Chapter 109: Chapter 109
“Young Hero Cheon, but listening to the talk earlier, are you perhaps planning to head to the headquarters of the Black Overlord Castle?”
Cheon Woo-jin snapped out of his thoughts at Song Yi-yeon’s voice that suddenly carried over. Worry filled the faces of Song Yi-yeon and Zhuge Rin.
The two had already experienced scaling the walls of the Black Overlord Castle out of worry for him.
Thus, Cheon Woo-jin spoke calmly.
“My master and the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle were as close as sworn brothers. In any case, I should pay a visit and offer my greetings at least once. Just as I intended to inform the Alliance Leader of master White Flower Sword Immortal’s passing.”
The worries of the two were eased at least a little.
Suddenly, Song Yi-yeon wore a strained expression. A severe internal conflict was stirring within him. Among Young Hero Cheon’s masters, the one who was close friends with the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle had to be someone other than the White Flower Sword Immortal.
He had surmised it from before. That Young Hero Cheon served a tremendous villain as another master.
However, he had refrained from asking for fear that knowing would bring terror. After all, ignorance was bliss at times. Yet reaching this point, he was overwhelmingly curious.
“Mmmph!!”
Around the time Song Yi-yeon was agonizing between curiosity and fear.
“As expected, does a martial artist of that caliber have ties even with the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle? Well, it would rather be strange if they didn’t know each other.”
Zhuge Rin spoke nonchalantly. Having been present when Cheon Woo-jin first beat the Shura Demon Lord to death, she was aware of Black Elder’s existence.
Song Yi-yeon’s eyes widened as if they would pop out right now. Soon, grievance tinged those large pupils.
“Wait, was I the only one who didn’t know? How do you know, Vice Squad Leader?”
“Just somehow?”
Zhuge Rin shrugged her shoulders.
It was at that moment.
The door swung open, and Ha In-seong, pitch-black from head to toe, appeared. His hair was naturally jet-black and his pupils were a deeper black than others to begin with, but with a black robe draped over him, it was as if night itself had walked in.
Looking at the three with his characteristically playful eyes, he spoke.
“Let’s go.”
Though it was an abrupt remark, Cheon Woo-jin stood up without bothering to ask. While someone else might need mental preparation before meeting the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, it was unnecessary for Cheon Woo-jin.
“What happened to the Black Tortoise Squad Leader?”
Cheon Woo-jin asked calmly.
The answer came from Ma Yong-seok, who was waiting behind Ha In-seong.
“Elder Divine Physician’s treatment has finished. He will awaken soon, and the elder said his progress must be observed by his side for at least seven days.”
Cheon Woo-jin’s gaze turned toward Song Yi-yeon and Zhuge Rin.
Sending the two back was the right thing to do, but he could not tell them to leave while leaving the Black Tortoise Squad Leader behind.
“There won’t be any problems, right?”
It was a question directed at Ha In-seong.
Ha In-seong nodded with an expression asking why he was questioning something so obvious.
“Until the squad leader wakes up, I will instruct them to treat the two with the utmost hospitality. They will probably become the first Martial Alliance members to receive VIP treatment in the Black Overlord Castle.”
Cheon Woo-jin nodded. If the Young Castle Lord of the Black Overlord Castle had personally said so, there was nothing more to worry about.
Furthermore, he had a history of saving Ma Yong-seok’s daughter. And that Ma Yong-seok had decided to guard the Black Tortoise Squad Leader’s side personally.
“Then let us depart.”
When Cheon Woo-jin reached out his hand, the Crescent Moon Staff propped against the wall was drawn to him in an instant. Sheathing it, he stepped out of the room with calm strides.
* * *
“Carriage? Horse? Or we can take the Yangtze River.”
Ha In-seong asked. Confidence overflowed in his voice. Whether carriage, horse, or a ship cleaving through the Yangtze River, he had the confidence to display the majesty of the Black Overlord Castle.
The Young Castle Lord’s carriage was crafted with meticulous devotion by the greatest artisan of the Unorthodox Path, and the horses were renowned steeds personally brought from the northern regions.
Furthermore, if they cleaved through the Yangtze River, he could also show him how the water bandit bastards prostrated before the Black Overlord Castle.
However, contrary to Ha In-seong’s expectations, Cheon Woo-jin looked briefly at the horses and carriage, then spoke like this.
