The Victory of Jeomsoui!
Jang Deuk-soo looked at Hong Shin, who had collapsed on the table, and asked, "Did you faint from a single word from your junior sister? You're not dead, are you?" I shook my head as I gazed at Hong Shin's neck.
"By the way, did you have a junior sister?" "I didn't, but now I do. I'm the master of the Black Cat Sect."
"Huh?" As Jang Deuk-soo looked at me with surprise, I confirmed it again.
"I'm the master of the Black Cat Sect."
Jang Deuk-soo recalled my past actions and immediately understood.
"Ah, congratulations."
"No need to mention it. This girl is Hong Shin, a member of the Twelve Divine Generals."
"Ah, so that's why she's your junior sister?" "Both of us have become disciples of the Great Master. This fight, how should I put it? It's a battle to see whether the Great Master is scarier or if I'm scarier."
Jang Deuk-soo, having grasped the situation, clicked his tongue and said, "Look at her fainting right away. It's clear that you're the scarier one. If you've got a junior sister you didn't expect, treat her well. She's quite pretty."
I quickly turned my head to check Jang Deuk-soo's expression.
"Could it be...?" "What? Why?" "Are you in love? At first sight? Is it fate? An escape?" Jang Deuk-soo avoided my gaze and replied, "You're talking nonsense."
"Hey, Jang Deuk-soo. Can't you stand still? Is it hard to manage your expression?" "I'm going to do the dishes."
As Jang Deuk-soo went into the kitchen, Hong Shin's breathing became clearer.
The deeper one's internal energy, the more sensitive one becomes to sound.
Hong Shin remained collapsed on the table, still as a mouse.
I glared at Hong Shin and muttered, "Did she faint because the taste was so good that even a pig's trotters wouldn't know if one of them died?" Jang Deuk-soo, washing dishes in the kitchen, chuckled and laughed.
"So, you've completely taken over the Black Cat Sect?" "I have. I can see a few scheming individuals, but it shouldn't be a problem. So Gun-pyeong is very meticulous."
"Ah, the one who lost to the kitchen knife back then?" "Yeah, that guy."
"Until when are you going to hide your identity?" "Until I kill the Great Master."
"It's a mountain beyond a mountain."
I spoke to the collapsed Hong Shin in a casual tone.
"There are ten days left, are you able to sleep?" Hong Shin suddenly sat up like a ghost and replied, "No. I will complete it in ten days."
Jang Deuk-soo, peeking his head out from the kitchen, looked at Hong Shin with a surprised expression.
Despite being a member of the Twelve Divine Generals, Hong Shin bowed her head to Jang Deuk-soo, who was speaking comfortably with me.
It was an attitude that showed she would be cautious about anything related to me.
"Thank you for the pig's trotters, I enjoyed it."
"No need to mention it. Come again."
"Then, I will take my leave."
Hong Shin took her leave and quickly escaped from Chunyang Restaurant.
As she fled with large strides, she inadvertently turned her head to look inside the shop.
The fake senior was glaring at her. "……."
Then the fake senior slowly raised both hands.
Upon checking, it was clearly a sign that there were ten days left.
Following that, the fake senior pretended to cut his throat with his hand, and Hong Shin, feeling scared, quickly turned her head away.
As she fled at a fast pace, she looked back, flinching at any sound like a person caught in a game.
"Huh! It's nothing. Just a leaf."
After a moment, when she heard rustling in the bushes, Hong Shin exclaimed in surprise, "Senior? Is that you?" Only after seeing a wildcat darting away did she let out a sigh of relief.
"No, it was just a wildcat."
Trying to return cautiously, Hong Shin ultimately began to run towards the safe house she had prepared long ago. 'So scary, too scary.' A somewhat successful thief usually prepares safe houses here and there, and Hong Shin was no exception.
Today, she planned to return to the nearest safe house and first seek peace of mind.
She felt a wave of anxiety rising from her stomach, almost choking her.
Running faster than she ever had in her life, Hong Shin passed through the bustling streets and darted through alleys before calmly entering an ordinary house, realizing the truth of the world anew.
