Chapter 217

On the third day, Unhwi and Commander Seong were passing through a deep ravine. On both sides of the road, sheer cliffs rose high, blocking any possible retreat.

In military terms, this was the perfect terrain for an ambush.

Sure enough, Commander Seong, who was driving the carriage, let out a deep sigh.

"...Young master."

At his voice, Unhwi answered curtly.

"We’re pressed for time—just keep going."

"Understood."

No sooner had he spoken than over twenty men, previously hidden along the cliffs, revealed themselves.

"Stop—!!"

They were all dressed in black with green headscarves, each holding a variety of weapons—axes, spears, swords.

One of them shouted.

"This road belongs to our brothers—pay the toll if you want to pass—!"

Commander Seong ignored them and tried to drive the carriage forward.

However, a few of the bandits seemed to be martial artists, for they blocked the carriage head-on. With no way forward, Commander Seong had no choice but to stop.

His expression remained calm, but there was clear irritation in his eyes. Even when one of the bandits approached and held a sword to his neck, his face didn’t change.

"Well, well... this coachman still hasn’t learned his lesson. We’re the heroes of the Green Forest Stronghold. As for me, I am none other than Gil Yeong, one of the thirty Green Lords, a title granted to only thirty men in all the stronghold. Hand over everything in your pockets and pay your respects. Otherwise, you’ll end up like those fellows over there, bathing in the River of Three Crossings—so choose wisely."

Commander Seong’s gaze shifted toward the corner of the ravine.

There, a shattered carriage and five corpses lay. The state of the bodies was gruesome—beaten and crushed with all manner of weapons, something that could only be done with deliberate malice.

"I smell blood."

From inside the carriage came Unhwi’s voice. Commander Seong, keeping his tone restrained, replied.

"The condition of the bodies is... poor. Almost as if—"

The rest was answered by Gil Yeong himself, one of the thirty Green Lords of the Green Forest Stronghold.

"We tortured them. Those fools had the gall to prattle about chivalry, so we dragged them out and beat them half to death. If you don’t pay the toll, you’ll end up the same."

There was a reason these bandits were so brazen.

The carriage Unhwi rode in was an ordinary one. The horses might have been fine stock, but with no crest or markings, the bandits had judged them as nothing worth noting.

From inside the carriage, Unhwi sighed.

"Commander Seong."

"Yes, young master."

"How much?"

A cold glint flashed through Commander Seong’s eyes.

"A handa-gyeong’s worth will do."

After the sound of pages turning inside the carriage, Unhwi’s voice came again.

"Kill them all."

"By your command—!"

Gil Yeong {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} frowned.

"You insolent bastard—didn’t I just tell you we’re from the Green Forest Stronghold... Hrk!"

Those words became his last.

Slash—!

Gil Yeong’s head flew into the air.

"I have no intention of playing the hero or upholding so-called righteousness, but watching worms like you crawl out of your holes is intolerable."

At the chill in Commander Seong’s voice, the bandits flinched.

A master.

One far beyond anything they could hope to face.

The moment Commander Seong stepped down from the carriage and drew his dagger, one of the bandits shouted hastily.

"We’re sorry!! We didn’t mean to block the path of great men like you—please, just pass on!!"

"I’ve seen enough—and I’ve no choice but to act. If you want to blame someone, blame your past selves."

Thud.

The dagger in Commander Seong’s hand traced the air.

Slash—!

Another head flew, then—slash, slash!

In the blink of an eye, two more were gone.

Though he had said a handa-gyeong’s worth of time, it didn’t even take half that for every last bandit to be slaughtered.

"Let’s move on."

They had just annihilated not mere roadside thieves but members of the Green Forest Stronghold—and yet, both men remained calm.

Bandits were bandits for a reason. When parasites forget their place, it’s only right to make an example.

As if nothing had happened, Commander Seong drove the carriage onward.

***

That night, Unhwi and Commander Seong stopped at a small inn.

It was in a tiny village halfway through the mountain path. Whether in a hurry or not, they still needed to eat, and the horses needed rest.

After their meal, Unhwi was resting in his room when his ears twitched.

A faint sound reached him. At first, he thought it was the wind, but soon he realized it was a woman’s sobbing.

He opened his eyes.

Mist-like heohyeonjigi rose from him as he sensed the surrounding qi.

Behind the inn.

That was where several presences stirred.

Unhwi silently rose, opened the window, and moved toward the back. There, he saw several men trying to force a young girl into a carriage.

One man spoke in a low voice.

"Hurry. The Green Forest master is waiting."

The girl, terrified, wept behind the gag in her mouth, her sobs muffled.

Unhwi quietly observed.

The term “Green Forest master” piqued his interest. He didn’t know who they meant.

But the sight of someone being kidnapped in the middle of the night, and of bandits being addressed as “master,” was enough to make him pause.

He had no desire to waste time on his journey to the Thousand Alliance—but having seen this, he couldn’t just walk away.

"I have no wish to play the chivalrous hero... but I also have no wish to play the great knight."

His calm voice made the bandits and the woman freeze.

"Who are you, and why are you taking that girl?"

One man sighed and stepped forward.

"Look, in this wide martial world, anything that happens has its reasons. So mind your own business and be on your way."

"Was my question difficult?"

"..."

"I asked who you are, and why you’re kidnapping her."

"...Tch. I tried to tell you nicely so you’d back off, brat."

The man pulled a green headscarf from his robe and tied it on.

"We’re Green Forest men, serving one of the eighteen branch chiefs. The branch chief took a liking to this girl and ordered us to bring her to him. So we’re taking her."

It went unsaid, but the martial world had no shortage of bandits.

The land was vast—of course they existed.

In a backwater like this, being part of the Eighteen Green Strongholds was like being a king. Even many martial artists would flinch at the name—no surprise, given that the grand chief of the Eighteen was a master of the Mythic Realm, currently in seclusion seeking enlightenment to ascend to the Celestial Realm.

If he emerged, the Green Forest’s prestige would rise even further.

"From the look of you, this must be your first time in Sohjin. Even among martial artists, there are lines we don’t cross. Kid, crossing us is crossing the Green Forest. If you understand, go back inside the inn."

The bandits began to turn away—then frowned.

"For example... the branch chief you mean, would that be Ju Seongseok?"

"...You insolent brat—how dare you speak our chief’s name?!"

Unhwi gave a short laugh.

Ju Seongseok.

In the distant future, he would leave the Green Forest to join the Thunderclap Demonic Sect.

In truth, he had been their man all along.

Unhwi had just learned he was in charge of this area.

"I’d only suspected... now I’m certain."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"There are no coincidences in this world—only inevitabilities."

"..."

"And that inevitability is made by people. In this case, there’s only one person who could have set it in motion. His will is what led me to the Thousand Alliance."

The bandits didn’t have time to puzzle over his words—

—because Unhwi drew the Heavenshaking Spiritblade.

"I don’t know where you’ve crawled from, but carrying a sword bigger than yourself—"

"What is a martial artist?"

"...What?"

"Just as there’s a non-interference pact between the government and the martial world, there’s also a line martial artists themselves must not cross."

The bandit frowned at hearing his own words thrown back at him.

"That line isn’t about contests of strength or such. Martial artists keep to martial artists, commoners to commoners. That’s the line."

Unhwi’s eyes went cold.

"I’ll warn you once. Put the girl down and vanish from my sight. Do that, and nothing will happen tonight."

The bandit smirked.

"Kid, my name’s Gil Jin. My older brother is Gil Yeong—the very same Green Lord."

"And?"

"So you know who’s going to kill you, bastard!"

Gil Jin drew his sword and lunged.

Whatever style he used—whether it was the pinnacle of the Martial God level or not—no one would ever know.

Slash—!

With a thunderous sound, the Heavenshaking Spiritblade cleaved both his sword and arm in two.

"Ah... ah?!"

As his severed arm fell to the ground, Gil Jin screamed in pain.

"Aaaargh—!!"

Unhwi seized his jaw.

"Gil Jin, Green Lord... and Gil Yeong, was it?"

"Ghhk... mmm..."

"On the way here, I killed someone named Gil Yeong. What a strange coincidence."

That was all.

Crunch—!

Unhwi crushed his face and tossed the corpse aside.

There were five bandits.

Now four remained.

He moved.

"W-wait—!"

Slash—

Another head flew into the air.

He spun and lashed out with a kick.

Boom—!!

One bandit’s chest exploded, his limbs bursting apart.

The Heavenshaking Spiritblade swung again.

Rumble—!!

With a sound like thunder, three bandits were ripped in half.

In an instant, all five were dead.

Without a word, Unhwi snapped his fingers. A flicked pebble shattered the gag on the girl’s mouth.

But she still couldn’t speak—too shocked by what she had just witnessed.