Chapter 36
‘Oh my god……’
‘Older Brother has done it again.’
‘Ha……’
As dawn approached.
Seok Yeon-u, Yi-dong, and Sam-dong, who had arrived at the Xingping branch, stared at the scene in astonishment.
Behind Il-dong, who was dozing off, were the remaining gang members tied up with ropes.
About three jang away from the group, there were over ten corpses piled up, seemingly having been dead for quite some time.
“Older Brother! Wake up!!”
Yi-dong shouted, waking up the sleeping Il-dong.
Il-dong hurriedly got up and spoke in an irritated tone.
“Ugh! Why are you guys only here now? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting with these guys……”
“What is all this? And what about those corpses? You should have taken care of them somehow. Can you sleep in front of dead bodies? Huh?”
“Hey, why are you suddenly getting angry?”
Then, Sam-dong intervened and tried to calm his two older brothers down.
“Oh, come on, Older Brothers. It’s not like we’re the only ones here. Let’s maintain some decorum.”
At that, Il-dong and Yi-dong shouted simultaneously as if they had planned it.
“You stay out of it, you punk.”
“You stay out of it, you punk.”
……
Seeing the three of them bickering as soon as they met……
‘Ha…… The Sect Leader and the executives. I wonder if the Dawn Heaven Sect can really grow properly. So-cheon Older Brother, what kind of sect have you created?’
Seok Yeon-u was so dumbfounded that he was at a loss for words.
Even though he wasn’t a disciple of a prestigious righteous sect……
He had heard about righteousness, morality, etiquette, and the principles of the Jianghu until his ears were worn out since he was young, and he had learned them firsthand. So, the current situation felt very dark to him.
“Phew…… Alright! Young heroes, calm down. Shouldn’t we take care of the situation first?”
Seok Yeon-u, who had closed his eyes tightly for a moment, sighed and calmed down the Il-dong, Yi-dong, and Sam-dong brothers.
‘It’s one mountain after another, one mountain after another.’
He put on a rotten smile on the outside, but.
Seok Yeon-u was truly rotting on the inside.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Sect Leader-nim! Medical Hall Master-nim! You’ve arrived!”
“You’ve arrived!”
“You’ve arrived!”
Early morning……
As we entered the main building, some nameless individuals came out and greeted Master Dongbyeok energetically.
Yes.
They were energetic, but……
“Who were you guys again?”
I confess, I don’t know the Dawn Heaven Sect’s disciples well, even though there are only about ten of them.
Of course, it’s not that I don’t recognize their faces.
It’s just that I haven’t had a personal conversation with them, so I don’t remember their names.
“Ah…… I’m Sam-bok?”
“I’m Seung-bok.”
“I’m Gil-bok.”
Oh my.
Their names are quite artistic, and it’s confusing because some of them speak with a Qinghai dialect, while others speak with a Haenam dialect.
“Okay. By the way, why didn’t you guys go with Yi-dong and Sam-dong?”
“Ah…… We were ordered to stay behind in case of emergency.”
“Hmm…… But you guys…… You were part of the Green Gang, right?”
“That’s right, Sect Leader-nim.”
“That’s right!”
“That’s correct.”
Sam-bok, Seung-bok, and Gil-bok answered simultaneously to my question.
Anyway, I have to acknowledge their energy.
“Bok-bok guys, to be honest, I was against accepting those from the Green Gang. Well, I’m sure the Dong-dong brothers would have filtered them out properly. But still, people don’t change easily, so I’ll keep an eye on you. If you show any signs of your old gangster habits, I’ll skin you alive and throw you into the desert, so keep that in mind.”
“Yes, Sect Leader-nim.”
“Yes, sir!”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Sect Leader-nim.”
“One more thing.”
I patted the Bok-bok guys’ shoulders once and spoke again.
“Don’t greet me so energetically from now on. Being energetic isn’t bad, but it’s not the kind of greeting you’d do in a sect that pursues the neutral path. Of course, it’s not easy to get rid of the habits you’ve developed from living as street thugs for a long time. But now, you’re members of the Dawn Heaven Sect. You have to pay attention to every action, habit, and way of speaking. Be refined without being vulgar. But you don’t have to act too sophisticated either.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, Sect Leader-nim.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Alright……
Their eyes are bright and they seem intelligent, and they’re quick and loyal, so they’ll be useful if I train them well.
