I laughed as I watched the Illusion Dragon Lord engulfed in flames.
Now that there was no one else around, I felt free to laugh.
I laughed at his death, and I laughed with a sense of humiliation for his life.
In high spirits, I pulled out the black cat again and scattered incense in all directions while laughing.
"Burn...".
This flame is a gift from me to the people of the martial world.
Long ago, after the fire at the Zaha Inn, I had unknowingly become mixed up in the martial world.
I merely delivered the same punishment to the Illusion Dragon Lord for dragging an ordinary person into this world.
Now, I burned away all the fading memories of ordinary days in the mountain lodge.
As I slashed with my sword, set fires, and burst into laughter, I heard the voices of my subordinates from outside.
"Lord!" Did I have a priest? "Lord!" Was I a lord? Suddenly, amidst the blazing flames, I pondered the words "Lord" and "Master."
Perhaps I was too caught up in the moment.
I slowly recited the path I had walked.
"The incense of Illyang County, the gravekeeper, the master of the sickle, the loser of the martial arts gamble, a third-rate martial artist, the one who lost his mind, the fish of Zhejiang...".
Somewhere, perhaps a mechanism was melting down.
With a loud crash, the building was being buried in a pit.
A familiar voice came from even closer this time.
"Master! It's Gunpyeong!" "Three Hundred Armored Gunpyeong?" Then, with a loud bang, the vines engulfed in flames shattered, and Gunpyeong and the others appeared, covered in soot.
Only then did I speak to Gunpyeong.
"Why did you come in when I told you to wait?" Gunpyeong shouted back.
"The fire broke out, so we came in! What are you doing? Come over!" Only then did I look down and see a dark pit between my subordinates and me.
It was just a small pit, but for some reason, it looked to me like the Sanzu River, the boundary between this world and the next.
Gunpyeong also looked at the pit and said to me, "Master, there's nothing in the pit. Come over."
"Ah, got it."
I lightly jumped over the pit and landed where my subordinates were.
They all had faces smeared with soot.
Baek-in asked me, "Did the Lord set the fire?" "Yeah."
"Let's get out of here."
I chuckled and jumped ahead.
"Let's go."
Gunpyeong was still angry with me.
"Why are you laughing?" I replied while laughing, "Would I cry after setting someone else's house on fire?" Gunpyeong let out a strange forced laugh, "Hehehe."
Then he added, "If this keeps up, I'll lose my mind. I know what this feeling is."
"Be careful, Gunpyeong. There's nothing scarier than losing your mind."
We huddled together, occasionally swinging our swords as we broke through the flames.
Sometimes, the priests' energy blasts cleared the way, allowing us to escape safely from the Illusion Dragon Lord's residence.
As soon as we stepped outside, we looked back at the mountain lodge.
With a loud explosion, something burst, and the flames soared even higher.
Gunpyeong, with a dazed expression, said, "It seems there was gunpowder somewhere. This isn't just the sound of burning."
I agreed while watching the lodge burn fiercely.
"Indeed."
Baek-in, still wanting to check thoroughly, asked me, "Lord, what about the Illusion Dragon Lord?" "He died in the fire before the lodge did."
Baek-in let out a rare sigh of relief.
"That's good. That's great."
"Indeed."
I looked at the soot-covered faces of my subordinates, and they looked at me, bursting into laughter together.
I gazed at the gathered forces of the Unwoo Association and asked, "What about the performers who went in first?" From behind, they raised their hands.
"We're here."
Gunpyeong explained, "They escaped through the back door with the lodge's servants. The servants said a big fight would break out inside, so they should stay outside."
"That's a relief. The excellent performers almost died."
"Yes."
I didn't bother asking about the whereabouts of the servants.
If they had learned martial arts, they would have already been dead at the hands of my subordinates.
Suddenly, I turned my head and saw the entire lodge sinking as if it had fallen into a pit.
It seemed there had been too many holes dug here and there from the start.
It didn't seem like it would spread much further.
This place was not part of a mountain range but an independent mountain.
It didn't seem bad to be engulfed in flames and burned down completely, then slowly start anew.
"Let's go."
As we walked back, the priests and officers were very curious about the fight that had taken place inside, so I briefly explained.
"There were a lot of mechanisms inside." "..."
