Chapter 38. Azure Spirit Pill (1)

After rummaging through the Hegemonic Tiger Gang's headquarters with Nam Geon for some time.

Around the time dawn was breaking, we were able to find the warehouse where the money was stored and the collection ledger that was hidden in the Hegemonic Tiger Gang Leader's quarters.

“Hmm. How do I distribute this.”

Dongin was a fairly large village, so there were more than a few people to distribute it to.

I didn't even know exactly where in the village the people listed in the ledger lived.

While I was contemplating this for a moment.

“Hiiiik!”

Someone’s shrill scream was heard from the entrance of the Hegemonic Tiger Gang headquarters.

When I hurried out, a man with a pale face was sitting on the ground, looking at the manor that was littered with corpses and blood.

“Who are you?”

At my question, the frozen man turned his head and looked at Nam Geon and me.

“M-morning business. No, I w-was just passing by, and the sm-smell of blood. P-please spare my life.”

The man was rambling, but I could roughly understand him.

I thought it was for the better.

“We have taken care of the Hegemonic Tiger Gang. Could you please call the residents? We will clean up the bodies and return the wealth that these guys extorted.”

The man's frozen eyes widened like lanterns.

“R-return the wealth? A-are you serious?”

“Is there any reason to lie?”

“Ah……”

The man, who had a somewhat confused expression, pressed down on his frozen legs and stood up.

“Th-then, I'll g-go and get some people.”

“Please do.”

The man staggered away from the Hegemonic Tiger Gang headquarters.

He looked so shaken that I was a little worried if he could properly call the people.

But a short while later, thankfully, the man returned, leading a few villagers.

“Could you please state your name?”

After hearing their names one by one, I checked the ledger and took out the wealth from the warehouse and handed it to them.

“I'm sorry, but could you please move one of the bodies over there on your way out?”

“A-a body?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, I understand.”

While we were cleaning up the Hegemonic Tiger Gang's headquarters in this way.

Perhaps because the people who had received their money first and returned had spread the word, more people started to gather one by one.

Among them was a familiar face.

“Did you sleep well?”

When I acknowledged him, the innkeeper answered with a very tense face.

“Yes. Yes. O-of course.”

It was a somewhat strange answer.

Similarly, after returning the amount written in the ledger to the innkeeper, I made a slightly different request.

“We have been busy since dawn and are a little hungry. By any chance, could you bring us some breakfast? Ah! We will pay for it, so you don't need to worry.”

“Ah, oh my, no! Th-that's absolutely out of the question.”

The innkeeper, having replied so, hurriedly left the Hegemonic Tiger Gang manor.

And after about a quarter of an hour had passed.

The owner returned with his son, who worked in the kitchen, carrying two large trays.

It was a spread that would have made a table's legs buckle if it were all placed on it.

It didn't seem to be just a large quantity.

“I-it's different from yesterday! I-it's so delicious!”

Nam Geon shouted with joy and, with his dark red hands, crazily stuffed the food into his mouth.

Indeed, as the cook's son had said, it seemed the taste had been lacking because they couldn't use proper ingredients.

“Hehehet. It's delicious.”

As Nam Geon smiled, the dried blood on his face melted with the grease from the food and glistened.

“Ha. Hahaha. Th-thank you.”

Perhaps feeling a sense of reward from seeing Nam Geon eat so deliciously, the innkeeper and his son also smiled and replied.

Seeing them so happy that they were trembling all over, I also felt a sense of fulfillment.

***

After returning all the wealth, we spent our time in the Hegemonic Tiger Gang's manor, which had been cleaned up thanks to the active cooperation of the residents.

I felt like I was going to go crazy from frustration.

I wanted to go to another place and execute the evil sect members right away, but for now, I had to wait here for the slave trader.

If I stirred up trouble elsewhere, there was a possibility that the news would reach the slave trader and they wouldn't come.

“Huu.”

After repeatedly training since dawn, I let out a light breath and started walking.

Nam Geon, who was sprawled on the floor as if completely exhausted, asked.

“Bi-Big brother. Where are you going?”

“Time is precious, so I'm thinking of preparing to attack the Black Market.”

“D-do I have to go too?”

“It’s fine. Go to the inn and have some food.”

As soon as my words ended, the boy who had been sprawled out quickly got up.

I wondered if he really liked eating that much.

After parting with Nam Geon, I went to a pharmacy on one side of Dongin.

