Rebirth of the Thunder God

-Swaeaek!

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

Could it be that there was a hidden assassin?

Namgung Hui easily blocked the flying dagger and then grabbed Yeon Seo-hee's wrist.

"Miss Yeon. It's me. The Black Guest who came to save you."

"B-Benefactor!?"

"That's right. Since I'm disguised in a different form now, it's understandable that you're confused. The Dugu Family Head might come in the early morning, so let's escape quickly."

"Escape? Ah. First, I have to save my father."

"We have plenty of time, so that's the plan. Is the merchant guild leader in the same manor as before?"

"Yes. Perhaps because they thought there was still much to find out from my father, they are threatening me by holding me hostage. And they fed me the poison that you had so much trouble detoxifying..."

[Sword Spirit. Did you hear that? Take care of it.]

[Alright~]

The Sword Spirit, who had regained its brightness as before.

Although he had been confused about his identity for a while, whatever the fact that he was an imugi, the Sword Spirit was the Sword Spirit of now.

Rather, he said it was quite fun to consume the delicious energy from the Thunder God Sword and wander around this human world.

And for good reason, how lonely and desolate must it have been when he was sealed in the Imperial Palace's secret repository?

Even just looking at the natural scenery would be fun for the Sword Spirit.

As the Sword Spirit sucked up all the poison, Namgung Hui said.

"Now you're detoxified. Are there any other problems?"

"Yes? Already?"

"Excuse me for a moment."

Namgung Hui grabbed her wrist and checked if there was any poison left inside.

As expected, as much as the Sword Spirit had also evolved, the cleanup was neat.

"Besides being weak, you're fine. Would you like some grain pills?"

Yeon Seo-hee, who had finally realized that the poison had left her body, regained her color and opened her mouth.

"No. Can you give me some water instead?"

Namgung Hui handed her the water pouch at his waist and said.

"My saliva is on it, so wipe it and drink."

"It's okay. Then I'll drink without touching it with my mouth."

Gulp, gulp.

Yeon Seo-hee, who had extraordinary consideration.

Although there was no need to go that far, she excluded any action that might offend Namgung Hui as much as possible.

She returned the water pouch and gently wiped the corner of her mouth.

"Phew... I feel like I can live now."

"Now let's go and save the merchant guild leader. Would you like me to carry you?"

"No. I'll walk on my own feet."

Stagger, stagger.

Perhaps because she had been locked up for a long time, she couldn't properly control her body.

Since Namgung Hui was so used to carrying people thanks to Jang Hwang, he immediately put Yeon Seo-hee on his back.

"B-Benefactor. Please put me down."

"What are you talking about? You can't even walk properly. We'll go straight to the manor. Hold on tight."

Every time Namgung Hui took a step, the place changed.

From the basement to the ground.

From the warehouse to the hallway.

From the hallway to the manor.

A strange phenomenon that seemed to have moved in just three steps.

Yeon Seo-hee, while rubbing her eyes, unable to believe this sight, the scenery changed again.

"F-Father?"

It was her father and the merchant guild leader, Yeon Tae-ryang, who was right in front of her.

"It's Seo-hee. It seems the benefactor has saved you again."

Yeon Tae-ryang, who immediately recognized Namgung Hui's disguise.

Was it the insight of someone who leads a merchant guild?

Thanks to that, he was able to save the little time he had.

"Since you recognize me, I can skip the explanation. The Dugu Family Head is said to be returning at dawn or in the morning. I plan to help you escape before then and attack the Dugu Family Head today."

Originally, he had planned to use the Dugu Family Head a little more and kill him slowly while giving him pain.

But what had happened at the Kunlun Mountains and Beak Seolhwa's escape had changed Namgung Hui's mind.

Now, the reason and justification for keeping the Dugu Family Head alive had disappeared.

It would be better to kill him and use him in a different way.

"But benefactor... It may be a disrespectful thing to say, but the Dugu Family Head is a truly great master. Will it be possible? How about you go with us instead? Even if I look like this, I have a lot of hidden assets."

"Don't worry about me. If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't have come to save you."

Yeon Seo-hee, since she remembered the talent Namgung Hui had shown before, was even more puzzled.

What he had shown when he was treating her father was definitely Thunder Ki.

The one famous for using Thunder Ki in the current martial world was the Hidden Dragon, Namgung Hui, who was mentioned the most among the rising generation of martial artists.

If the Black Guest in front of her was the person named Namgung Hui, how could he face the Dugu Family Head at his age?

‘Don't tell me the identity of Namgung Hui itself is also a disguised identity? Or is he a master of returning to youth?’

With Yeon Seo-hee's insight, she couldn't guess at all.

Returning to youth was also a word that only appeared in legends, and hadn't the qualities of a great master also only been heard of through word of mouth?

It seemed that a person who could face the Dugu Family Head at the age of a young man would have to be the Heavenly Demon or the Martial God of a past life.

"Benefactor. Don't do that and go with us. There's a safe house I've prepared for times like this."

"It's really fine. Rather, since you have that safe house, run there quickly. I'll buy you time. If there are any documents or items that shouldn't be left here, hurry up and pack them. We might have to burn everything."

The two, father and daughter, who exchanged glances for a moment.

As if they had decided to follow Namgung Hui's words, they nodded their heads and opened their mouths.

"Then, since we have to pack a few things, could you watch over us for a moment?"

"That's not difficult."

"Thank you so much. Then we'll start with the warehouse over there."

Namgung Hui, while spreading a soundproof formation, also put down a large luggage from time to time so that they could safely pack their things.

And so, they packed a bundle of documents and gems that looked rare into a bundle.

