Cheon Woojin's party ran west.
They literally just ran.
"No, young hero Cheon. Let's at least fill our stomachs..."
"We don't have much ti."
Song Yiyeon despaired as he looked at the receding Cheon Woojin.
Since it was not an official mission but a personal trip, he had expected that there would be plenty of ti. He had looked forward to enjoying a leisurely trip with young hero Cheon and his newly made friend, young hero Jin Yun, following the taste and the style.
He had even said so to Jin Yun, who was despairing that he had lied to the head of the postal hall, and had soothed him.
- Young hero Jin Yun, don't be so down. I know a fantastic restaurant, and if you go there, you'll feel much better. The food is good, and the view from the window is amazing.
Jin Yun also seed to have cald down a bit, as he was a man who knew how to enjoy a fine view.
However, their journey after leaving the Martial Alliance had to be seen as extre training rather than a leisurely trip.
There was no friendly conversation. There was no talk of their lives before coming to the Martial Alliance, nor was there any sharing of their aspirations to beco a hero of the white path.
They just ran. The only sounds they heard were the sound of the strong wind hitting their ears and the rough breathing of Song Yiyeon and Jin Yun.
Although his calves felt like they would tear and his lungs felt like they were filled with water, if he slowed down even a little, young hero Cheon would beco a dot and move away.
It was then.
Just as Jin Yun and Song Yiyeon were about to run out of breath, their faces brightened at the sa ti. Because a steep cliff had appeared in front of them.
If it had been an ordinary cliff, they would have been frustrated. However, the cliff in front was not just any cliff, but a high cliff that seed to reach the sky.
Moreover, the mountain range was steep as if it had been cut, and in front of it was a large lake.
It was impossible. A human would not think of crossing such a cliff.
"Young hero Cheon, I know the way back! When I was young, I rember coming around here on an escort."
"As expected, young hero Song knows everything. Since we don't have ti, we should hurry back. Where is the path..."
However, Jin Yun's words could not continue.
Swoosh-!
Cheon Woojin ran on the lake. He flew in a straight line like a skipping stone, causing water to splash to the left and right.
At that sight, Song Yiyeon and Jin Yun sucked in a hollow breath. They were also at a level where they could use the water-walking technique. However, running on the ground and running on water were worlds apart.
Unlike the general movent skill of running with balance on the front of the foot, the entire sole of the foot had to touch the surface of the water. This was to increase the friction and buoyancy even a little.
However, humans were basically made to run on the front of their feet. Since they had to run while trying to ignore that through flexibility and internal energy, it was bound to be several tis harder.
Of course, the two had no other choice.
Anyway, they were also martial artists who had been called geniuses. Even if the opponent was a monster like young hero Cheon, it was too shaful to fall out from exhaustion while running.
"Hey, young hero Jin Yun. Isn't it wrong for a Taoist to lie like that? The head of the postal hall trusted you, but you shouldn't do that. Hey, I ca out for no reason."
"N-no! Didn't young hero Song incite ?"
Jin Yun looked at Song Yiyeon with a bewildered expression. However, Song Yiyeon lightly ignored him and ran on the lake.
And so, while the two were running on the surface of the water, Cheon Woojin had already reached the end of the lake.
Cheon Woojin stood still and looked up at the cliff. Like a cliff that had fallen from the sky, its end could not be seen.
At that receding back, a thread of hope flickered on Jin Yun's face.
Jin Yun nodded his head.
'Yes. If he's really human, that cliff...'
Jin Yun did not know yet. At least Song Yiyeon, who had spent more ti with Cheon Woojin, knew.
Song Yiyeon was already half-suspecting that his friend might be an otherworldly being.
As expected, Cheon Woojin rolled on the floor a few tis and then soared into the sky.
"..."
With one leap, he rushed to the middle of the cliff.
Jin Yun, who saw that, lost his balance and sank below the surface of the water.
Song Yiyeon's eyes, who saw this, sparkled.
"Young hero Cheon! Our friend, young hero Jin Yun, has beco fish food! Since we're going to Shaanxi anyway, let's stop by Huashan and hold a funeral before we go!"
Song Yiyeon's voice soared into the sky like an echo.
A mont of silence flowed.
Swoosh-!
Cheon Woojin, who had flown up the cliff, ca down again at a faster speed and plunged into the surface of the water.
At that sight, Song Yiyeon nodded his head with a satisfied face.
'Thanks to young hero Jin Yun's sacrifice, I've caught my breath.'
* * *
The three arrived at Heyang, Shaanxi Province, after many twists and turns.
