Chapter 58. The Target (1)

From early the next morning, we set off.

We sometimes ran using our movement arts until our mouths were dry and our limbs trembled, and sometimes moved leisurely while correcting Junior Sister Baek Hyang's posture.

We took turns dueling to refine our martial arts, and I also swung my sword from the basic movements to get used to the new sword I happened to acquire.

Nam Geon, who was watching me swing my sword, said.

“Hy- Hyeong-a's sword is s- super strong. It d- doesn't break even when we duel.”

Nam Geon was right.

Even though it had often clashed with the Mother's Affection Sword that Nam Geon wielded, it hadn't chipped yet.

Of course, I had used the principles of flexibility to deflect Nam Geon's strength.

But if it had been any other sword, it would have normally chipped even if I deflected that monstrous strength.

No, without even clashing with the Mother's Affection Sword, most swords would have broken just from striking Nam Geon's body.

“Yes. It's good enough to be called a renowned sword.”

It was undoubtedly a sword made with great care by a skilled craftsman using high-quality iron.

I subtly turned my head and looked at Yeongcheon, who was in the middle of swinging his sword.

It seemed that it was thanks to the strength and sharpness of this sword that the Master of the Confucian Manor, a master several levels above Daoist Yeongcheon, was able to last for a few exchanges.

Just then, Nam Geon blurted out something unexpected.

“Hy- Hyeong-a. Then wh- what's the name of that sword? I l- learned from Hyang-i. Myeo- myeong means name. If it's a renowned sword, it m- must have a name.”

Having recently learned characters from Junior Sister Baek Hyang, Nam Geon had a sharp side in strange places.

“I didn't hear it from the Master of the Confucian Manor, so even if it has a name, I wouldn't know.”

“Then how about you give it a name yourself, Senior Brother?”

At Junior Sister Baek Hyang's suggestion, Nam Geon nodded his head vigorously.

“Hy- Hyang-i has a good idea. Hyeong-a is good at naming. H- Hyeong-a gave me my name too. H- Hyeong-a also named the M- Mother's Affection Sword.”

Nam Geon suddenly drew the Mother's Affection Sword and said it as if boasting.

Junior Sister Baek Hyang's gaze turned to me.

Yeongcheon, who had sheathed his sword at some point, was also looking at me.

Their eyes were filled with anticipation.

I had no intention of living up to their expectations, but I fell into thought for a moment.

Unlike the swords I had used before, it seemed I would be using this one for quite a long time.

It wasn't just because this sword was excellent.

A promise was a promise.

At least until I killed Sura Blood Blade, I intended to use this sword.

But the deliberation was short.

Since I had no talent for creating poetic and metaphorical names, I decided to name it as it came to mind.

“In the sense of a sword that wishes to reclaim a lost name, I think it would be good to call it the Restoring Name Sword.”

Now that I had decided on a name, I lightly swung the sword in the air once.

A refreshing sword cry echoed from the Restoring Name Sword.

It seemed as if this fellow was also pleased to have a name.

***

That evening.

We arrived at a quiet village.

The villagers we met on the street all averted their gazes with frightened expressions.

“Hic.”

It was because of Yeongcheon.

“Calm down.”

Yeongcheon asked with a puzzled expression.

“Is there a problem?”

There were many problems.

“Are you planning to keep walking around with 'I suspect you' written all over your face?”

In fact, it wasn't just today's problem.

Since being deceived once in the village of Xupu, Yeongcheon had been showing signs of extreme caution whenever he visited a new village or met someone on the road.

“Ahem. I am trying to become an experienced Jianghu person by following your example, chivalrous warrior.”

A dry laugh escaped me.

Perhaps because he was naive, everything was extreme.

He was too easily deceived, and now he was on the verge of not trusting anyone.

“Didn't you want to help the pitiful, Daoist? If a martial artist with a sword at his side goes around exuding such a guarded air, what pitiful commoner would ask for help?”

“Then what should I do?”

“Act comfortably as before. You can smile at the residents and help them, pretending you know nothing. However, in your mind, you should always be thinking of the 'what ifs' and be suspicious.”

“...You mean I should be different on the outside and the inside.”

“That's right. Above all, if you openly show your vigilance, the good people will run away and the evil people will hide, so it's of no help at all.”

