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C39. What did you want to do, brother?
Yeon Jeokha, scratching his head as he tried to remember, said:
"Oh, that. It's the Nine Divine Dragons Turning. In short, it's like having nine dragons living in my body. I awaken these dragons one by one in my meridians and energy channels. When I awaken all nine, it is said I can manipulate the wind and clouds."
Ha Sobaek's eyes widened.
"Wow! Manipulate the wind and clouds? That sounds incredibly terrifying. But, what is the mental energy channel?"
Although she knew the main meridians, she had never heard of the mental energy channel.
Yeon Jeokha pointed to his forehead with his index finger.
"It's in the head, but even if I explain it, you won't understand. It's what controls senses like the sixth sense."
"Oh, I see."
Ha Sobaek nodded distractedly.
Just thinking about Yeon Jeokha's usual power, the idea of manipulating the wind and clouds was impressive.
Even the fact that the black-clad warriors fell helplessly made sense.
As the two conversed, the martial arts tournament continued with intensity.
The match ended when the opponent of one of the Twelve Demons fell defeated by his sword.
At noon.
Although it was the Nokrim gathering, everyone had to fend for themselves to get food. The Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain settled for the jerky and provisions they had prepared.
After eating, while the Ten Heroes sought shade, Pung Yeoncho spoke.
"I found out that the tournament will last three days. So we'll be stuck in Mansapyeong until it ends. Stop asking me when it's going to end and enjoy watching the fights."
"Yes."
"Understood."
With those words, the Ten Heroes dispersed into small groups of two or three.
Ha Sobaek joined Yeon Jeokha, who was walking slowly as if taking a stroll.
"Brother, where are you going?"
"Just going for a walk."
"Then I'll go with you. I don't dare walk alone here, it scares me."
After her past experience with men, Mansapyeong was quite an intimidating place for Ha Sobaek.
"As you wish."
Yeon Jeokha, knowing her history, did not refuse.
The two walked side by side through Mansapyeong.
After making it halfway around, Ha Sobaek murmured.
"There seem to be more women than I thought."
"Indeed."
Yeon Jeokha nodded in agreement.
Along the way, they had seen about a hundred women. There were probably just as many on the other half, making around two hundred. Among a thousand people, two hundred were women. Compared to that, there were few women in the Five Peaks Mountain.
"Oh! Aren't those guys from the Red Blood Gang? Right?"
Ha Sobaek pointed somewhere.
Yeon Jeokha looked and indeed saw bandits from the Red Blood Gang gathered.
Not only did they notice, but the bandits from the Red Blood Gang also noticed Yeon Jeokha and their faces hardened as they murmured among themselves.
Shortly after, the boss of the Red Blood Gang bandits, Hyeok Ryeon-hu, approached Yeon Jeokha directly.
"Well, it seems we already know each other, but you're not an escort, are you? Which stronghold are you from?"
Ha Sobaek forced a smile while responding.
"We're from the Five Peaks Mountain in Henan Province. We just accompanied the escorts because we were heading in the same direction."
"Oh, I see. You're from the Five Peaks Mountain. But there's a rule among bandit strongholds... Why did you interfere in our mountain raid that day?"
Ha Sobaek, speechless, glanced at Yeon Jeokha.
But Yeon Jeokha only looked indifferent as if he knew nothing.
Just as Hyeok Ryeon-hu was about to say something more, Yeon Jeokha finally spoke.
"Could you stay still if someone insults and provokes you for no reason?"
Hyeok Ryeon-hu was speechless for a moment, but he didn't want to let it go.
"Although..."
"If you're curious, try provoking me again. Let's see if I let you go without a hit. That time, I let it pass because we're from Nokrim. Today I won't."
Yeon Jeokha stared at him with a determined expression.
The increasing tension in Yeon Jeokha's words made Hyeok Ryeon-hu feel powerless, though he tried to control himself. The truth was he didn't have confidence in facing that young man's skills.
Breathing heavily, Hyeok Ryeon-hu turned around and left without saying a word.
With the discussion ended quickly, the bandits watching from afar lost interest.
Some of them murmured about the young bandit who had made Hyeok Ryeon-hu retreat, but it didn't go beyond that. No one knew Yeon Jeokha, so the conversation stalled.
"Brother, will it be okay?"
Ha Sobaek was worried about the intense look Hyeok Ryeon-hu had as he left. Based on her experience, people who left like that usually caused trouble later.
"Tak Gomyung once told me: If you worry about everything, you can't live as a bandit."
"Wow. That sounds deep."
"Don't worry. Can a bandit who fears a fight continue living as such?"
"Ah, I see. But, do you like this job, brother?"
"This job?"
Ha Sobaek blushed as she explained.
"What we do in the gang."
"Being bandits?"
Yeon Jeokha's straightforward words made Ha Sobaek giggle.
"Yes."
"No, I just do it to survive."
"Then, what did you really want to do, brother?"
"I'm not sure."
Yeon Jeokha looked into the distance with a nostalgic look.
Before being locked in the warehouse, when he played at fighting with his half-brothers using branches, he was always the bandit. The martial arts heroes, Yeon Mubaek, Yeon Seungbaek, and Yeon Seolju, would beat him endlessly.
He said he also wanted to be a martial arts hero, but his brothers never gave him that role.
When he was locked in the warehouse, he only wished to get out. He couldn't dream or have hopes. He just missed the wide yard or the village market.
Looking back, it seems he never had the chance to think about what he really wanted to do.
Ha Sobaek urged Yeon Jeokha to respond.
"Didn't you have a dream?"
"Yes, and you?"
"I wanted to open a small teahouse."
"Can you make a living from that?"
"Oh, brother! It seems you don't know how profitable a teahouse can be. Have you never been to one?"
"No. I've always received free tea at restaurants. Do people pay for that?"
"The tea they give at restaurants is cheap. High-quality tea tastes better and is expensive."
"I see."
Yeon Jeokha nodded distractedly while responding.
Ha Sobaek clenched her small fist and said determinedly:
"When I save enough money, I'll open a teahouse. And you, brother, can drink for free."
"Thank you."
As they chatted, they reached the place where the other Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain were. Han Chaeyeon, sitting next to Lee Cheolsan, waved at them.
For the first time, Yeon Jeokha thought that "having someone waiting for you isn't so bad."
--------------
Second day.
At the Nokrim gathering martial arts tournament, an unexpected turn occurred. Lee Mujin, a young prodigy from Daebyeol Mountain Fortress, defeated one of the Twelve Demons.
In the main stand, Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord, Seok Muhae, frowned slightly. However, he did not let his annoyance show. He thought losing one position was not a big deal.
But that defeat was just the beginning.
Until dusk, in the tournament, four more of the Twelve Demons fell: Blood Heaven Commander, All-Seeing Divine Warrior, Stealth Killing Ghost, and Soul Reaping Executioner.
Seok Muhae's face clearly showed his anger by the end of the day.
----------------
Third day.
Two of the Twelve Demons fell, leaving only five.
In total, seven of the Twelve Demons had been defeated, and those remaining were Chu Honhyeoldo of Daebyeol Mountain Fortress, Cold-Faced Swordsman of Three Peaks Fortress, Phantom Blade Slayer of Ghost Wind Fortress, Blood Demon Fist of East Lake Water Fortress, and One-Eyed Demon of Long River Water Fortress.
Five of the Twelve Demons and five bandits from other strongholds remained standing.
While the bandits in Mansapyeong discussed who would be the last victor, Seok Muhae abruptly declared the end of the tournament.
The bandits whispered that he had ended the tournament to prevent the remaining Demon Warriors from being defeated, but no one dared to say it out loud. Seok Muhae's name always ranked among the world's top ten fighters.
Seok Muhae named the remaining five Demon Warriors as Protectors and the other five as Inspectors, thus unifying Nokrim into one massive organization.
On the last night of the Nokrim gathering, there was a grand feast in Mansapyeong.
The strongholds and clans that had produced new masters celebrated fervently.
The chiefs of the clans and strongholds roamed the camps, trying to establish relationships with the new Inspectors. Although the Demon Warriors were direct disciples of Seok Muhae and hard to approach, the Inspectors were different. The chiefs hoped that, with a little attention, they could gain their favor.
Unlike the bustle outside, Seok Muhae's tent was silent.
Seok Muhae and the Twelve Demons sat in a circle, but no one spoke.
Finally, the first to be defeated, Red-Eyed Beast, spoke with a dejected voice.
"Master, I have no excuses. I didn't know Chu Honhyeoldo's power was so high. I should have known, but I don't understand how."
The excuses of the other defeated were similar.
The five new masters seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. It was incredible that such powerful fighters had not been known in Nokrim before.
The Twelve Demons, considered the best in Nokrim, now felt bewildered. They had been the best ten years ago and had learned the Dark Heaven Asura Manual, yet they had still been defeated.
Silent Wind Sovereign murmured with an uncertain expression.
"Yeon Jeokha from the Five Peaks Mountain also appeared suddenly, but we know nothing of his past, so we let it pass... But Blood Demon Fist, Cold-Faced Swordsman, Phantom Blade Slayer, Soul Reaping Executioner, and One-Eyed Demon were just mid-rank fighters. Now they're incredibly strong."
The other Twelve Demons nodded.
Seok Muhae frowned as he thought.
"What you say is true. To defeat you, those five would have had to learn a martial art superior to the Dark Heaven Asura Manual in the last ten years. But I haven't heard of any martial art so powerful in the world. Where did they get that immense power?"
Blood Heaven Commander, also defeated, spoke cautiously.
"Though I have no excuses, I saw nothing exceptional in their techniques. It seems they've learned some kind of internal energy. When I faced the sword of the Cold-Faced Swordsman, I felt a tremor in my dantian."
"It happened to me too. Blood Demon Fist's sword technique was normal, but his energy was destructive."
"Me too..."
The defeated Twelve Demons spoke one by one.
Seok Muhae sighed deeply as he listened to his disciples.
"Ah! There is no martial art superior to the Dark Heaven Asura Manual, except the Bodhidharma Shaolin Sutra and the True Warrior Sutra of Wudang. Did those five arts appear in different places? It's ridiculous. We can't ignore this. You must secretly investigate those five."
Silent Wind Sovereign asked cautiously.
"Then, what do we do about Yeon Jeokha from the Five Peaks Mountain?"
"Did you see any similarity in Yeon Jeokha's techniques and those of the five Inspectors?"
Silent Wind Sovereign thought for a moment and shook his head.
"I think they're a bit different. His technique was as outstanding as his internal energy. His movements were so skillful that they neutralized my techniques."
"Hmph! Recently, someone from the Red Blood Gang complained about the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain. It seems I'll have to meet him. Go and bring him."
"Yes."
After giving some more instructions to the Twelve Demons, Seok Muhae dismissed them.
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At midnight, Yeon Jeokha arrived at Seok Muhae's tent, accompanied by Silent Wind Sovereign.
"You, wait outside."
Silent Wind Sovereign bowed and left.
Inside the tent, only Seok Muhae and Yeon Jeokha remained.
The air was charged with a silent tension between the Grand Chaeju of Nokrim and the young bandit from the Five Peaks Mountain.