The Fire Gate Clan’s Sacred Treasure
The moment that unfamiliar phrase sprang from the Fire King’s mouth, the Roaring Fury Swordsman’s eyes bulged as though they were about to tear apart.
“W-what do you mean?”
“You haven’t even turned seventy, and your ears are already clogged? I’ll say it one more time, so listen carefully.”
Jeok Cheongang jerked his chin toward me with an irritated expression.
“This old man entrusted our sect’s sacred treasure to that brat. Got it?”
“…”
“…”
What do you mean, got it?
I looked around with a bewildered expression. Everyone, including Jin Wikyung and Baek Museong, was staring back and forth between Jeok Cheongang and me in shock.
Amid this chaotic mess, one person alone remained unaffected.
“Benefactor, what’s the Fire Gate Clan’s sacred treasure? Show me, too.”
I couldn’t answer Cheongpung’s question.
I don’t know either, you little shit.
The Fire Gate Clan’s sacred treasure? What was he talking about?
I swore I had never heard or seen such an item.
The only things I had received from Jeok Cheongang were the martial arts manual for the Flame Divine Palm and a sword…
Wait.
“Could it be?”
At my doubtful gaze, Jeok Cheongang clicked his tongue.
“You’ve been carrying it on your back and still didn’t know? What a moron.”
It felt as though I had just been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.
I hurriedly untied the knot holding it firmly in place. When I unwound the layers of cloth, an old, crude scabbard appeared.
The Unnamed Sword.
The very item Jopil had stolen from his Master—and which I had taken from him.
I gripped the hilt and drew.
Shing!
With a sound that made every hair on my body stand on end, the pure-white blade emerged.
Beneath the darkness, it shone like a holy sword from legend, drawing gasps from the people around us.
So this really is… the Fire Gate Clan’s sacred treasure?
I had never once suspected it.
Why Jopil had stolen it from Jeok Cheongang. Why it had been given the strange description Unnamed Sword, unlike the Flame Divine Palm or the Blazing Flame Divine Pill.
I was staring blankly at the blade when—
“T-this is impossible!”
It was the Roaring Fury Swordsman. Unlike him, overwhelmed by extreme confusion and excitement, Jeok Cheongang’s expression was perfectly calm.
“What is?”
“T-that…”
“This old man entrusted the Fire Gate Clan’s sacred treasure to that brat. You may have nothing but shit in your head, but surely you understand what that means.”
I suddenly came to my senses.
I had been so distracted by the sword that I had briefly forgotten what it meant for a sect’s sacred treasure to have been entrusted to someone—especially the sacred treasure of the Fire Gate Clan, which had been passed down through a single lineage for hundreds of years.
At the same time, Cheongpung’s words from barely half a day ago flashed through my mind.
“Are you going to take Benefactor as your Disciple?”
At the time, I had thought it was ridiculous nonsense and laughed it off.
But now…
Fuck. I don’t know either.
As I swallowed dryly, the Roaring Fury Swordsman pointed a finger at me.
But before he could even speak, Jeok Cheongang’s terrifying gaze bound him in place.
“This old man said he entrusted our sect’s sacred treasure to him.”
That was all.
But his opponent was none other than the Fire King.
The Roaring Fury Swordsman no longer had the courage to argue. He chewed on his lips, then suddenly glared at me.
“You bastard. You’re lucky.”
Why is this old man starting shit with me again?
Jeok Cheongang said nothing. Was he telling me to handle something this minor on my own?
I shrugged at the Roaring Fury Swordsman.
“You’ve got the wrong man. I’m actually really unlucky.”
If I were lucky, do you think I would’ve met a piece of shit like you?
I didn’t know whether Jeok Cheongang’s arrival in a situation that had been on the verge of exploding counted as great misfortune or great fortune.
“Anyway, it was nice meeting you. Have a safe trip home.”
“You cunning bastard. Why don’t you try what you did earlier?”
“What, earlier? Oh, you mean when I said you were fucking shitty?”
Before the Roaring Fury Swordsman could say anything, I bowed my head.
“I apologize for that. I have a hard time tolerating injustice. Please forgive a slip of the tongue from a junior far beneath you. Great. Hero.”
“……!”
The Roaring Fury Swordsman’s body trembled. Blood dripped from his tightly clenched fists.
Looking at him, I saw myself from a few minutes earlier. The difference between us was that I had not bowed to the Roaring Fury Swordsman, while he had submitted to the Fire King.
Those who rely on power kneel before greater power. Realizing that fundamental truth of the world again was satisfying, but not entirely.
No, it was even bitter.
This leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
If Jeok Cheongang had not been here, the humiliation and fury that man felt would have belonged to me and the Jin Family of Taiyuan.
If only a few people here stepped forward, defeating the Roaring Fury Swordsman himself would not be difficult. But behind him stood the Zhongnan Sect.
I hated admitting it, but the gap between them and us was vast. For now, it was a distance that could never be closed.
For now.
I had been a perpetual F-rank Hunter, yet I had still made it this far. No one knew what the future held.
Maybe one day the Jin Family of Taiyuan would stand shoulder to shoulder with the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families.
