Chapter 34. How Can a giant serpent Crawl Under a Dog?

It took Jin Yeong-in less than a moment to neutralize Yi Baek-cheon.

Yi Baek-cheon was younger than Jang In-geol, and his martial arts achievements were also superior.

However, Jin Yeong-in was more experienced.

The practical combat experience he had gained while catching demonic leaders and bandits who appeared in Hubei Province during his time at the Heavenly Martial Academy, and the level he had reached in the Demonic Prison before returning to the past, were vivid in his mind.

Moreover, Yi Baek-cheon’s martial art was an axe technique that had been studied in the Demonic Prison, so Jin Yeong-in knew its every move.

In other words, it was a fight that Yi Baek-cheon was destined to lose from the very beginning.

“I… lost.”

Yi Baek-cheon finally declared his defeat.

He had rushed over as soon as he heard that Jang In-geol had been defeated, but he ended up in the same predicament.

Jin Yeong-in did not beat up Yi Baek-cheon like he had Jang In-geol.

Jang In-geol was an ungrateful person, so he had beaten him up out of anger for educational purposes, but Yi Baek-cheon had done nothing wrong other than simply picking a fight.

“This is only the defeat of I, Yi Baek-cheon, not the defeat of our Ghost Soldier Corps. Keuk!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Jin Yeong-in nodded his head dismissively and held out his palm towards Yi Baek-cheon.

“Hand it over.”

“W-what do you want me to hand over?”

“Money.”

Jin Yeong-in frowned.

“I told you. You have to pay for the gate you broke before you go.”

“…Alright.”

Yi Baek-cheon took out a money pouch from his bosom and held it out to Jin Yeong-in.

“What, this isn’t much. Is this all you have?”

“That’s all.”

“Then go home and get it.”

“I don’t have any.”

“Why?”

“I paid off my outstanding debts the day before yesterday, so there’s nothing left.”

“…”

Jin Yeong-in was dumbfounded, but he had no intention of stopping the collection here.

“Then I’ll have to take this.”

“Th-that’s!”

Yi Baek-cheon’s face turned pale as Jin Yeong-in snatched his axe.

For a martial artist, their weapon was like their life.

For a man who was the Eleventh Captain of the Ghost Soldier Corps to have his beloved weapon taken away was simply absurd.

“Please, don’t take Aeng-aeng-i.”

“What’s Aeng-aeng-i?”

“Th-that’s the name of the axe.”

“What kind of name is that?”

“It was the name of a courtesan I used to have a crush on.”

“…”

“I’ll send you the money as soon as I get my monthly salary, so please, just don’t take Aeng-aeng-i.”

“F-fine, do that.”

Jin Yeong-in, completely fed up, tossed the axe back.

“May I go?”

“What are you doing? Get lost.”

“Understood.”

Yi Baek-cheon limped away, then turned back and added a word.

“You said your name was Jin Yeong-in? Don’t think this is the end.”

“Are you going to get revenge?”

“To talk of revenge after admitting defeat is absurd.”

“Then?”

“My other comrades will come for you. You should be prepared.”

“…Didn’t you just say it was your defeat, not the Ghost Soldier Corps’?”

“Th-that is.”

“Stop with the nonsense and get lost. Before I melt that Aeng-aeng-i thing or whatever it is in molten iron.”

“Hup!”

When Jin Yeong-in made the threat, Yi Baek-cheon hugged Aeng-aeng-i as if it were his lover and hastily fled.

“Should I call the carpenter?”

“No.”

Jin Yeong-in shook his head.

“Let’s just leave it for now. Someone else might come around evening time. It would be a waste of money if it gets broken again.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Jin Yeong-in’s prediction was correct.

That evening.

“Jin Yeong-in! Come out at once! Let’s have a fight!”

Sure enough, an uninvited guest came and caused a ruckus.

It was obvious without even meeting him that the uninvited guest was a martial artist belonging to the Ghost Soldier Corps.

* * *

“Does this make any sense?”

The Ghost Soldier Corps Commander, Gi Il-do, frowned as he received the report on the leave status.

Strangely, eleven captain-level martial artists among his troops were on sick leave.

