Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed throughout the mansion.
Yang Mun-pyeong was startled while tidying up the house and preparing to flee. He shouted in surprise.
“Hey! What’s going on?”
“Master Yang Danju! The wall…the wall has collapsed.”
“What? You’re telling me the wall just collapsed suddenly?”
Yang Mun-pyeong stared angrily at the bodyguard, but the bodyguard continued to speak unperturbed by Yang’s gaze.
“It’s true! There was a sudden loud noise, and then the wall collapsed…”
“What? What could have possibly broken the wall?”
‘Considering every possible situation, I had it built as sturdy as possible!’
It wasn’t made from ordinary materials but had been constructed using the latest techniques to increase its strength, with regular maintenance as well. Yang Mun-pyeong couldn’t help but be shocked that such a wall had been broken.
Anyway, in response to his exclamation filled with alarm, the bodyguard immediately recounted what he had seen.
“A person.”
“What?”
“It’s true! A person broke through the wall with their bare hands and came inside!”
“You what?! Do you really expect me to believe that nonsense?!”
“But it’s true. That person is coming to apologize to the owner for accidentally collapsing the wall while practicing lightness technique.”
“What? Practicing lightness technique?”
‘What ridiculous excuse is that!’
If a person collides with a wall and the wall collapses, then what is the purpose of walls? Yang Mun-pyeong, faced with this unexpectedly philosophical question, grabbed the back of his neck.
“How much money have I poured into that wall…Anyway, send them away!”
While normally he would have summoned them right away and unleashed his fury, he was in no position to do so now. The bodyguard, sweating buckets in response to Yang’s command, replied.
“The thing is…we tried to stop them, but…”
“Is the head of the trading post here?”
At the sound of the unfamiliar voice, both their heads turned naturally toward the door. Beyond the door that the bodyguard had failed to close, a towering figure loomed.
“Are you Master Yang Danju?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct.”
‘What kind of person is this…and wearing a lion mask?’
While he had met many large individuals before, he had never encountered anyone as big as the man standing before him.
Moreover, the face was obscured by a lion mask, making him clearly appear to be a bandit.
‘The person must be at least seven feet tall.’
While he wasn’t actually that tall, the oppressive aura emanating from his massive frame made him appear even larger. Yang Mun-pyeong couldn’t help but unconsciously swallow and tremble.
Nonetheless, the towering figure spoke in a relatively gentle voice.
“I apologize for accidentally breaking the wall. I’ve been practicing lightness technique lately and ended up colliding with the wall by mistake.”
“O-oh, is that so?”
“Yes. That’s why I’ve come to apologize to Master Yang Danju. I deeply apologize.”
“Hm, it’s fine. It happens.”
‘Just go quickly, please go quickly!’
Contrary to Yang’s desperate wishes, the huge man rolled his eyes and addressed Yang Danju again.
“Ah, but the state of this room is not good. It looks like you’re fleeing as if there’s a disaster.”
“Haha, well, nostalgia has kicked in with age. I’m planning to retire to my hometown and wind down my business.”
“Returning home in glory, that’s splendid.”
“…Master…this person is not ordinary.”
‘I know that too! And I can hear everything!’
Yang Danju anxiously glanced around and once again made a heartfelt request.
“Haha, we need to prepare for the move, so wouldn’t it be better if you leave now? We’ll let this incident slide as it was a mistake.”
“Thank you for your generosity, Master Yang. However…where exactly is your hometown?”
“What reason do you have to inquire about my hometown?”
“Perhaps we are from the same area…”
“I’m from the Xinjiang region.”
“Ah! That’s great! What a pleasant surprise! To meet a fellow townsman here! I was born and raised in the Kedishi area of Xinjiang. And where are you from, Master?”
“I’m from Hemi.”
“…Hemi, I thought you were from the Tianshan area…Haha, my eyes must have been deceiving me!”
‘…Could it be?’
Yang Danju tried his best to maintain composure as he scrutinized the man before him.
The situation had been absurd up to this point, but his sudden mention of “Tianshan”…this might not be an absurd incident but rather a situation where a single mistake could cost him his life.
“You’re jokes are overly harsh, aren’t they.”
“Haha, are they? I apologize for that. But really, would a recluse from Tianshan who’s hiding in a corner, fearing the warriors of Zhongyuan, share the same origin as you?”
‘That bastard…’
As a member of the Evil Sect, Yang Danju gritted his teeth and restrained his anger; it would be clear that everything could go to waste if he lost his temper.
“To make such disrespectful jokes…I’m disappointed.”
“These rumors from Xinjiang recently have been unsettling.”
“Has something happened in my hometown?”
Unaware, Yang Danju inadvertently asked about the sudden words from the man. The man nodded at his question and answered with a serious tone.
“The Evil Sect is preparing to invade, leading three thousand warriors.”
“You seem to know far too much.”
“That leaky old Heavenly Horse is letting everything slip due to incontinence. The stench of his urine has spread all the way to Goryeo.”
‘U-urine leak…’
Although people can bad-mouth even the emperor behind closed doors, Yang Danju couldn’t help his lips bleed when he saw someone with such audacity to call Heavenly Horse a “urine-leaking” person.
“You…your jokes go too far…”
“Haha, how could someone’s urine smell carry so far? Just a joke to lighten the mood.”
“Right now…what do you plan to do with me?”
“I merely wanted to inform you of news from your hometown. Isn’t it proper etiquette to inform a fellow townsman about the antics of the rat-like Demonic Sect?”
“I’ve…understood…you should go now…”
“You look quite happy.”