“I'll try, at least.”

Seeing Yeongcheon's face as he said he would try, it didn't seem like it would happen overnight.

***

A few days of alternating between training and travel.

“It seems to be that place.”

We were finally able to arrive at our destination, Gojang.

“N- now what should we do, h- hyeong-a?”

“We need to find the minions of the group that runs the Black Market and find out information about other Black Markets.”

As soon as my answer ended, for some reason, Yeongcheon's eyes lit up.

“Then we just need to find the bad guys hiding in that village? It seems like it will be a very good study. Hahaha.”

Unfortunately, it seemed there would be no opportunity for Yeongcheon to practice.

“There's no need for that. I've already figured out the contact method.”

I had already obtained the information when I attacked the Black Market in Zunyi and interrogated the remnants there.

Suddenly, I thought it was a real relief.

If the still inexperienced Yeongcheon had wandered around Gojang trying to find them, it was highly likely that they would have noticed first and run away.

“We just need to get a room at an inn, rest until night, and then go to the place where they make contact and capture a few of them.”

After briefly explaining the plan, we entered Gojang County with one last piece of advice.

“Everyone, just take it easy. Daoist, you too, don't needlessly turn your head here and there, just think of it as a village you stopped by during your wanderings in the Jianghu.”

Junior Sister Baek Hyang looked around with a fascinated face, and her eyes sometimes sparkled as she looked at the goods sold at the stalls.

It was a truly natural appearance.

“I- I'm hungry.”

Nam Geon was also very natural, whining that he was hungry and drooling whenever he saw some food while walking down the street.

Only Yeongcheon was walking stiffly as if there was something wrong with his body.

It looked like he was trying to turn his head to watch others, but then remembered my warning and forced his face forward.

It seemed we needed to get to an inn quickly.

I quickly walked towards the first inn I found.

“We plan to stay for a day or two, are there any rooms available?”

While I was asking the waiter if there were any rooms, a thunderous roar came from Nam Geon's stomach, who had followed me in.

“S- sorry. B- but I'm so hungry.”

The waiter asked, trying his best to hold back his laughter.

“There are rooms available. Then would you like to eat right away as well?”

I felt sorry for the waiter, who wanted to laugh at Nam Geon's foolish appearance but was holding it in because of Nam Geon's size and the huge Mother's Affection Sword on his back.

Well, thanks to Nam Geon, Yeongcheon's awkward appearance wasn't that noticeable, which was a relief.

After a combative meal, we headed to our rooms first to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.

“We'll be heading out at night, so everyone rest or practice energy circulation.”

After saying that, I left the inn alone and wandered around the village for a while.

It was to familiarize myself with the geography of this place.

When the sky was dyed dark and the moonlight cast its glow.

Dressed in the black clothes that Junior Sister Baek Hyang had prepared, I exited the inn through the window with her on my back.

Yeongcheon also, dressed in black clothes, exited the inn through the window, and only Nam Geon came out through the inn door.

With his size, he couldn't get out through the inn's window.

Also, with his footwork specialized for charging, it was impossible for him to jump down from the window without a sound.

After joining up with Nam Geon in the darkness, we headed to the contact point used by the Black Market's minions.

Following the path I had memorized while wandering the village alone during the day, for a moment.

We were able to arrive near a cloth store located in a corner of the market street.

If the Black Market bastards in Junyi, Guizhou Province, had disguised their branch as a tea shop, the bastards here were operating under the guise of a cloth store.

“Nam Geon. And Junior Sister Baek Hyang, you two wait here. If any of them try to escape, just subdue them.”

Since Nam Geon's martial arts were inconvenient to use in a narrow space, I decided to assign him the role of waiting outside.

“O- okay. Hyeong-a.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

Leaving the two of them at the entrance, I headed to the back of the cloth store with Yeongcheon.

There was a door at the back as well.

After approaching the back door, I knocked on it with a certain rhythm.

Three times quickly.

Two times slowly.

Soon, a voice came from inside.

“We're closed. Who is it at this hour?”

“I'm a passing hunter, but I came because I got some good leather today. If you don't buy it today, I'll sell it somewhere else.”

A nonsensical exchange.

This was the password I had learned after interrogating the Black Market bastards in Zunyi.