On top of that, two Ghost Generals, the senior commanders who commanded the captain-level martial artists, had also applied for sick leave.

Not just ordinary members, but the captains and ghost generals who were supposed to command the ghost soldiers were all on sick leave at the same time?

Unless a terrible plague was spreading or a war had broken out, it was an impossible situation.

With the deployment to the Northern Tianshan Road just around the corner, was it even acceptable for the core cadres of the unit to take sick leave en masse?

“What on earth are these guys doing…”

Gi Il-do sensed that something had happened and turned to his adjutant.

“Adjutant.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“The guys on the sick leave list, where are they all holed up right now?”

“I have been reported that they are receiving treatment.”

“For illness?”

“I heard it was for injuries.”

“These bastards.”

Gi Il-do immediately rushed out of his office and headed for the Life Demonic Institute.

“Ghost Soldier Corps, assemble! Assemble at once! You bastards!”

“As you command!”

At Gi Il-do’s shout, the hospitalized Ghost Soldier Corps captains and ghost generals slowly appeared and lined up in a row.

“You damn bastards!”

Gi Il-do gritted his teeth at the miserable state of his subordinates.

It was truly a sight to behold, all of them groaning with serious injuries, clearly having been beaten up somewhere.

“Who were they?”

“…”

“Did you all eat honey? Didn’t I ask who they were!”

“…”

“Was it the Demon-Worshipping Squad? Or the Ghost-Fighting Squad?”

The names of the lower-ranking military units within the cult flowed out of Gi Il-do’s mouth.

It wasn’t the first or second time a brawl had broken out between military units, and nine times out of ten, the Ghost Soldier Corps was at the center of it.

“You guys truly.”

Gi Il-do’s eyes turned bloodshot as intense demonic qi began to emanate from him.

“Hoho.”

Just then, Gongson Chaek appeared and blocked Gi Il-do’s path with a hearty laugh.

“It’s been a while, Ghost Soldier Corps Commander. Has it been two years?”

“Greetings, Master of the Life Demonic Institute.”

“I understand you’re angry, but this is the Life Demonic Institute. Please refrain from causing a disturbance. I won’t say it twice.”

“My apologies.”

Although Gi Il-do was known to be just as hot-tempered as his subordinates, he did not dare to act presumptuously towards Gongson Chaek.

The Life-Saving Demonic Dao, Gongson Chaek, was the master of the Life Demonic Institute, the largest clinic within the cult.

The number of martial artists Gongson Chaek had saved over the years was in the thousands, and the number of people he had saved from being crippled was also close to thousands.

He was truly a father figure to all the martial artists in the cult, and if he were to get into a scuffle with him, there was no telling what kind of trouble he would face.

Moreover, before being a physician, Gongson Chaek was a bladesman who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, and he was also an elder belonging to the Council of Elders that discussed the major and minor affairs of the cult.

“They are patients now, so let them focus on recovery. I will explain the whole story, so let’s step outside and talk for a moment.”

“Yes, Elder.”

Following Gongson Chaek, Gi Il-do finally heard the reason why his subordinates had become like mutes who had eaten honey.

“So, you’re saying my subordinates were crushed one after another by that Jin Yeong-in fellow?”

“Well, that’s about the gist of it.”

“These guys have the audacity to smear shit on their commander’s face, getting beaten up by a defector from the Orthodox Faction? What right do they have to be lying in bed…”

“Hoho, I told you to leave them be since they are patients. You can scold them later, later.”

“My apologies, Elder.”

Gi Il-do suppressed the urge to beat up his subordinates.

“Don’t cause an unnecessary disturbance and let it go quietly. Your subordinates started the fight first, so if you get involved, won’t things just get bigger?”

“I cannot do that. This is a matter of the Ghost Soldier Corps’ honor.”

Although the Ghost Soldier Corps was one of the lower-ranking military units, their pride and sense of belonging were on par with those of the high-ranking combat units.

And for good reason, the Ghost Soldier Corps had an overwhelmingly higher number of combat deployments compared to military units of a similar rank.

Because of this, the camaraderie and bond between the members were exceptional, and their pride was also immense.

