Rebirth of the Thunder God

Just as Namgung Hui was about to close his eyes and lean his back against the tree trunk.

He had to open his closed eyes because of an uninvited guest who had arrived late.

Looking at the presence, it was not the pack of wolves that Namgung Hui had chased away.

Even a pack of wolves would be intimidated and not attack if there were this many people.

If so, the beings that would approach such a group of people...

'It could only be people. And martial artists at that. Looking at their Ki, they are all above first-rate.'

To Namgung Hui, a first-rate master was not perceived as a very strong being, but strictly speaking, a first-rate master was a being who was treated well wherever they went in the martial world.

It was a matter of course, as they were martial artists belonging to the top 10 percent.

Since about ten such first-rate masters were gathered and heading this way, Namgung Hui couldn't help but be concerned.

'They can't be guys who followed me because they were captivated by my beauty... As expected, is their target that Hyeongmun Escort Agency?'

Hadn't the Hyeongmun Escort Agency group mentioned the unorthodox path people just a while ago?

Since more than half of the martial artists flocking to the Iron Blood Alliance would be unorthodox path people, it was a perfectly possible thing for them to approach, aiming for the escorted goods.

No. Rather, if they were to just pass by, it would have to be seen as a cat passing by a fish.

The group of wildcats that had approached the delicious-looking fish was, as expected, judged to be unorthodox path people.

Their dark black clothes, far from Taoist robes, and their impressions full of scars here and there.

As if they were from different origins, from their attire to their weapons, everything was different.

Still, their purpose was one.

The escorted goods of the Hyeongmun Escort Agency.

As befitting unorthodox path people, they knew how to hide their presence.

As if they were used to this kind of thing, the unorthodox path people's coordination was also perfect.

Perhaps because of that, the escort agency group, despite having a night watch, noticed their presence late.

The unorthodox path people, who had already reached close quarters, swung their weapons.

-Chaeng!

"A-An attack!"

The night watch hastily announced the attack.

Thanks to that, the escort agency group, who had been dozing, immediately got up and launched a counterattack.

Fortunately, the Hyeongmun Escort Agency's escorts were all above first-rate.

It seemed it wasn't for nothing that the man named Escort Oh had such pride.

But the group of unorthodox path people who had launched a surprise attack was also formidable.

Since they had formed a formation and attacked first, the escort agency group was driven into a crisis like a candle in the wind.

In the end, one of the escorts dropped his sword and fell to the ground.

"Keuk! Damn it! To be done in by a mere unorthodox path riffraff."

"And you, a mere escort riffraff, are truly amazing to have received my sword for five clashes. For your reference, my title is the Vicious Dog."

"Vicious Dog, one of the hundred great masters of the unorthodox path...!"

"Yes. So don't be too disappointed. You can go to the afterlife and boast. Then, I'll consider your last words heard and send you on your way."

-Swoosh!

The moment the Vicious Dog's eerie sword blade headed for the escort's neck.

-Clang!

Something fell from the night sky and sent the Vicious Dog's sword flying in half.

What was rolling on the ground with the half-broken sword blade was...

"A pebble? My sword was split in half by a mere pebble?"

The Vicious Dog's eyes were full of disbelief, despite the situation unfolding right before him.

He belatedly turned his head in the direction the pebble had flown from and shouted towards the empty air.

"Who's there! Come out at once."

At the Vicious Dog's shout, the unorthodox path people who had been swinging their swords also looked there in unison.

There was no one there.

Until just a moment ago.

But suddenly, as if the moon had brightened the surroundings, a human figure popped out of thin air.

"Hah! It's a virgin ghost!"

Perhaps because rumors had been spreading recently that ghosts were appearing in the Qinghai Province area, the unorthodox path people, who were particularly sensitive to such rumors, flinched slightly.

Then, the Vicious Dog, who was holding the broken sword blade, shook his head and continued.

"No. A ghost cannot break my sword."

The Vicious Dog looked Namgung Hui up and down, then narrowed his eyes.

"A young woman breaking a sword with a pebble from a distance. You are no ordinary master. May I hear the reason for interfering with our event?"

The unorthodox path people were faithful to practical benefits.

When they judged that the opponent was stronger than them like this, they knew how to tuck their tails, regardless of age.

Indeed, as his title had 'dog' (犬) in it, he was quick-witted.

"I see the 'ken' in your title refers to 'to see' (見), not 'dog.' It's not for any other reason. I have a slight acquaintance with the granddaughter of the Hyeongmun Sect, so I intervened. If you all intend to attack, I will face you all."

The Vicious Dog's calculation was fast.

An answer came out immediately, without a moment's hesitation.

"No. We will withdraw from here. And to add a word, this was not simply an attack aimed at the escorted goods. Please understand that we also have our circumstances. In that sense, I will tell you a good story. It is said that the Divine Physician Sect Leader has appeared in Guizhou Province. Since he moved in extreme secrecy, there are almost no people who know. If you have any sick relatives, you should take them there. The location is Weng'an."

This level of information was not news that could be easily obtained.

As the Vicious Dog said, if the purpose was treatment, it could be news more precious than a thousand gold pieces.

For those whose lives were in immediate danger, it would be the most valuable information.

For Namgung Hui, it was also quite welcome news.

Not only the news of Seong Sohui, who could become the Saintess, but he also needed to meet the Divine Physician Sect Leader to discuss a new antidote for the Ice Soul Poison.

Was it because of that?

In fact, he had intended to cut down all the unorthodox path people, but his mind had changed.

"Alright. The Vicious Dog's goodwill has saved you all. You may all withdraw now."

"Thank you. We will all withdraw now."

