I Didn’t Realize, Elder (1)

At first, there were just two.

Ten days later, the count rose to six hens and two ducks.

Lately, the bandits must have suspected something and reinforced their security, making it impossible for him to steal more.

“Hehehe. There’s no need to worry now.”

Yu Jinsan was in high spirits.

He was expanding the chicken coop by weaving bamboo strands together. The laughter never ceased to escape from his lips.

“Grandpa!”

Yu Seol toddled over and pointed with her tiny finger.

Her finger, as small as a peanut, was pointing at a chicken.

“Right. I understand. Let’s go with that.”

Without any hesitation, Yu Jinsan firmly grasped the chicken by its wing.

His granddaughter, Yu Seol, trailed just behind him as they made their way to the kitchen. She stumbled occasionally, but she had significantly improved her walking over time.

Thud!

After chopping the chicken, he made a large incision and drained out the blood. Then he began to pluck its feathers.

It had been a long time since he last ate meat, so his heart was pounding in anticipation.

He plunged the whole chicken into boiling water and added medicinal herbs that he had previously foraged from the mountain.

“If you’re hungry, give it a try. I am hungry~”

“Ungy.”

Her pronunciation wasn’t perfect yet, but she followed as instructed.

As he simmered the chicken and seasoned it with salt, the aroma was simply irresistible. After a little while, the meal was ready.

Yu Jinsan and Yu Seol settled down, facing each other, preparing to dine in the kitchen.

“Now then. Let’s eat.”

As soon as the chicken was sliced into small pieces, Yu Seol’s mouth eagerly opened.

Even though her teeth weren’t fully developed yet, she managed to gnaw on the food. The taste seemed to delight her, as she would flash a brilliant smile and punctuate each bite with enthusiastic clapping.

“Haha. That’s right, eat up.”

Just watching her, Yu Jinsan felt content.

He couldn’t help but beam joyously at the sight of her cheeks slowly puffing up as she stuffed her mouth full of chicken.

Yu Seol continued to stuff her mouth without bothering to swallow, soon reaching the point where she could fit no more in it.

Now it was his turn to eat, since his stomach began to grumble.

Just as he picked up the chicken leg, his mouth started to water.

He was just about to take a bite when…

Crack!

The sound of a pot breaking resonated through the air.

It had to be the pot that he had fastened by a thread within a radius of 20 li.

Someone had trespassed on his land and was edging closer.

‘Those people…’

He felt irritation bubbling up. He had anticipated this, but it was happening at the worst possible time.

“Grandpa will be home soon, so just wait here.”

Yu Seol merely blinked in confusion at his abrupt departure. He needed to leave before she began to cry.

As he sprinted away, the chicken leg still clutched in his hand, he spotted a dozen bandits lurking nearby.

“I warned you not to come. Do you need to see blood spilled before you come to your senses?”

The bandits merely sneered, unmoving.

It was apparent that part of him didn’t believe the threat, so it had no effect.

“Vice Leader, this is the old man.”

A bandit as large as a house stepped forward.

His grim face was covered in a bushy beard, and he brandished an axe threateningly. He was the epitome of what a bandit was supposed to look like.

He frowned, spitting harshly, as if trying to intimidate them.

“Kuaak, spit! It wasn’t enough for you to mark your territory at the base of the mountain, but now you’re stepping on our men?”

Yu Jinsan frowned at this and scrutinized the man.

The aura emanating from the vice leader was different from the other bandits.

His body language suggested he had martial arts training, and he seemed to be measuring Jinsan’s strength.

But that wasn’t enough to make Jinsan nervous.

“Wow, you’re surprisingly ignorant. I don’t have all day, so hurry up.”

However, the confident debtor didn’t easily launch an attack due to the pressure exerted by Yu Jinsan’s force.

“…”

Hungry, Yu Jinsan bit into the chicken leg in his hand.

“This tastes quite good. You all should try it.”

Then, the old man threw the chicken bone at the right shoulder of the vice leader.

