Chapter 142: Why Are You Out There (3)
Chapter 141 – Why Are You Out There (3)
Gye Du-sik knit his brows heavily and glared at Namgung Cheon.
“Who are you?”
“Me? As you can see, I am an apprentice.”
“Does a mere apprentice chatter away without even distinguishing when to step forward and when to shut up?”
“Ah, so I was not supposed to chatter?”
“What?”
“No, well… because the Captain was just disobeying orders to the Hall Master and arguing loudly… I thought it was okay for me to speak to this extent.”
At that moment, the listening Hall Master burst out laughing, ‘Pfft!’.
Paeng Su-hyeok and Yun Jong-seung, who were next to him, curled up the corners of their mouths slightly with internally thrilled expressions.
On the other hand, Gye Du-sik was now on the verge of exploding, his face flushed red all the way to his forehead.
“Why, this greenhorn brat…!”
“Now, now, don’t be too excited. Is he not still a young cadet? Haha.”
Bi Ryang quickly stepped forward to stop Gye Du-sik.
At that, Gye Du-sik scanned Bi Ryang from head to toe and asked sharply.
“And who are you?”
“I am called Bi Ryang, the guiding instructor of the apprentices here.”
“Bi Ryang…?”
Only then flinching, Gye Du-sik looked back and forth between Bi Ryang and the Hall Master.
The Hall Master sighed and spoke.
“Did I not tell you? That it is an important mission. Instructor Bi Ryang will go along. He will be a great strength to the Righteous Sword Unit.”
Only then could Gye Du-sik infer the general circumstances.
In all probability, the Hall Master had summoned those greenhorns just to draw Bi Ryang into this mission.
“Either way, this is unpleasant. Hall Master, do you not trust our unit?”
“I do. I trust you more than anyone. However, I am saying let us be careful.”
“That is not trusting!”
“Oh, dear man! You know as well, do you not? It is Instructor Bi Ryang, of all people. It cannot be undone now.”
The Righteous Sword Hall Master closed his eyes tightly as if there was no need to continue the conversation anymore.
In the end, Gye Du-sik, who was huffing alone, spat out a curse and approached Bi Ryang.
“Listen well. Since things have turned out like this, we have no choice but to do the mission together, but the master of this unit is me! I do not care what kind of person you are or what achievements you have built, nor does it matter. As long as you join this unit, you must follow my instructions no matter what happens.”
Bi Ryang replied with a gentle smile.
“Of course, Captain Gye.”
“And you. What is your name?”
Gye Du-sik pointed his finger at Namgung Cheon.
Namgung Cheon smirked and replied.
“I am Namgung Cheon.”
“Namgung Cheon…? Now that I look at you, you are that guy they call the rising Divine Dragon or whatever lately. But do not be so arrogant just because you won the Joint Conference where kids play around. The Jianghu is a much colder place than you think. If you keep getting on my bad side like this, I will assign you the hardest and most difficult mission.”
“Oh, acting so damn cool.”
“W… What?”
As Gye Du-sik’s eyes trembled, Namgung Cheon mimicked Gye Du-sik’s voice without paying it any mind.
“‘If you get on my bad side, I will assign you the hardest and most difficult mission.’ Wow! As expected, not just anyone can be a captain. You have to know how to abuse power like this to lead an organization, right?”
Gye Du-sik looked at Namgung Cheon with an absurd expression.
What kind of brat is this?
If he were to nitpick over what a clueless kid said, he would look like a petty person himself.
Yet, letting it slide made him feel like a fool.
“Are you taking my words as a joke right now?”
“Hey, how could I. Honestly, I was disappointed to be assigned to the Righteous Sword Unit at first, but now I am touched by the Captain’s forcefulness.”
“My… forcefulness? No, rather than that, you were disappointed to be assigned to the Righteous Sword Unit?”
“Huh? You did not know?”
“What?”
“That among the cadets, no one wants to be assigned to the likes of the Righteous Sword Unit.”
By this time, those watching also felt highly anxious.
Even Paeng Su-hyeok, who was far from prudent, felt a prick of alarm and glanced at Namgung Cheon.
Dude, watch your mouth!
However, whether Namgung Cheon knew the inner feelings of those around him or not, he continued speaking innocently.
