"Young Master Cheon, but from what I heard earlier, are you really planning to go to the Black Plaque Star's main headquarters?"
At the sudden sound of Song Yiyeon's voice, Cheon Woojin broke from his thoughts. Song Yiyeon and Zhuge Lin's faces were full of worry.
The two already had a record of crossing the walls of the Black Plaque Star out of concern for him.
So, Cheon Woojin said calmly.
"My master and the Black Plaque Star Lord were as close as sworn brothers. I'll have to visit and pay my respects at least once anyway. Just as I intended to inform the Alliance Leader of the White Flower Sword Immortal master's passing."
The two's worries were alleviated, at least a little.
Suddenly, Song Yiyeon made a pained expression. A severe internal conflict was occurring. The one among Young Master Cheon's masters who was close with the Black Plaque Star Lord would be the other one, not the White Flower Sword Immortal.
He had guessed it for a while. That Young Master Cheon served a trendous villain as his other master.
But he didn't dare to ask, for fear of what he might learn. Sotis, ignorance was bliss. But, at this point, he was too curious.
"Ughh!!"
Just as Song Yiyeon was agonizing between curiosity and fear.
"As expected, a martial artist of that level must have a connection with the Black Plaque Star Lord, right? Well, it would be strange if they didn't know each other."
Zhuge Lin said as if it were nothing. She knew of the Black Master's existence because she had been present when Cheon Woojin first beat the Asura Demon Lord to death.
Song Yiyeon's eyes widened as if they would pop out. Soon, his large eyes were filled with a sense of injustice.
"No, was I the only one who didn't know? How do you know, Deputy Commander?"
"It just happened?"
Zhuge Lin shrugged.
It was then.
The door creaked open, and Ha Inseong, pitch black from head to toe, appeared. His hair was originally a deep black, and his pupils were a deeper black than others, but with the addition of a black long robe, it was as if night itself had walked in.
He looked at the three with his characteristic playful eyes and then said.
"Let's go."
It was a sudden statent, but Cheon Woojin got up from his seat without bothering to ask. So might need to prepare their hearts before eting the Black Plaque Star Lord, but Cheon Woojin did not.
"What happened to the Black Tortoise Unit Commander?"
Cheon Woojin asked calmly.
The answer ca from Ma Yongseok, who was waiting behind Ha Inseong.
"The Divine Doctor's treatnt is finished. He will wake up soon, and he said he needs to be observed by the elder's side for at least seven days."
Cheon Woojin's gaze turned to Song Yiyeon and Zhuge Lin.
It was the right thing to send the two back, but he couldn't tell them to leave while the Black Tortoise Unit Commander was still here.
"There won't be any problem, right?"
It was a question directed at Ha Inseong.
Ha Inseong nodded with a face that asked why he was asking sothing so obvious.
"I've told them to treat the two with utmost care until the commander wakes up. They will probably be the first Martial Alliance mbers to receive VIP treatnt at the Black Plaque Star."
Cheon Woojin nodded. If the Young Star Lord of the Black Plaque Star himself said so, there was nothing more to worry about.
Moreover, he had a record of saving Ma Yongseok's daughter. And that Ma Yongseok had decided to personally stay by the Black Tortoise Unit Commander's side.
"Then let's depart."
As Cheon Woojin stretched out his hand, the Crescent Moon Staff that had been leaning against the wall was instantly pulled in. After putting it away, he left the room with calm steps.
* * *
"A carriage? A horse? Or we could take the Yangtze River."
Ha Inseong asked. His voice was full of confidence. Whether it was a carriage, a horse, or a boat crossing the Yangtze River, he was confident he could show the majesty of the Black Plaque Star.
The Young Star Lord's carriage was crafted with the utmost care by the best master of the Unorthodox Path, and the horse was a famous steed personally brought from the northern regions.
Also, if they were to cross the Yangtze River, he could show the Waterway Fortress guys groveling before the Black Plaque Star.
However, contrary to Ha Inseong's expectations, Cheon Woojin looked at the horse and carriage for a mont and then said this.
"Let's run."
"..."
Ha Inseong made a bewildered face.
The Black Plaque Star's main headquarters was located in Hunan Province. It was almost the only province without a mber of the Nine Sects One Union or the Five Great Families.
Because of that, the Black Plaque Star, which monopolized the comrcial district famous for Dongting Lake, was earning an enormous amount of money every year.
"You know how far it is from here to Hunan, right?"
"The place where I lived with my masters is near that Hunan Province."
"And you still say that?"
As if not caring about Ha Inseong's question, Cheon Woojin started to walk first.
Ha Inseong, who was watching his back, finally realized.
'I wasn't the one who persuaded him?'
He had thought he was going to the Black Plaque Star together, unable to resist his persuasion, but he was just going because he wanted to. The situation wouldn't have changed even if the existence of Ha Inseong wasn't there.
"How absurd."
Saying so, Ha Inseong hurriedly perford his movent technique and followed alongside Cheon Woojin.
* * *
The two ran without regard for day or night.
They always ran, except for when they occasionally stopped at a tavern to eat dumplings or to relieve themselves.
Both of them had reached a level where they would be fine without eating or sleeping for a few days. That's why they could occasionally exchange conversations while performing their formidable movent techniques.
It was mostly Ha Inseong asking and Cheon Woojin answering.
"Be honest. You're a human weapon secretly raised by the Martial Alliance for decades to assassinate the Demonic Lord, right?"
"..."
"Gasp! Don't tell
it's not the Demonic Lord, but the Star Lord?"
"..."
It was mostly Ha Inseong spouting nonsense and Cheon Woojin looking at him with contempt. Ha Inseong actually enjoyed that reaction. How could it not be enjoyable to elicit any kind of emotion from such a stoic and taciturn guy?
As they ran while talking such nonsense, a long horizon appeared ahead.
Soone seeing this sight for the first ti might mistake it for the sea. But surprisingly, that horizon was created not by the sea, but by a lake.
Ha Inseong intentionally teased Cheon Woojin.
"What? Why is there a sea? Don't tell
we passed Hunan and ca all the way to Zhejiang Province? Are we that fast?"
Regardless, Cheon Woojin was looking at the horizon where the sunlight was breaking with sohow wistful eyes.
- Woojin, do you know what is wider than that vast horizon?
It was sothing the White Master had said suddenly while they were enjoying a boat ride. His master originally enjoyed Zen questions.
Of course, Cheon Woojin had no talent in this area.
- The horizon of the sea?
- ...Do you have no romance?
In the end, his master answered himself.
- It is martial arts. If the beginning of that horizon indicates the level of a third-rate martial artist. Exactly half from there. That place is where I am now.
- Yes? You are only halfway, Master?
- That's right. But that doesn't an the other end of the horizon is the end of martial arts. As I said, it is martial arts whose end is unknown.
Woojin, how far do you want to go?
Around sunset, the White Master, after leaving such a question, started rowing again.
At that ti, Cheon Woojin could not answer. In fact, he did not have much greed for martial arts. He was satisfied with just eating, sleeping, and enjoying life with his masters.
It was truly a life with nothing more to desire, so there was nothing more he could wish for.
'Then what about now that my masters have passed away?'
Cheon Woojin asked himself.
But he could not answer as easily as he had then. Although he was called a monster by so, to Cheon Woojin, martial arts was sothing too deep and profound.
"What are you thinking about so intently? Well, you must be a little nervous too, right?"
Ha Inseong said as he looked at the huge main gate of the Black Plaque Star, which was now visible. Only then did Cheon Woojin, awakened from his thoughts, look at the Black Plaque Star.
"The house is huge."
He raised his head high and looked at the end of the castle wall. The black wolf flag fluttering in the sky above the gate was very impressive.
He had t the Black Plaque Star Lord before. He was a person who had often visited when he was living with his masters.
He would mostly get beaten by the Black Master from morning to night, then from night to morning, rest for a while after breakfast, and then get beaten again until night before going back.
At that ti, he had thought he was a strange uncle who liked to be beaten, but to think he lived in such a big house.
