Chapter 224: Chapter 224

The Envoy Delegation that entered Tae-won headed toward the Black Thought Alliance.

It was a road we had never taken before, but neither the escorts nor we asked anyone for directions or where the Black Thought Alliance was.

No, there was not even any need to ask.

Because all the martial artists in Tae-won were moving in one direction.

To be precise, all the bastards with “I am a bad man” written on their faces were moving in one direction.

Aside from our Envoy Delegation, there was no sign of the sort of Orthodox Path martial artists one could commonly see in Wuhan or Henan Province.

Of course.

‘……Our Envoy Delegation can’t exactly be called a perfect example of Orthodox Path martial artists either.’

I looked at the two people muddying the waters of our Envoy Delegation and said,

“How about we start parting ways around now?”

“Now, of all times?”

At my question, Blood Battle and Flame Ghost Consort tilted their heads as if they found it strange instead.

I suppressed my brow, which was about to crumple, as much as possible and explained.

“We now have to raise the Murim Alliance’s flag as an Envoy Delegation. Would it not be rather awkward if the two of you were here?”

“I am fine with it.”

“This maiden is also fine with it.”

“…….”

No, we are not fine with it. We are not!

Ak Byeong-bi must have had similar thoughts, because ever since we entered Tae-won, he had been frowning deeply like a man rolling gall around in his mouth.

One might wonder what Ak Byeong-bi being displeased had to do with me, but the karma already piled up between him and me was about as high as the second floor of a pavilion.

In other words, it was extremely troublesome.

“Hmm……. Is a Murim Alliance Envoy Delegation unable to raise its flag because it fears the gazes of mere Black Path bastards?”

Had he heard Blood Battle’s sarcasm?

Ak Byeong-bi, who had been riding ahead, suddenly shouted to the escorts.

“Raise the flag!”

When the escorts raised the Alliance’s flag atop the carriage, Blood Battle looked at me with a triumphant expression.

“There should be no problem now, should there?”

Right, it was my fault for expecting tact from a Black Path person.

He was a Black Path person because he lived however the hell he pleased. It was my fault. Yes, of course!

As we crossed the city of Tae-won and headed toward the outskirts, the surrounding scenery slowly began to change.

Private houses and shops disappeared, and buildings towering over a rather desolate field came into view.

As if conscious of the Murim Alliance, they seemed to have been made rather splendidly with modern methods.

‘It looks taller than the Murim Alliance’s main building, doesn’t it?’

It was strange to compare a building that had been built nearly fifty years ago, even if one called it new at the time, with a building that had just been newly constructed. Still, the Black Thought Alliance’s building was certainly splendid and majestic.

The surrounding buildings were also being constructed in harmony with the main building.

Dang Seo-hui, who was looking at that sight, tilted her head.

“How peculiar. Why did they stop building the wall halfway?”

Just as she said, the main gate and the wall forming the area around it had been built. However, beyond that, no wall existed.

It seemed difficult to use it for a wall’s original function, which was to distinguish the outside from the inside.

With that shape, one could enter from behind or from the side without passing through the main gate at all.

The others all seemed to be thinking the same thing as Dang Seo-hui, but I had a slightly different opinion.

‘Who on earth is it?’

Around the other buildings, people were busily coming and going, clearly showing that construction was still in progress. Around the wall, however, it was quiet.

This was probably because they had taken the Black Thought Alliance’s future expansion into consideration.

Since they did not know how many people would gather at the Black Thought Alliance compared to the Murim Alliance, it seemed to have been built with that time in mind.

‘The fact that they chose Tae-won in Shanxi Province, and the way they’re raising the surrounding buildings…… Do they have a brain trust?’

An armed organization was, in the end, like a single institution.

Depending on whether there was someone to serve as the head, the very duration of the organization’s existence would change.

Creating systems and rules, enforcing them, and maintaining the organization.

Whether Orthodox Path or Black Path, these were problems they all had to solve in the same way.

“It would be best to go over there first.”

The escort who had been looking around the area pointed at the main gate.

Everyone was standing in a long line in front of it.

Perhaps every Black Path bastard under heaven had gathered here. There were as many as five people writing entries in the guest register, but the line still did not shorten very quickly.

We stood at the very end of the long line of carriages.

At first, the people did not pay us much attention, but after seeing the Murim Alliance’s flag planted on the carriage, they began murmuring one by one.