Usually, if they were to withdraw so easily, a word of complaint would have come out, but perhaps because the Vicious Dog's control was so great, all the unorthodox path people obediently nodded and were withdrawing.

As all the unorthodox path people disappeared into the darkness, one of the escorts who had been watching the situation approached and offered a greeting.

"Young lady. Thank you for saving us. This humble one's name is Bang Yusu. Although I am still lacking, I am serving as the second escort leader of the Hyeongmun Escort Agency."

"My name is Namgung Jayeon. I had a connection with the young lady of your sect before. For your reference, I am not from the direct line, so you don't need to pay much attention to the name."

At the word 'Namgung,' the escorts murmured for a moment, but when the words 'branch family' followed, they became somewhat quiet.

Because, like all surnames, if it extended to the branch families, the number would be countless.

Hadn't even the emperor's surname been common and widespread?

"I heard earlier. If you mean the Sect Leader's granddaughter, you must be talking about Young Lady Jang Yuhui. There are no other granddaughters besides her."

In fact, since Namgung Hui hadn't even exchanged names at that time, it was a name he was hearing for the first time.

Still, since there was only one granddaughter, that must be her.

"Yes. But are you going to go back to sleep here?"

"It seems our luck is not good today, so I think we'll have to march through the night. So, I was wondering..."

Escort Leader Bang, who had paused for a moment, looked at Namgung Hui's expression and continued.

"By any chance, could you escort our procession? As for the reward, we will not make you feel disappointed."

"If our destination is the same, there's no reason I can't. Where are you headed?"

"We are heading to Changsha, where the Golden Merchant Guild is. Is that perhaps inconvenient for you?"

"As it happens, I am also going to Changsha, so it should be fine. I will receive the reward in something other than money, so let's talk about the settlement when we arrive."

"Excellent. Then I will go and have a word with my subordinates for a moment."

Escort Leader Bang roughly explained the situation to the escort agency group and told them it would be a night march, and everyone's complexion darkened.

But to go back to sleep in a place where they had been attacked once was also an act that went against the customs of an escort procession.

Was it said that if negativity remained, the procession itself would be cursed?

Well, it was just a superstition, but since there was no law that said they wouldn't be attacked again, it was right to force a march and evacuate to a safe area.

On top of that, if they were to sleep in a place like this, they might just accumulate fatigue due to nightmares.

"Hyeongmun Escort Agency! Depart!"

-Hee-haw!

And so, the night's forced march began, and the escorts walked with their shoulders slumped.

One hour, two hours, three hours.

By the time the long forced march was coming to an end, the day was dawning, and warm sunlight filled the mountain path.

Only then did the escorts greet the sunlight with their whole bodies and stretch wide.

"Hoo-ah...! Now I feel like I can live."

"Everyone, it's not far to the village, so let's put in a little more effort."

Rattle, rattle.

The carriage carrying the escorted goods bounced its shoulders, clearly showing that they had left the mountain path.

Now they were walking on a flat main road, not a steep mountain path.

Like that flat main road, the journey safely reached a nearby village.

From here, there were also government soldiers nearby, so it would be difficult for the unorthodox path people to run wild.

Even if it wasn't a government office, since people's eyes were everywhere, the orthodox faction's wandering heroes, who were scattered about, would not stand by.

It was with that in mind that Escort Leader Bang had pushed for the forced march.

"You can all sleep to your heart's content this morning. But! Refrain from drinking alcohol completely. We have to set out again at noon."

They also knew that it was more comfortable to rest all at once later, so they readily nodded their heads.

And so, they parked the carriage at the largest inn in the village, and the escort agency group went in for a nap.

As for Namgung Hui, since he had already reached the state of perfection, he was not sleepy.

If he forced himself to close his eyes and sleep, it wasn't that he couldn't, but he didn't want to waste time like that.

Just by watching people from the window on the second floor of the inn like this, he could hear quite a few interesting stories.

"Have you heard the news that the Wolf King has made an appearance?"

"Yes. They say the Dongting Lake area is bustling because of the Heavenly Wolf Troupe. If the Wolf King joins the Iron Blood Alliance, that means two of the Ten Great Masters will be gathered there. It will become an organization that can never be ignored in the future."

Currently, among the Ten Great Masters of the orthodox path, only four could be considered to be fully affiliated with the Martial Alliance.

The Shaolin Divine Monk, the Taiji Sword Immortal, the Beggars' Sect King, and the Sichuan Poison King.

Unfortunately, a few of them, for some reason, were reluctant to actively participate in the history of the martial world.

Unlike them, if it was the Iron Blood Alliance, which was united by interests, it was a different story.

The Hwangbo Family Head, the Invincible Fist King, Hwangbo Hocheon.

Since he originally had a very magnanimous disposition, now that he had become the leader of the Iron Blood Alliance, he would surely step forward for matters related to the alliance.

The Heavenly Wolf Troupe Leader, the Wolf King, would also not refuse unpleasant tasks if the interests and rewards matched.

Because that was what a ronin was.

In addition to that, the martial artists recruited with the vast capital of the black market would surely be worth their price.

And the sects that had joined for their own interests would also actively participate in that context.

With this, the current martial world was in a more volatile situation than ever before.

But the faces of the people passing by were filled with vitality and expectation.

In this chaos, they would only be thinking of the benefits they could gain.

Without considering that they themselves could die or get hurt.

Because people originally tended to run towards the best outcome rather than the worst.

'Well, hope is better than despair.'

After that, the conversations of the passersby continued to catch his ear, but this time, a welcome voice flew in from a distance, so much so that the words of the passersby didn't even enter his ears.

(End of Chapter)