Chapter 29

29. It was an invitation to attend.

Gumilbokgeom Shim Yanggak squeezed his eyes shut.

The conversation he had with Baekgyo on an unnamed hillside came vividly to mind.

- "Those who follow Feng Chai will treat you rudely. How can you endure it?"

- "It doesn't matter. They won't dare to say a word in front of me anyway."

- "Tsk, then let's part ways here. Just thinking about that young brat Yeon and the half-breeds around him makes my teeth grind even in my sleep."

Shim Yanggak thought they wouldn't dare to say a word in front of him.

He had endured the humiliation and returned because he had always been treated this way. If he had known he would be so disgraced, he would have gone to Jifeng Manor with Baekgyo.

Feng Yanchao's voice rang in Shim Yanggak's ears.

"Speak up if you have a mouth! Who the hell sold the name of the Ten Heroes of Wufeng at Saha Road? Why can't you speak? Is your nose a hole for shit?"

Shim Yanggak's heart raced.

Feng Yanchao had just called them "bastards." That meant everyone who went to Saha Road that day, including himself. The great Gumilbokgeom was being insulted by someone like Feng Yanchao, who didn't even have a nickname.

"You bastard!"

Shim Yanggak roared and stood up.

The thieves, who had been bowing their heads, looked at him with startled eyes.

Hwang Yo-myeong even shook his head, pleading for him to hold back.

No matter how angry he was, he shouldn't fight the Ten Heroes of Wufeng in front of Yeon Jechun. The unpredictable Yeon Jechun wouldn't just stand by and watch, so he had to endure it.

Despite his desperate wish, Shim Yanggak became even more agitated.

"Where do you get the nerve! You son of a bitch!"

With a curse, Shim Yanggak lunged forward.

In one swift motion, he reached Hwang Yo-myeong and swung his fist like lightning.

"It's you! How dare you impersonate the Ten Heroes of Wufeng! Why! Why! Why did you do such a thing! I could tear you apart and pickle you, and it still wouldn't be enough! You're worse than a dog!"

Punch. Punch. Punch.

Hwang Yo-myeong, his arms protecting his head, rolled on the ground from Shim Yanggak's punches.

Shim Yanggak then immediately started kicking Hwang Yo-myeong.

Shim Yanggak's merciless kicks continued until Hwang Yo-myeong lost consciousness and lay limp.

At some point, Hwang Yo-myeong stopped moving.

Only then did Shim Yanggak stop kicking.

A complicated look flashed across Shim Yanggak's eyes.

If he hadn't climbed the peak of Wufeng Mountain yesterday, he wouldn't have done this.

"Sorry, kid. As an Extraordinary Being, even I can't control it."

He would never forget this scene.

After learning that Nodosha was a Celestial Merchant, he had been curious about what the two were doing on the peak.

Despite his fear, he secretly followed them.

When the Celestial Merchant waved his sword, a Taiji symbol appeared in the sky in response.

At first, he thought it was just a simple Taoist spell.

Then, Yeon Jechun drew a saber in the air.

A violent wind rose, and a giant Azure Dragon descended from the sky above the peak of Wufeng Mountain.

Only then did he realize that the Taiji and the Azure Dragon were not spells.

If not spells, then what? As he pondered, the Taiji and the Azure Dragon intertwined.

The Azure Dragon seemed to tease the Taiji with its entire body, as if coveting a pearl.

While playing with two Taiji symbols, the Azure Dragon dropped one. Or rather, it looked like the Taiji slipped from the Azure Dragon's foot.

Thanks to this, he could glimpse the true nature of the Taiji and the Azure Dragon.

The moment the fallen Taiji touched the rock cliff, a boulder the size of a house crumbled and fell.

Only then did he think, "What the Celestial Merchant showed me must be the secret technique of the Wudang Sect, the Taiji Sword."

What should he call the Azure Dragon that Yeon Jechun played with, which was so extraordinary?

Whatever its name, one thing was clear.

Yeon Jechun and the Celestial Merchant had reached the realm of Heaven Beyond Heaven.

Shim Yanggak, lost in thought, heard Yeon Jechun's voice.

"I hate children, women, and old people."

Shim Yanggak, startled, quickly turned to face Yeon Jechun.

Yeon Jechun's eyes were filled with hatred.

Hatred for the children who threw stones at him wherever he went, for his great-aunt Baek Mijoo who imprisoned him for ten years, and for the Yeon Clan elders who did nothing despite knowing everything.

Shim Yanggak couldn't understand why the Yeon Clan elders kept coming to mind when he looked at him.

Shim Yanggak, startled, prostrated himself on the ground.

"Brother Yeon, I really don't know anything. It's true that I dined with them at Saha Road, but I didn't impersonate anyone. Lord Feng Chai! Please believe me!"

So shocked was he that he even spoke respectfully to Feng Yanchao, whom he usually ignored.

"Old man, take care of it. If you annoy me one more time, I'll tear you apart and spread you on the village chief's field as fertilizer."

Frightened by Yeon Jechun's menacing warning, Shim Yanggak pressed his forehead to the ground and shouted.

"It won't happen! I will serve the Ten Heroes of Wufeng with all my loyalty! If anyone impersonates them, I'll tear them apart, so please don't worry!"

At that moment, Shim Yanggak emptied his heart and swore to become a subordinate of the Ten Heroes of Wufeng.

When Shim Yanggak bowed, the thieves who followed him also prostrated themselves on the ground.

Feng Yanchao nodded in satisfaction.

Now that the hierarchy of Wufeng Manor was settled, he felt as if a long-standing toothache had been relieved.

***

The Celestial Merchant quietly left the mountain manor after three months, just as summer began. During that period, many things happened at Wufeng Manor.

First, the area managed by Wufeng Manor greatly expanded.

From the five peaks, the entire surrounding hillside became the territory of Wufeng Manor.

After the failure to suppress the Ten Thousand Waters Merchant Guild, the merchant guilds no longer wanted to fight Wufeng Manor. They paid a silver coin as a toll, and some even sent gifts to the manor, much like local merchants and gentry sent gifts to the Seven Gangs.

As a result, except for occasional disputes with merchants from other regions, there were no more sword fights.

Gradually, the route through Wufeng Mountain became a popular trade route for merchants. After all, for those transporting valuable goods or dealing with large quantities, a silver coin was a trivial amount.

On a peaceful afternoon,

a middle-aged man climbed the mountain manor in the setting sun. He introduced himself to the thieves at the entrance as an envoy of the Green Forest.

Feng Yanchao quickly summoned his sworn brothers, excluding Yeon Jechun, to the Shanghua Hall.

The envoy of the Green Forest, Yin Fengmiaojun, who sat at the head of the table, spoke first.

"I am a disciple of the Green Forest's Chief, Lord Fatian Majun. I am known in the martial world as Yin Fengmiaojun, so you can call me that."

After Yin Fengmiaojun finished speaking, Feng Yanchao quickly introduced the eight sworn brothers.

"…And that child is the tenth of the Ten Heroes of Wufeng, Xiaosu Bai."

Yin Fengmiaojun's sleepy eyes lingered on Hanchaeryun and Xiaosu Bai.

Originally, the two women were beautiful even when they lived in poverty. After the manor stabilized and they focused on martial arts, their beauty became even more prominent. Now, they looked like the refined daughters of noble families.

"Heh, I've heard of the Ten Heroes of Wufeng. It's true that there are two beautiful women among them. But why is one missing?"

"Oh, yes. The seventh brother is currently in seclusion and can't be reached."

Of course, it was a lie.

Feng Yanchao didn't call him for fear that the envoy might provoke Yeon Jechun's temper and get beaten.

Yin Fengmiaojun nodded approvingly.

"It seems that Wufeng Manor's quick establishment in Baofeng County was not just luck. Well done. Bandits who indulge in women and alcohol might be overtaken by merchant guilds, the Five Great Families, or the Seven Gangs. I will certainly report your efforts to the Chief."

"Thank you."

"Take this."

Yin Fengmiaojun abruptly threw a red invitation.

Feng Yanchao, who hastily caught the invitation, looked at him curiously.

"It's an invitation to attend the Green Forest Assembly in Wansiping, Jiangnan, this October."

"Ah!"

A gasp escaped Feng Yanchao's lips.

It seemed that what was to come had finally arrived.

However, Feng Yanchao, who was unfamiliar with the martial world, didn't know where Wansiping in Jiangnan was.

"Um, I may be old, but I'm new to the martial world and don't know Wansiping in Jiangnan. Could you explain it a bit more…?"

"Heh, I see. Wansiping is a plain below Mount Huang in Nanzhili Province."

"Ah! Now I see it's in Nanzhili Province. I will definitely attend on time."

"Good. Hmph. Hmph."

Yin Fengmiaojun suddenly cleared his throat.

Feng Yanchao, realizing his mistake, stood up and said,

"Oops! What a blunder. You must have had a long journey. I will host you tonight. There's a village called Hajiavillage at the foot of the mountain, and the brothel there is quite good."

"What a journey? I appreciate your offer, but…"

Yin Fengmiaojun, who had risen, glanced at Hanchaeryun and Xiaosu Bai.

Hanchaeryun, who had worked in a brothel, shuddered in disgust.

Feng Yanchao and Taku Gao quickly attached themselves to Yin Fengmiaojun's sides, trying to take him away before he had any other ideas about the two women.

Thanks to their quick actions, Yin Fengmiaojun had to leave the Shanghua Hall, only able to smack his lips in disappointment.

***

However, entertaining the Green Forest's great horseman, Yin Fengmiaojun, was not so easily over.

Around 9 PM,

a drunk Yin Fengmiaojun dragged Feng Yanchao and Taku Gao back to the mountain manor.

"Damn, you guys. What? The water is good? The girls here are better. Tell them to bring the drinks!"

Yin Fengmiaojun lived by the belief that "everything in the manor belongs to the chief." So, he assumed Feng Yanchao was reluctant to let the two women out of his sight.

"Senior, please. Our girls don't come to the drinking table. Just go to the brothel. If you stay here, it will cause trouble."

Feng Yanchao tried to dissuade him, but it was in vain.

Yin Fengmiaojun, drunk, was fixated on the idea of having the two women.

Ignoring Feng Yanchao and Taku Gao's pleas, he crossed the courtyard.

Finally, when they reached the Shanghua Hall, Yin Fengmiaojun roared.

"What are you doing! Do you think I'll let this slide? Quickly tell those girls to bring the drinks! You bastards!"

"Senior, please lower your voice."

Feng Yanchao, looking around, pleaded.

He wanted to send him off in a good mood. It wouldn't be good to offend a high-ranking figure from the Green Forest's seventy-two manors!

Yin Fengmiaojun, seeing Feng Yanchao not calling the women, started to get angry. He had traveled to many Green Forest manors, but this was the first time he had been treated so rudely.

His good mood vanished.

In this situation, he had no choice but to use force to take what he wanted. Taking and being taken was a natural part of life in the Green Forest.

Yin Fengmiaojun circulated the power of the Dark Heaven Asura Seal.

His previously hazy eyes now glowed with a demonic light.

"You scum! How dare you defy me! Do you want to die!"

Yin Fengmiaojun's roar, imbued with inner strength, shook Wufeng Manor.

Feng Yanchao squeezed his eyes shut.

It's over.

Would someone like Yeon Jechun, who didn't care about the Wudang Sect's elders, show mercy to the Chief's disciple?

The thieves, who had been sleeping, started to appear.

Seeing the two women among the thieves, Yin Fengmiaojun became even more agitated.

"You two! Bring the drinks now! If you refuse, today in my hands…"