“Are they from the Murim Alliance?”

“Why did those hypocritical bastards come here?”

“Are they thinking of causing trouble?”

“What? They dare cause trouble at the Black Path Alliance?!”

From the beginning, I had expected that we would not be welcomed, since we were entering among Black Path bastards. However, after they noticed our presence, many began revealing open hostility.

“Still, it is fascinating. Even though there is no wall, everyone is standing in such a long line. I suppose Orthodox Path or Black Path, people are all the same.”

Il-myeong spoke as if impressed by the unexpectedly orderly appearance of the Black Path.

I found that a little surprising as well.

Were these not bastards who lived by breaking even existing rules in the first place?

Could they be maintaining at least some minimal order as a sign of respect for the organization that would become their center?

Even though I became curious, I could not bring myself to ask, so I merely looked around for no reason. Unexpectedly, I was able to learn the answer.

“You damned bastard! Can’t you see the main gate over there?!”

BOOM!

The moment someone ignored the main gate and stepped into the Black Thought Alliance through a place where there was no wall.

A man as enormous as Ak Byeong-bi and clad in iron armor sent the visitor(?) flying with a fist the size of a cauldron lid.

The visitor(?), who flew an astonishing ten zhang before slamming into the ground and rolling several times, no longer moved, as though his mind had flown away.

The companions who had been about to enter the Black Thought Alliance together with the visitor(?) grew pale at the behavior of the overwhelming giant and quietly moved their steps to the end of the line.

The massive man crossed his arms and pointed at the fallen man with the tip of his chin.

“Whichever bastard it is, try climbing over the wall however you please! You’ll end up like that.”

Ah, so this was the secret of their orderliness!

But seeing how he spoke of a nonexistent wall as though it were there, it seemed that wall must be clearly visible to people with wicked hearts.

No one was saying there was no wall, were they?

As I quietly admired the ridiculous sight, the man, who had been dusting off his cauldron-lid-sized hands, looked around and then met my eyes.

“Hm? You are?”

He was none other than Hwang Bu-sik of Four Emperors Peak.

He was someone with whom I had formed a connection during the Murim Regular Exam, when I smashed the main gate of Four Emperors Peak.

“Black Flame Dragon!”

Hwang Bu-sik easily crossed the imaginary(?) wall he had told people not to enter through and strode toward me.

No, if he told others not to come over recklessly, should he not use the main gate himself?

In any case, Black Path bastards truly lived however they wanted.

While I shook my head, Hwang Bu-sik leaned his body back and began laughing loudly.

“As expected, I knew you would come! Wahahahaha!”

Fuck, you people were the ones who invited me.

When he said it like that, it really felt as if I had come here on my own feet.

I forced a smile and asked after him.

“Have you been well?”

“Well? I have been so busy I could not even open my eyes.”

“So you ultimately created a Black Path Alliance like this.”

Hwang Bu-sik, who had been groaning about his troubles, suddenly looked over my companions, then began patting my shoulder with loud thumps.

“This is all your achievement, Jin So-un!”

No, please!

If you say something like that, it puts me in a difficult position. I am part of the Murim Alliance’s Envoy Delegation.

“Please refrain from pretending we are close. People will misunderstand…….”

I muttered in a nearly disappearing voice.

For some reason, Hwang Bu-sik seemed to glance at Ak Byeong-bi, then lightly placed his hand on my shoulder.

“What is this? Even so, have we not done various things together since the Black Path Night March? The Black Path Alliance will not forget your achievements!”

Ha, look at this. This man is doing it on purpose.

Regardless of whether I sighed or not, Hwang Bu-sik, who had been looking over the members of the Envoy Delegation, had his face stiffen the moment he saw Blood Battle and Flame Ghost Consort.

“Ah, no. Seniors, how are you with these people…….”

Blood Battle gave a hollow laugh.

“It has been a long time. You seem to have grown even taller than in the past.”

“T-that is true. Back then, I had only just passed ten years old.”

Hwang Bu-sik, who looked as if there was nothing in the world he feared, showed visible nervousness.

“Did you perhaps come with Jin So-un?”

“Yes. This friend took charge of guiding our way.”

“…….”

At Blood Battle’s words, Hwang Bu-sik looked at me with a complicated gaze, then bowed to Blood Battle again.

“I will escort you immediately.”

Blood Battle looked over our group and asked,

“Can they enter with us as well?”

