“Hyeok Gi-rin Great Hero…?”
“Looks like your skills have improved a lot. And the way you manipulated your Qi, which used to be so unique to the Outcast… I was following you with some suspicion, but you suddenly dashed away and surprised me.”
With a pure face and a big grin, it was undoubtedly Hyeok Gi-rin.
“Oh, no… right now…”
“You mean to say you shouldn’t be in Nangyang, correct?”
I looked at Hyeok Gi-rin in shock.
It was surprising enough that Hyeok Gi-rin was right here, but even more shocking was that he wasn’t disguised as a man.
He wasn’t wearing the Sun Shield, which would masculinize his Qi, and his outfit and hairstyle showed no intention of concealing the fact that he was a woman.
Was he planning to strut around the Martial World as Princess Yuya? If this situation became public knowledge, it would deal a tremendous blow!
“Is it really okay for you to be gallivanting out here like this?”
“Hmm, seems like you’re quite surprised. Knowing my situation, you must be worried, but I assure you, this time I’m here without any problems.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes, I’ve already exchanged letters with Black Cat and know what the Outcast is up to. And… I’ve heard everything about what happened in the Tang Clan.”
“Hmm…”
Hyeok Gi-rin looked at me with a concerned gaze before breaking into a smile.
“You’ve truly worked hard. It’s only been two seasons since we last met in the fall, and I had no idea you’d grown so much.”
Hyeok Gi-rin offered a compliment.
“However, the Outcast is still inexperienced, so you need help.”
Did he intend to infiltrate Dark Dragon Sect with me?
I gazed at Hyeok Gi-rin for a moment. It would be absolutely welcome for him to assist me. But…
“Are you really okay with this? No matter what…”
“Hmm, it’s alright. I’ve decided not to give up on the Martial World or the Imperial Palace, so I must overcome this level of hardship.”
While he called it hardship, his voice was remarkably calm. I didn’t know what had happened in the Imperial Palace over the past six months, but it seemed things had gone well for him.
I had many questions I wanted to ask. Was it really okay to roam around without any disguise in his original gender? Why wasn’t he returning to Jeomchang Faction? How had he contacted Black Cat? How had he tracked my movements?
However, seeing the determination gleaming in Hyeok Gi-rin’s eyes as he smiled brightly, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
The situation surrounding Hyeok Gi-rin was too complex, causing various worries to surface, but he was uncompromising when it came to helping people. Since he decided to help me, he wouldn’t back down.
Above all, what had just transpired was truly dangerous.
If Hyeok Gi-rin hadn’t been the one tailing me, who knows what might’ve happened if it had been another expert from the Outcast?
I could very well have become the gambling slave Ho Cheon-an.
I worried about whether Hyeok Gi-rin was overextending himself, but considering he was a person who hadn’t existed in the Martial World, there wouldn’t be problems even if he stirred up Sokryeong Sect and contacted Dark Dragon Sect.
“Hmm. I understand. For now, let’s move together.”
“Hehe, then I’ll be counting on you for a while!”
The Peak Expert Hyeok Gi-rin joined our party.
* *
Things were progressing smoothly.
“That so-called Seohwa Sect or whatever those self-injury extortionists are, and the Great Dark Sect ruffians are causing a ruckus again!”
“Just yesterday, dozens of shops were left in ruins!”
“What is Sokryeong Sect doing, taking all that expensive protection tax and doing nothing?”
“Shh, hush…! Are you insane?! What if the Sokryeong people hear you?”
“Let them! Hah! If they could even sniff around, that’d be something!”
Using the name Geum Myeong-wol and disguised as my Master, Hyeok Gi-rin casually spoke to me.
“The public sentiment is going downhill fast.”
I explained to the newcomers that I had coincidentally met my Master from the small sect called Il Hwi Moon while training. The newcomers nodded along without any suspicion, accepting that setting.
“Well, Sokryeong Sect is notoriously infamous.”
Sokryeong Sect is a sect with a lot of karma.
If you think about how Guigok Hyeoljo Ak Gyeong-cheol ended up like this, that’s easy to understand.
The lowlife and benefit-seeker Guigok Hyeoljo Ak Gyeong-cheol, upon hearing news of the masters from Podalap Palace wandering near Yunnan, came personally.
He saw this as an opportunity to shift the burden of preventing the invasion from Podalap Palace onto other sects.
With a sect leader like that acting self-serving and only looking out for his own gains, why would his sect be any different?
It’s obvious that the martial artists would have exploited their absolute advantages, boasting that their master belonged to Hyeong-gyeong’s sect, and this karma piled up significantly.
Countless martial artists roaming around Okgyo.
Among them, there might be those like me or newcomers who came from other sects, but there were surely plenty of folks harboring resentment against Sokryeong Sect.
“Those rascals are really causing a scene…! Just the day before yesterday, a basket-seller who got affected said he’s quitting his business and returning home!”
“Phew. Throughout his merchant days, he must not have had any profit after paying protection taxes to those Sokryeong rascals… and now he’s leaving as a beggar after his goods were ruined.”
Yeah, that uncle is right to quit business. As I nodded along, Hyeok Gi-rin spoke with a wry smile.
“Remarkably, they’ve staged a scene three times now.”
Since our first act, I’d already seen two more performances after meeting Hyeok Gi-rin. Although Hyeok Gi-rin hadn’t acted himself, he played the role of delivering compensation stealthily along with me.
No matter how much the actresses wreaked havoc through shops, placing the compensation in appropriate locations wasn’t easy either.
Whenever I attracted attention, Hyeok Gi-rin sneaked away to handle things.
At this point, practically every merchant in Okgyo knew about the Seohwa Sect’s self-injury extortionists and the Great Dark Sect!
While conducting three acts, more than fifty shops had been ruined, so the merchants in Okgyo were on edge, wondering when the Seohwa Sect and the Great Dark Sect would strike next.
For the merchants in Okgyo, they might as well be dealing with Yama, right alongside the Seohwa Sect and the Great Dark Sect!
“What’s Sokryeong Sect doing?! If they can’t catch even those ruffians, why should we pay any protection tax!”
“Exactly!”
The merchants erupted in angry shouts. Watching their reaction, Hyeok Gi-rin asked,
“When the merchants’ complaints are this loud, doesn’t Sokryeong Sect have to make a move?”
While it’s true that Guigok Hyeoljo Ak Gyeong-cheol is a lowlife and a benefit-seeker who has piled up hatred, he wouldn’t have built the current Sokryeong Sect without having any perspectives as a sect leader.
Currently, none of the Outcast members would want to join Ak Gyeong-cheol, who is in a shameful position, meaning there would be no replenishing of forces for Sokryeong Sect.
What Sokryeong Sect fears the most is a war of attrition.
If they manage their territory, they can only deploy lower-ranked martial artists, but if they send those lower-ranked martial artists out, they’ll inevitably clash with external martial artists, leading to a war of attrition.
So, to avoid that attrition among lower-ranked martial artists, they prefer to hunker down, even if it means giving up their territory.
In the end, the essence of the Outcast is power.
Even if their territory wavers, as long as they preserve their power, they believe they can rise again.
Sokryeong Sect has decided to lie low, waiting for the rumors of their defeat to pass, but…
Even such a Sokryeong Sect would eventually come out to deal with the trouble caused by Seohwa Sect and Great Dark Sect in Okgyo.
However.
“While it’s true that Sokryeong Sect’s martial artists will come after us, that won’t be to pacify the merchants’ sentiments.”
“Hmm…?”
Hyeok Gi-rin looked at me with a puzzled expression as I explained.
“Then why would the Sokryeong martial artists be coming out?”
“For profit.”
As mentioned earlier, Guigok Hyeoljo Ak Gyeong-cheol is a lowlife and a benefit-seeker. How would this Ak Gyeong-cheol perceive the ruckus caused by Seohwa Sect and Great Dark Sect right now?
He’d see it as a massive profit.
Those guys aren’t even half the threat, and they’re a bunch of nobodies no one has heard of. But if he handles those nuisances, he can instantly regain the support of the merchants, making it an immense gain.
Ak Gyeong-cheol, who has set aside his reputation for profit, would dash to drive away the monks from Podalap Palace. It’s only natural for him to want to send out martial artists to reap that profit.
It’s more likely that he would move the martial artists based on the potential rewards for cleaning up those pests rather than for the sake of the merchants.
Seeing my explanation, Hyeok Gi-rin tilted his head.
“…Hmm. In the end, it does seem like that just means the same thing.”
I smiled at Hyeok Gi-rin’s words. Considering this incident alone, the essence doesn’t differ at all.
However, thinking about what was about to unfold, this difference in thought would provide a quite interesting groundwork for events to come.
“Right, since I’ve already recognized the schemer’s talents, if things proceed as planned, there shouldn’t be a problem. But we should also consider when to escape.”
“It feels like those rascals will come out soon, and once I spot them, I plan to run without looking back.”
“Rascals?”
Just as another question mark appeared on Hyeok Gi-rin’s face…
The street started to get noisy.
Hyeok Gi-rin and I exchanged glances, nodded, and headed toward the commotion.
Five martial artists in ragged clothing tore their sleeves, flaunting their defiance, and five others with willow leaves in their mouths stood face to face in the middle of the bustling street.
The sleeve-ripping martial artist, not fully able to shake off his embarrassment, stuttered as he spoke.
“How dare you block the White Tiger Association’s path! You must want to die!”
Then, the martial artist with the willow leaf, worried the leaf might fall, couldn’t manage a loud voice and muttered with an uncertain accent.
“Whew, how can a rascal not even know the name of Blue Dragon’s Abode!”
The ones I had been waiting for.
The Plagiarists had arrived.
