Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Chang’an County of Shaanxi Province.
Although it could not compare to Xi’an, the provincial capital, it was quite a sizable city.
The unorthodox martial artists of Shaanxi Province were especially famous for being quite rough and vicious for their size, because they were survivors who had tenaciously persisted against the Mount Hua Sect and the Zhongnan Sect of the Nine Great Sects.
To bring trade goods from the Western Regions into massive provinces such as Beijing, Anhui, and Hubei, one inevitably had to pass through Shaanxi, so the flow of money was naturally bustling as well.
In other words, from the perspective of the Unorthodox Path, there was plenty to feed on.
For that reason, despite the presence of as many as two of the Nine Sects, unorthodox martial artists had stubbornly established their foothold.
Even within that Shaanxi Province, the hegemon of the Chang’an unorthodox underworld, boasting a scale second only to the Xi’an underworld, was none other than the Western Sky Society.
The fact that it maintained its existence despite claiming to be the sky of the western unorthodox world in its very name meant that there was no unorthodox faction in the vicinity capable of touching them.
Right now, the atmosphere there in the Western Sky Society was somewhat tumultuous.
Inside the society leader’s large office, unorthodox men were lined up in a long row on either side.
The man seated at the far end, Nam Il-cheon, Leader of the Western Sky Society, spoke with a hardened expression.
“What was the last mission of the Tiger Hunt Unit?”
“…It was the assassination of an applicant for the Martial Alliance selection examination.”
Boom!
As Nam Il-cheon slammed down his fist, the armrest of his chair blew apart where it stood.
“What! Who is in charge!”
The chief manager of the Western Sky Society spoke while trembling, his mind racing busily.
“I-It is the Red Serpent Squad Leader.”
At that moment, the Red Serpent Squad Leader, who had been standing in line among the martial artists, tightly shut his eyes.
The moment he had dreaded ever since communication with the Tiger Hunt Unit under his command was cut off had finally arrived.
“Step forward.”
Nam Il-cheon’s chilling voice resounded throughout the office.
The Red Serpent Squad Leader cautiously took a step forward.
Clatter!
Simultaneously, a flying teacup struck the Red Serpent Squad Leader’s forehead. Blood trickled down, but the Red Serpent Squad Leader did not stir in the slightest. If he offended the society leader’s temper any further, what came flying next would not be a teacup, but a blade.
Exuding a coarse aura, Nam Il-cheon spoke with sunken eyes.
“Why did you take a commission entangled with the Martial Alliance?”
“…”
The Red Serpent Squad Leader kept his mouth shut.
It was because he could never bring himself to say, ‘Because the client provided a huge extra bonus specifically for me.’
“The reason.”
Nam Il-cheon’s aura grew even more savage.
His expression was calm, but his momentum roughly bore down upon the Red Serpent Squad Leader’s entire body.
The Red Serpent Squad Leader felt it instinctively.
That the society leader truly might kill him.
Thud.
The Red Serpent Squad Leader dropped to his knees and kowtowed, pressing his forehead against the floor.
“F-Forgive me! The client offered a massive extra sum, so I thought if I handled it well, I could bring joy to the Society Leader…”
“Enough.”
Soon, the aura that had been constricting the Red Serpent Squad Leader vanished without a trace.
The Red Serpent Squad Leader inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
‘D-Does he believe me?’
However, after staring fixedly at the Red Serpent Squad Leader, Nam Il-cheon spoke to the chief manager.
“The ledger.”
At that, the chief manager took out a prepared ledger from his robes.
Seeing this, the Red Serpent Squad Leader’s eyes went wide as saucers.
For it was the ledger recording the details of this received commission.
Slowly reading down the ledger, Nam Il-cheon spoke in a voice cold as ice.
“Five taels of silver.”
“…”
“It appears not to differ much from our usual commission fee.”
The Red Serpent Squad Leader trembled while lying prostrate.
Nam Il-cheon’s words continued.
“Did you not claim you received an extra sum? Why was it not entered into the ledger?”
“…”
Naturally, he had no words to reply with.
Rising from his seat, Nam Il-cheon strode forward.
A shadow fell over the head of the prostrate Red Serpent Squad Leader.
“P-Please spare my life.”
“Why.”
“That is…”
He had nothing to say.
Looking down at that pathetic sight, Nam Il-cheon soon raised his fist high. A crimson aura wavered upon his fist.
He was a pugilist counted among the foremost in Shaanxi.
