Chapter 88 - Time to Hunt (2)

CRASH!

THUD!

"... Mmm."

Loud noises rang in his ears.

Song Baek tried to gather his senses at the annoying noise, then suddenly realized he had just been fighting Jin Sowoon and the disciples of the Taiyi Sect, and sprang to his feet.

"Young Master, are you alright?"

The face of the escort, who rarely showed emotion, was full of worry and concern.

Touching the sticky and unpleasant sensation on his face, his hand came away stained with blood.

"What is this..."

"That culprit launched a surprise attack on you, Young Master, before we even realized..."

"..."

Aren't I employing you to block exactly that?

The words could not quite leave his mouth.

Since warriors above the First-Rate realm could not be used in the Murim Academy exam, he had no choice but to hire them; they were at a much lower level than the escorts who usually accompanied him.

If he were to severely punish them in the midst of this, it would be no different from smearing shit on his own face for failing to block a surprise attack from a mere Taiyi Sect disciple in the first place.

"Those bastards, did those bastards... run away?"

"No... well, the thing is..."

When he turned his head in the direction the escort pointed, there was no mess quite like this mess.

Countless people who had been holding back while watching the Hwayang Escort Agency's reaction were now rushing at Jin Sowoon.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Jin Sowoon was facing over ten swords by himself, but he did not look overwhelmed.

Rather, his sword, appearing and disappearing in a mixture of illusions and reality, looked profoundly mysterious.

Like a crouched bud blooming and withering again, his black blade was so brilliant that it stole one's gaze.

"Urgh."

"Keugh."

"Gah."

And every time the black bud bloomed, three or four people would fall away with deep wounds.

'Just what is the level of his martial arts...'

The gathered warriors of Suzhou were at best at the Second-Rate level. Among the examinees themselves, there were many who had not yet reached the First-Rate realm.

Even against such opponents, fighting ten or twenty at once was no easy task. Yet, Jin Sowoon was doing just that.

"His junior brothers... go for them first..."

He quickly turned his eyes to find the Taiyi Sect disciples, whose beggar-like appearance made them indistinguishable from Beggars' Sect disciples.

Their accomplishments were confirmed to be at the level of ten years.

If he could subdue them...

"They are... not to be underestimated either."

"Huh?"

Next to Jin Sowoon, the Geum-eun-dong Brothers were making bizarre noises.

They each held a sword in their right hand and a piece of food in their left.

'Food?'

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

SLURP.

CLANG.

CHOMP.

The movements of the three fell perfectly into place as if they were one person.

When the one who seemed to be the eldest brother ducked his head to pick up and eat the scallion tofu, the one who seemed to be the second brother blocked the sword striking toward his back.

The youngest-looking child struck the opponent's fatal acupoints with a blade even fiercer than his brothers'.

"Gah—"

When one person fell away like that, the second brother would duck his head to pick up and eat the twice-cooked pork, while the eldest watched his back and the youngest attacked.

It looked like a street troupe humorously performing a coordinated play.

The problem was that while that play was going on, actual warriors were continuously being knocked away.

"The warriors of the Hanseong Martial Arts Hall are all incapacitated."

"The disciples of the Gwantae Martial Arts Hall have already fainted."

"What?"

The number of martial arts halls directly supported by the Hwayang Escort Agency in Suzhou was a whopping twenty.

They had called in all those taking the Academy exam from various regions, yet they couldn't even handle the disciples of the Taiyi Sect?

"Where are the warriors of the Yanghwa Martial Arts Hall and the Hahwa Martial Arts Hall?"

"..."

The escort warrior's face hardened.

"Young Master, they are the ones prepared for your sake."

No matter how many martial arts halls there were, in the world of martial arts, the difference in martial prowess overwhelmed numbers.

That was why the Hwayang Escort Agency, just like the secret warriors of other sects, had selected excellent escort warriors from the agency to operate fake martial arts halls, acting for Song Baek's sake.

"If we don't use them here now, when can we use them?"

Thanks to that, Song Baek had been able to pass the First Gate and the Second Gate without difficulty.

