Chapter 54

Shh.

The Great Master finally laughed.

"It's clear that my disciple cannot say such things. You, show your face. The mask holds no meaning now."

Hearing such words only made me want to hide my face even more.

I was someone who would never comply with demands like that.

"I am not your slave. I won't strip just because you say so. Why should I undress for someone I just met? Perverted bastard, old man."

The perverted bastard referred to Heo Cho, and 'old man' was my secret weapon.

"The dead or the master have a mindset that is quite foolish."

"Hehe..."

The sight of the Great Master's laughter was rather disgusting, prompting me to mutter a short remark.

"Ugh, chills."

In my previous life, I had encountered many who had become bizarre while practicing martial arts, but the Great Master's laughter was among the most unpleasant I had ever heard.

Perhaps it was because he often issued commands to kill after that laugh.

He was not called a master for nothing.

His appearance and aura were sufficiently threatening.

As expected, I was soon sentenced to death.

"All Twelve Divine Guards, step forward."

Before the Divine Guards could respond to the command, I retorted, "Great Master, do you really have to live so disgracefully?" "..."

"If the Divine Guards all come at me at once, I will flee from this spot. Just so you know, my lightness skill surpasses my martial arts. Let's play a game of Heavenly Net. But if you challenge me directly, I will accept a one-on-one duel like a man."

In any case, if the subordinates attacked, I would run.

If the enemy leader attacked, I would fight.

Even I thought my response was completely illogical.

However, I was confident I could break through the encirclement of the Twelve Divine Guards.

Thanks to my mask, they still did not know my face.

If I changed my outfit midway, threw the mask somewhere, and even did some cleaning in an inn, at least the Divine Guards and the Great Master would not recognize me.

It was like a secret technique for disguising myself as someone else.

"If I succeed in escaping, I plan to stay hidden for a long time. After gaining some fortune from falling off a cliff, I will reappear before you. Heavenly Net or one-on-one? Choose. By the way, the rumor that you avoided a one-on-one duel will spread throughout the entire Southern Region. I tend to talk a lot."

I chuckled while observing the atmosphere of the Twelve Divine Guards.

One should never let their guard down in the martial world.

The Divine Guards might not prevent the death of the master.

Those who had endured under an abnormal master for a long time could not be normal themselves.

Surprisingly, the Great Master was unable to make an immediate decision and was deep in thought.

In that case, I would not miss the opportunity to speak.

"Listen well, Twelve Divine Guards. Why do you think the foolish master is telling you to step forward? In the meantime, he is trying to figure out whether I use techniques, how well I handle a sword, what level my internal energy is at, how I fight, and what my weaknesses are. Of course, if I fight you, those strengths and weaknesses will be revealed. Instead, I will kill you like a black cat. I wonder how much wealth and glory the old master expects to enjoy after sending his disciples to hell."

Suddenly, I realized something while looking around at the low-ranking Divine Guards.

"All the disciples are young. The master is so old. Perhaps he had disciples before you? When they depart for the underworld, he just passes down the mask to fill the void. How old is that black little fellow over there?" People's gazes turned toward Hyun Chuk, who was sitting among the Twelve Divine Guards.

Although his face was hidden, it was clear from his physique that he had not trained in martial arts for long.

"Of course, our master would not care about the death of his disciples. If anyone thinks my words are wrong, raise your hand and stand."

I slyly raised my hand as if to fish for a response.

It was a fishing tactic to keep my mouth shut while raising my hand, but no one took the bait.

"In any case..."

The Great Master laughed as if watching a child's performance with a relaxed demeanor.

"It seems a mentally unstable fellow has been pretending to be my disciple."

I replied in a serious tone.

"I agree. The mask worsens the madness, so other disciples should be cautious."

The Great Master stood up from his chair.

"Let’s do that. I will take you on myself."

While speaking, whether by chance or intention, the Great Master glanced at the Divine Guards.

