Dark and Light Martial Emperor

Chapter 17. The Value System of the Unmanned (1)

The man in his thirties, Jang Han, looked pitiful.

“I’m sure you’ve been through a lot. It’s a historic shop that you inherited from your ancestors.”

Chosung Roo’s owner sighed heavily.

“I’m just ashamed of my ancestors. I thought I was taking good care of it, but this happened…”

“Hey, how is that your fault? You never know when a disaster will strike, right? It’s a relief that you’re fine without any injuries.”

“Heh.”

He didn’t know how much strength it gave him to have someone come and comfort him like this. And this Jang Han, whom he had never seen before in his life, was mobilizing countless workers to help restore the damaged area.

He was younger than him, but not an ordinary person.

“Here, take this.”

“What is this?”

“It’s not a lot of money, but it will help a little with the construction costs.”

“Oh, no! Don’t do that! I have some savings too…!”

“Eh, don’t be like that. You know what they say, kindness comes from the barn. It will take a lot of money to fix this place, and you need to get good quality ingredients like before, don’t you?”

“Huh…”

“Chosung Roo is one of the representative restaurants of Anhwi. People don’t want Chosung Roo’s taste to change. Please stay as Anhwi’s attraction in the future.”

Chosung Roo’s owner’s face was filled with gratitude.

He said he had some savings, but in fact, he had nothing left after restoring Chosung Roo.

And if the rumor of arson spread, the customers who came to Chosung Roo would be scarce for a while. He was afraid that his business might fail.

He was at a loss how to endure this hardship, and he gave him this help.

“I’ll accept it since you said so much.”

“Of course you should. But don’t think of wiping your mouth. When I come back, you have to give me a free meal.”

“How can I treat you like that? Come anytime. I’ll serve you the best dishes made with the best ingredients that day.”

“Haha, I’m not that shameless.”

Jang Han asked casually.

“By the way, don’t you have a real benefactor?”

“Huh?”

“The heroes who saved Chosung Roo.”

“Ah… yes, yes.”

Jang Han’s eyes sparkled.

‘Fear?’

He felt fear rather than gratitude on the face of Chosung Roo’s owner, who was stammering.

“Why? Did they do something bad to you?”

“No, no! If it weren’t for them, Chosung Roo’s annex would have burned down. I’ve lived over forty years, and I’ve never seen such heroes.”

“Oh? That’s quite a compliment.”

Jang Han snorted.

“I heard they stopped the fire. And before that, they evacuated the people through the safest route.”

“Yes.”

“I heard they looked young too.”

“Ah! There were warriors who looked like the young master of the Beggar’s Sect. I may not have learned martial arts, but they looked like great masters.”

“Great masters…”

Jang Han, the successor of the Beggar’s Sect, Gadeuk Sang, his eyes shone like stars.

‘They must be the Blue Eagle Squad.’

The Blue Eagle Squad was one of the martial organizations of the Seven Great Sects, the Beksan Yeon Clan. The Blue Eagle Squad’s skills were well-known, so it was not strange to hear such praise.

‘But…’

Gadeuk Sang looked at the west gate.

‘The fire was big, but the damage was less than expected. If it was this range of fire, it should have burned the central building, but it only damaged a few walls and warehouses. Is this what the Blue Eagle Squad did?’

It was amazing.

No matter how martial they were, they would panic when a fire broke out. They were stronger and faster than the commoners, but they were still the same people in front of a disaster.

But looking at the traces of the fire and the extent of the damage, and gathering the testimonies, it seemed that they quickly secured a retreat, minimized the casualties, and caught the fire.

This was not something anyone could do. Even Jeong Yong, who received fire-fighting training, would have a hard time suppressing the fire so quickly.

And the leader of the Lightning Fire Gang, Ma Bang.

‘Ma Bang was one of the Black Thirteen Heroes in the past. But he disappeared ten years ago and resumed his activities last year. His exact rank is unknown, but he said it would be hard for a late-stage master to handle him.’

Although the Black Gang had lost its former glory, the Black Thirteen Heroes meant the best late-stage masters of the evil faction. And he said he got stronger in ten years, so he wouldn’t be a match for a mediocre martial artist.

According to the actual witnesses, the late-stage masters of the Jegal Clan were pushed back all the time. Only Jegal Ayeon fought hard, but she couldn’t gain the upper hand.

There was someone who beat such a master in a one-on-one duel.

“Did you talk to the eldest son of the Yeon Clan?”

Chosung Roo’s owner flinched.

Gadeuk Sang tilted his head.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“No… no.”

He said so, but he didn’t seem to want to talk more about it.

Gadeuk Sang smiled and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry, I think I made your mind complicated with my nonsense.”

“Huh! No! How can you say that!”

“It will take some time to restore the restaurant. If you have any trouble, please tell the brothers of the main sect anytime. Well.”

Gadeuk Sang finished his greeting and left Chosung Roo. He felt Chosung Roo’s owner looking at him with a complicated eye, but he didn’t care much.

“The eldest son of the Beksan Yeon Clan, Yeon Hojeong…”

Gadeuk Sang stroked his chin.

“Was he not a dog who fell behind his brother’s talent?”

He was interested.

He was the peak of the martial information network and one of the pillars of the White Gang, the successor of the Beggar’s Sect. He felt an unprecedented fun.

“Hmm, a late-stage master meeting? Well, it doesn’t matter if it’s not the Seven Great Sects. I’m a beggar anyway, so I can go anywhere, right?”

* * *

Whoosh!

The movement of the iron rod became smoother and more stable.

Yeon Hojeong, who held the rod with both hands, thrust it forward with force.

Thud!

A fairly large tree shook.

The iron rod pierced the tree seven inches deep. What was surprising was the surface of the tree that was pierced by the iron rod.

The skin around the hole should have cracked and broken, but it was intact. The power of the iron rod was concentrated on the tip, giving it a drill-like penetration.

‘It’s become denser.’

Yeon Hojeong’s face showed a hint of regret as he pulled out the iron rod from the tree.

‘It’s denser, but still far away. I need to work harder.’

He collapsed on the spot. His hands were still bloody, and his whole body was soaked with sweat.

After he finished his aerial training with the Wall Cracking Technique, he pulled up the Black Tortoise Energy.

Sssss.

A faint moisture rose from his body.

Surprisingly, the moisture was not stale at all. Rather, it was refreshing and holy. The Four Gods Martial Arts was an unbeatable combat martial arts, but the energies that made it up were all upright.

‘But I’ve come back to life. It feels like a long time ago, even though it hasn’t been that long.’

Black Tortoise.

The Black Tortoise of the Four Gods was the Water God of the Gye Hae (癸亥), symbolizing winter.

It also governed the kidneys among the five viscera and six bowels. The kidneys were the final organ where the body’s waste was expelled, and the Black Tortoise Energy prevented the body from becoming stagnant.

Especially, the martial arts of the Black Tortoise was described as an iron wall. It was the most solid among the Four Gods’ martial arts, so starting with the Black Tortoise increased the delicacy of the martial arts overall.

That was also the reason why he could easily pierce the tree with the iron rod. There was room for improvement, but this alone erased a lot of disadvantages in offense and defense.

Yeon Hojeong opened his eyes.

He muttered to himself.

‘I woke up too fast, but I don’t have much time anyway. I have to regain my old martial arts as soon as possible.’

He had no time to whine. He had to awaken the remaining Three Gods as soon as possible.

He headed to the forest, where his companions were resting after finishing his training.

“Have you arrived, young master?”

“Hmm.”

Shin Mo bowed his head curtly.

Yeon Hojeong looked around.

“Where’s Jipyong?”

“He said he wanted to be alone for a while…”

“Is that so?”

Well, that’s possible.

He was at an age where his emotions were fluctuating. It was not a strange thing at all.

He nodded his head and suddenly looked at the Blue Eagle Squad members.

The squad members who met his eyes all bowed their heads deeply. They seemed to greet him politely, but somehow they seemed to be avoiding him.

Yeon Hojeong tilted his head.

‘Why are they like that?’

Did they do something wrong to me?

They used to just nod their heads when they met, but they were strange today.

“Uh, young master.”

“Huh?”

“Are you okay? There’s blood on your hand…”

“Oh, I’m fine. I guess the wound burst when I was training. It’ll heal soon.”

“Ah, yes.”

That’s when it happened.

“Hey…”

Yeon Hojeong looked to the side.

There was Jegal Ayeon, who had a pale face.

“It’s the first time I’m greeting you formally. I’m Jegal Ayeon of the Jegal Clan.”

“Yeon Hojeong.”

Shin Mo’s face hardened.

Unlike Jegal Ayeon, Yeon Hojeong’s tone was very arrogant. It was like he was talking to a much younger junior.

But Jegal Ayeon didn’t care about Yeon Hojeong’s tone.

“By the way, where is this?”

She had lost consciousness due to her injuries and just woke up. Jegal Jun was still unconscious.

Shin Mo said.

“It’s a forest far from Ham Mountain. I tried to find a doctor right away, but it wasn’t easy. Fortunately, neither of you were in serious condition, so I thought it would be better to move to Habee.”

It was a hard-to-understand statement.

If someone was hurt, it was normal to find a doctor first, whether they were good or bad. But he wanted to go to Habee?

‘Wait, they’re not in bad condition?’

Jegal Ayeon closed her eyes and checked her internal state.

Soon, her eyes widened.

“What…?”

Shin Mo’s words were true.

She had suffered a lot of internal injuries from the excessive use of the Circular Transmission Energy and the enemy’s attacks. But now, most of her injuries were healed.

‘When did this happen?’

Jegal Ayeon looked at Jegal Jun.

“How’s my brother? How’s his condition…?!”

“Don’t worry. The poison was removed. I didn’t know the Jegal Clan’s inner energy technique was so amazing.”

“Ah!”

Jegal Ayeon checked Jegal Jun’s pulse herself.

‘It’s true.’

The pulse was steady. He had some internal injuries from the poison, but this was also something that could be cured on his own if he regained consciousness.

Shin Mo said apologetically.

“I’m sorry. Actually, no matter what your condition was, it would have been better to find a doctor first, but I was in a hurry after that incident. I thought it would be safer for everyone to go to Habee as soon as possible.”

“Oh, no! You’re all the benefactors of our lives, how can you say that?”

“Heh, I’m just embarrassed.”

Then, Yeon Hojeong said.

“Did you say you’re Jegal Ayeon?”

“Huh? Ah, yes!”

“Follow me, I have something to talk to you about.”

Yeon Hojeong threw those words away and walked away to a dark place.

Jegal Ayeon was confused and looked at Shin Mo.

Shin Mo said in a shaky voice,

“It’s nothing.”

“…”

“…Probably.”