Chapter 103. Because It’s Me.

Putting the group before personal feelings.

It’s easy to say, but is it ever easy to put into practice?

“For now, let’s wait nearby, and if our help is needed, let’s run right over and lend a hand. Whether our relationship with So Senior Brother is good or bad, let’s put that aside.”

“Danmok Cheong receives the lord’s command.”

Danmok Cheong knelt on one knee and paid his respects to Jin Cheon.

“As you command!”

The Seventh Divine Demon Squad also followed Jin Cheon’s order without a single complaint.

Since Jin Cheon himself, who had a bad relationship with the Fifth Young Master So U-bin, had proclaimed his willingness to help, it was difficult for his subordinates to dare to object.

“Haaam! What is it? What’s going on?”

The Blood Qilin asked as he slowly emerged from the cabin.

“It seems Senior Brother So is in a difficult situation.”

“That guy? What happened?”

“Well, you see…”

Jin Cheon explained the whole story to the Blood Qilin.

“He must be in quite a pickle.”

Upon hearing the story, the Blood Qilin showed a different side from his usual self, immediately grasping the seriousness of the situation.

“The Diancang Sect is nearby, so those Diancang Sect bastards will swarm like a pack of dogs. Since it’s a naval battle, the Hainan Sect bastards will come too. And the government forces as well. So Senior Brother is in for a tough time.”

“Will it just be a tough time? He could die.”

“That’s also true. Of course, knowing that guy, he’d probably manage to get himself out somehow.”

“What is your opinion, senior brother? I plan to watch the situation and help if I can.”

“Hmm.”

The Blood Qilin thought for a moment as if contemplating, then opened his mouth.

“I don’t really like the idea of helping that guy, but it can’t be helped. It’s for the good of the Cult.”

“……?”

Jin Cheon tilted his head.

“You’re capable of such thoughts, senior brother?”

“Whaat?”

“Usually, you wouldn’t have cared, saying it’s none of your business.”

“That’s not true?!”

The Blood Qilin pouted.

“What on earth do you think of me?”

“Usually… Never mind.”

Jin Cheon stopped mid-sentence.

He knew all too well that getting into a pointless argument would only be tiring, so he decided to just let it be.

“Since you are also in favor, senior brother, let’s wait nearby and watch the situation for now.”

“Alright, then.”

In the end, Jin Cheon’s party stopped their journey to Hunan Province and paused for a while in Yunnan Province.

Although it was important to meet the descendants of the Kunlun Sect and find out the secret of the Soul-Splitting and Life-Returning Great Art, the immediate crisis facing the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult seemed more urgent.

* * *

A few days ago.

As reported by the Bat Squad, So U-bin was in a difficult situation.

The Yama Fortress’ mountain stronghold, no, its waterway fortress.

“Damn it.”

A mutter filled with considerable discomfort escaped So U-bin’s lips.

The map in front of him was a chaotic mess of dots marking each force, and carrier pigeons constantly fluttered in and out of his office.

‘Their response is too fast. I thought I had a few more months. Is their intention to root us out quickly?’

The movements of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and the government forces were faster than expected.

Thanks to that, So U-bin, or more accurately, the Yama Fortress, was in a major crisis.

He had intended to quietly and slowly take control of the Yunnan Province area, but…

‘Perhaps they’ve noticed our Cult’s presence.’

So U-bin considered that possibility to be very high.

Otherwise, there was no reason for the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and the government forces to move so quickly and pressure the Yama Fortress.

The problem was that in the current situation, So U-bin had no suitable countermeasures.

“What about support from the Cult?”

“It seems it will take some time.”

“How long?”

“It is estimated that it will take at least ten days.”

“So you’re telling me to die.”

There was no solution.

It was impossible for the Yama Fortress to hold out for ten days without the support of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

Even at this very moment, martial artists from the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and government soldiers were gathering by the minute, preparing for an all-out assault on the Yama Fortress.

The attack could start in a few hours at the earliest, and with the current strength of the Yama Fortress, there was no way to withstand such an offensive.

‘Should I abandon it, or should I hold on.’

So U-bin deliberated.

If he disbanded the Yama Fortress and retreated now, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would completely lose control over the waterways in the Yunnan Province area.

The hard work of the past few years, using the Yama Fortress to slowly but surely gain control of the Yunnan Province area, would all go up in smoke in an instant.

