Rebirth of the Thunder God

"Alright. Then I'll ask you right away. The Hidden Dragon of the Namgung family, Namgung Hui. Deliver this letter to him."

"...The youngest son of the Namgung family, you mean?"

"Yes. He's the one who's been mentioned the most among the rising generation of martial artists lately. Did you not know?"

"No. I've heard that name before. However, I wonder if the child of the Namgung family would come to this distant Iron Blood Fortress."

Of course, Namgung Hui was pleased with this proposal, but as Jang Cheol, he couldn't show it.

After all, the fact that the Fist King didn't know his identity meant that there was always room to use it.

"I've even made an offer to the Black and White Twin Elders of the Heretic Faction. Why wouldn't I be able to reach out to a mere rising generation martial artist? I'll give him a generous reward as well, so if you just deliver this letter safely, there will be good news. I don't expect a reply right away, so just deliver it."

Perhaps because Namgung Hui was a rising generation martial artist of the orthodox faction, no matter how sweet the conditions the Fist King presented, he had no choice but to deliberate.

The Fist King, as much as he was cunning, also had patience, so he was prepared to wait for the reply of Namgung Hui, who was much his junior.

‘He's a more dangerous fellow than I thought. He's not a person who would refuse anything for his own purpose.’

Namgung Hui, while wrapping up the mission that was already half-accomplished, nodded his head.

"Alright. Delivering a letter is an easy task, so I'll do it right away."

"Thank you. As a reward, I'm planning to give you this. I hope you like it."

Namgung Hui, while accepting the wooden box that the Fist King held out, asked.

"It seems to be a spirit medicine. Before I open it, I'd like to hear an explanation of what it is. I'm afraid the scent of the medicine might escape."

"The explanation is easy. It's a spirit medicine I prepared because you're from a ronin background. To put it simply, it's an item that transforms the internal energy you possess into a pure one. It's called the Clear and Bright Divine Pill."

The Clear and Bright Divine Pill was a spirit medicine that Namgung Hui had also heard of.

Because of its effect, it was a very precious spirit medicine even in his past life, but he couldn't understand what kind of talent the Fist King possessed to have even this kind of spirit medicine.

More than anything, seeing him hand over such a precious thing so readily, he was no ordinary person.

‘I haven't shown such a great talent, yet he trusts me.’

Although it wasn't a spirit medicine that Namgung Hui needed right away, thinking that it would be useful someday, he immediately put the spirit medicine in his bosom.

"I will use this well. Thank you. Fortress Lord."

"Why don't you eat it here? I'll stand guard for you."

"I'm not mentally prepared yet. And I also want to see the effect at once after accumulating more internal energy."

"Hmm. That would be more efficient. Do so. Then I'll trust that you'll handle the requested task well."

"Yes. Just leave it to me."

Namgung Hui, after cupping his fists to the Fist King, left the place.

The Fist King, who was staring at Namgung Hui, murmured quietly with a strange smile.

"Now the die is cast. How the dice will fall depends on the heavens. Then shall I prepare the rest?"

***

Namgung Hui, who had left the Iron Blood Fortress, wandered through a deserted alley with Jang Hwang.

"Brother. Are there still eyes watching us?"

"No. They fell off a moment ago. I looked around a little more just in case."

"If so, that's a relief. If we had walked a little more, this older brother's legs would have been broken."

"Brother, your exaggeration is the best in the world. Then let's start the transformation as planned."

"Alright. I'll do as you say."

Namgung Hui, who had left the Iron Blood Fortress, did not head straight for Hubei Province.

In the first place, the task the Fist King had requested was a mission that had been resolved on the spot since Namgung Hui himself had received the letter.

If so, he should have run to Hubei Province to meet Beak Seolhwa, but it was still a long way for her to come from Guangdong Province.

Besides, since she had said she would take a detour to avoid Hunan Province, it would take at least half a month.

In the meantime, Namgung Hui was planning to carry out the plan he had originally intended.

Jang Hwang, who had finished his disguise with a transformation art, turned his body here and there and asked.

"How is it? Are there any awkward parts?"

"Brother. You need to tighten the fist guards a little more. The people of the Hwangbo family have a more meticulous side than I thought."

"Now?"

"Yes. Now it's perfect. There's no flaw."

"You're also seamless. The Hao Faction leader's art of disguise must be amazing."

Namgung Hui and Jang Hwang were currently disguised as people from the Hwangbo family.

The reason they had suddenly disguised themselves as people from the Hwangbo family was.

‘Because I haven't given up on the Dugu Family Head yet.’

Besides, if he were to treat the merchant guild leader of the Taejeong Merchant Guild and just leave him, there was no way the Dugu Family Head, who had returned from his mission, would let them live.

If a proper alliance with the Iron Blood Fortress were to be concluded, there would be no need to let the betrayed Taejeong Merchant Guild live.

Perhaps he could even take over the business of the Taejeong Merchant Guild with the connections of the Iron Blood Fortress.

"The Dugu Family Head's mind-reading won't work if you just carry this talisman. Since it's full of vengeful spirits, if he tries to see through your emotions, only his own eyes will hurt."

"Then let's go right away."

And so, Namgung Hui and Jang Hwang, who headed for the safe house of the Taejeong Merchant Guild.

Since it was located not far away, they were able to arrive in less than an hour.

The people of the Dugu family were still guarding the place, and when the people of the Hwangbo family appeared, they showed a rather flustered look.

"The Family Head didn't say anything. How did you come?"

"Didn't he go out on a mission now? We came because we have something urgent to deliver. It would be easier to say it's a reward for the mission."

As Namgung Hui casually took out a wooden box, the eyes of the people of the Dugu family flashed, and they nodded their heads.

They must have recognized something precious.

