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Chapter 29: It's an Invitation to Attend
Immortal Sword Demon Shim Yanggak closed his eyes tightly.
Suddenly, he vividly recalled a conversation he had with Baek Gyo on a nameless mountain.
“Those who follow Boss Pung will look down on us. How will you endure it?”
“It doesn’t matter. They won’t dare say anything in front of me anyway.”
“Well, then we part ways here. Just thinking about that Yeon kid and the useless ones around him makes my teeth grind even in my sleep.”
He thought they wouldn’t dare say anything in front of him.
It had been like that so far, which is why he returned despite the shame. If he had known they would humiliate him this way, he would have gone with Baek Gyo to the Red Wind Camp.
Pung Yeoncho's voice resonated in Shim Yanggak's ears.
“Speak if you have a mouth! Who were the miserable ones who used the name of the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks in Sa Hae Ru? Why can’t you speak? Is that a mouth or a hole for shit?”
Shim Yanggak’s heart beat faster.
Pung Yeoncho had said “miserables.” That meant he was referring to everyone who had gone to Sa Hae Ru that day, including himself. The famous Immortal Sword Demon was being insulted by someone as insignificant as Pung Yeoncho.
“Damn it!”
Shim Yanggak shouted and stood up abruptly.
The bandits, who had their heads down, looked at him in surprise.
Hwang Yomyung shook his head desperately, begging him to calm down.
No matter how angry he was, he should not fight the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks in front of Yeon Jeokha. The temperamental Yeon Jeokha wouldn’t stay quiet, so it was better to endure.
Despite Hwang Yomyung's desperate wishes, Shim Yanggak became more aggressive.
“How dare you! Damn bastard!”
With a curse, Shim Yanggak lunged forward.
In an instant, Shim Yanggak reached Hwang Yomyung and struck him with his fist like lightning.
“It was you! You dared to impersonate the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks! Why? Why did you do that?! I should tear you apart and eat you, miserable wretch!”
Pum. Pum. Pum.
As Shim Yanggak hit him, Hwang Yomyung covered his head with his arms and rolled on the ground.
Shim Yanggak didn’t stop, kicking Hwang Yomyung mercilessly.
The brutal beating continued until Hwang Yomyung lost consciousness and went limp.
Only then did Shim Yanggak stop hitting.
A fleeting ray of remorse crossed Shim Yanggak's eyes.
If he hadn’t climbed to the main peak of the Five Peaks Mountain yesterday, this wouldn’t have happened.
“Sorry, friend. Yeon Jeokha is a being beyond human, I have no choice.”
He would never forget what he had witnessed.
After discovering that the old Taoist was the Sage of Heaven and Earth, he was curious about what they were doing at the main peak.
Despite his fear, he secretly followed them.
When the Sage of Heaven and Earth moved his sword, a Tai Chi symbol appeared in the sky in response.
Though surprised, he initially thought it was just a Taoist trick.
Then, Yeon Jeokha swung his Bakdo in the air.
A huge blue dragon appeared in the clear sky over the main peak of the Five Peaks Mountain with a whirlwind.
At that moment, he realized the Tai Chi and the dragon were not a trick.
If it wasn’t magic, what could it be? While he pondered, the Tai Chi and the dragon intertwined.
The dragon played with the Tai Chi as if trying to fit.
The dragon, which was playing with the two Tai Chi symbols, released one. Or more precisely, it seemed the Tai Chi slipped from the dragon’s claws.
Thanks to this, he was able to glimpse the true nature of the Tai Chi and the dragon.
The Tai Chi that fell touched a cliff and shattered it into pieces.
Then he thought what the Sage of Heaven and Earth had shown was probably the Tai Chi Sword Technique of the Wudang Sect.
How should he name Yeon Jeokha’s dragon that played with something so grand?
Whatever its name, one thing was certain.
Yeon Jeokha and the Sage of Heaven and Earth were beings from a celestial realm beyond the human.
Lost in his thoughts, Shim Yanggak heard Yeon Jeokha's voice.
