episode_0004

‘Are these guys crazy?’

A thick vein pulsed on Black Killing Sword Jin Cheonwoo’s temple.

It was already infuriating that they stubbornly remained in their seats, but what? Leave the food behind? For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard.

‘Could they be martial artists?’

The sword scabbard at their waist.

Their appearance was shabby, but now that he looked closely, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that they were martial artists.

As much as he wanted to beat them to a pulp right now…

Why, isn’t there a saying in Murim to be wary of the elderly, children, and women?

But of all things, a woman and a boy, both armed, were sitting together in one place, which honestly made them too suspicious.

More than anything, their attitude was beyond insane.

In this ominous atmosphere, countless people were wetting their pants.

And amidst all this, they were so brazen?

It was one of two possibilities.

They had something to rely on.

Or they were simply completely mad.

Jin Cheonwoo glared at Cheongun with sharp, chilling eyes.

To survive in Jianghu, one had to be quick-witted.

The fact that he had survived in Jianghu until now was proof that Jin Cheonwoo had long relied on his wits.

His instincts were ringing an alarm bell.

He needed to reveal his identity and explain the situation first.

Therefore, Jin Cheonwoo cleared his throat loudly. “Ahem! Ahem!” he called out, adjusting his voice.

“I am Black Killing Sword Jin Cheonwoo. I am here on the Blood Bond Pavilion Lord’s orders to eliminate traitors, so outsiders, if you would kindly step aside for a moment, I would be grateful.”

Jin Cheonwoo was well-versed in situations like this.

Since he had spoken with such courtesy, he expected them to yield their seats appropriately.

Refusing to move aside here would be a declaration of hostility against the Blood Bond Pavilion.

Yet, despite his shout, the two showed no significant reaction.

Instead, they were calmly eating their food and conversing.

“*Chew, chew*, Blood Bond Pavilion? Oh, that intelligence organization?”

“Does Cheong Daehyeop also know of this place?”

“Roughly. Now that you mention traitors, I remember. So those were the guys who stole the secret manual and ran away?”

Conspiracies always lurk in Jianghu.

To prevent this beforehand, famous sects usually operated their own intelligence organizations, and among them, the Blood Bond Pavilion could be considered a considerably large force.

Cheongun, who had invested a whopping 20,000 hours into the game, couldn’t possibly not know that name.

Cheongun asked Jin Cheonwoo with a listless expression.

“Hey mister, you’re part of the Blood Dragon Unit, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Seeing you take the lead and act so brash, perhaps you’re the Blood Dragon Unit Leader?”

Jin Cheonwoo was dumbfounded.

This was because he was indeed part of the Blood Dragon Unit, which could be considered the Blood Bond Pavilion’s elite assassination squad.

“Was the Pavilion Lord’s name Wi Yeonghwa?”

“He is the Blood Bond Sword Sovereign, but…”

“No, who asked for his alias? I’m talking about his real name.”

“Th-that’s right.”

Jin Cheonwoo felt his face flush.

His dignity and anger as the Blood Dragon Unit Leader clashed with the intense sense of intimidation he felt from the boy, and the latter won.

The reason he had survived in Murim, where a wrong move could get you stabbed, was that he was exceptionally quick-witted.

‘Damn it, could he be a master?’

To utter the Pavilion Lord’s revered name so casually?

Only someone with incredible audacity would dare to do such a thing.

Moreover, for some reason, he knew the inner workings of the Blood Bond Pavilion thoroughly.

He didn’t know who this person was, but if he provoked them without knowing their true identity, he might end up regretting it.

As he was racking his brain, one of the four martial artists who had drawn their swords and were on guard in the corner shouted resonantly.

“Young Hero! Please help us! That man is a malicious deviant from the Unorthodox Faction, preying on honest people! The secret manual he supposedly stole wasn’t originally theirs either! We were simply taking back what was stolen from us!”

At those words, Jin Cheonwoo snorted derisively.

“Damn it! You’re spouting nonsense! You sold it for a fair price, and now you claim it was stolen? What was stolen?!”

“You wicked fiend! You used all sorts of vile tricks to threaten us into selling the manual, and now you talk about a fair price? What fair price?!”

“You talk big words. You guys can forget about leaving here alive today!”

“No more talk! Let’s end this here and now!”

“Fine!”

They circled around the table where Cheongun and Namgung Yul were seated, confronting each other.

A fierce standoff ensued, with them brandishing their weapons and panting as they glared at each other, but no one dared to make a move, unsure what trouble might arise if they provoked that mysterious boy.

Jin Cheonwoo, who had been about to step forward, gazed at Cheongun with a perplexed expression.

If they continued to hold their ground like this, it would inevitably ruin the boy’s meal.

Unable to bear it any longer, Jin Cheonwoo spoke to Cheongun irritably.

“Ahem! Excuse me.”

“What now?”

“The path is narrow, so would you mind moving aside?”

“Move? Why should I? Can’t you see I’m eating?”

“You can eat at any other inn, can’t you?”

Inns were plentiful.

There was no need to insist on this particular place.

Of course, Cheongun thought differently.

“Ha! Then what about the food I’ve already paid for?”

“That’s…”

“What about the remaining food? What about my mental distress from having to leave perfectly good food behind? What about my wasted time and effort in finding another inn? What if I find another inn and the food isn’t as good as here? What if it’s more expensive? What if there’s no place to sit?”