There were also valuables that looked quite heavy, but after repeatedly lifting and putting them down, they finally gave up with a look of regret.

At that moment, Namgung Hui casually asked.

"It seems you can't pack this because it's heavy. May I pack it all?"

"If you pack it for us, benefactor, we would welcome it. I was inwardly thinking of burning it so that the Dugu family bastards wouldn't get it."

"Alright. Then I'll consider it as you've given me permission and pack it."

Namgung Hui took out his space formation pouch and packed the luggage one by one.

The two, father and daughter, who were watching this, were so impressed that they even raised their voices.

"Benefactor! Where did you get such a rare and precious item?"

"I made it myself. I spread a formation that reduces space inside the pouch. Well, I have to repair it from time to time, and I can't put that many things in it. Now, it's full."

It was just that it compressed the items a little. It wasn't like he was carrying a portable warehouse.

And it didn't even reduce the weight, so one had to have the strength like Namgung Hui to carry it.

"Still, if you reinforce it a little more, I think a groundbreaking item will come out."

"At that level, it would be more effective for the Daoists of the Kunlun Mountains to make it than me. Well, let's think about this later and escape first."

"Ah. I understand."

What was important was a life that was not broken.

No matter how good a business one planned in this place, if one couldn't survive, it would be all for naught, wouldn't it?

They headed for the escape route they had planned in advance, and Namgung Hui dealt with the martial artists of the Dugu family who were blocking the way from time to time.

A neat cleanup where not even a death cry leaked out.

It was so concise and efficient that it could be seen as the skill of an assassin.

The Yeon father and daughter, who were slightly nervous seeing Namgung Hui's handiwork.

"You don't have to be so wary. My blade will not be aimed at you. Miss Yeon, you roughly know my identity, don't you?"

"Ah. Yes. That's right. Young Master."

"Please tell the Guild Leader my identity later. Since we're in the same boat, we need to know what we need to know."

Namgung Hui was not just saving them.

Regardless of whether the Taejeong Merchant Guild was good or evil, Namgung Hui had a mountain of work to do.

The reason he had come to the merchant guild and saved them was to take care of the Dugu Family Head and to embrace the Taejeong Merchant Guild into the Righteous Heaven Alliance.

‘Although it's not as big as the other three major merchant guilds of the Central Plains, if I can recruit them from the roots like this, it's not a bad investment.’

Rather, a place where power was dispersed here and there like the Golden Merchant Guild was difficult to recruit.

Since it was obvious that checks would pour in from here and there, it would be more efficient and effective to absorb a merchant guild of a moderate size.

And so, as Namgung Hui dealt with about ten martial artists, a whistle was suddenly heard from inside the manor.

Ppiiik-!

"There's an intruder! Everyone, move in groups of three!"

No matter how silently he eliminated them, if a gap in the personnel was created, it was bound to be discovered.

Since the patrol teams periodically exchanged signals with each other, they had no choice but to notice if so many were down.

"Benefactor. We'll go on our own from here."

"I can't see you off far. It seems I'll have to keep blocking the way here."

"Then we'll be in your debt. Let's be sure to see each other alive."

As Namgung Hui nodded his head, the Yeon father and daughter threw themselves towards a secret passage.

Namgung Hui waited for them to pass completely and then collapsed the entrance entirely.

So that the pursuers could not chase the father and daughter, just in case.

"The intruder has been found here!"

"Everyone, to the side gate of the manor!!"

The martial artists of the Dugu family, who gathered all at once.

Their energy was definitely more restrained and calm than a mere bandit group.

The training they had accumulated was also not inferior to the disciples of the Nine Factions and One Sect.

"That bastard is a martial artist of the Hwangbo family!"

"Did the Iron Blood Fortress break their alliance with us!"

Since Namgung Hui was planning to use a stratagem of sowing discord, he did not correct their misunderstanding.

Rather, to further increase that misunderstanding, he took a fighting stance with his bare hands.

"Do the guys from the Dugu family only fight with their mouths? Stop chattering and come at me."

"Yiik! Everyone, attack!"

And so, twenty people rushed at Namgung Hui in a group.

Although they showed an excited look, as befitting the martial artists of the Six Demonic Families, their sword formation was quite dense.

Unlike that of the military, it moved more flexibly and organically.

Was it a lesson from the Righteous-Demonic War?

While the military's was for those who did not know martial arts, they had built a sword formation thoroughly targeting martial artists, and among them, the orthodox faction.

Chwararak! Kararang!

A feast of sword strikes that came in at a certain rhythm.

From time to time, they even mixed in off-beats and confused the rhythm.

Namgung Hui, who was briefly interested, received their swords, but in the end, they did not reach Namgung Hui.

-Peobeok! Peobeobeok!

The martial artists who were knocked down one after another by Namgung Hui's fist.

As if they had sensed that something was wrong, they briefly stopped their sword formation and whispered among themselves.

"Even if it's not the Fist King, our sword formation isn't working?"

"Then did the young master come in person? But that's not the appearance of the young master we know."

"It seems he's a martial artist secretly raised by the Hwangbo family. We have to kill him no matter what!"

The people of the Dugu family, who were raising their fighting spirit again.

But they also inwardly guessed.

The fact that the difference in level with Namgung Hui was significant.

Although they rushed in forcefully, there was no hope.

The fighting spirit that had been burning gradually cooled down.

And even the hope that had been shining like a firefly was extinguished.

And so, while even the moonlight that had been rising was becoming faint.

-Flash.

As if the dawn were rising.

A light burst out from the entrance of the manor.

And it was scattering a sharp Sword Ki.

(End of Chapter)