Everyone, Attack!

Watching Gyo-ha as he prepared to leave, Yeon-gyeong looked at him worriedly.

“Are you really planning to go? Without even taking any money?”

“That money already has its owners.”

It belonged to the villagers who needed to repair their boats.

Without it, their immediate livelihood would be in trouble.

But for Gyo-ha, having no money caused him no trouble.

Sleeping outdoors was practically his daily routine. It only meant he would not get a tasty meal.

He could endure that much.

Standing behind Yeon-gyeong, Yeon-gyo also spoke, eyes full of regret.

“You have to come again, Big Brother.”

Big Brother.

At the unfamiliar form of address, Gyo-ha’s eyes widened.

Maybe they had grown close over the last two days. He had gone from ‘uncle’ to ‘big brother.’

As if that alone was not enough, Yeon-gyo tugged on Gyo-ha’s clothes.

“When you come, you have to contact the Putuo Sect for sure.”

Gyo-ha was about to nod, then a question came to mind.

“If I contact you, can you just come out like that?”

The Zhushan Archipelago.

To come out, they had to cross the sea.

“Huh?”

Yeon-gyo had not thought that far, so she turned to look at Yeon-gyeong.

They were senior and junior sisters with a large age gap.

If this were one of the Nine Great Sects, they would be second and third-generation disciples in terms of age.

But not every sect had that many disciples.

Their kind of relationship was actually more common.

Looking at Yeon-gyo, Yeon-gyeong smiled gently.

“We come ashore from time to time to buy things the sect needs. If you send word, we should be able to come out then.”

There were things they could not get out at sea.

At the word ‘send word,’ Gyo-ha turned his head slightly.

Mist hovered beyond the sea.

They had said it was blocking communication. Even if they repaired the boats, they would have to go far around because of the mist.

‘It will not stay there forever either.’

It had used shadows to kill any living thing that entered the fog.

That meant it needed to.

He could guess why.

Feeding.

Since it was alive, it had to eat something.

But that was impossible out on the sea.

The mist could not extend down below the water.

At best it could only catch birds and fish that leapt above the surface.

And if it took too long, they would find other ways to communicate.

Even if he wanted to help, there was no way.

Even for Gyo-ha, he did not know how to fight atop water.

Let alone a way to slice through fog like that swordsman.

He had seen it several times and still could not grasp the trick.

‘It has been a while since I have had no feel for something like this.’

It was a feeling he had only felt with his master, Yun Heo.

Noticing Yeon-gyo on the verge of tears, Gyo-ha set his thoughts aside.

He had stayed too long.

He could see the villagers waving from afar.

‘The shorter the farewell, the better.’

Gyo-ha waved back at the villagers and patted Yeon-gyo’s shiny smooth head.

“Stay healthy then. Listen to your senior sister.”

“Okay!”

Yeon-gyo forced a bright smile.

“You too, Big Sis Nun.”

At the words ‘Big Sis Nun,’ Yeon-gyeong gave an awkward smile.

She had been told Gyo-ha’s age, but she still could not believe it.

“Yes. You as well, Young Master Gyo.”

And so Gyo-ha left the village, having made a promise for who knew when.

Tong, tong, tong.

A bizarre shape was making its way up the mountain.

Its legs swung back and forth as it moved, and both arms were braced against the ground.

Its head was hanging downward as well.

The shadow walked only on its fingertips, not its palms.

Even a martial artist would be scared out of their wits if they were to come across it late at night.

The shadow’s true identity was Gyo-ha.

Walking upside down, Gyo-ha suddenly sprang to his feet.

“…I am sweating, at least.”

It did not have the same effect as before. The internal energy in his dantian was quiet too.

The place where the iron shackle had been felt empty.

But now he knew. Even if he still had the shackle, things would not be any different.

“Still.”

Twisting his body, Gyo-ha flung out a palm strike.

Pang!

A tree burst apart.

