You Cannot Go Without My Permission (3)

“Even so, I found it quite suspicious because there had been no movement in the Justice Faction these days. I never would have guessed they were plotting something as insane as this behind the scenes.”

Baek Sang, the Sect Leader of the Black Rabbit Sect, was sitting in a chair, his chin resting on one hand to the side, appearing to be deep in thought. This was because the contents of the letter were shocking.

It was the first thing he had learned about the Justice Faction’s plan to destroy the Evil Faction.

“I don’t understand. What does the Justice Faction hope to achieve by doing this?”

“How can we know their intentions? In any case, if the Evil Faction collapses like this, the next target would be the neutral forces.”

Baek Sang couldn’t respond to that. How had he not realized it before? The assassination groups were normally torn between the two sides.

If the Evil Faction, which had been the only one keeping the Justice Faction in check after the fall of the Demonic Cult, were to disappear now, they wouldn’t be safe.

“And what do you want?”

“Please make sure the Mount Hua Sect comes to Ho County on the day of the war.”

“The Mount Hua Sect, huh…?”

It was a formidable sect, at the top of the Nine Great Sects. No matter how skilled they were as assassins, the thought of facing Mount Hua was daunting.

There would be no chance of winning a head-to-head war against them, but it was a different story if they just needed to buy time.

Yu Jinsan hinted at a plan he had already considered.

“For Mount Hua to come to Ho County, one must pass through Yang Long Forest.”

Yang Long Forest, a dense bamboo forest that didn’t even allow sunlight to penetrate, was a perfect place for hunters to lay an ambush.

The plan was to ambush there and hinder Mount Hua’s movement.

“If we manage to hold back Mount Hua there, will you be able to stop the rest in Ho County?”

“Then, there is a slight chance.”

Baek Sang nodded as he took a seat in the chair.

Deep in thought, he found himself unable to make a decision.

“Go back first. I’ll think about it carefully and send a message directly to the clan.”

That was enough. The choice was his, but what decision he would make was almost a foregone conclusion.

Yu Jinsan had no desire to linger, so he turned to leave, eager to escape the assassin’s chilling gaze.

“Let’s go back quickly.”

He grasped his granddaughter’s hand and hastened their departure.

As they left the pavilion, Yu Seol slouched her shoulders and patted her belly.

“Grandpa, I’m hungry.”

Reflecting on it, he realized they hadn’t eaten since they set out that morning. Given her growing body, hunger was inevitable.

“Hmm. Grandpa knows a good guesthouse nearby. They serve the most delicious noodles in Shaanxi.”

“Hehe, really?”

“Yes~ Let’s go eat there.”

With their destination decided, they made their way without further delay.

They reached Baekyang County at dusk, a village that was their destination.

Ordinary Murim people seldom use footwork in a village unless necessary. Attracting unwanted attention usually does more harm than good.

The two paused their gawking and proceeded down the main street.

“Was that man older than Grandpa?”

Yu Jinsan pondered Seol’s question and understood her curiosity.

He had, after all, just bowed to the Sect Leader of the Black Rabbit Sect.

“He’s younger than me. But age doesn’t matter much in Murim.”

“Why?”

“Respect is determined by martial arts skill, fame, and rank. He’s more skilled in martial arts than I am and has a higher reputation, so he commands respect.”

Yu Seol rubbed her chin, lost in thought.

After a moment, she looked up at him with a subtle inquiry.

“Then what is Seol’s rank?”

“Our Seol is a member of the family who inherited the Yu family legacy. Since you are the head of the family now, you need to be confident all the time. You must never bow your head to anyone.”

Did that make her feel better? Yu Seol looked happy.

“Hehe. And what else?”

“Hmm. It is absurd, but your fame is already growing… and there are no opponents who can compete in terms of skill… If you think about it, there is no need to bow your head unless you are facing a Sect Leader.”

“Is that so?”

