Return of the Heavenly Sword

Chapter 60. The Target (3)

After returning to the inn and resting for a night, we left the inn early in the morning and visited an escort agency located in Gojang.

With trembling hands, Yeongcheon handed the letter he had written himself last night to the head escort.

“P- please send this to the Mount Heng Sect.”

On the way out of the escort agency after paying the fee for the escort service.

Perhaps concerned about Yeongcheon's dark face, Junior Sister Baek Hyang said in a soothing tone.

“Don't worry too much, Mr. Daoist. It's not like you lied anyway.”

“Th- that's right. A- anyway, w- we're the ones who will lie. Daoist Hyeong-a didn't lie.”

Junior Sister Baek Hyang and Nam Geon were right.

The letter Yeongcheon wrote only contained the fact that he was heading to Iyang and how vicious the Black Market bastards were.

It only hinted that he might die there.

At least there were no lies.

At the two's comfort, Yeongcheon sighed with a complicated expression and forced a smile.

“Being an accomplice to a lie is no different from lying... but well, since it was a lie for a good cause, it's better to just let it go. Hahaha.”

“That's a good thought.”

“Yes, chivalrous warrior. I'll probably get a good scolding from the sect elders, but punishing the villains is the priority, isn't it? Hahaha.”

It was Yeongcheon, repeating it several times as if hypnotizing himself.

Still, it seemed the self-hypnosis worked, as by the time we left Gojang, he had a similar atmosphere to usual.

We left Gojang and headed to another village.

As always, alternating between training and travel.

However, we were not heading directly to Iyang.

Considering the time it would take for the letter we sent to arrive at Mount Heng and for the Mount Heng Sect Daoists to reach Iyang, we needed to take a slight detour.

Perhaps it was for the best.

Instead of going directly to Iyang, we could take a big detour and clear out the black path and mountain bandits.

With that mindset, we were climbing a mountain path for a while.

Yeongcheon blurted out something unexpected.

“Come to think of it, could you perhaps tell me about your sect, chivalrous warrior?”

It seemed he had remembered the conversation about the Mount Heng Sect last night.

In fact, it was rude in the Murim to recklessly ask about someone's sect or martial arts.

But since Junior Sister Baek Hyang had already asked Yeongcheon about his sect first, it seemed Yeongcheon also asked without feeling burdened.

“I don't have a separate sect.”

“Heo. To reach such a level at that age without a sect. Truly amazing. And that experience must be because you grew up alone!”

Yeongcheon, who had exclaimed in admiration at my answer, soon tilted his head.

“Hmm? But how come you and Miss Baek are senior and junior brother and sister?”

“Senior Brother is teaching me martial arts, Mr. Daoist.”

At Junior Sister Baek Hyang's answer, confusion filled Yeongcheon's face.

When Nam Geon's interjection was added, the confusion grew even greater.

“Th- that's right. Hyeong-a teaches Hyang-i martial arts. He t- teaches me martial arts too.”

“Wh- what does that mean, Little Brother? Then aren't Miss Baek and you senior and junior brother and sister, but master and disciple?”

Now, even Nam Geon was infected with that confusion.

“Th- then do I have to call Hyeong-a S- Senior Brother now?”

“You should call him master, not senior brother. This is the same for Miss Baek.”

Nam Geon was confused, and Junior Sister Baek Hyang looked up at me with a face that said, 'What should I do?'

It was truly a useless conversation.

“Just call me comfortably as you used to.”

“What do you mean, chivalrous warrior? Titles are the foundation of relationships. Also, if the foundation is shaken, others may speak ill of you.”

He was right.

Someone might point their finger at us and call us rootless bastards.

But what did it matter?

“It's fine. I'm rootless anyway. Not only do I not have a sect, but I was an orphan from the beginning.”

I said calmly.

I had no inferiority complex.

No, I had one, but now I had overcome it to some extent.

Above all, I truly considered it something that didn't matter.

“Also, it's not like sticking to those damn roots will improve my martial arts or help me clean up the trash better, is it? It's more beneficial to swing a sword one more time in the time you spend worrying about such things. So it's better to just call me whatever is comfortable.”

For a moment, he stood there with a shocked expression.

Soon, Yeongcheon exclaimed with a moved face.

“So that's what it was!”

“...What do you mean?”

“Actually, on the night before I descended the mountain, the Sect Leader told me this. To firmly establish my own roots so as not to be swayed by the winds of the secular world. Now I see, you, chivalrous warrior, have already planted firm roots that are not swayed by the gazes of others! I'm truly glad I followed you, chivalrous warrior. Hahaha.”

