"When?" Confusion flickered in Gong Mun-yeon's eyes.
He had not sensed anyone approaching at all.
Yet, right before him stood a figure.
"Who is it?" Upon discovering the owner of the voice, Gong Mun-yeon's feelings shifted from confusion to alarm.
The figure wore a tight black outfit, a black mask, and held a sword in one hand.
"......"
The attire screamed that he was a robber.
However, Gong Mun-yeon's gaze inadvertently rose upwards.
The glaring sun shone directly into his eyes.
"Is he crazy?" A robber wandering the streets in broad daylight.
Was this even a reasonable situation?
"...... Is that what you meant?" Someone else asked Gong Mun-yeon's question.
The masked man turned his dull eyes towards the speaker.
"Here, I mean... cough cough cough cough gasp... me, is there anyone else... cough me?"
"......"
Gong Mun-yeon stared blankly at the robber. 'He looks like he might die soon?' An old man? His hunched back, skin stretched tightly over bones, and the pallor around his eyes suggested he was quite aged.
Or perhaps he was just a dying young man.
Nah, that couldn't be the case.
"What business do you have? You don't seem like a passerby who just stopped by."
The masked man coughed a few times and shook his head.
"Ugh. I'm going to die like this."
"......"
"Can't you tell what the matter is just by looking?"
"...... I don't know?"
"What do you think the identity of someone wandering around in this outfit in broad daylight is?"
"A madman?"
"......"
"Or perhaps someone with dementia?"
"A robber! A robber!"
"Oh, so you're a robber. I had my doubts."
Gong Mun-yeon couldn't help but chuckle.
A robber who looked like he couldn't catch a mouse.
Of course, underestimating someone based solely on appearance was unwise.
But this person was not just a matter of looks.
Though he held a sword tightly, there was no aura of a martial artist who had mastered the ways of the world.
After all, a sensible martial artist wouldn't be wandering around in such attire in broad daylight.
It was an act only a madman would commit.
"Hey, old man."
Gong Mun-yeon waved his hand dismissively, like shooing away a fly.
"It seems you've been tempted by wealth. Don't throw your life away for nothing and just go back."
"Tempted by wealth... cough cough... tempted by wealth... cough cough... Ah! It must be you!"
"...... What are you saying? I can't understand."
"Ugh."
It seemed communication was failing, so the masked man tapped his waist a couple of times and raised the sword he was leaning on to point at Gong Mun-yeon.
"I'm not trying to rob you; I'm here to reclaim my property."
"Just a moment ago, you said you were a robber?"
"Even if I speak like a fool, you should understand like a wise man."
"...... Huh."
Gong Mun-yeon frowned.
When things weren't going well, all sorts of beggars seemed to flock to him.
"It would be best for you to leave before things get ugly."
"Go ahead and try."
"This guy is serious!" Just as Gong Mun-yeon was about to shout, the tip of the masked man's sword was aimed at him.
"You don't seem like a fool, but you really can't understand what I'm saying."
Gong Mun-yeon shut his mouth.
A brief silence fell.
After staring at the masked man for a while, Gong Mun-yeon asked in a slightly changed tone, "Did you come from Hwasan?"
At Gong Mun-yeon's words, the merchants widened their eyes.
"Hwasan?"
"What do you mean, Gong Lu-ju?" Gong Mun-yeon did not answer the merchants' questions.
It was not important to deal with a bothersome swarm of flies.
The masked man nodded.
"You know it well."
"I thought the matter with Hwasan was settled?"
"It is settled with Hwasan, but not with me."
"Did the sect leader send you?"
"Do I look like someone who would do that?"
"...... I guess not."
Gong Mun-yeon acknowledged Hwasan's sect leader, Hyun Jong.
It was undeniable that he was a frustrating person, but he was someone who upheld his own sense of justice.
He was not the type to send someone else behind the scenes after saying he would send them in front.
"Are you saying that someone from Hwasan would go against the will of the sect leader?"
"That's fine."
The masked man nodded.
"I'm not someone who would listen to that child's words one by one."
Gong Mun-yeon's face darkened. 'Former leader?' Though hidden by the mask, considering the hunched back and skinny body, along with the aged voice, it was clear that this person was quite old.
Given the tone regarding the sect leader, he might even be someone of higher standing than the sect leader.
This meant that the person before him could be a former master of Hwasan. 'But he doesn't look like a master at all?' It was hard to gauge how much to believe.
Gong Mun-yeon, who usually maintained his composure in front of most people, found the figure before him to be exceedingly strange.
Gong Mun-yeon hardened his expression.
"I didn't expect Hwasan's affairs to be so petty."
"Petty?" The masked man scoffed.
"This is why you shouldn't keep black-haired beasts. What do you think Yan Gong would say if he saw you now?"
"...... Who is Yan Gong?" The masked man's sharp eyes narrowed. 'Oh? Look at this?' He doesn't know Yan Gong? Yan Gong was the leader of Taehwa Tower when Cheong Myung was in Hwasan.
If Gong Mun-yeon was connected to Taehwa Tower, he should know him.
Yet, he didn't know Yan Gong? Cheong Myung tilted his head. 'Something smells fishy.' A very foul smell at that.
Perhaps this incident was not merely the work of a few money-crazed individuals.
"Well, whatever."
Cheong Myung flicked his sword.
"I don't know if the sect leader is kind enough to let you take that wealth, but I can't stand seeing such a pathetic sight. If it were up to me, I'd want to break your legs, but since it's the sect leader's order, I should show some respect. Leave the cart and go. I won't catch you then."
"Haha."
Gong Mun-yeon let out a hollow laugh.
"Do you think I backed down because I lack strength?"
"Yeah."
"......"
Gong Mun-yeon was at a loss for words.
There was something strange about the way that guy spoke.
As they conversed, he found himself stumbling over his words more and more.
"Ahem! You're making a big mistake. I backed down willingly to avoid making a big problem. It’s not because I couldn't catch a robber wearing a mask."
"Ha ha. You speak well... cough cough cough cough... Ahhh! Ugh! Oh no... I'm going to die."
Watching the masked man bend over and cough, Gong Mun-yeon felt a surge of pity.
If the situation allowed, he might have rushed over to help him.
Seeing the trembling limbs and the back that couldn't straighten up made him want to cry.
"...... Old man. If you turn back now, I won't catch you. You look like you're struggling, so don't stand there and just go."
"The old man will freeze to death."
Despite appearances, he was still a sprightly child.
He might be resting now, but... 'Oh, the innate energy is killing him.' His body was clearly not in its right state.
He had no choice but to draw on his innate energy, but he never expected the side effects to be this severe.
After all, he had been wandering around the village for three months without a break, so how could his body remain intact? Thankfully, those people mistook him for an old man, but...
"There’s no need for long words."
Cheong Myung swung his sword.
"Only those who are meant to be beaten remain, and those who can leave should go now. If it were me in the past, I would have beaten you without asking questions, but I've recently come to realize a few things, so don't provoke me for no reason."
"You talk a lot."
Gong Mun-yeon seemed to have no more need for conversation and drew a line.
"This is your last warning. I won't show any mercy from now on."
"I got it. Tell the guys behind you to come out."
Gong Mun-yeon flinched. 'Did he notice?' Behind him, hidden guards were following him.
Given their skills, it would be hard for anyone to sense their presence.
"Come out."
As soon as Gong Mun-yeon gave the command, a dozen warriors sprang out from the bushes.
"Huh?"
"When did these people come?" The merchants, who had never imagined such a thing, pressed themselves against the cart with frightened faces.
Naturally, they wouldn't have noticed.
"Once more!" Bam! Gong Mun-yeon had intended to give the old man one more chance to retreat, but the sound that cut him off was one he would never want to hear in his dreams.
The sound was so crisp that it made his shoulders jerk involuntarily.
And... thud. The warrior who had jumped out first fell sideways.
From the slight lift of his leg, it seemed he wouldn't be getting back up.
Cheong Myung clicked his tongue and raised his sword.
"Anyway!" Bam! "These kids these days!" Bam! "Talk too much!" Bam! "Back in my day, it wasn't like this!" Thud! In a moment where he couldn't even grasp what was happening, five warriors fell to the ground.
Even seeing it with his own eyes, Gong Mun-yeon couldn't understand the situation.
"Tsk."
Cheong Myung sheathed his sword and slung it over his shoulder.
He glared at Gong Mun-yeon while standing on one leg.
If a healthy person had done it, it might have looked quite impressive.
But seeing Cheong Myung, who was skin and bones, bent over like that, it felt utterly pitiful.
"Kid."
Cheong Myung chuckled and said, "You seem to not know well, but among those who have ignored my words since ancient times, none have returned with their limbs intact. If words don't get through, then you're a beast. And beasts are weak to clubs. Now, shall I see if that applies to you too?"
Cheong Myung walked over, sword resting on his shoulder.
The warriors stepped back, intimidated by his presence.
"Step back! Useless ones."
Gong Mun-yeon gritted his teeth and stepped forward. 'Is it true that someone like him still remains in Hwasan?' He thought he was a tiger with all its teeth and claws pulled out.
No, that was probably true.
The mistake was underestimating that a tiger could still kill a person with just its front paws.
"I wonder why someone like you has been hiding away. If you had stepped forward, Hwasan wouldn't have ended up like this."
"You don't know anything."
Just as Cheong Myung was about to speak, Gong Mun-yeon cut in sharply.
"First, you've chosen the wrong timing. I wanted to give Hwasan a good hit, and now it's perfect. If someone like you dies at my hands, the sect leader would surely lament. Prepare yourself."
Gong Mun-yeon gathered his energy.
The surrounding grass rose with the flow of his energy.
The aura he displayed was not something a mere innkeeper could show.
"That's right. I knew you had something."
Cheong Myung's eyes sparkled.
"Don't worry. I won't hit your mouth."
So you won't talk, huh? Cheong Myung walked toward Gong Mun-yeon, who suddenly raised both hands and charged at him.