Because he mobilized three times as many personnel as others, most opponents couldn't even think of approaching him.

"If the seniors of the Mount Cangshan Sect feel disappointed by this matter, there won't be much benefit even after I enter the Murim Academy."

People thought that everything ended once you entered the Murim Academy, but in reality, entering the Murim Academy was just the beginning.

One had to catch a good connection within it, join them to get high scores, and be assigned to a good place to receive help from seniors in order to rise to a good position within the Murim Alliance.

Only then could the Hwayang Escort Agency become not just one of the top five escort agencies in Jiangbei, but one of the top three. Furthermore, it could become the most renowned escort agency of all.

"Understood."

The escort warrior put his fingers to his mouth and blew a long whistle.

At the ear-piercingly sharp sound, a few people grabbed their ears.

And soon, sensing a foreboding presence, they stopped moving.

RUMBLE-RUMBLE.

CRASH!

The doors swung open as if they were going to break, and warriors poured in.

"Eek!"

The owner, who had been cooking in the kitchen, trembled with a look that said what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

BOOM!

CRACK.

The guest house began to fill up with countless warriors in an instant.

Even so, the warriors kept barging in endlessly.

When the entrance got blocked, a small window leading outside rattled before shattering with a *CRASH! *

Eventually, after even the wooden walls were torn away, warriors poured in through there as well.

"Eldest Senior Brother! They're coming in endlessly!"

"What do we do!"

"... If you're going to say that, put the food down first."

No matter how strong the opponent was, they could not withstand sheer numbers.

The troupe of three brothers finally set down their food and roughly wiped their greasy left hands on their clothes.

"Come along quietly."

Song Baek said, roughly wiping the blood flowing from his nose and mouth with his silk clothes.

"I heard the Hwayang Escort Agency created fake martial arts halls to cheat on the exam."

"!"

A completely unexpected story spilled from Jin Sowoon's mouth.

This fact was a secret known to only a few within the Hwayang Escort Agency.

How on earth did Jin Sowoon know that?

Song Baek composed his expression, trying not to reveal that he was surprised.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Cooperation among examinees is also recommended by the Murim Academy."

"That's strictly limited to cooperation. Giving direct orders in the first place makes it clearly cheating by hiring warriors beyond the limit."

"... I don't even want to bother denying such nonsense. If you really want to distinguish right from wrong, come with me."

"But is it really okay to expend such precious manpower just for us?"

"What do you..."

"You should know there's something more important than the exam itself at the Third Gate."

"That is none of your concern."

"Ah, you can just ask the senior brothers of Mount Cangshan, right?"

"What are you doing? Subdue them immediately. And take all their admission tokens."

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

The voices of the warriors echoed loudly inside the large guest house.

The disciples of the Taiyi Sect were easily pushed to one side without even room to step.

Then, standing at the very front, Jin Sowoon's martial robes swelled as if they were going to burst.

At that sight, the approaching warriors flinched and came to a halt.

Just how much internal energy did he have to emit such a powerful aura?

And the moment Jin Sowoon reached out his left hand.

The warriors instinctively raised both hands to protect their heads.

...

...

Nothing happened.

In their awkwardness, the warriors were about to rush in as if there was no longer any need to delay.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRASH!

As the pillars supporting the second floor broke one after another, the personnel waiting on the second floor poured down all at once.

"Aaaagh!"

"Move!"

"Argh!"

The guest house, already packed with warriors, turned into utter pandemonium.

When Jin Sowoon swung his hand toward the ceiling, a large hole blasted open.

Soon after, as the three brothers grabbed onto various parts of Jin Sowoon's body, a long thread shot up from his hand to the ceiling.

"Thanks for the meal! Oh right, and I'll put this to good use."

Shaking a golden pouch, Jin Sowoon looked at the ceiling, and the four brothers of the Taiyi Sect slipped out through the ceiling as if climbing a spiderweb.

It was a bizarre scene hard to find even among street troupes.

"..."

Song Baek, who had been spacing out for a moment, suddenly remembered the pouch Jin Sowoon had shaken.