Suddenly, his granddaughter’s small shoulders tensed.

He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw her trying to stand tall and proud.

Yu Jinsan laughed for a while and then stretched out his finger.

“We’ve arrived. It’s right there.”

“Wow~ so huge.”

The place where Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter had arrived was a two-story guesthouse.

There was a sign hanging at the entrance that read, ‘Laugh Out Guesthouse,’ and inside, it was filled with bustling guests.

“Come on, let’s go and eat.”

Yu Jinsan pulled her hand, but Yu Seol didn’t follow and hesitated at the entrance. She looked around as if trying to remember something and mumbled with a blank face.

“Grandpa, I think I’ve been here before.”

Yu Jinsan’s eyes widened as he looked at his granddaughter.

“I’m surprised you remember. It’s a place you went to when you were about 2-3 years old.”

Could it be because of her special constitution? Her memory seemed extraordinary.

It was a guesthouse where the two of them had a meal with Hyun Hee, the commander of the Black Mountain Blade. Moreover, because it was the place where he first saw the Sword Queen, it remained strongly in Yu Jinsan’s memory.

“I miss Hyun Hee Unnie.”

A bandit from the Wudang Sect whom Yu Seol was fond of in her childhood. He couldn’t hide his surprise when she mentioned her name.

“We will definitely meet her again. Let’s go in now.”

As he went inside, the smell of delicious food entered his nose. Like an excited puppy before a snack, Yu Seol also sniffed.

While his granddaughter’s eyes were fixed on the dishes on the table, Yu Jinsan scanned the customers.

Was it because the guesthouse was rumored to be a frequent spot for the Sword Queen? As if it were a popular tourist spot, the proportion of martial artists among the guests was very high.

‘Were there always this many warriors here? It doesn’t matter. No more running away. If anyone interferes with my child eating, I will break their backs.’

He was no longer the hopeless man who carried an infant. Moreover, how could he face his granddaughter’s temper if they just left without eating?

As the server approached, Yu Jinsan silently took out a few silvers from his pouch and showed them to him. He did this because he didn’t want to bother with explanations.

In this world, even a young child could be treated like a king if he had enough money. The server bowed down and called out to the kids, who looked about 8 years old.

“Welcome! I will guide you. Come this way.”

Yu Jinsan sat down proudly and ordered the special dish from the guesthouse he had previously considered.

“Two bowls of meat noodles and special noodles. And please bring me a glass of milk.”

The child’s manner of speaking was peculiar, like that of an old man, but the server maintained his composure. Perhaps this was because they were very cautious in a place crowded with martial artists.

“Yes, I will bring them immediately.”

Yu Jinsan rested his left arm on the table and looked around, as was his habit.

A variety of warriors had gathered in small groups and occupied the place. There were people of mixed affiliations together, and it was no problem.

The Justice Faction and Evil Faction sat together without the need to draw their swords.

There were rules in Kangho, and one rule was to avoid any unnecessary fights in crowded marketplaces.

The least required behavior to maintain order was to ensure that the Murim warriors and the officials didn’t step into each other’s lands.

If someone seriously undermines the order of the world, they become a public enemy of the martial world and are also pursued by the officials.

“Hungry…”

Yu Seol was already drooling. Yu Jinsan spoke as if admonishing his granddaughter, who was fidgeting like a puppy that wanted to poop.

“It will soon be served. Just wait a little while now.”

“…Yes.”

After a while, she clutched her chopsticks and waited for the food to arrive.

“Looks delicious!”

“Go ahead and try it then. It was your favorite when you were young.”

Her body automatically responded as if she remembered the taste.

Her chopsticks moved swiftly. Yu Seol put her face into the bowl as if she had been waiting, and then began to eat hungrily.

He couldn’t help but smile when he saw her puff up her mouth full of noodles.

“Tasty! Grandpa, eat!”

“Eat slowly now. Be calm.”