The bone was enveloped in qi. Noticing this, the vice leader swiftly tilted his upper body to the left.

As expected, this was a feint for an incoming attack, and Yu Jinsan was already charging in.

But the debtor only noticed the surprise attack when the old man’s fist hit his face. It all happened so quickly that it was impossible for him to avoid it.

Puak!

“Kuak!”

It seemed like a light hit, but the debtor’s head swiveled as if his neck would snap.

His lips cracked, and his nose bled. The spectating bandits were shocked.

Yu Jinsan thought the bandits would lose their will to fight and surrender, but unexpectedly, the vice leader, who had been momentarily stunned, was now swinging the axe in his hand.

Chak!

If he wouldn’t do anything about it, the axe was bound to hit them both.

Yu Jinsan’s left hand moved towards the approaching axe and grabbed it while simultaneously raising his right palm towards the opponent’s chin.

Yu family’s Heaven and Earth Palm, first form, Traceless Destruction.

Kwang!

The man with a body as huge as a mountain slowly collapsed.

His tree trunk-like knees hit the ground, and his eyes lost focus as if he would faint.

“You planned on invading this land, didn’t you?“

Yu Jinsan glared at the remaining bandits.

Even though they were nervous, they seemed to have faith in their numerical advantage.

“… Be scared! You really are a crazy old man!”

The bandits and Yu Jinsan clashed and tussled.

He couldn’t make the fight last for too long because his granddaughter was waiting in the kitchen.

And the bandits, when faced with his full might, had no chance of holding out.

Puak!

“Kuak!”

With every dull thud, one bandit after another fell.

At best, they were merely third-rate warriors. So, the fight did not last long.

Regardless of their numbers, the bandits facing Yu Jinsan were nothing more than ragtag.

In less than 30 minutes, only one bandit was left standing.

“… I-I beg your pardon, Elder.”

It seemed they had given up their will to fight. And this came as a surprise to Yu Jinsan.

“Didn’t you earlier claim that I was a crazy old man? Now that I think about it, you’re the one I bumped into not long ago.”

He was a bandit whom he had already sternly scolded, and he seemed to want to put an end to it.

“I-it wasn’t me who said that. I was merely offering guidance.”

Yu Jinsan was about to retort, but then his hands began to tremble.

“Kuak!”

His features darkened.

‘I-I was wondering why this hadn’t happened yet…’

The pain in his brain had started.

The lone bandit, observing the scene, was taken aback. The old man who was standing up just a moment ago suddenly collapsed onto the ground and began to convulse. Couldn’t this strong elder even scream out in the end?

“K-Kuaaak!”

He didn’t know what was happening, but it seemed like a golden opportunity.

The bandit’s foot delivered a kick right into Yu Jinsan’s stomach.

Puak! Pak!

“Die!”

The elder, who had fallen to the floor and groaned, continued to writhe, curled up like a shrimp.

He was able to endure the bandit’s kick. It was negligible compared to the thunderous pain he was already experiencing.

But what worried him even more was his granddaughter, who was alone in the kitchen.

The situation continued.

To make matters worse, the fallen bandits started getting back up one after the other and slowly rejoining the fight.

“How dare this man insult the Black Mountain Blade bandits?”

“Kill him!”

Puak! Puak!

“Kuaaak!”

Yu Jinsan was struggling to resist.

His trembling hand pulled out a pill from a pocket. It was the medication meant to alleviate the pain of his condition.

Suddenly, someone raised their hand and shouted.

“Everyone, be still!”

He ripped the pill from Yu Jinsan’s grasp, voicing his shock.

“What is this? Did you even have medication? You must be really out of your mind.”

This pill was a rare herb that only grew in the mountains. It temporarily halted the body’s nerves, was known to be addictive, and was banned nationwide.

The bandit, who snatched the pill and tossed it aside, asked,

“So, what now? Does he just die like this?”

