Chapter 190
Chapter 190
“That's not allowed! If you’re going to go, you’ll have to step over me… Young Miss? But you really shouldn’t actually step on me!”
“Why not! I’m coming along too!”
Under a clear sky without a single cloud, a man stood in front of a woman, blocking her path.
The atmosphere was so fierce that it would not have been strange if blades were drawn at any moment.
Because the atmosphere was so vicious, the maids……
“Isn’t the weather perfect today?”
“That’s what I’m saying! The blankets will dry really well.”
As if this were something that happened all the time, they casually exchanged small talk and leisurely walked past the two of them.
“How could you do this to me! Jongpal, weren’t you supposed to be on my side at least?!”
“Of course I’m on your side, Young Miss!”
Fifteen years had already passed since the Heavenly Demon died. In that time, many changes had occurred within the Unorthodox Alliance.
Cheonung, the previous Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance, hated work so much that he simply wrote on a document that he would hand over the position of Alliance Lord to Youngho and then disappeared.
For something that was supposed to be the transfer of leadership of the Unorthodox Alliance, it was unbelievably absurd—but what could anyone do? It was the truth.
Thanks to that, Cheongsol even collapsed while clutching the back of his neck.
Fortunately, Youngho, who ended up taking the seat of Alliance Lord, actually handled the work properly. If Cheongsol had been forced to handle all the administrative duties alone as usual, the Unorthodox Alliance would have lost a capable talent.
However, Youngho was also someone who caused incidents no less than Cheonung.
After suddenly returning to the Unorthodox Alliance five years later, Youngho brought back a young girl with him.
And the moment he became the Alliance Lord, he declared the girl to be his successor.
Because of that, the entire Unorthodox Alliance—and even the entire Unorthodox Faction—was stirred for a while. After all, she was none other than the disciple of Youngho, the man known as the Evil Spirit.
Jongpal spoke desperately, as if coughing up stagnant blood.
“If I don’t stop the Young Miss, I’ll get beaten to death!”
“Our Master isn’t that kind of person!”
Yoon Seojeong, Youngho’s one and only disciple—someone like a daughter to him—glared at Jongpal with fierce, axe-like eyes as she spoke.
“Our Master is incredibly emotional and soft-hearted!”
“Cough!”
Jongpal coughed up blood at that statement, and even the attendants nearby looked at Yoon Seojeong with doubtful expressions.
No one seemed to agree with her opinion, but Yoon Seojeong remained confident.
“Our Master feels sad when people he doesn’t even know die!”
“Isn’t that normal for most people?”
“You don’t.”
“…….”
Jongpal’s mouth shut instantly at Yoon Seojeong’s single remark.
“But what can’t be allowed still can’t be allowed! This is the Alliance Lord’s command, so I absolutely cannot step aside!”
“One nyang of gold.”
“…….”
“Five nyang?”
“…….”
“Ten nyang. No more than that.”
“G-Good. At least asking about it should be fine—”
“As if that would be fine.”
“Huh? Hosan, why are you here?”
Kang Hosan, wearing a black eyepatch over one eye, looked at Jongpal with a pitiful expression.
“Work. And call me Hall Master. Technically, I’m your superior.”
“Right, our Hall Master is a higher-up than me. So I have one request……”
“If you say that request, you’ll get beaten to death.”
“Right? Young Miss, I don’t think I can mention it to the Alliance Lord.”
“Hm? What are you talking about? When did I say anything to you?”
Tilting her head, Yoon Seojeong looked at Jongpal with bright, innocent eyes.
“Pardon? Didn’t you say you’d give me ten nyang of gold if I arranged a meeting with the Alliance Lord?”
As Jongpal stared in disbelief, Yoon Seojeong scoffed.
“Hah! When did I ever say that!”
At this point, even someone with no sense of awareness could realize it.
The hand of death had already reached right before him.
Feeling a sudden chill, Jongpal shuddered.
After gulping nervously, he slowly turned his creaking neck backward.
Behind him stood Youngho, looking at Jongpal with a warm smile.
“So the Hall Master of the Evil Dragon Unit accepts bribes, is that it?”
