In the unnamed hill located in Hubei,
there was a martial artist gracefully utilizing light footwork as they headed towards the city.
This martial artist was none other than Jeong Cheol.
As expected by Ho Cheon-an and his companions, Jeong Cheol had chosen to train in hiding.
While diligently focusing on his training, Jeong Cheol kept his ears wide open to the happenings of the Martial World.
Having unexpectedly encountered Ho Cheon-an at what he thought was an absolutely safe place, the Moyong Clan, it was only natural for him to be sensitive to news regarding Ho Cheon-an.
He always listened to the rumors floating in the market and dug into any suspicious matters, gathering information about the Martial World.
However, today, the atmosphere in the city felt strange.
“Could it be true?”
“I tell you! Apparently, a person transformed into a monster!”
“Oh dear, such a calamity…!”
“I thought the Blood Sect had faded into the annals of history! How dare they play such tricks amidst the Five Great Clans?”
The entire city was buzzing about a single piece of news. With words like Blood Sect and monster in the air, Jeong Cheol quickly searched for an inn.
“Hey Jeomsoi, what’s going on lately?”
“Ah, warrior! You must have been deep in the mountains for too long. These days, the whole world is stirred up because of something that happened in Shengsu!”
Jeong Cheol handed over some money to Jeomsoi. After receiving the information fee, Jeomsoi immediately began explaining the rumors.
“Apparently, a member of the Blood Sect infiltrated the Shengsu Faction of the Moyong Clan. They deceived the Master of the Faction and obtained a forbidden technique … the kind that transforms people into monsters!”
Upon hearing Jeomsoi’s words, Jeong Cheol couldn’t contain his shock.
“Blood Sect…”
“Is that really true?”
“It’s certainly confirmed, as it was announced directly by the Moyong Clan!”
Jeomsoi continued with the details.
“Thanks to this, the Martial World is in an uproar. Since a member of the Blood Sect has infiltrated the Moyong Clan, there’s no guarantee they haven’t infiltrated elsewhere as well. That’s why the atmosphere in the Martial World is quite ominous right now.”
“Hmm.”
Jeong Cheol rubbed his chin. Whatever the Blood Sect was scheming was beyond his concern, but the current situation was unfavorable for him, who needed to stay hidden.
The entire Martial World was on high alert and feeling a sense of crisis because of the Blood Sect incident, which was not news he wanted to hear while he was trying to remain incognito.
However, Jeong Cheol’s worries were swiftly blown away by Jeomsoi’s next words.
“Fortunately, it seems that the direct line members of the Moyong Clan and the Brain Knife Outcast managed to prevent any major disaster from occurring.”
“What?”
Startled, Jeong Cheol shot upright from his seat while calculating the impact this incident might have on him.
Why was the Brain Knife Outcast suddenly being mentioned?
“Who was involved?”
“P-please calm down, warrior. It was the Great Hero Seo Gong and the renowned Moyong Yeon-hwa who were last seen around here…”
“Enough about them. What did the Brain Knife Outcast do?”
“Y-yes. The Brain Knife Outcast played a crucial role in stopping the Master of the Faction who had transformed into a monster.”
What was going on here?
Why was Ho Cheon-an purportedly solving the Moyong Clan’s problems?
“Do you know why he got involved?”
“Well, um, there are rumors that he has a brotherly bond with the Master of the Faction from Shengsu, but I can’t say for sure about the details…”
Jeong Cheol handed over more money to calm the anxious Jeomsoi. After receiving financial treatment, Jeomsoi smiled widely and continued.
“While the news of the Blood Sect is grabbing headlines, the performance and movements of the Brain Knife Outcast are also worth our attention. This incident has brought to light the previously hidden movements of the Brain Knife Outcast who was believed to be inactive in Sacheon City.”
“What does that mean?”
“The Moyong Clan has officially stated that they will actively assist in finding you, Jeong Cheol, to repay a favor to the Brain Knife Outcast who helped defend against the Blood Sect.”
Jeong Cheol’s eyes trembled slightly.
“When the Brain Knife Outcast disappeared from Sacheon City, there was a rumor that he went searching for the poisoned Jeong Cheol, but since there was no solid evidence, that was just people’s speculation. However, the recent information released by the Moyong Clan has made that fact undeniable.”
“…”
“The Brain Knife Outcast, who had been following the steps of the heroes, has now once again made a name for himself in Shengsu. With the full support of the Moyong Clan at his back, the Brain Knife Outcast is extremely formidable. Many are now watching to see if he can find you, Jeong Cheol, and secure an alliance once again.”
“…Thank you for the information.”
As soon as Jeong Cheol learned of this, he dashed out of the inn.
“Ho Cheon-an.”
Jeong Cheol gritted his teeth. He could clearly read Ho Cheon-an’s intentions.
– If you hide and choose training again, I will build up my influence.
Jeong Cheol felt the air catch in his throat.
He had discovered Ho Cheon-an while trying to recruit the Yongji Maeng. Then, realizing that Ho Cheon-an was at the center of all the turmoil that had shaken the Sadoryeon, Jeong Cheol began to regard him as a serious threat.
He had tried to take Ho Cheon-an’s life, but due to unknown interference, he couldn’t achieve his goal.
When he chose to go to the Demon Sect with the awareness of the unknown, Jeong Cheol believed he would emerge as the final victor.
However, that belief shattered during his encounter with the Heavenly Demon.
After facing the Heavenly Demon, Jeong Cheol became terrified.
How long had it been since he managed to stabilize the chaos of Sacheon City before being invited to the Demon Sect as a guest of the Heavenly Demon and even winning some favor?
Now that very person was using the Moyong Clan as his backing.
It felt like a knife was getting closer to his throat.
No, it wasn’t just a feeling.
If he continued to give Ho Cheon-an time, he would undoubtedly complete an encirclement that Jeong Cheol wouldn’t be able to break.
“Haha.”
Time was not on Jeong Cheol’s side.
He couldn’t help but scoff at his predicament.
Where had he miscalculated?
In the opposition between Hwa-gyeong and the Peak. No matter how much time passed, he thought it was an insurmountable gap, yet after only a few years, Ho Cheon-an had come within reach of grabbing Jeong Cheol by the neck.
To prevent being overtaken by Ho Cheon-an, he had to stop him.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Jeong Cheol laughed.
He had thought Ho Cheon-an just ran his mouth. To stop someone like that, Jeong Cheol had to stake everything he had built so far.
In the unnamed hill of Hubei, Jeong Cheol, hidden and sharpening himself, made the decision to engage in a life-or-death gamble.
“Bring it on!”
While Jeong Cheol waited for his response, Ho Cheon-an was spending a lovely time with his pet entity.
*
“Bring it on!”
Seo Gong rushed to pick up the stick thrown by Hyeok Gi-rin. He thought to himself, ‘Why do I have to keep listening to these pointless commands?’ but it seemed to escape the notice of Hyeok Gi-rin, who was completely immersed in the joy of throwing the stick.
“Good job!”
Hyeok Gi-rin scooped up Seo Gong, who returned with the stick, lifted him into the air, and ruffled his hair.
Squeak!
As if to say “stop touching me,” Seo Gong wiggled in Hyeok Gi-rin’s arms.
Recalling the day before leaving Shengsu, I remembered how we were watching Seo Gong run after the Bicheongmacha, our hearts in our throats, wondering if we could really travel with him.
Squeak?
Just as expected, Seo Gong, who followed the Bicheongmacha by signals, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The vehicle had crossed well beyond the territory he usually strolled through.
Seo Gong paused briefly.
“Ugh, Mr. Seo Gong. You absolutely have to follow! That way we can travel together!”
I frantically gestured to him while looking at Hyeok Gi-rin’s pleading gaze.
Seo Gong, who continued to watch my signals, flapped his ears.
A typical display of understanding.
Simultaneously, Seo Gong began to alternate his gaze between the Bicheongmacha and the forest.
I swallowed hard watching him as though he was weighing his options.
Could Seo Gong truly comprehend and accept the fact that he would be going far away?
Whether he could keep up with the Bicheongmacha without being detected by others would be the next question.
While I was thinking about that and focusing on Seo Gong’s movements,
Seo Gong’s body suddenly started to shrink.
The gigantic size, which had been nearly the size of a room, halved in an instant and then halved again, ultimately shrinking down to the size of a puppy.
As we stared in disbelief, our mouths agape, at the unexpected situation,
Squeak!