"Home is indeed the best. Home is the best."
It was a cozy safe house surrounded by a small pond, a yard, and high walls, consisting of a main building and an annex.
It was a house she had bought with the money she had fiercely gathered through reckless thievery.
However, Hong Shin soon began to feel suspicious, quickly checking every corner of the house.
She was scared that someone might be hiding.
Even after confirming that no one was there, she sat on the floor and muttered nonsense.
"Senior? Are you here? If you're here, come in for a cup of tea. Haha, ha..." "……."
After confirming that everything was quiet, Hong Shin finally wiped the fake smile off her face and looked at her condition calmly. 'If this goes on, I'll go crazy.
This isn't right.
I need to pull myself together.' At that moment, someone knocked on the ordinary front door from the outside.
Knock, knock, knock.
Hong Shin jumped in surprise and asked, "Who is it?" Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it! I'm not home!" Suddenly, Hong Shin took a deep breath to calm her mind.
With a look that seemed to have finally adjusted, she stood up and headed for the front door.
"Ah, is that you, Senior? I'm coming out."
Hong Shin thought that the fake senior's lightness of foot was likely superior to hers, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to follow.
When she opened the door, a young man she had never seen before stared at her.
Hong Shin frowned and said, "Who are you? Why are you knocking on the door without saying anything? Do you want to die?" The young man, tightly gripping something in both hands, parted his dry lips.
"There are ten days left... I don't know!" The man quickly made a sound and fled.
His movements showed he had not trained in martial arts.
Hong Shin stared at the fleeing figure with a dazed expression.
"That beggar..."
The young man seemed to be escaping well, but then clumsily bumped into someone and dropped what he was holding.
He hurriedly picked up the fallen silver coins from the ground and fled. 'Ah, my money...' Hong Shin suddenly felt a ringing in her head and clutched her forehead.
They say humans are creatures of adaptation.
Hong Shin pressed her heaving chest with her hand and took a deep breath.
"It's money I lost after losing. Forget it. Let it go. It's not my money. Peace of mind, huuu..."
As Hong Shin closed the door and went back inside, she said, "I can earn it again."
At that moment, a distant laughter echoed from somewhere.
It sounded like someone was using lightness of foot to laugh from a rooftop, the sound initially elongated before gradually diminishing.
It was a strange skill that stretched laughter like a piece of candy using lightness of foot.
With such skill, it could only be the fake senior.
Suddenly, Hong Shin swept her hair back with a serious expression.
Then her eyes elongated into a straight line, and her expression turned cold.
How should I express this change? To put it as closely as possible, it was the gaze and expression of a madwoman.
With madness gleaming in her eyes, Hong Shin spoke in a chilling tone.
"I will definitely kill you."
Was this finally awakening? Or was it a declaration of war against the fake senior? The following words were, "Baekja, Hwang-o, Nok-sul, you are all dead in my hands. Ohohohoho."
Hong Shin's laughter also stretched out like the fake senior's.
How far can a person go mad? Who knows? In any case, Hong Shin had already stepped into that world.
Madness is a contagious disease.
Hong Shin was not an ordinary woman, but the invisible hierarchy of madness was organized like this.
The victory of Jeomsoui!
After a long time of practicing lightness of foot, I felt much better.
I dashed at full speed from the Black Cat Sect on Black Sugar Street to Il Yang County, and then ran again to the bustling Magnolia Street where Hong Shin's safe house was hidden.
Helping my junior sister who was feeling unwell and worrying about whether she would look for a restroom on the way back was all part of my training.
Training should never stop, especially lightness of foot needed to be raised to the highest level.
There are many advantages to it.
Above all, it is essential for survival, and it can also help someone in crisis.
Most importantly, if the level of lightness of foot reaches the top, one can join the mysterious force, the Quick Party (快黨), which most martial artists are unaware of.
Since ancient times, there have been madmen in the martial world who delve deeply into the field of lightness of foot, gathering secretly regardless of their sects to compete in lightness of foot.
A nickname is given to only one person.
They aim to earn the title of the fastest in the world (天下第一快).
Or, among themselves, they refer to each other with high-sounding titles like Quick Lord (快尊) or Quick Party Leader (快黨主).
It is unknown when this gathering began.
At first, it was just a small, irregular meeting.
However, as time passed, this mad gathering transcended good and evil and became a mysterious force that even the Martial Alliance could not properly grasp.
In my previous life, I had become a member of the Quick Party with outstanding lightness of foot skills, but I never reached the position of Quick Lord.
The world is vast, and there are many masters.
Especially, those who focus on killing techniques are treated like discarded shoes, and it is not easy to suppress those madmen who train solely to run fast.
I got to know several masters in the Quick Party.
They could not escape their factions due to their origins and bloodlines since childhood, but they dreamed of deviation while active in the Quick Party.
Remembering my reunion with the masters of the Quick Party, I sprinted again towards Il Yang County.
Nothing in this world comes for free.
Only after becoming stronger and faster can one step into a world where they didn't even know of its existence, which is the fun of life's mysteries.
Therefore, I must be running.
Even helping my junior sister who needed to use the restroom has this hidden meaning, you see.
Having briefly escaped from the rough and scheming world of the Black Path, I stood with my hands behind my back, wearing a satisfied expression.
The construction at the Jaha Inn was progressing smoothly.
As I gazed at the construction site with a pleased smile for a while, Yeon Ja-seong, who had received reports from the workers, approached me with a white band around his head.
"Lord of the Sect, you have arrived."
I nodded.
"You've been working hard."
"Hard work? In a place like this, you can just call me brother, right?" "Of course."
"Where have you been? Brother Seong-tae said you invaded the Black Cat Sect."
I replied in a calm tone.
"The master of the Black Cat Sect had business in the heavens and left, and I have taken on that heavy responsibility. For the time being, I will be shuttling between Il Yang County and the Black Cat Sect, so I won't be able to see you often."
"Ah, I see."
"Has anyone caused trouble in the meantime? I'm a bit worried about Heuk Seon-bo."
"That guy with the horse tail, the military officer? He patrols Il Yang County with his subordinates from time to time. The atmosphere is tense, and since they carry swords, no one can cause trouble."
"Ah, so there was a military officer."
I tend to forget the presence of people easily.
"What about Cha Seong-tae?" As soon as I asked, Yeon Ja-seong chuckled and recounted the incidents that had occurred.
"He challenged the military officer with a wooden sword and got beaten up, so he's been training hard lately. He's already lost ten times in a row. It's become quite the spectacle, and whenever the military officer and Brother Seong-tae face off, a lot of spectators gather."
"Where do they fight?" Yeon Ja-seong pointed to the wide open space in front of the construction site.
"Since the place is spacious, they always clash here."
I chuckled and replied, "That idiot, the lord of the life gate, keeps losing, and I'm embarrassed for him."
In summary, it was good news for me that the military officer and his group had blended well into Il Yang County.
They were skilled enough to handle any invasion from Heuk Seon-bo.
It would be foolish to keep a busy person for too long, so I took out a pouch.
Yeon Ja-seong grabbed my arm.
"Ah, brother. No need for that. You're already paying generously."
I flicked Yeon Ja-seong's arm with a sound.
"Tsk, tsk."
I took out five gold coins from Hong Shin's pouch and handed them to Yeon Ja-seong.
"Keep this and buy a drink whenever it's appropriate. It's hard to live if you only work. You need to relax a bit. Put it away."
"Isn't this too much? It's rare to see gold coins."
"The construction crew is large."
Yeon Ja-seong grabbed the coins and said apologetically, "Brother, I'm sorry for taking your hard-earned money. I'll buy snacks for the others and treat them to drinks. I'll use it well."
"It's not like I earned it with great difficulty. Spend it comfortably. I'm off."
"Take care."
I waved my hand and walked away.
Money is meant to be earned and spent.
Therefore, for the time being, my path would be to earn money while dealing with the Black Path.
After all, the Black Path feeds on the bones of ordinary people.
Sometimes, the world must turn this way to taste its flavor.
I raised the corners of my mouth at the sudden cheers of the workers from the construction site.