“I hate children, women, and old people.”
Startled, Shim Yanggak quickly turned to Yeon Jeokha.
Yeon Jeokha's eyes were filled with hatred.
It was anger directed at the children who threw stones at him wherever he went, at his aunt Baek Miju who locked him up for ten years, and at the Elders of the Yeon Family who let him suffer knowing everything.
For some reason, looking at Shim Yanggak reminded him of those Elders of the Yeon Family.
Terrified, Shim Yanggak threw himself to the ground.
“Brother Yeon, I really don’t know anything about this. It’s true I ate with them in Sa Hae Ru, but I never pretended to be anyone. Boss Pung! Please believe me!”
He was so scared that he even spoke respectfully to Pung Yeoncho, whom he normally despised.
“Old man, behave yourself. If you annoy me once more, I’ll grind you up and scatter you as fertilizer in the chief’s fields.”
At Yeon Jeokha's terrifying warning, Shim Yanggak hit the ground with his forehead, shouting.
“It won’t happen again! I’ll follow the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks with loyalty! If anyone impersonates them, I’ll kill them myself!”
At that moment, Shim Yanggak decided to empty his heart and swear loyalty to the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks.
When Shim Yanggak bowed, the bandits who followed him also prostrated themselves on the ground.
Pung Yeoncho nodded with satisfaction.
Finally, order in the Five Peaks Mountain camp had been established, and it felt like a bothersome tooth had been removed.
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The Sage of Heaven and Earth left the camp quietly at the beginning of summer, after spending three months there. During that time, many things happened in the Five Peaks Mountain camp.
First, the territory under the camp's control expanded considerably.
From the five peaks to the mountains near Five Peaks Mountain, everything became camp territory.
After the failure of the Chambers of Commerce campaign, no other faction tried to fight the camp. Merchants paid a toll fee of one liang of silver, and in some cases, even sent gifts to the camp as if they were paying tribute to a great family.
Apart from some occasional clashes with merchants from other regions, there was almost no violence.
The path through the Five Peaks Mountain became a popular trade route among merchants. In fact, for those transporting valuable goods or large quantities of merchandise, paying one liang of silver was a bargain.
On a quiet afternoon.
A middle-aged man climbed to the Five Peaks Mountain camp under the setting sun. Meeting the bandits at the entrance, he informed them he was a messenger from Nokrim.
Pung Yeoncho quickly called all sworn brothers except Yeon Jeokha to the Pavilion of Harmony and Peace.
The Nokrim messenger, Yoon Poongmyo-gun, sitting in the main seat, spoke first.
“I am a disciple of the Nokrim Leader, the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord. In Murim, I am known as Yoon Poongmyo-gun. You may call me that as well.” (Note: Yoon Poongmyo-gun means Silent Wind Sovereign)
When Yoon Poongmyo-gun finished speaking, Pung Yeoncho quickly introduced the eight sworn brothers.
“And that young lady is Ha Sobaek, the tenth of the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks.”
Yoon Poongmyo-gun’s half-closed eyes barely left Han Chaeyeon and Ha Sobaek.
Both women had always been beautiful, even when living in poverty. After the camp stabilized and they dedicated themselves to martial arts, their beauty stood out even more. Now they looked like disciples of a noble family.
“Jeje, I’ve heard rumors about the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks. They said there were two beautiful women among you, and indeed, they are as outstanding as they said. But it seems one is missing.”
“Ah, yes. Our seventh brother is in seclusion training, so we couldn’t contact him.”
Of course, it was a lie.
Pung Yeoncho hadn’t called Yeon Jeokha, fearing the messenger might provoke his temper and end up injured.
Yoon Poongmyo-gun nodded, satisfied.
“I see that the quick stabilization of the Five Peaks camp wasn’t just a matter of luck. Congratulations. If the bandits only indulged in vices, they could be caught by the Chambers of Commerce or the great families and sects. I’ll report your efforts to the Leader.”
“Thank you.”
“Take this.”
Yoon Poongmyo-gun tossed a red envelope without further ado.