However, even after exchanging the password, the door didn't open.

Were we deceived by those Black Market bastards in Zunyi?

As I was entertaining that thought, I heard a small noise from beyond the door.

When I listened carefully, I could hear a series of small noises.

Only then did I realize an important fact and immediately drew the Restoring Name Sword.

And using all my internal energy, I struck the back door with the Mighty Sword Art.

CRACK!!

As I kicked open the crushed door, I could see the figures of the bastards moving busily beyond the faint moonlight.

“Where do you rats think you're going.”

This confirmed it.

These bastards were indeed minions of the Black Market.

Thinking about it, it was a simple matter.

Quite some time had passed since Nam Geon and I had destroyed the Black Market in Zunyi.

The time lost helping Junior Sister Baek Hyang and escorting her mother to Heavenly Sun Village.

During that time, the news that the Black Market in Zunyi had been destroyed must have already spread among them.

So, I was now using the password that was used by the bastards who were already known to have been taken down.

But it didn't matter.

Thanks to the reaction they showed, it was certain that these bastards were not innocent.

I lunged towards the nearest bastard and thrust the Restoring Name Sword.

Stab!

“Keuk…”

The bastard, stabbed in the chest area, let out a faint groan.

I hadn't killed him.

I had to keep him alive to get information.

The bastards who were organizing something finally drew their weapons one by one and charged.

“Kill him!!”

Yeongcheon, who entered the cloth store after me, also began to swing his sword in earnest.

Swish.

The battle was quite one-sided.

Perhaps because it was just a contact point and not the Black Market itself, there were no masters like the branch leader from last time, and there weren't many people either.

“D- damn it.”

As three of them fell in an instant, one bastard at the back hurriedly opened the locked front door and escaped.

Soon after.

CRACK.

“Aaargh!”

A cheerful sound of bones breaking and a scream erupted from beyond the door.

It seemed to be a noise created by Nam Geon.

In the meantime, Yeongcheon and I subdued the remaining bastard in the cloth store.

It took less than a moment to subdue all five of them.

“Wh- where did you bastards come from!”

“Do you think you'll get away with this!”

The captured bastards made useless threats.

CRACK.

I broke their bones one by one and asked for the necessary information.

“Tell me where the Black Market is held.”

“Do you know anything about a bastard named Hyeok Ilso?”

After torturing the five bastards and extracting information for a while.

I was able to obtain about half of the information I wanted.

“I- I've n- never heard the name Hyeok Ilso before.”

“Th- the Black Market is held in I- Iyang!”

The next destination was decided.

***

A few days later.

Somewhere in the Central Plains.

At the report of the man in black, the old man called the Chairman frowned.

“Blood Shadow Ghost Spear was defeated?”

“Yes. Also, they recently appeared in Gojang.”

“Don't tell me the Gojang branch was also taken down by them?”

“Yes.”

As the man in black answered while watching his expression, the Chairman muttered with a look of utter disbelief.

“The Gojang branch, I can understand. But Blood Shadow Ghost Spear was defeated by just two brats? And it's not like Blood Shadow Ghost Spear went alone.”

“According to the news, there were four of them, not two. A girl who looked younger than those two, and a young Daoist dressed in the robes of the Mount Heng Sect were with them.”

The Chairman's face crumpled.

“It was the Mount Heng Sect!! The Mount Heng Sect was behind this!!”

The Chairman thought.

The idea that just two brats had taken down the Zunyi branch didn't make sense from the start.

But if the Mount Heng Sect was behind it, it made sense.

Their names weren't widely known because they didn't often venture into the secular world, but on the contrary, because they only trained in the mountains, their skills were quite outstanding.

“These long-nosed Daoist bastards! They're finally showing their true colors.”

The Chairman, who was expressing his hostility towards the Mount Heng Sect, soon realized something and hurriedly gave an order.

“Send the Golden Guardian Unit immediately!”

The Golden Guardian Unit was the Chairman's personal force, composed of some of the best in the organization.

“Should I order them to attack the Mount Heng Sect?”

At the man in black's question, the Chairman shook his head.

“Is there any need to foolishly fight them on their home turf? Attacking Gojang after Zunyi means they're targeting the Black Markets we operate. So tell them to go to Iyang! They will surely come to Iyang!”

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