Book 20 Chapter 19

The roar of legend, echoing!

―Tiger Claw Strikes

"Great Hero Yu! How are you here?"

Major Jin asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Huh? Well, I… I came here after receiving Miss Jin's letter…"

Taken aback by the completely unexpected reaction, Yu Eun-seong fumbled for the letter he had carefully kept in his pocket.

"A letter? I never sent a letter!"

"Th-that's impossible! You're saying you didn't send a letter?"

The news was like a bolt from the blue for Yu Eun-seong. But he didn't have time to be disappointed.

"Th-then…!!"

"N-no way!"

The two looked at each other simultaneously.

***

"What's wrong? Gyeong-yeong? Seon-a? Is something frightening happening?"

Yun Yi-jeong asked with a rotten smile.

"…"

The boy quickly hugged his younger sister and glared suspiciously at the uninvited guest who had burst in during the night. Fear filled the boy's eyes.

"Don't worry. Your uncle is here. It's too dangerous for you here. So come with me. Your uncle will protect you!"

Yun Yi-jeong's voice was incredibly gentle as he crept into the room in the dead of night.

"Uncle!"

Naive Seon-a, unaware of anything, got up to follow. However, Yu Gyeong-yeong immediately stopped his sister. The boy's gaze towards the man who was once his uncle was a mixture of strong suspicion and animosity.

"What's wrong, Gyeong-yeong? Is something the matter?"

Yun Yi-jeong's kind words made the boy tremble violently. The smile on his lips was terrifyingly mad.

"Seon-a, don't be fooled! Don't follow him!"

His teeth chattered.

"That person… that person…"

The boy's fingers, pointing at the man, trembled violently up and down. The words just swirled around his mouth.

"That person… Father's… Father's…"

Gasping for breath, the boy finally shouted.

"He's Father's enemy!"

It was an almost desperate cry.

At that moment, Yun Yi-jeong's movements froze.

"Sob, sob, how could you say such harsh words to me…"

Yun Yi-jeong seemed to continue his act, bowing his head deeply, but when he raised it, a chilling smile played on his lips and ferocity filled his eyes.

"How did you know?"

He seemed to have judged that no more silly acting was needed.

"Ah… Father told me. What happens to the opponent who suffers from the family's secret technique! The wound on his right forearm that was revealed then, it was definitely the one from the Dragon Scale Burst."

"Heh heh heh, you're much smarter than your father, you clever boy. It pains me, your uncle, to think I have to break such talent here today."

"Hmph, this is the heart of the Zhongyang Express Agency. If I shout…"

"Oh my, oh my! You speak like a girl. Why don't you say, 'Oh my, if you come closer, I'll shout'?"

His words were laced with ridicule.

"But what can you do? There's a soundproofing curtain I've set up around this room, so sound won't escape outside."

"Th-that's impossible…"

Pale fear appeared on the boy's face.

"Ugh, hmph, hmph, are you finally giving up? You must die for a new sky. Hahaha, the key is ours now!"

The blade that killed the siblings' father flashed in the air.

"Aaaargh!"

Yu Gyeong-yeong covered his sister and squeezed his eyes shut.

Just as the two siblings' lives were hanging by a thread, a different breeze 'rustled' in.

CRASH!

With a thunderous roar, a massive tree was shattered by Baek Mu-hu's strike. Lee Si-geon narrowly escaped with his life using the tree as a shield, but he paid a heavy price. A large portion of his left face was also blown away with the tree.

"Kuaaaaargh!"

Blood splattered. It was a deep wound that reached the bone. The five claws were relentless, and three of the wounds were the largest. It was a miracle he was alive.

"My, my face… my handsome face…"

Lee Si-geon muttered in a dazed voice. It seemed that was more important to him than his life.

'I have to escape!'

He didn't have time to feel the pain properly. The only thought that dominated his mind was that he had to escape this place somehow.

Perhaps surprised that he had dodged his attack, Baek Mu-hu raised its claws again.

"Hmph!"

In desperation, Lee Si-geon threw Yoon Yi-jeong, whom he was still holding in a daze, with all his might.

THWACK!

As if a fly had flown by, Baek Mu-hu casually swiped with its front paw, swatting Yoon Yi-jeong away.

