âDead?â
â⊠yes.â
The Ten Thousand People Clanâs Military General, Ho Ga-Myung, placed the brush he was holding on the inkstone. Then, he took the stick, bit it, and lightly rubbed his fingers together to light it.
Even though he only puffed a few times, the acrid smoke soon began to rise.
âPhew.â
He blew out the long puff from the smoke stick and looked at the person with an expression that didnât change at all.
âThe ones we sent to Namchang?â
âYes.â
âWhom did I send?â
âIt was Mak-wi and Heo Hyung.â
âMak-wi and Heo HyungâŠ.â
Kiik. Kiiik.
He mumbled and leaned back slightly, causing the chair to screech. A low voice came from Ho Ga-Myungâs mouth as he looked at the ceiling with half-open eyes.
âThat is odd. Is there anyone there capable of killing them? No, even if someone like that happened to visit, it would be odd. They didnât subdue the opponent and cut our menâs heads off? Even after hearing the name of the Ten Thousand People Clan?â
ââŠâ
Thick smoke dispersed in the air.
âWho is that?â
âThatâŠâ
The messenger slowly lifted his head to see the expression of Ho Ga-Myung and then stuttered as he spoke.
âThat⊠it probablyâŠâ
âDo not waste time; I am a busy person.â
âYes. It seems like they were from Mount Hua.â
There was a moment of silence, and the crackling smoke stick died down, too.
Ho Ga-Myung, who had been staring at the ceiling, slowly lowered his head and looked straight at the person who reported.
âMount Hua?â
âYes. According to what I found, the disciples of Mount Hua had reached there.â
â⊠why did these people who are supposed to be in Shaanxi suddenly appear there? And no matter how strong Mount Hua is, they couldnât defeat our men that easily. So, who came?â
âMount-Mount Huaâs Divine DragonâŠâ
That was when Ho Ga-Myung burst into laughter.
âMount Huaâs Divine Dragon?â
âYes. It seems so. That guy leads the Five Swords of Mount HuaâŠ.â
ââŠthis is ludicrous.â
It seemed like there was a bitter tie between Mount Hua and the Ten Thousand People Clan. Every time something happened, he couldnât stop hearing their name.
âMount Huaâs Divine Dragon suddenly appears from Shaanxi, comes to Namchang, and kills our two warriors?â
Ho Ga-Myungâs face, which was laughing, turned cold.
âThis is tantamount to declaring war against the Ten Thousand People Clan. Even though the clan leader personally went and showed kindness to Mount Hua, he still comes out here and there to do this?â
He didnât know what the others thought, but for Ho Ga-Myung, it was a great show of goodwill for their leader to visit the distant Mount Hua.
âHow did you get the information?â
âT-that is a bit strange.â
âHmm?â
âAfter hearing the circumstances, it seems that they didnât know our men were there. It just was, things got twistedâŠ.â
âTwisted? What does that mean?â
The man began to carefully explain, and the face of Ho Ga-Myung contorted after hearing it.
They came here to catch someone faking them and ran into them by chance. And so, Mount Huaâs Divine Dragon cut down our men, who attacked him first.
In this case, it would be tough to say it was Mount Huaâs fault.
ââŠthat man is a pain in the ass.â
Ho Ga-Myung sighed.
He was about to pick up the brush he had put down when there was a knock on the door, and a person rushed in. He immediately fell down next to the first messenger.
âMilitary general! I have something to report.â
ââŠwhat now?â
âM-Mount Huaâs Divine DragonâŠ.â
Ho Ga-Myung tilted his head and grabbed it.
Just how many times did he have to listen to this name?
âMount Huaâs Divine Dragon?â
âMount Huaâs Divine Dragon has come to Guangdong!â
Kwang!
The chair fell back. Ho Ga-Myung jumped up from his place and asked back with a face that didnât hide his shock.
âWhat did you say?â
âWe have a report that the disciples of Mount Hua and Mount Huaâs Divine Dragon have entered GuangdongâŠâ
âYou sure?â
âIt is difficult to say for sure as there arenât many people who know Mount Huaâs Divine Dragon, but there was certainly a group of people with uniforms with plum blossom patterns on them.â
ââŠThey came from Namchang?â
âYes, they did.â
Ho Ga-Myung bit the smoke stick and inhaled deeply. As the scent of tobacco lingered in his lungs, his shaken heart began to calm down.
âMount Huaâs Divine Dragon⊠hmm.â
Finally, Ho Ga-Myung nodded.
âThe clan leader still needs him. So now isnât the time to catch and kill him.â
âThenâŠâ
âBut.â
Ho Ga-Myungâs eyes grew cold.
âHe will have to pay the price for disrupting the events of the Ten Thousand People Clan and entering our territory without fear. Even if we let Mount Huaâs Divine Dragon live, does it matter if we kill the other disciples of Mount Hua who came with him?â
ââŠâ
âI will go myself. Get them all ready.â
âYes!â
Ho Ga-Myung frowned and was lost in thought.
âYou need to be moderately put in fear.â
If not, it would be better to make Mount Hua drown in fury.
Either way, it wasnât bad for the Ten Thousand People Clan.
âUgh. I donât think it is here.â
ââŠA-again?â
âThat is odd. I definitely think that this is the way⊠itâs the other way around. Maybe I got it wrong?â
Hearing the old manâs mumbling, Jin Yang-Geon felt the sky turn yellow and stumbled.
As expected, he was now riding a mountain carrying this old man for the fourth time in his life.
If there was a clear destination, he would muster the strength to move. However, if he went there because he was sure it was here, he was told he was mistaken. When he went there because he was told it was the other place, the same hellish hit-and-run scenario he had mentioned earlier would occur.
âUgh. Uncle! You said you remembered.â
âNo, that⊠I remember the sight clearly, but I donât know how to get thereâŠ.â
âHow can a person who has climbed the mountain his whole life not know?â
âYah, you bastard! You will grow old, too!â
The old man Pyo, who was on the young manâs back, shouted and hit Jin Yang-Geon on the head.
Yoon Jong, who was watching the two, mumbled softly to Baek Cheon.
âBut, I am glad.â
âWhat?â
âIf it were normal, that guy would have gone insane and run amok, but today he is quiet.â
âRight.â
It wasnât difficult at all to imagine. This was a scene where Chung Myung would normally lose his cool and even stick his head in the face of the old man, almost hitting him to make him remember.
But fortunately, the current Chung Myung wasnât showing any particular reaction.
âIsnât it because he is showing respect to the old man?â
âThat bastard attacks an old one when he sees one.â
ââŠâ
Ah, right.
Until now, everyone who had been beaten by Chung Myung, including the Ice Palace elders, Wudang elders, and elders of the Demonic Sect, too? They were beyond the level of an old man and were at the level of a living corpse.
âAnyway, I am glad heâs not his usual self. I am glad he didnât get into troubleâŠâ
It was then.
Jo Gul, who had been moving in front, distorted his face and walked to old man Pyo.
âUh?â
âAh?â
He got in front of the old man and shouted.
âYou old man! If you are senile and losing sense, you should have told me in advance! Why are you making so many people exhausted by making them follow you! Do you even know the time now? You are just fucking with meâŠâ
âYoon Jong.â
âYes, sasuk!â
âKill him.â
âYes!â
Yoon Jong rushed ahead like lightning, lifted himself up, and hit Jo Gul on the back of the head with his knee.
âKuak!â
As Jo Gul fell in front of him, Yoon Jong got on top of him and began to hit Jo Gul on the back of his head.
âDie! Even that idiot didnât jump, so why are you doing this?! Why! Just die!â
âAck! ACKK! ACKK! Sahyung! Ack!â
Seeing him swing his waist sharply and launch his foot, it seemed like he learned it from watching somewhere. Baek Cheon, who was happily looking at the scene, flinched for a moment and shook his head.
One cannot look at this happily. Even so, werenât they all Taoists?
Jo Gul screamed while clutching the back of his head with both hands.
âAh! It isnât like I said something wrong! Ack! Sahyung, my waist! My waist is breaking! Ack, my back! Donât step on itâŠâ
âJust die, you bastard!â
Yoon Jong, who had trampled Jo Gul like a cleaning cloth, stood up in a gasp and sighed as he said,
âPeople tend to get more serious as they get older, but how can each day be so new for you, you moron?â
â⊠it seems like sahyung is the one turning more and more violent.â
âIt is all because of whom! Brat!â
When Yoon Jong raised his hand, Jo Gul flinched and covered his head.
Baek Cheon looked at them and sighed.
âThat guy, too.â
It was awkward for Chung Myung to be silent all this while with the same stiff expression on his face. Whether it worked or not, it was better for everyone to keep their mouths shut.
Sure enough, Jo Gul patted the back of his head where he was hit and took a quick look at Chung Myungâs face.
Baek Cheon, too, looked at Chung Myung and called in a low voice,
âChung Myung.â
âUh?â
âWhat do we do? The sun is setting soon.â
âHmm.â
âIt is a place that couldnât be found even in broad daylight. Wouldnât it be harder to see once the sun sets? I guess we will have to take a break today.â
Chung Myung slowly stroked his chin as if deep in thought and then asked the old man.
âElder.â
âUh?â
âAnyway, does this mean that the place where the chest was discovered is around here?â
âAhm, yes.â
Old man Pyo nodded repeatedly and tapped Jin Yang-Geon on the shoulder.
âDrop me off.â
âOkayâŠ.â
As Jin Yang-Geon sat down as if he had been waiting for those words, the old man got down and looked around.
âI donât remember it exactly, but I am sure it was somewhere on the mountain or the mountain next to it. If we look around for a day or so tomorrow, you will be able to find it.â
Chung Myung looked back at the mountain which old man Pyo pointed to and nodded.
âCould you tell me more about the situation at that time?â
âAh, thatâŠ.â
The old man scratched his head as he said,
âIt was so long ago that I donât remember the exact details, but I remember that the animal caught at that time was a fox.â
âFox?â
âYes. I found this fox in front of me and so I shot it right away since it held something in its mouth. I thought it had hunted a mountain animal like a rabbit, but when I went to the spot after shooting it, I found no prey but a book.â
Chung Myung frowned and asked,
âAnd you brought that to this person?â
âYes, yes. Actually, I couldnât read distant things, so I had no idea what the book had. Still, since it had several pictures of people holding swords, I thought it would be okay if I brought it to that guy.â
Old man Pyo glanced at Jin Yang-Geon and said,
âStill, there were rumors that this guy could read and write and that he was skilled in martial arts or something.â fÉŸeewebnoveâ.coàč
âHmm.â
Chung Myung nodded slowly.
âI see. It will get dark in a little while, so you can just go down here.â
âUh? We havenât found it yetâŠ.â
âIt is okay.â
Old man Pyo glanced at Chung Myung.
âT-then a little whileâŠ.â
Baek Cheon, who realized what the old man was trying to say, answered.
âYou can still receive the labor fee. Thank you for the hard work.â
âThank you, young ones. Truly, thank you.â
Baek Cheon looked at Jin Yang-Geon with cold eyes and said,
âTake the elder home and stay there. I am telling you in advance, you better not think about running.â
âI-I have no thoughts of doing it! I mean it.â
âGood.â
Jin Yang-Geon bowed his head and carried old man Pyo down the mountain. Baek Cheon, who saw the scene, turned to Chung Myung and asked,
âWhat do you plan to do?â
âWell, finding that place doesnât change anything. What is important is that the book was discovered somewhere around here.â
âHmm.â
âThere is no way a mountain animal would have traveled long with a book in its mouth. It probably had to be around here.â
âI see. Then what are we looking for?â
At those words, Chung Myung quietly stared at Baek Cheon. It was a look in his eyes that made it tough to understand what he was thinking.
After a while, Chung Myungâs mouth slowly opened.
âTomb.â
ââŠâ
âEither that or bones. No, the hem of clothes, or the body⊠anything is fine.â
He hesitated slightly before adding,
âI know itâs too much. But we have to find at least a trace.â
Everyone nodded with the slightest hesitation.
âLet us divide the area and spread out to search.â
âYes, sasuk!â
Chung Myung, who was watching everyone divide up and take responsibility in an orderly manner, looked at the darkening mountain. His eyes were dark and sunken.
It had to be somewhere on this mountain.
No.
It was.