Rebirth of the Thunder God

-Kang, kang, kang!

Ten men, as if they had become one body, performed a joint attack.

Namgung Hui struck down the enemies' attacks in one go with his sword and sent a palm technique.

Esoteric Sect's Great Hand Seal. Rakshasa's Palm. Unsurpassed.

The reason for the nickname 'Black Guest,' a black and grand energy rushed towards the enemies.

The Fist King, who was watching this, as if quite surprised, unfolded his crossed arms and clenched his fists.

-Kwagwagwagwang!

As the huge energy collided with the enemies, the roof shook, and stone powder rained down.

"Keuk...!"

"What an absurd power."

Even though they had only clashed once, the enemies' condition was not very good.

However, since their fighting spirit was not completely broken, Namgung Hui prepared his next move again.

'Shall I try a fist technique this time?'

To boast of his fists in front of the Fist King?

It might seem like a huge provocation, but even in his past life, the Thunder God was the best when it came to fists.

Hadn't the person called the Fist King in those days been severely educated by Namgung Hui?

The Fist King, who did not know such a fact, smiled and stared at Namgung Hui as he clenched his fists.

'Look at this? You're going to perform a fist technique in front of me? A clear provocation.'

The Fist King narrowed his eyes as if to say, 'Go ahead and try,' and watched the situation.

Namgung Hui, as there was no sign of him joining in, decided to take care of the people in front of him first.

-Peok. Peok. Peok!

It seemed as if he had only extended his fist once, but three men were knocked down in succession by his fist.

Even as they were losing consciousness, they didn't seem to know the reason.

That was how swift Namgung Hui's fist was, to the point of being invisible.

Not to mention the accuracy, he struck the enemies' vital points and knocked them out one by one.

Jang Hwang, who was on Namgung Hui's back, was surprised that the opponents were falling so easily, but he was also amazed that Namgung Hui was not killing the enemies.

Hadn't they threatened Jang Hwang and Namgung Hui?

Of course, although the Fist King had not said he would take their lives, he had judged it to be a sufficiently dangerous situation.

But it seemed that was not the case for Namgung Hui.

'Did my younger brother figure something out? Then I should also try performing a sorcery.'

Jang Hwang, because he trusted Namgung Hui, boldly performed a sorcery even in the middle of a battle.

And so, while Jang Hwang was chanting, Namgung Hui was able to lay all ten men on the ground.

"..."

Since they were all unconscious, not even a groan escaped now.

The woman called the Manor Lord and the Fist King, who were just watching quietly even as all their subordinates were being defeated.

Although he didn't know what their scheme was, Namgung Hui had finished his work for now.

"Great Hero Fist King. Can I consider the test to be over at this point?"

"Hahaha! As the rumors say, your palm technique is amazing. That must be a martial art called the Great Hand Seal, right?"

The Fist King, who had recognized Namgung Hui's martial art.

Perhaps because he was a person of the Hwangbo family who enjoyed using fist and palm techniques, it was not strange for him to know a palm technique called the Great Hand Seal.

In the first place, there weren't many energies with such an inky color, and the only martial arts that showed the shape of a palm were the Great Hand Seal and the martial arts of the Shaolin Temple.

Rather, if he hadn't recognized it, Namgung Hui might have been disappointed in him.

'As expected, he's definitely not a stupid person. He's closer to a fox than a bear.'

Now was the time to sound out the fox's inner thoughts.

Namgung Hui waited for the Fist King's mouth to open and stealthily checked the Manor Lord's face as well.

'What is that woman thinking too? She doesn't seem to be a person of the Dugu family.'

At first, he had thought she was just a representative of the Dugu Family Head, but looking at her and the Fist King's attitude, it didn't seem to be the case.

Even at the moment the name of the Dugu family was mentioned, there was no sign of anxiety, and not only was there no killing intent towards Namgung Hui himself, but there was not even any hostility.

The Fist King curled the corners of his mouth and spoke.

"You're quick-witted. Did you know from the beginning?"

"Not from the beginning, but I just noticed because there was no hostility."

"Then again, my kids can't imitate that kind of thing. I'll have to be careful from next time."