"Guhh-eeeeeh!"

A miserable scream escaped Yoon Yi-jeong's lips, who still had consciousness.

'Now's my chance!'

Thinking this was his chance, he launched himself madly.

Huh?

Baek Mu-hu's eyes seemed to say that. Thinking it was an outrageous act to run away in front of him, the capable hunter lunged to catch the fleeing prey.

The distance between Lee Si-geon and Baek Mu-hu quickly closed.

"Thirteen Blood! Block!"

Lee Si-geon shouted, blood gushing from his left face.

"Block what?"

The eyes of the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth blood widened in an instant.

"Wh-what is that?"

They also wanted to rub their eyes.

"What are you dawdling for?"

Lee Si-geon grabbed the idly standing twelfth blood with a swift grappling technique and threw him towards Baek Mu-hu.

"Ugh!"

The unsuspecting twelfth blood was terrified.

What is this now?

CRUNCH!

The twelfth blood was flattened in a single blow.

"Thirteenth!"

"Twelfth Brother!"

The eleventh and thirteenth blood shouted in anger upon seeing their brother's death.

"You two go and block too!"

Lee Si-geon threw the eleventh and thirteenth blood with all his might towards Baek Mu-hu as well. Even though he was injured, his martial arts were superior to the thirteenth blood.

"Uh uh uh…"

However, they were slightly better off than the twelfth blood. At least they could make a final struggle.

"Hmph!"

"Mere insects!"

They probably meant to say 'immortal beings' incorrectly.

"Die, mongrel!"

The eleventh and thirteenth blood simultaneously unleashed their killing moves, the Thirteen Blood Forms, in mid-air.

CLANG!

"Gasp!"

The eyes of both men widened.

Baek Mu-hu had casually blocked their killing moves, imbued with sword energy, with its claws. Even a peak master's empty-handed attack against a blade couldn't do better than this. Their sword strikes, which could cut through iron, were no match for Baek Mu-hu's claws.

GRRRRRRR!

If translated into human language, it would probably mean something like, 'How dare you call me a mongrel…'. A mongrel! It was an outrageous insult to this elegant lady. The sin of insulting a lady was grave.

CLANG!

As she retracted her claws, the two swords stuck between them were cleanly snapped in half.

THUMP! THUMP!

The sound of something breaking and a miserable scream echoed.

For their sin of offending the lady, they did not die as peacefully as their brothers before them.

Now, only Lee Si-geon remained.

The desperate struggle of the eleventh and thirteenth blood ended so quickly that Lee Si-geon didn't have time to escape.

"Useless fools! You can't even buy me time!"

Curses erupted from Lee Si-geon's mouth. He found himself facing Baek Mu-hu again.

The golden sun glowed amber in the darkness. Goosebumps crawled all over his body.

'I'm going to die!'

Its presence was too great to be treated as a mere insect. Instead, he felt like he was being looked down upon.

It seemed absolutely impossible to avoid. It seemed utterly impossible to win. Only then did he truly grasp what fear was.

Kuaaaaaaaaaa!

An immense roar erupted. Lee Si-geon froze in the face of the roar's majesty, which demanded absolute obedience from living beings.

'This is the end!'

Finally, he gave up all hope and resigned himself to his fate.

WHOOSH!

At that very moment, something flew in from somewhere.

THWACK!

A wooden pillow flew in from somewhere and hit Baek Mu-hu precisely on the bridge of its nose. Startled, Baek Mu-hu jumped.

GUHOOOOOOONG!!

The broken door was flung open, and a furious shout erupted from within.

"Be quiet! Let me sleep! Let me sleep!"

The culprit was none other than the Old Master.

WHINE! SCREECH~

Thanks to him, people were able to witness the very unusual sight of the legendary Baek Mu-hu looking crestfallen and depressed.

'It's over!'

Lee Si-geon's body, frozen as if under a spell, began to move.

'Now's my chance!'

Lee Si-geon seized the opportunity and quickly turned around.

At that moment, only one thought dominated his mind and body.

'Run away!'

Desperately fleeing, his subordinates were no longer in his thoughts.

'I, I have to run away! Hurry!'

