We Can’t Be The Only Ones Who Suffer. (2)

A small roadside tea stall on the outskirts of a village near Southern Edge Mountain.

Yu Jinsan sat, gripping a teacup; behind him stood the Extreme Killer Five.

Cheon Woo-hwan, the eldest, clasped his hands and praised him repeatedly.

“You’ve done well. Seeing those Taoists trembling like that really puts my mind at ease.”

To the five—members of the Evil factions—the Southern Edge Sect was effectively the enemy, so it was only natural they enjoyed watching.

“It was far too anticlimactic. I knew the Southern Edge Sect hadn’t produced renowned experts for a long time, but I didn’t expect them to be this feeble.”

They hadn’t expected it to end so simply. Though they outnumbered them, the count of true masters was pathetic. They’d wrapped it up out of pity and come down.

Above all, pressing the current Southern Edge Sect further wouldn’t do much for their reputation.

“Perhaps it’s because Mount Hua from the same Shaanxi has kept them down. They clashed with the Evil factions often.”

“That may be true. In any case, it’s nothing to boast about.”

“Still, they weren’t easy marks. You’ve done something remarkable. Soon the world will know the name of the Yin Yang Twin Monster.”

“The murim world is vast and filled with masters; how can one be so arrogant? If you want to live long, that’s the kind of confidence you should guard against.”

“We’ll remember, elder. By the way, when will the Yin Monster arrive, Great Warrior?”

Yu Jinsan sipped his tea and fixed his gaze on the distant sky.

“Looks like she is coming right now.”

Something was rapidly approaching through the air from about twenty feet up. At first it looked like two small dots, then they grew and became clearly visible.

When the Five saw who it was, they couldn’t help but laugh.

“Pfft!”

“Hahaha! I knew that fellow would turn out like that.”

A Taoist, grabbed by the nape by Yu Seol, flailed his limbs in midair and screamed. He was the young Taoist who had cursed and fled while climbing Southern Edge Mountain; his terrified struggles were irresistibly funny.

At his granddaughter’s call, Yu Jinsan waved a hand.

“Here! Come and sit down quickly.”

A moment later Yu Seol alighted lightly like a bird right in front of them.

“I caught him here.”

The young Taoist sank to the ground and sobbed.

Yu Jinsan regarded him with contempt.

“That wretched brat. A kid with no fear, teasing this old man twice? Let me see your face properly.”

Mu Seong, the second disciple of the Southern Edge Sect, was already out of his wits.

Yu Seol grabbed his chin, lifted it, and asked, “Did you do wrong or not?”

“I—I was wrong. Please spare my life.”

“Are you going to insult us and run again?”

“N-no, I won’t do it again! Really!”

He hadn’t even been struck by her yet, but terror had already taken hold. No matter how inexperienced, one couldn’t help but pity him: a Taoist in name, but so cowardly and quick to surrender.

Yu Jinsan clicked his tongue. “You can’t fix someone like this with words. He’ll never change.”

“Then what should we do?”

“In Murim you handle things by Murim methods. If you go easy, they’ll keep crawling back up.”

At that moment Cheon Woo-hwan, who had been watching, approached and spoke cautiously.

“There’s no need for you to dirty your hands with such a lowly fellow. We’ll take him and deal with him.”

Yu Jinsan crossed his arms for a moment and looked at the Taoist, whose face was already smeared with tears and snot.

“How could I ask that. Leave this one be. Everyone go to the inn and grab a bite or something.”

“And you, elder?”

“I don’t really have any plans. There’s someone I need to meet here.”

Yu Seol pointed to her chest with her finger. “Grandpa, what about me?”

“Go along with them. You have money, right?”

It seemed the saved allowance had run out. There was no need to hand over money—the Extreme Killer Five were better off.

“We’ll pay, so Great Warrior, if there’s anything you’d like to eat, just say the word.”

“Really? Anything?”

“Yes, of course!”

Yu Seol brightened and gave a radiant smile. “Hehe. Grandpa, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay. Don’t leave the village.”

“Okay, I will!”

Her steps were buoyant as she followed the Five. Yu Jinsan watched their retreating figures with a pleased smile.

After sitting in silence for a while—

“…P-please spare me.”

It was the young Taoist begging again. Yu Jinsan, annoyed, didn’t even glance and said, “That fellow is really noisy. When did I ever say I would kill you?”

He hadn’t said that. Aside from roughly dragging him here, they’d caused him no harm; he’d frightened himself with his imagination.

“…Th-then will you forgive me?”

“That depends on how your sect handles it.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”

“You’ll know soon enough. For now, shut your mouth. I have some things to consider.”

The person Yu Jinsan was waiting for was the official sent from the Southern Edge Sect. When coming down from Southern Edge Mountain to the village, one must pass this tea stall. Having brought the sect’s second disciple before everyone, someone would certainly come down to fetch him. Now all that remained was to wait.

He closed his eyes briefly and fell into thought, replaying the events at the Southern Edge Sect and pondering his next move.

“Who would’ve thought it would resolve this easily. It must mean we’ve grown stronger. If I had stepped up instead of Seol—could I have fought and beaten that elder master?”

He judged he could likely have contended; even against a Supreme-realm master, his martial art had the edge. In any case, he felt there was no need for his granddaughter to single-handedly take everyone down. The purpose of this rampage in the murim world was to prove that the Yin Monster was the strongest in Murim. Since the common belief was that the Yin Monster was stronger than the Yang Monster, it didn’t matter if he himself toppled easier foes.

