Chapter 142 : Chapter 142

Chapter 142. Nine Dragons Fortress (3)

The merchant let out a deep sigh and replied.

“Hah. That’s what I’m saying. But what can you do? The world has gone mad.”

I asked the merchant, who was shaking his head, again.

“Since when has it been like this?”

“It’s been a few days since those bastards invaded this city of Guju. I heard they started arming themselves heavily like government troops about a month ago.”

“What on earth are those bandits doing here?”

“They’re collecting money and conscripting people.”

Wondering if my ears were deceiving me, I asked again.

“Conscripting? What do you mean by that?”

One might mistake them for government troops.

At my question, the merchant gave a rather detailed account.

“Those bastards, who had only been based in Nine Dragons Mountain, suddenly came down and attacked several villages near the mountain in succession.”

But they didn't slaughter all the commoners there either.

They plundered their wealth, forcibly took away young men, and imprisoned blacksmiths and artisans to force them to forge weapons.

After maintaining their weapons for a few days like that, they would move on to the next village.

The Murim gangs, local dignitaries, and a minimal number of government troops in those villages tried to stop them.

“Those bastards apparently offered a deal to those who stood in their way. They asked if they would join them and paint a bigger picture together.”

Some accepted the deal and joined them, while those who refused were all wiped out.

At least in this vicinity, there were no martial arts masters who could stand up to the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.

And so, a month has passed.

Those bastards have finally succeeded in absorbing even this city of Guju, which is a few days away from Nine Dragons Mountain.

“Here in Guju, a few well-meaning individuals stood up to stop them, but it was all in vain.”

“Were they killed by the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader?”

“The Nine Dragons Fortress Leader didn't even show up. They were all beaten to a pulp by that young fellow called Fighting Dragon or Fighting Ghost or something.”

A young fellow with the alias Fighting Dragon or Fighting Ghost.

The moment I heard it, I had a hunch.

“Do you happen to know the name of that young fellow?”

“Let me see……. Ah! His name was Hwangbo Ak.”

It was just as I expected.

Green Forest Fighting King, Hwangbo Ak.

A member of the Four Demons. One of the Seven Evils, famous for his alias, Fighting Demon.

After that, the merchant continued to tell me the stories he knew about the Nine Dragons Fortress.

As I was roughly organizing the information about the Nine Dragons Fortress while focusing on the merchant's story, the Tang Clan guy opened his mouth in a voice full of spirit.

“This won’t do! I must teach those Nine Dragons Fortress bastards a lesson.”

I grabbed the Tang Clan guy who was about to step forward with a determined stride.

“What’s wrong? Are you planning to just let those bastards be?”

I shook my head at the Tang Clan guy’s nonsense and replied.

“Before you go, present your forehead first.”

I could clearly see sweat beading on the forehead of the Tang Clan guy who was trying to wriggle out of it.

“Ahem. I, isn’t this bet void? I, I was wrong, but you were wrong too, weren’t you?”

What the Tang Clan guy said made some sense.

But I had no intention of letting it slide.

“You bet that they were ‘government troops who came to annihilate the Nine Dragons Fortress,’ didn’t you? I bet that they were not.”

“Th, they weren’t government troops in the first place, were they.”

“Whether they were government troops or not, they weren’t here to attack the Nine Dragons Fortress, were they?”

Before the guy could flap his mouth any more uselessly, I thrust out my left hand and struck his Paralysis Point.

“The mouth is the source of all evil, they say. Watch your mouth from now on.”

Saying that, I brought my finger to the Tang Clan guy’s forehead.

This was all a lesson for the future of the petty Tang Clan guy.

Of course.

***

A short while after the sound of a walnut cracking echoed coolly through the marketplace.

The Tang Clan guy, rubbing his swollen forehead, opened his mouth.

“Damn it.”

As if saddened by the Tang Clan guy’s stupidity, Nam Geon shook his head, and Senior Sister Baek Hyang smiled awkwardly.

As for Senior Sister Choyeon, she had her usual expressionless face.

Soon after, the Tang Clan guy glared at me and asked.

“So, why are we just sitting here?”

“What do you mean?”

“With your temperament, you would have gone to kill those Nine Dragons Fortress bastards long ago.”

“I’m trying to organize my thoughts.”

“You have thoughts too?”

“Looks like your forehead isn’t swollen enough.”

“……Damn it.”

While we were exchanging such trivial conversation, the waiter came with our food.

“Eat up for now. Let’s decide how to move after that.”

As soon as my permission was given, Nam Geon began to greedily stuff food into his mouth.

I watched my companions eat and tried to recall my memories again.

The flow was briefly interrupted because of the Tang Clan guy’s meddling.

As he said, normally, enough time would have passed for me to just charge in and kill everyone.

But this time, I needed to organize my thoughts a little.

To be precise, I had to reflect on my memories.

What the Nine Dragons Fortress bastards were doing looked like the process of forming a warlord faction.

The one strange problem was that I had no memory of hearing such a rumor.

A rumor of the sort that the Nine Dragons Fortress had gone beyond being bandits to form a warlord faction.

Perhaps it was natural.

I didn't know much about the Nine Dragons Fortress.

When I officially entered Jianghu, the Nine Dragons Fortress didn't even exist.

The only rumors I had heard about the Nine Dragons Fortress were all related to the Green Forest Fighting King.

In fact, everything I heard was just in passing while looking into the Green Forest Fighting King.

Recalling those fragmented memories, I was contemplating how to handle this matter.

By the time I had roughly organized my memories of my past life, the Tang Clan guy, who had finished his meal, rubbed his forehead and asked.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“For now, I’m thinking of going to find the Nine Dragons Fortress bastards.”

“You said you were going to organize your thoughts, but in the end, you’re just going to go and kill them all?”

“I’m thinking of going and joining the Nine Dragons Fortress.”

“……Infiltrating and hiding. Is that what you mean?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? They said they were conscripting people, so I’m going to join in on that.”

At my answer, the Tang Clan guy blinked his eyes.

It wasn't just the Tang Clan guy.

Senior Sister Baek Hyang had also put down her spoon and chopsticks and was staring at me with a blank expression.

Even Nam Geon, ignoring the food left in front of him, stuttered as he opened his mouth.

“Hy, hyung-ah is strange.”

“……So I wasn't the only one who felt it. It seems you've fallen into a serious case of Qi Deviation.”

I had no idea why everyone was reacting so strangely.

“Shouldn't we first infiltrate their ranks and observe their movements?”

For some reason, at my answer, the Tang Clan guy frowned.

“It seems you’ve really fallen into Qi Deviation. No. Seeing you come up with a rational thought, it seems you’ve finally come out of Qi Deviation.”

“I was always rational.”

“…….”

In the first place, when fighting trash, I always found the most efficient method without regard for means or methods.

So much so that I even got the nickname Gray Ghost.

The Tang Clan guy, who was looking at me with a strange expression, asked.

“Then why did you act like that all this time?”

“What do you mean?”

“You always just charged in and killed them first, didn't you?”

“Isn't that the fastest and simplest solution?”

“……How rational.”

The guy, who let out a hollow laugh, sighed and said.

“Hah. Still, it’s a relief you’re less crazy. I guess. Charging head-on against over a thousand enemies would be no different from a suicide mission.”

The Tang Clan guy mentioned the story the merchant had told us.

According to the merchant, the number of trash belonging to the Nine Dragons Fortress had already exceeded a thousand.

The bandits who originally belonged to the Nine Dragons Fortress. The Murim gangs and escort agencies who sympathized with the Nine Dragons Fortress bastards' crazy plan.

And even those conscripted while sweeping through the nearby villages and cities.

But it wasn't because I was afraid of their numbers that I chose this method, as the Tang Clan guy said.

“You’re talking nonsense. The numbers don’t matter. The problem is that people and trash are mixed together.”

As if she finally understood my intentions, Senior Sister Baek Hyang opened her mouth.

“Is it because of those who were forcibly conscripted, Senior Brother?”

I nodded at my Senior Sister's reasoning.

“We can’t just kill everyone, including those who were dragged away without committing any crime, so we need to make a distinction first, don’t we?”

Saying that, I explained the detailed plan.

“There are largely two plans. The first is to infiltrate their ranks and then induce internal strife. Since they’re all trash, they won’t truly trust each other.”

Hyeok Ilso was like that too.

He was always thinking of backstabbing the Unwol Sect Leader.

“And if the first plan goes awry or seems to be taking too long, I’ll just assassinate the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader.”

For once, the Tang Clan guy agreed with my words.

“If the central figure disappears, the ones who gathered will scatter.”

“That’s right. The numbers are too large to wipe them out in one go, so I plan to make them scatter and then pick off only the trash.”

If I were to assassinate the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader first, I planned to take care of the Green Forest Fighting King at that time.

“Whether it’s the former or the latter, we ultimately need to infiltrate the Nine Dragons Fortress.”

Senior Sister Choyeon also agreed with my second plan.

“I learned that for high-difficulty requests, it is good to form a relationship with the target to induce their carelessness. You are truly an instructor.”

“……I am not an instructor.”

“I apologize. You are truly a Senior Brother.”

As expected, Senior Sister Choyeon’s expression was indifferent.

I looked at Senior Sister Choyeon for a moment, then turned my head to my companions and said.

“The plan seems to be set, so let’s get up and go.”

At that moment, the Tang Clan guy rained on our parade again.

“But do we really need to infiltrate them?”

“Are you suggesting we attack from the outside?”

“That’s not it, these bandits are forming a warlord faction, aren’t they? No matter how uninterested the government is in civilian affairs, this case is different, isn’t it? In a way, it’s a rebellion.”

Come to think of it, it was a strange affair.

Among the rumors I remembered, there was no rumor that the Nine Dragons Fortress had been subjugated by the government.

That's why I couldn't even imagine that they would be forming a warlord faction like this.

Had they grown so large that even the government couldn't touch them? Or was there something else to it?

But whatever it was, the conclusion was one.

The government would not intervene in this matter.

“We can’t just wait endlessly for a government that may or may not come. In the meantime, innocent people are suffering, aren’t they?”

This was also why I was planning to assassinate the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader if things went wrong.

I couldn't just play warlord endlessly under the pretext of inducing internal strife.

***

After leaving the inn, we headed to the place where the Nine Dragons Fortress bastards were gathered.

A street lined with large manors and several pavilions.

Originally, they all belonged to different families, escort agencies, or merchant groups, but now they had all become the property of the Nine Dragons Fortress.

As we approached the place, a few bastards spotted us and aimed their spears.

It was truly a bizarre sight.

Seeing their heavy armor and group movements, they were no different from government troops.

But there was an undeniable swagger that permeated their every posture.

Still, did they have a minimum level of military discipline? The other bastards kept their mouths shut, and the one who seemed to be the representative opened his mouth.

“Where are you brats from?”

“We came after hearing that the Nine Dragons Fortress is recruiting people to join them.”

“Hehehe. I like that spirit. Good. I’ll let you in as a foot soldier. Come back tomorrow.”

The bandit who said that turned his head from me and looked at Senior Sister Choyeon and Senior Sister Baek Hyang.

“Ah. Leave those two and go back.”

A lecherous look lingered in his eyes.

I wanted to cut off his head right away.

I immediately drew the Master’s Blade.

At this, my companions were startled and tried to grab me.

“Hy, hyung-ah, calm down.”

“A, are you crazy?”

It seemed everyone was gravely mistaken.

I wrapped Qi around the drawn Master’s Blade and swung it towards the wall of the manor next to us.

Slice!

A sharp gash appeared on the wall.

I turned my body, aimed my sword at the bandits, and said.

“Do you still think we came here to be mere foot soldiers?”

The bastards’ faces had turned pale white.

A few of them were so shocked that they were swallowing dry saliva or even hiccupping.

I spoke to them indifferently.

“Who is the highest-ranking person in Guju right now? I will speak with him, so clear the way.”

At this, the one who had initially acted as the representative stuttered in reply.

“I, I failed to recognize a gr, great person and committed a discourtesy. I, I will report inside. Pl, please wait a moment.”

When I nodded, the bastard gave an order to his subordinate.

“Go right now!”

At this, that subordinate bastard dashed into the manor.

As I waited for a moment, the Tang Clan guy, with a face full of worry, whispered in my ear.

“Weren’t we trying to infiltrate? I, is it okay to be so reckless?”

“You’re stating the obvious. Whether we induce internal strife or assassinate the leader, we need to at least rise to a cadre position to do anything.”

If I hid my skills and started as a foot soldier, how long would it take to get there?

As the foolish Tang Clan guy nodded as if he finally understood.

A presence from inside the manor approached at a breakneck speed.

Kwang!

Soon, a sound like something exploding rang out, and a large figure leaped up onto the wall.

The man with a huge build landed opposite us.

Thud!

The man, who appeared with a heavy sense of weight, laughed heartily and exclaimed.

“Hahahaha! So it’s you! The ones who dared to request a life-and-death battle with me!”

I frowned and replied.

“Are you the leader here?”

“Yes!”

“I said I would talk with you, I never said I would have a life-and-death battle with you.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. Didn’t you say you came to me to join our Nine Dragons Fortress?”

“That’s right.”

“Then shouldn’t we naturally have a conversation with our bodies?”

The man with a massive build, who said that, grinned with a belligerent smile and slammed his two fists together.

Seeing his state, which seemed to be filled with muscle up to his brain, I thought I knew who he was.

“By any chance, are you the Fighting Ghost?”

The bastard who was called Fighting Ghost or Fighting Dragon at this time.

The future Green Forest Fighting King, Hwangbo Ak.