At that moment, the vice leader, who had fainted, finally regained consciousness and said,

“We’re taking him alive.”

The vice leader’s blade struck the back of Yu Jin’s neck.

Puak!

Yu Jinsan, eyes wide open, collapsed into unconsciousness.

The leader of the Black Mountain Blade sat on his leopard-skin chair, his hands clasped together.

His face carried a grave expression.

“You… have you been beaten again?”

“He’s a retired warrior. If he hadn’t suddenly fallen ill, we would have been annihilated.”

Who was this man? Allegedly, he had beaten the vice leader of the bandits without even putting up a fight. The leader found it hard to believe.

“I guess we’ve made a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“We killed a Taoist from Wudang, so they’re bound to seek revenge soon. How long do you think we can survive on our own? We need help from anyone who are willing.”

“There’s no reason for that old man to assist us at all.”

The leader felt desperate.

How could he have guessed that his neighbor, living in seclusion within the same mountain, was such a formidable warrior?

“Still, I think we should give it a try. I need to meet him in person.”

“But we may have already gone too far for that.”

“How so?”

“…a while back, my men beat that old man like a dog and tied him up. The moment we release him, he may try to kill us all.”

The leader touched his forehead with his right hand as if he were suffering from a headache.

Even if they served him with the utmost sincerity, he didn’t know if he would help them or create a scene, so it was as if they were gambling with their luck.

But wouldn’t it be worthwhile if they managed to win him over?

“Guide me there first.”

Yu Jinsan quickly opened his eyes and looked around.

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

He felt extremely concerned about his granddaughter, who was alone in the kitchen. His body was in pain, but he did not take notice of it.

“O-Our baby…”

He was held captive in some sort of iron cage.

Moreover, chains were wrapped around both of his hands. It was the worst possible scenario.

At that moment, he saw a bandit who was standing guard and asked,

“Look now! How long has it been since we came here?“

“Is he awake? It must have been around an hour?”

“Let me out! There is a place I need to be!”

“If we intended to let you go, we wouldn’t have caught you in the first place. If you want a swift death, just shut up and sit still.”

Yu Jinsan tried to pull the chain apart, but it wouldn’t budge.

It didn’t seem like an ordinary chain.

‘What should I do now…’

It appeared that the thick iron bars could only be cut by using a tool that releases qi. But all he could see around him was straw.

He was racking his brain for a solution.

Then, the door opened, and someone entered.

Kuak!

A middle-aged man with a sharp look resembling a leopard entered. He was the leader of the Black Mountain Blade bandits, and he stood there with a grim expression, his hands clasped.

“L-Leader, what’s going on?“

The other bandits looked shocked.

Chak!

“You bastard, don’t you have any respect? How can you imprison an elderly man like this?”

“…Uh?”

The bandits who were standing guard felt accused. What crime did they commit?

“Since when have we, the bandits, ever acted without humanity or righteousness? Arrest all the people who hit the elderly man! Kill those bastards right now…”

The leader, who had been enraged, changed his expression and approached Yu Jinsan.

The old man was shocked.

“…?”

“I am truly sorry. If I had known there was an elderly person in the mountain, I would have gone and greeted him in advance, but my men seem to have made mistakes because of the tough times.”

“I understand, so please release me first.”

Yu Jinsan’s priority was to return to his residence. He didn’t care about anything else.

However, there was a hint of anxiety remaining in the eyes of the leader.

As the vice leader said, it was clear that he was a warrior whom his men couldn’t merely glance at. The subtle qi emanating from his body felt so overwhelming to encounter.

If they released him carelessly and he fought back, then they would take huge damage. So first, he decided to observe the old man’s reaction.

“Yes, of course, we should! Let me open the cage first. We need a key for the chain on your wrist, so please wait for a while.”

“Please hurry.”

The leader began to cautiously open the cage door while observing the old man.

“Please stop your qi from raging.”

Creak.

The door, which had imprisoned Yu Jinsan, began to slowly open.