“Who did this?”
Though separated from the Zhongnan Sect’s main base, this was still part of their domain. No one but a Zhongnan disciple could infiltrate this place so covertly.
“An outsider…? No, that’s impossible,” Jin Garyeong muttered, shaking his head.
No one could sneak in under the watchful eyes of the Zhongnan Sect’s masters, their gazes burning red. If anyone could, it would be someone like Goyue, the legendary master of swift movement who vanished from the martial world long ago.
“Hmm.” Swallowing a groan, Jin Garyeong summoned his internal energy to sweep the cow dung aside.
Beneath the wooden box, he saw words carved with a sword’s sharp precision.
—If you want your go board and stones back, come to Mangyeongdae in four days.
“Ha ha ha.” Jin Garyeong let out a dumbfounded laugh.
In his hundred years, he had never imagined such an absurd thing would happen to him.
“Ha ha ha ha!” His hearty laughter echoed, and a young servant rushed in, flustered. “Elder, did you call?”
“They tell me to fetch my go board? Ha ha ha.” Though laughing, Jin Garyeong’s eyes were bloodshot, and a chilling killing intent rose from him like heat haze.
“E-Elder…” the frightened servant stammered, stepping back.
“As the sun sets in the west,” Jin Garyeong said with a light sigh. “Like the fading day, the time has come for me to be insulted by martial world ruffians.”
“Elder.”
“Take this box to the Jade Master.” Shim Ok-in, the current Zhongnan Sect leader. “Tell him to retrieve my go board in four days, without fail.”
“What does that mean…?”
“He’ll understand when you tell him.”
As a fierce glint flashed in Jin Garyeong’s usually serene eyes, the servant bowed in panic.
***
Marauder Sect, Blood Vault Cave.
This was the Marauder Sect’s repository of spiritual elixirs.
Their rapid expansion and production of skilled disciples were due to the spiritual pills and wondrous medicines acquired by annexing various demonic sects.
In particular, the Marauder Sect mass-produced a pill called the Forbidden Demon Pill.
Though it made the user aggressive and caused addiction, it drastically boosted internal energy. Thus, the sect’s top disciples and hall masters, heavily reliant on the pill, were already addicted, showing withdrawal symptoms without it. Ultimately, their loyalty was not to the Marauder Sect but to the Forbidden Demon Pill.
“Seize them!” From the passage leading out of the Blood Vault Cave, about thirty warriors in red ghost masks charged.
Ahead of them, ten masked figures carrying bundles on their backs moved swiftly with movement techniques.
Whoosh!
The warriors in blood-red robes hurled hidden weapons. But the masked figures’ lightness skills were so fast that the weapons fell to the ground before reaching them.
“Audacious fools!” a voice roared as the pursuing warriors parted, revealing a figure in a black ghost mask. His movement technique was extraordinary, closing in on the masked figures instantly.
It was Go Ryongpung, the Marauder Sect’s vice-leader, overseer of the Blood Vault Cave.
“Who dares steal our sect’s treasures?!”
The Forbidden Demon Pill’s addiction was so severe that only Marauder Sect disciples dared consume it. Yet someone had infiltrated their stronghold deep in Yulin’s mountains to steal a large quantity of these pills?
“Hmph, you can’t escape anyway.” A sinister smile curled Go Ryongpung’s lips as he chased the masked figures.
The only exit from the Marauder Sect led to a long bridge between cliffs. The moment intruders entered, mechanisms would sever the bridge instantly.
“Unless you sprout wings, there’s no escape.” But Go Ryongpung’s confident expression faltered.
Despite the clearly severed bridge ahead, the masked figures didn’t slow, charging forward at full speed.
‘Are they suicidal?’ As Go Ryongpung’s eyes widened in shock—
Whoosh!
The masked figures leaped, soaring across the chasm between cliffs.
“No! The Forbidden Demon Pills!” Go Ryongpung shouted in dismay.
Only a bird could cross a hundred-yard gap. The masked figures had taken most of the pills stored in the Blood Vault Cave. If they fell into the abyss, the pills would be lost forever.
Whoosh.
As the masked figures began descending mid-air—
Thwang!
They suddenly sprang upward like springs, leaping again.
Thwang! Thwang!
As if crossing an invisible bridge, they vaulted twice more, clearing the chasm.
“Void-stepping? No,” Go Ryongpung muttered, narrowing his eyes.
He spotted something connecting the bridge’s pillars to a rock on the opposite cliff—a thin silver thread.
“You bastards!” Enraged, Go Ryongpung moved to cut the thread with his sword.
But then—
“Good work,” a young man in blue robes appeared on the opposite cliff. It was Hyeok Sojin.
Nodding as the masked figures safely crossed, he yanked his arm.
Whir! The faint silver thread was reeled back to his left arm like magic.
It was the Blood Silk Rope from Majeon’s Eight Demon Hall.
Grinning, Hyeok Sojin spotted Go Ryongpung glaring from the other side and shouted, “You stinking Marauder Sect vermin!” Waving at the distant figure, he called, “If you want your smelly pills back, you’d better chase us!”
Infusing his voice with internal energy, he roared, “If you don’t catch us before we leave Shaanxi, we’ll dump all these pills into the river!”
Go Ryongpung’s eyes bulged with rage. The stolen pills were seventy percent of the Blood Vault Cave’s stock. Making Forbidden Demon Pills required expensive herbs and time. If they were destroyed, the addicted disciples would riot.
“Gather all the Blood Vault Cave’s masters!” Go Ryongpung bellowed.
A subordinate clasped his hands. “Shouldn’t we report to the sect leader first?”
“We’ll report after we recover the pills!”
Gritting his teeth, Go Ryongpung glared at the opposite cliff. “We must catch them before they leave Shaanxi!”
***
Mangyeongdae.
A wide rocky plateau near Yeonhwa Mountain in Xi’an Prefecture.
With scenic surroundings, open views, and a solid stone floor, it was a popular spot for travelers to rest or eat.
Whistle.
In the center of Mangyeongdae, where dry winds blew, a figure stood like a statue beside a large wooden box. Between strands of hair fluttering in the breeze, obsidian eyes and a sharp nose gleamed. Had his eyebrows been thicker or his height not over six feet, he might have been mistaken for a peerless beauty.
It was Bu Eunseol.
Whoosh.
A faint sound of air being cut echoed around the quiet Mangyeongdae. Three groups, moving with whirlwind-like speed, approached the plateau.
Tap.
First to arrive was a young man in blue robes from the east. Sweaty but unable to hide his refined features and sharp aura, it was Hyeok Sojin.
Whoosh.
Next came a young man with long bangs—Wi Cheongyeong.
Tap tap tap.
Following him, the second squad of the Rootless Brigade arrived one by one.
“Huff, huff.” Panting from their full-speed movement, the squad members caught their breath.
Wi Cheongyeong, showing no signs of fatigue, clasped his hands to Bu Eunseol. “Thanks to the deputy leader’s help, we successfully stole the Forbidden Demon Pills.”
At his signal, the squad gathered their bundles and placed them into a large box—the pills taken from the Blood Vault Cave.
“Well done,” Bu Eunseol said, nodding.
Strangely, all the second squad members wore bright smiles.
When Bu Eunseol raised an eyebrow, Wi Cheongyeong explained, “Thanks to the technique you taught us, not only my speed but the entire squad’s movement techniques improved by over thirty percent.”
“A technique alone wouldn’t do it,” Bu Eunseol said.
“What?”
“You all worked hard for it.” He continued calmly, “This mission ends in a life-or-death battle. Keep refining your movement techniques to survive.”
‘Survive with movement techniques.’
Thud.
Wi Cheongyeong’s eyes, hidden behind his bangs, trembled. He had a talent for movement techniques, not martial arts. But that alone wasn’t enough to join the intelligence brigade training spies.
—Isn’t movement technique a type of martial art? I want to join the intelligence brigade.
His protests were futile.
Always compared to his brother, the Cheonsal Brigade Leader, fifteen years his senior, he was labeled as his brother’s shadow wherever he went. After repeated disobedience, he ended up in the Rootless Brigade, a haven for misfits. Most of the second squad shared similar stories. Now, they had a leader who recognized and utilized their abilities appropriately.
“Understood,” Wi Cheongyeong said, clasping his hands respectfully before returning to his place.
A smile, like his squad’s, curved his lips.
“Urgh, urgh!” Then, Won Semun, with twin swords on his back, and the first squad arrived at Mangyeongdae.
“Damn it,” Won Semun muttered, bending over and panting. “How do those Mount Hua bastards start chasing us without a day’s rest?”
Catching his breath, he met Bu Eunseol’s cold gaze, turned, and shouted, “Fatso!”