A round gouge was carved out, as if claws had raked across it.

Radiant Burst Strike and one of the forms of Jade Dragon Eight Palms, Jade Dragon’s Regret, had blended into a new shape.

Though its destructive power had weakened…

‘But it’s fast.’

On top of that, he could use it even with his legs off the ground.

In truth, he had created the technique for that very reason.

If his legs were injured, he could not use Radiant Burst Strike.

The same went for when his body was injured.

If he was not careful, his body could burst from within before he even released his energy.

It put a heavy strain on his body.

“What should I call this one?”

As for Radiant Burst Strike, Seo Jong-dae had named it for him.

Ruin Palm, taken from Radiant Burst Strike?

It sounded strange.

“…Well, I can name it later.”

What did a name matter?

Gyo-ha was about to stand on his hands again when he paused.

He had sensed presences beyond.

‘Horses? No, carriages.’

There were several presences. Disappointment soon crossed Gyo-ha’s face.

‘…Not bandits.’

They were clearly either merchants or an escort agency.

Clicking his tongue in regret, Gyo-ha began walking.

And before long, as expected, he ran into escorts transporting cargo.

The escorts, who had been standing and talking, drew their weapons the moment Gyo-ha appeared.

“You there, who are you!”

Gyo-ha blinked.

They felt different from the escorts he had met until now.

Even on guard, they rarely pointed weapons at him like this.

“Enough! What do you think you are doing?”

The words were not meant for Gyo-ha.

A middle-aged man rebuked the escorts who had drawn their swords.

Then he sighed and clasped his fists toward Gyo-ha.

“My apologies. Something unfortunate happened within our escort agency, so my men are on edge. I am Hyeok Du-sim, chief escort of the Yeo-un Escort Agency.”

Yeo-un Escort Agency.

At the familiar-sounding name, Gyo-ha blinked.

It reminded him of the Yeo-un Merchant Guild. They also ran an escort agency.

But their branch in Gansu could not have come all the way out here.

It was only the name that was the same.

“I am Gyo-ha.”

Even after his introduction, the escorts did not lower their guard.

It was because of Gyo-ha’s large frame.

Yet once he drew closer and they saw his face, their expressions eased.

Chief escort Hyeok Du-sim seemed the same, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Sorry to have startled you.”

Seeing Hyeok Du-sim grow suddenly friendly, Gyo-ha tilted his head.

Of course, he had not been surprised at all.

Some of the escorts even stopped looking at him altogether.

“…Did something happen?”

When Gyo-ha asked, a troubled look crossed Hyeok Du-sim’s face.

“Normally, this is not something we should tell an outsider, but we are at fault as well, so…”

Hyeok Du-sim let out a short sigh and began to speak.

“One of our cargo items was stolen.”

Gyo-ha nodded. That explained why they had been so sensitive.

“Where are you coming from, young man?”

“From Jinhae.”

“Then you must be headed toward Soheng.”

Gyo-ha was about to nod when he suddenly snapped his head up.

“We have company.”

“What do you…”

At the sudden words, Hyeok Du-sim frowned, but soon understood what he meant.

“C-chief! B-bandits!”

One of the escorts had spotted figures rushing down from the mountain.

“Who dares cross this road without the mountain lord’s permission!”

When Gyo-ha lowered his body, ready to dash forward, Hyeok Du-sim patted his shoulder, thinking he was trembling in fear.

“Do not worry. Ho, you are not just big, you are quite solid too.”

Hyeok Du-sim gave Gyo-ha a surprised look, then turned and walked toward the bandits.

“Greetings to the mountain lords! I am Hyeok Du-sim, chief escort of the Yeo-un Escort Agency!”

He clasped his fists and called out boldly.

A man who seemed to be the bandit chief stepped out from among them.

“An escort agency, huh. That means you have money. Leave all your cargo and I will spare your lives.”

At the bandit’s words, Hyeok Du-sim’s expression changed.