“……”

I had never met the Sect Leader of Mount Heng in person, so I wasn't sure, but it didn't seem like he meant it in that sense.

I was a little worried.

That that bastard might go back to the Mount Heng Sect and call his master senior brother or Big-brother.

***

A few days later.

A certain back mountain, quite far from Iyang.

Figures clad in black clothes gathered on that back mountain.

Soon after, when all forty or so men in black had gathered, a middle-aged man who had been waiting on the back mountain opened his mouth.

“It is the Chairman's order. From now on, our Golden Guardian Corps will head to Iyang.”

Golden Guardian Unit.

A group to protect gold.

Considering the nature of the Black Market, which would do anything to make money, it meant that they were a rather important force.

In fact, the forty or so martial artists gathered here were all masters of the first-rate level or higher.

Among them, the five team leaders were all peak masters, and the Grand Leader was a master of a higher rank than them.

Just then, one of the team leaders raised his hand and asked.

“If it's an order directly from the Chairman, is there some problem with the Iyang branch, Grand Leader?”

“I heard that the long-nosed Daoist bastards of the Mount Heng Sect are targeting the Iyang branch.”

At the Grand Leader's words, another team leader threw a joke.

“Hehehe. It seems the Daoist bastards who were just eating grass in the mountains have finally gone mad.”

“Hahahaha!”

The members of the Golden Guardian Unit burst into a mad laugh without exception.

The Grand Leader, who had let them chat freely for a moment, raised his right arm, and the members who had been laughing and throwing low-class jokes fell silent.

“There will be plenty of time to share jokes after we kill the Mount Heng Sect Daoist bastards. For now, let's depart.”

“Yes, Grand Leader!”

They immediately left the back mountain and ran towards Iyang, using their movement arts.

After running for a while at the speed of the regular members, who were at the first-rate level.

One of the team leaders, who had a bit more leeway, cautiously approached the Grand Leader.

“Grand Leader. Are the Mount Heng Sect Daoist bastards already on their way to Iyang?”

“Not yet. He said to wait in Iyang and wait for the Mount Heng Sect Daoists to arrive.”

“If they haven't moved yet, can't we just go to Mount Heng?”

At the team leader's question, the Grand Leader frowned faintly.

“The Chairman must have had a reason for giving the order. If you don't fix your habit of making unnecessary assumptions, you will find it difficult to die of old age.”

“...I will be careful.”

At the Grand Leader's warning, the team leader retreated with a pale face.

“Tsk.”

The Grand Leader, who had clicked his tongue lightly, turned his head and looked forward again.

However, he hadn't clicked his tongue because of the curious team leader.

Contrary to the warning he had just given the team leader, he too was trying to deduce the Chairman's hidden intentions.

'It must be because of that fellow.'

Iyang.

The branch leader there was a fellow the Chairman was raising with great care.

***

A few days after leaving Gojang.

Arriving at a village with an escort agency, we stopped by the agency and sent a letter to Mount Heng.

It was a letter stating that Yeongcheon had died fighting the Black Market in Iyang.

We also cut a piece of the Mount Heng Sect robes that Yeongcheon was wearing, stained it with chicken blood, and enclosed it.

It could be called a request for reinforcements sent to the Mount Heng Sect.

After completing all preparations, we once again repeated the cycle of travel, training, and clearing out the black path, and finally arrived in Iyang.

Perhaps because it was a village close to Dongting Lake, it was one of the most prosperous places we had visited so far.

Of course, it was no match for Yueyang, the most famous place in Hunan when it came to Dongting Lake.

Perhaps it was because Yueyang was too bustling that they were operating the Black Market in this slightly remote place.

Perhaps because they had never been to a place that could be called a real city, Junior Sister Baek Hyang and Nam Geon looked around with surprised faces.

“Wow…”

“Th- there are s- so many people.”

I thought about stopping by Yueyang and Dongting Lake after we finished dealing with the Black Market in Iyang.

Yes. There might be black path bastards or street thugs there too, so it wouldn't hurt to stop by.

“For now, you must be hungry, so let's find an inn first.”

“Th- thank you, Hyeong-a.”

I led the slightly excited Nam Geon and Junior Sister Baek Hyang, and the slightly stiff Yeongcheon, and wandered around the market street.

Still, having been together for a while, Yeongcheon's acting had improved a little.

But perhaps because he knew that the Black Market bastards were here, he occasionally showed a stiff appearance.