“No, that’s…”

“This guy’s ridiculous. Look, would you be happy if you were suddenly kicked out while quietly eating your meal? And on a very special day at that?”

“Was it a special day?”

“No? Not particularly?”

“……”

Damn it.

Then why did he add that premise about a special day?

“Anyway! I was happily eating my meal on such a special day, when suddenly, a bunch of disgusting-looking people came storming in? And what’s more? Threatening to take a dump right in front of me if I don’t leave immediately?”

“I never said such a thing!”

“Oh really? Isn’t what comes out of your mouth still poop?”

Jin Cheonwoo tried to clarify, as it was a description full of malicious distortions, but Cheongun’s mouth was already spewing words at lightning speed, as if it had a motor attached.

“Thanks to you, I’ve completely lost my appetite.”

“That’s…”

“Did I get indigestion from seeing such a disgusting sight? My stomach doesn’t feel good either? How are you going to take responsibility for this?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, jeez, now every time I pass by an inn, I’ll be reminded of today’s memory, won’t I? No, from now on, I’ll probably see your face whenever I try to eat, and won’t be able to eat properly. Won’t I just waste away and eventually die of malnutrition? Wait a minute. Then it’s basically like you killed me!”

“That seems a bit of a stretch.”

“I felt my life was threatened. Take responsibility. Compensate me.”

Jin Cheonwoo was amazed by Cheongun’s natural logical leaps, flowing like water.

What kind of lunatic was this?

His tongue was so eloquent that Jin Cheonwoo was utterly dumbfounded.

To turn someone into a murderous maniac just for asking them to move aside!

He had encountered all sorts of madmen while traversing Jianghu until now, but he could unequivocally say that Cheongun was the most outrageously insane of them all.

“DAMN IT ALL!”

At that point, Jin Cheonwoo’s patience had already reached its limit.

No matter how cautious he usually was, he wasn’t so lacking in pride that he would endure this.

Even if he lost, it didn’t matter.

The sense of crisis felt from ‘I might lose’ and ‘I might lose my life’ were distinctly different.

At least Jin Cheonwoo didn’t feel like he would lose his life here.

Most importantly, Jin Cheonwoo was confident he could preserve his own life.

His side also had more people. It was a fight worth taking.

It was the moment he started raising his internal energy with that thought.

Cheongun’s two eyes glowed a vibrant blue, scattering intense light.

It was the realm of Qi Manifestation (意氣發現), where one could materialize qi through sheer will.

“!!!”

Soon, a terrifying fighting spirit began to oppress them.

A viscous killing intent pressed down on Jin Cheonwoo and the other men’s bodies.

Jin Cheonwoo, who was watching Cheongun, felt goosebumps erupt all over his body.

‘Damn it! He’s a master!’

He was merely being suppressed by killing intent, yet his mouth felt dry and his breathing was labored.

He couldn’t even dare to hold his head up straight under the immense aura (氣度) emanating from Cheongun’s entire body.

Then Cheongun’s lips parted.

“I felt it again. My life was threatened.”

Jin Cheonwoo was not a Demonic Cultist.

Nevertheless, the reason Cheongun could unleash such internal energy was because his Dantian was currently brimming with internal energy.

How was this possible?

The secret lay in the moment Cheongun first rescued Namgung Yul and subdued Sauncheon of the Black Forest Gate, or whatever it was called.

When he encountered Sauncheon, the Demonic Cultist, Cheongun’s unique trait, ‘Down with the Demonic Cult!’, activated, and one of its effects, the Emptiness Physique (空靈之體), was triggered.

The Emptiness Physique was a special constitution that allowed one to directly absorb natural energy.

At that time, Cheongun had stored as much natural energy from all directions into his Dantian as possible through the Accumulation Dantian Art (蓄一丹田功).

This was only possible because Cheongun’s various stats, including his Qi perception, were abnormally high.

Of course, the natural energy crammed into his Dantian was distinctly different from true internal energy.

True internal energy was pure essence refined within the body through decades of arduous Qi accumulation (蓄氣), whereas Cheongun’s was merely temporarily stored natural energy.

Once used, it would drain away like water from a sieve, and its operational efficiency was pitifully low.

But it was fine.

Because it was enough to deal with someone like Jin Cheonwoo.

Meanwhile, Jin Cheonwoo, sweating coldly, asked Cheongun.

“Wh-which venerable master are you?”

“Why do all you Unorthodox Faction guys say the exact same things?”

Jin Cheonwoo gasped! and immediately knelt down.

“I apologize for my disrespect in not recognizing such a venerable master! Please, in your great magnanimity, forgive me!”

“Magnanimity? Why should I? Is this ordinary disrespect? You almost killed me just now, didn’t you?”

Jin Cheonwoo’s throat tightened with indignation, but he kept his mouth shut and bowed his head deeply.

Indeed, he was the one who had drawn his sword first, and in Jianghu, the strongest one always held the power.

If he dared to provoke such a lunatic’s temper, he’d be sent straight to the underworld.

“Please, just spare my life! I will compensate you for all the damage incurred!”

“Oh really? Then hand it over.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

Jin Cheonwoo blinked his eyes foolishly.

Cheongun sneered at him.

“What else, money. Hand over your clothes too. See my state right now? I look like a complete beggar because of you.”

“No, why is that my fault! Your attire was already that of a beggar…”

“Back-talking?”

“Gasp!”

Namgung Yul, who had been quietly watching them, thought.

‘…This must also be a side effect of living disconnected from the world for so long.’