The Ghost King's cheeks trembled as he glared at the brat before him.
The bastard deserves to be chewed up and spit out!
When he first found him, he had intended to strike him dead in one blow, no questions asked. But the situation was so absurd that he held back. He couldn't just kill him; he was too curious about this ridiculously bold audacity.
Normally, anyone who stole something would flee ten li away. But this guy sits right there, eats it all up, and even circulates his qi?
The nerve.
What the hell is wrong with this guy's head?
And then… the answer he got was a masterpiece.
"Wow, it's good to see you like this. Really!"
The peach-fuzzed young master offered a bright, clear smile. The smile was so innocent it almost made him want to smile back. Of course, the nature of his smile would be entirely different.
But the words that followed wiped even that smile away.
"Pig bastard, you got really old."
"What… you…!"
The Ghost King's cheeks quivered violently. The long scar danced along with them. When one is utterly dumbfounded, anger doesn't come easily. This was exactly that moment.
This little shit, whose head hasn't even dried yet, said what?
Pig bastard, you got really old?
What is he? Crazy?
The Ghost King beckoned with his hand, and one of his subordinates standing behind him quickly approached.
"What did this crazy young master just say?"
"Uhm, that is… p-pig bastard, got really old…"
Ttaak!
The Ghost King smacked the back of his subordinate's head. As the subordinate looked at him, wronged, the Ghost King wrinkled his nose and said, "I heard him too, you bastard."
Ignoring the subordinate, who looked as if he wanted to ask why he'd bothered asking, the Ghost King glared intently at Namgung Cheon.
Whether he understood the gravity of the situation or not, Namgung Cheon still wore that welcoming smile as he spoke lightly.
"That temper of yours is still the same."
"Ha! You bastard… where the hell did you crawl out from!"
Finally, the Ghost King couldn't hold back and roared.
"Crawled out from here and there. Well, I guess it's natural you wouldn't recognize me."
"This crazy bastard keeps talking back! No, wait, did you eat the elixirs that were in there?"
"I ate them."
"…"
Not just the Ghost King, but his subordinates beside him also looked dumbfounded.
So bold.
Beyond bold, he replied as naturally as breathing. And he was consistently using hadae (informal speech).
Is he really crazy?
"Why did you eat them?"
Even as he asked, the Ghost King thought it was a stupid question. Why did you eat them? Wasn't this just like a child whose candy was stolen, whining, 'Why'd you eat my candy!'?
Namgung Cheon shrugged and replied with his characteristic matter-of-fact attitude. "What does the reason matter when I eat my own things?"
"Your things?"
"Yeah, mine."
"Why are they yours?"
"Who is your master?"
"We…" Wait, why am I answering like this? The Ghost King quickly snapped back to his senses and roared again.
"This brat, if you're going to be crazy, be crazy properly! What gives you the right to act like this, oblivious to the danger…!"
Seureureung!
In an instant, Namgung Cheon stood up, simultaneously drawing his Byeokrageom. He thrust it toward the Ghost King's neck. It all happened in the blink of an eye. The series of movements was incredibly smooth and fluid.
'My Gongnyeok has definitely increased. All my movements feel lighter.'
While Namgung Cheon wore a satisfied expression, the Ghost King's subordinates, startled, drew their weapons.
"Wh-what the hell is this bastard!"
Chachachaang!
"You, you bastard! Drop your weapon!"
"Don't you dare move!"
The relatively quiet room erupted in a storm of killing intent and shouts.
Namgung Cheon shrugged. "How much do you think this cost? I can't just throw it away."
A tense standoff. Namgung Cheon added, "If all of you attack at once, you might be able to do something about me. But I can at least take this old pig bastard's head."
Faced with the blatant threat, the subordinates didn't dare move rashly.
The Ghost King glared at Namgung Cheon, his eyes sharp. "You, you bastard, do you know where you…?"
"The Gwiwangchae. I know that much."
"...!"
Not just the Ghost King, but his subordinates too looked shocked.
Namgung Cheon twisted his lips. "You came back earlier than I thought. What about the subjugation squad?"