‘What should I do about this…’

That was also brief.

“Prepare for the enemy’s all-out assault. Avoid a full-scale battle and just stall for time.”

“As you command.”

When judged rationally, it would have been right to cleanly give up the Yama Fortress and retreat, but the human and material resources invested so far were too great.

Moreover, if they could just overcome this one crisis, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult stood to gain enormous profits, so it was worth taking a gamble.

Of course, holding on somehow until support arrived would not be an easy task…

In any case, So U-bin chose to gamble, and a few hours later, the battle broke out.

As expected, the battle flowed with the overwhelming superiority of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and the government forces.

The Yama Fortress lost most of its ships, more than a third of its water bandits lost their lives, and it was pushed to the brink of annihilation.

And today, a few days later.

“Heh. Looks like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

So U-bin watched the dozens of fast boats approaching at high speed in the distance and wore a bitter smile.

Only three ships remained.

Even then, one of them was almost half-destroyed and its sinking was imminent.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult martial artists and water bandits on board were also exhausted to their limits, so it seemed difficult to continue the fight any longer.

No, it was no exaggeration to say that they were doomed to die on the Yangtze River, unable to fight, let alone move forward or back.

Nevertheless, So U-bin was not intimidated at all.

“Yes, come on. I’ll kill you all.”

So U-bin’s eyes glinted with venom.

* * *

Flutter!

A carrier pigeon flew in.

“……This is.”

As soon as Danmok Cheong deciphered the contents of the letter brought by the pigeon, his expression hardened.

“My lord, we have news that the Yama Fortress has suffered a near-annihilating blow and is being pursued.”

“Location?”

“It’s not very close. It’s about a two-hour journey away.”

“Let’s go.”

Jin Cheon put down the dumpling he was eating and immediately started walking.

“Everyone, take off your human-skin masks.”

“As you command.”

At Jin Cheon’s command, the group shed their disguise as a merchant troupe and returned to their original appearances.

They couldn’t expose their identities used while operating in the Central Plains to the enemy, so returning to their original appearances was a matter of course.

Looking at the situation, it seemed that the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and the government forces had already noticed that the Yama Fortress was related to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult anyway, so there seemed to be no need to painstakingly hide their identities.

“The waterway is slow, so let’s travel by land. Since it’s not that far anyway, it’s better to run on foot than by boat…”

Just then.

Rumble!

A group of young martial artists stormed into the inn.

“Now, now, you must be hungry from rushing here, so let’s have a simple meal before we go. It’s on me.”

A young martial artist with a commanding presence took care of those who came with him.

“We thank Young Master Hwang for his consideration.”

“As expected of Young Master Hwang.”

“How did you know we were just getting hungry? Haha!”

The martial artists seemed quite pleased with the young martial artist’s affability.

‘Where have I seen him before?’

Jin Cheon frowned upon seeing the well-built young martial artist who had brought the others.

He was a bit plump for a martial artist, with a physique so good it could be called stout, skin glistening with oil, martial robes that were clearly made of the finest silk, and on top of that, a long sword scar engraved on his face…

‘Hwang Won-pyeong?’

A strange expression appeared on Jin Cheon’s face as he recognized the young martial artist’s identity.

Hwang Won-pyeong.

The eldest son of the merchant house, the Azure Dragon Silver Manor.

He was a classmate who had studied with Jin Cheon, a self-proclaimed member of the Seven Prodigies of Heavenly Martial.

“Heh.”

A bitter smile appeared on Jin Cheon’s lips.

“They say enemies meet on a single-log bridge. To think I’d see you here.”

To meet Hwang Won-pyeong, a member of the Seven Prodigies, not in Hubei Province where the Heavenly Martial Academy was located, but here near Yunnan Province?

‘No, it’s not strange at all.’

However, thinking about it differently, meeting Hwang Won-pyeong here in Yunnan Province was by no means a coincidence.

Didn’t Hwang Won-pyeong’s family, the Azure Dragon Silver Manor, have its base in Yunnan Province in the first place?

So, it was not strange at all that Hwang Won-pyeong was active in the Yunnan Province area after graduating from the Heavenly Martial Academy.

“What is it, what is it? Who is it? Someone you know?”

The Blood Qilin abruptly interjected after hearing Jin Cheon’s monologue.

“He’s one of the bastards who bullied me when I was studying at the Heavenly Martial Academy.”

“Who bullied our youngest? Which bastard?”

A crimson, ominous light glinted in the Blood Qilin’s eyes.

“It was him.”

Jin Cheon pointed to Hwang Won-pyeong’s broad back.

“Ah.”

Danmok Cheong also recognized Hwang Won-pyeong and opened his mouth.

“Isn’t that Hwang Won-pyeong, the eldest son of the Azure Dragon Silver Manor? The one who is ridiculously called the Golden Warrior?”

“That’s right.”

“His martial arts are nothing special, and he was said to only focus on socializing at the Heavenly Martial Academy. It seems he hasn’t changed.”

As a former member of the Bat Squad, Danmok Cheong knew quite a bit about Hwang Won-pyeong in detail.

Well, during his time in the Bat Squad, he would have read most of the information about Jin Cheon, so it would be stranger if he didn’t know about the Seven Prodigies of Heavenly Martial.

Meanwhile, Hwang Won-pyeong’s group immediately noticed that the strangers were talking about them.

“Young Master Hwang, it seems they are talking about you over there.”

“Yes?”

Hwang Won-pyeong spun around and looked towards where Jin Cheon’s group was.

“Who are you bastards to be badmouthing our Young Master Hwang?”

“Our Young Master Hwang is ridiculously called the Golden Warrior?”

“Who are you to blabber on about our Young Master Hwang’s martial arts being nothing special and him only focusing on socializing!”

The martial artists who were with Hwang Won-pyeong growled at Jin Cheon’s group.

Hwang Won-pyeong also seemed to be filled with anger upon realizing that someone had openly criticized him.

“Which bastard dares…!”

“It was me.”

Jin Cheon stepped forward and said.

“It’s been a while.”

“……?”

“Don’t you remember me?”

Hwang Won-pyeong did not easily recognize Jin Cheon.

And for a good reason; after entering the path of demonic arts, Jin Cheon’s appearance had improved significantly.

In the past, his handsome features had been considerably ruined by qi deviation, but after learning demonic arts, he not only regained his original appearance but also gained a unique, eerie atmosphere and a sense of pressure, completely changing his impression.

“Who are you to act like you know me?”

“I told you, it’s me.”

Jin Cheon grinned, taking a step towards Hwang Won-pyeong as he spoke.

“I am Jin Yeong-in.”

“Jin Yeong-in…? You mean that Jin Yeong-in?”

Hwang Won-pyeong once again carefully scrutinized Jin Cheon’s face, feature by feature.

And…

“Hah!”

Hwang Won-pyeong unknowingly sucked in a breath and was terrified.

“J-Jin Yeong-in? The one who became the Seventh Young Master of the Demonic Cult?”

“Yes.”

“Uh. Hmm.”

Hwang Won-pyeong’s eyes darted around, lost.

‘They said my luck was bad today.’

Hwang Won-pyeong, who was more skilled in miscellaneous skills than martial arts, usually studied the I Ching in his spare time and would read his own fortune every morning.

But for some reason, the fortune telling for today was not good, and he had been feeling uneasy. Who would have thought it would become a reality?

‘D-damn it.’

Cold sweat trickled down Hwang Won-pyeong’s spine.

Jin Yeong-in was by no means an easy opponent.

Even during his time at the Heavenly Martial Academy, he was the best among the prodigies in terms of martial arts, and it was hard to find an equal among his peers.

Wasn’t he called the Heavenly Divine Dragon and the most promising prodigy in the Righteous Heavenly Alliance for a reason?

Moreover, as Jin Yeong-in, who had become the Seventh Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Hwang Won-pyeong didn’t even dare to think about fighting.

If a fight broke out now, not only Hwang Won-pyeong himself but also the martial artists who came with him would be massacred.

Hwang Won-pyeong was not ignorant of that fact.

As the eldest son of a merchant family, he was brighter than anyone when it came to calculating gains and losses.

Thus, Hwang Won-pyeong immediately proved his judgment through his actions.

“Oh, my Young Master!”

Hwang Won-pyeong prostrated himself flat on the floor, bowing his head towards Jin Cheon in a full prostration.

It was a judgment faster than light.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep