episode_0016

Cheongun has a terrible personality.

To what extent? His personality was such that he wouldn’t be satisfied unless he repaid something he suffered at least tenfold.

Cheongun’s personality wasn’t always this awful.

If one were to consider his innate disposition, it was closer to good.

One must abide by the law.

One must not harm others.

The weak should be protected, and the strong must bear responsibility.

These are basic common sense principles.

Because they are ethical values that a modern person, raised normally, would inherently possess.

However, it turned out that these weren’t common sense for everyone.

At least not here in the Central Plains.

Possessing the body of an unknown boy in an utterly unfamiliar world, living the life of a complete orphan, something he had never experienced in his entire life.

It was by no means easy.

Because he had no parents, he was despised; because he had no money, he was ignored; because he had no strength, he was oppressed.

The first thing Cheongun ever stole was food.

He had starved for days, his stomach pressed against his back, simply trying to survive somehow.

But it seemed I wasn’t the only one starving to death; a beggar passing by saw the food in my hand and, going mad, picked up a stone and lunged at me, demanding it.

That was the first time I had ever engaged in such a fierce brawl.

Fueled by malice, I screamed until my throat was raw, my skin was torn by the edge of a stone, and for the first time, I even felt the desire to kill someone.

So I killed him.

To live. Because I didn’t want to die. Because I was hungry.

I had no martial arts then.

I just used the fishing line I was holding to strangle him, enduring the blows from the stone.

After killing him, I frantically shoved the stolen food into my mouth before others could arrive. It was so heartbreaking; I think I cried like a child at the fact that I had actually killed someone.

That was the first time I realized that food mixed with tears tasted salty, but now that I think about it, it’s funny.

If I hadn’t killed him, I would have died. Would he have cried like me at the fact that he killed someone?

We were all living at the bottom anyway.

Who dares offer cheap pity, claiming to care for another?

The strong prey on the weak.

Survival of the fittest.

It was from that moment.

That Cheongun’s personality took a sharp turn for the worse.

****

Whoosh—!

Masked men, who had been hiding everywhere, simultaneously leaped out and aimed their sword tips at Cheongun.

“Heh heh, well, well. These young rascals have no fear, do they? You’re wanted men, yet you dare step foot in this place?”

The waiter chuckled, looking at Cheongun.

In his mind, a future where Cheongun’s head was severed and exchanged for a hefty bounty was already unfolding.

Gyeonghwa Restaurant was a black market establishment where assassinations frequently occurred, a place carefully managed by even the Hao Clan.

They presented a huge protection fee to the Heavenly Dragon Escort Agency, and there were no less than six peak-level escorts waiting on site.

Considering the reality that peak martial artists receive such rare treatment in the martial world, one could guess what a massive investment this was.

Besides, don’t they just need to take the head?

That meant they wouldn’t care what was done to the body!

‘Both of them are quite strangely attractive.’

Their appearances were exquisite, and their bodies firm, making them pleasing to behold.

He would flay their flesh alive and sell it, then torture them in various ways for his enjoyment until just before they died.

How agonizing it would be!

Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.

It was a truly depraved yet plausible plan.

However, the waiter was mistaken about something.

While martial artists’ realms are conveniently divided into first-rate, peak, and so on, even among martial artists of the same realm, their strength can differ vastly depending on how much internal energy they possess, how pure it is, what martial arts they’ve learned, and how much experience they have.

Especially after the peak realm, such disparities become remarkably wide.

This is because, after the peak realm, moving to the next realm requires not merely accumulating internal energy, but a certain kind of enlightenment.

Cheongun, with bare hands, tore a piece of glistening roast chicken and put it in his mouth.

“Slurp, slurp. Is that so?”

“Seeing the waiter act like that, it must be a black market establishment.”

Cheongun nodded at Namgung Yul’s words.

For a black market establishment to suddenly draw swords, it means one of two things.

Either the customers are troublesome, or they’ve received a high-bounty commission.

Cheongun tilted his head.

“Are we troublesome customers?”

“Customers who spend a lot of money can’t be troublesome.”

“Then there’s a bounty on our heads?”

“Well, I kind of have an idea…”

Namgung Yul briefly whispered what she was thinking.

One demonic practitioner and five assassins killed near the Yangtze River.

And while we were quietly eating, we ‘modestly’ extorted some clothes and money from those evil faction ruffians who suddenly insisted we leave the inn.

After hearing the explanation, Cheongun nodded as if he had just remembered.

The waiter, who had been quietly watching, let out an eerie laugh.

“Have you grasped the situation now?”

“Roughly.”

“Then how about you put down your swords and beg for your lives first?”

At the waiter’s words, Cheongun clicked his tongue.

“This is why those Hao Clan bastards are useless, you know? A bunch of bottom-dwelling sewer rats gathered together, calling themselves an organization or whatever.”

“What?”

“The Beggar’s Sect, they live like beggars ought to, so they’re at least treated as a righteous faction. But what about those Hao Clan bastards? They’re bottom-dwelling sewer rats who act like they’re somebody, so even though they’re a rival intelligence force, they get pushed aside by the Beggar’s Sect and are treated as an evil faction, aren’t they?”