Because the number of martial artists who had died by his fists exceeded one hundred, he was also called by the moniker Hundred Killings Red Fist.
Soon, Nam Il-cheon’s fist plummeted to shatter the Red Serpent Squad Leader’s skull.
Clutching his head, the Red Serpent Squad Leader tightly shut his eyes.
In that instant, his fist stopped abruptly above the Red Serpent Squad Leader’s head.
“No.”
“…?”
“Come to think of it, I cannot let you die comfortably on your own after causing a mess as you pleased. Get up.”
The Red Serpent Squad Leader sprang up as if bouncing from his spot.
Regardless of the preceding words, he only heard that he would ultimately be spared.
“T-Thank you!”
“Quiet. Take responsibility and clean up the mess you made. If things go wrong, even if I end up being hunted by the Martial Alliance, I will make sure to tear your suckling infant son to death.”
“…”
The Red Serpent Squad Leader felt his breath catch in an instant.
He had a hidden child. Although it was a child born from a casual one-night stand with a woman he did not particularly love, it was still his child, so he had fulfilled his responsibilities.
Because he considered it shameful, he had never spoken of it to anyone. Yet the Western Sky Society Leader already knew.
A chill ran down the spines of all the martial artists present.
For it meant that the society leader was monitoring his subordinates’ every single move.
The Red Serpent Squad Leader bowed his head.
“…I have already taken measures. I sent the Fang Cry Unit and the Approaching Slaughter Unit under my command to assess the situation, and just in case, I requested assistance from the Silent Bear Squad Leader and the Dark Stone Squad Leader to establish a perimeter.”
Although he had made a mistake once, the Red Serpent Squad Leader thought his handling of the aftermath was quite decent.
He anticipated that by taking prior measures before reporting, the society leader’s wrath would be appeased at least a little.
However, the outcome was the exact opposite.
“You dog-like bastards!”
“…?”
The Red Serpent Squad Leader looked at the society leader with a bewildered face.
The society leader’s furious roars erupted one after another.
“Does it make any sense that a matter known to three squad leaders only reaches my ears now! You bastards fit to be torn to shreds!!”
The Red Serpent Squad Leader hastily kowtowed.
The Western Sky Society Leader was seized by the impulse to smash his skull in right that instant.
It was then.
“Society Leader, why are you throwing such a fit over nothing?”
A calm, aged voice resounded faintly throughout the office.
Simultaneously, the office door opened, and an old man with a benevolent countenance revealed himself.
Yet unlike his impression, the moment he appeared, the air in the office transformed completely.
An involuntary, blossoming presence took complete control of the vast office.
Soon, the Western Sky Society Leader’s attitude abruptly shifted.
“Ahem, my apologies. I have shown an unsightly display.”
“Never mind. Since you have been helping me, I thought I would offer a bit of help this time.”
The Western Sky Society Leader’s eyes flashed in an instant.
“Oh my, those are overly gracious words, but how could I trouble the Demon Lord with such trivial requests? In the first place, I did not act expecting anything in return.”
He referred to selecting and abducting women overflowing with yin energy for the Shura Demon Lord.
The Shura Demon Lord smiled faintly and replied.
“Is my help uncomfortable for you?”
“…H-How could that be?”
The Western Sky Society Leader hurriedly bowed his head.
Even if he was called Hundred Killings Red Fist or the master of the Chang’an unorthodox underworld, his counterpart was none other than a direct lineage disciple of the Dark Emperor.
Among his disciples, not a single person had failed to make a name for themselves in the world. Although the Dark Emperor had disappeared, his thick shadow still hung over every corner of the martial world.
Bursting into a hearty laugh, the Shura Demon Lord spoke.
“I am human too. To only receive leaves an uncomfortable feeling in one’s heart. I will resolve this matter for you, so do not pay it too much mind.”
“Thank you, Demon Lord.”
The Western Sky Society Leader offered his deepest respects with utter devotion.
Such a sight struck even greater terror into the martial artists of the Western Sky Society. Seeing the society leader they feared act so exceedingly polite, they could not even begin to fathom how monstrously evil this man was.
The Shura Demon Lord smiled benevolently and patted the Red Serpent Squad Leader on the shoulder. The Red Serpent Squad Leader flinched violently, but the Shura Demon Lord spoke as though he found that reaction rather pleasing instead.
“Child, everyone makes mistakes. It is something that can be forgiven. However, a bastard who commits the same mistake again does not deserve to be treated as human. I believe that you are human, though.”