Am I getting ahead of myself?
It was like a rural township chief running for president.
I snorted quietly at the thought, and the Roaring Fury Swordsman ground his teeth.
“How dare you laugh at me?”
“I was born with a smiley expression.”
“Shut that mouth of yours!”
At the moment his furious shout erupted, Jeok Cheongang’s right foot shot out like lightning and kicked the Roaring Fury Swordsman in the shin.
A Supreme Peak master’s joint kick.
Thud!
“Guh!”
“You shut up. Where does a young bastard like you raise his voice in front of an elder?”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Look at this bastard. I tried to end things nicely, and now you’re begging for a beating?”
Wham!
“Urgh!”
Wow. That one landed.
With a heavier impact than before, the Roaring Fury Swordsman clutched his shin and collapsed.
Even an Elder of the Great Zhongnan Sect is helpless against him.
He was over sixty and held a high position in society, but his opponent was simply on another level.
Age, martial arts, status. There was no way to catch up to the Fire King, Jeok Cheongang, in any of them.
“Carrying on like that is a disease. You’ve done enough, so get the hell out of here.”
“…Very well.”
The Roaring Fury Swordsman glared at me with a resentful gaze as he rose, his body covered in dirt. Then a cold voice followed.
“Also, I will let today’s events pass, so never speak of this matter again. Do you understand?”
I really should start a fan club.
I had acted on impulse, but I had been worried on some level. If the Roaring Fury Swordsman later used the Zhongnan Sect to retaliate, the Jin Family of Taiyuan would have no way to stop him.
But with Jeok Cheongang mediating, things were different.
Whether this is mediation or a threat, I’m not sure.
The resentment over today’s events would remain, but at least he would not be able to bring official pressure against us.
Even if he did, having the Fire King as a sturdy shield made the burden far lighter.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
The Roaring Fury Swordsman’s face twisted hideously, his cheap ploy having been seen through. Jeok Cheongang, of course, did not care.
“Say it yourself. Right now.”
“…Understood. I swear it on my name.”
“What name do you have worth staking? Swear it in the name of the Zhongnan Sect.”
“Grrk… Understood.”
Only then did a satisfied smile appear at the corners of Jeok Cheongang’s mouth. He laughed heartily and patted the Roaring Fury Swordsman on the shoulder.
“Where did a young bastard like you learn to grind your teeth like that? Should I just yank every last one of them out?”
“…”
“Hahahaha! This old man is old, so I can’t do that in front of all these people. Hahahaha!”
It was the first time I had learned that the laughter of a white-haired old man could be so frightening.
Everyone listening flinched at once—not only the Roaring Fury Swordsman.
Jeok Cheongang, who had been laughing like an evil spirit, turned his head toward me.
“You’re not blameless, either. No matter the circumstances, how could you hurl such abuse at an elder far above you in age? Are you out of your mind?”
I immediately bowed my head. Regardless of what had happened, facts were facts, and I also thought it was time to bring things to an end with the Roaring Fury Swordsman, an Elder of the Zhongnan Sect.
“I’m sorry.”
“Even if he ate his age through his asshole, he’s over sixty. It wouldn’t be strange for him to have a grandchild your age.”
“…Ah. Yes.”
“No matter how much of a bastard he is, he’s still an elder and a great Senior of Murim. It may be dirty and unfair, but from now on, show him the proper respect.”
“Great Hero Song. I sincerely apologize.”
When I straightened from my deep bow, I saw the Roaring Fury Swordsman’s face, red with anger.
Even after receiving my apology, he probably didn’t feel as though he had received one.
Meanwhile, despite apologizing to someone I disliked, I felt refreshed, as though I had just circulated my qi.
Is this what comes with age?
Take a look at that verbal skill forged over a hundred years.
He wasn’t just a Supreme Peak master in martial arts. At this point, he could change his title from Fire King to Tongue King.
After completing every step of the settlement under his supervision, the Tongue King announced in a solemn voice,
“All right. Now all the uninvited guests can get the hell out. If you’re hungry, have a bowl of rice before you go.”
He was treating them like beggars now.
The Roaring Fury Swordsman trembled with humiliation, then finally opened his mouth after a long while.
“…Then we will take our leave.”
“I won’t see you out.”
“Let’s go!”
As though he had been waiting for those words, the Roaring Fury Swordsman turned sharply around. Gong Ilhyuk and the other two members of the Three Hands of Zhongnan, who had been making all kinds of ugly faces, followed him.
Scorching gazes pursued the backs of the four men. Just before stepping through the main gate, the Roaring Fury Swordsman suddenly turned his head and stared at me.
A line of Sound Transmission filled with killing intent accompanied his words.
— I don’t know what connection you have to that old man… but as long as I’m alive, I will definitely punish you and the Jin Family of Taiyuan.
It happened in a moment brief enough to be called an instant.
As the Fire King watched the Roaring Fury Swordsman’s back disappear into the darkness with an unreadable expression, he tossed out a single remark.
“I’ll step out for a while.”
“Yes? Where are you going?”
“At my age, do I need to report every time I go relieve myself?”
He gruffly disappeared with a bowlegged gait.