"You're the first one to call the Black Plaque Star a house."
"Isn't it?"
"Well, if you think about it, it's not wrong, but..."
Saying so, as Ha Inseong approached, two gatekeepers bowed their heads. A strange light flashed in Cheon Woojin's eyes as he looked at them.
Although they were gatekeepers, their presence was quite extraordinary. In terms of the Martial Alliance, they seed to be at least at the level of a deputy commander.
That didn't an that the level of martial artists in the Black Plaque Star was higher than in the Martial Alliance. It was just a characteristic of the Unorthodox Path. There was no need for softness, only revealing their presence with sheer force.
Soon, as the gatekeepers let out a very slight amount of energy and pointed inside with their hands, the huge castle gate opened with a creaking sound. At a glance, it looked like a great level of telekinesis, but the reality was different. It was just that those who were waiting inside had sensed the energy and opened the gate.
If it weren't for Cheon Woojin, who could clearly see the scene inside with his ki sense, he would have thought it was a truly overwhelming sight.
Ha Inseong looked at Cheon Woojin with expectant eyes, but seeing him more composed than expected, he just shrugged.
"Well, I should have expected what I should have expected."
Soon, Ha Inseong went inside the Black Plaque Star, and Cheon Woojin followed him with calm steps.
* * *
Ha Inseong, who said he would show him around the house a little later, headed straight for the Star Lord's Hall.
It was what Cheon Woojin wanted as well.
Since he was with the Young Star Lord, Ha Inseong, he moved to a very deep place in the Black Plaque Star without any interference.
The Black Plaque Star was so huge that he had to pass through a total of thirteen gates from the main gate to the entrance of the Star Lord's Hall. The Black Plaque Star was a place with more money than most of the Five Great Families.
Only after arriving at the entrance of the Star Lord's Hall did a gate guard ask for the first ti.
"Who is the person with you?"
He was on a different level from the gatekeepers who had been guarding the gates before. His eyes held a well-honed blade, and his standing posture was prepared to draw a sword at any ti.
'At least at the level of a Hall Master in the Martial Alliance.'
He was probably one of the top masters within the Black Plaque Star.
Just as Cheon Woojin was thinking that.
"A Martial Alliance mber."
"...Yes?"
The middle-aged man made a face as if he had misheard. But Ha Inseong's next words were the sa.
"He's soone I vouch for, so it doesn't matter. Open it."
"...A grand eting is in progress inside."
A grand eting was the largest eting where the Black Plaque Star Lord and the thirteen executives, the Thirteen Black Wolves, all attended.
Of course, as the Young Star Lord, Ha Inseong had the qualification to attend the grand eting. However, as it was a place where the most important matters of the Black Plaque Star were discussed, he was cautious about letting in Cheon Woojin, a Martial Alliance mber.
Of course, that was the gate guard's position.
"I get it, so, the gate."
"..."
The gate guard, who had been having a staring contest with Ha Inseong for a mont, soon bowed his head and opened the gate. It was because the Young Star Lord's statent was on the sa line as the Star Lord's.
Soon, the inside of the hall was visible through the open gate.
Seven people were lined up like blades on the left, and six on the right, and in the center seat of honor, a middle-aged man reminiscent of a gray wolf was resting his chin on his hand with a languid face.
Everyone present in the hall was one of the few who had truly reached the pinnacle among the countless Unorthodox Path martial artists throughout the Central Plains.
In an instant, Cheon Woojin and the Black Plaque Star Lord's gazes t in the air.
Soon, the Black Plaque Star Lord's eyes, which had been carefully observing his face, gradually widened, and in the end, he even shot up from his seat.
"You...!"
At that, the gazes of the Thirteen Black Wolves also turned to Cheon Woojin all at once.
But, there was a man kneeling in front of the Black Plaque Star Lord, begging for sothing.
Cheon Woojin sohow thought that his back looked familiar.
Soon, as the hall beca quiet, the man, who felt that sothing was strange, got up and looked towards the gate.
(End of Chapter)
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