He had to escape this nightmarish place as quickly as possible. That was the only way to survive. Pride and stubbornness were long gone.

SCRATCH SCRATCH!

GROOOOOAN!

Baek Mu-hu was busy scratching its nose with its front paw, too preoccupied to chase.

Thanks to this, Lee Si-geon narrowly escaped with his life.

KUHOOOOONG!

Baek Mu-hu wailed. It was the roar of a king and the cry of a true victor.

That night, all the residents of Nanchang trembled at the sound of this roar. The startled moon fell, and dawn broke.

It was the dawn that would become a legend.

As a result, the name of the Zhongyang Express Agency spread far and wide, instantly becoming a myth. Needless to say, contracts poured in from everywhere.

And the Central Plains Express Agency felt a serious threat from the rapid growth of the Zhongyang Express Agency.

KUHOOOOONG!

The roar vibrated through the night, awakening the day, and echoed throughout Nanchang. Cheonmu Academy was no exception. Some people were startled by the sound and jumped up, wondering what it was. Disciples from the Amipa sect felt an unknown fear, hugging each other tightly or crawling under their blankets.

The place where the sound was weakest was the underground prison. It couldn't be the same as above ground. Therefore, only a faint trace was transmitted. Nevertheless, Bi Ryun-yeon, awakened from his sleep, jumped up.

"Hmm? What was that sound just now?"

He strained his ears, but heard nothing. It felt like a familiar sound he had heard somewhere before… But it was impossible for someone living in Szechuan now to be in a city like this.

"Is it a hallucination? No way…"

Between the nightmare incident last time and the hallucination incident this time, strange things that weren't like him had been happening lately.

"Is it a harbinger of something, or just simple sleep deprivation…?"

Either way, it was an unwelcome development.

"I hope it's nothing…"

His sensitive premonition kept sending warnings.

"Ah, whatever. Let's go back to sleep."

Bi Ryun-yeon lay down on the floor again. Although the sleeping arrangements were terrible, he had learned from his master that one should not let anything disturb their sleep, regardless of time or place. It was advantageous to recover fatigue when possible to prepare for any eventuality.

There was no use worrying about it now.

Upon arriving at the Nanchang branch of the Zhongyang Express Agency, Jin So-ryeong and Yu Eun-seong couldn't hide their surprise. Although the entire agency was brightly lit, there was no sign of a fight. However, observing the expressions of the guards at the main gate, it seemed something had indeed happened. With a tense expression, she entered the place where the most people were bustling and saw the two young siblings embracing each other.

"You two…"

At Jin So-ryeong's voice, Yeo-a's ears perked up, and she jumped up.

"Waaaaaang! Auntie!"

Seven-year-old Seon-a burst into tears and ran to embrace Jin So-ryeong.

'Ah, Auntie…'

Yu Eun-seong, hearing the title next to him, nearly fainted from psychological shock. The title sounded that terrifying to his ears.

"Yes, yes! Don't cry, Seon-a. 'Auntie' is here, so you can rest assured. What happened while I was gone?"

The last question was directed at Yu Gyeong-yeong.

"Martial sister Jin, well, that is…"

Still trembling with fear, Yu Gyeong-yeong recounted what he had witnessed one by one. After hearing the full story from the boy, Jin So-ryeong was dumbfounded.

"So, that Baek Mu-hu…"

The boy's story was something out of a fairy tale.

"It's a truly unbelievable story, Miss Jin!"

Yu Eun-seong said with an expression of admiration mixed with doubt.

"It is! And it's also a mystical story. It truly deserves the divine power of being called the ruler of Mount Ami. We humans need to be more humble before nature."

She knew well that there had once been an opinion within the Amipa sect to mobilize disciples to subdue Baek Mu-hu and its group to show who the true ruler of the mountain was. Fortunately, that opinion was rejected due to the strong assertion of an elder who said, 'Tenants who borrow the mountain should not act like owners. It is an act of forgetting one's place, and it will surely be met with retribution from nature.' But if it had proceeded as planned…

The resulting tragedy was unimaginably horrifying.

"Phew~ I was really surprised. When the agency people woke up startled by that resonant roar, it was all over. And then it disappeared like the wind again. It seemed like a white lightning flash appeared once and then vanished."

He didn't mention being scared by the wooden pillow and running away. He wanted to avoid being treated as a liar by telling the truth. Even if it was the truth, the boy, even at his young age, already knew the adult habit of doubting anything a child said.

"You must have suffered a lot. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you properly."

"Ah, no. It's enough to be grateful for your concern."

Jin So-ryeong smiled with satisfaction at the boy's mature words.

"Indeed, you are as valiant and mature as the current Green Dragon Silver Lord!"

"Thank you for the compliment."

Yu Gyeong-yeong replied, blushing, unable to hide his shyness. In that regard, he was undeniably a child.

"Hmm, it's a shame we let the apparent leader of the enemy escape."

"I never imagined that one of the chief representatives of the Central Plains Express Agency and one of the Twelve Jade Walls would be such a scoundrel, Miss Jin."

This was no ordinary serious matter.

"Alright, I'll take you to Teacher Iron Fist tomorrow."

Jin So-ryeong said confidently.

"Um… Who is Teacher Iron Fist?"

Yu Gyeong-yeong asked again, hearing the unfamiliar nickname.

"Who else? It's the current head of Cheonmu Academy, Ma Jin-ga, Great Hero Ma. He was my former master."

"Really, Martial sister Jin? Can we finally meet him?"

Yu Gyeong-yeong was overjoyed at the prospect of finally being able to go to Cheonmu Academy, which he had always dreamed of.

"Of course."

Seeing his expression, Jin So-ryeong replied with a smile.

"By the way, where is Old Master?"

To Jin So-ryeong's question, Yu Gyeong-yeong stammered his reply.

"Um… he's still sleeping."

At that, Yu Eun-seong jumped and retorted.

"What? He's still sleeping soundly even though the agency is in an uproar? What on earth is wrong with him at a time like this!"

Yu Eun-seong seemed completely unable to accept Old Master's attitude.

"He must be tired. Let him sleep?"

When Jin So-ryeong defended him, Yu Eun-seong's mood worsened. The jealousy of middle-aged men is several times more terrifying than that of young men!

"No. I'll go and fetch him now."

Without waiting for a reply, he strode confidently towards Old Master's lodging.

"Uh, excuse me… I think it's better not to, Great Hero Yu."

The boy Yu Gyeong-yeong's words made him stop in his tracks.

"Why do you think so, Gyeong-yeong?"

He turned his head slightly, his face full of surprise.

"Well… I… I'm afraid you might get hurt."

The boy replied in a voice as small as a mosquito.

"Hahaha, what could possibly go wrong with waking up a sleeping person? Don't worry."

Yu Eun-seong burst into hearty laughter and quickened his pace.

"No… uh… it's dangerous…"

The boy muttered in an almost inaudible, resigned voice. As expected, adults didn't listen to children's warnings. Simply because they were young!

Knock knock!

"Are you in there, Old Master?"

"…"

Knock knock!

Rattle! Rattle!

"Are you in there? This is Yu Eun-seong of Jeongchang. Please wake up. Something has happened outside. I'll be coming in."

Since there was no response from inside, Yu Eun-seong had no choice but to open the door and go in. Old Master's lodging was within the same compound as the Yu siblings' residence, so everyone could see him reaching for the doorknob.

CREAK!

With the friction of the hinges, the door opened slightly.

"Excuse me…"

THWACK!

With a sudden 'thwack' sound, the young siblings instinctively squeezed their eyes shut. That solid sound… it was a familiar sound.

"…"

Silence ensued. The boy, mustering his courage, peeked through his tightly shut eyes. Then, Yu Eun-seong, who had taken a solid oak wooden pillow directly to the face and was slowly tilting backward, filled his vision.

"Uhhhhh…"

CRASH! BANG!

Fame as the number one swordsman of Jeongchang was meaningless as Yu Eun-seong immediately fainted. Jin So-ryeong was also rendered speechless by this sudden and absurd situation.

"I told you you would get hurt many times…"

Even though it was sincere, it was the adult, not the child, who dismissed the earnest warning as a joke.

CRASH!

The open door closed on its own.

No one dared to try and open that door again.