"Alright. Please wait inside until the Family Head arrives. But you can't wander around anywhere."

"We will. We'll just be cooped up in a corner of the room."

"Ahem. That's not what I meant, but anyway. Please go in."

Namgung Hui and Jang Hwang, while pretending to unpack their luggage in the assigned guest room, observed the situation.

"It seems nothing has changed since we left. However, I don't see that lady named Yeon Seo-hee. I wonder if she's being held captive."

Namgung Hui, at Jang Hwang's words, immediately spread his electric net and observed the interior.

As expected, as Jang Hwang had said, Yeon Seo-hee seemed to be held captive, as her presence was felt from the vicinity of the basement.

Still, the fortunate thing was that the merchant guild leader, who had just been detoxified, was also still breathing.

‘They probably need the business or internal secrets, so they can't kill them easily. Since that's their last lifeline, they won't confess it either.’

But that would change when the Dugu Family Head returned.

With his talent for seeing through emotions, he could extract secrets through a few tortures.

Or he could make them confess with the cruel torture techniques of the Dugu family.

Since Namgung Hui didn't know when the Dugu Family Head would return, he decided to carry out the operation right away.

"Brother. Please take care of things until I get back."

"I've made a doll to disguise as you, so go and come back safely."

Jang Hwang, the sect leader of the Maoshan Sect with many talents.

Although it was difficult to deceive the Ki sense of a master, at least he could deceive the naked eye.

Well, since the martial artists of the Dugu family wouldn't be examining the guest room in detail, that much would be enough.

Namgung Hui, while performing the Hidden Dragon Walk, erased his presence.

Jang Hwang, watching Namgung Hui disappear before his eyes, spoke to the empty air in an admiring tone.

"He's really a ghost. To think there's a ghost I can't see. Hohoho."

Namgung Hui, watching Jang Hwang, shook his head and then quietly left the guest room.

Just past the hallway, the martial artists of the Dugu family were guarding the center.

Had they still not let down their guard against Namgung Hui's party?

They were standing there, yawning and rubbing their sleepy eyes.

Even though Namgung Hui passed by him, the martial artist of the Dugu family did not notice at all.

He just wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes.

"You. Did you hear when the Family Head is coming?"

"He said he would arrive tomorrow morning. Since he's a person who keeps his time promises like a knife, he might even come earlier."

"Phew... Then sleeping on duty is out of the question. Should I sleep now?"

"That's a good idea. There might be a small banquet tomorrow, so let's take turns sleeping. The people of the Hwangbo family don't seem to be moving much."

"Alright. Then I'll get some sleep first."

The martial artists of the Dugu family, far from noticing Namgung Hui, were even trying to sleep.

And they had even told him when the Dugu Family Head would return.

For Namgung Hui, it was truly information like rain in a drought.

‘It means the Dugu Family Head will arrive tomorrow morning or at dawn. Good. I'll take care of them all at once on this occasion.’

Namgung Hui, since he needed to rescue the people of the Taejeong Merchant Guild first, headed to the basement where their presence was detected.

But Namgung Hui, who had arrived there, couldn't find the passage down and scratched his cheek.

‘As expected, such a basement doesn't reveal its passage carelessly. But I have a detector.’

Namgung Hui took out the fidgeting Chichi from his bosom and said.

"Chichi. There are people under here. Can you find the entrance to that place?"

[With an empty mouth?]

"Phew... When we go to Hubei Province, we'll eat and drink properly then. I'll buy you one bottle of Thunder River Wine and one bottle of expensive high-class wine then."

[Three bottles.]

"Let's make it two bottles. Find it quickly."

[Alright. Wait a moment.]

Chichi, now as then, was full of greed for alcohol.

Since he was accumulating spiritual power with alcohol, such greed was a natural result.

But he also had a desire for him to accumulate some training like other spirit beasts.

[Found it. It's here.]

A shabby makeshift tent that looked like a warehouse.

It was hard to think of it as a passage because things were scattered here and there.

How could one think of this as a passage when there were even cobwebs?

It seemed they had even made cobwebs artificially to disguise it.

Namgung Hui cleared away the cobwebs and carefully moved the iron box that was placed there.

A slight dragging sound was made, but the sound did not leak outside.

That was because Namgung Hui had spread a soundproof formation in advance.

Namgung Hui, with a satisfied smile at his satisfactory response, opened the door on the floor.

Kkiiing...

The door opened with a rusty friction sound.

A damp and musty smell pierced his nose from inside, and Chichi, as soon as he smelled it, immediately hid in Namgung Hui's bosom.

[Aigo~ The smell. I've done my job now, so I'm going back to sleep~]

He couldn't tell if this was a bear or a squirrel.

It wasn't even winter, yet he was always sleeping, which was quite an eyesore.

Still, since he did his part when needed, he had to take him around like this.

Namgung Hui shook his head and then stepped on the stairs leading down to the basement.

Perhaps because the space inside the basement was quite large, the sound of his footsteps echoed unusually loudly.

It seemed to be a place that had been used as a real warehouse before.

The fact that it was empty now meant that the supplies that had been stored here had been smuggled somewhere.

‘Avoiding the eyes of the Martial Arts Alliance, they stored the supplies, and now that the Taejeong Merchant Guild is no longer needed, it seems they sent everything to the Blood Cult. And the one who helped with that was probably the Iron Blood Fortress.’

Namgung Hui's such impressions had to stop after a short while.

That was because he saw Yeon Seo-hee, who was locked in a cage.

Although it was a crude iron cage, it would be difficult for Yeon Seo-hee to escape even that.

The moment Namgung Hui was about to forcefully open the iron cage and take her out.

Suddenly, a dagger flew from the darkness and aimed for Namgung Hui's throat.

(End of Chapter)