“And, Bok-bok guys, we’ll be conducting group training for all disciples soon. You’ve probably never learned proper martial arts before, but I’ll take that into consideration and train you to the point where you won’t die. Some of you with weak stamina might even see the King of H*ll during training. So, train your stamina whenever you can. I’m saying this with all seriousness, so don’t take it lightly.”
At the mention of group training, the Bok-bok guys’ faces brightened, then hardened……
Perhaps they’re excited about learning martial arts, but they’ve also heard from the Dong-dong brothers about the ‘infamy’ of my training methods?
“But don’t be scared. The Medical Hall Master of our Dawn Heaven Sect is the best of the best doctors. He’s someone who can bring anyone back to life except for corpses, so you won’t die during training. Don’t worry.”
Then, Master Dongbyeok looked at me with a strange expression and spoke.
“I’m very worried about the future of the Dawn Heaven Sect……”
“……”
“Sect Leader, follow me to the medicine hall.”
“Yes.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“It’s truly amazing. The poison in your body has completely disappeared. I knew it already, but it’s still baffling. How can your recovery ability be so great…… Huh!”
During the seven days and nights I was unconscious, the Dawn Heaven Sect had changed a lot.
A spacious medicine hall had been set up on the fifth floor, with nine beds and dozens of medicinal herbs and various surgical tools hanging on the outer walls like curtains.
“It’s because my internal energy is unique. It’s different from ordinary internal energy . Simply put, it flows freely through all the meridians in my body even when I’m not conscious of it, even when I’m sleeping. Anyway, that’s how it is.”
“I’ve learned a bit of martial arts myself, but…… I’ve never heard of that kind of internal energy. You’re a very strange person.”
Master Dongbyeok examined every part of my body with curious eyes, checked my pulse, and tilted his head again……
In short, he was studying me like a lab rat. No matter how skilled a physician he was, it would be difficult for him to grasp the internal energy and physical characteristics resulting from the Nature Meridian’s breathing at once.
“Elder, it’s just that the nature of my martial arts is unique, so don’t rack your brains over it. You’ve already observed me for six months at the mountain villa.”
“Ugh…… Alright. Well, I can’t understand it even if I look at it, so I’ll just accept it. By the way, what are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been studying the situation in the Jianghu for the past seven days while you were unconscious. Currently, the Jianghu is like a powder keg about to explode. In the midst of all this, you’ve subjugated the Black Society, which has attracted the attention of numerous factions in Shaanxi, starting with the Green Gang. So, depending on how you handle things from now on, your life, the Dawn Heaven Sect, and even So-yun’s life could change drastically. I hope you’ll walk the righteous path .”
“Of course. I also intend to adhere to the righteous path .”
“That’s good. Then, you should build connections with the righteous sects that uphold the righteous path and become proficient in the politics of the Jianghu . I’m worried whether you’ll be able to do those things well.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Elder, but the righteous path I’m talking about literally means the ‘right path,’ not that I’ll align myself with the righteous path led by the Martial Alliance. It’s not like all prestigious righteous sects walk the right path, and all unorthodox sects walk the wrong path, is it?”
“That’s unexpected. For a young person to understand such a truth.”
“Actually, the most disgusting person I’ve ever seen in my life was a hypocritical Taoist priest from a Taoist sect. The righteous path and justice that such people talk about are worthless. I’ll just walk the righteous path that my conscience dictates.”
“Chuckle. Still, if you happen to meet people from the Mount Hua, Wudang, or Mount Zhongnan sects, don’t say such things. Narrow-minded Taoists might try to pick a fight with you.”
For a moment, Master Dongbyeok and I looked at each other and chuckled.
Both I and Master Dongbyeok……
We don’t ask about each other’s past, we’re not curious about it, and we don’t care about it.
However, our perspectives on the world were similar, and we knew what kind of people we were without having to say it, and we felt a certain sense of camaraderie because of that.