Gunpyeong replied in disbelief, "Master, is that all?" "Yeah."
I added while looking at Baek-in, "It wasn't particularly better than the Great Master."
Baek-in nodded with a blank expression.
"Yes."
I paused for a moment to look at the priests.
"The Great Master, Teacher Su, and the Illusion Dragon Lord are all dead. Among them, the Great Master was the most manly."
Baek-in replied, "I see. That's good."
Cheongjin and Baekyu also nodded, looking somewhat relieved.
I told my subordinates, "The Unwoo Association is now gone. Those who want to leave can go. I won't stop you. Those who stay will now belong to the Hao Sect. The Black Cat Lodge, the Black Line Sect, and the Unwoo Association are all part of the Hao Sect."
One of those who belonged to the Unwoo Association asked me, "What is the Hao Sect?" I nodded and replied, "It's a place full of useless fools like you. A shabby sect that spreads throughout the martial world by killing people like Teacher Su."
Someone who still didn't know my identity asked, "Who is the Sect Master?" "It's me."
"Aren't you the Black Cat Master?" "That's me too."
I turned back toward the Unwoo Association and said to Gunpyeong, "I hope that Dokgosaeng didn't cause any trouble."
Gunpyeong shook his head.
"With Hongshin Shinjang around, there shouldn't be any problems."
I urged the officers, "The power has suddenly grown as if it has been blown away, but it doesn't mean much. The detailed arrangements should be discussed and organized by the officers and priests. I don't have the skill to manage an organization in detail."
"Yes."
"Each of you should do what you do best. I plan to keep getting stronger. In the end, becoming stronger is the greatest role of the Sect Master."
To be honest, even if a genius in internal affairs appeared, they wouldn't be able to perfectly control this chaotic organization.
Until then, I had no choice but to hold on with the Black Cat.
At the crossroads, I sent Gunpyeong and the priests back to the Unwoo Association.
"I need to go to the Black Cat Lodge to see the prisoners, so you all clean up and come back."
Gunpyeong asked, "Who should we appoint as the temporary manager of the Unwoo Association? After all, it's a dark force and a place that received guests, so there is a possibility of ongoing disputes."
"If Dokgosaeng is there, everyone will be fighting with knives..."
Baek-in replied.
"For now, I'll stay with the priests. I have a rough idea of who will come as guests. I'll kill those who need to be killed and send back those who should be spared."
"Alright. Good work. I'll return first."
"Yes."
I glared at Yusa Cheong as I headed to the main seat.
"Have you been well?" "Yes."
"Did Cha Seong-tae bother you?" "No." I sat in the main seat, looking at Yusa Cheong on my left and Cha Seong-tae on my right.
Cha Seong-tae asked, "How did it go?" "What matter?" "You went to deal with Teacher Su."
"Ah, Teacher Su was killed by a sword, and the Illusion Dragon Lord burned to death. I sent both an opponent and a friend to the Great Master, so he won't be bored in the afterlife. Speaking of which, it was because of Yusa Cheong that he died."
I looked at Yusa Cheong.
"You have made a great contribution."
"Yes."
I thought Cha Seong-tae might have found something out, so I asked, "Where is this guy from?" "He says he's from the Hohyun Sword Family."
I asked Yusa Cheong, "Are you also from the Hohyun family?" Hohyun was not a very common surname.
Yusa Cheong revealed his real name.
"My real name is Hohyun Cheong."
"Where is your base?" "Originally, I was in Dongbo Stone, but now I've settled in Hongcheon Hyang."
"If it's the Dongbo Stone area, it's a place full of Baekdo. Did you get pushed out?" "Yes."
I pointed to the sword of the Yongmo faction on the table and said to Cha Seong-tae, "Bring it here."
Cha Seong-tae brought the sword of the Yongmo faction and placed it in front of me.
I pushed it toward Hohyun Cheong.
"This is someone I'm looking for. Can you find him?" Hohyun Cheong replied, "I will find him no matter what."
"You don't know."
Hohyun Cheong replied with a troubled expression, "Master, please spare me. I will find him somehow. If there's poison, please give me one. I will come for the antidote."
I nodded.
"I've already killed a lot of people today. My ordinary day shouldn't start with killing and end with killing."