“…I-I will do my best.”
“Effort alone will not do.”
“I will definitely bear it in mind!”
The Shura Demon Lord smiled with utter satisfaction.
Looking only at his appearance right now, he could also be seen as a benevolent scholar who had pursued learning all his life.
The Shura Demon Lord spoke.
“Since it seems you took your own measures… if anything goes wrong, tell me directly rather than the Society Leader. I shall step forward myself.”
“…Yes, understood.”
It was then.
The door to the society leader’s office burst open.
Simultaneously, everyone’s gaze turned toward a single man.
It was the Vice Squad Leader of the Silent Bear Squad, whom the Red Serpent Squad Leader had personally asked to assist in cleaning up the situation. His clothes were torn here and there, and his face was smeared with blood.
“D-Disaster has struck…”
At his outcry, everyone felt a sense of foreboding.
The Shura Demon Lord spoke with a somewhat sunken gaze.
“Speak.”
Flinching at that sight, the Vice Squad Leader caught his breath and spoke.
“Communication has been cut off with the Fang Cry Unit, the Approaching Slaughter Unit under the Red Serpent Squad, and the Dark Stone Squad, who were tasked with handling this matter. Finding this strange, our Silent Bear Squad went out directly, but…”
He trailed off.
At that, the Western Sky Society Leader bellowed in anger.
“Speak quickly, you worm of a bastard!”
Flinching, the Vice Squad Leader hurriedly continued.
“…We were wiped out.”
“What?”
The Western Sky Society Leader wore a dazed expression.
Even if it was the Martial Alliance, to wipe out two action units and two martial squads in such a short time?
It was something that could never happen, unless someone on the level of the Martial Alliance Leader or a Martial Division Head stepped forward…
“A monster. That guy was a monster…”
“What are you talking about? Who are you referring to?”
Like a person waking from a nightmare, the Silent Bear Squad Vice Squad Leader began to tremble violently throughout his entire body.
The Western Sky Society Leader grabbed him by the throat.
“Did you run away and come here alone? Did you see with your own eyes that the Silent Bear Squad was definitely annihilated?!”
Struggling to shake his head, the Vice Squad Leader spoke.
“…I did not run away; that monster spared me and sent me back.”
“What kind of nonsense is this again? Why would such a master spare your life and send you back?”
“That is…”
“This bastard keeps trailing off mid-sentence.”
The Western Sky Society Leader raised his fist as if about to smash the Vice Squad Leader’s skull in right away. Then, the Shura Demon Lord beside him grabbed his arm, held it still, and clicked his tongue.
“Stop it. We have to hear the story to do anything.”
Soon, the Shura Demon Lord smiled gently at the Vice Squad Leader and spoke.
“Calm down and speak slowly. Nothing will happen from now on. Am I not right here?”
Only then calming down somewhat, the Vice Squad Leader opened his mouth while gauging the reactions of the Shura Demon Lord and the Western Sky Society Leader.
“That guy sent me back and told me to deliver a message to the Society Leader.”
“Yes, what did he say?”
“He said that since going around searching for everyone individually is troublesome, gather together in one place beforehand…”
Thwack!
With a light gesture of his hand, the Shura Demon Lord blew away the Vice Squad Leader’s head. Soon, the figure left with only a torso collapsed to the floor.
Watching this casually, the Shura Demon Lord spoke.
“Hahaha, it appears we have gotten entangled with quite an entertaining fellow.”
It was around that time that a commotion began outside as well.
Everyone, including the Shura Demon Lord and the Western Sky Society Leader, looked toward the closed door. The commotion was drawing closer and closer. Screams erupted, and sounds of something snapping and crushing could be heard continuously.
Soon, just when they thought the commotion had drawn close to the office.
Crack!
A burly unorthodox man smashed through the office door and was hurled forward. Thanks to the broken door, the spacious courtyard of the Western Sky Society came into full view.
It was already a sea of blood, and a young man with a cold impression was walking over with a dark iron staff trailing down.
Seeing this, the Shura Demon Lord burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha, for a young lad, he is quite impressive. Good martial talent, plenty of grit… if I took him as a disciple…”
The Shura Demon Lord trailed off.
For only then did he realize the identity of the dark iron staff the man was holding.
“C-Crescent Moon Staff!”
Cheon Woo-jin smirked.
“Seeing you recognize it, I seem to have come to the right place.”