“Let us run.”
“…”
Ha In-seong made a dumbfounded face.
The headquarters of the Black Overlord Castle was situated in Hunan Province. It was virtually the only province where none of the Nine Great Sects and One Clan or the Five Great Clans existed.
Because of that, the Black Overlord Castle, having monopolized the commercial influence famous for Dongting Lake, raked in astronomical sums of money each year.
“You do know how far it is from here to Hunan, right?”
“The place where I lived with my masters was near that Hunan Province.”
“You’re doing this even knowing that?”
As if paying no mind to Ha In-seong’s question, Cheon Woo-jin began walking first.
Watching his retreating back, Ha In-seong only then realized.
‘I didn’t convince that bastard, did I?’
He thought they were heading to the Black Overlord Castle together because he had succumbed to persuasion, but he was going simply because he wanted to go. Even if the person named Ha In-seong hadn’t existed, the situation wouldn’t have changed.
“Unbelievable.”
Saying so, Ha In-seong urgently deployed his lightness art and caught up to Cheon Woo-jin’s side.
* * *
The two ran without regard for day or night.
Except for occasionally stopping by an inn to eat dumplings or relieve themselves, they ran constantly.
Both men had reached a realm where going several days without eating or sleeping posed no burden whatsoever. Because of that, conversations were exchanged intermittently even while displaying terrifying lightness arts.
Mainly, Ha In-seong would ask and Cheon Woo-jin would reply.
“Speak honestly. You’re a human weapon secretly raised for decades by the Martial Alliance to assassinate the Heavenly Demon, aren’t you?”
“…”
“Gasp! Could it be not the Heavenly Demon, but our Castle Lord?”
“…”
Mainly, Ha In-seong would spout nonsense and Cheon Woo-jin would show contempt. Ha In-seong rather enjoyed that reaction. How could drawing any kind of emotion out of such an impassive and taciturn fellow not be delightful?
As they dashed forward while exchanging such silly words, a long horizon came into view ahead.
Someone seeing this scenery for the first time might mistake it for an ocean. Astonishingly, however, that horizon was produced not by an ocean, but by a lake.
Ha In-seong spoke intentionally to tease Cheon Woo-jin.
“What’s this? Why is an ocean appearing? Did we overshoot Hunan and make it all the way to Zhejiang Province? Are we that fast?”
Regardless, Cheon Woo-jin was looking at the horizon where sunlight shattered with somehow wistful eyes.
– Woo-jin, do you know what is even broader than that vast horizon?
It was a remark his master White Elder had made out of the blue while enjoying a boat excursion. His master originally enjoyed Zen dialogues.
Naturally, Cheon Woo-jin had no talent for such things.
– The ocean’s horizon?
– …Do you have no romance in you?
In the end, his master spoke the answer himself.
– It is martial arts. If the beginning of that horizon indicates the level of a third-rate martial artist, then exactly halfway from there. That is where I currently stand.
– Pardon? Master is only halfway?
– In a sense. Yet if you ask whether that opposite end of the horizon is the end of martial arts, it is not. As I said, not knowing its end is precisely what martial arts is.
Woo-jin, how far do you want to go?
Around the time the sunset glow fell, his master White Elder began rowing the oars again while leaving that question behind.
At that time, Cheon Woo-jin could not answer. To be honest, he didn’t have much greed for martial arts. He was merely satisfied living with his masters, eating, sleeping, and having fun together.
Because it was truly an incomparable life, he had nothing more to wish for.
‘Then how about now that my masters have passed away?’
Cheon Woo-jin posed the question to himself.
However, he could not provide an answer as easily as back then. Though called a monster by others, to Cheon Woo-jin as well, martial arts was something far too deep and profound.
“What are you pondering so deeply? Well, even you must feel a little nervous, right?”
Ha In-seong spoke, looking toward the massive front gate of the Black Overlord Castle that had come into view before anyone realized. Only then awakening from his reverie, Cheon Woo-jin surveyed the Black Overlord Castle.
“The house is huge.”
He lifted his head high and looked at the edge of the castle wall. The black wolf flag fluttering in the sky above the gate was exceedingly impressive.
He had met the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle before. He was someone who often stopped by when he was living while serving his masters.
Mainly, he would be beaten by master Black Elder from morning to night, again from night to morning, rest briefly after eating breakfast, and then get beaten until night again before returning home.