“Honestly, all the Righteous Sword Unit does is watch the prison or stand like a folding screen when executing the law, right?”
Now, the other cadets looked at Namgung Cheon with their mouths wide open.
Should they say that Namgung Cheon right now was like a cart racing down a slope?
‘S-Someone needs to stop that guy…’
Sure enough, the face of Gye Du-sik, the Righteous Sword Captain, turned dark.
Unable to explode his rising anger before a mere kid, his entire body trembled.
“Folding… screen…! Did you say… folding screen?”
“Yes. I heard it was a folding screen.”
“Exactly which bastards are spouting such nonsense!”
In the end, Gye Du-sik, unable to hold back his anger, shouted abruptly.
Namgung Cheon pointed his finger at Paeng Su-hyeok.
“He said so.”
“Huh…?”
In an instant, Paeng Su-hyeok looked back and forth between Namgung Cheon and Gye Du-sik with a blank expression.
Why is that crazy bastard dragging me into this!
Gye Du-sik strode toward Paeng Su-hyeok.
“Is what that guy said true?”
“Haha… well, that is… I did not say that publicly… I was just muttering to myself…”
“So you did say it.”
Now, a torrent of energy bordering on murderous intent was rising from Gye Du-sik’s entire body.
Paeng Su-hyeok glared at Namgung Cheon.
Dude! Say something! What is this situation?
However, Namgung Cheon seemed to have no intention of helping at all.
“Yes, he definitely did. Because I heard it clearly right next to him.”
That… bastard! Is this retaliation for the surprise attack earlier!
While Paeng Su-hyeok wore an awkward smile with a troubled expression, Bi Ryang, who was watching, stepped forward abruptly.
“It is only the thought of clueless children. Captain, please kindly understand.”
However, Gye Du-sik stared straight at Bi Ryang instead of backing away.
The gazes of the two clashed intensely in the air.
In the end, Gye Du-sik let out a low groan and backed off.
“Mmm. They seem to be fellows who cannot even tell heaven from earth, so please pay attention, Instructor. The Alliance is also paying attention to this mission.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
As Bi Ryang replied with a chuckle, Gye Du-sik turned around with a highly untrusting expression.
* * *
The Martial Alliance’s Taigang Branch in Guizhou.
At the entrance of the branch, many people were gathered, and they all whispered while looking at one spot.
“They say the guy locked up there is the Thieving Ghost, right? I wanted to see his face since I’ve only heard of him.”
“Shh, speak quietly. He might hear.”
“Hmph! What if he hears? He is bound to be trapped and transported to the Alliance anyway. And his face isn’t even visible.”
“That is true, but they say that Thieving Ghost has such a wide network among the unorthodox martial artists that people helping him escape during transport will appear.”
“I heard that too. I mean, why on earth would they help such a guy? How many people have been ruined because of him?”
“True. They say he steals whatever item is requested, right? They even say he steals wives and children, so that says it all.”
“He is a bastard who deserves to be beaten to death.”
“Anyway, there is no telling what the unorthodox martial artists will do to rescue him. No wonder the branch gave up on forming an escort team.”
“Indeed. They say the Righteous Sword Unit was dispatched from the main Alliance headquarters to transport him?”
“So they say. Still, since it’s the Righteous Sword Unit dispatched from the main headquarters, they should be more reliable than an escort team formed by the branch.”
The place the whispering people’s gazes were directed.
A transport cart was placed there, but the iron-barred cage was covered with black cloth, so the prisoner’s face could not be recognized.
This was to prevent the prisoner from knowing his exact location even during transport.
However, those gathered here all knew who the man locked inside the bars was.
The man called by the moniker Thieving Ghost.
To the point where rumors circulated that if he targeted an item, it was as good as already gone.
No wonder the Haou Sect had even tried to recruit him by offering a key position?
However, as if his luck had run out, he had been captured by the Blue Wave Corps not long ago.
And now was before he was transported from the Taigang Branch to the Martial Alliance headquarters.
Just then, the people gathered on one side began to stir.
Through the crowd of whispering people, a group of warriors was passing, who was the Righteous Sword Unit dispatched by the Martial Alliance.