“We are fine.”

I refused.

But Blood Battle did not accept it. Fine, do whatever you want.

“……Yes, let us do that.”

The people who had been looking at us with displeasure now looked at us with gazes that were half astonishment and half envy.

Hwang Bu-sik left the line and strode over the wall that had prevented people from crossing recklessly, guiding us inside.

At his fearless attitude, I became extremely puzzled.

“Is it all right to cross this wall?”

At my question, Hwang Bu-sik instead tilted his head.

“Wall? What wall?”

Weren’t you just saying you would kill anyone who crossed the wall……?

As soon as we entered, we received a grand welcome, exchanged greetings with the senior figures of the Black Thought Alliance, and met the first Alliance Leader…… did not happen.

The escorts who had brought the cargo were assigned separate lodgings, and our Envoy Delegation was guided to lodgings closest to the main building.

Was it because we were important figures? Or was it because they intended to surround us just in case?

Hwang Bu-sik, who had guided us to the lodging where we would stay, led Blood Battle and Flame Ghost Consort elsewhere.

Blood Battle and Flame Ghost Consort, who were moving away, turned back.

“I will see you later.”

“This maiden shall miss you every night, Young Master.”

……I felt as if I had heard something useless.

Contrary to my wish that we would never meet again, the two spoke as if we would meet again soon and moved away.

In any case, the attendants of the lodging assigned us rather decent rooms.

One room for Dang Seo-hui, who was a woman, to use alone, and one room for Ak Byeong-bi, Il-myeong, and me to use.

“It may be inconvenient for you to go out, so we will bring the food directly to you.”

The attendant said that and left the room.

Throughout the Black Thought Alliance, as if a banquet were being held, drinking parties, gambling tables, and fights were breaking out everywhere.

It was natural to hold events on the eve of the Founding Ceremony, but such an unrestrained scene of entertainment was not something easily seen in an Orthodox Path sect.

Basically, Orthodox Path sects believed that starting a fight at another person’s sect was an insult to the one who had invited them.

In any case, considering that the people gathered inside the Black Thought Alliance were all Black Path people, our very existence was no different from a Thunderbolt Bomb.

Knowing this, the attendants must have said they would bring food and alcohol to our lodging.

However, there was someone who wanted to go out.

With her pale cheeks puffed full of air…….

“Why can’t I go out and enjoy the feast?”

It was Dang Seo-hui.

She kept wanting to join the drinking parties taking place inside the Black Thought Alliance.

As if that could happen.

Especially seeing how her eyes sparkled whenever she looked at the gambling tables or fights, she seemed more interested in the entertainment than the alcohol.

Inwardly, I hoped Ak Byeong-bi would stop her, but he seemed to have no intention of saying anything and was endlessly drinking the alcohol the attendants had brought.

No, how could he know whether they had laced the alcohol with poison? Why was he drinking so fearlessly?

Haa, my head hurts. Truly.

I glared at Ak Byeong-bi again, and in the end, he opened his mouth.

“Do as you please. Just do not go somewhere and come back beaten.”

“…….”

After saying that, Ak Byeong-bi kept drinking.

Forget talking. Just forget it.

While I shook my head, Dang Seo-hui raised one hand high with a blank face and shouted,

“Wow! Now I can participate?”

……Now I did not know either.

Given that the attendant had said they would even bring the food, it seemed like a roundabout way of telling us not to go out.

But if one thought about it the opposite way, they had not actually told us not to go out.

However.

The problem was that if I let Dang Seo-hui go out alone, I did not know what kind of problem would occur.

Of course, I was not worried that something would happen to Dang Seo-hui.

I was worried about who would have something happen to them because of Dang Seo-hui.

Moreover, on the way here, she ultimately had not managed to play chivalrous hero or Mountain Stronghold, had she?

In other words, she was a child with energy on the verge of exploding, and I had no idea what game she would play outside. It was a situation no different from the feelings of a parent too anxious to send her out alone.

In the end, I stood up to take on the role of Dang Seo-hui’s minder.

Then, the bald head who had been chanting Buddhist prayers on one side stood up with me.

“……Are you planning to come with us?”

“Is this not a better opportunity than any other to spread the Buddha’s will?”

“…….”

Ah, right.

There was probably no place where the Buddha’s will would be less likely to get through than this one.

I feel so proud I could die. Truly.