Episode 56. So what?
The bushes swayed heavily and an old man covered in blood jumped out.
The old man looked around restlessly, his shoulders shaking and his breathing heavy.
It was Muyeongshintu Baekgyo.
Soon after, a middle-aged man, Cheon Il-bo, appeared, limping.
“Huh! Huh! Shit! What the hell is this, in the middle of the night and not even Hongdukke? Just because of five people. Shit!”
When Baek-gyo saw that no one was following him anymore, he put the sword he was holding back into its sheath.
“Haaak! Haaak! Sir, we’ve climbed two mountains, so I guess it’s over now?”
Cheon Il-bo collapsed to the ground with a thud, along with the horse.
He was bare-handed, having dropped his knife somewhere.
He sat on a rock near the white bridge, his ears perking up like a herbivore.
“Whew! How cheap is it?”
Still, after taking him for a year, he seems to have grown attached to him and is worried about Yeom Sa-ung’s safety.
“He died.”
“You idiot. You shouldn’t have even thought of fighting him. Who doesn’t know how to fight and runs away?”
Baek-gyo cleverly chose only the warriors from above and ran away.
I only used my sword once, just in case the Luoyang Five Knights came after me.
To be honest, if Jeokpungchae had decided to fight back, they could have avoided a one-sided massacre rather than a two-sided plan.
However, Chae Ju’s decision to flee to avoid the Luoyang Five Hordes was the right one. Although he lost about half of his men, he had no fear of retaliation.
“Sir, what should we do now?”
“Haa! It’s dangerous today, so let’s go live tomorrow.”
Baek-gyo looked at the blue sky with blank eyes.
Since I started living in Nokrim, life has never been as difficult as it is now.
The debt collector, Jang Han-wi, has monopolized most of the plundered wealth so far. He must have gotten his hands on about ten nyang of silver in the past year or so. The debt collector, Sal-dae, must have been scheming with Yo-beom for that.
‘I guess I’ll go back to Mt. Obong while I’m at it.’
However, Poongyeoncho was not greedy and took good care of his subordinates.
I am envious of Gumilbokgum Simyanggak, who returned to Obongsanchae today.
“Do you have any money?”
“I have about a nyang of silver.”
Baek-gyo looked at Cheon-il-bo with an envious expression.
I don’t know how I saved up all my money when I spent it all and didn’t have a single penny left.
“Wow, that amount of money could probably last me a day in Bobonghyeon. Alright! Let’s go.”
“yes.”
Cheon Il-bo got up in a hurry and limped ahead.
***
Pyeongjeongsan Mountain.
Luoyang Ohyeop was busy receiving greetings from the merchants and warriors of Hwayangsangbang.
“Thank you. You have lifted a great burden from my shoulders.”
“The fame of the Five Heroes of Luoyang will echo throughout the Four Seas.”
“I will not forget this favor.”
“You are the true heroes.”
Isomin nodded with a proud face.
I am moved to see the faces of ordinary people who are happy. I guess this is why the swordsmen of the Jeongpa go around punishing Sima Weidao.
After a flurry of greetings, the top moved again.
Cheonpungdo Yangmugi naturally approached the side of Luoyang Ohyeop.
“Haha! You all worked hard. They all said it was their first time in a real battle, but they were all really excited. If news of your deeds spreads to Luoyang, the elders of the family will be happy too.”
For a moment, the expression on Luoyang Ohyeop’s face flinched.
It seems like everyone is nervous because he is not a certified professional.
“In two days, we’ll reach Mt. Obong. There’s a green forest there too.”
Hwang Dong-yeop glanced at Yang Mu-gi.
“How big is it there?”
To be honest, I was thinking of filtering out Hwang Dong-yeop if he seemed too difficult to deal with. I had been hearing him over and over again about what to do against Nokrim.
Yang Mu-gi answered with an indifferent expression.
“It is smaller than Jeokpungchae and has a gentle personality. The toll it demands is only a small amount of money compared to other green forests.”
The speaker, who had been listening quietly, said something.
“Still, stealing someone else’s property is an act worthy of death.”
“That’s true. They are just thieves, after all. But… … .”
Yang Mu-gi’s words trailed off.
Then, Isomin asked curiously.
“Is there a problem?”
“There is one thing that is bothering me.”
Yang Mu-gi, who had been hesitating, confessed the secret he had heard from his predecessor.
“… … To be honest, it’s not even clear whether Cheonjisangin really went to Obongsanchae. Mansu Sangbang hasn’t even explained that part. Of course, I understand since it’s about saving face for many people.”
“So, does that mean, ‘The Wuwei of the Five Bongsipgeols may be higher than expected’?”
Yang Mu-gi nodded to Hwang Dong-yeop’s question.
“There were many merchants who went to subjugate the O Bong San Chae, but none of them succeeded. You could almost say they were undefeated. Of course, since they were attempted individually by small merchants, it’s a meaningless record.”
Isomin said as if she found it funny.
“What if you had won the fight against the Chilpaimon? Isn’t it an exaggeration to say that you were undefeated against a small and insignificant enemy? Against mere bandits.”
“Honestly, I think so too. My predecessor was defeated by them, and he was from the Infinite Heavenly Wind Sect. He was incomparable to the Seven-Pai Sect.”
Yang Mu-gi briefly revealed his pride in Chilpa-mun in front of Isomin.
The other Luoyang Five Knights pretended not to hear it.
They too were not direct disciples of the Chilpai sect, so their pride was hurt, but they did not show it.
The speaker, who had been pouting as if offended, said a word.
“Let’s go! Let’s show that we are stronger than the bandits of Obongsanchae!”
“Yeon-mae, I agree too. Let’s destroy the Five Bongsip-geols or whatever. Huh! What do you mean by ten-geols when you’re just a thief? Ten-geols.”
As Lee So-min got involved, the atmosphere began to lean toward punishment.
When the conclusion was roughly reached, Hwang Dong-yeop politely made a request to Yang Mu-gi.
“Yang Daehyeop, please take good care of Obongsanchae as well.”
Luoyang Wuxia, who was in his early to mid-twenties, called Yang Wuji, who was in his mid-thirties, a great swordsman. It was strange to call him a small swordsman because of the large age difference.
“Haha! I see. If they find out who you are, they’ll run away in panic.”
Yang Mu-gi laughed heartily as he looked at his juniors who were full of spirit.
Memories of twenty years ago, when I was on a journey like them, came flooding back vividly.
***
Bobonghyun.
Mt. Obong.
After having lunch at Hagachon, the upper group of Hwayangsangbang leisurely entered Mt. Obong.
The merchants who confirmed the divine power of the Luoyang Five Gorges enjoyed the surrounding scenery, unlike before.
However, the two weapons of the Shinui Daeju did not show any signs of disarray. It was only natural, since even in a fight where he was winning, one wrong move could mean the difference between life and death.
“Stop!”
About twenty thieves blocked the road with shouts.
The warriors of the Shinui Corps, who had unilaterally slaughtered over forty thieves just two days ago, burst into laughter.
This is a situation that fits the saying, “a time of ups and downs.”
With only about twenty people, you can block the fifteen Shinui Dae and the Luoyang Five Knights!
The poisonous man, Hwang Yeo-myeong, looked around the upper part and then spoke.
“Yang Daejoo? Hwayangsangbang? How many merchants are there this time? Let’s beat them up a bit.”
Then Yang Mu-gi answered with a gloomy face.
“You bastard! You’re acting so presumptuously, relying on the name of the Five Bongsipgeol! If you knew who came to Mount Obong today, you wouldn’t be doing that!”
In that moment, Huang Yeoming realized that something was wrong.
Looking at it that way, the warriors in the upper ranks were also showing off their fighting spirit, unlike before.
That doesn’t mean he’s a cowardly Hwang Yeomyeong.
‘Are these guys crazy as a group? Are they going to fight with swords while the Five Bongsipgeol are in the mountains?’
“Yang Mu-gi! You’ve finally gone mad! Have you forgotten who the owner of Mt. Obong is? You think it’s easy because our Lord Pung Chae-ju keeps watching over you?”
This time, the speaker took a step forward and responded.
“Huh! The master likes it. Are you saying that you bought Mount Obong with money? No need to say anything. Who are the bandits called the Ten Heroes of Obong? The Five Heroes of Luoyang have come in person, so come forward!”
“You crazy bitch! Do you think you can get away with mentioning the names of the Five Heroes of Fengshui like that! Did you say the Five Heroes of Luoyang? I don’t know where those bastards came from, but you should know that today is their memorial day!”
“What, what did you say!”
The speaker trembled at the swear words he heard for the first time in his life.
Before even a proper introduction could be made, Yang Mu-gi stepped forward as it seemed like he was about to be stabbed.
“You idiot! Do you know who the Five Knights of Luoyang are and are you talking nonsense? They are the great disciples of the Yicheonmun, Waryongjang, Palsunmun, Daeyeonmun, and Chilyangmun. Do you think you can handle it?”
Hwang Yeo-myeong looked slightly surprised at the mention of the name of the Uicheonmun, but he did not back down.
“So what do you want me to do, you idiot! On Mt. Obong, the Ten Heroes of Obong are kings!”
‘omg!’
Hwang Dong-yeop, who was watching, stuck out his tongue at the thief’s ambitious words.
Even though the names of Uicheonmun and Waryongjang are mentioned, the bandits of Obongsan do not even blink an eye. They even go as far as to kill people with only half the number of Jeokpungchae.
For the first time, I got goosebumps.
It is obvious that the twenty or so people in front of us are more dangerous than the forty people running away.
Besides, how confident must one be in one’s martial arts to be so arrogant?
This is when Hwang Dong-yeop’s mouth becomes parched from tension.
The speaker, who had been openly cursed in front of him, could not stand it and drew his sword.
“Who the hell do you call a crazy bitch! I’ll kill you!”
The speaker ran forward recklessly, accompanied by his words.
It was not only because of the experience of being in a bad mood, but also because I lost my sense of reason due to anger.
Then, almost reflexively, the Luoyang Five Knights followed suit.
The surprised Yangmugi gave orders to the Shinuidai warriors.
“Hit!”
As if they had been waiting, fifteen warriors rushed forward.
A full-scale fight soon followed.
The fight ended sooner than expected.
Unlike their bold words, the thieves’ martial arts skills are weak.
Five of the bandits were killed and the rest were captured and tied up.
Although he won the fight relatively easily, the expression on the face of the two weapons of the Great Lord Shin was dark.
Surprisingly, not a single one of the bandits from O Bong San Chae ran away. Even when they were captured, their eyes were still filled with venom.
As a result, two of the bodyguards died.
There were also five injured.
This is a stark contrast to the fight with Jeokpungchae, where only three people were injured.
Yang Mu-gi glanced at the Luoyang Five Gorges.
They were giving their own assessment of this fight with triumphant faces.
‘not good.’
A sigh escaped Yangmugi’s mouth.
If even his subordinates are like this, how rough must the Five Bongsipgeol be?
Of course, I never thought I would lose to the Oh Bong Sip Geol.
However, it bothers me that these guys even stabbed this young lady from Uicheonmun.
How could someone who doesn’t know anything about the physiology of the world do that?
In this case, we should say that both parties are unlucky.
A thief who doesn’t know the weight of the genealogy, or a Luoyang Five Knight who meets such a thief…
But since it has come to this, I have no choice but to go all the way.
He believed that ‘things are a little messed up, but not at the point where there is any need to worry yet.’
Hwayangsangbang went up the mountain, led by bandits woven like a tangled web.
The road to Sanchae was wide open.
I don’t know if it was because there wasn’t that much shouting, or because he was confident.
There was no one to block Hwayangsangbang until he entered the front yard of Sanchae.
When they finally arrived at their destination, Yang Mu-gi and Luoyang Ohyeop hesitated, not knowing what to do first.
I came here expecting a shabby hut because they said it was a green forest, but that was not it.
In the wide front yard, a dozen or so children were running around, squealing. Behind them, there were several large pavilions and well-built, decent houses.
The children who discovered the bandits tied up too late scattered like a flock of loaches.
After a while, an old man came forward, looking uncomfortable.
Wuxia,
