Rebirth of the Thunder God

Namgung Hui slightly tilted his head at the unfamiliar face, though it seemed he had seen it somewhere before.

The appearance of an old man he felt he should remember, but couldn't.

'Among the people wearing scholar's robes, the one who has business with me... could it be?'

Then, he suddenly realized the old man's face resembled Jegal Geon's and hurriedly cupped his fist.

"I greet the elder Cheongi-ja."

"Hoho. This must be the first time you've seen me, right?"

"As far as I remember, I don't think I've seen you before."

"Yes, yes. That could be. This old man's legs are aching, so I was thinking of moving. Would you follow me?"

"Yes."

And so, Namgung Hui followed Cheongi-ja and arrived at the tea house where Jegal Jihye had taken him before.

"You came here with Jihye before, didn't you?"

"Yes. It seems to be a tea house run by the Jegal family."

"That's right. We scholars like to drink tea and read like this. Well, well, let's go in and have a cup of tea and talk."

Perhaps because Cheongi-ja had arranged it beforehand, the inside of the tea house was extremely quiet.

There wasn't even anyone to serve tea.

Namgung Hui felt a little awkward in that silence, but when Cheongi-ja placed a hand on his shoulder, he felt extremely stable.

"You must have a lot on your shoulders. You might have to carry even more in the future, but for today, just sit comfortably. I'll bring the tea."

Namgung Hui wanted to bring it himself, but since he was a layman when it came to the tea ceremony, he had no choice but to follow Cheongi-ja's words.

Namgung Hui sat down in the seat in front of him.

A pine tree could be seen through the right window, and various flowers and pots were visible on the left wall.

A quiet and tasteful scene.

He felt his mind and body becoming a little clearer.

Sol, sol, sol.

This time, a deep fragrance tickled the bridge of his nose.

A clear and pure tea scent.

Was it the tea called Tieguanyin that he had smelled before?

"It's Tieguanyin brought directly from Fujian Province. I'm worried that the tea scent might have escaped due to my poor tea ceremony skills."

"No way. Even if it escapes, I'll catch it."

"Hoho. Then I'll just have to trust you. By the way, the reason this old man has come like this, as you might have guessed, is because I have something to tell you."

Namgung Hui put down his teacup and turned to a listening posture.

"Please speak."

"As you know better than anyone, the martial world will become very chaotic in the future. You know the reason without me having to say it."

"Isn't it because of the Hoicheon Association and the Blood Cult?"

"Well, there are other places that will create noise besides them, but those two are the most important problems. You said you were going to the Blood Cult for a while, right?"

The person who had advised the Young Guild Leader of the Pungun Merchant Guild, Kang Yuseong, was Cheongi-ja right in front of him.

He would have heard from Kang Yuseong that Namgung Hui would be infiltrating the Blood Cult.

"Yes. It seems the Blood Cult is more important than the Hoicheon Association for now. And didn't they also have a direct conflict with the Namgung family?"

"That's right. That's right. The problem of the Blood Cult is also very important. And there's no one who can handle it as well as you."

"..."

The more Namgung Hui listened to Cheongi-ja's words, the more it seemed he knew something that Namgung Hui didn't.

But since that was the way the people of the Jegal family spoke, he didn't ask in detail.

If he was going to tell him anyway, he would tell him right here.

"The reason I brought this up is to tell you about the ally that Lord Kang Yuseong mentioned. When you infiltrate the Blood Cult, meet the person written on this list first, if possible. The tasks and the secret password are also written there, so don't lose it."

Namgung Hui took the letter that Cheongi-ja handed him and nodded.

"Yes. I will."

"And the matter of the Hoicheon Association is difficult to proceed with right now. As you know, there are too many shadows of the Hoicheon Association within the Martial Alliance. In fact, it would be a problem even if we were to wipe them all out."

Namgung Hui, who had been calm for a while, said with a slightly displeased expression.

"Why is that? You're not defending them because they're from the same Orthodox Faction, are you? Don't tell me it's because too many people are involved?"

"Of course, I'm not defending them because they're from the same Orthodox Faction. What I said later will not be without influence. It's true that they did wrong from the moment they cooperated with the Hoicheon Association, whether they liked it or not, but among them, there are many who were unfairly blackmailed and are being forced to cooperate."

"So you're saying you'll turn their hearts back and proceed with the matter? Is that what you mean?"

"Hoho. There's no need to be so sensitive. The more you rush, the more you have to go around, and shouldn't you look before you leap? The matter is the matter, and it's not something where innocent people should come out, so this time, trust the old martial artist."

If someone else had said it, he would have snorted, but since it was the wise man called Cheongi-ja in the martial world who said it, he had no choice but to believe him.

On top of that, looking at Cheongi-ja's profound eyes, he felt a sense of trust that wasn't there before.

"I understand. Since I'll be focusing on the Blood Cult rather than the Hoicheon Association for a while, I'll trust you to take care of it in the meantime."

"And you said you had something to ask me? I enjoyed the Thunder Liquor you gave to Geon. It's so good for the body, I feel rejuvenated."

"I'm glad it suited your taste. What I want to ask is related to the General. Elder Cheongi-ja, you have connections with the government office, don't you? How much do you know about that person?"

Cheongi-ja savored the Tieguanyin for a moment and then opened his mouth.

"I even have a close relationship with him."

This did not surprise Namgung Hui.

If it was the General, it wouldn't be strange for him to have a close relationship with Cheongi-ja.

After all, sometimes you develop an affection for your enemy while fighting them.

"So what kind of person is he? And what is his purpose?"

"His purpose... I don't know his inner thoughts exactly. But as far as I know, the purpose of the Imperial Heaven is more than just conquering the martial world."

"More than just conquering, you say?"