“W-Who are you! Are you the Black Elder returned to youth? No. You look alike, but you are subtly different. Fuck, who are you!”
With a face turned deathly pale, the Shura Demon Lord was babbling incoherently. The instant he saw the Crescent Moon Staff, nightmare-like memories kept surfacing in his mind.
At that reaction, everyone, including the Western Sky Society Leader, looked at the Shura Demon Lord with bewildered faces. For it was the first time they had seen him lose his composure like that.
Gauging the atmosphere to assess the situation, the Western Sky Society Leader discovered Hwang Byeok walking leisurely behind Cheon Woo-jin.
“Tiger Hunt Unit Leader?”
The Western Sky Society Leader’s mind raced busily.
Everything had started with the Tiger Hunt Unit’s assassination commission.
Yet, while all kinds of action units and martial squads were shattered and the mysterious man made his way here.
The Tiger Hunt Unit Leader was utterly unscathed.
Reaching a conclusion in an instant, the Western Sky Society Leader’s face transformed into that of an evil fiend.
“Hwang Byeok, how dare a dog-like bastard like you commit treason?”
The blatant murderous intent emanating from the Western Sky Society Leader’s entire body poured toward Hwang Byeok. However, Hwang Byeok merely scratched the bridge of his nose with an easygoing expression.
At first, when he guided Cheon Woo-jin to the Slaughter Unit.
He was terrified, fearing that Cheon Woo-jin would be killed by the Slaughter Unit and he would be next in line.
Yet Cheon Woo-jin had slaughtered the Slaughter Unit as if putting on a show.
That was just the beginning.
When Cheon Woo-jin struck down and killed both the Approaching Slaughter Unit and the Fang Cry Unit, the hope arose that perhaps he might be able to live.
Furthermore, watching Cheon Woo-jin casually slaughter the Silent Bear Squad and the Dark Stone Squad, Hwang Byeok became certain.
‘This monster is far and away stronger than the Western Sky Society Leader.’
Soon, when they arrived at the Western Sky Society…
“Hey, Society Leader Nam. Have you eaten?”
He had truly lost all fear. Naturally so. Cheon Woo-jin stood before him, and there was no one in the world who could defeat this monster. At least, that was how Hwang Byeok felt.
The Western Sky Society Leader and the unorthodox martial artists stared at Hwang Byeok with stupefied expressions.
At that moment, Cheon Woo-jin’s Crescent Moon Staff lightly sliced through the air.
Thwack.
Hwang Byeok’s head burst apart where it stood.
Looking down at Hwang Byeok, who had collapsed without even realizing his own death, Cheon Woo-jin muttered to himself.
“He served his purpose.”
In the first place, he was a bastard who had thrust blades to kill him. Nor had Cheon Woo-jin ever once said he would spare him.
Watching this, the Shura Demon Lord narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“…You punk, are you the Black Elder’s disciple?”
“The Black Elder?”
Zhuge Rin tilted her head.
She also knew the name of the Black Elder.
A villain who once dominated an era as a Special-Grade Public Enemy of the Martial World, yet a bizarre entity who vanished without a trace thirty years ago and simultaneously disappeared from the list of public enemies of the martial world.
‘I looked it up out of curiosity, but I didn’t have the viewing clearance…’
Even a vice squad leader of the Martial Alliance could not access information about the Black Elder without authorization.
Zhuge Rin’s gaze turned toward Cheon Woo-jin.
‘He didn’t seem like the disciple of such a villain, though…’
Yet Cheon Woo-jin’s answer was clear and decisive.
“Yes, I am his disciple.”
Having said that, Cheon Woo-jin clasped his hands in a fist salute toward the Shura Demon Lord.
The Shura Demon Lord surveyed his surroundings with vigilant eyes before speaking.
“…Where is the Black Elder?”
“He has passed away.”
“What?”
The Shura Demon Lord’s eyes went wide as saucers.
Realizing from Cheon Woo-jin’s calm gaze that those words were true, the Shura Demon Lord soon burst into laughter.
“Haha… Hahaha!! Serves that dog-like bastard right!”
“…”
“He finally died, finally! So, what is the reason you sought me out?”
“Yes, I remembered words my master often used to leave behind.”
“What were they?”
“He told me that if I ever met a disciple of the Dark Emperor, I should smash their skull to pieces.”
Cheon Woo-jin broke into a gentle smile and raised the Crescent Moon Staff.
The atmosphere in the room rapidly froze over.