
The Raging Roar Sword Expert turned sharply, as if he had been waiting for those words. Gong Il-hyeok and the other two members of the Three Hands of Zhongnan, who had been scowling, followed him. Stinging gazes followed the four men’s backs. Just as he was about to exit the main gate, he suddenly turned his head and stared at me. A line of sound transmission, laced with killing intent, followed.
—I do not know what connection you have with that old man… but as long as I draw breath, I will surely punish you and the Taiyuan Jin Family.
It was an event that happened in a moment so short it could be called an instant. The Fire King, who had been watching the Raging Roar Sword Expert’s back melt into the darkness with an unreadable expression, tossed out a single remark.
“I’ll be out for a moment.”
“Pardon? Where are you going?”
“At my age, must I report every time I go to take a piss?”
He spat out bluntly and disappeared with a swaggering gait.
***
Having moved far away from the Jin Family estate, the Raging Roar Sword Expert suddenly drew his sword and swung it.
Shwiiiiing! Kwa-kwang!
Dozens of streams of sword Qi split trees and shattered rocks. His rage, which had continued for a long time, finally turned towards Gong Il-hyeok and the Three Hands of Zhongnan.
“You foolish fools…”
“E-Elder.”
“Do you know what humiliation I have suffered because of you worthless worms!”
“F-Forgive us. Please forgive your unworthy disciples.”
The Three Hands of Zhongnan were frozen stiff. Among them, the one who was especially terrified was Gong Il-hyeok. If he hadn’t instigated the Raging Roar Sword Expert to come to the Taiyuan Jin Family, none of this would have happened.
“E-Elder. Please calm down and listen to my story.”
“I’ve turned a blind eye a few times because you have the Sect Leader as a relative, but it seems you think you can get away with anything now.”
Grasp.
The Raging Roar Sword Expert’s skinny hand grabbed Gong Il-hyeok’s neck.
“Keoheuk, I-I am the Sect Master’s…”
“Do you think the Sect Leader would so much as blink an eye if I punished one bug like you? You worthless creature.”
Just as Gong Il-hyeok’s face turned deathly white…
Tuk. Tuduk. Thud.
His body went limp and his head snapped back. The other two of the Three Hands of Zhongnan, who had been terrified, also collapsed helplessly on the spot.
“W-Why are these bastards suddenly.”
The Raging Roar Sword Expert, who had been flustered for a moment, suddenly turned his head. Staring intently into the darkness, he opened his mouth.
“Do you still have business with me?”
“That is why I came to find you, is it not?”
With a nonchalant voice, the small old man, the Fire King Jeok Cheon-kang, revealed himself. He clicked his tongue as he looked at the collapsed Three Hands of Zhongnan.
“Tsk tsk. I ended up saving those bastards unintentionally. Should I have come a little later?”
“Why have you come again?”
“It’s been a long time, so I felt it was a shame to just let you go.”
The Fire King smiled broadly and added.
“And I forgot something.”
“Forgot something, what do you mean…”
At that moment, Jeok Cheon-kang’s figure vanished like a phantom. At the same time, sword Qi erupted from the waist of the greatly alarmed Raging Roar Sword Expert.
Shwish-shwish-shwish-shwish-swish!
A three-zhang radius. A dense net of sword Qi that would rend flesh and bone on contact spread out. But the big fish had already swum upstream.
“I told you earlier. Not to touch a single hair on that boy’s head.”
KWACK!
The hilt of the sword fell from the Raging Roar Sword Expert’s grasp. His wrist broken, he screamed and brought his knee up.
“Kuaaak! You dog-like old man!”
“When will you ever become a human being?”
At the same time, a palm engulfed in white flame pressed against the Raging Roar Sword Expert’s chest.
PANG!
“Keo… heok!”
An unstoppable palm strike. His protective aura shattered, and his bones and flesh were cooked. The Raging Roar Sword Expert, who knelt while vomiting blood, had his eyelids tremble violently.
“Cough… F-Flaming Divine Palm Arts…”
“Lift your head and look at me.”
The old man’s voice was as cold as ice, belying his title of Fire King. The Raging Roar Sword Expert, who barely managed to lift his head, met a pair of eyes in which blue will-o’-the-wisps flickered.
“F-Fire King.”
“Yes, I am the Fire King.”
He had momentarily forgotten. Just what kind of monster the Fire King Jeok Cheon-kang was. His period of activity in the martial world was only a single year. But with just one battle, he had become a legend and carved his mark on the history of the martial world. An opponent he could never stand against. A thick despair settled over the Raging Roar Sword Expert’s face.
“Are you… are you going to kill me?”
“If I could end everything by killing you, I would have done so long ago.”
“Then…”
“Remember only one thing.”
The Fire King slowly parted his lips.
“Jin Tae-kyung. You may kill that child. I will watch even if you annihilate the Taiyuan Jin Family. However, if such a thing happens, I will go to the Zhongnan Sect.”
“…!”
“I will shatter the signboard of the Zhongnan Sect and burn down Mount Zhongnan. If you abandon your main sect and flee, I will chase you to the ends of the earth and kill every last one of you. Until the day my own breath runs out.”
At the terrifying killing intent, the Raging Roar Sword Expert’s entire body trembled. Every word Jeok Cheon-kang was saying now was true. He was declaring that he would face the Zhongnan Sect alone. He couldn’t even imagine how many sacrifices would have to be made if such a thing were to happen.
“W-What must I do?”
“The choice is yours. The punishment for it is my share.”
Leaving those words behind, Jeok Cheon-kang vanished. And only a long while later did the awakened Three Hands of Zhongnan discover the Raging Roar Sword Expert sitting collapsed with a dazed expression, and they were startled.
“E-Elder!”
“What happened!”
“Who on earth!”
It was a very long time later that the Raging Roar Sword Expert opened his mouth.
“We are returning. To Zhongnan.”
At his voice, laced with horror and fear, the Three Hands of Zhongnan could not say a word.