Swish!

The rain was pouring down as if a hole had been pierced into the sky.

Oh Jang-Song, an elder of the Ghost Clan, looked at the gate with a worried face.

“Isn’t it time for them to come back?”

“Yes.”

‘It shouldn’t take this long.’

Do Un-Chan, the now successor of the Ghost Clan, was a person who can be ranked among the top ten when it came to footwork. And Gye Hyung¹, who followed him, was also pretty skilled.

So he couldn’t understand why it was taking such a long time for the two of them to come here.

“Did something happen…”

“Watch your mouth! Do not say words that will jinx us!”

“I am sorry.”

Oh Jang-Song clicked his tongue.

‘This wasn’t going to happen.’

This shouldn’t have happened.

The Ghost Clan had finally regained stability after a long internal war, but in this situation, it was as if their clan had to fall into the abyss.

“You don’t have to be worried. Who dares to try and catch up to his speed?”

“Yes! That foolish disciple.”

Oh Jang-Song had a bit of anger, but he sighed.

But then a disciple came running in through the gate and shouted,

“Elder!”

“Um?”

“H-here! It looks like the young leader is returning!”

“Ohh!”

Oh Jang-Song jumped up as he ran toward the gate,

“Finally!”

A truly amazing moment.

For the young leader to return, it meant that he had brought back the Clan Leader’s Seal. If so, didn’t that mean he could now officially take up the position of clan leader and begin to lead them properly?

‘Heavens!’

Oh Jang-Song opened the gate with a face overflowing with emotions.

“Young Leader! Welcom…”

But his bright smile stiffened as his mouth closed.

‘Uh?’

Doubtful, he rubbed his eyes a couple of times, making sure to blink a couple of times too.

‘What is it?’

He couldn’t take his eyes off the cart, which was almost breaking through the narrow mountain road. What was this?

“…why are people pulling the cart?”

“…right.”

The disciples who came out were blankly standing there.

A red-faced, shiny-headed monk was in the lead, pulling the cart. Probably because he was a monk, it seemed like he was having a hard time, and it seemed like he was shouting…

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

Ah, no…

It looked like he was chanting….

Behind the monk at the forefront, men in traditional robes were struggling and screaming.

‘A monk, Taoists… no, even a beggar?’

What kind of insane combination was this? What was even more embarrassing was….

“You want to pee? You want to pee now! Didn’t you eat enough to go fast enough? Didn’t you get expensive meat?! Pull faster!”

Among them, the youngest-looking one was on top of the cart, alone, shouting at the others. This was something they couldn’t understand.

“Y-Young Leader?”

Stunned, their gazes moved to Do Un-Chan. Seeing him trudge beside the cart, Oh Jang-Song, startled, ran to him.

“My… Young Leader…”

“Uhhhh!”

“Ackkkkk!”

“Damn it!”

Oh Jang-Song flinched at the screams that were coming from the side.

Drenched in rain, they were advancing with steam coming off of their bodies. And looking at their breath, it felt as if their bodies were already at their limit.

‘Did they come from hell…?’

No. There was a monk and some Taoists….

“Young Leader, what the hell is this?”

“…let’s head in and talk, Elder.”

“Yes… Yes!”

Kiiik! Kiiik!

The rain-soaked cart was making a creaking sound as they entered the gate.

And…

Plop!

As soon as they entered the gates of the clan, the people pulling the cart let go of the handle and fell down.

“…damn… it…”

“…that fucking devil! He…”

“What kind of martial clan is like this!”

Baek Cheon was wide-eyed and let out a groan. Do Un-Chan flinched at this and shook his head,

“… I am sorry. The Ghost Clan is a place that doesn’t want to be seen by the outside world.”

“Ugh.”

Baek Cheon, who was on the ground, didn’t say anything. Watching them groan in the wet rain felt horrible.

“Tch tch. Everyone is so weak.”

“That bastard…?”

“Kill him! I will, really!”

Amidst the rain of shouts, Chung Myung jumped off the cart and brought a bottle to his lips. After drinking it, he made a happy sound and wiped his mouth with his sleeves.

“How long have we been here? It hasn’t been long, and you people are resting here?”

Baek Cheon stretched out and looked at the sky, unable to even speak any words.

‘He is insane, he has to be.’

They had traveled thousands of miles from Shaanxi, all on foot. If they were ordinary people, it would have taken their entire lives to make this journey.

Since they had also been dragging the cart, no matter how well-trained their bodies were, there was no way they could withstand this strain.

Moreover…

‘I can see why people don’t make carts out of iron.’

Carts were basically animals that needed to be fed oil and managed correctly. However, everyone who accompanied them on the road knew how to fight… but with everyday chores, they seemed to be rather incompetent.

So they couldn’t help but forcibly pull the cart as it began to turn stiff and dull.

“…Sahyung. I might die.”

“I am already dead.”

“I want to kill.”

Even Yu Yiseol was gritting her teeth, looking at Chung Myung. But the guy just continued to drink and relax his body.

“Tch tch. Such weak bones, which is why you cannot use them properly!”

“Bones? Bones? Yours must be pretty strong, huh? Let us check how long you….!”

Pung!

“Ackkk!”

Baek Cheon, who jumped at Chung Myung, was kicked away and flew to a corner.

‘That man is quite stubborn.’

‘Or foolish.’

They wondered how he could be this sturdy, picking a fight right after an entire day’s journey.

“Young Leader.”

“Yes, Disciple.”

“Still, it seems like you had a hard time with the kids… no, let my sahyung-sajaes wash up.”

“I will tell them to prepare hot water right away.”

“Hehe. Thank you.”

Do Un-Chan spoke to Oh Jang-Song.

“Please prepare warm water and meals. Right now!”

“Ah- I understand, Young Leader.”

And after a pause, the elder, who thought his young leader had brought back some strange people, moved to complete the assigned tasks.

“Haaa….”

“Huhuhu…”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul were groaning pretty loudly as they soaked themselves in the hot bath.

“T-This is nice.”

“I think I will live a little longer.”

Jo Gul, who stepped out of the bathtub, frowned. His feet were swollen, and his skin was peeling off.

“Really… this time, I thought I was dying for real.”

“Ugh. I thought I was going to see Hell this time.”

In the end, they realized that the important thing wasn’t the kind of training but the intensity.

‘That is why Chung Myung is a madman.’

They thought that he would make warriors by simply making people pull carts…

“Puaaaah!”

At that time, Baek Cheon, who was soaking in the hot water, rose up.

Splash!

And he tilted his head, pushing his wet hair back. Seeing that, Jo Gul hesitated, not saying anything.

“… what is it?”

Seeing Baek Cheon, with his long hair hanging down, and Hae Yeon’s bald head, it felt so strange.

Baek Cheon smiled and looked at Hae Yeon.

“Haha. Hae Yeon… Monk! You cannot sleep here! You will die!”

He grabbed Hae Yeon’s head which was slowly sinking under the water.

“How can he hold a monk by their head!”

“Seriously tactless!”

Hae Yeon was dragged out of the bath like an octopus, and his head was shaken a couple of times before he opened his mouth.

“… does Mount Hua always train like this?”

“Uh…”

“This is normal.”

“Honestly, this time, we were in a hurry. Wasn’t our training much more difficult than when we were in Yunnan?”

“Eh, Sasuk, we have to take into account that we are stronger now!”

“Ah, right?”

Hearing that, Hae Yeon shook his head.

‘I was wondering how Mount Hua became this strong.’

He had seen them practice in Xi’an a few times and felt rather fresh. It would be weird if people didn’t get strong after being rolled on the ground like this. If they didn’t get stronger, they would die like this.

Hae Yeon looked at Yoon Jong, whose muscles were looking as hard as an iron plate.

‘It is embarrassing.’

Yoon Jong thoroughly looked as if he was someone who preferred close-range combat.

Wasn’t it a matter of thinking about how to train his body?

However, even Yoon Jong, who seemed to be the thinnest on Mount Hua, had a better body than Hae Yeon.

It was embarrassing to think that he had thought himself to be the strongest person at one point.