And he frantically searched his chest.

It wasn't there. It wasn't there. It wasn't there. It was gone!

Not just his slips and money pouch, but even the most important golden pouch.

How could he not have noticed when his pockets were completely empty?

"What's wrong, Young Master?"

"T-That bastard..."

"Pardon?"

"Catch that bastard! That bastard took the admission tokens!!"

* * *

Breaking through the ceiling of the guest house using the Flying Dragon Claw, Eunho let out a small sigh.

"At this rate, wouldn't people call our Taiyi Sect a street troupe?"

Did he not realize that the way they coordinated their sword array while eating earlier made them look even more like a street troupe?

I had seen quite a few plays by street troupes myself, but I had never seen anyone coordinate as perfectly and humorously as those guys just did.

"Is that what's important right now?"

"We'll have to leave Suzhou, right?"

"Wasn't that the original plan?"

"Agh... I was hoping we could rest a bit."

Below the building, the warriors of the Hwayang Escort Agency and the martial arts sects under his command were shouting and chasing after us.

"Oh! It's that waiter from earlier. He must be coming back from buying them now."

The waiter we had asked to buy bathwater and clothes was running over with a bundle, completely unaware of how the situation had changed.

I dropped down to the ground.

"Gasp! You startled me."

"Is that ours?"

"Ah... it was you, Young Master. Yes. I bought four sets of black martial robes."

"Thank you. Take this."

I gave the pouch I had taken from Song Baek to the waiter.

The waiter was startled by the heavy pouch.

Because it was a pouch clearly containing far too much money for an errand fee.

"You don't have to do this. If you're feeling really generous, one silver tael is just fine."

"You keep three silver taels, and give the rest to the owner."

"Pardon?"

"You'll see when you get there."

"They're over there!"

"Yikes, then see you next time."

Leaving the dumbfounded waiter behind, I fired the Flying Dragon Claw again and went up to the roof of the building.

"Senior Brother, you stole something from that Song Baek or Hong Baek guy earlier, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Otherwise, there's no way to explain why they're chasing us like their lives depend on it."

Looking back, a few escort warriors from the Hwayang Escort Agency had leaped onto the buildings and were running toward us.

Maybe it was because they were escort warriors, but their movement techniques were all phenomenal.

I shook the golden pouch to show them.

"Why are you making unnecessary enemies for no reason?"

"I'm not making enemies. I just gave a reason to the guys who would have become our enemies for no reason. Wouldn't you feel wronged if you were chased for no reason?"

"..."

Geumpyo and Eunho let out a sigh at the same time.

"We'll have to get outside the city first, right?"

"Since we can't completely shake them off inside the city walls."

Even though the government and Murim did not interfere in each other's affairs, if a bloodbath occurred inside the city, the government office would eventually have no choice but to step in.

In a situation where neither side could kill, the side with fewer numbers was at a greater disadvantage. One wrong move, and we could end up crushed and subdued by the sheer mass of people, just like in the guest house.

"..."

I gradually began to increase my speed.

The three Geum-eun-dong Brothers also temporarily stopped their moving cultivation and began to match my pace.

Dongryong, standing at the very back, was failing to keep up with the speed in time while repeatedly muttering something.

"... When chased for no reason, give them a reason. When chased for no reason, give them a reason. When chased for no reason, give them a reason. When chased for no reason, give them a reason."

"What are you doing?"

"I don't have paper and ink right now. I'm repeating it so I don't forget."

"..."

* * *

It was definitely faster to smoothly vault over the buildings than to run through the crowd.

Once the escort warriors chasing closely behind us were knocked away by a few flying swords, there was no longer a mob pursuing us either above or below the buildings.

Eventually, just as the Geum-eun-dong Brothers seemed to be struggling, as if running out of internal energy.

The city gate came into view.

If it were night, we would have just gone straight over the wall, but with the sun high in the sky right now, we had to officially go through the city gate.

"Eldest Senior Brother, there are too many people up ahead."

In the clearing near the city gate, dozens of people and dozens of carts were lined up in a long queue facing the gate.