Of course, Namgung Cheon was also included in that crowd.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the Guizhou region.’
He had heard roughly about this mission.
An escort mission for a prisoner.
However, he had not heard who that prisoner was.
Allegedly out of concern that the apprentice cadets might get nervous upon hearing the prisoner’s moniker and make a mistake?
‘Well, it’s not incomprehensible.’
Namgung Cheon glanced at Yun Jong-seung, who was walking beside him with a pale face. Yun Jong-seung had been muttering constantly for some time.
“He won’t escape during transport, will he? They say if you lock eyes with the prisoner, you have nightmares all night. What if we get ambushed during transport? Or if the wind blows and the covering cloth flies off… mutter mutter…”
‘Looking at a fellow like this, it is indeed not entirely incomprehensible.’
Still, it was a fact that the Righteous Sword Unit openly ignored the apprentices.
At the very least, should they not let them know who they were escorting?
‘Making one so curious.’
Just then, Paeng Su-hyeok walked over and struck Yun Jong-seung’s back hard.
“Act your size! This is why the Righteous Sword Unit treats us like greenhorns shreds!”
“Ack! S-Sorry.”
Yun Jong-seung scratched the back of his head and let out an awkward laugh.
In the meantime, the Righteous Sword Unit pushed through the crowd and reached the main gate of the Taigang Branch.
The handover took place amidst many gathered people.
“You must have suffered much to travel such a long distance. You are setting off immediately?”
As the Taigang Branch Master showed respect, Righteous Sword Captain Gye Du-sik also clasped his fists and replied.
“Yes, Branch Master. There was an order from the Alliance to transport him without delay, so we must return in a hurry.”
“Yes, then we will trust only the Captain. We covered the cage with cloth so the prisoner cannot tell his location during transport. Since he is an extremely elusive fellow, please be careful that the cloth does not come off.”
“Understood. Our unit has done escort missions hundreds of times. Do not worry and you can just leave it to us—hey, what the fuck are you doing there, you bastard!”
Instantly, Gye Du-sik glared toward the cart and shouted abruptly.
Before they knew it, did Namgung Cheon not walk over to the cart, crouch down, lift the cloth, and peek inside?
“Ah, it’s you. I wondered who it was.”
Behind Namgung Cheon, who was muttering innocently, one Righteous Sword member quickly ran over.
“You rascal! What are you doing!”
As the Righteous Sword member quickly covered it back up, Namgung Cheon scratched the back of his head with an innocent expression.
“Was I not supposed to look?”
“It doesn’t matter if you look, but that guy must not look outside!”
“Geez, we haven’t even set off yet. Let’s live with some flexibility. Flexibility.”
While Namgung Cheon replied brightly, Gye Du-sik strode over.
“This reckless brat… does this escort mission look like a joke to you?”
“I was just so curious that I checked the prisoner’s face. You should have just told us.”
“That was all for your sakes…”
“Geez, tell it straight. It’s obvious you’re just openly ignoring us.”
“What?”
“Frankly, if we want to perform the mission properly, we should share information. If you treat us like hothouse flowers just because we are apprentices and a typhoon hits, what are you going to do then?”
Since there was logic in every single word he spat, Gye Du-sik could not easily open his mouth either.
Seriously, what kind of guy is this? Although he was a greenhorn who hadn’t even reached twenty, judging by his speech and actions, was he not like a sly middle-aged man?
By the way…
“Did you say you know that guy?”
Namgung Cheon nodded.
“Yes. He is the Thieving Ghost.”
“How do you know the Thieving Ghost?”
Instantly, Namgung Cheon frowned slightly.
Ah, I didn’t think that far.
Actually, it was a word that flowed out instinctively the moment he saw the Thieving Ghost.
How should he explain this?
He could not say they had a relationship in his past life.
Namgung Cheon wore an ambiguous smile and glossed over it roughly.
“Just looking at him… doesn’t he look like a thief?”
“What?”
“He looks like he would steal others’ things to fill his own belly, so I thought of the Thieving Ghost.”
“Is that… all?”
“I have pretty good intuition, you see.”
As Namgung Cheon smirked, Gye Du-sik wore a blank expression as if dumbfounded.
Was it a groundless fear that this journey might turn out to be more tiring than expected?