Rebirth of the Thunder God

-Your Highness. Just stay behind me. There is a master ahead.

A master that even Namgung Hui had to be wary of.

He didn't think he would lose if they fought, but fighting while protecting someone was another matter.

And this was the middle of Beijing.

He was reluctant to cause a commotion and draw attention.

"What could happen here in Beijing? Let's just go in."

Despite Namgung Hui's warning, she confidently entered the inn as if it were no big deal.

Well, as she said, this was Beijing where the Imperial Palace was, so no matter how much of a Transformation master he was, he wouldn't be able to move rashly.

On top of that, since Ju Seoyeon was currently dressed as a man, there was no chance that the other party knew and was waiting for her.

Namgung Hui was just being cautious in case of an emergency.

‘An inn is a place where all sorts of trouble can start.’

It didn't matter if she was a princess or not.

In an inn, if you look weak, like prey, or are just unlucky, a fight will break out.

Hadn't Namgung Hui himself accumulated numerous experiences?

It was so much so that it was said that an event happened at the inn every day.

Anyway. Since Ju Seoyeon had already entered the inn, Namgung Hui had no choice but to follow her inside.

Unlike its shabby exterior, the interior was neat.

Rather, it felt so out of place that the interior felt better than any other inn.

At this sense of incongruity, Namgung Hui tilted his head.

‘This is not an ordinary inn. The exterior must be a disguise.’

There was a place like this in the Hao Faction as well.

A place that disguised itself as an inn but was actually a branch of the Hao Faction.

Wasn't the inn where Namgung Hui was staying also such a Beijing branch of the Hao Faction?

Besides that, there were also many cases where it was used as a secret base or safe house for assassins.

And it was often used as a hideout for strange organizations.

The reason was that all sorts of people gathered at inns, and even if someone died, they could get away with it by citing the non-aggression pact with the authorities.

Namgung Hui sat in front of Ju Seoyeon with a calm expression and spread his telepathic net.

‘There are three presences. One must be the cook in the kitchen, another is the owner, and the last one is that Hwagyeong master.’

The man who seemed to be the inn owner and the Hwagyeong master were secretly talking in a room.

Moreover, perhaps because they had even installed a soundproofing device, Namgung Hui could not hear their conversation.

But it was impossible to block all sounds like a soundproof formation.

Namgung Hui used the Electric Pole Opening to raise his hearing to the maximum and began to eavesdrop on the conversation.

-……. Jinmu’s mind changes □■ good ■□

-Think more □■…….

He couldn't hear the details, but he could roughly guess who the Hwagyeong master was.

‘With this level of presence and being called Jinmu, it must be that Gwak Hui Jinmu. Indeed, with this level of skill, he deserves to be recognized by people.’

He was not a master who was forcibly created like Ju Seoyeon in front of him.

That person's presence was like a single, well-polished spear.

He was a man who had truly polished his martial arts so diligently that even Namgung Hui could not let his guard down.

It seemed someone was trying to recruit that Gwak Hui Jinmu, but Gwak Hui seemed to have not yet made a decision.

‘If I trace back the ownership of this inn, I can find out the organization that is trying to recruit him.’

After finishing their conversation, the two people came out of the room and, upon seeing Ju Seoyeon and Namgung Hui, immediately changed their expressions.

"Welcome. What would you like to eat?"

"Give us two of your best dishes."

"Yes. We have five-spice pork and noodles. Is that alright?"

"Of course, it's alright."

"Yes. I'll bring it out right away."

Namgung Hui, upon hearing the inn owner's words, immediately realized his affiliation.

‘It's the Eastern Depot. The fact that they are trying to recruit Gwak Hui there means it's the position of the Hoicheon Association. And it also means he is not yet a member of the Hoicheon Association.’

This, in its own way, was not bad news.

Because it was proof that not all the figures in the military were members of the association.

Still, Gwak Hui's hesitant attitude was the same as not being completely uninterested, so the future would be important.

‘But I can't change that person's mind, so I have no choice but to leave it to fate.’

After waiting a little, perhaps because the inn's cook was skilled, the food came out quickly.

Ju Seoyeon, for some reason, was not pleased this time either and listlessly played with her chopsticks with an indifferent expression.

"This isn't what I wanted..."

"What were you expecting so much?"

"Ah. Originally, these shabby inns always hide something. For example..."

"For example?"

Ju Seoyeon whispered softly in Namgung Hui's ear so that no one would hear.

"Like human meat dumplings."

"Ah."

Namgung Hui had heard such ghost stories countless times, so he understood Ju Seoyeon's words at once.

He was also well aware that it was not a story that didn't exist.

Because he had destroyed such an inn with his sworn brother in his past life.

‘They were a group that ambushed travelers in a remote place. And if you traced their roots, there was a slaughterhouse.’

From what Namgung Hui had gathered, he knew it was an inn set up by those who had lost in the internal competition of the slaughterhouse and ran out.

They couldn't get rid of their habits from their assassin days and killed people for no reason.

And to dispose of the bodies, they even made and sold dumplings or other food.

At their very atrocious behavior, his sworn brother, who rarely got angry, let out a roar and annihilated them all.

After that, a rumor even spread that the God of War was inspecting inns one by one, so he knew that all such branches had disappeared.

So, the inn that would satisfy Ju Seoyeon's expectations no longer existed in the world.

‘Still, the food is quite good, better than I thought. At this rate, if they change the exterior and do business, they'll do quite well.’

Except for the fact that it was a secret branch of the Eastern Depot, it was an inn that was among the most delicious.

If they just renovated the exterior, it would immediately become a bustling inn.

Well, since they wouldn't welcome that, it would probably never happen.

Gwak Hui Jinmu also drew a smile on his lips after eating the food he ordered.

Delicious food naturally makes people feel good.

Perhaps the reason they had assigned a skilled cook here was in that context.

And seeing the cook's knife skills, he probably looked like someone who had even served as a royal cook in the Imperial Palace.

And so, Namgung Hui finished a rather satisfying meal and patted his stomach.

He was worried that he might gain weight since he had eaten quite a lot yesterday as well.

Since he didn't want to show Beak Seolhwa a bulging belly, he vowed to practice the Wind God Steps diligently soon.

"Now that we've finished our meal, let's go. We have to look around diligently tomorrow too, so let's go and get some rest."

"I can't stand the injustice. I can't go back like this!"

As her expectations were repeatedly dashed, her mood seemed to have soured greatly.

However, he couldn't go so far as to create a non-existent event to please her.

Of course, being cooped up in the Imperial Palace and then going out like this would be a heart-fluttering and exciting event, but to be caught up in incidents and accidents every time...

-Kudangtangtang!

As soon as Namgung Hui had that thought, a person flew into the inn.

And a rather large man at that.

Seeing that he was even wearing a large saber, he was a person from the Hebei Peng family.

"How dare you not only refuse to be searched but also attack me first? You must have something to hide!"

The member of the Peng family dusted off his clothes and got up.

The shabby inn was already dusty, and as dust flew up, Gwak Hui, who was still in the middle of his meal, couldn't help but frown deeply.

Meanwhile, Ju Seoyeon, as if she thought what was to come had come, even smiled brightly and clapped her hands.

"Wow~! It's a fight. A fight! This is it. This."

Namgung Hui, though not as much as Ju Seoyeon, watched the situation with a rather interested gaze.

A person with suspicious behavior.

A member of the Hebei Peng family.

A military instructor who was harmed by this.

And even an Eastern Depot eunuch who was watching this situation from afar.

It could be called a fantastic combination.

Namgung Hui naturally shifted his gaze and looked at the person who had sent the Peng family member flying.

He... no, she was not only small in stature, in contrast to the Peng family member, but was also exuding a cold air.

He was not just talking about the atmosphere, but a user of ice arts.

‘A person from the North Sea Ice Palace!’

Just in time, hadn't Beak Seolhwa left for the North?

Coincidentally, a person from the North Sea Ice Palace appeared before Namgung Hui's eyes.

Perhaps she had come in person because of the Hoicheon Association's affair.

The woman from the North Sea opened her mouth, exuding a cold air.

"Does searching mean groping a woman's body? Do you think I didn't see you molest the women before? I tried to pretend I didn't see it so as not to cause a disturbance in Beijing, but if you extend that evil hand to me, I can't just stand by."

He understood how things were going at once.

So, on the pretext of the imugi's corpse disappearing, the Peng family was inspecting various people.

But in that inspection, it seemed they had harbored personal feelings and molested women.

Seeing the Peng family member's face turn bright red, it seemed the woman's words were correct.

"H-Nonsense! I was just carrying out the search as my duty! You don't even have a pass, and your clothes are very strange. On top of that, a martial art that exudes such a cold air! It must be a demonic art!"

At one time, ice arts were classified as demonic arts.

In fact, the Central Plains martial world had a tendency to ostracize those who were different from them, so there was a strong tendency to treat anything other than Daoism and Buddhism as demonic arts.

Wasn't the current martial world one that would shout 'It's a wicked art!' if you showed them a technique they had never seen before?

"You shameless bastard. A man has no conscience. Why don't you cut that thing off and join the Eastern Depot? No. Even the Eastern Depot wouldn't accept a lecherous bastard like you."

The inn owner next to him, that is, the Eastern Depot eunuch, unconsciously nodded his head.

Even from his perspective, there was no way the Eastern Depot would accept someone who committed such molestation.

Namgung Hui also had a prejudice against the Eastern Depot, but he knew better than anyone that they did not just pick anyone.

Because the Eastern Depot was not a place you could enter just by being castrated.

‘When I was an orphan, there were quite a few children who volunteered to be eunuchs because they didn't want to become beggars.’

The power of the Eastern Depot was so immense that there were quite a few applicants.

In fact, for those who had to starve to death like orphans, castration would not be a big deal.

"You bitch! Just because you have a mouth, you can say anything! I was going to go easy on you because you're a woman. You brought this upon yourself! Don't resent me for my rough hands!"

"Hmph! I already knew your hands were rough. You pervert! Stop blabbering and just come at me."

The member of the Peng family swung his huge saber and rushed towards the woman from the North Sea.

The woman also immediately counterattacked.

The area within a zhang of her began to freeze.

Especially as the floor turned into a sheet of ice, the rushing Peng family member slipped and lost his balance.

The woman did not miss this opportunity.

A flash of light flickered from her hand and flew towards the neck of the Peng family member.

If it hit, he would surely not escape a serious injury.

And so, the moment the Peng family member was about to suffer a defeat.

-Ting!

At that moment, someone intervened and interfered with the woman's actions.

(End of Chapter)