Chapter 55. First Foray into Murim (2)

After looking at the dozen or so kneeling residents with a troubled expression for a moment.

Yeongcheon asked the village chief.

“Elder. What do you mean, save you?”

“There are people who exploit and torment us every day, Taoist master.”

As soon as the village chief's words ended, the people who came with him all chimed in at once.

“On the first day of every month, they take our wealth, saying they are protecting us.”

“They even forcibly lend us money and then collect interest.”

“That interest is so high that it eventually becomes larger than the principal we first borrowed.”

It felt like his spirit would be drained as several people shouted at the same time.

“If we don't pay back the money, they forcibly take the things in our houses, and if we try to stop them, they even hit us.”

When one man who claimed to have been wronged took off his shirt, small bruises were visible on his chest and forearms.

As if stimulated by that man, a few others also took off their clothes to show their bruised or injured marks.

At this, Nam Geon burst out in anger with his halting speech.

“B-bad guys!”

Yeongcheon also nodded his head in agreement.

“They are truly vicious people!”

“Y-yes, that's right. S-so, by any chance, could we see the chivalrous warrior Ghost Sword Young Master?”

“We heard that the chivalrous warrior Ghost Sword Young Master kills all the bad guys for the sake of pitiful people like us……”

Yeongcheon made a troubled expression.

After thinking for a moment, Yeongcheon stealthily moved and whispered in Nam Geon's ear.

“Little brother.”

“Eek. Th-that tickles.”

“Please bear with it for a moment. Since Jin little brother is injured, how about we resolve this matter ourselves?”

Nam Geon's eyes widened as he fidgeted from the tickling.

“R-right. B-big bro needs to rest. We-we'll solve this.”

At Nam Geon's answer, the village chief said with a troubled expression.

“Th-those people have learned martial arts, but a-are you two really going to be okay?”

“I-I'm pretty good at fighting. T-Taoist big bro also fights well.”

“Ahem. It's unsightly to boast of one's skills, but I'm probably not that much lacking compared to Jin little brother.”

As he too was a first-rate master, he was confident that he wasn't much lacking compared to Jin Yuseong.

At their answers, the village chief hurriedly bowed and shouted.

“Aigoo, I apologize. I misspoke. I did not mean to disrespect the chivalrous warrior Vajra Dongin and the Taoist master.”

“Hahaha. It's alright. Anyway, could you tell us more about those vicious people?”

At Yeongcheon's question, the residents opened their mouths all at once.

“If you go west from here, there is a low mountain. Halfway up that mountain, you will find a manor with a plaque that says Confucian Manor.”

“The master of that place, a man named Yu Cheol, is an extremely vicious person.”

“That mountain over there was originally land where the villagers gathered medicinal herbs and farmed.”

“But those guys suddenly came and claimed it was theirs, and now they use violence and extort money just for entering.”

“Hmph. To insist that ownerless land is theirs. They are truly ridiculous people. It seems a stern lecture is in order.”

When Yeongcheon answered with a very angry face, the village chief and residents cautiously spoke while reading his expression.

“Aigoo. Thank you, Taoist master. But, do you think such atrocious people will change just by hearing a lecture?”

“That's right. They will surely take revenge on us as soon as you leave, Taoist master.”

Nam Geon also nodded his head as if in agreement.

“R-right. Big bro said so too. H-he said you shouldn't go easy on bad guys.”

After pondering their reactions for a moment, Yeongcheon seemed to have made a decision and chanted a Taoist title.

“Oh, Primeval Lord of Heaven. Very well. As you all have said, they may dream of revenge, so I will not end it with just a lecture. I will cripple their martial arts so that they cannot take revenge.”

Yeongcheon recalled the conversation he had with Jin Yuseong.

The story about why one would forgive sins on their own accord when there were separate victims.

Yeongcheon also agreed with that to some extent.

But he didn't want to kill them indiscriminately like Jin Yuseong.

So the compromise he came up with was this.

In fact, this was also the reason why Yeongcheon had tried to keep this matter a secret from Jin Yuseong.

In addition to wanting the injured Jin Yuseong to rest, he was afraid that if that little brother stepped forward, he would kill them all.

At Yeongcheon's answer, a look of disappointment momentarily appeared on the faces of the villagers and the village chief. As if crippling their martial arts was not enough to satisfy them.

They exchanged glances with each other and then forced a bright expression and opened their mouths.

“Th-then we will guide you to that Confucian Manor.”

“If the fight gets bigger, you all could get caught up in it. It's dangerous, so please wait here.”

“Aigoo. B-but you are going for our sake, how can we just hide behind and wait?”

“R-right. We-we will go with you, Taoist master!”

At the proactive attitude of the residents who seemed to know morality, Yeongcheon accepted their request.

“Then please guide us.”

“Thank you, Taoist master!”

“Then we will go and get what we need.”

The residents got up one by one and scattered throughout the village to get something.

Only the village chief remained, leading Yeongcheon and Nam Geon and slowly walking towards the outskirts of the village.

Yeongcheon and Nam Geon followed behind the village chief, talking amongst themselves.

“G-going to punish the bad guys!”

“Calm down, Nam little brother. We are not killing them, we just have to make it so they can't take revenge on these people.”

“Ah. Um……. C-can I cut off their arms or legs, Taoist big bro? I-I'm not good at controlling my strength.”

“……Ahem. L-little brother, you have Blade and Sword Immunity, so i-instead of swinging your sword, just break their weapons.”

In the meantime, the residents who had left one by one returned.

Each carrying things like bats or sickles.

The number had even increased from those who had initially asked for help, and now dozens had joined.

It seemed that most of the adult men living in this small village had joined.

“Thank you, Taoist master!”

“We will never forget this kindness for the rest of our lives!”

They also seemed to have had experiences with Confucian Manor, as they all offered their thanks.

***

They, who had set off when the sky was scarlet, arrived at the middle of the mountain only after the sun had completely set.

Whether they had sensed their approach, the gate of the manor opened and five men appeared.

The men who came out of the gate holding torches all drew their weapons and shouted.

Clang!

“We definitely warned you! Not to enter the mountain!”

“But you ignored the warning and came at this late hour!”

At their menacing aura, the residents all shouted at once.

“L-look at that, Taoist master!”

“Th-those are the ones who have been forcibly taking our wealth and tormenting us! Chivalrous warrior Vajra Dongin!”

“Even now, the place where I was hit by those guys aches whenever it rains. Aigoo.”

The shouts of dozens of people resounded simultaneously on the dark mountain.

At the same time, the faces of those who came out of Confucian Manor turned beet red.

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting!!”

“Why would we take your money!!”

“How dare you frame us! Do you want to die!!”

At their shouts, the residents even knelt on the ground, and some even shed tears.

“Aigoo, Taoist master! You mustn't be deceived!”

“They are the kind of people who beat someone to this state and then pretend not to know!”

“Do you think we would have come to you for no reason, Taoist master!”

“Please save us, Taoist master!”

At the cries of the pitiful common people, Yeongcheon gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

“You are truly vicious! It wasn't enough to torment innocent people, now you even lie.”

Nam Geon was also with him.

“L-lying is bad! U-uncles, you did another bad thing!”

Among those who came out of Confucian Manor, the middle-aged man in the center shrieked.

“When did we ever lie!!”

Whether it was because the torchlight reflected off his face, or because he had shouted until his throat was hoarse, the man's face looked beet red.

In Yeongcheon's eyes, that face looked truly heinous and cunning.

To torment so many people and now act as if they knew nothing.

“You truly are people who won't be helped by just a lecture!!”

Enraged by their shameless attitude, Yeongcheon drew his sword.

“Today, I will deliver punishment to you on behalf of heaven!”

“Who do you think you are to act on behalf of heaven! Now I see you were a heretic Taoist!”

“What?!”

It wasn't enough that they persecuted and plundered the common people, they even lied. Now they had insulted him as well.

Even for a Taoist, it was impossible to endure any more than this.

“If you don't want to die, stay still!!”

Yeongcheon shouted words that were not quite a threat and rushed towards the men of Confucian Manor.

At Yeongcheon's faster-than-expected speed, the man in the center hastily swung his sword to meet him.

Clang!!

Right after their swords clashed, the man in the center, who was pushed back in the power struggle, took a step back.

At the same time, the four men of Confucian Manor nearby hastily shouted and moved.

“Father!”

“Master!!”

While Yeongcheon blocked or deflected the coordinated attack of the four with a concise sword art.

“P-punish the bad guys!”

Nam Geon, who had joined in at some point, was swinging his fists at them.

Clang!

As Nam Geon's fists and the men's weapons clashed, the sound of metal rang out.

Crack!!

Even one of the swords broke.

“Wh-what is this?”

While the man whose sword had broken had a bewildered expression, Nam Geon swung his arms and legs here and there, aiming for the men's weapons.

He didn't even use the Mother's Affection Sword and aimed only at the enemies' weapons with his bare body. It was Nam Geon's own effort not to kill them.

While Nam Geon tied up the four men, Yeongcheon was pushing back the man called the master.

Seeing Yeongcheon and Nam Geon overwhelming the men of Confucian Manor, the residents who were watching the fight also started to move one by one.

Some approached that direction as if to help Yeongcheon and Nam Geon, and some, for some reason, were stealthily walking towards the Confucian Manor wall.

Clang!

Once again, the swords of Yeongcheon and the Confucian Manor master clashed, and the Confucian Manor master's posture crumbled.

Thwack!

As Yeongcheon's left palm struck the Confucian Manor master's abdomen, blood trickled from the corner of the Confucian Manor master's mouth.

“Keuk.”

The Confucian Manor master, who knelt on one knee, let out a groan, and at the moment Yeongcheon was about to swing his sword again to completely subdue him.

A shadow shot out from among the approaching residents and blocked Yeongcheon's sword.

Clang!

Soon, the two swords clashed, and a clear sound rang out, and Nam Geon's surprised shout burst out.

“B-big bro!?”

The one who had suddenly intervened between them was Jin Yuseong, dressed in black.

Yeongcheon was just as bewildered, so he hastily took a step back and asked.

“L-little brother, what are you doing here?”

At their reactions, Jin Yuseong let out a light sigh.

“Hoo. There was such a commotion outside, did you really think I wouldn't know? More importantly, I'm glad I'm not late.”

Jin Yuseong's words that he wasn't late.

“Ah!”

Whether he had realized something, Nam Geon said with a pale face.

“D-did you come to kill them all, big bro?”

As soon as Nam Geon's words ended, the residents who had been staring blankly at the situation belatedly burst into cheers.

“Th-the chivalrous warrior Ghost Sword Young Master has also come!”

“Waaaaah!!!”

Conversely, the faces of the Confucian Manor men were completely distorted. They were already being pushed back, and now that another person who looked like a master had appeared, it was just bleak.

In that atmosphere, Jin Yuseong suddenly turned his head and asked the internally injured Confucian Manor master.

“Master of Confucian Manor. Does your wife usually wear a Golden Phoenix Jade Half-finger Ring?”

“How do you know that!?”

The Confucian Manor master asked back with a startled face.

A ring with a phoenix pattern engraved in gold on the outside of a jade half-ring.

It was strange that a guy he was seeing for the first time today knew about the existence of that unique ring.

Soon, the Confucian Manor master shouted with a face full of anger.

“Now I see, you're the one that guy sent!!”

At the Confucian Manor master's baseless accusation, Jin Yuseong turned his head.

One of the residents who had approached close by.

Looking at the old man who had identified himself as the village chief, he opened his mouth again.

“The village chief's wife said so. That after all the people of Confucian Manor are dead, that Golden Phoenix Jade Half-finger Ring will be her share.”

“……”

While everyone was making a puzzled expression, wondering what kind of nonsense this was.

A young girl's shout came from beyond the darkness.

“Taoist master!! Older brother Nam Geon!! You are being deceived!! The villagers are lying!!”

It was the shout of Baek Hyang, who had come to the mountain with Jin Yuseong.

While everyone was bewildered by the series of strange situations.

Jin Yuseong looked at Yeongcheon and said.

“Still don't you get it? The people blinded by wealth deceived and used the Taoist and Nam Geon with lies.”

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