Chapter 143
"Gasp... gasp..."
Eunuch Han, who had escaped the 'devil's' clutches with his earth-hiding art, ran until daybreak and reached a crowded main road.
The people passing by, seeing Eunuch Han's appearance, with his bones caved in, his face contorted, and covered in blood, all whispered among themselves.
"What is it..."
"He seems to have been beaten more than just an ordinary beating... it's a miracle he's alive."
Hearing the murmurs, hot tears welled up in Eunuch Han's eyes.
It wasn't just because of the misery.
But because his body was so exhausted that it felt like it would burst, and because several parts of his body would be crippled before the devil's violence, he was naturally overcome with sorrow.
'Jin So-ah!'
Jin So-ah.
Now, Eunuch Han would live his life chewing on that name.
As a powerful figure in the imperial court, as the head of the Eastern Depot.
Based on that power and position, the wealth and treasures he had accumulated over his seventy years of life.
It was only natural that sorrow would well up when he thought about having all of that seized and becoming a cripple.
And he was already a eunuch.
'I will not forgive you. I will definitely... definitely you!'
The sense of relief at having saved his life turned into a terrible anger.
'How did I get to this position? If you think I will end like this, you are mistaken!'
Eunuch Han, even in this situation, showed the meticulousness of seeking a way out.
'As soon as my body recovers, I will recruit some of the foolish imperial family members and high-ranking officials and frame Jin So-ah as a traitor. No matter how much you fly and crawl, you won't be able to do anything. I will definitely repay the humiliation!'
Eunuch Han was making a plan.
He had risen to this position through numerous helpers so far.
Moreover, Eunuch Han himself was a master of propaganda, incitement, and slander, and if he could persuade the imperial family and high-ranking officials who trembled at the mere sound of words like rebellion and treason, it would not be impossible to frame So-ah as a traitor...
'If that happens, the imperial court will definitely block you, even if it means breaking the implicit custom that the government and the martial world do not interfere with each other. Just you wait, Jin So-ah!'
Grind—
Since almost all of his teeth were broken, he gritted them, but for some reason, a grinding sound came out instead of a crunching sound.
'Dammit!'
To be honest, Eunuch Han himself found it funny.
But why were tears flowing from his eyes?
***
"Young Hero Jin... I'm hungry..."
"My goodness! If you're hungry, you should hunt for yourself."
"You destroyed my martial arts! How can I, who am no different from a commoner now, hunt in these rugged mountains? I've never hunted in my life..."
"Oh, is that so? Then shall I shave that hair off for you? You can hunt for the first time after becoming bald."
"Wh-Where is such a miracle logic?"
"Where else, it's right here."
"Keung..."
"You're trying to get on my level again, aren't you? You've lived your life hearing that you're very unobservant, right? Tell me honestly. Huh?"
"I have not."
"It seems so. If you get a few more flicks on the head, you'll probably transform into a demonic beast."
"H-Hee-ik!"
At the words of the evil spirit, the hostage man was terrified and caressed his innocent head.
But.
'Is this a human head or a beast's head!'
It was so swollen that his own head did not feel like a human's.
Grumble—
To make matters worse, his unobservant stomach even made a grumbling sound.
In an instant, So-ah looked at the man with sharp eyes.
'F*ck! What do you want me to do! I'm hungry!'
***
On the second day of the ambush.
So-ah showed a minimum of humanitarian mercy to the hostage.
He picked up stones and branches and, with the mystery of the finger-flicking divine skill, hunted mountain rabbits, pheasants, etc., and replaced them with food, and the man, forgetting his dignity, blew on the rabbit and roasted it well.
"Is it delicious? Does that go down your throat?"
"Nom, nom... it's delicious."
"Eat a lot, mister. Anyway, if we can't annihilate the remaining members, I'll break your arms and legs for that crime."
"No! Why on earth does it become like that?"
The man was dumbfounded.
This wasn't even for fun, but if they couldn't annihilate the remaining members, he would break his arms and legs?
What kind of absurdity is this!
Of course, whether that was the case or not.
"Yes. It becomes like that."
To So-ah, it really was whether that was the case or not.
"Ah... no, Young Hero Jin... this is too..."
"Shh!"
Just then.
So-ah put his index finger to the man's lips, who was about to protest, and cut him off.
Simultaneously.
[Someone is coming. Judging from the form of their footwork, they are not civilians or hunters. I think they are your colleagues.]
So-ah's telepathic message echoed in the man's ear.
'How good is his ki sense that he can know such detailed things?'
The man once again clicked his tongue at So-ah's amazing ability.
About half a quarter of an hour (5-7 minutes) had passed...
Finally,
...three figures, clad in black cloaks, revealed themselves under the moonlight, breaking through the pitch-black darkness.
"Wh-What is this?"
"The meeting place..."
"The villa has been destroyed?!"
They looked at each other with reddened faces in bewilderment.
The villa, which had been fine until a while ago, was collapsed as if it had been hit by a landslide...
But it didn't take long for them to find out the whole story of the incident.
"You're here?"
...who had appeared like a ghost, picking his nose with a nonchalant question.
"You... why are you... coming out of there?!"
Because they had witnessed the sight of So-ah.
Of course, the sight of their former colleague, who was being led like an ox with a leash around his neck, was a bonus.
"You... are you still alive?"
"Commander Ma Cheong-bong. Please give up."
"Wh-What?"
"It's already over."
"..."
"I have confessed everything to Young Hero Jin... and although Eunuch Han escaped with his earth-hiding art... he was also beaten like a dog on a hot day, so he probably won't be able to avoid being crippled."
"You..."
"Besides, this gentleman... no, Young Hero Jin is..."
"..."
"...not a person, but a devil."
"What on earth are you talking about? We are members of the Eastern Depot, the martial force of the imperial court. Even if we die, our heroic spirit and soul will never..."
The commander of the Eastern Depot, Ma Cheong-bong, could not finish his words.
Because just then, So-ah's justice club had landed on his head like a thunderclap.
"You're talking about heroic spirit. Aww! What a fuss, what a fuss!"
Clang—
Clang—
With a quick hand that was impossible to identify with the naked eye, the remaining two men, except for Ma Cheong-bong who was rolling on the floor, drew their swords.
"Oh? You have a good spirit. But I'll bet my wrist that you guys will be on your knees with your hands up, begging, within a quarter of an hour. What will you guys bet?"
***
It was a good thing they didn't bet anything.
Although there was nothing to bet on anyway.
As So-ah had expected, it didn't even take a quarter of an hour for the three remaining members of the Eastern Depot to kneel and beg.
"Stop..."
"Please... just stop hitting us..."
"We were wrong..."
He had used his beating divine art more powerfully than usual.
Because it had been two days since he had slept outdoors, and since he had made a fortune, the things he had to do (the things he had to spend money on) were piled up like a mountain.
'As expected, when you beat them, you have to beat them hard for it to be effective.'
Currently, the figures of the remaining members were not human, but were in the shape of plump baby bears.
Moreover, through this journey, So-ah had developed a bad habit, and that was to pull out the hair of villains.
Perhaps because he was satisfied with the sight of Eunuch Han, whose abundant hair had been pulled out to boast a bald head, So-ah had committed the terrible act of pulling out all but one or two strands of the remaining members' hair.
The effect was nothing short of a perfect score.
"First, you guys will be escorted to the Martial Alliance and will be interrogated by the alliance. Later, you will be re-escorted to the government and will testify about the secret agreement between the Eastern Depot and the White Lotus Cult, and that Eunuch Han, that eunuch bastard, led the rebellion, all of it. In detail. In detail. Without leaving anything out. No, just add to it. Spill everything. If I hear you using your head, I'll kidnap you, regardless of the law, and torture you for the rest of your life. Hey, mister! You've experienced Brother Chil-bok's torture, right?"
"S-Salt!"
"Yes, salt. If you don't want to go through that again... you know, right?"
"Is there any doubt? I swear to the heavens that I will do my best to realize Young Hero Jin's intentions..."
"What, you punk! Are you being cheeky again?"
"Ah! No..."
The remaining members stared at the hostage man.
They must have felt a sense of doubt at the story of Brother Chil-bok and salt.
But sometimes in life, ignorance is bliss.
The uncomfortable truth about Uncle Chil-bok and salt was just such a case.
"By the way, weren't there five of you when you ran away from Liaoning? Where are the rest?"
"The two... at that time, they had suffered serious internal injuries, so their ki and blood were twisted, and they died on the way..."
"Tsk, tsk. You lived a bad life, so you died on the road, you died on the road."
He beat them to death and now he's blaming it on dying on the road?
The remaining members forced themselves to swallow the words that had risen to their throats and nodded their heads.
Because they didn't want to get beaten more by arguing with a crazy dog who wouldn't listen to reason.
"By the way... misters?"
"Yes?"
"Give me your dantians!"
***
So-ah destroyed all the dantians of the remaining members.
It was to completely block even the slightest risk that could arise in the process of escorting them to the Martial Alliance.
But not long after, he ran into another problem.
'A total of four people. If I drag them to Liaoning and then escort them to the main office again... it will take quite a lot of time.'
If it was one person, he could carry them on his shoulder and perform his lightness skill, but he couldn't continue a forced march while carrying four people, so he racked his brain.
Then, a brilliant idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
'If I go a little further from here, it's my second brother's residence, right? Why didn't I think of that?'
He had recalled his second sworn brother, the King of the Waterways of the Yangtze River Waterway Fortress, Jang Beon-ha.
As soon as the thought came to him, So-ah led the remaining members and sought out the main fortress of the Yangtze River Waterway Fortress where his sworn brother was staying.
But.
"Young Brother Jin!"
"Little Brother!"
Was it a case of going on a bad day?
It really was a case of going on a bad day.
Just then, his first sworn brother, Jang Beon-pal, had visited the Waterway Fortress.
"Brother Beon-pal! Brother Beon-ha! You're both here!"
"Kehahahahaha! Our little brother's appearance is so bright. Is there something good going on?"
"Kehahahahaha! What does it matter! All three brothers are gathered!"
Although he felt it every time,
'Wow... the two brothers' builds are really... amazing, so amazing. As if they're not twins, their voices... their behavior... haha.'
It was a stroke of luck to have become sworn brothers with the King of the Green Forest and the King of the Waterways, whose mere sight was enough to give one goosebumps.
Because it would have been terrible if they had met as enemies.
"By the way, little brother. What are those dog-like bastards?"
"Ah... those dogs? Well, you see..."
***
"Is that really true?"
"Really? And this small wooden box is a dharma treasure that holds such a power?!"
The eyes of the Bandit and Waterway Kings, who had heard the whole story from So-ah, became as wide as lanterns.
"Yes, brothers. I've made a lot of money, but I was so busy that I couldn't prepare a gift. I should have bought a few roots of wild ginseng."
"Kehkehkeh! Don't say such disappointing things. If it's wealth, we have more than enough to share, so what are you talking about?"
"Kehahahahaha! That mountain chief and I, we have money piled up in our storehouses, so we can eat wild ginseng for all three meals."
Watching his big-talking brothers, So-ah reproached himself for his arrogance.
'I'm crazy. My brothers are the ones who have a tight grip on the mountain and water paths of the Central Plains. Me too!'
He felt that he still had to earn a lot more before he could hold his own anywhere.
Just then.
Jang Beon-pal opened his mouth in a low voice.
"By the way. So, what you're saying, little brother, is that you want us to escort those six-year-old Eastern Depot bastards to the Martial Alliance headquarters?"
"Yes, brother. I could leave them at a transport company or the Hebei branch, but where would be as good as the Green Forest or the Waterway Fortress? Because you can pass through all the mountain fortresses without inspection."
"That's right! We're the best at that kind of thing. I understand. Then I will escort them to the Martial Alliance headquarters."
"Thank you, brother!"
"What are you thanking me for? Kehkehkeh!"
"By the way, brothers. I have one more request."
When So-ah hesitated, the Jang brothers glared at him and asked.
"What is it?"
"What is it? Say whatever it is!"
'...Startled!'
When his brothers, whose builds were so big that he couldn't tell if they were human or bear, suddenly thrust their faces forward and asked, his liver turned cold.
But after soon calming his heart, he brought out the main point.
"For the next few years, I would like all the members of the Moyong family and the Yi family to receive the privilege of passing through the mountain and waterway fortresses without inspection.”
(End of Chapter)