Chapter 13 — Fearless Bastards
This was already my second time flying through the air while hanging off Jin Gwang-ung’s shoulder.
I had come to one clear realization.
This old man was a real expert.
Just looking at the movement technique he was using right now made it obvious.
Ever since leaving the Abandoned Martial Hall, Jin Gwang-ung had not slowed down even once. He continued executing his movement art without even breaking his breath while carrying me on his shoulder.
What was especially shocking was the speed.
I had thought it was fast last time, but now it was on a completely different level. The strong headwind made it hard to even keep my eyes open.
While I was being carried like that, a familiar sight finally entered my view.
The main gate tower of Kunlun Sect, with its red dancheong shining brilliantly under the morning sunlight.
‘I’m finally back… to Kunlun.’
In my previous life, when I was living a miserable existence as a test subject for the Shadow Corps, Kunlun was the place I had always longed for in my heart.
Even though I had only stayed here briefly as a lowly Affairs Hall servant, Kunlun was the first place where I had truly breathed in this second life, and the only sanctuary where I had dared to dream of a future.
Perhaps that was why.
Even though I had only been away for a week, my heart was pounding at the sight of Kunlun Sect again.
Just as a feeling of longing slowly seeped into my chest, Jin Gwang-ung’s rough voice pulled me back to reality.
“What are you thinking about so absent-mindedly? We’re here. Get your head straight.”
I had only seen the main gate tower a moment ago, yet we had already entered the main sect grounds.
It had happened in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh—
Just like last time, as soon as we touched the ground, Jin Gwang-ung threw me off his shoulder like a sack of rice.
Last time I had rolled pathetically across the dirt, but I was no longer the same person.
Tap.
I spun lightly once in the air and landed softly on the ground.
Jin Gwang-ung chuckled in amusement when he saw it.
“Ohho, look at this guy. You’ve improved quite a bit while I wasn’t watching.”
“It’s nothing. I owe it to the basic movement techniques my father taught me when I was young.”
“Really? Hmm… I thought you secretly learned some trash techniques behind my back at the Abandoned Martial Hall.”
“W-what are you saying? How could I possibly learn anything from those manuals that even the previous masters gave up on…”
“Well, that’s true. Kle kle kle.”
I inwardly flinched at Jin Gwang-ung’s words.
Did he notice that I had been secretly training in the Abandoned Martial Hall?
But I quickly dismissed the thought.
‘So what if he noticed? There’s no way he’d imagine I learned the manuals from there.’
Even if he caught me training, I could just say it was one of the basic techniques my father taught me.
With that thought, I felt much more at ease.
I asked Jin Gwang-ung with a calm expression.
“Master, I heard the Great Assembly of Elders is in one week. Is there anything I need to prepare?”
“I already told you. You just need to wait quietly until then.”
“Then, since we’ve returned to the sect, what should I do from now on?”
“You can hear that directly from the person who called us back.”
I asked again at his words.
“The person who called us…?”
“The Sect Leader, of course. I need to find out why he suddenly pushed the schedule forward like this.”
“Then when do you plan to meet the Sect Leader?”
“Right now, obviously. You should strike while the iron is hot.”
“Now?”
“Yes. I’ll go meet him myself.”
What? We’re just going straight to him?
Meeting the Sect Leader was that easy?
The Sect Leader was literally the highest authority in the sect. Even elders usually needed a proper appointment to meet him.
Yet Jin Gwang-ung spoke as if he were just going to visit an old man in the back room.
‘This must be why they call him the mad bear of Kunlun.’
I hesitated for a moment before asking.
“…Then, should I come with you?”
Jin Gwang-ung glanced at me and smirked.
“There’s no need for two men to go for something so trivial. I’ll go alone. Just wait here until I return.”
Before I could say anything else, Jin Gwang-ung turned around.
He looked ready to head straight to the Sect Leader.
Just as he was about to walk off, he suddenly stopped and turned back toward me.
He took something out from his robe and tossed it to me.
I reflexively caught it.
‘What is this?’
A small, old, faded wooden plaque rested in my palm.
On the surface of the wooden plaque, faint characters were carved.
[Kunlun Secret Archives (崑崙秘典庫) — Seal of the Secret Archives]
‘…Kunlun Secret Archives Seal?’
It was a name I had never heard before.
It seemed related to the Abandoned Martial Hall somehow…
Just as I was about to sink into thought, Jin Gwang-ung’s creepy chuckle reached my ears.
“Kle kle kle. Why are you staring at it so seriously? That thing in your hand is the Abandoned Martial Hall’s Head Plaque.”
“Head Plaque?”
“That’s right. Even though it’s now nothing more than a worthless storage house that no one cares about, in the past it was called the ‘Kunlun Secret Archives.’ Kle kle, sounds pretty impressive, doesn’t it?”
“Then why are you giving the Head Plaque to me?”
Jin Gwang-ung smirked as he answered.
“Because you’re the one who should have it, obviously. From now on, everything related to the Abandoned Martial Hall is your responsibility. Cleaning, chores, those rotting books — all of it. How does it feel? Rising in status from an Affairs Hall servant to the Head of a ruined hall? Doesn’t it feel like you’re flying through the sky? Kle kle kle.”
“…”
Although he called it a fancy “Head Plaque,” Jin Gwang-ung’s true intention was clearly to dump all the annoying work on me.
Still, a title was a title.
‘Well, it could be useful someday.’
I carefully tucked the wooden plaque into my robe.
Seeing this, Jin Gwang-ung smiled with satisfaction.
“Good. Then, our dear Head of the Ruined Hall, wait nicely until I return. Kle kle kle.”
With those words, Jin Gwang-ung flew off toward somewhere.
Judging by the direction, he was heading to the Sect Leader’s residence, the Sect Leader Hall.
I shook my head.
‘Even if he’s in a hurry, he could at least tell me roughly when he’ll be back.’
Thinking about it, Jin Gwang-ung probably wouldn’t return anytime soon. No matter how high his position as a First Elder was, a private meeting with the Sect Leader would still require time and proper procedure.
‘Since he won’t be back soon, I should stop by the Affairs Hall.’
Fortunately, the Affairs Hall wasn’t far.
I decided to visit my old quarters at the Affairs Hall — both to see Sogwang after so long and to kill some time.
It was still early morning, so the area was quiet.
I walked while savoring the peaceful morning atmosphere of Kunlun that I hadn’t felt in a while.
Before long, the Affairs Hall quarters came into view.
‘Since it’s before the morning duties start, everyone should still be resting inside.’
But my expectation was wrong.
Loud shouting that shattered the surrounding silence came from the Affairs Hall.
“Speak properly! Where did that servant bastard who ambushed me that day run off to?!”
“If you don’t confess honestly, you’ll pay the price in his place!”
The shouts echoing all the way outside the Affairs Hall made me tilt my head.
‘Who the hell are they looking for to cause such a ruckus this early in the morning?’
As I passed through the half-open gate and entered the courtyard, I saw several Kunlun Taoists in gray martial robes pointing fingers and yelling at a group of people.
“Why aren’t you answering?! You damn servants!”
“This won’t do. It looks like we’ll have to break a few bones before they come to their senses.”
The ones being threatened by the Taoists were Sogwang, Wang Dusik, and the rest of the Affairs Hall workers.
Sogwang’s face was deathly pale as he stood there helplessly, while Wang Dusik’s gang and the other servants were prostrated on the ground, trembling in fear.
‘Why are they acting like this?’
My brows furrowed unconsciously.
Wang Dusik’s gang was one thing, but Sogwang wasn’t the type to do anything that would get him in trouble.
Sogwang spoke to the Taoists in a trembling voice.
“P-please believe me. The incident that day at the Martial Training Hall has nothing to do with Mujin.”
Hm? Why is my name suddenly coming up here?
I tilted my head in confusion at the unexpected mention.
At that moment, one of the Taoists standing across from Sogwang roughly grabbed him by the collar.
“How dare you lie to me! I clearly remember being ambushed by that Han Mujin bastard that day!”
“Ugh… N-no, that’s not true. The one who knocked you out back then was someone el—”
“This bastard really needs to see blood before he learns his lesson!”
The Taoist was screaming and threatening Sogwang.
Now that I looked closer, I recognized his face.
‘So it’s that cowardly bastard who got slammed into the wall.’
It was the trashy Taoist who had been in charge of the Martial Training Hall class.
The petty bastard who had tried to ambush me from behind because his pride was hurt, only to get knocked out by Jin Gwang-ung’s strike.
I finally understood what was going on.
That narrow-minded Taoist had mistaken the person who slammed him into the wall for me.
‘He came to the Affairs Hall for revenge against me, and even brought a whole group with him.’
Causing trouble for the Affairs Hall people who had nothing to do with that day?
And these were supposed to be Taoists who followed the Dao?
Fury boiled up inside me.
I shouted at those shameless bastards.
“Take your hands off him while I’m still asking nicely.”
In an instant, everyone in the Affairs Hall turned their eyes toward me at once.
The Taoist who had been grabbing Sogwang by the collar also recognized my face and reacted immediately.
He threw Sogwang to the ground and gave me a twisted smile.
“So you finally showed up, you cowardly servant bastard.”
“Showed up? I’ve been here the whole time. Anyway, you wait your turn.”
“W-what?”
The Taoists looked momentarily flustered, clearly not expecting me to act like this.
I ignored their reactions and strode straight toward my Affairs Hall colleagues.
First, I checked on Sogwang’s condition.
“Sogwang. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“M-Mujin… Why did you come back? Hurry up and run! Quickly!”
Even in this situation, he was worried about me first.
That was exactly why I liked this guy.
I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
“Run? Why would I run? Just wait a bit and don’t worry.”
“Uh… okay…”
After reassuring Sogwang, I looked around.
Wang Dusik was lying on the ground, his face and arms covered in ugly bruises.
‘They used him as a punching bag in my place.’
Although I didn’t particularly like the guy’s usual behavior, seeing him beaten so mercilessly didn’t feel good.
‘So Affairs Hall people can be treated however they want with no consequences?’
Anger and irritation surged inside me at the despicable behavior of these so-called Taoists.
“Why that face? What? Are you upset because your colleague got beaten? Too bad. You’re going to end up in much worse shape than them.”
The cowardly Taoist who had grabbed Sogwang earlier smirked as he spoke.
The other Taoists laughed along, finding it amusing.
“Hey, Myeong-hoon. You must have seen wrong. This servant bastard’s face is pale because he’s scared shitless.”
“How terrified must he be? He might have already pissed himself. Kkuk kuk.”
I silently watched their mockery.
The Taoist named Myeong-hoon, thinking my silence was from fear, grew even more arrogant.
“Today, I’ll properly punish you. Don’t even dream of ambushing me and running away like last time.”
“Don’t worry, Brother Myeong-hoon. If that servant tries to run, we’ll step in right away.”
I couldn’t help but snort at their pathetic display.
Seeing me laugh, the worthless Myeong-hoon raised his voice.
“This bastard must have lost his mind. He should be begging for his life, yet he’s laughing?”
I slowly turned my head toward Myeong-hoon, that son of a bitch.
Then, with a bright smile, I said,
“You see, I’ve spent quite a long time rolling around in some pretty rough places. So my personality has become quite dirty. But meeting fearless idiots like you actually makes me feel good. It lets me unleash all that dirty temper of mine. I feel truly happy.”
“Y-you bastard!”
“This guy’s gone crazy!”
The Taoists looked visibly shaken.
I smiled even brighter at them and said,
“Go ahead, talk all you want while you still can. Soon you won’t even have a mouth left to speak with.”
Myeong-hoon’s face turned bright red with rage.
“You damn Affairs Hall laborer! How dare you bluff—”
There was no need to listen to any more of his nonsense.
Before he could finish, I moved.
Bam!
With a heavy thud, my fist sank deep into his abdomen.
“Ugh!”
Myeong-hoon’s body floated in the air for a moment before slamming hard into the ground.
“…Kuh… Kek…”
Lying on the floor, Myeong-hoon’s eyes rolled back as he kept coughing up blood foam.
I gave him a cold, brief glance.
“M-Myeong-hoon!”
“W-what the…!?”
The Taoists stood there in shock for a moment, their faces a mix of confusion and disbelief.
They couldn’t believe that one of their own had just been taken down by a mere Affairs Hall servant right before their eyes.
I smiled brightly at them once again.
“Don’t even think about running. It’s your turn now.”
The moment I finished speaking, several of them hurriedly stepped back in panic.
For the first time, fear appeared on their faces.
“W-what are you all doing?! Catch that crazy bastard!”
One of the Taoists shouted urgently.
Only then did the stunned group snap out of it and rush toward me.
Watching them charge at me, I broke into the biggest smile I’d had all day.
“This is what I like. Beating the shit out of fearless bastards.”