"So what is the reason for testing me like this?"

Namgung Hui was really curious.

Why they had gone through such a troublesome matter to test Namgung Hui's martial prowess.

If they had coveted the martial art called the Esoteric Sect's Great Hand Seal and the sorcery of the Maoshan Sect, they could have stepped in and subdued him themselves.

And if they were really planning to embrace the Dugu family, they would have attacked with hostility.

"For now, I wanted to confirm it with my own two eyes. The lost Esoteric Sect's Great Hand Seal."

If it were the Fist King, it was plausible that he would have such curiosity.

Right now, even Namgung Hui, when he had discovered the Great Hand Seal in the Imperial Palace's secret repository, hadn't his heart trembled greatly?

Although the Esoteric Sect's Great Hand Seal was not a martial art of the Central Plains, its fame was so great that it was a martial art that even a non-fist user would covet.

Moreover, if it were the Fist King, a fist user, it was needless to say.

That was why Namgung Hui had been more wary of the Fist King.

In case he might try to subdue Namgung Hui, aiming for the Esoteric Sect's Great Hand Seal.

But in the Fist King's eyes, there was no greed.

In the first place, if that were the case, he would have stepped in himself and tried to subdue Namgung Hui.

"So what are your thoughts after appreciating the Great Hand Seal? Does it look useful?"

"Not just useful. It was to the point that I realized there is another sky above the sky. Thanks to that, I was able to add inspiration to the martial art I'm currently conceptualizing. Thank you."

"If you're really grateful, let's get to the main point."

"Hoho. Alright. Manor Lord, you sit down again too."

Namgung Hui also set Jang Hwang down and sat on a chair, keeping a moderate distance from them.

Jang Hwang, with a rather less wary expression, whispered in Namgung Hui's ear.

"From what I've briefly observed, it seems the Dugu Family Head is not here. It seems they have sent him outside."

"Did you read the scene that was here with your sorcery?"

"That's right."

Jang Hwang, like the Saintess of the Demonic Cult, could read the memories contained in objects to some extent.

The stronger the lingering grudge, the more there was to read.

Jang Hwang said that this sorcery had played a significant role in how he had been making a living until now.

Although he didn't tell him in detail what kind of work he had been doing.

And so, as Namgung Hui's party also finished sitting down, the Manor Lord clapped her hands and ordered a tea and refreshments table to be brought out.

At the same time, she had all the unconscious people cleared away and instantly tidied up the rather messy interior of the manor.

Although it was fragmentary, even after seeing Namgung Hui's martial prowess, she did not show much fear.

Rather than simply trusting the Fist King, the person herself seemed bold.

'She doesn't look that old, but she's very resourceful.'

Whether she was a person of the Dugu family or not, he would have to hear from now on.

"Yes. As for the main point, it would be better to hear it from the Manor Lord here than from me. Now that my business is more or less over, please speak. Manor Lord."

"Yes. Then I will properly introduce myself first. This young girl is called Yeon Seohui, and I manage the Taejeong Merchant Guild here."

"By manage, do you mean you are the merchant guild leader?"

"Yes. Although I have many shortcomings, I am called that."

Namgung Hui let out a small sigh of relief that she was not a Dugu.

And with that relief, a small question arose.

"Then what is the reason for creating a situation like this?"

"I will tell you right away. In fact, we are not affiliated with the Blood Cult or the Dugu family, as the Black Guest thinks. We were not interested in factions like the orthodox or unorthodox paths at all. Because the merchant guild was only interested in money."

"Then how did it come to this?"

Yeon Seohui, who made a rather pitiful expression for a moment, continued to speak calmly.

"For that, we must go back 10 years..."

And so, her long speech that began was quite long, but to summarize the key points.

"So. The previous merchant guild leader was poisoned and will die if he doesn't receive an antidote every month. Because of that, you have been the hands and feet of the Dugu family for 10 years."

"It's shameful and miserable, but to put it briefly, yes."

"And to overcome this, you asked the Fist King for help."

"Yes. That's correct. So we sent the Dugu Family Head away for a while and were discussing it among ourselves."

Still, a question remained.