Hohyun Cheong let out a sigh of relief and replied, "Thank you."
"Good. There should be such relationships. Not everything in life can be solved by force."
At that moment, the main hall door opened, and a subordinate reported.
"Master, a guest has arrived."
"Who?" "The Lord of the Iron Dragon Gate, Kim Cheol-yong, has come."
"Show him in."
Kim Cheol-yong and Gwak Yong-gae appeared in the main hall.
Kim Cheol-yong smiled and said, "Master, it's hard to see your face."
I stood up and replied, "Why did you come so suddenly?" "People keep coming, but the Master hasn't been seen, so I came to see you."
"Have you finally arrived?" Gwak Yong-gae placed a black box with a string on the table and opened the lid.
Inside the box was a "Mad Blade" made by Kim Cheol-yong.
The handle and sheath were both ash gray.
At the end of the handle was a dragon engraved, as if it were a token made by Kim Cheol-yong.
However, it was a shorter straight sword than I had expected.
I thought to myself, "He couldn't gather all the iron he wanted."
But it was truly a long-awaited gift.
I accepted it not for the quality of the sword but for the heart of Kim Cheol-yong.
"Thank you."
Kim Cheol-yong extended his hand.
"Draw it."
I lifted the Mad Blade, which was heavier than I had anticipated, and separated it from the sheath.
The silver blade slowly revealed itself.
As I admired the blade, I said, "I will use it well."
"Do you like it?" My indifferent attitude seemed to make him uneasy.
"I like it very much."
Whether a swordsmith or a martial artist, when they acquire a new weapon, they naturally want to cut something.
Kim Cheol-yong asked, "Is there no bell?" I absentmindedly looked at Hohyun Cheong.
Suddenly, Hohyun Cheong, who was startled, knelt on the floor.
"Please spare me."
Kim Cheol-yong and Gwak Yong-gae were surprised by this unexpected sight and looked at Hohyun Cheong.
I also looked at Hohyun Cheong while holding the Mad Blade.
"Why would I kill you?" After a sly smile, I drew the black cat from my waist with my left hand and held the Mad Blade in my right hand, then asked Kim Cheol-yong, "Uncle Kim, you have no regrets, right?" Realizing that I was about to clash the two swords, Kim Cheol-yong nodded.
"No regrets."
I gathered the energy of the two swords evenly in my hands and struck the blades together in the air.
The sound of a dull thud mixed with a metallic sound echoed as the blades flew apart.
The expressions of Kim Cheol-yong, Gwak Yong-gae, and Cha Seong-tae were filled with surprise.
Hohyun Cheong, who had been kneeling and watching, blinked in astonishment.
I looked at the broken blade of the Mad Blade.
"It seems the broken conviction has lost. The black cat has won."
Kim Cheol-yong scratched his head with an awkward expression.
"Ha, this is... where did you get that treasure?" "It's the sword used by the Black Cat Master."
Gwak Yong-gae sighed with a pale face.
"Big brother, we were lacking."
Kim Cheol-yong nodded.
"I see."
Gwak Yong-gae hurriedly picked up the broken blade and snatched the Mad Blade from me, placing it back in the box.
Gwak Yong-gae slung the box over his shoulder and said to Kim Cheol-yong, "Big brother, let's go."
Somehow, it sounded like he was saying we should quickly escape from here.
Kim Cheol-yong looked at me.
"Master, I will come again."
I nodded with a serious expression.
"Uncle Kim, don't rush. In the meantime, I will be using the black cat."
Kim Cheol-yong turned with a gloomy expression.
"Let's go."
Suddenly, Kim Cheol-yong staggered, and Gwak Yong-gae quickly supported him.
The two leaned on each other as they exited the main hall. "..."
I cleared my throat a few times and then sat back down.
Cha Seong-tae, who had been watching with me, was trying to hold back his laughter.
I looked at him and said, "Don't laugh, you brat."
"Yes."
"Anyone can fail. Just like I did. Seong-tae, you haven't really failed at anything, have you? You haven't even tried."
As far as I knew, there were very few weapons in the entire martial world that wouldn't break.
Among them, the one I was using hadn't even arrived in the Central Plains yet.
Until then, I had no choice but to hold on with the black cat.