As Youngho approached, Jongpal spoke with a serious expression.
“Alliance Lord, it was wrong of me to attempt accepting a bribe. But the one who offered the bribe was none other than the Young Miss.”
Seeing Jongpal’s rare seriousness, Youngho asked Yoon Seojeong.
“Jeong-ah, is what Jongpal said true?”
“No.”
Her expression was stiff and seemed to hide something, unlike usual. Yet Youngho nodded slightly as if he accepted it.
“She says it isn’t.”
“Pardon?”
“My disciple says it isn’t.”
“No, anyone can see this is a lie—”
“My disciple lied?”
“……It seems the one who offered me the bribe was wearing a Human-Skin Mask.”
“I see. Then run five hundred laps around the Training Ground. I trust you won’t use your Internal Energy.”
“…Yes.”
Jongpal’s face turned pale—and then practically black with despair. Without another word, he turned toward the Training Ground.
“M-Master!”
Youngho smiled warmly at the startled Yoon Seojeong.
“What is it?”
“Even so, isn’t making him run five hundred laps without using Internal Energy too harsh…?”
“That man is the Hall Master of the Evil Dragon Unit. If he spills the Unorthodox Alliance’s information for merely ten nyang of gold, it wouldn’t be strange even if he were executed. Even if it were trivial information.”
That meant this punishment was practically a privilege.
At Youngho’s cold words, Yoon Seojeong’s expression darkened immediately. Fortunately, she quickly found another solution and spoke to him.
“Master, let’s go buy some clothes together!”
“Oh? Are you truly fine with me choosing your clothes?”
Normally, Youngho always wanted to give gifts to Yoon Seojeong. She simply refused out of consideration. If she ever accepted, he would have bought her an entire castle without hesitation.
So Yoon Seojeong decided to fulfill the desire he always held.
She smiled as brightly as possible.
“Of course!”
“If we’re going out, we’ll need an escort. Jongpal, you’ll only run fifty laps around the Training Ground.”
“…Thank you.”
Youngho was conducting proper education. A disciple’s whining could be endearing, but there had to be limits.
Actions that could threaten the authority of the Alliance Lord must not be done.
After all, the king of the Unorthodox Alliance was none other than Youngho himself.
Of course, someone was watching this “education” with a suspicious expression.
Kang Hosan narrowed his eyes at Youngho. Sensing the gaze, Youngho continued speaking with Yoon Seojeong while sending a Voice Transmission.
—Why are you looking at me like that?
—You just wanted to dress Seojeong up, didn’t you?
—……
—I get that it’s education, but you can’t say there’s no personal desire mixed in.
—……
Ignoring Kang Hosan’s Voice Transmission, Youngho spoke aloud.
“Then we’ll delay the schedule slightly. Namdo Cheon, inform the Wandering King that I may be a little late.”
“Understood. Shall I prepare the carriage?”
“That won’t be necessary. My disciple is rather frugal, so sadly we won’t be going somewhere that sells expensive clothing.”
“What about your attire?”
Youngho glanced at the bright red robe draped over his body.
“Well, sometimes even the Alliance Lord should enjoy the marketplace.”
Behind Youngho’s robe was a massive character written across the back:
武.
No matter how bold a person was, few would dare write the character “Martial” that large on their clothing.
Because that meant declaring that all masters of the Martial World stood beneath him.
He himself was martial learning and martial arts.
No matter what martial arts anyone practiced, none could rival him.
At the end of the path of martial arts, he alone waited.
That was what the robe symbolized.
That was why Youngho was called the Martial God and praised as the Greatest Under Heaven.
—That’s the inner monologue I feel like I’m hearing. What do you think, Hosan?
—If that’s the case, why don’t you do what you always do—throw that embarrassing robe away and change into normal clothes?
—If I don’t wear something like this, Namdo Cheon loses his spirit. That guy thinks serving me is the greatest honor of his three lifetimes.
—Then just let him lose spirit.
—When that guy loses motivation, his work efficiency really drops. Sometimes I have to set the mood.