It could have been a meaningless gesture.

However, in moments like this, there is no such thing as an action without reason.

If the Great Master faced me directly and the Divine Guards ambushed me during the fight, it would create a troublesome situation.

Therefore, engaging in a static duel of internal energy would be dangerous.

Only now did I begin to understand the essence of the Great Master.

He was a cunning man with a rather sharp mind.

This would make the match-ups even more chaotic.

I would have to face the Great Master, Baek In, Cheong Jin, Jeok Sa, and Baek Yu all at once.

I scratched the back of my head and then leaped toward the wall where Baek Yu was.

Drawing the black cat from my waist, I swung the sword toward Baek Yu with a fierce momentum, causing him to jump back in surprise and take a defensive stance with his iron fan.

I had only made a motion to release my sword energy, and while Baek Yu was in a defensive position, I sheathed the black cat and landed on the ground, using my lightness skill to dash away like a gust of wind.

Behind me, Baek In, Cheong Jin, and Jeok Sa leaped over the wall and followed.

The other Twelve Divine Guards who had been deceived by me also climbed over the wall to chase after me.

Here, I engaged in psychological warfare again.

If I fled too far, the Great Master's group might give up the chase entirely.

I slowly turned around to look at the Twelve Divine Guards charging at me.

Suddenly, I stood with my arms crossed behind my back...

Baek In, Cheong Jin, and Jeok Sa, who had been running alongside me as if in a lightness skill duel, all stopped at once.

I asked in a serious tone, "Disciples, where is the master? Ah, here he comes."

The Great Master was standing on the wall.

I whispered to the Divine Guards in a small voice, "Disciples, you don't need to worry. I will kill the master. Please respond appropriately."

To the keen-eared Great Master, my whisper was barely audible.

It felt as if we had conspired from the beginning.

In fact, it was amusing that the Divine Guards were just staring at me like this.

As expected, the Great Master raised his voice.

"What are you all staring blankly for?" "Old bastard, as always."

In that moment, Jeok Sa was the first to attack.

Following him, the other Divine Guards drew their weapons and charged.

I dashed into the alley I had scouted earlier.

The reason my lightness skill was exceptional was simple.

I had been dragged around from the Central Plains to the Western Region and then back to the Zhejiang region without any reason.

Those with excellent martial arts skills often feel frustrated when moving, so they frequently use lightness skills.

Compared to Kwang Seung, my skills were lacking, so I had no choice but to run for my life.

As I traversed the world to see fish, my lightness skills naturally improved.

I ran like a turtle, intoxicated by the scent of flowers, idly twirled a fishing rod in the air out of boredom, and even tapped a wooden fish while running.

I had no way to escape from Kwang Seung, so I had followed him.

I leaped into the air, kicking off the walls of the narrow alley to avoid harming ordinary people while confirming the lightness skills of my fellow disciples.

Once I reached the roof, the entire Southern Region came into view.

I placed my hand on my forehead to search for Il Yang County.

From a high vantage point, it felt closer than I had expected.

I whistled again and began to leap across the rooftops.

Perhaps thinking it foolish to follow me in a straight line, masked disciples suddenly emerged from various rooftops after a while.

I exchanged a few words with the disciples.

"You all have worked hard. Just hang in there a little longer."

It seemed it was hard for them to hold back, as darts flew from all directions.

Sharp darts, round darts, ugly darts, and even needle-like darts so small they were hard to see flew through the air, glistening in the sunlight.

I was indeed a man under pressure.

This is why more than eighty percent of my dreams involve being chased.

The remaining part features beautiful women...

Dreams are not a crime.

In any case, I was always a man on the run, a pitiful man, a man who only fends off darts while eating, a man chased by disciples, and a man chased by a monk holding a fishing rod even in dreams...

Poor me, this human.

While I was leaping between rooftops with a considerable gap between them, a dagger came flying at me.

I spun around and deflected the dagger with the black cat before landing.

