As soon as Miss Yeo Il-ye and Black Cat recognized the face of the man in the Tang Clan martial artist’s attire, they frowned.

At first glance, it seemed like some clueless rookie was butting in. The Tang Clan ruled over Sacheon like royalty, and it was notorious for being full of arrogant folks. With the unprecedented achievement of wiping out the Outcast Faction, the people of Sacheon held the Tang Clan in high esteem, making it hard for those with egos to rein themselves in.

However, the person in question was no mere rookie.

Tang Do-gyeong.

He was a direct descendant of the Tang Clan and a noteworthy martial artist. Given the clan’s esteemed lineage, his martial arts were exceptional, and he had a good-looking face to boot.

Yet, as soon as the two recognized Tang Do-gyeong, their expressions soured, all because of his personality.

‘Had he been lurking around here all along?’

While acting like a heroic young master, Tang Do-gyeong clapped his hands leisurely, attempting to take charge of the atmosphere, but his gaze was glued to Black Cat.

Being a scion of a prestigious family, he was closely examining Black Cat, who was enveloped in the Black Shadow Qi Technique.

Even without looking at her face, anyone would recognize the allure of a breathtaking beauty like Black Cat.

But what Tang Do-gyeong’s eyes reflected wasn’t desire—it was a spirit of combat.

‘Fighting Dog Tang Do-gyeong.’

“A bunch of flowers are stirring my heart during this auspicious occasion.”

That was the kind of line someone might say when they’re being flirtatious, yet hearing it made the two feel as if they had received a martial arts pamphlet.

He wanted to fight!

Tang Do-gyeong’s entire being exuded that sentiment, and to actually fulfill that desire, he interrupted the duel between these two.

Both Black Cat and Yeo Il-ye felt a headache coming on in an instant. Even Yeo Il-ye, who usually lost her mind at the sight of outcasts, had her share of experience. After going through some noteworthy packaging work, she had received the commendable title of Hong Juk-gun. But here, her opponent was Tang Do-gyeong, whose reputation overshadowed even the nine great sects.

He was a man so sincere about fights that the people of Sacheon would give up on even maintaining an appearance.

A man who, despite insisting on joining others’ fights, was genuinely insane about dueling.

That was Tang Do-gyeong.

‘Is this why they hurriedly guided me to the Family Head?’

Yeo Il-ye was led straight from the main gate to the Family Head’s Quarters, thinking it was merely to maintain appearances. But witnessing the current situation, it seemed they were rushing to prevent a meetup between her and Tang Do-gyeong within the Hwang Gold Clan.

If Tang Do-gyeong and Yeo Il-ye were to duel inside the Hwang Gold Clan, they would become a family that couldn’t even properly deal with a couple of guests.

“I’ve admired the Young Hero Yeo Il-ye of the Ten Prodigies for a long time.”

“…Is that so?”

“Indeed! The boldness to pursue one’s beliefs, disregarding the gaze of others! I’ve always thought one day we could share conversations and martial arts!”

Being praised as “crazy” by another crazy person made Yeo Il-ye’s eyebrows twitch.

‘Just hold on, this is the presence of an Honorable Person. If I get drawn into a fight here and give that crazy dog justification, who knows what might happen.’

“All of Sacheon reverberates with the fame of Young Hero Yeo Il-ye, and my admiration for you grows daily. What a coincidence it is that we meet here; surely the divine has ordained our connection!”

Yeo Il-ye, of course, and even Black Cat and Ho Cheon-an who were eavesdropping, immediately understood.

This guy went all the way to Sacheon under some pretense just to meet Yeo Il-ye.

“But…”

Black Cat took a step back, seeing the frantic glint in Tang Do-gyeong’s eyes.

“To think there’s a lovely outcast lady who matches with Young Hero Yeo Il-ye, today certainly feels like divine guidance!”

It was the first time Black Cat realized how frightening a pickup line could be. The inner fighting spirit that could only be called madness desperately tried to be expressed through smooth talking.

Even though his eyes were blazing like a furnace and his body exuded an aura of combat, just changing his tone wouldn’t solve the issue.

“Haha.”

Ho Cheon-an laughed at the sight. Seriously, nothing ever really goes well for Yeo Il-ye. During their first meeting, she nearly died and had to escape; the second time, she crashed into the Outcast Inn and created a ‘realization pouch’ image.

And now, just when he was trying to lend a hand, out jumps Fighting Dog Tang Do-gyeong.

If he got tangled up one more time, who knows if some legendary martial artist would jump out.

Groaning inwardly, Ho Cheon-an once again resolved to think through how to use Yeo Il-ye as a variable.

First, he needed to address the current situation somehow.

‘This is too much.’

It all started with the idea of meddling with Hwang Geum-go Bu-rin and reining in the intermediaries. Causing a commotion in front of the Hwang Gold Clan for a day or two wasn’t a big deal. Those working at the Outcast Inn would clearly understand what it meant for an outcast creating a ruckus in front of the Hwang Gold Clan.

However, for the crowds ignorant of the relationship between Bu-rin and Ho Cheon-an, there was no way for them to know why a performance of sorcery by an Outcast was taking place right in front of the Hwang Gold Clan.

Rumors would simply spread regarding how astonishing and mystical a sorcery display by an Outcast utilizing the powers of the ghost ‘Jeong’ was.

Until Ho Cheon-an wrote something on the empty banner of this sorcery cart, there wouldn’t be any damage to the Hwang Gold Clan’s reputation. They would typically only feel uncomfortable watching the crowds gather and the outcasts stirring commotion in front of the main gate.

But then the sorcery performance raised a ruckus right in front of the Hwang Gold Clan, followed by a fierce match between three peak-stage martial artists?

That would definitely annihilate the Hwang Gold Clan’s reputation. Yet, could the Hwang Gold Clan rightfully hold Fighting Dog Tang Do-gyeong and Young Hero Yeo Il-ye accountable for what unfolded? Probably not. They would more likely focus all their ire on Ho Cheon-an and Black Cat, the original troublemakers.

Imagining himself out there, running down the mountain trail as a hero of the martial world, Ho Cheon-an couldn’t help but chuckle. Was it really that an innocent idea of performing sorcery had spiraled into this? The memory of giggling while authoring the flyer felt like a distant past.

Ho Cheon-an let out a long sigh.

Both Black Cat and Yeo Il-ye moved according to their own calculations and logic, yet the situation had turned out like this, leaving Ho Cheon-an feeling at a loss.

What Ho Cheon-an witnessed had already twisted beyond recognition. Yeo Il-ye’s arrival was an unexpected turn; he hadn’t anticipated Black Cat provoking her, and who would have guessed Tang Do-gyeong would show up while they were fighting?

‘Didn’t I possess the luck trait?’

Grumbling, Ho Cheon-an fiddled with the gambler’s tokens.

Tang Do-gyeong was someone who couldn’t be controlled by any figure in Sacheon. To put it bluntly, even if the Family Head from the Tang Clan rushed out, they wouldn’t be able to extinguish the fire that was Tang Do-gyeong.

With Black Cat and Yeo Il-ye unable to handle the situation, it was Ho Cheon-an who had to step in.

“These guys are crossing the line while watching.”

Slap!

Three tokens containing the essence of Ho Cheon-an’s hidden weapons [Mokseok Tujeon] hurtled toward Tang Do-gyeong.

“Hmm?”

Even though Tang Do-gyeong was fueled by excitement from the fight, he was also incredibly skilled in martial arts. He effortlessly caught the tokens thrown by Ho Cheon-an.

The end of the token lodged itself into another token, and behind that token, yet another token was stuck—evidence that he had precisely focused on a single point.

“Ho.”

Ho Cheon-an was just an Iryu member, and Mokseok Tujeon wasn’t precisely a full-fledged hidden weapon technique but was closer to a stone-throwing martial art. However, despite being a crude technique and lacking skill, Ho Cheon-an’s hand movements were enough to grab Tang Do-gyeong’s attention.

“Welcome to this place where the genius of the regional outcast, thanks to the divine power of Jeong, unfolds! This is no place for mere martial artists to create a ruckus!”

“Your dexterity in throwing hidden weapons is quite impressive, but it’s really not a place for a swindler to meddle. Be gone.”

“Hahaha, swindler! Swindler! No matter how much one tries to educate the foolish, they never cease to multiply!”

While it could have been a biting retort, Tang Do-gyeong didn’t have time to focus on Ho Cheon-an.

His attention was already back on Yeo Il-ye and Black Cat. As someone from the Tang Clan, he was temporarily diverted by Ho Cheon-an showing off his hidden weapon technique. Still, the hidden weapon itself was subpar, and the power within was lacking.

The only praiseworthy aspect was his hand skills. Anyone from the direct line of the Tang Clan could pull off such hidden weapon techniques.

Ho Cheon-an had drawn a little attention for a moment, yet confirming his insignificance, Tang Do-gyeong had no interest in him.

“But of course, through your limited eyes, you cannot begin to comprehend the immense powers of the Jeong.”

“What… did you say?”

That was before Ho Cheon-an decided to provoke him.