The waiter’s eyebrow twitched.

Every single word from that damned bastard utterly grated on his nerves.

The fact that there was nothing particularly wrong with what he said infuriated him even more.

“And how uncultured must you be to bother someone while they’re eating? Don’t you know that even dogs aren’t disturbed while they eat? Ah, or perhaps because you’re worse than a dog, you bother them? You certainly look like a rat.”

“……If you flap your mouth one more time, you’d better be prepared.”

“Anyway, you waiter-nims always end your sentences with that ‘…da-yo~ …da-yo~’ nonsense! Hey, waiter-nim! Mix me up a bowl of carbonara with internal energy!”

“???”

The waiter blinked his eyes.

He didn’t understand what he was saying.

But every single one of his tones, actions, and expressions was utterly infuriating.

At the same time, Cheongun flicked his finger, sending a silver coin flying towards the waiter.

“Here. A silver coin for a tip.”

A furious grinding sound!

“You son of a bitch!!”

The utterly enraged waiter roared loudly.

“Kill them all!!”

At his command, one man plunged the sword he had angled towards Cheongun directly forward.

Simultaneously, Cheongun swiftly drew his sword and swung it horizontally and vertically.

Clang clang clang—!

The clamorous sound of grinding metal echoed.

As if to prove they were indeed peak martial artists, sparks erupted from mere sword tip clashes.

Swish!

One after another, sword attacks imbued with sharp energy flew in from behind with swift swooshes.

However, Cheongun had already reached a masterful level in evasion, thanks to Jin Museong’s one-sided beatings.

While clashing swords, he twisted his entire body like an invertebrate, narrowly dodging all the sword strikes by a hair’s breadth.

But it didn’t stop there.

—Swoosh!

No sooner had he blocked one than a trident-like split blade thrust towards his neck like lightning.

Three diverging afterimages of sword energy.

Moreover, sharp energy could be felt from each one.

Cheongun slightly tilted his blade, causing the clashing sword to slide off.

Simultaneously, he took a step forward, performed a rapid stomp, and instantly launched his body into the air.

At that moment, a shadow-like figure crouching on the floor wrapped invisible silver threads around his fingers and pulled them tight.

‘Flowing Shadow Blade Thread Hand!’

Whizz!

The silver threads, reinforced with internal energy, shot out in dozens of strands, tearing through the air.

Just as the silver threads, now spread like a net, swiftly wrapped around Cheongun, intending to dismember him.

Whirl!

Cheongun fluttered the robe he wore like a cloak, rotating his entire body as if to enshroud himself.

The moment he rotated his body, the robe, imbued with internal energy, repelled all the incoming silver threads.

There were so many of them.

!!!

Namgung Yul and the masked men simultaneously raised the backs of their swords, deflecting the silver threads.

Thud!

Having landed, Cheongun immediately raised his internal power.

Currently, Cheongun’s dantian was overflowing with natural qi due to the ‘batteries’ (demonic practitioners) imprisoned in the golden jade.

Although his realm was merely Peak, the oppressive aura he exuded was virtually that of a Transcendent-Peak master.

A viscous killing intent pressed down on everyone inside the restaurant.

Natural qi, refined to an extreme degree solely by his will, streamed from Cheongun’s body like steam.

Martial artists with highly developed qi perception swallowed hard in alarm at the strange sight.

‘What in the—?’

The waiter inwardly denied it.

He was clearly a boy not even yet twenty, wasn’t he?

His qi perception clearly indicated the peak realm.

But how could he suddenly unleash such profound energy?

‘……He’s a master.’

It’s impossible to capture that guy without suffering casualties.

Even if it were possible, the restaurant would end up utterly destroyed, and at least half of the hired martial artists would die.

No, if luck was bad, all of them might die.

Because that might even be him holding back his strength.

The waiter’s judgment was swift.

“Young Master!”

“Hmm?”

“This waiter sincerely apologizes!”

Cheongun gestured with his chin, indicating he should continue.

“This one is Yu Hyeolbi of the Hao Clan. The martial artists here are escorts sent by the Heavenly Dragon Escort Agency! This is a black market establishment specially managed by the Hao Clan!”

“Hm.”

“Though I have nothing to say even with two mouths [a saying meaning I am utterly speechless or have no excuse], if you show generosity here, we will offer the maximum compensation!”

The gist of his words was simple.

Sorry for bothering you, we’ll compensate you, so let’s stop here!

“Hao Clan and Heavenly Dragon Escort Agency, huh… Ugh, this is really annoying.”

Cheongun clicked his tongue in disapproval.

The waiter inwardly rejoiced.

Exactly! It’s super annoying, so stop here if you don’t want to get screwed!

“Hmm.”

Cheongun stroked his chin, pondering.

“Ah, is there no other way?”

He seemed to have made a decision.

The waiter inwardly swallowed a sigh of relief.

If he wasn’t going to turn two major forces into enemies, the answer was obvious.

However, Cheongun’s choice was different.

“There’s no choice but to kill them all and eliminate all evidence.”

“???”

Ah.

That method.