Song Yiyeon and Jin Yun's faces were pale.
Cheon Woojin, who saw that, said nonchalantly.
"Both of you have improved your movent skills."
"This crazy young hero. Do you know how many tis we've crossed the brink of death?"
"Three tis."
"..."
Song Yiyeon shut his mouth.
Because Cheon Woojin's words were accurate.
Twice, when Jin Yun had sunk to the bottom of the lake and had slipped while climbing the cliff.
Once, when Song Yiyeon had almost died instantly after hitting a tree that had suddenly popped out while going down the cliff.
There had been a total of three near-death experiences, and every ti, Cheon Woojin, who had disappeared into a dot, had appeared and solved it.
In the end, the two had completed extre movent skill training under Cheon Woojin's protection, so there was nothing else to say.
"Ahem."
"Ahem, ahem!"
Although they tried to express their dissatisfaction by letting out a dry cough, Cheon Woojin, as if his sensitivity were different from others, did not even understand why the two were like that.
And so, the three walked through the marketplace.
The people coming and going looked at the three.
People, who had been captivated by Song Yiyeon's splendid appearance, admired Jin Yun's magnificent and stylish appearance, and then t Cheon Woojin's eyes and hurriedly quickened their steps.
How many tis had that been repeated?
On the outskirts of the city, in front of a manor with a fairly large floating population, Cheon Woojin stopped.
"Fortunately, it seems we're not late. Young hero Song, young hero Jin Yun, can you feel it?"
As Cheon Woojin suddenly spoke, the two looked at him with blinking eyes.
"What do you an, feel it?"
"I an the presence of people inside."
"Umm, there are quite a few people caught in my senses. Among them, there are many martial artists who look like they're from the black path. But isn't it natural for a manor of this size to have martial artists? They don't seem to be of a high level."
Jin Yun also nodded his head in agreent from the side.
There were countless black path sects in the world.
The number of black path sects under the absolute ruler, the Black Plaque Star, was over thirty, even if you only counted the big ones.
And it was said that each of those thirty sects had about fifty places under their command.
So, there were as many black path sects as there were ants in the world, and there were so many black path manors of this size that you could trip over them.
Song Yiyeon stroked his chin with his thumb and index finger.
"Hmm, I don't think young hero Cheon ca all this way to aim for such a black path sect."
"In the first place, this is sothing that the branch of the Martial Alliance, not a martial artist from the main headquarters, would handle. Of course, if there's a problem, we should solve it on our way."
And so, while Jin Yun and Song Yiyeon were exchanging opinions.
Cheon Woojin said in a nonchalant tone.
"This is the house of the White Dragon Unit Commander."
"W-what...!"
"What do you an by that!"
Jin Yun and Song Yiyeon asked back in great alarm. The guys from the black path were swarming inside the fence. But how could it be the house of a Martial Alliance unit commander?
Occasionally, there were those from the black path who cut ties with their background and devoted themselves to the Martial Alliance. Although most were spies, in the long history of the Martial Alliance, there were so pretty decent alliance mbers from the black path.
However, when the two thought about it, the White Dragon Unit Commander did not seem to be that kind of person.
"Don't tell
the White Dragon Unit Commander is a spy planted by the black path?"
Song Yiyeon asked. Jin Yun also waited for Cheon Woojin's answer with a face full of questions.
Cheon Woojin looked at the manor for a mont and then said.
"I don't think so. If that were the case, the Black Tortoise Unit Commander would not have failed to know."
"Well."
"But, it seems clear that he has colluded with the black path."
Cheon Woojin, who said so, started walking towards the manor.
Before he could take two steps, Song Yiyeon grabbed him.
"W-wait! What are you thinking of doing?"
"I have to go and ask."
As Cheon Woojin answered so, the expressions of Song Yiyeon and Jin Yun changed in opposite ways.
Jin Yun thought, 'it's a more normal thod than I thought', but Song Yiyeon, who knew what Cheon Woojin's conversation ant, was truly horrified.
It was a matter of touching the family of a Martial Alliance main headquarters unit commander. If things went wrong, it would not end with a normal backlash.
If he were to torture them and even a little bit of injustice was revealed, the matter would beco very troubleso.
Touching a family was sothing that would be criticized as a martial artist of the white path, and if a mber of the main headquarters were to do such a thing to the family of a fellow alliance mber...
"Young hero, let's talk among ourselves first."
The pale-faced Song Yiyeon said so.
Jin Yun asked with a bewildered face.
"Wouldn't it be okay to go in and talk as young hero Cheon said? Of course, even if he colluded with the black path, he won't admit it obediently, but if we talk, we might be able to get a clue."
After that, they could report the suspicious points to the main headquarters and have an investigation conducted.
Jin Yun thought so with an innocent face.
At that sight, Song Yiyeon shook his head from side to side.
"Young hero Cheon is the man who loves conversation the most in the world. For reference, from what I've seen from the side, there is no one among the black path martial artists who had a conversation with young hero Cheon whose head was intact."
Only then did Jin Yun, who had realized the aning of the conversation, have a similar complexion to Song Yiyeon.
In the anti, Cheon Woojin was already standing in front of the manor.
The two, who had spotted this, rushed to Cheon Woojin in great alarm.
"Y-young hero Cheon. Do you happen to have any physical evidence?"
"Of course I do."
At the unexpected answer, the two's faces brightened.
"The Black Plaque Star gave
the information."
However, a greater misfortune was cast on the words that followed.
The one who had given the information was none other than the Black Plaque Star. Even if the information was true, it would be a problem, and even if it was not true, it would be a problem.
Cheon Woojin, who was looking at the two, asked dryly.
"So, what do you want to do? In my opinion, it's certain that the White Dragon Unit Commander colluded with the black path and made a lot of money, and that he planned this incident out of concern for the Black Tortoise Unit Commander's promotion to the head of the Inspection Hall."
"H-head of the Inspection Hall? Wasn't he originally a candidate for a commander promotion? The White Dragon Unit Commander has a reason to be alard. No, that's not the problem..."
Cheon Woojin calmly nodded his head. Anyway, the two were not his subordinates. Since they were comrades who had co here together, their opinions were worth listening to.
As Cheon Woojin stood with an expression that said, 'tell ', Jin Yun opened his mouth first.
"I think we should go in, reveal their cris one by one, and then fight them fair and square in the na of the Martial Alliance."
A truly standard answer.
The problem was how to reveal it. If a Martial Alliance unit commander was really involved, he would have thoroughly hidden the evidence.
Rather, since the White Dragon Unit Commander had suppressed such people countless tis as a Martial Alliance unit commander, it was highly likely that he had planned the matter more thoroughly and perfectly, using that as experience.
As Song Yiyeon asked so, Jin Yun answered that they should reveal their affiliation and investigate the ledger.
"If there is anyone who resists in the process, we can fight them fair and square..."
"No, what's with the fair and square! Do you think they'll ask to fight? No, absolutely not. Rather, they'll confidently reveal the ledger."
"Then that's a good thing..."
"Of course it's a fake ledger. Is this your first or second day doing this?"
"Actually, it is my first."
Song Yiyeon shut his eyes tightly. Jin Yun was truly an untainted Taoist.
Song Yiyeon, who was from a rchant family, was sure. They would prepare for the worst mont by entering a fake ledger and preparing again.
It was a black path business involving a Martial Alliance unit commander. As the profit was large, the risk to be taken was also bound to be large.
Song Yiyeon tapped his index finger on the sword hilt. It was a habit when he was thinking about sothing deeply.
After thinking for a mont, Song Yiyeon said.
"We should wait until night. When the darkness is deep, we can kidnap the head accountant who manages the ledger and make him tell the truth."
Song Yiyeon knew the flow of business well. Basically, since martial artists were bad at calculations, they often had a separate head accountant.
Since they were recognized only for their ability to handle money, there was no reason for them to go through the bone-crushing martial arts training.
Naturally, their realm would be low, and if they were scared a little, they would tremble and tell the truth.
Since they were not hurt, even if there was a backlash, its scale could be greatly reduced.
Jin Yun, as befitting a Taoist of a prestigious sect, pursued a standard thod.
Song Yiyeon, as befitting the son of a rchant, thought of various scenarios and thoroughly calculated the profit and loss. It was a habit for a rchant to anticipate the worst situation and prepare for the risk in advance.
While the two were having a heated discussion and showing their distinct colors.
BOOM-!
An enormous roar erupted from the side.
Cheon Woojin was also a man with a strong color, no less than the two.
An alarm bell signaling an ergency rang sharply from inside the manor.
- Attack! It's an attack!
In that urgent shout, Cheon Woojin raised his thumb at the two.
"The opinions of the two young heroes were a good reference."
"There's not a single ounce of soul in your words!"
"No, I've seen this crazy young hero!"
Song Yiyeon and Jin Yun rushed after him.
Cheon Woojin had already been inside the manor for a long ti.
(End of Chapter)
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