Back then, he had thought he was just a strange uncle who liked getting beaten, but who knew he lived in such a huge house?
“You’re the first fellow to look at the Black Overlord Castle and call it a house.”
“Is it not correct?”
“Well, strictly speaking, it isn’t wrong, but…”
As Ha In-seong approached while speaking so, two gatekeepers bowed their heads. A distinct light flashed across Cheon Woo-jin’s eyes as he looked at them.
Though gatekeepers, their momentum was quite extraordinary. In terms of the Martial Alliance, they seemed to be at least at the vice squad leader level.
That did not mean the martial artists of the Black Overlord Castle were of a higher caliber than the Martial Alliance. It was simply the characteristic of the Unorthodox Path. Gentleness was unnecessary, and they manifested their presence solely through overbearing fierceness.
Soon, as the gatekeepers flared their internal energy ever so slightly and gestured inward with their hands, the colossal castle gate opened with a creaking noise. At a glance, it looked like a great feat of Telekinetic Attraction, but the reality was different. People waiting inside had merely opened the gate upon sensing the energy.
Had it not been for Cheon Woo-jin, who could see clearly into the inside scene through his sensory perception, one would have thought it truly an overwhelming spectacle.
Ha In-seong looked at Cheon Woo-jin with expectant eyes, but upon seeing him remain calmer than expected, he merely shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, I should expect what is reasonable.”
Soon, Ha In-seong stepped inside the Black Overlord Castle, and Cheon Woo-jin followed behind him with calm strides.
* * *
Saying he would show him around the house a little later, Ha In-seong headed straight for the Castle Lord Hall.
It was what Cheon Woo-jin wanted as well.
Because he was with Young Castle Lord Ha In-seong, they moved into the deepest depths of the Black Overlord Castle without anyone’s interference.
To the extent that they had to pass through a total of thirteen gates from the main gate to the entrance of the Castle Lord Hall, the Black Overlord Castle was colossal. The Black Overlord Castle was a place with more wealth than most of the Five Great Clans.
Only after arriving at the entrance of the Castle Lord Hall did a gate-guarding escort warrior ask for the first time.
“Who is the person accompanying you?”
He was on a different level from the gatekeepers guarding the checkpoints earlier. Sharply honed blades were held in his gaze, and his very stance was prepared to draw weapons at any moment.
‘At least at the hall master level of the Martial Alliance.’
He was likely an expert counted among the top within the Black Overlord Castle as well.
Around the time Cheon Woo-jin thought so.
“He is a Martial Alliance member.”
“…Pardon?”
The middle-aged man wore an expression doubting his ears. But Ha In-seong’s subsequent words remained unchanged.
“I guarantee him, so it doesn’t matter. Open up.”
“…A Grand Council is in progress inside.”
The Grand Council was the largest conference, attended by the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle and all thirteen executives, the Thirteen Black Wolves.
Of course, as the Young Castle Lord, Ha In-seong was qualified to attend the Grand Council. However, as it was a gathering discussing the most vital agendas of the Black Overlord Castle, letting in Cheon Woo-jin, a Martial Alliance member, warranted caution.
That was the position of the gate-guarding escort warrior, of course.
“I understand, so the door.”
“…”
Having engaged in a brief staring contest with Ha In-seong, the gate-guarding escort warrior soon bowed his head and opened the door. That was because the Young Castle Lord’s words stood on the same level as the Castle Lord’s.
Soon, the interior of the hall became visible through the opened doors.
Seven men on the left and six on the right were lined up like blades, and in the central seat of honor, a middle-aged man reminiscent of a gray wolf was resting his chin on his hand with a languid expression.
Everyone present in the hall had ascended cleanly to the pinnacle among countless unorthodox martial artists across the entire Central Plains.
In an instant, the gazes of Cheon Woo-jin and the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle clashed in midair.
Soon, the eyes of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, who had been studying his face intently, grew wider and wider until he eventually sprang to his feet.
“You…!”
At that, the gazes of the Thirteen Black Wolves also turned toward Cheon Woo-jin in unison.
However, there was a man kneeling before the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, begging for something.
Cheon Woo-jin thought that back looked somehow familiar.
Soon, as the hall fell quiet, the man, sensing something strange, raised his body and looked toward the door.