Bu Eunseol and the Death Shadow Corps warriors left Yuhongok swiftly.
They headed west relentlessly, reaching Guizhou Province.
Even in the capital, Bu Eunseol didn’t stop, arriving at Dongpyoseorang, Guizhou’s largest mercenary market. Only here did Bu Eunseol rent an entire high-end inn wing for his warriors to rest.
“Bu Eunseol, why are we here?” Yoo Unryong asked, approaching as the warriors rested. “Lacking hands, so buying mercenaries with money?”
Receiving no answer, he frowned at Bu Eunseol. “Or is there someone here to join?”
“Shut up,” Myo Cheonwoo snapped at the barrage of questions. “He must have a plan. Why question everything?”
“What? Questioning?”
As Yoo Unryong’s eyes sharpened, Myo Cheonwoo snorted. “What, want another round?”
“Gladly.” Myo Cheonwoo and Yoo Unryong had fought every night from Yuhongok to here.
Their skills were evenly matched.
One day Myo Cheonwoo barely won; the next, Yoo Unryong claimed a narrow victory.
“Ho, another round today?” Myo Cheonwoo smirked.
Yoo Unryong’s eyes darkened. “Of course. Today, I’ll crush that smug face.”
The resting Death Shadow Corps warriors perked up.
Jo Namcheon, as if waiting, slung a wooden box around his neck and circulated among them.
“Come on, another fight today. Place your bets!” Warriors like Won Semun rushed to pull out their pouches.
“Last time Brother Myo won by half a move, so he’ll win again?”
“No, I saw Brother Yoo practicing his white horse whip all night. Today’s different.”
Seeing the warriors openly betting on their fight, Yoo Unryong thundered, “You think this is a spectacle? Stop it now!”
Myo Cheonwoo grinned. “Scared? Afraid you’ll lose?”
“What?”
“I bet on myself too.” He dropped a large gold ingot into Jo Namcheon’s box. “This is over a hundred taels. I don’t need money, so divide it equally among those betting on me.”
The warriors cheered, rushing to bet on Myo Cheonwoo.
“Fine, you…” Yoo Unryong pulled out his entire pouch and tossed it. “A thousand taels. Those betting on me divide it proportionally!”
“Waaah!” The warriors’ cheers echoed loudly.
Even those who usually didn’t bet joined in.
“Ah, what a mess,” Hyeok Sojin muttered from afar, hand on forehead. “Reminds me of the old days at our sect. The young ones were obsessed with gambling.”
Shrugging, he looked at Bu Eunseol. “It’s lively, but is this okay? They fight every other day. It could turn sour.”
“Let them,” Bu Eunseol said nonchalantly, nodding. “It’s how they build belonging.”
“Belonging?”
“Yes.” The Ten Demon Warriors couldn’t belong anywhere, rejected even by their sects.
But through Bu Eunseol, they found a home in the Death Shadow Corps. In their way, they were forming the concept of comradeship.
“Indeed, that makes sense,” Hyeok Sojin nodded, enlightened.
The Death Shadow Corps warriors, once scorned as Rootless Brigade, shared a strange kinship with Myo Cheonwoo and Yoo Unryong. They were blending in their own manner.
“We’ll rest until tomorrow. Take the warriors for drinks,” Bu Eunseol said, pulling a ten-thousand-tael note from his robe and handing it to Hyeok Sojin. “The betting’s just an excuse for drinking. They’ve worked hard; let them indulge at a fine tavern.”
“What about you, Brother Bu? Not joining?”
Bu Eunseol gave a faint smile. “I have something to do.”
He turned and left the inn.
Outside, Bu Eunseol visited the post station, bought a carriage, and headed to the city outskirts. After a long ride, the carriage stopped at a vast village-like area in a barren field.
It was the entrance to Dongpyoseorang, Guizhou’s largest mercenary market.
“Been a while,” Bu Eunseol murmured, narrowing his eyes at the entrance.
He had many memories here.
It was where he first stepped into the martial world after leaving the Nine Deaths Squad, where he obtained his cherished black sword through the Martial Tournament.
He’d also gained the clever informant mercenary, Black Leopard, reunited with Seo Jinha, and received the fearsome Seven Demon Fists manual from the former Nangyang disciple, Boss Do Myeong.
Of course, not all memories were good.
He’d killed Yang Myeong, the Hell’s Blood Fortress’s Blood Ghost Hall Leader, after a duel over the black sword, creating enmity with Hell’s Blood Fortress. But the positive memories far outweighed the negative, so Bu Eunseol felt favorably toward Dongpyoseorang.
Buzz, buzz.
Dongpyoseorang had prospered even more since the Jeongmu Tournament. New pavilions had risen, bustling with mercenaries seeking jobs and merchants selling wares.
Bu Eunseol headed to the pavilion where mercenaries gathered for assignments. But he soon shook his head. No need for complicated procedures; he sought quicker, more accurate information.
Wonlimgak.
This was where Do Myeong resided.
“How may I help you?” a mercenary guarding the pavilion asked.
“I’m here to see Boss,” Bu Eunseol said calmly.
The mercenary eyed Bu Eunseol’s attire and shook his head. “Boss is out. You can schedule at Dengmyeong Hall later.”
Bu Eunseol looked up at Wonlimgak.
A faint presence in his hypersensitive perception confirmed Boss was inside. Likely, without an appointment, entry was denied.
“Understood,” Bu Eunseol said, turning without arguing.
He then used his movement technique to stealthily ascend to the pavilion’s roof. Bu Eunseol’s shadow, concealing presence and form, slipped into the second-floor window.
Swift Beyond Shadow.
This stealth art, created by the great thief Go Wol, suppressed aura and sound, allowing ghost-like infiltration.
It also permitted directional changes mid-movement, evading ambushes or pursuers easily.
Swish, swish.
Many people filled the pavilion, but none detected Bu Eunseol heading to the office.
Swish.
Inside the office was a wide desk, where a refined middle-aged man wrote letters with a brush.
It was Dongpyoseorang’s Boss, Do Myeong.
“Huh,” Do Myeong said, setting down his brush with a low sigh. Looking into the air, he said softly, “This hall’s doors are always open, yet why enter like a thief in the night?” Astonishingly, Do Myeong had detected Bu Eunseol’s stealthy intrusion instantly.
‘Boss has reached Ban-geuk Control too.’ In the past, Do Myeong claimed to be a Nangyang disciple.
That meant he’d deeply mastered Nangyang’s foundational art, Beast Way. Given his age and skill, reaching Ban-geuk Control was unsurprising.
“It’s been a while, Boss,” Bu Eunseol said, slowly revealing himself from the shadows.
“You really know how to surprise people,” Do Myeong said with a faint smile. “Human potential is limitless, but to advance so rapidly in such short time…” Remarkably, he gauged Bu Eunseol’s terrifying progress.
‘Boss’s martial arts were this advanced.’ Reflecting, Do Myeong had once demonstrated the Six Harmonies Transmission, requiring over three jiazi of inner energy.
Bu Eunseol’s prowess had soared, but Do Myeong hadn’t idled either. He was still a step ahead.
“I heard you became a Majeon leader. A strong heir candidate,” Do Myeong said, smiling faintly. “You’re not here in barren Guizhou for leisure. Looking for Black Leopard?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a step late. He’s not here.”
“On a job?”
Do Myeong nodded heavily. “He went to eradicate the Wind Tiger Gang at Fanjeong Mountain.”
The Wind Tiger Gang.
Though called a martial sect, they were essentially bandits taxing merchants in Fanjeong Mountain’s territory. Without lineage and committing only misdeeds, the Wind Tiger Gang survived in Guizhou because no sect bothered to eliminate a demonic group in righteous territory.
“The Wind Tiger Gang?” Bu Eunseol murmured, tilting his head. “The nearby merchants must have pooled money, unable to endure.”
“No,” Ok Hobang said with a deep sigh. “It’s a request from Cheonhyerim, a medical house in Yiju. Their leader’s only daughter, Jang Seola, was raped and killed by the Wind Tiger Gang leader’s son.”
Fanjeong Mountain abounded in herbs.
Cheonhyerim physicians often gathered them, evading the Wind Tiger bandits. If discovered, the bandits usually took money and let them go, given their healer status. But this time, Jang Seola, Cheonhyerim’s only daughter, was among the gatherers, spotted by Wang Pung-gang, the gang leader’s son.
Enamored by her beauty, Wang Pung-gang committed the atrocity.
“For that, Cheonhyerim’s leader sold all his assets for a thousand gold taels to hire our mercenaries. He insisted on Wang Pung-gang’s death.”
“I see.” As Bu Eunseol nodded, grasping the situation,
Knock, knock.
A young maid’s voice followed the knock. “Boss, the elders from Soyomun you scheduled are here.”
“Understood. I’ll be out soon.” Do Myeong turned to Bu Eunseol apologetically. “Sorry. Hear the details from Master Ok. I’m a bit busy now.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
“No thanks needed. Come anytime if you need this hall’s help.”
***
Dengmyeong Hall.
This was the residence of Ok Hobang, the hall master managing Dongpyoseorang’s finances.
“Been a while, Young Master Bu.” Ok Hobang greeted Bu Eunseol warmly but warily.
Understandably, since he’d once tried to kill Bu Eunseol and suffered greatly. Without Black Leopard’s plea, he’d be in a cold coffin, not Dengmyeong Hall.
“No, wait. Now it’s Leader Bu, right?” As a Dongpyoseorang figure, Ok Hobang was well-informed on martial world news.
“Doesn’t matter. Call me as you like.”
“Yes, yes.” Ok Hobang clasped his hands respectfully. “Here for Saha again?”
Saha was Black Leopard’s real name.
“Yes.”
“He’s at Fanjeong Mountain now.”
“I heard the gist from Boss.” Bu Eunseol, puzzled, asked, “Black Leopard is an informant mercenary. Why join another sect’s fight?”
Ok Hobang sighed deeply. “In recent years, his martial arts have surged. He even surpasses our hall’s top mercenaries.”
Bu Eunseol smiled faintly.
Before sending Black Leopard back to Dongpyoseorang, Bu Eunseol had given him a dagger manual with his sword principles. Black Leopard had clearly mastered it.
“After growing strong, he quit informant work and became a combat mercenary, taking dangerous jobs no one else would.”
“Why?” Bu Eunseol asked.
“Because… he said he must be of use when you return.” Bu Eunseol’s usually impassive eyes shifted slightly.
Sincerity.
Black Leopard was diligent, talented, and revered Bu Eunseol like the heavens. His loyalty could only be described as profound sincerity.
“How’s the situation?” Bu Eunseol asked gravely.
“Not good, actually.” Seeing Ok Hobang’s dark expression, Bu Eunseol looked puzzled.
For Black Leopard, surpassing top mercenaries, to face danger?
“Tell me in detail,” Bu Eunseol said in a heavy voice.