As if they had predicted that Namgung Hui and Jang Hwang would come, hadn't they prepared this situation itself, including the test?

Namgung Hui looked at the Fist King with a suspicious gaze and continued.

"I understand the situation, but how did you know we would come? Seeing as you meticulously set up a formation in advance and led the situation like this, it's as if you had predicted it."

Jang Hwang also nodded his head from the side.

Even from his perspective, their reaction was something that had been arranged in advance.

Could it be that his nephew, the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader, had given them a hint?

That couldn't be. Blood was thicker than water.

And he didn't smell any conspiracy from him.

Yeon Seohui opened her mouth with a bitter smile.

"Actually, the one we asked for help from first was not the Great Hero Fist King here. It was the Zhuge family."

It was right to seek out the Sichuan Tang family or the Zhuge family for matters related to poison.

Although the Sichuan Tang family, which directly handled poison, would be the best, since they were so reclusive, the Taejeong Merchant Guild would not be able to meet them easily.

If so, as a second-best option, the wise Zhuge family could be expected to offer a clever plan.

"What did the Zhuge family say?"

"Surprisingly, the elder Cheongi-ja himself gave us advice. He said that a noble person would visit today, so we should prepare to greet the guest and create a situation like this."

"...Elder Cheongi-ja."

If it were Cheongi-ja, who was said to see the heavens' secrets, such a thing might be possible.

But as far as Namgung Hui knew, he knew that it was impossible for even Cheongi-ja or the First Envoy to see the future so accurately.

Unless the Saintess of the Blood Cult were to predict it with a prophetic dream.

'Well, if he had inferred that I would come based on the circumstances or other information, it wouldn't be impossible. If you sort through the information I left at the Pungun Merchant Guild, my movements can be read to some extent.'

Namgung Hui, who held a grudge against the Dugu family more than anyone.

If he were to find out about the existence of the Taejeong Merchant Guild, it might be obvious that he would visit like this.

To the smart Cheongi-ja, it might be a future that could be seen clearly.

Perhaps it was Cheongi-ja who had leaked the whereabouts of the Dugu Family Head to the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader.

"So Elder Cheongi-ja asked me to take care of this?"

"Yes. Actually, since it was a matter I was suddenly contacted about, I was honestly flustered too."

"Your face doesn't look like it."

As Namgung Hui stared at Yeon Seohui's face, she stroked her expressionless face and said.

"This is the result of thorough training to hide my expression until now. It was unavoidable for survival."

To plot such a thing under the surveillance of the Dugu family, such expression management might be the most necessary talent.

Anyway, Namgung Hui had a rough grasp of the situation.

Rather, if the Taejeong Merchant Guild wanted to break free from the embrace of the Dugu family, it would be to his advantage to help them.

'The financial source of the Blood Cult, and if it's the Dugu family's at that, I must help.'

Perhaps the Fist King had come aiming for the Taejeong Merchant Guild's money by taking advantage of the situation. He was really a fox.

He would probably try to place the Taejeong Merchant Guild under the Iron Blood Fortress on the pretext of giving a little help here.

Since the Taejeong Merchant Guild would also not have to suffer such humiliation again if they had a reliable backer.

"Alright. Please show me the former merchant guild leader."

"Can you really detoxify my father?"

Yeon Seohui asked with a stoic expression, but in fact, her inner thoughts were half in doubt, no, more than ninety percent of her was untrusting.

It was a matter of course.

Although the reputation of the Black Guest had been rampant lately, he was a wild man who looked like a mere ronin.

How could such a person treat someone who had been poisoned by the Dugu family?

No matter how much Cheongi-ja had said, it was an unavoidable thing that she instinctively did not have faith.

At that time, the Fist King said.

"Still, there must be a reason why the elder recommended him. And isn't the sect leader of the Maoshan Sect also here? Let's just have him take a look first. If it doesn't work, we can think about it again then."

"Yes. Then please follow me."

Namgung Hui and Jang Hwang stood up from their seats and followed her, but they soon had to stop their steps.

The reason was...

"Manor Lord! The Dugu Family Head has returned!”

(End of Chapter)