“The moving preparations…are exhausting…”
“Ah, I’ve kept you too long.”
“Then…please leave quickly…”
The sound of grinding teeth reached the man’s ears.
‘He’s unsettled.’
While it might not be unusual to insult Heavenly Horse in Zhongyuan, it was enough to transform suspicion into certainty when people either avoided the topic out of fear or openly mocked Heavenly Horse to show their boldness. Yang Danju’s reaction was ample enough.
“Yang Danju.”
“W-what? Is there something else you want to say?”
“Whenever you curse Heavenly Horse, your expression darkens. Could it be…”
The man gave Yang Danju an insinuating glance. Yang Danju glared at him with cold sweat streaming down his face.
‘What kind of insane person is this!’
Exactly how far does he plan to probe?
By this point, Yang Danju began to suspect if he hadn’t known from the beginning.
And then, an impertinent sentence jumped out from his mouth.
“Could it be that you’re aware that Heavenly Horse is actually an aficionado of male lovers?”
“That can’t be! Huhp!”
Yang Danju, who had inadvertently shouted, quickly closed his mouth and stared at him.
While the man’s face was obscured by the mask, he somehow felt the man was smiling.
‘Damn it!’
“Hey! Call someone quickly to…”
“You should have called sooner.”
“Damn it! Quickly, stop this person!”
The bodyguard hastily drew his sword and blocked the man’s path. A faint light shimmered on the sword.
The energy gathering around the sword was crude, hardly deserving the name of a sword aura.
The masked man merely sneered and reached out his hand towards the sword.
“Your bodyguard is quite inadequate.”
“Damn it!”
The bodyguard swung his sword. The sword formed a neat arc, aiming straight for his heart.
The masked man simply walked forward as if the sword aimed at his chest was just a branch.
“W-what!”
The person standing clearly before him was covered in cloth; yet why couldn’t the sword penetrate? Even the clothes remained unscathed. While the bodyguard was shocked, the man easily brushed him aside with a hand and grabbed Yang Danju by the collar.
“Let’s have a long chat as compatriots.”
“Kill him quickly! Kill him! Call Song Un!”
Yang Danju writhed while yelling, as he was the branch manager of the Evil Sect’s local office and currently in charge of tidying up the branch located in the basement. Only Song Un could resolve this situation.
However, there was no way to escape from the grasp of this man, who was at least two feet taller.
“Release me! How dare you…!”
“Should I listen to someone who’s a puppet of the Demonic Sect?”
“P, puppet!”
“Didn’t you think we would find out about your connections with the Harp sect?”
The masked man, William, pulled out a letter stamped with Yang Mun-pyeong’s seal from his clothing and showed it to him. As Yang’s eyes fell on the letter, his face turned pale as he cried out.
“…How did you…”
“We found it while looking for traitors. If you’re planning to settle things quietly, you should work with smarter people. Not someone as clumsy as this who leaves such evidence lying around.”
“This is absurd…”
“What’s the matter here?”
The branch chief arrived late and his eyes turned toward William.
William, still holding onto Yang Danju by the collar, turned around while facing the voice of the middle-aged man coming from behind.
“Hello, branch chief, right?”
“How do you… What’s going on here, Yang Danju?”
“Looks like the place stinks of Evil Sect members, so I’ve come to settle the score.”
“You presumptuous…”
“You’re the presumptuous one. Weakling.”
“What?”
William’s figure quickly clashed with the branch chief.
Caught off guard by William’s sudden acceleration, the branch chief didn’t manage to dodge the attack and toppled over. His outstretched arm to protect himself was bent in an unnatural direction.
“Ugh…”
“Oh, my foot slipped.”
William casually walked over to the branch chief and grabbed him by the collar.
The unconscious Yang Danju from earlier and the struggling branch chief both hung suspended in William’s hands. Despite their struggles, William’s body stood firm like an unbreakable fortress.
“Isn’t there someone you’re planning to betray?”
“Celestial Horse Sir would never betray! Villain from the righteous sect!”
“Ah, I see.”
William, holding both men by their collars, dragged them around while casually looking around at the many martial artists surrounding him.
“Hmm. Quite a number.”
“Branch Chief!”
“How dare you hurt the Branch Chief!”
Ignoring the reactions of the bodyguards, William glanced around the mansion that had become utter chaos.
“Your wealth is quite substantial. It’ll be troublesome to send it all to the Demonic Sect.”
‘I wonder if there are any spirit medicines or manuals?’
Behind the lion mask, his eyes twinkled with anticipation.
“You should discard any thoughts of running. The Beggar Sect members have formed an encirclement outside, making it impossible for you all to escape.”
“If you wish to survive, you can try finding the tunnels you’ve dug, right?”
“Letting you live would be a mistake! Form the Demon-Slaying Sword Formation and use the Reversing Heaven Great Technique!”
“At your command!”
The martial artists of the Demonic Sect began forming a circle around William. It wasn’t just any circle; rather, it was a sword formation with evenly spaced intervals.
William watched the sword formation form with interest.
‘Interesting.’
A smirk spread across his lips.
“You’re making quite the mess. You should abandon any thoughts of escape. There are Beggar Sect members forming a cordon outside, so running is impossible.”
“If you want to live, you might want to look for the tunnels you’ve dug?”
“Enough of your mercy! Form the Asura Annihilation Sword Formation and unleash the Reversing Heaven Technique!”
“Understood!”
The Demonic Sect warriors formed a circle around William. Not just any circle, but a precise sword formation.
William watched the formation being set up with intrigue.
‘Intriguing.’
A smirk grew on his face.
