Rebirth of the Thunder God

-Swish. Slap.

Namgung Hui snatched the hidden needle that flew from the alley and stared at the place.

Although it was a dark alley with deep shadows, the figure standing there was clearly visible.

As if there was no intention to hide at all.

Namgung Hui, the moment he saw the owner of the figure, couldn't help but grasp his intention.

'It's Yewol. How did she know and come to find me?'

Namgung Hui, to solve his curiosity, entered the alley and asked Yewol.

"That was a rather rough greeting. Don't tell me you're trying to get revenge for last night?"

"Don't be silly. No matter how much of a novice you are. I know well that your martial arts are not low. You would have blocked a hidden needle like this with ease."

"Alright. I'll just take it that you threw the hidden needle to save your beautiful voice instead of using telepathy."

"Hmph! It's no use trying to praise me now."

"Praise? What praise?"

"...Never mind. Let's just move to another place first."

* * *

Namgung Hui led Yewol to the open space in the mountain that Heon Wonsu had told him about.

The daytime scenery of Zhongyuan County, which came into view at a glance, was also superb.

Although there was no street of brilliant lanterns, the flowers were in full bloom, and a fresh scent wafted through the air.

"Yewol. This must be your first time seeing this scenery, right?"

"Yes. A popular woman like me is prone to trouble if she comes to such a secluded place alone."

"Do you think meeting me is a disaster?"

"You're not entirely clueless."

"...I'm sorry again for what happened yesterday."

"Hmph! I'm sure I told you not to feel pity?"

"It's okay to feel this much. The difference in our levels is that significant."

'In age or martial arts.'

Although his power might be somewhat lacking.

Namgung Hui was not a person who would be blinded by mere pity and ruin things.

In his past life, many people had passed by vaguely.

A comrade who had betrayed his allies and devoted himself to the Demonic Cult.

The Thunder God who had mercilessly crushed that former comrade.

Of course, that didn't mean Namgung Hui was a cold-blooded person.

However, he had acted boldly because he knew painfully well that if he turned a blind eye to this, there would be no end to it.

Yewol's concern was appreciated, but he would never feel pity for just anyone.

"Did you woo the Young Palace Mistress with such a way of speaking? Yes. As you said, I don't think I'm in a position to give you advice. Then I'll get straight to the point. The question you asked before we parted yesterday, I'll tell you about the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader."

"Don't drag it out and tell me quickly."

"Do you rush other women like this too?"

"Why are you curious about that? First, tell me what I'm curious about, and then I'll tell you."

Yewol smiled knowingly and opened her mouth.

"The Black Tortoise Troupe Leader, Im Daepung, is an underling of the Hoicheon Association. I'm in charge of collecting the information I find out at the brothel and handing it over to Im Daepung."

"!!!"

'As expected. My guess was not wrong. But it's strange again. Why on earth did the son of the Martial Alliance Leader become a spy for the Hoicheon Association? Was it really because he grew up in unfortunate circumstances as a child?'

Now, the pieces of the puzzle were almost all gathered.

Putting them together would surely be in front of the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader.

"Then what information did you sell to the Hoicheon Association?"

"Well, which high-ranking official came to the brothel and with whom he slept. How many concubines he had. How many of the famous masters of the orthodox faction had two households. I was finding out these things and sending them."

"The Hoicheon Association would have tried to use that as a weakness."

Yewol, as if she had remembered something she had forgotten, raised her beautiful hand, clapped, and said.

"Oh, right. But there's a slightly suspicious part. I clearly sent 5 letters. But they said 2 of them didn't arrive. That's also the reason why the General came to find me."

"Are you saying the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader personally diverted them?"

"At least in my opinion."

Namgung Hui stroked his chin for a moment and then brought up a guess.

"Is the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader also a human? It seems he didn't want the information of a person he had grown fond of to flow into the Association."

"Who knows. He might be trying to use it personally."

"You don't trust the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader."

"Well. That's because he has a suspicious smell about him. Let's just say it's a woman's intuition."

Namgung Hui also knew well that a woman's intuition could not be ignored.

Especially Baek Seolhwa, hadn't her intuition been excessively good?

To the extent that she had even found out the location of the Thunder Sect.

"Thanks to you, I now have a sense of what to do when I meet the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader. Thank you. Yewol."

"...If you know, that's enough. And I'm not doing this for free either. Later, secretly arrange a meeting with the female warrior named Tang Soso."

