Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 

“Hmm. We finally found them.”

“But approaching any farther is dangerous, Captain.”

“As expected, I suppose?”

“Judging from the movements and traces we’ve observed from a distance so far, they appear to be the Blood Jiangshi the Mansi Sect boasts of. And there is more than one.”

“It looked that way to me too.”

“We’ve sent a man to the main clan estate, so personnel should arrive soon. Let us wait.”

“That is also true. A very wise judgment, Vice Captain.”

While Song Gwang-sik kept his gaze fixed on the valley beyond the mountain and answered in a strangely halfhearted manner.

Na Han-il, the Vice Captain of the Pursuit Squad, swallowed dryly and replied.

“Captain. If you cause trouble again this time, it won’t end with a simple disciplinary action. This time, even the Youngest Elder isn’t here to cover for you.”

“How long has it been since that old man got word? You think he won’t come here? He’ll be so curious he won’t even sleep tonight. By now, he must have heard that the Mansi Sect and the Blood Cult clashed. With that elder’s personality, I’m sure he’ll let it pass.”

“…….”

“Well, even so, let’s wait a little. We have to assess the situation accurately anyway.”

The incident in which the Blood Cult and the Mansi Sect had clashed was, quite literally, a major affair shocking enough to make the martial world faint in disbelief.

The two forces were each notorious in the martial world.

And despite that tremendous notoriety, strangely enough, the exact scale and background of both forces were veiled in fog.

‘We only learned this time that those two don’t get along, after all.’

What if this news reached the Martial Alliance?

They might revise every grand strategy they had used against the public enemies of Murim until now.

‘Using poison to suppress poison would be best, after all.’

Making the Mansi Sect and the Blood Cult fight and destroy each other would be the best plan.

Just as Captain of the Pursuit Squad Song Gwang-sik had thought that far.

One of the Pursuit Squad members who had moved to examine the Blood Jiangshi beyond the valley returned.

“So, did you determine their number?”

“Yes. I determined it precisely.”

“How many bodies are there?”

The Pursuit Squad member slightly raised his soot-blackened face, then lowered it again as he answered.

“There were ten Blood Jiangshi in all.”

“Hmm. That’s quite a lot. If there are that many Blood Jiangshi, at least one of the elders and an elite combat unit from the main clan estate will have to come out, won’t they?”

In truth, he had considered slipping in and trying a little trick.

Song Gwang-sik had even thought about somehow attempting to abduct one Blood Jiangshi.

‘Yeah. Scrap it. This won’t work.’

It was regrettable, but the plan that had only existed in his head was quickly abandoned.

In fact, among the Pursuit Squad members currently out in the field, aside from himself and the Vice Captain, the rest were only First-Rate Experts.

If they fought head-on with only those people, they would barely be able to deal with a single Blood Jiangshi.

That was how monstrous the Blood Jiangshi were in terms of martial force.

And they were the important strategic weapons that had allowed the Mansi Sect to display its majesty to the world.

“But there was a child in the cave.”

“A child? There definitely weren’t any child’s footprints in the traces. Was the child abducted?”

“Actually, that is…… a little strange. Perhaps that child may be the Jiangshi Master.”

At the Pursuit Squad member’s uncertain report, Song Gwang-sik, who had been stroking his chin with his characteristic expressionless face, froze for a moment as if he had stopped in place.

“……Is that a joke?”

“N-no. I thoroughly investigated the area around the Blood Jiangshi, but there was no living person there except that child, so I mentioned it. Isn’t it strange?”

“That’s true.”

Captain of the Pursuit Squad Song Gwang-sik sank into thought for a moment.

A child in the cave?

Considering they had not found any footprints until now.

‘It means he was carried here on someone’s back.’

A Blood Jiangshi carried him here?

Then wouldn’t it be fair to see him as the owner of the Blood Jiangshi?

It was an extremely simple line of logic, and it was fairly persuasive.

“About how old did he look?”

“He appeared to be around ten years old. The child even roasted and ate a deer the Jiangshi had caught for him.”

It was a persuasive report.

And he understood it well enough.

But there was a fatal problem.

“Do you think a child of that age can fully control Blood Jiangshi?”

“……I think that would be difficult.”

Blood Jiangshi were powerful.

But just as they were powerful, their sense of self was also far too strong.

Naturally, it was close to impossible for a ten-year-old child to control Blood Jiangshi perfectly.

“And yet you’re saying that kid looks like their master?”

“Yes. That is how it appeared to me.”

“But you can’t be certain?”

“Yes. I saw with my own eyes that he can control as many as ten Jiangshi, but I still cannot believe it.”

