Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Dong Woong’s brows furrowed slightly at the sight of the firmly closed gate.

“Shall we break it?”

“This isn’t a mountain.”

Even the most lax officials tended to overlook incidents within the mountains, yet if thieves were to tear down a gate, no official, no matter how diligent, could afford to ignore it.

There were situations that could be resolved with bribes and instances where they failed. Dong Woong’s task was to avoid crossing this line as far as possible.

He gradually turned his head towards the wall. A wall not exceedingly high, it appeared surmountable.

“Let’s handle this with utmost stealth. Scale the wall!”

“Aye!”

“Spare any officials that you can! We only need to catch that rat, then we can leave!”

“Aye!”

The Green Forest bandits moved towards the wall soundlessly, sticking to it as though melting into its surface.

Swish!

The bandits scaled the walls swiftly, ascending like the wind. Amidst enveloping darkness, where not a single light penetrated, only their eyes glistened, akin to nocturnal beasts hunting their prey.

Thunk!

Clang!

It was the moment when the bandits, having surmounted the wall and descended safely, were surveying their surroundings.

“There!”

A guard, who had previously been half-asleep, abruptly regained his senses upon spotting this suspicious group and started to shout.

Just as he prepared to blow the whistle around his neck.

Slash!

“Ugh…”

A sword slashed at lightning speed, cutting through the guard’s throat.

Unable to even scream, the guard with a slit throat collapsed to the floor.

“Tsk.”

A frown creased Dong Woong’s face.

“All you had to do was knock him out. I told you to avoid trouble if possible.”

“Sorry.”

Despite his apology, Dong Woong had no intention of complying further.

It was he and Go Hong who made their lives unbearably harsh.

Dong Woong let out a short click of his tongue, pulling a small vial from his pocket as he approached the fallen body.

He then carefully poured its contents onto the body.

Chiiik!

The body, still warm and bleeding moments ago, swiftly emitted white smoke, seemingly evaporating without a trace.

“I can’t believe you’re using such expensive Bone Melting liquid for this.”

Even if the body was destroyed, it was undeniable that the guard was absent. But the physical evidence was now gone.

Simply destroying the physical evidence was enough to serve this purpose.

“I am heading down.”

“Yes!”

Changsha qualified as a large city on its own despite its run-down walls. They were so dilapidated that many people could climb over without issue.

After erasing traces of the body, Dong Woong surveyed his surroundings with a sharp glance.

“And the information?”

“It appears to be on its way.”

A man carefully navigated through the crowd scattered ahead of the wall, charging straight toward Dong Woong with his head bowed.

“I report to the captain!”

“Hmm!”

Dong Woong posed a question.

“Where is that scoundrel, Im So-Byeong, now?”

“He’s staying at the Yellow Crane Guesthouse.”

“Yellow Crane?”

“Yes! It’s one of the biggest guesthouses around here.”

“Guesthouse?”

Dong Woong couldn’t help but express a sneer.

“He truly is doing it all. He probably knew that Mount Hyeong was close by, yet he still chose to take his bags and enter a guesthouse.”

A bystander, who had been eavesdropping, slowly intervened.

“Isn’t this a strategy befitting a soldier? I suppose he surmised that should he stay at the guesthouse on the busiest street, we would be unable to make any hasty moves.”

“He’s always been such a crafty one.”

Dong Woong expressed his disapproval with a snarl.

“Where are the scoundrels he brought from the justice sect?”

“It appears they’re from the Mount Hua sect.”

“Mount Hua?”

Dong Woong lifted his gaze.

“Shaanxi’s Mount Hua sect? One of the past members of the Nine Great Sects?”

“Yes. That’s Mount Hua.”

“…What is that man possibly planning?”

Dong Woong frowned, appearing bewildered. Im So-Byeong’s power seemed insignificant to them, yet everyone accepted his re-emergence, now equipped with a justice faction by his side. A more renowned sect was what they had expected…

“I heard they achieved recognition in the martial arts tournament, but isn’t this merely a minor sect within Shaanxi?”

“Captain, you shouldn’t underestimate Mount Hua. Are you aware that the Ten Thousand People clan were assaulted and slaughtered by them?”

“Hmmm.”

Captain Dong Woong, momentarily lost in thought, snorted dismissively.

“Indeed, they do appear to be naive fools. Imbeciles like the leaders of the Ten Thousand People clan would have been easily split in two had I encountered them.”

Nobody dared to challenge his statement.

Although his words were harsh, it couldn’t be denied that he wasn’t entirely incorrect.

The Great Bandits stood out as an exceptionally powerful group within the Green Forest Seventy-Two, with Dong Woong being sturdy enough to overpower most bandits.

He saw no reason to consider himself inferior to the leaders of the Ten Thousand People Clan in terms of martial arts prowess and reputation.

“Even a dog consumes half the food in front of its own home. This is my turf. I will make them rue the day they even considered leaving Mount Hua to intrude here!”

“Then, will you assault the guesthouse?”

“Having come this far, there’s no alternative course of action. Even if problems do surface, we can swiftly settle them here.”

“Agreed!”

“Then let’s proceed!”

“I’ll lead the way!”

The man took the initiative and began to show the way.

Even though they steered clear of the main road, it was impractical for a group of over 200 to move simultaneously without attracting attention.

“W-what’s going on?”

“Do they look like bandits?”

“W-why have the bandits come here?”

Night-time passersby were filled with fear at the sight of the approaching Green Forest bandits and quickly sought refuge.

Some fled into the alleyways, while others hid within their homes.

“M-Mother…”

“Shh! Quiet now!”