"Ah. Is it because of that drug? Alright. It's not impossible. And if you get a spare of that drug, show it to me once. Or let me examine the scar for a moment. I also have some knowledge in that area, so think of it as a win-win situation."

"Are you trying to take off my clothes and admire my body again?"

"No! What are you talking about! I was just going to see what kind of drug it was based on the scar..."

"Hahaha! It's a joke. A joke. As expected, there's nothing as fun as teasing a novice. Yes. If I get a spare of the drug, I'll send it to you. Then let's meet with the female warrior named Tang Soso next time."

"Yes. Thank you for the information today. Take care."

Yewol nodded and then firmly covered her face with a veil and disappeared.

Although her elegant steps drew attention, during this period of the Martial Alliance tournament, such women were not that uncommon.

On the contrary, this chaos guaranteed her safety.

And so, Namgung Hui looked at Yewol's shrinking back and then turned his body towards the Cheongi Inn.

* * *

"You guys aren't registering today?"

At Namgung Hui's question, Yelu Guang and Heon Wonsu answered.

"Yes. Since the strong ones are gathered in the early matches, I wonder if there's a need to take a risk. I just need to find my younger brother."

"And since I'm a member of the Black Tortoise Squad, I can't participate. Because I have to stand guard at that time."

"Then there's nothing to be done. You guys just watch me fight well. Then I'll have to go and register by myself."

"If you need guidance, I'll help you."

"Forget it. Help Guang later. And Jihye would be very happy if I took you with me."

Since Eun Seolrin had gone out with Baek Seolhwa and Tang Soso, the only woman left at the inn was Jegal Jihye.

Seeing Jegal Jihye sticking to him like glue, he could roughly see the reason why she had remained.

Even if Namgung Hui was clueless.

"Brother Hui. If you're really confused about the way, you can just go and find Brother Geon, right?"

"I can't call a busy guy just for directions. Forget it. How complicated can the Martial Alliance be? I can just ask and go. Then I'll be back. And since I might be late, you guys eat dinner first."

"Brother. Do you have someone else to meet?"

"I'm just going to do some preliminary investigation. To look around the sparring stage and check the surrounding trends."

"Oh. Looking at the sparring stage is also a good idea. That way, you'll have an idea of how to link your techniques and footwork. I'll have to give Young Hero Yelu some guidance tomorrow."

"Yes. Don't just play with Jihye, take care of Guang too."

"Anyone who hears that would think I'm not taking care of Young Hero Yelu. Then please go and come back quickly."

Namgung Hui smiled broadly, patted Heon Wonsu's shoulder, and set off.

The faint smile on his face disappeared as soon as he left the inn.

'Now I have to go and see the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader.'

The crowd was lined up all the way to the Martial Alliance, so he couldn't get lost even if he wanted to.

He just had to follow the steps of the people, and the Martial Alliance would soon appear.

In fact, even from a distance, the magnificent pavilions were visible at a glance, so it was easy to find.

However, as much as the Martial Alliance was so large, he had to find the registration office for the tournament himself.

No matter how many signs were posted, it was difficult to see because they were covered by the numerous crowd.

But who was Namgung Hui?

He had already trained his eyesight to the extreme and could use the long-distance vision, a type of eye technique.

Namgung Hui sent his ki into his two eyes and then used the long-distance vision to search for the tournament registration office.

'Registration office... Registration office... Found it. There aren't as many people as I thought.'

He didn't know if it was a relief, but since the front of the registration office was deserted, he was able to find it quickly.

As Namgung Hui was walking towards it, he felt some attention and looked around, and as expected, the heroes were whispering while looking at him.

"I've never seen that face before. His solar plexus is also flat, so he must be a noble son who's just showing off. Tsk tsk. This is a tournament where the Seven Dragons are gathering in one place, so I hope he doesn't break his arms and legs."

"I want to see that handsome and white face turn blue."

"Tsk! If your face is ugly, you should at least have a good heart. If you live with such a mindset, you'll get a good beating."

"What!? Did you say my face is ugly? Let's have a match."

And so, the heroes looked at Namgung Hui's face and gave their own evaluations.

Among them, there was also an unexpected evaluation, and Namgung Hui couldn't help but strain his ears in that direction.

"That appearance. Is that Namgung Hui?"

"Yes. Young Master. It is. Shall I arrange a meeting right away?"

"Forget it. It's not time yet. Let's just watch quietly."

Namgung Hui was a little surprised that there was someone who recognized him.

Of course, with his handsome face, it wouldn't be strange if he were already known.

Since people even drew portraits of the beauties of the martial world and carried them around.

It wouldn't be strange for the handsome Namgung Hui's face to be known like that.

As Namgung Hui arrived at the registration office, he asked the Martial Alliance member.

"Do I just have to write my personal information here?"

"Yes. Please show me your identification tag and then write. And if it's found to be a forgery, we cannot be responsible for your safety. Do you agree to this?"

"I agree. Then here is my identification tag."

As Namgung Hui placed his identification tag on the table, the Martial Alliance member's eyes twitched slightly.

"Oh ho. The Namgung family is participating in the tournament after a long time. And if it's Young Hero Namgung Hui, you must be the fourth young master who has recently recovered."

As expected, they didn't just put anyone at the registration office, and he seemed to be well-versed in the rumors of the martial world.

Namgung Hui, who had written down his personal information, put down his brush and asked.

"Is that all?"

"But you were lying in bed until recently, are you sure you're okay to participate? In fact, as an unspoken rule, the early registrants are heavily populated with skilled people. If you're trying to broaden your horizons, I recommend you register after tomorrow."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll decline. I will participate in the early matches. Then I'll take it that it's over and go."

Namgung Hui gently cupped his fists and then leisurely disappeared from the registration office.

The people looked at Namgung Hui's back and then started their evaluation again.

As many different people were gathered, their opinions were also diverse.

"As expected, he's just full of himself. A man should be manly. With a pretty face like that, can he even pass the preliminaries?"

"Hehe. Yes, I should never bet on that guy."

And another person gave a completely opposite opinion.

"Divine Majesty. Did you see his steps just now?"

"Yes. I also saw it. His body was clearly moving forward before his feet touched the ground. It seems his level of movement technique is considerable."

"And it's not an ordinary movement technique. It's a level where the intention arises on its own according to the movement without being conscious of it. At this level, he must have reached the level of intention."

"Young Master. Is it possible to imbue intention at that age? Even you, Young Master..."

"Just because I can't do it doesn't mean he can't. The world is wide, and there are plenty of strange people. Divine Majesty. You also shouldn't think that I'm everything, like a frog in a well."

"Yes! I will keep that in mind."

* * *

Namgung Hui, who had left the registration office, put the number tag with the number '7' written on it in his bosom and then headed for the pavilion of the Black Tortoise Squad where he had met Heon Wonsu before.

There were definitely fewer people than before.

Perhaps because the heroes who had realized that there was nothing to see at the Black Tortoise Squad had scattered to other places.

He had heard from Heon Wonsu that it was an annual event.

Since it was a tournament held every two years, it was rare for people to know about the reality of the Black Tortoise Squad.

And since it hadn't been long since the tournament had started.

Namgung Hui scanned the few members of the Black Tortoise Squad he could see and then approached a person whose eyes seemed particularly clear.

"May I ask you something?"

The man with the intelligent eyes answered Namgung Hui's question vigorously.

"Ask me anything!"

"I really want to see the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader, but is there any way?"

"The Squad Leader? Even our squad members find it hard to see him."

Namgung Hui let out a deep sigh as if he were very disappointed and said.

"Ha... I came all this way to see the respected Squad Leader, but I can't meet him..."

The man glanced at Namgung Hui and then said softly.

"It's not that there's no way. Since he eats lunch at the executive dining hall."

"The executive dining hall? An ordinary person can't go in, right?"

"Yes. You have to be at least a deputy squad leader to enter."

'It's too late to wait for later. And it's about time he finished his meal and came out.'

"Then let me at least watch from a distance. Can you tell me the location of the executive dining hall?"

"That's not difficult. Do you see that vermilion roof over there? That pavilion is the executive dining hall. And since the Vermilion Bird embroidery is clearly engraved on the Squad Leader's clothes, you'll be able to recognize him easily."

The location of the dining hall was also not that far away.

'I have to go right away.'

Namgung Hui quickly cupped his fists with gratitude.

"Thank you. Young hero. Let's meet again if fate allows."

"Haha. Not at all. I'll pray that you get to see the Squad Leader."

Namgung Hui arrived at the dining hall with quick steps, as if he were using a movement technique.

Fortunately, thanks to his hurried steps, it seemed the squad leaders' meal was not yet over.

Noisy conversation leaked out from inside.

But the content was something that couldn't help but surprise Namgung Hui.

Because Namgung Hui's own name had flowed out.

(End of Chapter)