Once the Roaring Fury Swordsman had moved a good distance away from the Jin Family of Taiyuan, he suddenly drew his sword and swung it.
Whoosh! Boom!
Dozens of streams of Sword Energy cut through trees and smashed rocks. After raging for quite some time, he finally turned his fury toward the Three Hands of Zhongnan, including Gong Ilhyuk.
“You bunch of idiots…”
“E-Elder.”
“Do you know what kind of humiliation this old man suffered because of you?”
“I-I’m sorry. Please forgive your foolish Disciple.”
The Three Hands of Zhongnan froze.
Gong Ilhyuk was especially terrified. If he had not incited the Roaring Fury Swordsman to come to the Jin Family of Taiyuan, none of this would have happened.
“E-Elder, please calm down and listen to me.”
“I let things slide a few times because you’re related to my Junior Brother, the Sect Leader, and now it seems you’ve forgotten your place.”
Crack!
The Roaring Fury Swordsman’s emaciated hand clamped around Gong Ilhyuk’s neck.
“Guh… I-I’m the Sect Leader’s…”
“Do you think my junior brother, the Sect Leader, would bat an eye if this old man punished one of you? You worthless piece of trash.”
Gong Ilhyuk’s face went deathly white.
Then—
Thump. Thump. Thud.
His body went limp, his head lolling to one side. The other two members of the Three Hands, who had been frozen with terror, also collapsed helplessly where they stood.
“W-why did these bastards suddenly…”
The Roaring Fury Swordsman, briefly confused, turned his head. He stared intently into the darkness before speaking.
“Do you still have business here?”
“Why else would I have come looking for you?”
Along with that calm voice, an old man of small stature appeared.
The Fire King, Jeok Cheongang.
He clicked his tongue as he looked at the fallen Three Hands of Zhongnan.
“Tsk, tsk. It seems I ended up saving those bastards by accident. Perhaps I should have come a little later.”
“Why have you come back?”
“It’s been a long time. I didn’t want to send you away just like that.”
The Fire King smiled faintly and added,
“There was also something I forgot.”
“Something you forgot? What do you mean…”
At that moment, Jeok Cheongang’s figure vanished like a phantom.
At the same time, Sword Energy erupted from the Roaring Fury Swordsman’s waist.
Sshh-shh-shh-shh-shk!
A dense net of Sword Energy spread across a three-jang radius, slicing through bone and flesh the instant it touched them.
But the big fish had already swum upstream.
“I told you earlier. Don’t touch even a single hair on that boy.”
Crack!
The hilt fell from the Roaring Fury Swordsman’s grip. His wrist broken, he screamed and drove his knee upward.
“Gyaaah! You fucking old bastard!”
“When will you finally become a proper human being?”
At the same time, a palm engulfed in pure-white flames pressed against the Roaring Fury Swordsman’s chest.
Boom!
“Guh…!”
An unavoidable palm strike.
His Body-Protecting Qi shattered, and his flesh and bones began to cook. Blood burst from his mouth as he fell to his knees, his eyelids trembling.
“Cough… F-Flame Divine Palm…”
“Raise your head and look at me.”
The old man’s voice was so cold that it made the title Fire King seem meaningless.
The Roaring Fury Swordsman barely managed to lift his head—and met a pair of eyes in which blue ghost flames flickered.
“F-Fire King.”
“That’s right. This old man is the Fire King.”
The Roaring Fury Swordsman had briefly forgotten just what kind of monster the Fire King, Jeok Cheongang, truly was.
Jeok Cheongang had been active in Murim for only a single year in his entire life. Yet with a single battle, he had become a legend and carved his mark into Murim history.
He was an opponent the Roaring Fury Swordsman could never stand against.
Deep despair settled over the Roaring Fury Swordsman’s face.
“Are you… are you planning to kill me?”
“If killing you would have ended everything, this old man would have done it long ago.”
“Then…”
“Remember one thing.”
The Fire King slowly parted his lips.
“You may kill Jin Taekyung. Even if you wipe out the Jin Family of Taiyuan, I will stand by and watch. But if that happens, I will go to the Zhongnan Sect.”
“……!”
“I will smash the Zhongnan Sect’s signboard and burn down Mount Zhongnan. If you abandon your main sect and flee, I will chase you to the ends of the earth and kill every last one of you. I will do so until the day my breath stops.”
The Roaring Fury Swordsman’s entire body trembled beneath the terrifying killing intent.
Everything Jeok Cheongang was saying was sincere. He was declaring that he would face the Zhongnan Sect alone.
If such a thing happened, it was impossible to imagine how many sacrifices would be required.
“What… what am I supposed to do?”
“The choice is yours. The punishment for it belongs to this old man.”
Jeok Cheongang left those words behind and vanished without a trace.
It was a long while before the Three Hands of Zhongnan finally woke. They were startled to find the Roaring Fury Swordsman sitting there in a daze.
“E-Elder!”
“What happened?”
“Who in the world did this?”
The Roaring Fury Swordsman opened his mouth only after a very long time.
“We’re going back. To Zhongnan.”
There was terror and fear in his voice, and the Three Hands of Zhongnan could say nothing.
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