In a sense, it was a contradictory report, one that did not add up.

But reports from the Pursuit Squad usually proceeded in this manner.

In the initial report, they did not use their own thoughts or judgment as a filter.

First, they simply spoke honestly, exactly as things were.

The Pursuit Squad members were separately trained from a very young age to speak frankly, without adding or subtracting, and without arbitrarily filtering out things that appeared to be errors according to their own judgment.

“Good. Then we’ll monitor them for the time being.”

Thus, the ten Pursuit Squad members hid in the darkness and secretly watched the Blood Jiangshi and the little kid.

Their skill was so exceptional.

That Tvalier, who had been in the cave, truly did not detect them at all.

“The child is moving. That direction is south, where the town is.”

“I told you before, I have eyes too.”

“What should we do? If he attacks the town with the Blood Jiangshi like this, we probably won’t be able to stop him.”

“Hmm.”

Captain of the Pursuit Squad Song Gwang-sik.

He delayed his answer while maintaining a slightly furrowed expression.

Did the kid truly intend to attack the town?

Certainly, with that much force, it might be possible.

Each Blood Jiangshi could exert strength on the level of two to three Peak Experts.

And there were no less than ten such Blood Jiangshi.

In theory, that little kid was currently moving with thirty Peak Experts.

With that level of force, he could turn any middling or small sect into ashes in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

“……He stopped!”

“He has left the Blood Jiangshi standing in the forest and is moving alone.”

“……I am watching too. So you don’t need to make such a fuss.”

Fortunately, the little kid left the Blood Jiangshi loose in the forest and walked toward the main road on his own, entering the town.

Then he grew farther and farther away, until at last the little kid slipped out of sight.

At around that point, Song Gwang-sik made his decision.

“Tsk. I suppose this is as far as we go. Everyone, return to the clan.”

He gave the order to return.

But none of the Pursuit Squad members hidden in the bushes moved.

They simply narrowed their eyes.

And stared silently at their representative, the Captain of the Pursuit Squad.

“What? What is it? Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“…….”

“I told you to go home and rest. You people are too addicted to work.”

At that moment, Vice Captain Na Han-il, who had only been listening quietly, opened his mouth.

“What about you, Captain? Are you not coming with us?”

Captain of the Pursuit Squad Song Gwang-sik flinched slightly.

Then he answered in a voice as small as an ant, as if tossing the words aside.

“At least I should stay here. I’m the one in charge.”

“Then I will stay as well.”

“Since when were you so loyal?”

“Even if I go back like this, the Youngest Elder will torment me endlessly. If that’s the case, I’d rather suffer a little more here.”

“Oh…… So it isn’t loyalty. You just got smarter? Quite impressive. Do you want to become the Captain of the Pursuit Squad?”

“I respectfully decline. You know very well how thoroughly the Youngest Elder grinds people down, Captain.”

“……Clever bastard. May you live long and prosper.”

The Captain of the Pursuit Squad eventually sighed and said.

“I’ll be the only one approaching at close range. Those who remain will serve as messengers.”

“You cannot go alone. It is too dangerous.”

“We’ve separated him from the Blood Jiangshi anyway, and the opponent is only a little kid who looks around ten years old at most. If things go wrong, I can at least run away.”

“The opponent could be a master who has returned to youth, could he not?”

At the Vice Captain’s shameless rebuttal, Song Gwang-sik let out a deep sigh and said.

“If you think like that, how can we do this line of work? If you’re going to block me so recklessly, just go back.”

“My apologies.”

Na Han-il must have thought that what he had just said was somewhat forced even by his own standards, because he immediately lowered his tail.

“I’ll say it again. I alone will conduct close surveillance. The rest of you keep your distance. At least this much distance right now. You need to maintain at least about six hundred meters .”

“Understood.”

Thinking of the little kid who had followed the official road and disappeared through the city gate, Song Gwang-sik hurried into motion.

“Follow slowly. From this point on, use Operation Pattern B.”

“We obey the Captain’s command.”

The Pursuit Squad often carried out this kind of tracking and surveillance.

Thus, several operations had been decided in advance and were quickly shared and executed according to prearranged code words.

It was the same now as well.

There was a close-surveillance member who moved actively.

And the rest supported that person from a distance.

In that manner, the Namgung Clan’s Pursuit Squad.

Attached itself to Tvalier’s tail.

***

After Tvalier bought high-quality clothes at the clothier and dressed himself well.

He headed straight for the Vagabond Association.

The Vagabond Association had branches in every city.

And at those branches, they received and distributed the various requests in that region.

The Vagabond Association branch in Giyang County was no different.

If there was a problem, it was that due to the nature of the Vagabond Association, its rules were not especially strict.

And why that was a problem was something Tvalier came to experience firsthand.

A scar-covered wanderer stood blocking the entrance of the Vagabond Association.

And spat sharply onto the ground.

The wanderer, who introduced himself as Jong-chu, stretched out a long leg and blocked Tvalier’s path as he tried to enter the entrance leading underground.

“Now, now. This isn’t a place for a Young Master still smelling of milk.”

A lowbrow yet direct provocation.

Rather than anger at the man’s clear attempt to pick a fight, Tvalier felt the experience fresh because it had been so long.

‘Right. I had become a little kid.’

He sometimes unconsciously forgot this most important fact.

Tvalier stared silently at the man wearing a fierce expression, then smiled softly.

He felt gazes from every direction.

The Vagabond Association’s building was half underground.

But aside from the stone pillars, it was simply encircled by a wooden fence.

So aside from the entrance, open spaces yawned here and there.

Wanderers had crowded into each of those empty spaces.

“Whew~ What is this? The stink of milk reaches all the way here.”

“Looks like the Young Master came on an errand for his mother, huh? Or did he lose his way?”

“Heh heh, judging by his clothes, he must be from a fairly well-off family.”

“Don’t tell me this is some kind of commoner experience?”

The bastards chattered all at once and looked at Tvalier with expressions that said this was perfect since they had been bored anyway.

‘Not bad.’

It felt perfectly suitable for an initiation.

And as if his thoughts were similar to Tvalier’s.

The wanderer blocking the entrance also seemed to grow quite excited when the surrounding men whistled and waved their arms.

With a triumphant expression, the wanderer strode up the stairs one step at a time.

“Hey, can’t you hear what this elder is saying? This is a place where a blood-wet babe like you wouldn’t dare……”

The man had stretched out his index finger to push Tvalier’s forehead back.

Then realized that, at some point, his finger had been wrapped in the little kid’s tiny palm.

‘Huh?’

At that moment.

CRACK—

“Urgh? Ghaaak, y-you crazy son of a bitch!”

Tvalier, with perfect serenity, grabbed the man’s finger and twisted it sideways, breaking it.

Then, ignoring the fist that immediately came swinging toward him from the other side, he drove the tip of his mana-filled foot into the man’s right shin.

CRACK—

“Aaaaaaagh!”

The wanderer lost his balance while swinging his arm and collapsed disgracefully onto the ground.

He tumbled down the stairs and flopped like a freshly caught carp.

Tvalier looked down at the wanderer in silence.

Then slowly approached, brought his lips close to the man’s ear, and said in a flat voice with no rise or fall.

“If you make any more noise, I will pull out your tongue.”

He threatened him in polite speech, using the distinctively unbroken voice of a young child.

And it seemed to work properly on the other man.

“Uuugh…… Mmmmmmph……!”

The tone and expression carried the certainty possessed only by someone who could put that threat into action at any time.

So the wanderer forced himself to endure the pain and desperately swallowed his screams.

Only then did Tvalier draw a satisfied smile and look around.

The impact had been brief.

But on the faces of the countless wanderers who, until only a moment ago, had watched this place with strange expectation and mischief in their expressions, even whistling as they did so, a faint fear had appeared.

It was the look of people who had witnessed, directly before them, something they should never have seen.

At the absurd sight that was difficult to believe had been shown by a little kid of barely ten years old, the spectators hurriedly turned their heads the instant their gazes met Tvalier’s.

“It seems your reputation was terrible even on ordinary days. No one is helping you.”

“Uuuh……”

Somehow or other, his first greeting seemed to have gone rather smoothly.

With a smile, Tvalier lightly tapped the cheek of the wanderer with the broken finger and shin.

Then he slowly stepped over him and entered the Vagabond Association branch with dignity.

The interior of the Giyang County branch of the Vagabond Association was quite enormous.

The stone pillars filling every side also appeared to be roughly six meters  high.

“Welcome, Young Hero. I am Mak Chung, in charge of the reception desk at the Giyang County branch of the Vagabond Association.”

Perhaps because the initiation had ended in quite a noisy fashion.

Though he had the outward appearance of a little kid.

Tvalier was able to receive rather courteous treatment at the reception desk.

“I came to make a Wanderer Plaque.”

From this point on, he had to create a proper identity.

Just as Tvalier had taken his first step into the martial world.

The Captain of the Namgung Clan’s Pursuit Squad.

Song Gwang-sik, who had been observing him from afar, was gradually developing a peculiar expression.