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C140. I Thought They Mingled with a Different Kind of People
Yeon Jeokha, though a part of Nokrim, was not as capricious as Old Shim. He respected the rules of the community and lived by them.
That’s why he watched cautiously as the Bongmu Sect took Namgung Yeon and Jin Seolha under the pretext of being members of the Justice Alliance.
If the Bongmu Sect or the women had belonged to the evil faction, he would have confronted them immediately.
However, he felt it wasn’t his place as a member of Nokrim to intervene.
Even though he tried to rationalize the situation, his heart disagreed.
Especially when a man over fifty tried to seduce the women by calling himself their “older brother.” At that moment, he wanted to slap him.
To Yeon Jeokha, Namgung Yeon was like the living Mysterious Woman of the Nine Heavens, a sister, and even a mother he never knew.
Others might have taken his tasteless jokes lightly, but not him.
When Jin Seolha warned that someone might get hurt, and the leader of the Bongmu Sect ordered, “subdue those insolent ones,” it deeply irritated him.
To him, a few injured people weren’t a big deal.
These disappointing actions shattered his illusion about the Justice Alliance.
At that moment, he had a great revelation.
He realized that “people, whether from the righteous faction or the evil one, are basically the same.”
He had thought that the members of the Alliance were people of great integrity, but they turned out to be just as lecherous as the bandits of Nokrim. Nokrim and the Bongmu Sect were the same; the only difference was the name.
So he decided to treat the Bongmu Sect as he would the bandits of Nokrim.
“Hey, old man, if you’re going to apologize, do it properly. Kneel.”
The leader of the Bongmu Sect, Yong Yucheon, looked at the young man in disbelief.
At first, he thought he had misheard.
Kneel?
Even the Justice Alliance Leader wouldn’t order him like that.
But a young man with a boyish face was saying it, so he doubted his own ears.
Yong Yucheon blinked incredulously, and Yeon Jeokha repeated it clearly.
“I told you to kneel.”
With the repetition, Yong Yucheon realized he hadn’t misheard.
‘Is he crazy?’
Otherwise, no one in the Jeongju district would dare speak like that to the leader of the Bongmu Sect.
The sect members around him shouted furiously.
“What did you say?!”
“Are you crazy for dying?!”
“Where do you think you are to speak like that?!”
Regardless of the outcome of the fight, if the leader knelt, the Bongmu Sect would be finished.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Yong Yucheon sent a silent message to Seo Ubom.
Go and gather the other members immediately.
Thinking he couldn’t handle this alone, Yong Yucheon decided to call other disciples.
Seo Ubom quietly slipped out of the restaurant.
Confirming his exit, Yong Yucheon turned his attention back to the young man.
“Hmph! Do you dare tell me to kneel? Do you think you have the right to ask me?”
Yong Yucheon thought the young man was relying on the strength of the Old Dao of the Nine Heavens. He saw Yeon Jeokha as someone traveling with a guardian stronger than him.
Yeon Jeokha laughed.
“And you had the right to seduce the women? Telling them to call you older brother? Then should I call you brother too? Isn’t that right, brother?”
Yong Yucheon, with a somewhat brazen expression, responded.
“They say heroes love beauty. I’m a hero, so it’s okay for me. Do you consider yourself a hero?”
“Ha! To me, you’re just a lecher. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because soon, I’m going to beat you until you cry and snot runs down your face. Have you ever seen a hero crying after a beating?”
“Idiot.”
Yong Yucheon shook his head.
He had caused many disputes over women, but he had never cried after a beating. There were people who protested and got beaten, but that was all.
Yeon Jeokha slowly stood up.
“I know ways to handle guys like you. It’s not hard to make you a decent person.”
Not understanding the situation, Yong Yucheon gritted his teeth.
He was furious at being insulted by a young man.
“They say young pups don’t fear the tiger. Today, I’ll teach you how vast the world is.”
Yong Yucheon glanced at the Old Dao of the Nine Heavens.
He feared that he might intervene to pressure him.
But seeing the old man laughing with his arms crossed, it seemed he wouldn’t.
Yeon Jeokha walked towards Yong Yucheon without hesitation.
Yong Yucheon also got up from his seat and took a firm stance.
Prepared in case the young man turned out to be a formidable opponent.
Just as he was about to draw his sword, the young man disappeared from his sight. It was as if he had never been there.
‘Huh?’
Yong Yucheon paused, not drawing his sword.
It felt like he had been hypnotized.
Otherwise, how could someone suddenly disappear?
At that moment, an explosive sound made his vision fill with sparks.
It was as if his head had been struck by lightning.
In his confusion, he thought he had really been hit by lightning.
Suddenly, he regained consciousness and felt his head move violently like a tree in the middle of a typhoon.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The repetitive sounds of blows echoed in his ears.
It was as if he could see his own body being beaten from the outside.
The scene was so strange that he couldn’t feel pain or shame.
He only thought, ‘I’m going to die like this.’
No, seeing how his spirit seemed to leave his body, perhaps he was already dead.
Those thoughts didn’t last long.
Suddenly, an overwhelming pain filled his head like a rising tide.
It was as if red-hot needles were being driven into his face, spreading to the rest of his head.
Each blow to his face made him feel like his flesh was being torn off in pieces.
At over fifty years old, Yong Yucheon screamed like a child.
“Aaah! Aaah! Aaah…!”
He didn’t even think about drawing his sword.
Like a drowning person, he flailed his hands, hoping the pain would pass quickly.
Could heaven have heard his wishes?
The relentless violence finally stopped.
Yong Yucheon, with a bleeding nose, looked at the young man in shock.
Yeon Jeokha frowned at his blank expression.
“I told you to reflect, but you’re just standing there without thinking. Do you think you’re practicing the art of hardening your head? Do you even know why I’m beating you? Think.”
Yeon Jeokha tapped his head with his index finger.
Finally, Yong Yucheon regained his senses.
He realized he had been taking a beating without resisting.
Rage flushed his face.
“Damn it!”
Yong Yucheon shouted and reached for his sword.
Just as his fingers touched the hilt, a flash appeared before his eyes.
And his head was shaken again like a tree in the middle of a typhoon.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…!
Yong Yucheon instinctively covered his face with his hands and crouched down.
It was strange, but it seemed like he was offering his body to the young man as if he had been born to receive his blows.
Like a frog in front of a snake.
When Yong Yucheon crouched down, Yeon Jeokha didn’t hesitate to kick him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The members of the Bongmu Sect, seeing their leader being beaten without resistance, were in shock, not daring to make a sound.
For some reason, he didn’t draw his sword.
For someone as normally brave as Yong Yucheon, this was unimaginable.
After about fifteen minutes, Yong Yucheon, desperate to save his life, finally decided to beg for mercy, not caring about his dignity.
“Please, stop! Forgive me! I admit my mistake!”
Yeon Jeokha stopped and looked at Yong Yucheon.
“Kneel.”
“Ugh…”
Groaning in pain, Yong Yucheon finally knelt.
Yeon Jeokha dragged a chair and sat in front of him.
“Now, make a proper apology.”
“It’s all my fault. Please, forgive me.”
“What did you do wrong?”
“Being lecherous?”
The guilty never ignore their own mistakes.
Yong Yucheon always boasted of being a womanizing hero, but he knew that, in reality, he was just a vulgar lecher.
“And why did you do it?”
“Lack of self-control…”
“Live properly. If you’re part of the Alliance, act like it. Do you understand why they call you a hypocrite? You’re worse than the bandits of Nokrim. At least they’re not hypocrites.”
Yong Yucheon lowered his head, ashamed.
He never thought the day would come when a bandit of Nokrim would call him a hypocrite.
At that moment, the door burst open, and about thirty warriors rushed in.
Seo Ubom had brought the members of the Bongmu Sect.
Surveying the area, Seo Ubom saw his leader kneeling and was stunned.
“B-Bangju?”
At Seo Ubom’s call, Yong Yucheon turned his head.
Finally noticing his leader's battered face, Seo Ubom quickly drew his sword.
“Sssling.”
Yong Yucheon didn’t try to stop him or order an attack.
He was defeated and could do nothing but watch.
Seo Ubom, with his sword drawn, hesitated, not knowing what to do.
As he wavered, Old Shim spoke coldly.
“Fool! Didn’t I tell you that if you drew a sword in front of the Young Master, I’d knock your teeth out?”
“Ah!”
Seo Ubom quickly sheathed his sword.
Then, he approached Yong Yucheon.
“Bangju, what happened here?”
Yong Yucheon sighed in resignation.
“Hah! What an idiot. If you draw a sword, at least use it before asking questions.”
He had brought thirty people, yet he feared his opponent.
“Can’t you see? I accept my defeat.”
Yong Yucheon’s words made Seo Ubom even more uncomfortable.
The thirty members of the Bongmu Sect also awkwardly stepped back.
Yeon Jeokha looked at Yong Yucheon with a cold gaze and said,
“Hey, old man. You’d better behave. I’ll be watching you.”
Yong Yucheon felt anger rising within him, but his spirit had already been crushed, and he couldn’t rebel.
Yeon Jeokha turned his chair towards Namgung Cheon and Seol Cheonsa, gesturing with his hand.
“Brother! Seol Hyung! Come over here. There are plenty of empty seats.”
Namgung Cheon, Seol Cheonsa, and Yoo Geunsik approached and took their seats.
Once they were gathered, Yeon Jeokha smiled and said,
“We should have done this from the beginning. I thought the Justice Alliance was different, that they mingled with a different kind of people.”
Namgung Cheon gave a bitter smile.
He felt ashamed that he hadn’t shown a better example of the Alliance to a bandit of Nokrim like Yeon Jeokha.
While Yeon Jeokha’s attention was diverted, Yong Yucheon stood up and slowly walked towards the door.
From behind, Yeon Jeokha called out to him.
“Hey, old man! You said you’d pay for the meal, right? Thanks for the food. Make sure to tell the owner. If you change your mind, I’ll come find you. And it won’t be as gentle next time.”
Yong Yucheon trembled upon hearing those words.
That bandit of Nokrim had destroyed his face, and yet he said it had been gentle.
‘Damn it. How did I get into this?’
Yong Yucheon’s shoulders slumped as he left the restaurant.