In the silence he turned the thought over again and again, waiting for someone…

Yu Jinsan’s expectation proved correct.

Before long, an old Taoist approached using light-footwork. He was Elder Hyun Ho, the man who’d nearly been beaten to death by Yu Seol and still lacked a front tooth because of that day. He had the deepest grudge against them in the Southern Edge Sect.

A short while later he arrived, clasped his hands, and bowed slightly. “I formally greet you. I am Hyun Ho, an elder of the Southern Edge Sect.”

It was uncommon for a proud Justice-faction sect to offer a greeting first to someone of the Evil factions. In the past it might have been met with harsh words, but seeing Hyun Ho’s demeanor, Yu Jinsan’s tone softened.

“We’re acquainted; no need for such formality. Sit down.”

Hyun Ho sat opposite Yu Jinsan and scanned the surroundings. Seeing the Yin Monster not in sight, his rigid expression relaxed; he seemed relieved. Soon his gaze turned to Mu Seong, the Southern Edge Sect’s second-class disciple.

Mu Seong knelt to the left of the Yang Monster and sniffled. Fortunately he had not a scratch.

“Elder…”

To see a disciple of his sect kneel before an Evil Faction warrior was astonishing. Hyun Ho felt uncomfortable but could not show it.

“Can you tell me what my disciple did wrong? I will apologize on his behalf.”

Yu Jinsan lightly grabbed the back of Mu Seong’s neck and shoved him toward Hyun Ho. “Tell him yourself.”

Dropping before Hyun Ho, the boy whimpered. “I-I cursed, Elder…”

“Tell me in detail what you said. Only then can I decide if I can save you.”

After a pause Mu Seong hung his head and answered, “I called them old fogeys. And I had cursed them before as well, but that time…”

Before he could finish, Hyun Ho’s palm moved.

“You whelp! How dare a Taoist studying the tao wag his tongue so frivolously!”

Smacked across the face, Mu Seong cried and begged forgiveness. “Sob… I’m sorry, Elder.”

Hyun Ho sighed deeply, exasperated. His disciples never did anything right. Not only had they set fire to the Yin Yang Twin Monster’s home, they had poured insult on top of the blaze.

“You lot… you’ve picked the wrong target by a long shot.”

Hyun Ho knew better than anyone; he’d been the first to be entangled when the Yin Yang Twin Monster first appeared in the martial world. His head ached trying to figure out how to handle the current situation. Wasn’t Murim a world where strength ruled? From the Southern Edge Sect’s perspective, the Yin Yang Twin Monster was an insurmountable wall.

Soon he spoke in a weary voice. “Our Southern Edge Sect wishes to make peace with the Yin Yang Twin Monster, Great Warriors. If you want anything from us, tell us.”

Calling the Yin Yang Twin Monster “Great Warriors” meant they had set aside all pride. After a moment’s thought, Yu Jinsan nodded magnanimously; this sufficed for him.

“You’ve already gotten what you wanted, so just take that fellow away. I’ll also return whatever that jade token or whatever it is.”

Yu Jinsan produced a rough jade token from his bosom and tossed it with a thud.

Perhaps because he accepted so readily, Hyun Ho looked dumbfounded. After collecting himself, Hyun Ho first sent Mu Seong away.

“You return to the sect first.”

“…Yes, Elder. I understand.”

As Mu Seong withdrew, Hyun Ho clasped his hands once again. “Thank you truly. Among the Evil Faction, the Yang Monster Great Warrior is the most magnanimous.”

“With this, there’s no debt left between us.”

Hyun Ho nodded and lowered his voice. “I agree. But from what I’ve heard from my disciples, the Tang Family and Mount Emei won’t let this pass either. Do you truly intend to go to Sichuan?”

There was no real need for secrecy.

Yu Jinsan nodded without hesitation. “That is so. Among those Murim Alliance members who started the fire were members of the Tang Family and Mount Emei as well.”

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Their true goal was to topple powerful figures of the murim world in the name of the Yin Yang Twin Monster; they simply chose the order now that they had a pretext. From the Southern Edge Sect’s standpoint, what the Yin Yang Twin Monster intended wasn’t important. The sect leader Hyun Jong wanted to minimize the humiliation suffered this time, and Elder Hyun Ho felt the same.

“Then have you heard of a warrior named Tang So-cheon from Sichuan Province?”

Yu Jinsan’s hometown and the place where he had spent most of his life was Shaanxi. He had been to Mount Emei in the past but hadn’t stayed long in Sichuan, so he was less familiar with the situation there.

“I don’t know much about Sichuan’s situation.”

“He is the most outstanding figure in the Tang Family’s history. He reached the Supreme realm ten years ago, and no one knows how strong he might be now.”

Rather than praising the Tang Family, Hyun Ho warned caution. Guessing his intent, Yu Jinsan stifled a smile and asked, “Is that all you have to say?”

After a brief pause Hyun Ho added one more remark. “Beware the technique he unleashes called Full Sky of Flower Rain. It’s said nothing can stop it.”

All the better for them—a strong opponent like that was worth fighting.

Reading his thoughts, Yu Jinsan offered a final, consoling line. “The Southern Edge Sect need not be ashamed of what happened to them. No one will think poorly of them.”

At that, Elder Hyun Ho’s previously dark face brightened somewhat; it was the most comforting thing he could have heard in the situation.