Recalling a few poison recipes from my memory, I examined the medicinal herbs in the pharmacy.

“Hmm. Three-Stalk Herb, morning glory seeds, aconite. Ah, and please pack some of this as well.”

As I spoke while choosing a few medicinal ingredients, the pharmacy owner replied with a troubled expression.

“Y-young warrior. These are m-medicinal ingredients that can c-cause trouble if you t-take them incorrectly.”

Perhaps because he was a pharmacy owner, he seemed to have some knowledge of poisons.

“I know.”

To reassure him, I smiled kindly and replied.

For some reason, the owner’s face turned pale.

“Wh-where are you planning to use it……. N-nothing! I-I'm sorry. P-please, j-just spare my life.”

It seemed there was some misunderstanding.

I didn't know what the misunderstanding was, but I couldn't explain that it was an insecticide to kill the trash at the Black Market.

I might end up involving innocent people.

So, I gave a suitable reply.

“Don't worry. I have no intention of harming you, owner. And these are for me to eat.”

Half of it was true.

Just as I used poison, there were plenty of evil sect members who also used poison.

I needed to build up my tolerance in advance.

“…….”

I didn't know why the owner was looking at me with a speechless face.

***

After purchasing enough poison from the pharmacy, I went to the forge.

There, I ordered them to make thin iron needles or daggers that could be used as hidden weapons.

Since I didn't know how many pieces of trash would be gathered at the Black Market, the more thorough the preparation, the better.

Well, if time had been pressing, I would have just charged in as I was.

Come to think of it, this method was closer to my way in my life before regression.

Because in my life before regression, I didn't have the special eyes I have now.

Even if I engaged in life-and-death struggles and duels, I couldn't gain any special enlightenment.

My talent was that of a commoner.

On the contrary, thanks to those life-and-death struggles and duels, my skills didn't improve; I just became a semi-cripple.

In any case, I prepared to attack the Black Market, drawing on the experience of my previous life.

What was strange was that whether it was the pharmacy owner or the blacksmith at the forge, they all tried not to accept payment.

- I-it's alright. W-we're just grateful that y-you took care of th-those bad guys from the H-Hegemonic Tiger Gang.

They refused the money until the end, saying things like this.

In fact, the only money I had was what I had taken from the Hegemonic Tiger Gang members.

To be precise, the weapons they had used.

As always, I returned the wealth, but I took some of those iron lumps.

It was a dangerous item to distribute to the residents, and although I wasn't greedy for money, I had to leave at least enough money to buy food.

Above all, I needed at least a minimum amount for food expenses to feed Nam Geon.

Was it because I thought of Nam Geon?

Finally, Nam Geon returned to the Hegemonic Tiger Gang headquarters.

Seeing his glistening face and hands, I was curious as to just how much he had stuffed himself.

“Huh? Big brother, are you eating something?”

The boy's eyes widened as he showed interest in the grass I was chewing.

It seemed that the boy who had just raided the inn had his eyes on food again.

“It's poison.”

“Heek.”

Nam Geon’s widened eyes narrowed.

He said with a suspicious expression.

“Bi-Big brother. Y-you're not lying because you don't want to give me some, are you?”

Nam Geon had finally learned to be suspicious of others.

It was nothing short of a huge development.

I was glad, but I had to clear up the misunderstanding, so I gave a suitable reply.

“If you eat it consistently without dying, you develop a tolerance. Just like the Iron Blood Golden Skin Art you learned.”

“Ah……”

Perhaps because I used the Iron Blood Golden Skin Art as an example, Nam Geon nodded his head vigorously as if he understood.

“I-I don’t want to eat it.”

“Alright. You don’t have to eat it now.”

“Hehet. Th-that's a relief.”

“You can start eating it after you learn the Jade Cloud Divine Art. You’ll be able to push out the poison with your internal energy then.”

If he could achieve an indestructible body with the Iron Blood Golden Skin Art and build up a tolerance to poison to become immune to all poisons, he would be able to grow into a formidable martial artist who would be difficult to kill.

As I replied, thinking of his brilliant future, Nam Geon replied with a gloomy expression.

“I-I don't want to learn the J-Jade Cloud Divine Art anymore.”

***

The five days passed with excruciating slowness.

Still, as I consistently trained and prepared the things needed for the hunt, the scheduled time finally approached.

Looking at the full moon floating large in the sky, we left the Hegemonic Tiger Gang headquarters.

Nam Geon, who was walking with me, looked at my face, bathed in the moonlight, and asked.

“Bi-Big brother. A-are we going to fight?”

“Yes.”

“Th-then why are you smiling, Big brother?”

Oh dear.

It seemed that the thought of releasing the anger I had been suppressing for five days had put me in a good mood without me realizing it.

“It's because of my mysophobia. The thought of cleaning up trash naturally makes me happy.”

“M-mysophobia?”

The boy had a puzzled expression.

It seemed it was the first time he had heard the word ‘mysophobia’.

“There is such a thing.”

After giving a suitable reply, we moved towards Ma'anshan.

After finding the ownerless shrine at the entrance of Ma'anshan, we hid in the nearby bushes and waited for a short while.

Around the time the Hour of the Rat arrived, a carriage approached from the opposite direction with a clatter.

The carriage stopped in front of the shrine, and the coachman got out first. Soon after, two men got out from inside the carriage.

Nam Geon and I also came out of the bushes and approached them.

One of them stepped forward and asked us.

“Hmm. The Hegemonic Tiger Gang Leader didn't come himself?”

I replied to the man who asked with a puzzled look.

“The Hegemonic Tiger Gang Leader is dead. Are you the slave traders?”

The man who had asked me the question looked back at the middle-aged man with a frightened expression.

“I-I'm sorry, Captain. I-it seems things have gotten a little complicated.”

At that, the middle-aged man called Captain took a step forward and asked.

“The Hegemonic Tiger Gang Leader is dead, you say. Then, what happened to the money he had collected?”

An irritated tone. A swaggering attitude.

He acted like a common evil sect member, but I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

“It was returned to its original owners. I'll ask again. Are you the slave traders?”

A feeling I had never once felt in this life.

But a sensation I had experienced several times in my past life washed over me.

“Haa. A damn brat is making things complicated.”

At the moment the Captain, with a scowl, drew his sword.

My gut feeling turned into a certainty.

The fine hairs on my whole body stood on end, and my senses, which had been swallowed by the darkness, expanded.

That man was a master.

A master of a level I had met several times in my past life, but had never once met in this life.

A smile involuntarily formed on my lips.

I could tell instinctively. My eyes were already open.

“You two play with that big guy over there. I'll first cut off the tongue of that short-spoken brat.”

The man called Captain was looking at his subordinates.

Normally, I would have rushed in with a surprise attack at a man who was looking away.

But, I couldn't do that now.

Sreung.

I calmly drew my sword and said to Nam Geon.

“Take care of the other guys. I'll deal with this one.”

The countless real battle experiences from my past life were warning me.

If Nam Geon fought that guy, he would definitely die.

Soon after, the Captain, who had turned his head back towards me, smirked.

“You’re a brat, so you have no discerning eye. Do you think you'll be any different?”

The man, who had let out a sneer, rushed in with a surprise attack.

The shadow of the full moon stretched long, a speed so fast it seemed as if his body had elongated.

Pat!

A single trajectory was embroidered in the air along the shoulder of the Captain who had closed the distance in an instant.

Without a moment's hesitation, I used the Eight Trigrams Flying Stream Steps to avoid that trajectory.

Slice!

Even though I had moved a step ahead, my clothes were cut.

The smile on my lips deepened even more.

Because that eeriness was raising my concentration even further.

In the flow of time that had become much slower, I thrust my sword towards the man’s heart.

The man, while retrieving the sword that had cut my clothes, easily blocked my sword.

Clang!

Even though his posture was more awkward, a strong force was transmitted through the clashing swords.

“Hoh. You said you killed the Hegemonic Tiger Gang Leader, and it seems you have some skill.”

Moreover, the man seemed to have enough leisure in his breathing to even hold a conversation.

“Then, let’s see if you can block this too.”

Soon after, a trajectory was drawn in the air in a straight line from his sword.

I felt an inexplicable eeriness from that trajectory that was piercing through my body.

Giving up the power struggle with him, I threw myself without a moment's hesitation.

I rolled on the ground using the Lazy Donkey Rolls on the Ground technique.

Even while rolling on the ground, my gaze was still fixed on him.

The Captain’s sword, which had cut through the space where I had been standing just a moment ago.

A whitish energy was shimmering on its surface.

Sword qi.

A skill that was a symbol of a swordsman who had reached the realm called the pinnacle.

And the realm of the pinnacle was a realm that I, in my past life, had never once reached in my entire life.

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