Moreover, it was a unit that was mainly joined by junior martial artists who had just completed the Blood Wolf Corps and wanted to quickly gain practical experience, so they were very sensitive to the perception within the cult.

Although there was a widespread perception that they were troublemakers who always brought trouble, that was fine.

However, having the unit members be crushed one after another by a later-generation prodigy who had defected from the Orthodox Faction was a completely different story.

If the perception that they were weak was established within the cult, wouldn’t the application rate of junior martial artists who had completed the Blood Wolf Corps drop to rock bottom?

In severe cases, there was even a possibility that existing unit members would leave.

“Don’t make a fuss out of noth…”

“I have heard you well.”

Gi Il-do, as if he would listen no more, clasped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute and hastily walked away.

* * *

“Young Master Jin, I think you should come out.”

“Did they come again?”

Jin Yeong-in, who was cultivating his internal energy, stood up at Danmok Cheong’s words.

He had been crushing the Ghost Soldier Corps guys one by one for weeks now, but these guys didn’t seem to get tired, he thought…

‘Strong.’

Jin Yeong-in’s eyes gleamed as he spotted the man waiting for him.

This was no riffraff like the ones he had dealt with so far.

A dense demonic qi and a well-ordered aura.

Just by looking at his sharp eyes, he could tell at a glance that he was a seasoned martial artist.

“Are you Jin Yeong-in? The one who crushed my subordinates?”

“And who are you?”

“I am Gi Il-do, the Commander of the Ghost Soldier Corps. However, your words are insolent.”

“Is it okay for you to come find me out of the blue and call me this and that?”

“…”

Gi Il-do was at a loss for words at Jin Yeong-in’s sharp retort.

“So you’re the defector from the Orthodox Faction. You’re certainly not ordinary. But you should be careful, you might get your tongue pulled out for being so insolent.”

“Enough, what’s your business?”

“…”

“Why no answer? I asked what your business is.”

Gi Il-do was dumbfounded, but on the other hand, he rather liked Jin Yeong-in.

They say a day-old puppy doesn’t fear a tiger, wasn’t his behavior rather cute?

Besides, he thought all the guys from the Orthodox Faction were black-hearted, insidious scholars, so his insolence came across as a bit refreshing.

“An interesting fellow. I’ve changed my mind.”

“How so?”

“After you complete the Blood Wolf Corps, join our Ghost Soldier Corps. Then I’ll forgive you for beating up my subordinates.”

“Hey, how can a giant serpent crawl under a dog?”

Jin Yeong-in said with a snort.

“Young Master Jin!”

“Y-Young Master!”

Danmok Cheong and Baek A-rin, unable to watch any longer, turned pale.

The Ghost Soldier Corps Commander, Gi Il-do, was by no means an easy opponent.

He was a legendary figure who had risen from a low-ranking member of the Ghost Soldier Corps to captain, ghost general, and finally to the position of commander.

Provoking such a Gi Il-do was by no means a wise choice.

One wrong move and his head could really fly.

But the person in question, Gi Il-do, didn’t seem that angry.

“a giant serpent, a giant serpent, you say.”

Gi Il-do repeated Jin Yeong-in’s words with amusement.

“Are you that confident in yourself?”

“Of course.”

“How much?”

“Ten out of ten.”

“Alright then.”

A chilling smile appeared on Gi Il-do’s face as he slowly drew his dao from its scabbard.

“I’ll see for myself. Whether you’re a giant serpent, or a day-old puppy that doesn’t know to fear a tiger.”

“Sounds good.”

Jin Yeong-in smiled and drew the broken sword that his master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, had passed down to him.

“Young Master Jin! You could really die!”

“I know.”

“How about we handle this amicably just this once…”

“I didn’t defect to Our Cult to grovel before someone.”

“…!”

Danmok Cheong was greatly shocked by Jin Yeong-in’s words.

He didn’t defect to grovel?

Then, did he defect to reign?

People are the same everywhere, how can one live without groveling before anyone?

Sure enough, Jin Yeong-in said with a smile.

“Honestly, that’s just an excuse. He’s such a good opponent that it seems like it’ll be fun, so I don’t want to back down.”

“Pardon?”

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

With those words, Jin Yeong-in walked towards Gi Il-do.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep