Chapter 127. This is Fun.

The movements of Hegemon Fortress drew not only the attention of the region but also the gaze of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.

And for good reason, as it was no exaggeration to say that there was no place under heaven without the eyes and ears of the Beggar’s Gang.

Where in the world could one go and not find beggars, vagrants, and the poor?

The Zhejiang Province branch of the Beggar’s Gang, upon receiving intelligence that the main gate of Hegemon Fortress had opened and that the Hegemon Emperor Gal Mu-wi had personally set out on a procession, immediately held an emergency meeting.

The Hegemon Emperor Gal Mu-wi was an absolute master among absolute masters who was said to discuss the world with the Sword Saint, the leader of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, so his movements could not be anything but a matter of great importance.

“You bastards! What are you doing! Mobilize all the beggar bastards right now and gather information! Quickly! And inform the nearby Righteous Heavenly Alliance branch of this fact!”

“Yes!”

The Zhejiang branch leader immediately sent a carrier pigeon to the main branch located in Kaifeng, Henan Province, and also informed the nearby Righteous Heavenly Alliance branch of this fact.

Afterward, the Beggar’s Gang operated its terrifying information network to its limit, focusing on tracking Gal Mu-wi’s location in real-time.

The true strength of the Beggar’s Gang lay not in military might, but in its information power based on its vast numbers, and its unique experience accumulated over hundreds of years of gathering information.

‘What on earth is going on that Gal Mu-wi has personally made a procession? It can’t be an ordinary matter.’

The Zhejiang branch leader tried to rack his brain, but nothing came to mind.

Indeed, Gal Mu-wi’s current procession was a sudden move with no prior signs detected, so it was next to impossible to predict his intentions.

However, one thing was certain: Gal Mu-wi’s current procession was by no means an ordinary matter.

Perhaps he had been in isolated training, but Gal Mu-wi was a person who had been holed up in Hegemon Fortress for the past few years without moving.

For such a person to openly make a procession like this could not be anything but a matter of great importance.

The Righteous Heavenly Alliance also came to the same conclusion.

The Righteous Heavenly Alliance branch that received the carrier pigeon from the Beggar’s Gang immediately informed the main branch located in Hubei Province of this fact, and at the same time, gathered masters in preparation for any contingency.

And Gal Mu-wi was not unaware of such facts.

“Liege, it seems there are rats teeming around.”

“This One is also aware.”

Gal Mu-wi was more aware than anyone that countless eyes and ears were monitoring him while he was heading to the promised location.

“If you give the order, I will wipe them all out.”

“Leave them be.”

“Yes…?”

“This is the path to obtain the secret manual of the Nine Heavens Hegemon Qi. There is no reason to see blood by caring about mere rats.”

Today’s Gal Mu-wi was incomparably generous.

Normally, he would have ordered his subordinates to cut down everything that was bothersome nearby….

“However.”

Gal Mu-wi added.

“If there are any who approach closely, kill them without mercy, chop up their corpses, and scatter them in all directions.”

“I obey your command.”

Hell Yama bowed his head in acceptance of Gal Mu-wi’s command.

***

The place where the deal between the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief and Gal Mu-wi was to take place was Mount Jiulong in Zhejiang Province, a place famous from old times for its rugged mountain terrain and dense forests.

Gal Mu-wi led his subordinates into Mount Jiulong and waited there for the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief to arrive.

In the area around Mount Jiulong, not only Hegemon Fortress but also martial artists from various unorthodox faction sects were spread out.

Their numbers reached nearly several thousand, so it was no exaggeration to say that they had effectively surrounded Mount Jiulong.

Gal Mu-wi waited in the mountains of Mount Jiulong, just for the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief to come.

“Do you really intend to set us free.”

A beautiful woman with a daughter by her side asked Gal Mu-wi.

She was Gal Mu-wi’s concubine, Yeo A-ran, and the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief’s older sister.

“Of course not.”

Gal Mu-wi answered honestly.

“This One has never once let go of what I have taken into my hands, why would you be any different. And for a daughter who carries This One’s bloodline, it is even more out of the question.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry too much. I won’t kill that wench of a sister of yours. As long as she doesn’t try any foolish tricks, she will have the special honor of living as This One’s hands and feet.”

At Gal Mu-wi’s words, Yeo A-ran’s face turned pale.

She had asked with a glimmer of hope, but the answer that came back was more than enough to shatter that hope.

‘Lin is because of me… I have ruined my one and only sister’s life.’

Yeo A-ran sobbed in self-reproach.

Her sister, whom she had been separated from for over a decade, was about to become Gal Mu-wi’s slave because of her….

‘If only I had died early, this would not have happened….’

Yeo A-ran lamented not having taken her own life in the past.

Was it just her and her sister Yeo A-rin?

The situation of her daughter, Gal Seon-yeong, was even more horrifying.

Gal Mu-wi not only put a sharpened real sword in the hands of Gal Seon-yeong, who was only nine years old, but also forced her to kill people with it.

Despite being his own flesh and blood, he had tried to destroy her humanity from a young age to raise her as a martial artist with no blood or tears.

“Now, come here.”

Gal Mu-wi, without even glancing at the sobbing Yeo A-ran, sat his daughter Gal Seon-yeong on his lap.

“Your aunt will be here soon. Then you, your mother, and your aunt will return to Hegemon Fortress together.”

“Y-Yes.”

Gal Seon-yeong, thoroughly intimidated, trembled on Gal Mu-wi’s lap.

To the young her, her father Gal Mu-wi was a truly terrifying existence.

It was horrifying enough that he gave her a sword and told her to kill people, but what was just as frightening was the harsh training she was subjected to on a daily basis.

Gal Mu-wi personally trained the still-young Gal Seon-yeong, and when she did not meet his satisfaction, he would inflict corporal punishment.

He would lock her in the prison for days, sometimes not give her food, and in severe cases, he would not hesitate to inflict physical punishment as well.

“When we return, you must train diligently. You are This One’s daughter. You must not forget for a single moment that your father is the Hegemon Fortress Lord Gal Mu-wi. Do you understand?”

“……Yes.”

Gal Seon-yeong hung her head low.

To the young Gal Seon-yeong, training was not something enjoyable but a continuous series of terrible pain, so just the thought of it made her shudder.

And such an appearance of Gal Seon-yeong was not to Gal Mu-wi’s liking.

‘I might have to give up on her. For This One’s daughter to be so lacking in spirit and weak.’

Gal Mu-wi thought that Gal Seon-yeong’s aptitude was not bad, but he was dissatisfied with her innate temperament.

However, such thoughts of Gal Mu-wi did not last long.

As the promised time had approached, the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief, dressed in martial attire with a mottled pattern like vegetation, revealed herself.

‘Finally!’

Gal Mu-wi handed Gal Seon-yeong over to Yeo A-ran as if shoving her aside, and approached the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief.

“You brought the secret manual of the Nine Heavens Hegemon Qi, I trust?”

“Of course.”

The masked Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief nodded her head and answered curtly.

“Here, this is the secret manual of the Nine Heavens Hegemon Qi.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief took out an old secret manual from her bosom and showed it to Gal Mu-wi.

“Now, then, hand over the secret manual.”

“No.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief shook her head.

“My sister and my niece come first. Send them over first. Then I’ll hand over the secret manual.”

“How dare you wench make a demand of This One first?”

A fearsome aura erupted from Gal Mu-wi, overwhelming the surroundings.

However, the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief did not even blink an eye.

“Do you know? That this secret manual is soaked in oil?”

“……!”

“If I just create a True Fire of Samadhi, this secret manual will become a lump of charcoal in the blink of an eye.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief emitted true qi and created a flame on the hand that was not holding the secret manual.

“As you know, this secret manual is written in code. If even a little of it burns, you’ll never be able to decipher the other half of the Nine Heavens Hegemon Qi for the rest of your life. So hand over my sister and niece first. Then you can have the secret manual.”

“…….”

At the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief’s threat, Gal Mu-wi could only barely suppress his anger.

In fact, the one in a tight spot was not the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief, but Gal Mu-wi.

It was the secret manual of the Nine Heavens Hegemon Qi he had yearned for his entire life, if it were to burn….

“Release them.”

“I obey your command.”

At Gal Mu-wi’s command, Yeo A-ran and Gal Seon-yeong headed towards the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief.

“Lin, you shouldn’t have come. Because of me, you….”

“Sister, just stay behind me.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief placed the sobbing Yeo A-ran behind her back.

“I have kept my promise. So now, hand over the secret manual.”

“Not yet.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief shook her head.

“Withdraw your men. Lift the siege on Mount Jiulong.”

“You’ve gone too far.”

“You’ve surrounded the mountain so we can’t escape, and that’s what you have to say? You should at least create a hole for us to escape safely. Don’t you think?”

Gal Mu-wi’s anger rose to the top of his head, but he could not bring himself to act.

“Fire the signal flare. You all withdraw.”

“I obey your command.”

In the end, Gal Mu-wi made the decision to withdraw his men and even lift the siege on Mount Jiulong.

After ascending to the position of Hegemon Fortress Lord, he had never even dreamed of an unreasonable deal, but the story was different now.

His desire for the Nine Heavens Hegemon Qi was so great that he had no choice but to accept all of the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief’s demands.

After a standoff over the secret manual of the Nine Heavens Hegemon Qi for about an hour.

“Are you thinking of handing over the secret manual now? It’s been quite some time since the signal flare was fired, hasn’t it?”

Gal Mu-wi asked the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief in a monotone voice.

That meant that Gal Mu-wi was truly enraged, and it also meant that his patience had reached its limit.

“Alright, you’ve been patient enough. The secret manual, I’ll hand it over.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief handed the secret manual to Gal Mu-wi using the technique of psychokinesis.

Gal Mu-wi immediately opened the secret manual.

As the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief had said, written inside the secret manual, which was heavily soaked in oil, was none other than….

“A recipe for Dongpo pork.”

Gal Mu-wi gave a chilling smile.

***

Although it was only half, Gal Mu-wi, who had learned the Nine Heavens Hegemon Qi, had the insight to determine the authenticity of a secret manual.

However, what the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief had handed over was merely an old cooking recipe.

It was a genuine cooking recipe, without a single character needed to decipher the other half of the Nine Heavens Hegemon Qi.

“This is fun.”

Gal Mu-wi’s comment after opening the secret manual was incomparably cold.

Seeing that his voice and tone were calm despite his anger having surpassed its limit, it was possible that he had already lost his reason.

“Did you think you could play such a prank on This One and escape alive with all your limbs intact, wench?”

However, the one who received Gal Mu-wi’s words was not the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief, Yeo A-rin.

“Of course, we plan to get out of here alive and well.”

Jin Cheon, who had revealed himself, casually spoke to Gal Mu-wi.

“Who are you.”

Gal Mu-wi seemed quite surprised by Jin Cheon’s appearance.

And for good reason, as it was a very unusual occurrence for a master of Gal Mu-wi’s level not to have noticed a third party hiding nearby.

“Jin Cheon. The Seventh Young Master of the great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

“Are you the one they call the Unrivaled New Demon? The one who cut down Peng King Jin-in?”

Gal Mu-wi recognized Jin Cheon and frowned.

Before he knew it, Jin Cheon’s infamy had grown to the point where it had reached the ears of the Hegemon Fortress Lord, the number one person in the unorthodox faction, here in Zhejiang Province.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep