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Chapter 119. Are All the People from Nokrim Like This?
Around midday the following day.
The carriage carrying Yeon Jeokha and his group slowly passed through the village of Dujiazhuang.
The ancient village, situated on the slopes of Five Peaks Mountain, presented a desolate scene. A dozen houses were burned down, with some still smoldering.
The carriage came to a halt momentarily as it encountered a cart full of corpses.
Yeon Jeokha, observing from the window, abruptly stood up and exited the carriage, agilely jumping onto the roof.
Old Shim, as if he were his shadow, followed closely.
The carriage door clicked shut.
Jin Seolha, who was seated next to the coachman, turned around and exclaimed in surprise.
—"Oh! Why did you come out already, Sohyeop?"
Yeon Jeokha simply gave her a brief nod and turned his attention back to the cart.
Among the adult corpses, a small body, about six years old, was visible.
The people walking beside the cart briefly glanced at the carriage and then continued with their tasks, moving heavily.
Yeon Jeokha couldn’t take his eyes off the cart full of bodies until it disappeared in the distance.
—"Is this how you enjoyed your three pleasures, Shim?"
—"...Yes."
Old Shim didn’t deny it. He wouldn’t change his past.
—"Are all in Nokrim like this? Or is it just Shim?"
—"Most in Nokrim are like this."
In general, Nokrim attacked nearby villages if they couldn’t get enough from the merchants. The Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks were an exception, as their income was abundant.
—"But the Five Peaks weren’t like this."
—"That was thanks to the Boss of the camp not being greedy and many merchants frequenting the area."
—"I see."
—"If there hadn’t been merchants, the Five Peaks would have also raided villages."
Yeon Jeokha was surprised to learn the reality of Nokrim. He had thought they survived only by small extortions from the merchants.
Old Shim looked at Yeon Jeokha with a bitter smile.
He had noticed earlier that Yeon Jeokha and the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks knew little about Nokrim. In reality, the Ten Heroes were just minor thieves, and it was Yeon Jeokha who elevated them to legendary heroes.
—"Do you regret being in Nokrim?"
—"I know it’s not a good place."
Yeon Jeokha’s expression showed his disillusionment. Old Shim thought that perhaps Yeon Jeokha wouldn’t return to the Five Peaks.
The carriage resumed its journey, drawing closer and closer to Five Peaks Mountain.
Finally, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the mountain.
Old Shim irritably asked the coachman why he had stopped.
—"Oh, sirs! Did you see the village earlier? They say it was the work of Nokrim. If we continue, we’ll die."
—"Idiot! If you don’t move quickly, I’ll kill you myself!"
—"Sir, this is really dangerous!"
The coachman was sweating profusely, truly scared. He had seen what Nokrim could do and feared for his life.
Jin Seolha, who was seated next to the coachman, intervened.
—"Uncle, it’s better to keep going. When that old man gets angry, he’s really terrifying. And the young Sohyeop is here to punish those from Nokrim."
—"Really?"
—"Yes. No matter how fierce those from Nokrim are, they wouldn’t dare with him."
The coachman, still doubtful, looked at the young man with skepticism. The young man seemed oblivious to the conversation.
After hesitating for a moment, the coachman finally decided to continue.
—"Iya! Iya!"
The carriage, which had seemed rooted to the ground, began to move slowly.
Half an hour after entering Five Peaks Mountain, the carriage was stopped by a gang of thirty bandits.
—"Halt!"
—"Who dares cross Five Peaks Mountain without permission?"
The coachman, pale with fear, desperately looked back for help.
One of the bandits, seeing Jin Seolha, began to drool.
—"Oh! Look at that cutie. She’s better than the prettiest girl in Tai’an. She’s mine. No one dares to touch her!"
—"Haha! After you, it’s my turn!"
From the roof, Old Shim laughed coldly.
—"Idiots! How dare you speak like that in front of the Grand Inspector? The Grand Inspector is here, so take us to the camp immediately."
The bandit, who was interested in Jin Seolha, hurriedly asked.
—"Is the Grand Inspector really here?"
—"You worm! I won’t repeat myself. If you look here again, I’ll kill you. Take us to the camp now."
The bandits, terrified by Old Shim’s presence, lowered their gaze.
The bandits surrounded the carriage and escorted it to the camp.
Once inside the main courtyard of Guangfeng camp, the bandits gathered around the carriage.
One of the bandits ran towards the Boss’s cabin.
Moments later, Sama Dan, the Boss of the camp, came out with his men.
Although he had been told the Grand Inspector was there, Sama Dan was confident, sure of his skill.
One of his men, Heo Ung, shouted towards the carriage.
—"Who is the Grand Inspector?"
Old Shim responded instead of Yeon Jeokha.
—"Are you the leader of Guangfeng? Come out immediately and greet the Grand Inspector!"
Old Shim’s powerful voice echoed throughout the camp.
Jin Seolha had to cover her ears due to the force of the voice.
Finally, Heo Ung, scared, backed away.
Sama Dan, in his forties, stepped forward with a frown.
—"I am the leader of Guangfeng..."
—"Shut up! How dare you be so arrogant in front of the Grand Inspector!"
Sama Dan, enraged, trembled with fury. Since becoming a Demon of Illusion, no one had dared to speak to him like that.
—"Who are you to insult me in my own camp?"
—"I am Old Shim, the Old Dao of the Nine Heavens."
—"Where did this clown come from? Do you think you can intimidate me with the Grand Inspector?"
Yeon Jeokha interrupted.
—"Were you the one who killed the people of Dujiazhuang yesterday?"
—"You? How dare you speak to me like that?"
Sama Dan, trembling with anger, could barely contain himself.
Before he could react, Yeon Jeokha pulled out a medallion from his robe and threw it at him.
The medallion flew like an arrow towards Sama Dan’s chest.
Surprised, Sama Dan caught it with his fingers at the last moment.
—"Ah!"
Though he had the strength of a Demon of Illusion, his fingers burned with pain.
—"What kind of power is this? Could he also be...?"
For a moment, Sama Dan thought Yeon Jeokha might be another Demon of Illusion from the Yoomyung Cult.
The medallion was similar to his, but instead of a number, it had the word 'Grand' inscribed. That could only mean that the young man before him was the Grand Inspector.
Quickly, Sama Dan suppressed his anger.
—"What brings you here, Grand Inspector?"
With effort, Sama Dan tossed the medallion back to Yeon Jeokha.
The medallion flew with incredible speed, but Yeon Jeokha caught it smoothly with two fingers.
—"Were you the one who killed the people in Dujiazhuang and seven other villages near Five Peaks Mountain?"
—"Hahaha. It’s customary to raid villages when food is scarce in winter. Don’t they do the same in your camp?"
—"Wasn’t it enough to steal? Why kill people?"
—"Money is worth more."
—"Did you also eat the people?"
—"Some of my men enjoy human flesh, so yes, once."
—"Who are they?"
—"Why do you want to know?"
—"Tell me who they are."
Looking at Yeon Jeokha, Sama Dan shouted towards the back.
—"Confess!"
Two of his men timidly raised their hands.
—"It’s us."
Yeon Jeokha looked at them silently and said.
—"Old Shim."
—"Yes, sir."
—"Kill those two."
—"Yes, sir."
Before Sama Dan could react, Old Shim moved like lightning and decapitated the two men with his sharp sword. The speed was so incredible that everyone was stunned, even Jin Seolha, who was left with her mouth open.
—"What the hell are you doing!? Even if you’re the Grand Inspector, you can’t do this in Guangfeng!" Sama Dan shouted, trembling with anger and shame.
At that moment, the carriage door opened, and five more people stepped out. They had come out to witness firsthand the power of the Demon of Illusion.
Seeing such a beautiful woman step out of the carriage, Sama Dan was perplexed.
—"Grand Inspector! Who are these people?"
Namgung Cheon and Namgung Yeon were from Nanjing, so the bandits from Shandong didn’t recognize them. The other three were from lesser families in Zhengzhou, so they weren’t known either.
—"You don’t need to know. They’re acquaintances accompanying me on my inspection of Nokrim."
—"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Sama Dan couldn’t help but curse under his breath. The audacity of the Grand Inspector to bring strangers to a bandit camp infuriated him.
—"Are you insane? Bringing acquaintances to a bandit camp?"
Provoked by the mockery, Sama Dan shouted at his men.
—"Did you see that? The Grand Inspector came to Guangfeng and killed two of our brothers without cause. Let’s kill them all, and no one will ever know! Kill the men and take the women as toys!"
—"Hahaha!"
—"Damn it, do you think being the Grand Inspector gives you the right to do whatever you want?"
—"We’ll have fun today with those women!"
The bandits of Guangfeng unsheathed their weapons and began to advance.
Just at that moment, Yeon Jeokha looked at Sama Dan and asked:
—"Is it true that you’re a Demon of Illusion from the Yoomyung Cult?"
—"Damn you! Soon you’ll be dead, and then you’ll know!"
—"I don’t need to talk to the King Yama to find out."
—"Stupid! What are you talking about?"
—"I just need to kill you to know."
With those words, Yeon Jeokha threw his sword towards Sama Dan.
The sword flew straight towards Sama Dan’s chest.
Surprised, Sama Dan leapt into the air to avoid it.
In that instant, Yeon Jeokha raised his hand, causing the sword to return to his grasp.
—"Sword Control?!"
Still in midair, Sama Dan realized the young man was toying with him.
—"It’s just a trick of attraction."
The technique of attraction was only for drawing objects, quite different from the true sword control technique.
Finally, Sama Dan understood that the young man had been playing with him all along.
—"I’ll kill you!"
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