Pung Yeoncho, who received it hastily, looked at it curiously.
“It’s an invitation to the Nokrim conference to be held in Mansapyeong, in southern Gangnam, this October.”
“Ah!”
An exclamation escaped Pung Yeoncho’s lips.
Finally, it had arrived.
However, Pung Yeoncho, who wasn’t familiar with the Murim world, didn’t know where Mansapyeong was in southern Gangnam.
“Eh, senior, I’m new to Murim and don’t know where Mansapyeong in southern Gangnam is. If you could explain a bit more…”
“Jeje, I see. Mansapyeong is a plain south of Huang Mountain in Nanzhi County.”
“Ah! So it’s in Nanzhi County. I’ll make sure to attend on time.”
“So it should be. Ahem, ahem.”
Yoon Poongmyo-gun suddenly cleared his throat.
Pung Yeoncho quickly stood up and said.
“Oh! How rude of me. You must have had a long journey. I’ll host you tonight. There’s a village called Haga at the foot of the mountain, where the drinks and women are excellent.”
“No need. But since you insist on hosting me tonight, I’ll gladly accept…”
Yoon Poongmyo-gun, who had stood up, glanced at Han Chaeyeon and Ha Sobaek.
Han Chaeyeon, who had experience working in a brothel, shuddered in disgust.
Pung Yeoncho and Tak Gomyung quickly approached Yoon Poongmyo-gun, one on each side, trying to lead him outside before he had more thoughts towards their two sisters.
Thanks to their quickness, Yoon Poongmyo-gun left the Pavilion of Harmony and Peace licking his lips.
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However, the task of attending to a member of the Evil Faction like Yoon Poongmyo-gun didn’t end easily.
Was it around nine at night?
Yoon Poongmyo-gun, drunk, returned to the Five Peaks Mountain camp with Pung Yeoncho and Tak Gomyung.
“Hey, idiots! What? The women are good? The camp women are better! Call those girls to bring the drink!”
Yoon Poongmyo-gun had always lived believing that everything in the camp belonged to the leader. That’s why he assumed Pung Yeoncho simply didn’t want to share the two women.
“Elder, please. The girls from our camp don’t come out even if we call them. So let’s go back to the brothel. If you do this here, there will be trouble.”
Pung Yeoncho grabbed his arm to dissuade him, but it was useless.
Yoon Poongmyo-gun, drunk and with eyes clouded by desire, wouldn’t stop.
Despite Pung Yeoncho and Tak Gomyung’s efforts, he crossed the yard towards the Pavilion of Harmony and Peace.
Finally, in front of the Pavilion of Harmony and Peace, Yoon Poongmyo-gun shouted.
“What’s going on! Do you think I’ll be fooled? Call those girls to bring the drink! Damn it!”
“Elder, please lower your voice.”
Pung Yeoncho begged, looking around.
He wanted to avoid any confrontation with him and send him back on good terms. He had nothing to gain by angering the high-ranking members of Nokrim.
Yoon Poongmyo-gun, seeing that Pung Yeoncho wasn’t calling the women, began to get angry. He had never been treated like this in any Nokrim camp before.
Upset, his drunkenness began to fade.
At this point, there was only one option: use force to impose his will. In the life of Nokrim, taking and being taken was as natural as breathing.
Yoon Poongmyo-gun channeled his energy with the Dark Heaven Asura Manual technique.
His eyes, which had been clouded, began to shine like those of a demon.
“Damn worms! How dare you disobey my orders! Do you want to die?”
Yoon Poongmyo-gun’s energy-laden shout shook the Five Peaks Mountain camp.
Pung Yeoncho closed his eyes tightly.
It was all over.
Yeon Jeokha, who didn’t respect even the Elders of Wudang, wouldn’t let this pass just because he was a disciple of the Nokrim Leader.
The bandits who were sleeping began to come out one by one.
Seeing the two women among the bandits, Yoon Poongmyo-gun became even more emboldened.
“You two! Bring the drink! If you refuse, I’ll end you both right here!”