It was a bright, sunny day with beautiful white clouds floating in the sky.

It was also a day when laundry dried perfectly.

"Wow, the clouds..."

I took in the positions of the disciples throwing darts, the locations of the buildings, and the laundry, all while leaping across the rooftops, when I suddenly stumbled as if I had lost my footing and fell down.

As I snatched a piece of laundry from mid-air, I kicked off the wall and entered through an open window on the opposite side.

Twisting my body to avoid getting caught between the window frames was basic for escaping.

I hid the black robe and the black cat mask under the bed in a small, empty room and changed into freshly dried clothes.

Freshly, clearly, confidently.

In the process, I noticed the atmosphere of the room; it was not a man's room.

I opened the drawer and placed the black cat among a woman's underwear.

That does not mean I am a pervert.

If one is busy, such things can happen.

I would leave the retrieval to Hong Sa-mae later.

One must learn to steal and use it at times like this.

I slipped out of the room and walked like a thief when I heard someone's voice.

"Why aren't you studying at this hour? Where are you going?" An old woman weaving fabric with her back turned appeared.

I answered, wishing for a foolish man to be lounging around in this house.

"I'll be back early, Grandma."

The old woman spoke with a tone of concern.

"Drink in moderation."

I replied in a calm tone before leaving the house.

"Yes, Grandma."

After briefly surveying the street situation, I slowly walked toward the inn across the street.

The gaze of the disciple, who had sensed a fight had broken out somewhere, was quickly scanning the rooftops.

I tapped the disciple on the shoulder and took a seat.

It was an outside seat where I could watch the passersby.

"Do you have two jars of liquor?" "Ah, yes. Just a moment."

The disciple, while gazing at the masked masters flying across the rooftops, exclaimed in admiration.

"Wow... I'll bring it right away."

He was a rude fellow who could manage to take orders while watching a fight.

A moment later, the disciple carelessly placed two jars of liquor and some basic dried snacks in front of me before looking around again.

I poured the liquor into an empty cup and asked, "Is there a fight going on?" The disciple nodded.

"It seems a big fight has broken out. Many Divine Guards have gathered."

After drinking the liquor and chewing on the dried snacks, I said to the disciple, who was distractedly watching, "Have a drink."

"Ah, yes."

The disciple naturally sat across from me and held out his empty cup.

As I poured liquor for the disciple, I remarked, "The town is quite noisy."

"Indeed."

After we both downed a jar of liquor and chewed on the dried snacks, we leaned back and watched the street with a slanted posture.

The disciple, while chewing on the snacks, also munched on the dried fish.

"Look at that. The disciples seem anxious. What pathetic fellows, making such a fuss every day."

Suddenly, masked figures appeared ahead, causing the disciple, who had been chewing on the snacks, to naturally lower his gaze. "..."

I gazed at the fellow from the same profession, who was a master of survival and social skills.

In the meantime, the low-ranking Divine Guards passed by, glaring at the disciple.

I muttered while watching the anxious disciples.

"One must live with composure."

"That's right."

The disciple, while chewing on the dried snacks, held out his empty cup to me without any hint of awkwardness.

He had reached the level of mastery in naturally obtaining drinks from guests.

Knowing the disciple's heart, I had no choice but to pour him some liquor.

After the disciple drank, he whispered, "When the Great Master gets angry, the whole town goes quiet. Look, it's already quiet. Oh, please don't mention this anywhere else; just keep it between us. It seems the Hwang Oh Divine Guard was assassinated."

I replied in a small voice, "Was it not green liquor?" "Ah, right. It was green liquor. How did you know?" "I saw Hwang Oh passing by earlier."

"Oh, really?" Suddenly, the disciple looked into my eyes, and tension began to creep into his expression as he swallowed once and straightened his posture.

He was truly a quick-witted fellow.

I looked at the disciple and placed a finger to my lips.

"Shh."

The disciple and I exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously.