Chapter 106
When Dongryong finished changing into his martial uniform and we were ready to leave, all the Executives gathered to see us off.
Standing at the very front was Bangsam.
“Leader and Deputy Leader… You don’t have to go just because of me…”
Bangsam seemed apologetic about the fact that we were going to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering because of him.
Seeing him act unusually weak, I patted Bangsam on the shoulder and grinned.
“Forget it, you punk. This is just a quick stroll for us.”
“Yeah, Bangsam. The Leader and I will be back in no time.”
Even though we said that, this was no simple stroll.
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was being held in the Murim Alliance’s Home Turf, and if our identities were discovered, the atmosphere with the Murim Alliance would become quite awkward.
But even if it was difficult, we had to try.
If we failed this time, there was no telling when we’d be able to fix Bangsam’s body.
“Leader, I’m all ready.”
“Alright, let’s go then.”
I swept my gaze over the Subordinates who had come out to see us off.
Imugi was also there at the very front, looking up at us.
She, who had maintained the body of a young child ever since that day, was Staring blankly at us as she spoke.
“Should I give you a ride to where you’re going? You could arrive really fast.”
“No thanks, we’d stand out too much if we went with you. We’ll just walk.”
Since we weren’t just going on a pleasure trip, we couldn’t take Imugi with us. Imugi showed a slight hint of disappointment at this, but it couldn’t be helped.
I was about to say goodbye to the others besides Imugi when I noticed a gap in the crowd and asked.
“More importantly, I don’t see the Haomun Leader?”
“When we went to look for her, she had already descended the mountain.”
“Ah… is that so?”
It must be because of the task I gave her.
It was a shame I couldn’t say goodbye to the Haomun Leader, but well… I didn’t have time to wait, so I had to leave.
“We’re really going now! Make sure you guys take good care of our Jongrimun friends!”
“Yes! Have a safe trip! Elder brothers!”
As I waved my hand at them one last time, the Subordinates followed up with a 90-Degree Bow toward Dongryong and me.
It was a nationwide gangster greeting that I had grown quite accustomed to by now.
I gave them a smile immediately before setting off on the road.
“Now then, shall we get going, Dongryong-a.”
“Yes, Leader.”
Let’s go to Anhui.
* * *
Step.
“Dongryong-a.”
“Yes, Leader.”
Not long after leaving the Mountain Stronghold, I decided to ask Dongryong something I had been curious about.
“But will you be okay?”
“…Pardon?”
“I mean, almost all the Righteous Faction kids will be gathering at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, so I’m asking if you’ll be alright.”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“Almost everyone from the Hebei Peng Family will be coming too. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Ah…!!”
Dongryong reacted with wide eyes, as if he hadn’t thought of that.
Dongryong had mentioned that before becoming a Bandit, he worked as an Escort Warrior for the Hebei Peng Family.
Being an Escort Warrior for one of the Five Great Families was a pretty secure iron rice bowl.
I didn’t know how he ended up quitting, but seeing him tremble whenever the Hebei Peng Family was mentioned, I could roughly guess that his departure had been rather extreme.
“Ah… th-that’s…, ah, if we turn back even now…, ah, but because of Bangsam…, aah…!”
As if his PTSD was acting up again, Dongryong grabbed his head and fell into a panic at the mention of the Hebei Peng Family.
I threw an arm around Dongryong’s shoulders.
“Hey, it’s fine, you punk. You’re the Second-in-Command of the Green Forest that now rules Hunan Province, so square your shoulders proudly.”
“But Leader… We aren’t going right now as representatives of the Green Forest, but as martial artists of Jongrimun, are we?”
“Ah, that’s true.”
If it were revealed that our Green Forest had come to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, we would be kicked out immediately.
No? We’d be lucky to just be kicked out; we might even be locked up in the Murim Alliance Dungeon.
[Wait… Does that mean then we have to be careful not to get caught by the Hebei Peng Family too?]
I asked Dongryong, just in case.
“Hey, Dongryong-a, by any chance… would the people from the Hebei Peng Family recognize you?”
“…They will probably recognize me without a doubt.”
“Huh? Wait, they’d recognize a mere Escort Warrior who quit years ago?”
“…There are circumstances that make it so.”
I was curious about what those circumstances were, but Dongryong didn’t seem to want to talk about it and ultimately gave no further answer.
Well, yeah… privacy is important.
I didn’t bother pressing Dongryong any further either.
“Haa… Then we’ll have to be careful not to catch the eyes of the Hebei Peng Family as well as the Shanxi Yu Family.”
“Aren’t there more than just those two?”
“Hmm… There’s more?”
“Don’t you remember that we killed the Second Son of the Dokgo Noble Family? No matter how much of a scoundrel he was, he was still of their Bloodline.”
“Ah.”
Because of Dokgoyeong’s death, the Dokgo Noble Family was definitely grinding their teeth at our Green Forest.
Anyway, this Bastard Dokgoyeong is of no help even in death.
“So the three places we need to watch out for are the Shanxi Yu Family, the Hebei Peng Family, and the Dokgo Noble Family, right?”
“It seems so for now.”
“There sure are a lot of places to watch out for. Fuck, I tried to live quietly in my own way, so why did things turn to shit like this?”
“For someone who tried to live quietly, you’ve lived quite loudly.”
“…That’s true too.”
Lamenting our circumstances like that, we directed our steps toward Anhui.
It was then.
Flap-.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, a pigeon landed on my shoulder. Seeing a note on its leg, I checked its appearance and realized it was the Haomun Leader’s carrier pigeon.
I immediately stroked the pigeon’s head once and took out the note to read.
“Hmm.”
“It’s a letter from the Haomun Leader, right? What does it say?”
“She says she won’t be able to follow us due to some circumstances.”
Those circumstances were probably due to the Sichuan Tang Family.
The guys from the Sichuan Tang Family would definitely be gathering in Anhui too, so it could be troublesome from the Haomun Leader’s perspective.
Since we didn’t really need the Haomun Leader at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering anyway, I roughly nodded as I read the letter.
“She says she’ll send someone else to assist us instead. She didn’t have to.”
“Someone to assist us? Who would come?”
“It’s obvious. Munseok will probably come.”
Seeing that the name of the person coming wasn’t written, I could roughly guess that Munseok would be the one.
“Still, it would be reassuring if he came.”
“You can say that again.”
Come to think of it, it feels like it’s been a really long time since I last saw Munseok too.
Anhui, where countless enemies were gathering, was practically a Tiger’s Maw for us, but thinking that Munseok would be coming along put my mind somewhat at ease.
“Alright, shall we pick up the pace from here on out? Living as bandits, we probably won’t have any more chances to visit Anhui, so let’s get there quickly and take a look around.”
“Shall we do that, then?”
Since I was with Dongryong, who was the most skilled in our Green Forest after me, we immediately unfolded our Lightness Skill and dashed rapidly toward Anhui.
* * *
At that time, a group had arrived in Anhui.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been to Anhui.”
“That’s right.”
It was the young martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect who were participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, along with the Sect Leader and Elders leading them.
Having left Shaanxi and come to Anhui for the first time in a while, they were full of excitement, feeling as if they had come on an outing.
Except for one person, that is.
The Mount Hua Sect Leader, Myeonghwa, was Staring blankly at a Disciple with a stiff expression before approaching him.
“Jin-A.”
“…Yes, Sect Leader.”
That Protagonist was none other than Mount Hua’s Promising Talent, Ha Jinseong.
Sect Leader Myeonghwa placed a hand on his shoulder and continued speaking.
“Are you still sulking about what happened back then?”
“Sect Leader… I’m not sulking, it’s just…”
“Did I not explain everything to you? As the Sect Leader, I have a duty to protect my disciples. I could never send you, a Second Generation Disciple, into that Enemy Territory.”
“…”
More than a month ago, a bizarre rumor suddenly circulated Under Heaven.
There was a rumor that the Demonic Cult’s Arch-Demon was leading jiangshis to invade the Green Forest in Hunan Province.
Given the distance and that there was no reason for the Demonic Cult to suddenly Attack the Green Forest, no one believed it. The Mount Hua Sect was no exception.
Whether it was the Demonic Cult or the Green Forest, neither had much connection to the Mount Hua Sect, so no one tried to pay it any attention.
Except for the Second Generation Disciple, Ha Jinseong.
In the First Life he had experienced, there hadn’t been a Green Forest with such a powerful Faction in the first place, nor had the Demonic Cult attacked that Green Forest.
Therefore, Ha Jinseong had tried to go to Hunan Province by any means necessary to find out why the future had changed.
However, Sect Leader Myeonghwa had not given him permission, so he couldn’t leave the Main Headquarters. And since he, a Disciple of Mount Hua, couldn’t break Mount Hua’s rules, his feet were completely tied.
[I should have found a way to go no matter what…]
At some point, the future had kept changing. And the cause was definitely situated in Hunan Province.
“If you really wish to visit Hunan Province, go with the Elders of the Sect after the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering ends and peace has returned to the lands of Hunan.”
Although Ha Jinseong had now grown strong enough to be counted among the best in Mount Hua, Sect Leader Myeonghwa still saw him as just a young Disciple.
“…Yes, Sect Leader.”
Feeling his sincerity, Ha Jinseong couldn’t even force the issue and had no choice but to nod.
[Right… It won’t be too late to visit Hunan Province after the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering ends.]
That was how important this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was to him.
Not simply to gain honor… but because the Winning Prize for this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was none other than Pure Jade Marrow.
Pure Jade Marrow is considered the absolute pinnacle among elixirs.
If he obtained it, he could raise his realm even higher than it is now. It was still a long road ahead, but if he raised his realm step by step like this…
[I’ll be able to stand against those monsters too…]
Even for the sake of the greater good, winning this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was more important than anything else.
Ha Jinseong clenched his fists as he looked at the Murim Alliance Headquarters building where the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering would be held. And…
“Senior Martial Brother!”
“Junior Martial Brother!”
…His Martial Brothers flocked around him.
The Martial Brothers, without a single exception, had lost their lives at the hands of the Demonic Cult in their past lives.
Because Ha Jinseong had already witnessed their deaths once, he cherished his Martial Brothers even more dearly.
He smiled and asked the Martial Brothers who had gathered around him.
“What is it?”
“Your eyes were burning while you were looking at the Murim Alliance building. What were you thinking about?”
“Are you thinking about winning the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?”
“For someone of your level, Senior Martial Brother, winning is a Sure Thing!”
At the playful voices of his Martial Brothers, Ha Jinseong simply smiled.
“I hope it truly turns out that way.”
“Hey, too much humility is just arrogance. Who among the rising stars could possibly compare to you, Junior Martial Brother!”
The voice saying that contained no jealousy or envy, but genuine affection and pride for his Junior Martial Brother.
“That’s right, that’s right!”
“Who could possibly beat you, Senior Martial Brother-!”
Voices of agreement followed from all around.
And among them…
“I don’t care about the rest, but please trample the Zhongnan Sect thoroughly!”
…There was also a cheerfully radical voice included.
“What? Zhongnan? Ahaha-!”
“Hahahaha-!”
At the mention of Zhongnan, all the Martial Brothers nearby burst into laughter.
In this generation, Mount Hua has never once fallen behind Zhongnan.
In their hearts, the second generation disciples already looked down on the likes of Zhongnan as being beneath Mount Hua.
However…
“Yeah, we have to completely wipe out the likes of Zhongnan.”
“Could they even be a match for us?”
…Because they were disciples of Mount Hua, a primal hatred for Zhongnan remained in their hearts.
And that was…
“…Yes, we must beat the likes of Zhongnan no matter what happens.”
…It was the same for Ha Jinseong, who was living his Second Life.
[In my First Life, Zhongnan definitely failed to produce even a single person in the top 8.]
Expecting that Zhongnan would fare even worse, not better, Ha Jinseong smiled.
“Haha, Senior Martial Brother hates Zhongnan too.”
“Ah, please let me get matched against Zhongnan in the brackets!”
Before they became Taoist priests, they were still immature young men, and so they continued their hatred for Zhongnan.