Chapter 6:
2. Rage (2)
In front of the Heavenly Demon Cult's Main Hall.
Bae Hang-yeop surveyed the Cult mbers who had been training in the courtyard.
'Hmph, every last one of them is a scrawny wretch. Not even a single guard to protect the grounds. All that talk about martial arts turned out to be nothing but empty words.'
Bae Hang-yeop, Chief of the Forest Bandits, flexed his thick, brawny arms.
The green iron club resting beside him was more than enough to make the Cult mbers' vision swim. It was every bit the weapon that had earned him the nickna Green Iron Mace.
"So then, what brings you all the way out here? Chief Bae."
The one standing across from Bae Hang-yeop was the Heavenly Demon, Hyeok Je-un.
Beyond him stood Hyeok Jang-ho, Hyeok Mun-ha, and Hyeok Seol-hwa. They all looked to be on edge, anxious about what might unfold.
And.
'……'
Hyeok Jeong-min was also standing there. In silence.
Bae Hang-yeop had been sowhat surprised when he first faced the Heavenly Demon, Hyeok Je-un. At least this old man has so backbone, he had thought.
'Even so, he's nothing but a worn-out old codger.'
Bae Hang-yeop let out a scornful smirk, then turned to glance at the Forest Bandits standing behind him.
"Says a lot about the Heavenly Demon Cult. Is this what you call hospitality—leaving us standing out here on a dusty road? Wouldn't common sense be to offer a cup of tea?"
"……That was thoughtless of . You arrived so abruptly without any word ahead of ti. Even so, shall I invite you inside now?"
"Don't bother with your half-baked excuses, old man. You've already soured my mood, so let's just talk standing right here."
At the word old man, a vein twitched on Hyeok Je-un's forehead—but he held it in.
Bae Hang-yeop swept his gaze around once more, then sneered.
"Your words go too far, Chief."
"Then you should've done better from the start. Hey, you."
The Forest Bandits lined up in a row numbered more than thirty. At Bae Hang-yeop's call, one of them brought over a worn, tattered piece of paper.
Bae Hang-yeop took it, adjusted his hat, and cleared his throat.
"Listen up, you wretched worms of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Our Great Forest King declares: though he has bestowed upon you the grace of tribute for all this ti, there have been many occasions when you failed to et even that deadline. His rcy is at an end."
"What is the aning of this? When have we ever failed to pay our tribute on ti?"
"Never. But we go out of our way to climb all the way up to Tianshan every ti we collect. Did you think we have no interest in saving ourselves the trouble?"
Bae Hang-yeop gave his legs a thud. It was his way of saying the climb up here had been grueling.
"……I apologize for that inconvenience. But how are we supposed to track down the scattered bases of the Forest Bandits all across Tianshan to bring paynt to you?"
"Scattered? You make it sound as if we're so kind of cockroaches."
Bae Hang-yeop's expression twisted into a grimace. The wrinkles on his brow suggested his hand could reach for the iron club at any mont.
While he paused to adjust his hat again, Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un let out a long, heavy sigh and spoke.
"So. How much is it you want?"
Jeong-min listened to the exchange and thought to himself. If the Heavenly Demon Cult wanted to, bringing down the entire Forest Bandits was nothing.
No—not even the whole cult. Hyeok Je-un alone could do it within a week.
'But he won't.'
Why?
'The Heavenly Demon Cult are people who pursue the martial path. They're nothing like the thugs who prey on others.'
If handing over a few coins could buy peace, they would gladly do so.
That very generosity was what had made the Heavenly Demon Cult an easy mark.
Bae Hang-yeop gave a loud sniff, then spoke.
"We'll need five gold coins a month."
"……!?"
Hyeok Je-un was taken aback. The shock surged quickly into fury.
But before Hyeok Je-un could unleash his anger, his eldest son Hyeok Jang-ho suddenly stepped forward.
"What kind of nonsense figure is that! Are you joking?"
"And who are you?"
"I am Hyeok Jang-ho, first son of the Heavenly Demon Cult! And I find this utterly absurd. We clearly paid our tribute just two weeks ago—how can you already be back for more?"
"The shape of the moon has changed, hasn't it? So I have to co again."
"What kind of……!"
Stunned by such a ridiculous answer, Hyeok Jang-ho stepped forward. Collecting money every ti the moon changes?
"Then what about the sun! The sun rises and sets too—are you going to collect every ti it cos up?"
"Now that's a fine idea."
"You're out of your mind!"
As Hyeok Jang-ho lunged forward, the Heavenly Demon Hyeok Je-un stepped in to block him.
"Stop this. It's not your place to step in."
"But, Cult Leader!"
"Go back. Now."
Trembling all over, Hyeok Jang-ho returned to where he had been standing.
Hyeok Seol-hwa put her arms around him. Mun-ha did the sa.
But Jeong-min did not.
'……'
After a brief mont of thought, Jeong-min turned and walked off sowhere.
Hyeok Mun-ha assud Jeong-min couldn't stand the injustice and had simply gone inside.
"Damn it."
Jang-ho felt nothing but sha—he had shown their ailing youngest sibling sothing unpleasant.
In the anti, Hyeok Je-un once again suppressed his fury and fixed his gaze on Bae Hang-yeop.
"I apologize for my grandson's rudeness. Five coins. One month, five gold coins—would that be agreeable?"
"……No. I've changed my mind. Ten coins."
Even the Forest Bandits were startled by that. Though rather than disbelief at the outrageous demand, their faces bore sothing closer to admiration for Bae Hang-yeop's cunning.
"That's Chief Bae for you."
"Right, ten coins is the least we need to cover our n's expenses."
"Bwahaha."
Crack— A vein bulged on Hyeok Je-un's forehead.
"It has doubled in the span of a mont. Seeing how quickly the price swings, I suppose it can co back down as well."
"The doubling is the price for your grandson's insolence. It seems you've forgotten whose grace lets you sleep soundly at night up here at the top of Tianshan—it's thanks to us, the Forest Bandits. Have you lost sight of that?"
'……'
Ten gold coins a month?
That was equal to the entire Heavenly Demon Cult's food expenses for a month.
Paying out ten gold coins every month would put serious strain on the cult's finances. The elders' objections would be no small matter either.
'……'
Hyeok Je-un's worry deepened. But even so, he couldn't start a fight here.
Striking back against violent thugs would only make him the sa as them. That was Hyeok Je-un's philosophy.
In the end, Hyeok Je-un reached his decision.
"Very well—"
"Wait a mont."
Just then, Jeong-min's voice ca from close by.
Hyeok Je-un collected himself and looked down—and sohow, without anyone noticing, Jeong-min had stepped in between Hyeok Je-un and Bae Hang-yeop.
'When did he……?'
When did he get there?
Bae Hang-yeop also looked startled as he stared at Jeong-min.
"Whoa. Who are you?"
"I am Hyeok Jeong-min, first son of the Heavenly Demon Cult."
"This family sure has a lot of first sons."
"I'm the youngest."
In Jeong-min's hand was a sword.
Still young in age, Jeong-min had not yet grown to his full height—so the sword looked almost like a massive pole gripped in his hands.
Bae Hang-yeop let out a derisive laugh.
"What's that for? You planning to cut down?"
"Depending on how things go."
"Well, well. This little brat has lost his mind."
Bae Hang-yeop gripped his green iron club and hoisted it up.
Hyeok Je-un moved to stop him.
"Don't do that. It's just a child acting out of youthful recklessness. Jeong-min, go inside. Now."
"How much do you need again? I didn't catch that."
Jeong-min let Hyeok Je-un's words slide off him and turned the question on Bae Hang-yeop.
Bae Hang-yeop, thinking this kid had so real nerve, answered.
"Didn't anyone teach you to show respect to your elders? Why are you talking so short with ? Rude little brat."
"I said, how much?"
"You should've listened the first ti. Ten gold coins a month!"
"Hmm. I suppose that's……"
Jeong-min gave a slow nod, as if the amount was sothing he could accept.
Bae Hang-yeop considered raising it once more to twenty.
But at that mont, Jeong-min had already finished his thinking.
'The Heavenly Demon Cult are people who pursue the martial path. They dislike conflict with others.'
'But I'm not. I was a street rat from the gutter to begin with.'
He had been used as a blade for the Orthodox Faction—Muyeong. He was not from so grand and storied family. So the Heavenly Demon Cult's customs were none of his concern.
'Ten gold coins a month? How dare they.'
Don't make laugh. The sum he'd handled in his entire past life didn't even co close to that amount.
It was ti to show them who the insolent ones really were.
'Naless Sword Art.'
A sword art he had devised on his own, with no proper na to call it.
Jeong-min gripped the sword he had retrieved from the storeroom earlier. It was close to the sa length as the one his past self had used.
Right—originally he had planned to move quietly and deal with all the factions surrounding Xinjiang one by one.
But now that the Forest Bandits had co strutting here themselves, the plan had changed.
'Sitting on my hands while injustice plays out right in front of goes against my nature.'
Jeong-min pressed his thumbnail against the sword's guard—shiiing—and the blade snapped cleanly free.
'First Form—Rake.'
Fwwwsh—!
Claaang!
Jeong-min's blade whipped out in a flash.
To Bae Hang-yeop, it was as if lightning had split open before his eyes—on pure instinct, he swung the iron club up to shield his head.
"?!"
His instinct was right. Jeong-min's blade was already right at his temple.
Scraaaape—
"Y-you, crazy little—?"
"Jeong-min!"
Hyeok Je-un tried to intervene, but Jeong-min's blade pressed forward even after being deflected.
Bang! The thrust ca—and Bae Hang-yeop jerked his head aside. The blade only grazed past his hat, knocking it off, and left a shallow slash.
"Ugh!"
Blood dripping down, Bae Hang-yeop pressed a hand to the wound.
‘This little bastard actually cut ?’
Gazing at the now bare-headed Bae Hang-yeop, Jeong-min spoke in a calm, flat tone.
"Why is your forehead so wide? You could fit your entire face on it."
"Kill this son of a bitch!"
The Forest Bandits drew their weapons and ca charging forward.
Jeong-min waved off Hyeok Je-un's attempt to intervene and swung his blade without a mont's hesitation.
'Naless Sword Art—First Form, Rake.'
Tssssshhhhp!
The flat of the blade shot up in a rapid arc and cracked across the faces of the oncoming Forest Bandits.
"Ack!"
"Ugh!"
"Wha—what?!"
The fallen Forest Bandits ford a wall of bodies, making those behind them stumble and hesitate.
Leaving them in his wake, Jeong-min darted straight at Bae Hang-yeop, who still hadn't co to his senses.
And the sword swung.
Shwwaaak!
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