While walking through the market street, Junior Sister Baek Hyang pointed somewhere.

“Let's go there, Senior Brother! The building is old, but it's kept clean, and there are many people. The food must be delicious.”

“Hy- Hyang-i is smart!”

Nam Geon followed behind Junior Sister Baek Hyang, overjoyed.

After ordering food from the waiter for a while, the waiter cautiously asked.

“It's already over one silver nyang, are you sure that's okay?”

At this, Nam Geon glanced at me, and Junior Sister Baek Hyang smiled faintly and said.

“Orabeoni. You can eat more, it's okay. We still have the money we received from the village we visited before.”

She was referring to the wealth we had received as a reward from the villagers after dealing with the black path.

However, I couldn't tell exactly which village we had received the money from.

At some point, managing clothes and money had all become Junior Sister Baek Hyang's responsibility.

Even though we were eating quite lavishly, strangely, the money never ran out.

It seemed that Junior Sister Baek Hyang's ability to manage wealth was very outstanding, even at her young age.

“Hehet. Th- thank you.”

Nam Geon smiled innocently and ordered the same amount of food again.

A little later, the waiter appeared with a tray full of food.

And while Nam Geon was combatively stuffing them into his mouth, the waiter appeared again with a tray full of food.

The table was so full of food that there was no space left.

I, as usual, stuffed myself with boiled meat, and Junior Sister Baek Hyang ate just enough for one person.

Occasionally, Junior Sister Baek Hyang would look fondly at Nam Geon, who was happily stuffing his face with food.

“D- delicious!”

“Eat as much as you like.”

It was a sight where one couldn't tell who was the older brother and who was the younger sister.

After a pleasant meal, we simply unpacked our things at the inn and I said to the group.

“It seems the Mount Heng Sect Daoists have not arrived yet.”

Perhaps they wouldn't come.

In my previous life, they had descended the mountain in anger at Yeongcheon's death, but there was no absolute rule that they would do so this time as well.

“For now, since there's still time until the Black Market opens, how about we walk around a bit to get to know this place?”

“O- okay, Hyeong-a.”

“Okay, Senior Brother.”

“Hahaha. It would be good to think of it as scouting before the sect elders arrive.”

Since all three seemed to be in agreement, we left the inn again and headed for the streets.

I, to find the Black Market's minions.

The three, to look around the prosperous streets they were visiting for the first time.

We bought and ate snacks sold at stalls, and stopped by cloth stores to look at clothes.

Around the time the sun was setting.

On the way back to the inn after finishing our sightseeing.

I stopped walking without realizing it.

“Chivalrous warrior?”

“Hy- Hyeong-a. Are you sick?”

“Senior Brother. What's wrong?”

The voices of my companions felt distant.

Among the people coming and going on the market street.

Only the face of a young man walking idly like a libertine came into my eyes.

A sharp jawline and nose bridge.

Eyes that seemed lazy but were in fact cold and indifferent.

His face was a good twenty years younger than the face I knew, but there was no way I couldn't recognize it.

I had looked at his portrait countless times to never forget his face.

“Hyeok Ilso.”

Golden Demon Hyeok Ilso.

The man who would become one of the Seven Evils in the future.

The enemy who had killed the man I considered a friend and a teacher.

I had run wild here and there to catch that bastard, but I had never expected to encounter him here like this.

Did he hear my murmur?

The young man's indifferent and cold gaze turned towards me.

Why was that?

The small movement of his pupils turning seemed to happen in slow motion.

The presence of my companions standing nearby felt distant, and all my senses were focused only on him.

My heart pounds as if it will burst.

His lips move slowly.

“Do you know me?”

At that indifferent question, a smile naturally formed on my lips.

“Of course.”

How could I not recognize the prey I had been hunting for so long?

Ah.

Now I thought I understood.

Why my body was like this.

This was ecstasy.

A life where I couldn't even dream of avenging my friend, and just ran away with the cowardly excuse of following my friend's last words.

How could I not be happy now that the opportunity to resolve the regret of that past life had come?

The muscles in my legs, which had been coiled up as if to burst, straightened out, and the internal energy that had already left my dantian rushed through all the blood vessels in my body.

Fwoosh!

Right after I unconsciously launched myself at him with all my might using my movement arts.

Starting from his right hand, a gruesome trajectory was embroidered in the air.

“Hahahahahaha!!!”

Entrusting my body to ecstasy, I drew the Restoring Name Sword and rushed towards the gap in that trajectory.