Chapter 205: Chapter 205
The time it took from the stance of swinging the horse-slaying blade to kneeling down was short.
As if that had been his intention from the beginning, the horse-slaying blade was laid peacefully on the ground, and behind it, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade knelt down and looked up at Danmok Rin.
It was a very natural action, as if he hadn’t done it just once or twice.
Silence flowed at the unexpected sight.
However, that was only for a moment.
“Mo, Mount Hua Sect?!”
“Heuk!”
His subordinates, who were surrounding and closing in on Cheon-hwi and Heavenly Ear Beggar, startled and came to their senses.
Soon after, sweating profusely, they stealthily withdrew the weapons they had aimed at Cheon-hwi and Heavenly Ear Beggar while reading the room.
As they stealthily backed away, Heavenly Ear Beggar clicked his tongue.
“I wondered if a Green Forest stronghold had been established when I heard that bandits have increased on the borders of Shaanxi recently.”
Recalling the information he had recently heard through the Beggars’ Sect, he shook his head from side to side, looking at them as if they were pathetic.
“It wasn’t the Green Forest, but rather the Unorthodox Faction bastards chased out of Shaanxi who were doing banditry in this vicinity.”
Cheon-hwi asked as if he was puzzled.
“Hm? Then these bastards are the Unorthodox Faction bastards who were originally in Shaanxi?”
“That’s probably it. You heard it at the inn too. They said that because the Divine Province Four Tyrants lost in the duel this time, the Unorthodox Factions in Shaanxi lost their place to stand.”
Heavenly Ear Beggar furrowed his eyebrows.
“Recently, some Unorthodox Factions even went as far as taking it upon themselves to seal their sect gates, so the bastards who were no longer useful must have been kicked out.”
“So that’s why they are doing banditry?”
“Well, if it’s not this, would they have anything to do right now? They probably thought that pillaging with their meager martial arts was the best option.”
“If they enter another sect…”
While speaking, Cheon-hwi shook his head.
“That would be impossible.”
The power they had while executing an encirclement that was ambiguous to even be called an ambush was a martial prowess and skill exactly suited to the word third-rate.
“But if they are going to do banditry like this, wouldn’t it be better to enter the Green Forest?”
“Would that be possible? Look at how much the Unorthodox Faction bastards have ignored and chewed out the Green Forest all this time.”
Every time the two exchanged words while conversing, the bodies of those whose sore spots were hit flinched heavily.
The Green Forest and the Unorthodox Faction were polar opposites.
While the Unorthodox Faction criticized the Green Forest as uneducated bastards who only did banditry.
The Green Forest frequently demeaned the Unorthodox Faction as bastards who stole people’s money in dirty ways.
As if he found it absurd even when thinking about it again, Heavenly Ear Beggar let out a hollow laugh and spoke.
“To our eyes, they are both the same kind of bastards, but either way, that’s what those two think.”
“In the end, those bastards have fallen to doing the banditry they ignored so much.”
“It’s like spitting on their own faces.”
“Hmm, in that case, there must be a lot of these bastards in this vicinity?”
“That’s probably true. It wouldn’t be just one or two bastards who were chased out of Shaanxi. There might be even more than what is known.”
“Tsk.”
Cheon-hwi scratched his head.
If bandits increased around Shaanxi Province, it would be of no benefit to the Mount Hua Sect.
First of all, merchants and escort agencies would try to avoid coming toward Shaanxi, and if trade decreased as a result, it would also affect the province’s economy.
“It has become quite bothersome.”
He thought everything would simply end once they won the duel, but it had caused an unexpectedly complicated aftermath.
What should he do? Kill them all?
But that would take quite a long time.
Was there no way to clean them all up at once… Ah!
For a moment, Cheon-hwi recalled something, smiled with a smirk, and abruptly turned his head.
And he looked at the Ghost Slashing Great Blade and Danmok Rin.
“We can just do that.”
Around the time Cheon-hwi’s eyes curved.
‘Damn it! Why is the Mount Hua Sect here?’
The insides of the Ghost Slashing Great Blade were currently burning up.
He was one who had left Shaanxi, where the Unorthodox Faction lost their place due to the defeat of the Divine Province Four Tyrants.
However, because his skills were far too lacking to establish a base elsewhere, he had no choice but to do banditry like this.
‘If they were going to roam around, they should have worn Taoist robes. Where did they leave their Taoist robes!’
Tears of blood flowed in his heart.
‘Damn it! I should have been a little more careful!’
Kneeling on his knees, he shouted.
“This lowly one possesses lowly skills, and thus I only recognized the fairy just now!”
It was a shout heavily imbued with a strong will to survive unconditionally.
However.
“What kind of act is this?”
What returned was a cold reception.
Danmok Rin moved her lips with a cold gaze, regardless of whether he begged or not.
“Pick up the horse-slaying blade again.”
When the Ghost Slashing Great Blade trembled at her words that coldly ignored his plea.
“Stop for a moment.”
A calm voice interjected.
At that moment, Danmok Rin immediately withdrew her sword and even reeled in her rampant internal energy.
“Yes, Senior Martial Brother!”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade, who had been staring blankly as Danmok Rin, who had been emitting an ice-cold chill just a moment ago, stepped back with a radiant smile, came to his senses and quickly banged his head.
“Please spare me!”
Convinced that the young man approaching past the woman was the leader of the group, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade pleaded desperately.
“I have a fox-like wife and a rabbit-like child at home. If I die, who will feed and support my family? If you would just grant me mercy this once…”
“Where is your home?”
“…Yes?”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade, who had raised his head at the question, asked back with a dumbfounded face.
“My, my home, you ask?”
“Yeah.”
“That is over there…”
His flustered finger pointed somewhere in the mountains and trembled slightly.
“Is it really over there?”
“…Th, that is so.”
Cheon-hwi twisted the corners of his mouth as he looked at the man’s pupils, which had momentarily lost their way.
“Wow, you know how to lie without even wetting your lips, you have a lot of nerve.”
The complexion of the Ghost Slashing Great Blade turned pale blue.
He hurriedly slammed his head against the ground again.
“I am sorry! I committed a crime deserving of death!”
“Is that so? Then you should die.”
As Cheon-hwi made a gesture of drawing his sword.
“Heuk!”
Swallowing a hollow breath, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade sharply lifted his head and quickly raised his thick hands, waving them left and right.
“N, no. Now that I think about it, it does not seem like a crime deserving of death!”
Watching the Ghost Slashing Great Blade desperately reverse his words faster than he exhaled, Cheon-hwi chuckled and opened his mouth.
“There won’t be a second time.”
“Understood!”
As the Ghost Slashing Great Blade shouted with a voice full of tight spirit, Cheon-hwi spoke quietly.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Please ask anything!”
“You know a lot of the Unorthodox Faction members who are doing banditry in this vicinity, right?”
“Yes?”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade quickly rolled his head.
‘What is his intention?’
However.
Smack!
“Kek!”
Without even time to think long, the scabbard struck the back of his head.
“I can hear the sound of your head rolling.”
Cupping the back of his head, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade smacked his lips with a tearful face.
“I know of them as far as this vicinity goes!”
“To what extent is that?”
“Perhaps within a hundred li around here…”
“You don’t know that much. Well, still, I guess that much will do.”
Cheon-hwi, who was in thought for a moment, parted his lips.
“Are you going to continue doing banditry here?”
“No!”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade answered forcefully.
“Then what are you going to do?”
Sweating profusely, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade, who naturally hadn’t thought about what came after, replied.
“As a ronin, or taking escort missions…”
He tried to voice out the things a martial artist could at least do, but Cheon-hwi cut him off midway.
“Are there even places that will take you in?”
“Th, that is…”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade was at a loss.
Why would he have been doing banditry?
It was because ronin groups and escort missions were not so easy as to accept him and his subordinates, and he also knew this.
Cheon-hwi planted his scabbard on the ground.
And looking straight at him, he asked.
“Then would you rather enter a sect?”
“Heuk!”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade was startled out of his wits.
“D, don’t tell me, into the Mount Hua Sect… Keok!”
Cheon-hwi lifted his scabbard again and struck the back of his head hard.
“Are you crazy?”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade asked with a crying face as he stroked the bump on his head.
“Th, then which sect is it?”
“Do you know of Soheung Fortress?”
“I am aware of it. Are you not speaking of the sect in Yan’an?”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade nodded his head.
Soheung Fortress was a place currently looked up to by the Unorthodox Factions in Shaanxi.
It was well-deserved, because even though the One Flower Sect, a lay sect of Mount Hua, was nearby, they maintained their power moderately and kept their influence.
“How about it? Do you want to enter Soheung Fortress?”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade’s eyes sparkled.
Since it was practically the only remaining Unorthodox sect in current Shaanxi, if he could just enter, it would be a much better gig than his previous life.
“Is that possible?”
“Yeah.”
Cheon-hwi’s lips twisted into a large smirk.
“If you go to Soheung Fortress and say the Mount Hua Sect sent you, they will accept you as a disciple on their own.”
“I, I see.”
Although he said that, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade revealed an unreliable expression.
It was a given.
Soheung Fortress was a sect of the Unorthodox Faction.
Yet they would accept him just because the Mount Hua Sect sent him? Did that make sense?
However, he kept his mouth firmly shut.
Even though it was unbelievable, he knew that if he spoke honestly, another bump would form on the back of his head.
“And while you’re at it, take all the Unorthodox Faction bastards doing banditry in Shaanxi to Soheung Fortress with you.”
“A, all the bastards doing banditry in Shaanxi?”
“Yeah.”
“But there are too many of them…”
“You’ll have to take care of that yourself.”
“…”
At Cheon-hwi’s resolute words, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade’s head dropped.
“…Understood.”
“Good, you catch on well.”
Cheon-hwi smiled in satisfaction.
“Ah, right, and you have the money you plundered while doing banditry this time, right?”
“Th, there isn’t much.”
“Seems like you do have some.”
Cheon-hwi casually held out his hand.
At the unspoken pressure to hand over the money, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade rummaged through his embrace.
And placed pieces of silver on his palm.
However, the hand was not withdrawn.
Instead, Cheon-hwi smacked his lips.
“I said there won’t be a second time.”
“Yes?”
“Will you go get it? Or should I go?”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade made a crying face.
“I, I will go get it.”
A short while later, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade and his subordinates, who had left in a small group, returned and placed the retrieved wealth in a corner of the carriage.
“It’s less than I thought.”
At Cheon-hwi’s quiet words, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade smiled awkwardly.
“Since it hasn’t been long since we started doing banditry, there isn’t much we’ve collected.”
“Is that so?”
Cheon-hwi glanced down at him, then nodded and got on the carriage.
“Then keep to what I said.”
“Do not worry!”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade straightened his back.
Soon, the carriage departed.
“G, Great Hero! Take care on your way!”
“May you be in peace!”
Smiling brightly, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade and his subordinates waved their hands largely from side to side towards Cheon-hwi’s group leaving in the carriage.
Shortly after, when the carriage was out of sight.
“These dog-like bastards! Are there no other places to rob that they steal our goods!”
“Kaaaak, ptui! Ugh, I hope they get into an accident and the carriage flips over on the way!”
Curses flowed out from here and there.
However, contrary to that, the Ghost Slashing Great Blade quietly picked up his horse-slaying blade and sighed.
“Haa.”
“What is the matter, Big Brother?”
“It is nothing.”
“More importantly, what are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean what am I going to do. I have to take the other Unorthodox Faction bastards and go to Soheung Fortress.”
“B, but will that really work? Moreover, how do you plan to take all those guys who are doing banditry with us?”
“Then do you want to run away?”
“As of right now, isn’t that our only option?”
“Do you know who the old man with him just now was?”
“Yes?”
“It’s the Beggars’ Sect, the Beggars’ Sect. Can you run away while avoiding the eyes of the Beggars’ Sect?”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade’s shoulders slumped.
“On top of that, do you know what that old man said? He said that if we run away, he’ll track us to the ends of the earth and let that guy know. Hehehe.”
The Ghost Slashing Great Blade let out a laugh.
It was an incredibly sad and pitiful laugh.
“…We are completely ruined.”
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