The now tiny Seo Gong let out the same cry as always and effortlessly jumped onto the Bicheongmacha.
After that, Seo Gong completely became our pet entity, traveling with us on the Bicheongmacha.
While it could hardly be considered “traveling,” we were just running along the path waiting for Jeong Cheol’s reaction.
Quite some time had passed since they boarded the carriage together, but Seo Gong had not returned to his previous size.
There had been plenty of situations suitable for reverting to his original size, yet he seemed unable to casually change back like flipping a palm.
Hyeok Gi-rin sighed as he let Seo Gong go, who expressed vehement reluctance to return.
As soon as Seo Gong regained his freedom, the first person he sought as a shield was none other than Tang So-yeol.
“Hmm?”
Squeak!
Seo Gong stuck to Tang So-yeol’s side. Tang So-yeol merely cast a sidelong glance while lighting another cigarette.
It was quite odd, but so far, the only one Seo Gong voluntarily approached was Tang So-yeol.
With Seo Gong’s size reduced, the crew began to view him cutely.
Naturally, the interactions of petting and fussing over him increased, but it seemed that was all rather annoying to Seo Gong.
Thus, he started to take refuge in the indifferent Tang So-yeol.
Hyeok Gi-rin looked at Tang So-yeol, who was monopolizing Seo Gong’s affection with resentful eyes, while Tang So-yeol enjoyed that gaze and pulled out a spirit herb.
“Here you go.”
Squeak~
Seo Gong, delighted, munched on the spirit herb.
To Seo Gong, Tang So-yeol was the one who didn’t bother him and offered spirit herbs whenever he got close, so it was only natural for SEO Gong to grow fond of Tang So-yeol.
“Next city, I’ll buy you some spirit herbs!”
Hyeok Gi-rin, now invigorated by the herbs, laughed excitedly.
Unaware of the human squabbles, Seo Gong munched on the spirit herb, storing half of it in his cheeks.
Once with an insatiable appetite, Seo Gong’s consumption had now stabilized, leading to a dramatic decrease in how much he ate.
Although it was good to relieve the burden of extravagant food expenses, I still worried about the significant drop in his food intake. Right after shrinking, he devoured as much as he had when he was larger, but at some point, his quantity started to decline. Now he was only eating half of a spirit herb.
“Has his food intake dropped too much?”
As Yeo Il-ye muttered this, Tang So-yeol looked at Seo Gong’s plump cheeks.
“Only those foolish enough to be consumed by gluttony would fail to survive until they become entities. Since I’ve satisfied the hunger, he should be able to manage his own body from here on out.”
Tang So-yeol said with a wry smile, poking fun at Hyeok Gi-rin.
“Understand? Even if you put in all this effort and care, there’s no guarantee of actual results.”
“Ughhh…!”
Well, just like Seo Gong had to adapt to our group, we too had to learn how to interact with Seo Gong. Just as Hyeok Gi-rin, who couldn’t control his affection toward Seo Gong, would eventually develop a proper way to engage with him.
“Haha, let’s set off. If we move now, we should reach the city soon.”
“Sounds good! Let’s leave right away!”
With an eagerness to capture Seo Gong’s heart by giving him spirit herbs, Hyeok Gi-rin hastily set off toward the city.
While Hyeok Gi-rin and Tang So-yeol went to purchase spirit herbs, we unloaded our belongings at the inn.
Tang Do-yeon was checking the Bicheongmacha while I was busy unloading the supplies we would be using.
“Senior.”
Black Cat returned with a serious expression after going to gather news of the Martial World through Wolbok-dang.
Realizing intuitively that the awaited news had finally arrived at the sight of Black Cat’s tensed expression, I felt a rush of apprehension.
“Did Jeong Cheol make a move?”
“Yes.”
Right, now was the time for a response.
Upon hearing the news of the Blood Sect’s movement and the Moyong Clan becoming my staunch ally, Jeong Cheol had to make a choice. Would he continue letting my influence grow, or would he cut that flow right now?
Jeong Cheol’s choice was likely the latter.
It hadn’t been long since I left Xin Gang, yet here I was successfully forging a significant alliance with the Moyong Clan.
Jeong Cheol must have felt a considerable burden regarding my movements.
“Jeong Cheol has challenged you to an open match.”
Jeong Cheol, cornered.
His choice was to confront head-on.
