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Chapter 84: But Who Are You?
Dae Ryeok-gwi seemed quite enraged, as black smoke emanated from his eyes.
Even so, the impact had been so great that he couldn't move immediately and only growled.
Yeon Jeokha didn't move either.
Until now, no one had resisted the powerful techniques of the True Classic of the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship with their body.
Even the Great Swordmaster of Uicheon had not faced these techniques directly.
But that monstrous creature, who seemed to be Dae Ryeok-gwi, had endured the techniques with his bare body and was still standing.
'Then, how am I supposed to face this?'
There were still the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship techniques, but at this moment they didn't seem very helpful.
"Gruuuh..."
Dae Ryeok-gwi's growl became clearer, as if he was recovering from the impact.
His fingers moved slightly.
Until that moment, Yeon Jeokha hadn't thought of a suitable technique.
In the next instant, Dae Ryeok-gwi lunged at Yeon Jeokha like lightning.
Unlike his previous slow and heavy movements, he now moved with a speed close to that of the great masters.
Yeon Jeokha reacted almost reflexively, swinging his sword.
Without realizing it, he executed the First Technique of the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship, the Appearance of the Mysterious Woman.
Dae Ryeok-gwi's approaching hands were repelled.
The tip of Yeon Jeokha's sword pierced Dae Ryeok-gwi's chest.
Puuuk.
This time, the tip of the sword penetrated an inch into his flesh.
At that moment, Yeon Jeokha's eyes shone intensely.
Somehow, a powerful Nine Heavens Energy emanated from the tip of the sword.
Puuum.
The sword sank into Dae Ryeok-gwi's chest and the Nine Heavens Energy pierced through his body at the same time.
"¡Aaaagh!"
A heart-wrenching scream escaped from Dae Ryeok-gwi's lips.
The energy pierced through his chest and advanced three meters further.
Kwoooooosh.
At that moment, Yeon Jeokha experienced something strange.
Suddenly, the energy channel in his brow warmed up, and he saw a black hole that seemed like an infinite abyss.
Inside that hole, a black creature identical to Dae Ryeok-gwi writhed.
'What is this?'
Scared, Yeon Jeokha withdrew his sword and took a step back.
The abyss disappeared, and he saw Dae Ryeok-gwi in the real world, writhing in agony.
"Grrr..."
Dae Ryeok-gwi's groan faded until it finally went silent.
At last, he was dead.
Sssss.
In the next moment, his dark red body disintegrated into ashes.
From the ashes, a dozen glowing spheres floated towards the sky.
"What?"
Surprised, Yeon Jeokha extended his hand hastily.
But Dae Ryeok-gwi left nothing behind and vanished into dust.
Yeon Jeokha, along with the warriors from both sides, was stupefied. Dae Ryeok-gwi, who had turned into a monster, had now turned into dust and disappeared.
The fight ended at that moment.
With Dae Ryeok-gwi's disappearance, no one dared to face Yeon Jeokha. After seeing the supreme techniques in action, no one wanted to confront him.
The Hong Clan returned to Kaifeng without leaving anyone behind.
Naturally, So Gunpyeong and the warriors of the Wind and Sky Division also left the Chamber of Commerce.
The head of the Chamber of Commerce, Im Wonyoung, bowed and apologized to the leader of the Cheongun Military Academy, So Woojin, pleading for forgiveness.
However, So Woojin, who had risked his life on this expedition, was not willing to accept just words.
Finally, Im Wonyoung agreed to transfer a third of the Chamber of Commerce's shares to So Woojin.
The wanderers gathered again at the Yangil Inn to receive their pay.
Everyone showed cheerful faces, as they had earned money without having to unsheathe their swords.
While So Kyo paid the promised amount to the wanderers, So Woojin approached Yeon Jeokha's table.
"Thank you. Thanks to you two, we were able to resolve this properly."
So Woojin bowed courteously.
Although they were surrounded by wanderers, no one thought this was strange.
Even though he was the Leader of the Cheongun Military Academy, So Woojin was a minor figure in the world of warriors. For him, meeting great masters like Yeon Jeokha and Old Shim was a huge privilege.
"Ah, yes."
Yeon Jeokha nodded absentmindedly.
So Woojin asked Old Shim for permission to sit.
"Great Master Shim, may I sit for a moment?"
Old Shim nodded indifferently.
Only after receiving his permission did So Woojin sit on the wooden chair. For So Woojin, Yeon Jeokha and Old Shim were beings of a much higher level.
"If it weren't for you, it would have been a disaster. Even though I would like to give you everything I have, I have many mouths to feed. Haha."
So Woojin laughed awkwardly.
He never would have imagined that he would hire great masters as wanderers.
Yeon Jeokha and Old Shim just looked at So Woojin curiously, more interested in the money than anything else.
"You have been with us for six days, so according to the agreement, I should give you one thousand eight hundred copper coins each... But, I can't do that. So, how about I give you sixty silver coins each? Is that okay?"
One thousand eight hundred copper coins which were eighteen silver coins suddenly became sixty silver coins.
So Woojin offered ten coins per day and observed their reaction. That amount was what was paid to the Elders of the Seven Great Sects. Even so, So Woojin felt he was being generous.
"Yes."
Yeon Jeokha nodded happily at the large amount of sixty taels of silver.
He had never sold his swordsmanship before, so he didn't know its true value. The same went for Old Shim, who had always been a bandit.
So Woojin gestured towards the back.
The leader of the Wind and Sky Division, Wang Ingeol, placed a wooden box on the table.
"Here are one hundred and twenty silver coins for the two of you. Thank you again. We won't forget your kindness in helping the justice of the warrior community. Please visit us at the Cheongun Military Academy when you pass through Luoyang. We will do our best to receive you."
So Woojin bowed his head until it almost touched the table.
"Ah, yes."
Yeon Jeokha responded absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on the wooden box.
He thought it was better than Nokrim, considering he had spent his days lazing around.
Once he finished calculating, So Woojin asked Old Shim:
"Excuse me, Great Warrior Shim. Didn't you kill Dae Ryeok-gwi?"
"Yes, I did."
"Wow! How could he stand up then? Does this have something to do with the power of the Yoomyung Cult?"
If he was referring to the power of the Yoomyung Cult, he was talking about supernatural abilities.
The Justice Alliance sects believed that the Yoomyung Cult gained their supernatural powers by sacrificing monks.
"I don't know."
Old Shim, who had little interest in Murim matters, didn't elaborate on his response.
Although So Woojin had many questions, he didn't dare to ask more.
Seeing the indifferent expressions of the two masters, he couldn't continue.
While So Kyo was in the middle of settling the accounts, three young men entered the inn. They were the Five Heroes of Luoyang.
They didn't dare to approach Yeon Jeokha and sat at a distance.
The people from the three main sects who had come with them returned to Luoyang after the battle with the Namyang Chamber of Commerce, but these three young men came to the inn just in case.
From a distance, the three young men only glanced at Yeon Jeokha and Old Shim out of the corner of their eyes.
Even the leader of the Cheongun Military Academy behaved submissively, so the nameless young men couldn't approach first.
Meanwhile, So Kyo, who had finished settling the accounts with the wanderers, approached the three young men.
"Oh, haven't you left yet?"
The first, Hwang Dongyeop, responded with an awkward smile:
"I came to see if there was any new news about Dae Ryeok-gwi."
He made up an excuse on the spot.
So Gyo accepted his words without doubt.
Anyone who had witnessed the battle would have similar thoughts.
"My father also made some discreet inquiries but found nothing."
"I see."
"So, where did you meet Young Warrior Yeon?"
Before, she didn't care, but now, due to Yeon Jeokha's incredible skill, she wanted to know more.
"Ehm, ehm, we met by chance while wandering through Murim."
Hwang Dongyeop didn't reveal Yeon Jeokha's true identity.
He couldn't betray Yeon Jeokha, who had introduced himself as being from Waryong Manor, as someone from Nokrim.
Hwang Dongyeop feared falling out of favor with Yeon Jeokha.
Oh Jungsan and Son Sanggeuk, who were more thoughtful, nodded repeatedly.
So Kyo observed the expressions of the three men with curiosity.
It seemed they knew something but didn't say anything.
She vaguely assumed that they met in a place like a brothel, which was not comfortable to mention.
Kaifeng, Henan.
Around noon.
Two men were inspecting a square courtyard house (四合院, a house built in the shape of 'ᄆ') on the outskirts of the city center. They were Pung Yeoncho and Tak Gomyung.
Pung Yeoncho had gone to find the house where he used to live about a month ago. However, his house had become a ruin. Since then, he asked the neighbors and finally arrived at this square courtyard house.
"Brother, it seems this is the house."
"…"
Pung Yeoncho looked at the house Tak Gomyung pointed to with a complex expression.
Tak Gomyung looked at the house from the door, observing his sworn brother.
His sister-in-law had left with two children five years ago. The neighbors said that due to her sewing skill, a lady from this house had taken her, but it was hard to believe.
At first glance, the house didn't seem big enough to house and support someone just for their sewing skill. It seemed more likely that she had been taken as a concubine.
That's why Pung Yeoncho's expression was somber.
After a while, Pung Yeoncho asked in an uncertain voice:
"They seem to be alive, should we just leave?"
"Brother, since we have come this far, we should see how they are. If we leave without more, we will always wonder."
"You're right."
From his expression, it seemed he really wanted to know.
"Let's do it."
Tak Gomyung took a step forward, leaving Pung Yeoncho hesitant behind him.
Knock, knock, knock.
Tak Gomyung knocked softly on the main door.
After a moment, a child's voice was heard from inside.
"Who is it?"
"Does the lady who is good at sewing live here?"
The child responded to Tak Gomyung's question.
"Yes, that's right. Are you here to leave work for my mother? Usually, it's women who come..."
Muttering, the child slightly opened the door.
Tak Gomyung took a step back to let his sworn brother take the front.
With a deep sigh, Pung Yeoncho reluctantly stepped out.
He looked at the child with a stunned expression.
The child, who had been five years old twelve years ago, had grown so much that he was unrecognizable.
The child, Pung Unbi, observed the two men cautiously and asked:
"Didn't you come to leave work?"
"Is your mother home?"
Pung Yeoncho's voice trembled slightly from nerves.
"Yes, but who are you?"
While Pung Yeoncho hesitated, a door next to the entrance opened and a middle-aged woman peeked her head out.
Her eyes met Pung Yeoncho's.
Im Jiryeong blinked several times, incredulously, looking at Pung Yeoncho.
It was no wonder, as the husband who had abandoned his family and fled in the middle of the night twelve years ago had returned.