The Unknown Ruffians (1)

After treating their wounds and recovering their strength, the group gathered closely together at the spot farthest from the flames. At the center was Neung Je-gang.

“Boss, I’m sorry…”

Majil apologized for not being able to hold back and exploding his True Fire Energy.

“It’s fine.”

It really was fine. Although there were wounded among the group, no one had died.

But for the people living in Mount Aenoe, it was like being struck by a bolt from the blue. Perhaps even Heavenly Poison Grove, the place they were supposed to reach, would be swept away by the fire.

“The Miao people will be in trouble.”

Old Man Gang looked at the forest still belching smoke and burning with a worried gaze.

Because the trees were so massive, it was impossible to predict when the fire would die out. Even now, the blaze must have been spreading to the far side of the forest.

“They’ll avoid it once they realize the fire has started.”

Although Je-gang responded that way to Old Man Gang’s words, he too was worried about the common folk. If the flames spread near Mount Aenoe, there would surely be people harmed.

“But what exactly did you say that made the Miao people run away then?”

Je-gang asked the thing he was most curious about. Why had the Miao, who had thrown themselves at them regardless of their lives, fled?

There was no clear answer.

“I just told them the truth. That we’d set the forest on fire.”

Old Man Gang grinned.

“What?”

“Mount Aenoe sometimes catches fire. When it does, the Miao suffer no small losses. When I said we would set fire as our last resort, they ran to evacuate their villagers. It was a lie then, but now it’s become the truth.”

Old Man Gang spoke as he watched the flames.

“Haha! So that’s it. No wonder I thought it strange how quickly they understood you. Hahaha!”

Je-gang laughed heartily. Whatever the current situation, Old Man Gang’s wisdom had lessened the harm done to the Miao, whom he had not wished to kill.

“Boss, but who were those people?”

Cheong Yeon asked gravely. The ones who had forced the Miao into action, the masked men who had attacked them, were not from Heavenly Poison Grove.

“No way to know. As you see, the corpses are all burnt.”

The bodies of the Black Shadows were still burning. There was no way to uncover their identities.

“Come to think of it, I had captured one of them, but he died in the fire. He wasn’t masked, and seemed like he was from Heavenly Poison Grove…”

“Heavenly Poison Grove?”

Bae Ji-sang looked at Je-gang with a puzzled expression. The others still did not know that Heavenly Poison Grove had risen again.

“I’m talking about Bang-won’s accomplice we’re searching for. I think he’s the one who made that poison ground. That’s why I caught him, but he was swallowed by the blaze.”

Among the smoking corpses, his body must have been there too.

“We don’t have much food left. We’re not going to starve to death here, are we?”

Song Seok-jin, who had made things harder for the group after being injured in the Miao attack, muttered awkwardly.

“The weather on Mount Aenoe is ever-changing. It may be clear now, but you never know when fog or rain might come. We won’t starve to death.”

Old Man Gang said this. If he said so, it was truth—at least in Mount Aenoe.

“I’m more curious about the inside. What could be there that they tried so hard to drive us in?”

Go So-jeong said, gazing at the opposite side of the forest.

“Well… one thing is certain. Whatever it is, it can no longer pose any danger…”

Je-gang also looked there. Inside, there was little that could burn, so the flames were nearly out. The traps set by the enemy had been swallowed by the blaze.

“The Miao village we were heading to was right there. Now there will be nothing left but ashes…”

“There weren’t any people, right?”

Majil looked at the place with worried eyes.

“Well…”

At Je-gang’s uncertain words, Majil suddenly stood up.

“Why, are you planning to go see?”

“Yes, I’ll go and check.”

Though the flames hadn’t completely died out, Majil was the one person who could move safely within them, so there was no need to worry. The only concern would be if there were traps left unscathed by the fire.

As Majil trudged away, Go So-jeong also rose and followed after him.

She knew. The fire had broken out because Majil had lost control due to her injuries. He seemed depressed about it, so she wanted to comfort him.