Youngho and Kang Hosan whispered through Voice Transmission out of consideration for Namdo Cheon.
Completely unaware, Namdo Cheon looked at Youngho with a proud and deeply moved expression. Meanwhile, Yoon Seojeong—who had seen this countless times—could only sigh.
And so, unable to hide the character written on his robe, Youngho finished preparing to leave.
The marketplace was quiet.
The sounds of conversation and footsteps were barely audible.
It was far from the usual lively atmosphere.
The marketplace lacked the vitality it normally possessed.
Yet Youngho and the others walked forward as if already accustomed to such an atmosphere.
No one dared approach Youngho.
No one even dared meet his eyes.
Only after he passed did people look at the back of the supreme figure.
The expressions of the common people were not filled with extreme fear.
Rather, their eyes shone with reverence, as though gazing upon something worthy of respect.
At that moment, a child ran up to Youngho carrying something on a plate. The child’s mother panicked, clearly not expecting such a situation.
“Hm?”
The child stood in front of him, bowed his head, and stretched his arms forward to present the plate.
His body was stiff with tension.
On the plate were freshly made white rice cakes glistening with oil.
Youngho chuckled softly and picked one up.
It tasted nutty, like something coated in roasted soybean powder. When swallowed, a faint bitterness lingered that stimulated the appetite.
“Delicious.”
At that single word, the child raised his head and made eye contact with Youngho.
Smiling gently, Youngho placed one nyang of silver into the child’s hand.
“This is repayment for stimulating my appetite. With this, you could buy sweets for everyone around you and still have some left. Spend it wisely.”
Having said that, Youngho resumed walking forward.
And upon hearing his words, the common people bowed their heads in gratitude toward the supreme figure.
It was a majestic and overwhelming sight.
“…I can’t breathe.”
He meant it literally.
“Pfft!”
Seeing Youngho’s uncomfortable expression, Jongpal could not hold back his laughter.
“Shut up.”
“Yes, I’ll correct myse—Pfft!”
“Heukyeong.”
Youngho’s shadow suddenly twitched.
Seeing it, Jongpal’s face turned pale.
“Alliance Lord, are you serious? That guy has no flexibility—he’ll actually beat me seriously—!”
“Beat him up like usual.”
“Alliance Lord, wait—!”
Youngho’s loyal shadow immediately carried out the command.
Jongpal’s body seemed to sink into the ground before disappearing without a trace.
Kang Hosan looked at the ground where Jongpal had just stood with a pitiful expression.
“…Amitabha.”
“If you chant Buddhist prayers in front of me, you’ll die.”
He had tried to mourn Jongpal’s death(?), but the demon from hell stopped even that.
Trembling at the sheer wickedness, Kang Hosan followed behind Youngho.
Before long, they arrived at a merchant group that specialized in clothing.
They had separated from Kang Hosan on the way here due to different routes.
Satisfied that Kang Hosan was not following, Youngho smiled warmly.
“Ah, this place really is the most comfortable.”
Youngho happily tried to enter the merchant group.
“Master…?”
If only that ominous voice hadn’t appeared.
As if the inevitable had finally arrived, Youngho spoke with a resolute expression.
“Jeong-ah, you said it yourself. Even between master and disciple, a deal must be honored.”
“…You said we’d go somewhere reasonable.”
“Yes. Do we need to visit a different merchant group?”
“You said we’d buy clothes sold in the marketplace….”
“This place is only thirty zhang away from the marketplace. Isn’t that basically the same?”
At Youngho’s shameless tone, Yoon Seojeong shouted as if coughing up blood.
“I trusted you!!”
The place Youngho had arrived at was the Gold-Blood Hall.
In the past, the Gold-Blood Hall had established its main headquarters in Luoyang. But five years ago, they moved their new headquarters to Guangxi.
The Gold-Blood Hall’s headquarters was a place filled with goods supplied even to the Imperial Family—foreign fabrics, exotic merchandise from beyond the borders, and even rare elixirs.
Smiling at the wailing Yoon Seojeong, Youngho said:
“Don’t worry. It’ll be finished within one Shijin.”