Yu Jinsan looked at her eating and felt full. He was already smiling as he began to take a bite of his noodles slowly.

When he moved his chopsticks three to four times, he stopped because he noticed someone approaching.

The person had a scar running from the ear to the cheek and wore a red headband, with a sword at his waist, and a bottle of alcohol in hand.

A man who seemed to be a warrior of the Evil Faction came to the side and then bowed.

“…?”

He said nothing and just continued to look at Yu Seol. It looked like he was waiting for her to finish drinking the broth.

After a while, Yu Seol, whose stomach was full, wiped her mouth, satisfied.

“Pwaaa. I ate well.”

Yu Seol looked up, showing interest in the person who had finally approached.

The grim-looking middle-aged man was blushing with embarrassment.

He carefully looked and asked.

“B-By any chance, the Yin Yang Twin Monsters?”

The mention of the Yin Yang Twin Monsters suddenly changed the entire atmosphere of the place.

The heads of the martial artists, who were sitting in groups, turned in unison.

The guesthouse, which had been noisy just moments before, became quiet.

“…”

An inexplicable tension filled the air.

As Yu Jinsan tried to grasp the situation, Yu Seol, driven by curiosity, reacted first.

Did she suddenly take on a haughty and proud demeanor? And her eyes now held arrogance. Was it because she remembered what her grandpa had said a few minutes ago?

“Right. I am the Yin Monster.”

Yu Jinsan was dumbfounded by her odd admission and sighed as he turned to the side.

Her declaration caused chaos in the room. At that moment, a warrior holding an alcohol bottle bowed his head.

“After hearing about your reputation, I really wanted to meet you at least once. Would it be alright for you to drink with me?”

“I don’t drink.”

“Ah…”

Perhaps because the situation had turned awkward, Yu Seol quietly extended her left hand toward the table.

At that moment, everyone’s eyes widened, and they trembled. This was because the milk in the bamboo container was sucked into the air as if it were flowing backward.

It was known that handling liquid wasn’t easy; it was tougher than moving solid objects.

The stream of milk, which had coiled in the air, descended towards the empty glass on the table.

“Try this. It is delicious.”

As soon as she spoke, the glass of milk floated towards the man.

He suddenly grabbed it and gulped it down in one go.

At that moment, the room burst into applause.

It was not enough that they had attacked the Southern Edge Sect right in front of them, but now they were also called by a title that surprised the Murim Alliance?

The story of their bravery was an inspiration to the people of the Evil Faction, who loathed the Murim Alliance.

“Woah! Truly the best!”

“These are the new heroes of the Evil Faction! Right?”

“Right!”

Yu Seol shrugged her shoulders as if she were proud.

At the moment when the Evil Faction people were cheering, Yu Jinsan watched a group of people leave the guesthouse. They must have been warriors of the Justice Faction.

The atmosphere was odd, but he couldn’t afford to worry about that.

He saw the current situation as an opportunity rather than a crisis. Making up his mind, he stood up and climbed onto a chair so that everyone could see him.

“I have something important to say to you all!”

Although he had a small body and the voice of a child, no one questioned him.

All the warriors of the Evil Faction fell silent to listen to him.

“In the coming five days, the Justice Faction will carry out an operation to destroy the Evil Faction!”

Everyone was confused by this.

“What on earth do you mean?”

“Destroy? What nonsense is this?”

“Is this a joke…”

Yu Jinsan took a moment to catch his breath and glanced around with a serious look.

Shaanxi province’s Evil Faction forces were all around Ho County, but there were many more present.

Small and medium-sized sects that weren’t directly affiliated with the Evil Way Alliance. They all had a strong nature and never moved with other sects, but they would face the same fate.

His intention was to unite them, starting with those present.

“From now on, everyone, listen carefully to me!”

There was no longer any reason to keep this secret.

As the surroundings turned quiet once more, Yu Jinsan continued to explain the current situation.