As soon as we landed on the ground, I asked a porter who seemed to be on an escort mission.

"Sir, is the line normally this long here?"

"How could that be? When have those bastards ever managed the people coming and going through the gate?"

Since Suzhou was a city in Jiangsu Province where goods gathered exceptionally well and commerce was highly developed, such strict inspections often drew criticism from many people.

"Are they perhaps hoping for a bribe?"

"How should I know? I'm busy, so stop asking!"

At the attitude of the porter, who didn't even look like he had anything to do, I quickly pulled out a silver coin and held it out.

"Ahem, ahem. Seeing as you seem to have some manners, I'll tell you. Earlier, the Squad Commander of the Geonjang Merchant Group tried to bribe the constables and was beaten to a pulp."

"..."

It was a series of incomprehensible events.

There certainly hadn't been any inspections when we entered Suzhou.

"I heard that the Hwayang Escort Agency asked them to strengthen the inspections on people leaving for a few days. Isn't the magistrate newly appointed to Suzhou an old escort warrior from the Hwayang Escort Agency?"

Only then did the puzzle pieces click together.

The Hwayang Escort Agency had turned the entire massive city of Suzhou into one giant siege net.

"Is it the same everywhere else?"

"This path to the North Gate is at least the most lenient. The head constable there is an unspeakable scoundrel. If you feed that guy enough money, it might just work."

Meanwhile, a rowdy noise began to ring out from afar.

The warriors of the Hwayang Escort Agency and those who had flocked to Suzhou were starting to approach.

"Should we hide somewhere else for now?"

"Let's move first."

We ran straight toward the East Gate, only to be forced to stop in our tracks.

A group of people had stepped out from the alleyway and blocked us, as if they had been waiting.

When we moved toward the South Gate again, the escort warriors of the Hwayang Escort Agency who had been chasing us arrived, and over by the West Gate, the people the escort warrior had called with his whistle appeared.

'They planned to catch us among the constables from the very beginning.'

Because it was near the checkpoint, the clearing was wide, and the constables nearby were highly tense as if ready to mobilize at any moment.

If a murder occurred, they would undoubtedly step in, and even if the battle intensified, they were certain to intervene citing damage to civilians.

The trap had already been complete from the moment we entered Suzhou.

"How do you like the trap I designed?"

Song Baek walked out from among the escort warriors of the Hwayang Escort Agency.

The nervous look he had when his admission tokens were taken earlier was nowhere to be found.

He looked triumphant, like someone who had just called 'checkmate' in a game of chess.

"It's a talent wasted on serving under the Mount Cangshan Sect."

This was my honest impression.

Even if I were the successor to the Hwayang Escort Agency, I would have set up the exact same siege net.

"But do you think we'd give up our admission tokens just because we're afraid of murder?"

"... We'll see about that once we try."

As Song Baek met his gaze with the top of the city gate, the man who appeared to be the magistrate waved a flag.

Then, the archers atop the wall began to draw their arrows.

"It's fitting for a fraudulent entry into the Murim Academy's standard exam."

"Now, please hand them back quietly."

Song Baek held out his hand.

I lifted my gaze and looked at the Geum-eun-dong Brothers.

Every single one of them was giving a small shake of their heads.

Song Baek noticed the will of my junior brothers and added his words.

"From the start, the only one the senior brothers wanted was Young Master Jin. They don't care what happens to Young Master Jin's junior brothers."

Song Baek growled, grinding his teeth.

Without any need to think it over, the moment I reached into my chest to pull out the pouch.

"Wait!"

A clear, high-pitched voice echoed across the clearing.

People's gazes hurriedly darted around to find the source of the voice.

RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE.

Soon, along with a faint vibration pounding the ground, a hundred and fifty warriors exuding a dragon-like spirit appeared on horseback.

Their magnificent appearance was enough to make even the magistrate and constables atop the wall flinch.

"Young Master Jin!"

"Young Master Jin!"

I completely forgot to keep an eye on Song Baek at the appearance of such unexpected figures.

"Lady Seong Moran... Lady Namgung Seonhwa?"