“Worrying won’t help. Luckily the donkey is safe and we haven’t lost our supplies. Let’s just hope the rain comes and puts out the fire.”

Je-gang said this, then sat down in one spot and entered meditation. He did not circulate his energy, since he could not fully trust his companions, but as usual, he immersed himself in the contemplation of martial formulas.

Because he couldn’t use any divine arts due to his companions, he had faced no small difficulties when the fight broke out.

His trump cards included Illusory Arts like the One-Point Penetration and Hidden Shadows and Extreme Secrecy Method, as well as Joseon’s divine art. But he could not display such secret martial arts where members of the Black Alliance were watching closely.

A trump card had to remain hidden until the end. The martial world was a place where comrades could become enemies at any moment. Therefore, whatever could be concealed had to be concealed.

That meant he had to use martial arts he had only in theory and not fully mastered. The most reliable among them was the sword. In a pinch, he could use the First Sword Formula, Blue Wave, or the Second Sword Formula, Whirlwind, from the Seven-Sword Formulas of the Void, so the sword was most suitable.

‘Surely they won’t think of a secret technique just from that?’

Since Blue Wave and Whirlwind used sword energy and saber energy, no one would find them suspicious.

‘Let’s go with Flash Sever.’

Though the Brilliant Heavenly Sword of Zhuyong looked splendid, in life-or-death battles, the swift and powerful Flash Severing was most fitting. The quick technique that had taken down the leader of the Black Shadows had been Flash Sever. Originally a saber method, when performed with a sword it looked completely different.

‘I must make Flash Sever into a sword art that looks completely natural.’

Je-gang completely dissected the formula of Flash Severing, creating the formula of Flash Severing Sword that others could believe to be a true sword art.

When he awoke from meditation, stars were already visible in the sky. Yet the forest fire still burned, so it did not feel fully dark.

Majil and Go So-jeong had returned from inside.

“Boss, hehe!”

Majil had regained his smile. His mood was more changeable than the mountain weather. Only a while ago he had been gloomy over starting the fire.

‘Did something cheer him up inside?’

“What happened in there? You seem cheerful.”

“Boss, hehe! Lady Go thanked me. Hehehe!”

So that was why his mood had lifted.

Je-gang shook his head.

“Well…”

Just then Majil extended his hand. There was something black on it, about the size of a thumb.

“What’s that?”

“A fly.”

“What? A fly?”

Je-gang thought Majil must be playing some kind of trick. What kind of fly could be that big?

“Brother Bae said it’s called a Sky Plague Venom Fly. Once it gets you, you’re as good as dead. There were tens of thousands of these corpses inside. Beneath them were hundreds of human corpses…”

Majil frowned as he spoke, for the scene inside had been gruesome. The bodies of the Miao had been used to breed venom flies, and the group had been lured there to be sacrificed to them.

The Black Shadow raiders and the people of Heavenly Poison Grove had thought that by pushing them in with the Miao, they could kill the group with little effort. Though it had ended in failure, if Bae Ji-sang hadn’t thought of the counter-fire strategy, they might have become fly food.

“I must have underestimated Heavenly Poison Grove.”

In truth, Je-gang knew little about venomous creatures. He had some knowledge of poisons, but saw no need to learn about beasts that only lived in remote wilds.

“Clearly, one must study. If I’d known beforehand what venomous creatures lived in Mount Aenoe, I would have been more cautious. But then again, since you set the fire and killed them all, perhaps we should call it heaven’s blessing?”

“Boss, hehe! Lady Go said heaven always helps good people like me. Hehehe!”

“Good? You?”

“That’s why I even survived the Forbidden Demon Prison… hehe!”

At Majil’s words, Je-gang couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m hungry. Bring out the food.”

“Yes, sir!”

Majil ran briskly to the donkey, gathered food, brought it first to Go So-jeong, and then to Je-gang.

‘This guy… surely he’s the type to fall easily for any woman who flirts with him.’

Je-gang couldn’t help but think that way about Majil once again.