"Are you a member of the subjugation squad?"
"Shh. I ask the questions."
"If you mean the subjugation squad, they should be fighting the Hyeorurim right now."
"Then you're saying you're not the Hyeorurim?"
"We're not. Didn't you say it yourself? We are the Gwiwangchae. You bastard, how do you know…?"
Jjaak!
"Heok! Chief!"
The subordinates cried out in alarm.
Namgung Cheon, having struck the Ghost King's cheek with the flat of his blade, continued, "Now, now. No fussing. He won't die from one slap."
"Th-that crazy bastard…! Not only did he eat someone else's stuff, but he slapped the Chief…!"
"Ah, I told you. Not someone else's. Mine."
"What nonsense is that!"
"I'll ask again. Who is your master?"
As the subordinates exchanged glances, the Ghost King stared blankly at Namgung Cheon for a moment before asking, "Do you perhaps… know him?"
"Well, yeah."
"How is he doing?"
Hm? Don't tell me they don't even know I'm dead?
Namgung Cheon asked with an incredulous expression, "Don't tell me you haven't even heard the news that the Great Killing Star is dead?"
"...!"
The Ghost King flinched, his eyes widening. The subordinates behind him reacted the same way. Judging by their shocked expressions, they really hadn't known. It had been months…
'They're like monks living secluded from the world.'
The Ghost King's eyes hardened as he asked, "Is that true? Has the Great Killing Star truly passed away?"
"Yeah. The rumors are everywhere. Were you holed up doing wall-gazing meditation?"
"Keoheum! There were… circumstances. Anyway, to think the Great Killing Star has passed…"
He seemed to find it hard to accept. The other subordinates' expressions were clearly shaken as well.
These guys… they seem sad, remembering the times we shared.
Yes, you bastards. Though I was sometimes harsh, there's a bond of loyalty between us that can never be broken…
"Kuhahaha! That Great Killing Star bastard finally croaked! To think I'd live to see this day!"
"Indeed! We're finally free! Aargh, just thinking about how we lived under his thumb all this time…"
"Shouldn't we have a celebratory drink tonight? Let's quit managing that Anga too! Let's just eat the elixirs he left behind… ah, wait, that bastard already ate the elixirs."
Only then did the Ghost King and his subordinates look back at Namgung Cheon.
Namgung Cheon's expression turned ice-cold.
These bastards. I thought they at least had loyalty… They're celebrating my death?
Jjaak!
Namgung Cheon struck the Ghost King's cheek again with the flat of his sword.
"Keuk! You sshyang! Why do you keep slapping…!"
"Because I feel like it."
Jjaaaak!
"Keuk!"
"Ch-Chief!"
Only then did the subordinates also begin radiating killing intent, taking defensive stances.
After slapping the Ghost King repeatedly, Namgung Cheon let out a deep sigh.
"Let me ask you. What did he do that was so wrong to you guys?"
"Hmph! I don't know what your relationship with the Great Killing Star is, but we were oppressed so much that I can't even begin to explain! Well, seeing as you stole and ate the elixirs he hid, your relationship probably wasn't good either, right?"
"Hmm. He's my father."
"Hehe. Knew it. That bastard must have had a son who resented… huhh? What did you say?"
The Ghost King, who had been rambling cheerfully, his jaw dropped open. Well, it was understandable. Even he hadn't known he had a grown son like this.
The Ghost King maintained his foolish expression for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
"Kuhahaha! The brat knows how to joke! Did you think we wouldn't know the Great Killing Star had no children…?"
"You wouldn't know. I only found out recently myself."
"Stop with the crazy talk! Suddenly, why…!"
"That scar on your cheek. It's from when you ganged up on my father under the birch tree and got cut by a dagger, right? Your own dagger, the one you carry at your waist."
"H-how do you…?"
"And you fell off the cliff while loitering around the Anga while the formations were being set up."
"H-how do you know…?"
"You haven't forgotten that I pointed out the weakness in your self-created martial art, the Samyang Cheolpaegong (Three Yang Iron Tablet Art), have you?"