Perhaps this is why I rely on Master Dongbyeok.
“By the way, Sect Leader.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not good at scheming or politics either, so you should get help from Young Master Seok until the Dawn Heaven Sect is established. He considers you like an older brother and has a good background, so he’ll be helpful.”
“I’ve already decided to visit Yeon-u and the Seokga Estate.”
“The Seokga Estate?”
“Yes. The head of the Seokga Estate is Yeon-u’s father, and I heard he learned martial arts from an old man called Cheongmun Sword Master of the Mount Hua Sect. The Dawn Heaven Sect has officially entered the Jianghu , so it wouldn’t be bad to have allies in a broader sense.”
“That’s good. I thought you were a lone wolf, the best under heaven, but you seem to be more flexible than I thought…… You’re showing some qualities of a Sect Leader.”
Qualities of a Sect Leader……
I wonder what that is.
Is it the ability to handle social situations, read the current trends, and have insights needed to run a sect?
Or is it a kind of sense, a political skill, to get along with strong people?
Anyway, I don’t know exactly, but I’m not good at those things and I don’t know much about them.
However,
“The qualities of a Sect Leader that I envision are fighting first and fighting second…… From that perspective, I might have the qualities, as you say, Elder.”
If this kind of thing is considered a quality……
Wouldn’t I be a ‘heavenly gifted body’ when it comes to being a Sect Leader?
◈ ◈ ◈
The next day……
It was before dawn, when the sun hadn’t risen yet.
I went out for a mountain hike, breathing in the faint morning air of the mountains. I climbed to the top of Mount Guangyang using only my physical strength, without using any movement techniques.
“Hoooo……”
The moment the morning dew and the cold air of the atmosphere entered my lungs through my mouth and nose……
“Hoooo……”
I activated the Nature Meridian’s Muri , controlled my breathing, and carefully observed, felt, and stimulated the ‘Force’ attribute cluster and the ‘Thunder’ attribute cluster that had settled in my dantian.
Gooooo……!
Then, a faint ‘power’ rises from the two attributes like a warm fire.
I converted that power into internal energy and let it flow to my fingertips, then to my toes, and then to the top of my head, carefully checking the responsiveness of my body and the Nature Meridian.
‘It’s been roughly over sixty years. It’s remarkable growth.’
Only then did I realize that the Heart Demon I had experienced during the fight with Demon Slayer Baek Gui-ho had been a tremendous blessing in disguise.
Sixty years of internal energy.
It’s a drop in the bucket compared to a true master, but it’s still faster growth than I initially expected.
Slap━.
I then sat cross-legged and fell into meditation, alternating between the ‘Force attribute breathing’ and the ‘Thunder attribute breathing.’
‘……’
It’s something I’ve been doing habitually since my previous life, but……
The most notable part of my training is ‘meditation training.’
My meditation begins with fighting and ends with fighting.
In the fantasy world I created, I throw punches, perform leg techniques, swing my palm……
In the end, the moment I cut off the opponent’s head with my sword, I feel ecstasy and joy, and then I calm down again. In my meditation after reincarnation, my enemy was always the Cult Leader.
‘Cult Leader Wi, you must have become stronger by now, right?’
Cult Leader.
How strong is he now?
The Cult Leader I saw was a truly terrifying person.
He wasn’t just scary because he was strong, but his impeccable spirit and mind, and his cold-heartedness in completely objectifying himself were frightening.
Martial God !
If such a thing exists in the world……
The Cult Leader would be a true Martial God.
‘Cult Leader……’
But.
I will surpass him.
Even in terms of martial arts talent, martial artist’s instincts, and knowledge of martial arts……
I can’t surpass him, but I have to surpass him nonetheless.
‘……’
Today, in the fantasy world of my meditation, I am stabbed, slashed, and cut by the Cult Leader’s sword, and I die again.
“Hehehe.”
But the reason I’m laughing like this is……
Because I’m crazy?
Or because I feel like I’ll defeat the Cult Leader someday?
I don’t know for sure, but.
It doesn’t really matter either way.