Everyone held their breath, bracing against the fear of drawing the bandit’s attention. Fortunately, though, the bandits didn’t notice them.

Those concealed within their homes gingerly opened their windows, releasing a sigh of relief as the bandits disappeared into the distance.

“How could bandits appear in the city like this?”

“What are the officials even doing?”

People held their breath, their gazes filled with anxiety as they watched the bandits run.

Having almost crossed through the area, the bandits stopped in front of a large building.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes! This is the Yellow Crane!”

Dong Woong frowned as he surveyed the scene,

Despite the lights shining from the windows, the guesthouse appeared deserted to him. Nonetheless, he didn’t disregard the unmistakable signs of presence emanating from within.

“Surround it!”

“Affirmative!”

Upon Dong Woong’s instruction, the bandits swiftly moved to encircle the establishment.

Those who had assumed a defensive stance glowered at the guesthouse.

“Should we storm in? Judging by appearances, it seems they’ve taken over the place. Wouldn’t it be justifiable to eliminate them all?”

“Hmm?”

Dong Woong, examining the guesthouse closely, sought confirmation from the messenger.

“You mentioned he was accompanied by a hundred people, correct?”

“Yes, that’s the information I received.”

“A hundred…”

If he were to kill over a hundred people within the city’s bounds, he would need to brace himself for the immense backlash that would result.

‘It would be simpler to eliminate them all.’

Dong Woong reminded himself that this wasn’t the wilderness, and with great restraint, he murmured,

“Let’s go inside.”

“Captain?”

Dong Woong parted his lips to address the bewildered messenger.

“Inform those inside that the Great Bandits have arrived, demanding the handover of Im So-Byeong. In return, their lives will be spared.”

“Do you think they’ll comply?”

“They won’t have a choice.”

Dong Woong turned back and voiced in a hushed tone.

“Prepare your arms, everyone. Create fear that raises goosebumps!”

“Yes, Captain!”

The Green Forest bandits unsheathed their weapons and demonstrated lethal force.

Nearly 200 bandits directed their murderous intent towards the guesthouse.

Given their brutal nature from the start, their spirit emanated an immense ferocity.

Dong Woong nodded approvingly.

“Go, inform them. Report back whether they perish or capitulate.”

“Yes.”

The individual who accepted the order dashed into the guesthouse.

“Hmm.”

Dong Woong, arms folded, scrutinized the guesthouse.

‘Anyone can wield power.’

He had no idea what kind of trickery Im So-Byeong resorted to in order to hoodwink them. But if they had eyes to see and senses to feel, they should have also detected that ominous presence.

The justice faction has no justifiable reason to gamble with their lives for Im So-Byeong. It’s likely that they would aim to rapidly settle matters by turning over Im So-Byeong.

However…

“…”

“…”

Even after several lingering minutes, there was no response.

Dong Woong, struggling to cope with the ongoing passage of time, wore a contorted expression.

“Why on earth is he taking so long?”

“W-well.”

Needless to say, Dong Woong was struggling to keep his temper in check, largely thanks to Go Hong.

Would they even have turned to banditry if he were more composed?

Dong Woong, fixing the guest with a glare from his flushed face, called out in an exasperated tone.

“These people! They dare to waste my time when I have personally attended to this matter! I genuinely hoped to resolve this without bloodshed!”

Dong Woong was on the verge of losing control.

“Someone go! Find out what is happening!”

“Understood!”

Those who heard Dong Woong’s displeased voice turned a shade of fear-induced blue and hastily left.

‘Curse it! Had we encountered them on the mountain, we would have had the chance to behead them all!’

Attempting to rein in his temper and handle things discreetly, he was aware of his stomach seething with fire. Undeniably, they were bandits, and this was a city, so he wanted to avoid any confrontation as much as he could…

And then it happened.

Kwaaaang!

The guesthouse door, trembling from the wind, exploded into planks.

“Eukk?”

Dong Woong snapped his eyes open.

An immense sound, akin to a thunderbolt strike, prompted an instant reaction.

“W-what?”

“Was that an explosion?”

“What kind of assault was that!”

As though forewarned, the city lights seemed to flicker into life, and the citizens began to scramble in fear.

Dong Woong’s jaw dropped in incredulity.

“This was supposed to be handled… quietly…”

Suddenly,

Swish!

Something catapulted from the room, the door shattering due to the velocity, landing with a thud on the ground.

“Ah!”

“Song Cho!”

“W-what happened!”

The bandits hurried towards the man who lay sprawled on the ground.

“Ugh… ughh…”

The bandits’ eyes, surrounding the prone figure, widened to the size of lanterns.

“What… What happened to you?”

“How can a person…”

Everyone shuddered upon witnessing Song Cho, now doubled in size from his original form, his face unrecognizable.

Just how many people attacked him to leave him in this condition in such a brief period?

“These… These people!”

They stood in confusion during these absurd times, frozen with shock.

Step. Step. Step.

Slowly, a figure emerged from the darkened entrance.

Splash.

‘Alcohol?’

Dong Wong identified the object in the hand of the person lingering in the shadows as a bottle of alcohol, appearing perplexed.

Upon the revelation of the stranger’s face, he couldn’t suppress his laughter.

This young man, who appeared to be no more than a novice at drinking, stood in front of them, swaying like a drunkard.

He looked around at the trees surrounding the guesthouse, his face twisting in discomfort.

“No!”

“…”

“Are these bandits insane? Why are they appearing out of nowhere, brandishing knives? I will kill you all!”

“…”

Dong Woong stood with his mouth ajar, shocked at the profanity spilling out before him, utterly unfiltered.