"H-how do you know that…?"
"Hey, don't you have any other reactions? Your vocabulary is as short now as it was then, you bastard."
"Sh-shut up! Are you really the Great Killing Star's son?"
"I told you. In other words, you could say I'm your new master."
"What kind of gaesori is that?"
Jjaak!
"Keup! You rotten bastard…!"
As the Ghost King, having been slapped, spat out a curse, Namgung Cheon continued.
"Question. When a king dies, does his minister become the next king? Or does the king's son?"
"The king's son."
"Right. Then, if your master died, who is the next master?"
"The master's s… ah… ah…"
The Ghost King foolishly agreed. The other subordinates also nodded, strangely persuaded. This was one of the reasons he liked these guys. Their excessive simplicity. Well, they must have been this simple to play at being righteous bandits. Who else would pretend to be righteous bandits in this day and age? Isn't it a world where everyone is busy lining their own pockets?
Namgung Cheon continued. "Now is the time to decide. Either we have a bloody brawl here, or you follow the natural order and cleanly acknowledge me as your new master."
"Keu-eung."
The Ghost King groaned with a troubled expression. His subordinates just watched him.
In truth, the answer was already decided. If a fight broke out, the first one to die would be the Ghost King. With a cold blade at his neck, he wasn't about to take a gamble.
However, the Ghost King made a last stand for his pride. "If we follow Sohyeop (Young Hero), what good will it do us?"
His tone had changed. His address had evolved from "brat" to Sohyeop. A good sign.
Namgung Cheon grinned and asked, "Before that, are you guys really not the Hyeorurim?"
"Those dog-like bastards are this Fortress's sworn enemies! I don't know if Sohyeop knows, but our Fortress originally had over forty members! But one day, those Hyeorurim bastards showed up and attacked…"
The Ghost King clenched his fists so hard he bit his lip until it bled.
Hmm, so that's why there were only a few subordinates left?
"Then you six are all that's left?"
"That's right. Everyone else fell to the Hyeorurim. They took over the mountain fortress too, so we barely managed to escape here. We only went out today to check on the Hyeorurim's movements and saw the subjugation squad."
"I see. At this rate, the Murim Alliance will try to wipe you guys out too."
"Why? We were victims of the Hyeorurim too!"
"From the Murim Alliance's perspective, petty thieves and master thieves are all just thieves."
"That's…!"
"But, if you guys acknowledge me as your master, I might be able to help you get out of this."
"Truly?"
"Of course. And this."
Namgung Cheon casually tossed the Osaekpungmasang. As the Ghost King caught it with a blank expression, Namgung Cheon sheathed his sword and said, "Selling that should fetch a decent price. Enough to set up a Banjang (Restaurant) in Wuhan. Start fresh there."
"This valuable item… are you sure?"
Gratitude bloomed on the faces of the Gwiwangchae members. Not only saving them from a crisis but also handing over an artifact… it was enough to make tears stream down their faces.
See how merciful and generous I am.
Finally, the Gwiwangchae martial artists knelt in unison and performed a Pogwon.
"We will serve Sohyeop as our Lord!"
"Good. Then let's go."
"Yes, Lord!"
"Oh, right. Once the restaurant starts making a profit, you are to offer five-tenths (50%) of the monthly earnings as tribute."
"We will keep that in…! Huh?"
"Why? Don't tell me you thought you'd get a free ride?"
"No, that's not it, but five-tenths is too exploitative…"
"What did you say? You want to play with the subjugation squad? Aigoo, endure it. You'll die otherwise. People should live positively."
"Keu-eung. I… understand."
The Ghost King forced a smile. The person who makes his subordinates' faces bloom with smiles like this, that's me.
But wait…
"Did you just say the mountain fortress was taken by the Hyeorurim?"
"Yes, that is correct…"
"And the fortress was definitely closer to the Lajeon-hyeon side?"
"As expected, you know well."
Namgung Cheon scratched his chin, thinking.
Oho. Then does that mean the students are fucked?
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