“But where is Disciple Chung Myung?”

“He washed up earlier.”

“Why so fast…?”

Jo Gul shrugged.

“We get to rest now, but this is the start for Chung Myung.”

“Ah…”

Yoon Jong pouted.

“That bastard is going to make people speechless.”

“…I can agree with that.”

All the Mount Hua disciples nodded.

It was difficult to pull a cart made of iron. Needless to say, it was made much more difficult when the person on top of the cart kept adding weight to it each time they stopped.

But no matter how hard it was, after a certain point, it couldn’t get any more difficult.

“Even so, it is straight to work,” said Baek Cheon.

“… so insane, right?”

All eyes turned to the bathroom door.

“… such a long way off,” mumbled Baek Cheon, vocalizing all of their feelings.

“What do you mean? Like transportation?”

“You are saying you want to use our disciples as an escort service?”

“Yes.”

“Young Leader!”

As Oh Jang-Song’s voice began to grow, Chung Myung, who was seated, shook his bottle,

“Now, do not get too angry.”

At that, Oh Jang-Song turned to Chung Myung,

“Why are you sitting here? It looks like you are the youngest of the Mount Hua disciples!”

“Ah, I…”

“Elder Oh.”

At that moment, Do Un-Chan turned and reached for Oh Jang-Song’s shoulder.

“Yes?”

“… be careful of what you say.”

If you don’t want to die.

Of course, the second part was said silently, but his gaze said enough.

‘… what?’

A threat?

No, not a threat, but a warning?

Oh Jang-Song turned back to Chung Myung.

‘Does that mean this young disciple is that dangerous?’

This was something he couldn’t understand, and Chung Myung smiled as he said,

“I might be young, but do not worry, I have been entrusted with full authority by my sect leader. Every word I say will be what Mount Hua wants.”

“How do I believe…”

“Ah, seriously. I came with your young leader. Can you not believe him?”

Oh Jang-Song looked at Do Un-Chan and Chung Myung.

Sighing, he said, “… it isn’t that.”

“Then good, well…”

When Chung Myung shrugged, Oh Jang-Song closed his mouth like he wasn’t going to say much.

“Young Leader.”

“I understand, Disciple.”

Do Un-Chan nodded and began to speak of what had happened.

Even after everything was done, the elder silently watched Do Un-Chan.

“I understand what you mean. At first glance, it seems reasonable. I understand why you led them here too.”

‘Oh?’

Chung Myung liked this man. He thought it wouldn’t work, but he was actually listening.

“But, Young Leader. I have one thing on my mind. It is only natural that the clan’s finances are considered important, but a clan that only cares about that doesn’t rise much.”

“…hm. That is true.”

“If the disciples are going to waste time carrying things, the amount of time they spend training will be reduced. The time wasted is never going to come back. After we have saved enough money, we will have missed the opportunity to grow their skills.”

“Hmm.”

Do Un-Chan, who heard this, nodded.

Chung Myung didn’t much like this thinking.

‘Why do his² ears listen to everything?’

Those words were right, but so were his³.

‘If you are a leader, be decisive!’

It was clear what would happen to the clan if this man was made their clan leader.

Well…

If he were someone with skill and a goal, then he wouldn’t have struggled so long in the internal wars of their clan.

“Tch.”

Chung Myung, who clicked his tongue, looked at the two. It felt like he had to end this.

“So Elder means…”

“Hm?”

“You are worried their training will not go well?”

“Yes.”

“If only that is resolved, there would be no more problems?”

“Who doesn’t like money? As long as they can train properly, I have no reason to stop it. But will the two ever co-exist?”

“Eh. Why can’t that happen?”

“… Uh?”

“Isn’t it just a matter of proving so?”

“… uh?”

Oh Jang-Song tilted his head while Chung Myung smiled,

“Hehe. Do not worry. I will show it to you.”

Do Un-Chan’s heart sank at the evil smile he just witnessed. This was a mistake!

He closed his eyes and mumbled,

‘Elder, you made a huge mistake.’

It looked like the future of the Ghost clan was already clearly visible to his eyes.