Chapter 101 – Days of Growth (1)
Im Yeon-jeong didn’t change her mind in the end.
She said she would stay with the organization. She would report it as sothing that happened while she was out, and she would be safe because the organization needed her. If I couldn’t take her with anyway, I’d have to leave the rest to her.
I let her go without protest.
“Go.”
“Are you really letting live?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
After staring at her quietly, I smiled faintly and said:
“You’ve only had a little taste of that forbidden fruit, haven’t you?”
She laughed unexpectedly at those unexpected words. Because it wasn’t a situation to laugh, it burst out even more as laughter.
“Hahaha.”
She laughed heartily. Her laughter clearly included joy that this research had co to an end.
After stopping her laughter, she looked at quietly as if trying to rember my appearance.
“Sotis when the fruit is fully ripe, it falls from the tree.”
Knowing the aning behind those words, my face reddened slightly.
“Thank you for sparing my life.”
With that gratitude as her last words, she left first. She will survive. Because she had sothing she needed to protect even at the cost of her life.
Whoosh.
Half an hour later, the mansion began to burn.
All traces of that place were erased. The facilities inside the research lab were completely destroyed, and all docunts were burned.
The traces of my fight with the Sword Emperor also disappeared. The walls that had traces of the fight were crumbled to dust, and the Sword Emperor’s corpse would be difficult to find even in shape after being burned.
There were three people watching the burning mansion from a distant hill.
They were Number Seven, Strange Phantom, and Drunken Gentleman.
In the distance, they could see the figure of the Naless Hero walking out of that place.
Number Seven, who had been quietly watching that figure, said:
“I’m canceling the mission and going back.”
At her words, Strange Phantom asked:
“Is it okay to just let him go like this? I think we’ll be reprimanded.”
Then Number Seven answered:
“That won’t happen.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Do you know who was there?”
“Who was there?”
“I can’t tell you because it’s top secret, but there was an extraordinary master. The higher-ups will fully understand even if we didn’t intervene.”
“Still, if the two of us acted together, we could kill that guy.”
“Do you really think so?”
Strange Phantom’s eyes flashed coldly.
“You’re underestimating us too much.”
“Yes, it seems I should do that today. Anyway, let’s say I saved your lives.”
Strange Phantom and Drunken Gentleman looked at each other with incredulous expressions. This was the first ti Number Seven had acted like this.
Strange Phantom asked again:
“Alright, then shouldn’t we at least follow him to find out his whereabouts?”
“I won’t allow that either.”
“Well, you’re the decision-maker anyway.”
Drunken Gentleman, who had been silently listening to their conversation, turned around and walked away first, saying:
“Don’t fall in love. It doesn’t suit us.”
When her decision was misunderstood as love, Number Seven flared up.
“Love? No, it’s not!”
The mont she got angry, she realized. The fact that she had overreacted. That it would make them misunderstand even more.
Sure enough, Strange Phantom smiled and said:
“Fall in love. Our lives won’t be long anyway, and the end will be dirty and miserable. So love as much as you can while you can.”
The two of them said different things and left in opposite directions.
Number Seven, who had been looking back and forth between them, turned back towards the mansion.
In the distance, she could see the figure of the Naless Hero walking away. If this feeling was really love, she should chase after him.
But she moved her steps in the opposite direction.
Because she thought that sothing like love couldn’t possibly be allowed in her life.
***
I returned to Wuhan again.
At the sa ti, the existence of the Naless Hero disappeared for a while. Since all the events at the Golden Grand Banquet were related to the Naless Hero, I don’t plan to act as him for a while.
Gwang-du was really happy that I returned safely. Especially because he didn’t know about the sound transmission I had with Gong Su-chan at the inn in Zhengzhou, his worry had reached the sky during that ti.
When I belatedly told him about that fact, Gwang-du’s resentnt turned towards Gong Su-chan.
“Were you such a heartless person?”
Then Gong Su-chan smiled and said:
“Haha, didn’t I say he would return safely?”
“Am I soone without dreams or hope, a prodigal son of darkness? Even knowing he would return safely, I still keep worrying. You should have given a hint.”
I could tell they had beco much closer during this opportunity. I thought that since both of them had very different personalities, they must have influenced each other a lot.
I said to Gwang-du:
“You worry too much.”
“It’s not worry, it’s affection.”
“Let’s say it’s affection. What are you going to do when you have children and raise them? In this harsh martial world, would you even let them out the door?”
Unable to deny it, Gwang-du sighed deeply.
“You’re right. I should just live alone like this.”
“I don’t even want to imagine you getting old and still nagging and worrying. So marry Do-sun.”
“How can I marry soone I can’t even et? And you should get married first before I do. Oh, by the way, Miss Song stopped by here.”
I was surprised at those words.
“Hwa-rin?”
“She said she ca on so business and stopped by, but it seed like she ca because she wanted to see you, Young Master.”
And he added:
“Ah, she was still beautiful.”
Her pure and beautiful image ca to mind. The fact that she had co all the way here to find was sowhat touching.
Suddenly, the image of Im Yeon-jeong ca to mind. As I recalled her, Number Seven naturally ca to mind as well. Number Seven didn’t show herself until the very end. Those assassins too. When I left Zhengzhou, I was careful several tis in case there might be any pursuit, but there was no tailing from them.
One woman ca to find , another woman left , and yet another woman didn’t appear.
By the way, to recall three won at once in a mont! This never happened in my previous life.
I quickly changed the subject.
“What about Warrior Baek?”
“He hasn’t been seen at all since then.”
Baek Pyo had received my order to create a powerful organization. He’s probably focusing on that task now.
I wasn’t worried about him, or the task he was entrusted with. Baek Pyo was the most suitable person for the saying “no news is good news.”
Gong Su-chan was the sa in that respect. He had excellently handled the tasks I had entrusted to him. Taeseong rchant Group was created, and small branches were established in Qufu in Shandong, Wuhan, and Zhengzhou.
“I’ll manage the rchant group on my own.”
“I’ll trust you, Chief Gong.”
“Still, my work this ti was easier thanks to Martial Artist Gwang.”
Gong Su-chan sincerely thanked Gwang-du.
“You don’t need to flatter unnecessarily. I just followed you around.”
Gwang-du’s face blood with a smile like cherry blossoms, seemingly pleased to hear praise in front of .
“You don’t know how helpful that was.”
“How so?”
“I was able to do my work better because I had the reassuring thought that soone was watching over .”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Gwang-du turned to with a satisfied smile.
“That’s what he says.”
Of course, I didn’t miss this opportunity.
“There might have been so reassuring days like that occasionally. But most days must have been botherso and worrying. Having to wait outside is worrying, and even when eating, you have to be considerate of the other person.”
Gwang-du looked at Gong Su-chan with an expression that seed to say “surely not” and repeated the earlier words.
“That’s what he says.”
Gong Su-chan, who should have denied it, nodded obediently.
“Of course, there were days like that too. Hahaha.”
Everyone laughed along with him.
After the joking ended, Gwang-du asked:
“How was it?”
It was a serious expression with the playfulness gone.
I answered honestly.
“It was difficult.”
This ti, I got to know the true nature of those bastards to so extent.
They were the ones who recruited Ma Ryeong-in and the Sword Emperor. They were the ones trying to modify the Unrepentant Demonic Spiritual Pill of the already disappeared Blood Heavens Divine Cult.
This was just what I encountered at the tail end. I couldn’t even imagine who else had beco their allies, what else they were preparing.
One thing was certain: they had far greater and more formidable power than I had imagined.
“It will be even more difficult from now on.”
Then Gwang-du smiled and said:
“Because of you, Young Master, it will be much more difficult for them.”
He wasn’t afraid or intimidated at all. Neither was Gwang-du, nor Gong Su-chan.
I changed one word in that sentence.
“Not because of , but because of us.”
***
Baek Pyo returned ten days after I ca back.
As soon as he returned, he said to abruptly:
“Co with .”
I followed him without a word.
The place we arrived at together was Mount Pingding in Henan Province, located between Wuhan and Qufu.
Following a deep valley in Mount Pingding, we ca to a cliff.
After crossing a rickety wooden bridge that looked like it might fall at any mont, there was a mountain fortress.
“This used to be a place used by bandits. After being wiped out by the Martial Righteous Alliance, it changed hands several tis, but now no one uses it. It’s a very good terrain for defense because there’s no way to co except for the bridge we saw earlier.”
In the wide yard of the mountain fortress, thirty-three martial artists were engrossed in training.
It was clearly no ordinary training at first glance. It was difficult training that looked like they might stop breathing at any mont.
“These are the ones I’ve gathered initially.”
Judging by their exposed energy and training movents, their skills were no ordinary matter. They were at least as skilled as the Alliance Protection Regint warriors, and many were even more outstanding.
“Alright, everyone gather!”
Baek Pyo called them to stand before .
Their energy was as rough as their panting breaths. Intense gazes and strong temperants. What I liked most was that despite being so rough, they weren’t vulgar.
“This is our lord.”
“It’s an honor to et you!”
They shouted in loud voices. They might have shown signs of disrespect seeing my young appearance, but there wasn’t a single one who did. Baek Pyo must have established discipline in advance.
“What kind of people are they?”
“They have various backgrounds. So have returned to the martial world after leaving it, so ca for money, and so ca because of their friendship with .”
Baek Pyo added that even at this mont, Yang Cheong and Myeong-do were traveling around the Central Plains looking for people. Yang Cheong and Myeong-do are subordinates of the Alliance Protection Regint that he had accepted before.
“What was your selection criteria?”
Although Baek Pyo must have carefully chosen them.
“Whether they can dream together with us.”
Thinking it was very like Baek Pyo, I smiled.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because I really like that criteria.”
“I plan to grow them starting from these people. Do you have a na in mind?”
“I’ll na the organization the Dark Panther Squad[1].”
The ‘Pyo[2]‘ in Baek Pyo’s na ant panther. I explained that I had taken one character from his na to na them the Black Panthers, and Baek Pyo was greatly moved. It wasn’t common in martial organizations to have an organization nad after oneself.
I dampened the spirit of those newly born as the Dark Panther Squad.
“But you’re still just cats.”
Everyone’s expressions hardened. Their pride was hurt.
“Can’t you accept that?”
“No, we can’t!”
They shouted in one loud voice.
“Who is the strongest among you?”
Then one person stepped forward.
“Co at .”
The man looked at Baek Pyo, silently asking with his eyes how far he could go.
Baek Pyo said to him:
“You can use your strongest technique. No, you’ll have to.”
As soon as the words fell, the man drew his sword and rushed in quickly.
Swoosh!
Whirl.
Thud.
The man looked up at , blinking his eyes while lying on the ground.
“…What happened?”
The onlookers were the sa. It happened so instantaneously that they couldn’t even see how he was defeated.
Since they were all quite skilled, they would know this much. If I hadn’t held back in my hand movents, the man would have been seriously injured or dead.
I extended my hand to the fallen man. The man grasped my hand and stood up.
“You’ll know for yourself how you were defeated when you beco a panther, not a cat.”
The gazes towards changed dramatically. Of course, it was a positive change.
When leading strong individuals, it’s necessary to show strength. It was also the mont when the authority of the place they belong to was determined.
Finally, I said to Baek Pyo:
“Please raise them into splendid panthers.”
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