"That's something I don't know for sure either. However, there is a very high probability that the end will not be good for us."

"Hmm... I see. It seems I'll have to see it through with that side. Ah. And the person called the General had made a strange armor and given it to his subordinates. Do you know what that is?"

"Are you perhaps talking about the soft armor that thunder ki doesn't work on?"

Namgung Hui, without realizing it, even clapped his hands and answered.

"Yes! That's it. You knew."

"It's probably a substance called rubber. It's an item that came through the Western Regions, so there aren't many who know about it in the Central Plains. Even the craftsmen of the Tang family probably don't know how it's made."

"Rubber. It's a new word I've never heard before. If it was brought from the Western Regions, it would be faster to ask the merchants."

"The child named Eun Seolrin might know. But even if she knows, how to deal with it is a separate matter. Rubber is a substance that has a repulsive force against thunder ki, so it can be melted by pouring a massive amount of thunder ki, but the rubber armor specially processed by the General is a difficult item to break through easily. As you've experienced it yourself, you would know better."

Namgung Hui recalled the peak masters he had fought at the Black Market.

For peak masters, their skills were not that outstanding, but some of them were annoyingly wearing rubber armor and showed excellent immunity to thunder ki.

Because of that, hadn't he barely managed to deal with them by using an excessive amount of thunder ki?

As Cheongi-ja said, if they had immunity to thunder ki, the efficiency would be very low.

Even if the Purple Thunder Divine Art had evolved, the properties of thunder ki did not disappear.

'Then when I face them, I should use the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art and the Sun-Shooting One appropriately. Since it's a soft substance, it would be better to cut it in one go with a swift sword.'

On top of that, if it was a substance that even Cheongi-ja didn't know well, it didn't seem like an item that could be easily obtained.

However, what was worrying was that it would be difficult to deal with if a Transcendent master was even wearing an improved rubber armor.

'I'll have to think about changing the energy of the thunder ki.'

"And you also knew Jo Seongho, right?"

"Knew him... I just know his face."

"Hoho. I'm sure you have a close relationship?"

He didn't know how much Cheongi-ja knew, but well, he had also entrusted him with the request for the diary of the first cult leader.

And since they had escaped the Black Market together, if you really had to say, it could be called a close relationship.

"Yes. Well. We've worked together before. Is it because of the incident where he was captured this time?"

"Yes. That friend is also someone I have a close relationship with. When he was working at the merchant guild, I was also on active duty. I sometimes miss those days. By the way, the reason I brought this up is to tell you not to worry."

Namgung Hui was also worried inwardly.

He had wanted to stop by the Martial Alliance and ask Jegal Geon about it.

"That's a relief. But why did he do it?"

"I ordered him to."

Namgung Hui was so surprised that he almost spat out his tea.

"Yes? You ordered him to?"

"You must have guessed that the Blood Cult and the Hoicheon Association were plotting a conspiracy at this martial arts tournament."

"That's right."

"So, before they could carry out their conspiracy, I did it to instill a sense of vigilance in the children of the Martial Alliance who are steeped in this peace. Well, there are still some who haven't come to their senses, but about thirty percent seem to have come to their senses. Why? Do you find it hard to believe that I'm proceeding with things like this?"

And for good reason. It was none other than Cheongi-ja, famous for his insight, who was proceeding with things so radically, so he couldn't help but not understand.

On the other hand, due to this unexpected incident, not only the Blood Cult but also the Hoicheon Association must have been flustered.

"I was wondering why there were so few injured people. So that was also thanks to your design, elder. Then will Miss Eon Jiyeon also be safe?"

"Hoho. That's right. She might be the only descendant of the Eon family left, so I can't treat her poorly. I'll talk to that child well, so don't worry."

"Talk to her?"

"Didn't her family get annihilated by the hands of the Blood Cult? By the Dugu family that had infiltrated your family."

Eon Jiyeon had a history of standing up the third son, Namgung Sang, who was Dugu Sang at the time, at Namgung Hui's birthday banquet 10 years ago.

Perhaps Dugu Sang, who had held a grudge at that time, had contributed not only to Namgung Hui's downfall but also to the annihilation of the Jinju Eon family.

"Ah. Come to think of it, I think I heard that the third son, Dugu Sang, did something out of jealousy, so that was it. But why was she a guest of the Lake Chao Sect and at the Black Market?"

"That's. Because she needed money. And it seems she borrowed the power of the Association to investigate the backing of her family's annihilation."

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

If it was the Hoicheon Association, they would have readily given out information about the Blood Cult.

At night, as the Black Spirit.

And during the day, as a guest of the Lake Chao Sect, she must have collected a lot of money.

'Did she buy the thunderclap bombs with that money? Indeed, if she was the Black Spirit, she would have gotten them cheaper and more easily, so it's not a bad strategy.'

And with the remaining thunderclap bombs, she vows revenge on the Blood Cult.

For some reason, it felt like something a person from the steadfast Eon family would do.

Namgung Hui had thought that the Hoicheon Association had done it, aiming for the Jinju Eon family's corpse art, but since it was the work of the Blood Cult, he thought it was rather a good thing.

Since it was something that had happened because of his birthday banquet, he would be able to tie up the loose ends with his own hands.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"No, sir. Lastly, I have one more thing to ask about the General. I heard from a troupe leader of the Hoicheon Association before that the General has three eyes. Are you talking about an information organization?"

A curve appeared on Cheongi-ja's unchanging face, and an exclamation came out.

"Oho. To have found out about the Three Eyes, you are quite resourceful. But it would be better to hear the answer from the person himself rather than from me."

"The person himself, you mean, directly from the General?"

"Yes. He's on his way here as we speak. Now, come in."

(End of Chapter)