“As far as I know, the Yeo-un Merchant Guild has a contract with your stronghold.”

“What nonsense. I have never made any such contract.”

“…Are you not from Ghost King Stronghold? As far as I know, this is their territory.”

Hyeok Du-sim’s gaze moved over the bandits.

Some of them were familiar faces.

The bandit chief snorted.

“The lord of this mountain has changed. If you do not want to die, hand over what you have.”

Only then did Hyeok Du-sim’s expression grow serious.

Gyo-ha watched their exchange with interest in his eyes.

‘So this is what Master was talking about.’

A bandit stronghold making contracts with escort agencies.

Seeing it for himself felt different.

Hyeok Du-sim turned his head to look at the escorts.

Were they going to fight? Gyo-ha’s eyes shone, but his hope did not come true.

The escorts began gathering their pouches.

They tossed the money they had gathered toward the bandits.

“This should be enough as a token. Once this escort run is over, we will come pay our respects properly.”

But the chief kicked the pouch aside.

“Who said I wanted this pocket change? Hand over the cargo.”

“…Are you saying you intend to make an enemy of our escort agency?”

“Hmph. You think I care about some backwater escort agency?”

The chief laughed savagely.

Only then did the chief escort realize how strange the situation had become.

Ordinary bandits would not be this unreasonable.

Besides, the Yeo-un Escort Agency was fairly well known in Xiangzhou.

Bewilderment appeared on the escorts’ faces as well.

Even the wagon hands following behind grew uneasy.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

The escorts drew their swords. The wagon hands raised their staffs and flags.

Those who had nothing else picked up stones.

They were outnumbered from the start. If the escorts fell, they would be next.

Would the bandits spare them just because they were not escorts? No.

Which meant they could not just sit idle because they lacked weapons.

The bandit chief looked at the escorts as if they were pathetic.

His movements even carried an air of leisure.

He was not like ordinary bandits.

Hyeok Du-sim sensed that this would not be an easy fight.

He spoke to Gyo-ha, who was still standing there blankly.

“…Young hero, I am sorry to have dragged you into this. Look for a chance and run.”

Gyo-ha looked at Hyeok Du-sim in surprise.

He had not expected him to worry about Gyo-ha even in this situation.

‘He is a good man.’

He did not like the name of the escort agency, but the man leading it was decent.

Smiling faintly, Gyo-ha turned his head.

“There is no need.”

“What are…”

At the out-of-place words, Hyeok Du-sim turned back, but Gyo-ha was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, he saw the escorts and wagon hands staring blankly up at the sky.

When Hyeok Du-sim raised his own head, he saw a massive body flying through the air.

Kwaang!

Gyo-ha landed in the midst of the bandits.

He immediately hurled himself at the bandit chief.

Only then did the relaxed expression vanish from the bandit chief’s face.

He quickly drew his saber and swung.

Its momentum was quite sharp.

Hwirik.

Gyo-ha twisted his body mid-charge. The saber cut through the space where he had just been.

Gyo-ha’s fist went straight for the bandit chief’s flank.

Koong!

The bandit chief’s body was driven backward.

Gyo-ha met the bandit chief’s eyes, surprised.

“Heh, you blocked it?”

He really was no ordinary bandit.

He was a first-rate martial artist. But the one who was startled was the bandit chief as well.

“…What are you? I have never heard of someone like you.”

The bandit chief muttered something incomprehensible.

But his words no longer reached Gyo-ha’s ears.

Staring at the bandit chief, Gyo-ha licked his lips.

Life lit up in his eyes.

‘I can have a bit of fun with this.’

Gyo-ha kicked off the ground.

Soon, his and the bandit chief’s figures were tangled together.

The escorts and bandits stared blankly at the scene.

Chief escort Hyeok Du-sim was the first to snap out of it.

“This is our chance! Everyone, attack!”

At his shout, the escorts let out a roar and charged.