Han Seowung, the burly youth in bronze shell armor, set down a wooden box.
Clank.
Opening it revealed a longsword with two tassels—the sword of Mount Hua’s second-generation disciple, Bang Wook.
“Are the Mount Hua disciples coming here?” Bu Eunseol asked.
Won Semun nodded. “They’ll arrive within an hour. They’ve kept that distance the whole time.”
“Well done,” Bu Eunseol said, nodding.
Won Semun grinned triumphantly. “We’re crazy, but you’re just as mad, Leader. Picking a fight by insulting Mount Hua disciples?” Chuckling, he added, “And making sure to insult their sect leader, no less.” The first squad members laughed and chimed in.
“But it was fun, wasn’t it? I’ve always wanted to clash with those righteous sect bastards.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since I had fun. If Majeon gave us missions like this, I’d be a loyal member.” The first squad members were not only skilled but free-spirited and fond of fighting.
Struggling with strict hierarchies and commands, who would’ve thought they’d meet a leader even more reckless?
—Pick a fight with Mount Hua disciples. Insult their sect leader to ensure they chase you.
It was an outrageous order.
Bu Eunseol didn’t enforce rigid hierarchies or hold them accountable. For fight-loving members, how thrilling was it to meet such a leader?
“This is just the start,” Bu Eunseol said in a low voice. “Soon, we’ll drive Mount Hua, Zhongnan, and the Marauder Sect mad. You just need to crush them.”
“Heh heh. I like the sound of that!” Won Semun and his squad laughed heartily.
Then, another group ascended Mangyeongdae—the third squad, led by Jo Namcheon.
“Huff.” Jo Namcheon and his squad, panting, stood before Bu Eunseol. “We drew out Zhongnan’s Spiritual Treasure Hall Master’s direct disciple and their second-generation disciples.”
Jo Namcheon and his squad had caused chaos at Zhongnan to help Bu Eunseol steal the go board from the Jade Clear Hall. The third squad, relatively ordinary and well-led by Jo Namcheon, had executed their mission without issue.
“Brother Bu,” Hyeok Sojin whispered, staring at the distant sky. “They’re coming.”
“I hear them,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“No idea who, though. Hope it goes as planned.” Nodding, Bu Eunseol lightly stomped his foot.
Thud.
The entire Mangyeongdae seemed to tremble, a low vibration spreading.
‘It’s set,’ Bu Eunseol thought, nodding as he gauged the distance, number, and movement techniques of the approaching figures with his Air-Breaking Mind Eye.
‘This is just the beginning.’ He had his brigade steal a Mount Hua disciple’s sword and the Marauder Sect’s Forbidden Demon Pills.
He himself infiltrated Zhongnan to steal Jin Garyeong’s go board and stones.
All these were small steps to bring down the Marauder Sect.
Thud thud thud.
A faint vibration and footsteps reached Bu Eunseol’s ears. Dozens of people were moving with lightness techniques.
Tap tap tap.
The footsteps grew closer, becoming distinct, until—
“You bastards!” a thunderous shout rang out as fifty warriors in red robes arrived at Mangyeongdae.
It was Go Ryongpung, the Marauder Sect’s vice-leader, and his subordinates.
‘The die is cast.’ Confirming the situation with his Air-Breaking Mind Eye, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“There was an accomplice after all,” Go Ryongpung said, instantly recognizing Bu Eunseol, Hyeok Sojin, and the Rootless Brigade as a single group. “Daring to steal our Forbidden Demon Pills. You’ll neither live nor die—”
His words were cut off as Hyeok Sojin stepped forward, clasping his hands.
“We’ll give them back.”
“What?”
“We’ll return them soon. Are your ears clogged?” Hyeok Sojin’s cheeky taunt made Go Ryongpung’s eyes blaze.
“Begging for death, are you?”
Bu Eunseol, eyes closed and gazing at the sky, opened them with a glint. “Return everything.”
Jo Namcheon placed the box at Bu Eunseol’s feet near Go Ryongpung.
Wi Cheongyeong and Won Semun did the same with their boxes.
“What are these?” Go Ryongpung asked.
“You’ll see when you take them,” Jo Namcheon replied nonchalantly.
Go Ryongpung frowned. ‘Did they split the Forbidden Demon Pills into three boxes?’ The stolen pills were substantial in number.
“Retrieve them,” he ordered, tilting his head as his subordinates collected the boxes.
Click.
Opening them, he blinked repeatedly.
