Side Story 56. Crimson Fighting Fiends, Fire And Rain (1)

Hair standing on end.
What that means is that every hair on one’s body stands up and one’s bones grow cold.
Seeing Ahim reveal his true identity, Jin Li-yeon felt exactly that sensation.

‘The leader of the Crimson Fighting Fiends is revealing his identity this boldly?’

The Crimson Fighting Fiends were currently a dangerous force watched by the entire Murim and the imperial court.

Then what would happen if someone who was already strong consumed Guihon Jade several times, several pieces?
Its limits were unknown, but it was certain that the result would be something terrifying.
Perhaps they might even be able to aim for the realm of an Absolute master.
Then how strong would the officers of the Crimson Fighting Fiends and their leader be?

Ahim would show that.
Jin Li-yeon brought her hand to her waist and prepared to strike.

In the audience seats, the Crimson Fighting Fiends rose to their feet.
And right before the judges in the arena, Ahim stood proudly.
His two eyes shone like rubies.
His eyes were glowing redder than anyone else’s.

“Seok Sung.”

There was a magical power in Ahim’s voice.
Even Seok Sung, who had worn a relaxed expression until now, seemed tense.

“Hand over the Guihon Jade you have stockpiled. Those are not permitted to mere humans like you.”

Stockpiled Guihon Jade.
Ahim and the Crimson Fighting Fiends had not come merely for the single piece of Guihon Jade embedded in the ladle.
What they wanted was…

“You gathered nearly ten pounds of Guihon Jade.”

Those who knew about Guihon Jade let out gasps.
The average size of one piece of Guihon Jade was only about as large as a bean.
Ten pounds of Guihon Jade meant he had stockpiled several hundred pieces or more.

“Hooh, so which bastards were bribed? You have grasped it quite accurately.”

Seok Sung did not deny Ahim’s words.

“The current Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild is nothing but an empty shell. You sold off all the truly valuable businesses. What were you planning to do after gathering so much Guihon Jade?”

Ahim mocked Seok Sung.
The Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild had frantically sold off its vast capital. Using an enormous amount of gold, they had hired people and gathered Guihon Jade.
Seok Sung had pretended to live in seclusion while orchestrating all of it.

“Thanks to that, it became convenient for us. Where did you hide the Guihon Jade you gathered?”
“In all my life, I have never seen such a brazen thief! Haha, do you think I would tell you?”
“Very well, old man. Let us see if you still refuse to speak after I pull out every nail on your body and peel off your skin. I will take you with me.”

Ahim threatened him with a beaming smile.
The one who cut in as if he could not bear it any longer was none other than the Eastern Depot Eunuch.

“Haha, you foolish wretch!”

When the Eastern Depot Eunuch burst into laughter, several others laughed with him.
When Ahim stared at him blankly, the eunuch barely stopped laughing and opened his mouth.

“Why did you have to come here of all places? To this place I am guarding!”

He was the Director Eunuch of the Eastern Depot.
In other words, he was a Transcendent master, and the head of the terrifying military organization known as the Eastern Depot.

“At least not choosing Beijing, where His Majesty resides, was a reasonable choice.”
“The defenses there were too firm.”
“So you launched a diversionary operation against the imperial court. How utterly arrogant.”

Beijing’s Forbidden City had recently been sealed off.
According to the Director Eunuch’s words, it seemed that too had been a defensive measure against the Crimson Fighting Fiends.

“The places with the most Guihon Jade under heaven were the Forbidden City and Seok Family Manor. But Seok Family Manor possessed more.”

At Ahim’s words, the Director Eunuch glared at Seok Sung.
Seok Sung merely smiled as if he knew nothing.

“Yes, and so you walked into the tiger’s den. We have been waiting, you ringleader of traitors.”

At that, not only the martial warriors standing guard, but even the martial artists hidden among the audience drew their blades.
And the Eastern Depot Eunuch himself as well.
The hands of that Transcendent master turned pure white.
It was the White Hand Demon Art.
When those hands, beautiful enough to seem transparent, passed by, only traces of destruction remained.

“Die!”

He leaped forward as if smashing through the table and pounced on Ahim. His momentum was like a bear attacking.
The other masters disguised as judges also flew up at once.

Ahim seemed unable to respond properly.
He merely raised his hand and made his scarlet eyes glow even redder.

“Stop.”

Ah, that voice.
It was a voice that seemed to echo from hell.
No matter how bizarre a voice might be, it should not have been able to stop masters rushing in.
Yet something unreal occurred.
Those who had been charging in. The Eastern Depot Eunuch and the masters froze in that state.
As if their paralysis acupoints had been struck, they all fell to the ground at once.
The Eastern Depot Eunuch, stiff as a block of wood, blinked with a faint red light in his eyes.

“Kek, keoeok.”
“Was my food not exceptionally delicious? I ground Guihon Jade into it and used it as seasoning.”

It was a shocking revelation.
The people who had lost their senses and shed tears after tasting Ahim’s food.
Were those bizarre reactions because of trace amounts of Guihon Jade?

“And everyone who has eaten Guihon Jade is in the palm of my hand.”

The Eastern Depot Eunuch writhed as if trying to resist.
But as if his body would not obey him, only the veins in his neck and forehead bulged.

“Kkeuk, kkeueuk.”

That kind of sound flowed from his mouth.
The red energy that had begun to enter his eyes repeatedly faded and reappeared.
Considering the amount of Guihon Jade he had eaten, it was an extremely small quantity.
Because of that, the Eastern Depot Eunuch, being a master, had begun circulating his internal energy to burn away the energy of the Guihon Jade.

“Haha, resisting, are you?”

Ahim crouched in front of the Eastern Depot Eunuch and moved his fingers swiftly.

Tadadak!

In an instant, his paralysis acupoints were struck.
No matter how great a master he was, once his acupoints were sealed, he could not use his strength.
Ahim had subdued the Eastern Depot Eunuch.
He suddenly leaped.
And a single meat cleaver sliced through the place where Ahim’s neck had been.

“You, you.”

The one who had swung the meat cleaver was none other than Ma Bi-hong.
Ma Bi-hong’s face was twisted like a demon’s.

“You bastaaard!”

He roared like a wounded beast.

“You insulted me! With that shallow trick!”
“Trick?”
“You sprinkled that damned mineral dust and bewitched the people and me!”

Ma Bi-hong was even shedding tears.
To him, cooking was his entire life.
After eating the food Ahim had made, he had shed tears and admired it, believing its class was different.
But to think that it had actually deceived people’s minds by grinding Guihon Jade into it.
He denounced Ahim in rage, but Ahim merely picked at his ear.

“How absurd, how absurd. What you felt was real. To speak of bewitchment after tasting an even higher spiritual elevation.”
“Shut up! You…”
“Enough. There is no value in listening to you any further.”

Ma Bi-hong gritted his teeth and swung the meat cleaver at Ahim.
He certainly had the form of someone who had learned martial arts. His realm was not impressive, but it was powerful enough.
However, Ahim smiled faintly.
Killing intent dwelled in his smile.

Kwa-chang!

With a single move, the meat cleaver shattered to pieces.
Then Ahim grabbed Ma Bi-hong’s fingers and bent them back.

Wadeudeudeuk!

Ma Bi-hong’s right hand, which had created dishes of unmatched excellence under heaven, twisted like a twisted dough stick.
His face distorted in pain.
Ahim yanked Ma Bi-hong’s hand hard.
His body was pulled in powerlessly, and Ahim’s left hand seemed about to pierce Ma Bi-hong’s chest.

Pababababak!

A string of bursting, drumlike sounds rang out, and Ahim lost hold of Ma Bi-hong.
The one who rescued Ma Bi-hong from his grasp was none other than Cheongho.

Cheongho laid Ma Bi-hong, who was writhing in pain, on the ground.
Then he whipped his gaze toward Ahim.

“Grr…”

The white fangs he bared looked especially sharp.
His hair rose slightly, and blue sparks flew in his eyes.
That contrasted with Ahim’s red eyes.

“Ahaha, you are completely a beast.”

Ahim laughed.
Unlike the cold gaze he had used when looking at Ma Bi-hong, he looked at Cheongho, who was baring his teeth, with great delight.

“You never liked me, did you? Come at me!”

He did just that.
For some reason, Cheongho completely released the hostility toward Ahim that had been boiling up within him.
Only a blue flash remained where he had been.

Tat!

Cheongho ran as if flying.
The Cloud Treading he had learned in Azure Forest naturally unfolded through his body.
It was a movement art that had fully reached the Peak level.
Cheongho’s moving hand left a blue trajectory.
It was a swift movement that could not be compared to Ma Bi-hong’s.
But even his fingertips could not reach.
It had clearly been a trajectory that could rip open Ahim’s chest, but it fell short by barely a hair.
Because Ahim had stepped back by one step, Cheongho’s hand cut through empty air.

The price came back immediately.
Ahim’s fist slammed into Cheongho’s face.

Kwaaang!

It was an impact like being struck by a battering ram.
Cheongho spun no fewer than three times in midair.
He was just about to crash into the ground, spraying blood from his mouth.

“Whoa there!”

Someone caught him.
It wasn’t Jin Li-yeon.
A man in black who had appeared before anyone knew it supported Cheongho’s body. It was the black-clad warrior who usually guarded Seok Sung.
Cheongho was startled and tried to pull himself away.

“Hey, you! Calm down!”

But the man in black shouted to calm Cheongho down.
Because that voice was somehow familiar, Cheongho flinched.

“You’re Cheongho, right? That fox.”
“…Who are you?”
“Don’t you recognize me? Ah, right. The disguise.”

He grabbed his own cheek and tore off his skin.
Something skin-colored stuck to his cheek fell away along with his beard.
And the face that appeared had a fierce look that could never be called handsome.
But to Cheongho, it was a welcoming face.

“Oh…!”
“So the fox became a person. Hahahah!”

The man in black set Cheongho down.

“Leave this to your big brother.”

Then he turned to Ahim.
When he drew his saber, a fierce and powerful energy that even Ahim couldn’t ignore burst out.

“Die, evildoer!”

Dense Aura Qi burst a full handspan from his saber.
His momentum was like an enraged tiger pouncing.
Ahim, who had been about to respond, was startled and turned his body.
The man in black, who had clearly been charging from the front, was suddenly behind Ahim as if he had leaped through space.

Seugeong!

The Saber Aura sliced lightly through Ahim’s bangs as it passed.
Aura Qi stretched out from Ahim’s hand and struck away the man in black’s Saber Aura.
Using that repulsive force, he pulled his body far backward.

“Hey, bastard, over here!”

This time too, the man in black suddenly appeared behind him.

Kagagak!

Ahim barely struck away the saber chopping down from above.
It was a bewildering attack, as if there were two men in black.

“You wreeetch!”
“Over here!”

And that was only natural, because there actually were two men in black.
They looked so identical, and their joint attacks flowed so seamlessly, that they merely felt like one person.
Cheongho muttered their names.

“Peng Gu-hi, Peng Gwin!”
“It is Peng Gu-hwi and Peng Gu-in!”

The renowned Twin Tigers of the Peng Family had been staying right here in Seok Family Manor.
Indeed, with two Transcendent masters joining in, even Ahim was overwhelmed.
Moreover, there was one more Transcendent master to oppose Ahim.

“Cheongho, stay here.”

Jin Li-yeon passed Cheongho and stepped forward.

When she reached to her waist and extended her hand.

Charararang!

Her flexible sword began to dance with a ringing sound.
She leaped between Peng Gu-hwi and Peng Gu-in.

For Ahim, it was clearly a desperate situation.
But the smile hanging on his lips remained.

“Yes, so this is the second card you hid! Is this all!”