Chapter 8: Return to Jeongdo Muhak-gwan

“So, Sojin-nim. We… burned all of their corpses.”

“Well done. You may go now.”

“Understood!”

A man wearing a yellow hood ran out of the inn.

He seemed to handle the task well.

But I don’t need to know his name.

Sumi refilled my glass.

“…Are you leaving now?”

“I have to.”

There’s no more threat to her.

I’ve pulled out all the weeds, and the righteous sects have entered the village.

Of course, they weren’t just sitting idly.

Over the past week, I have steadily entered the realm of the Yi Moon Yin Yang Divine Art, the first flower of its kind.

It’s really time to go.

Clink-

I took a final sip of the glass and rose from my seat.

“I’m leaving. Take care.”

He spoke those short words of farewell and turned his back.

A girl’s voice echoed behind him.

“Thank you, Sojin-nim!!”

It was a heartfelt voice filled with gratitude.

However, he never looked back.

He simply raised his hand.

A high-pitched voice called out to him.

“If you’re going to try and hold me back, now’s your chance!”

Turning his head to the side, he saw a black-haired woman, her partner in crime, Chiri, smiling.

There was a lot of resentment when she was on Majin’s side, but he didn’t want to see her end up dying.

“It’s fine.”

“And you’ll regret it later?”

“…I’m just happy to be watching from here.”

“That’s so stupid.”

Chiri clicked her tongue but said nothing more.

She was sharp as always.

He stayed there until he disappeared from view, keeping his place.

Endlessly.

Walking a mountain path is dangerous.

You could easily get lost, and you could run into wild animals.

But the greatest danger, as always, is running into people.

Especially those who have control over the mountain — the bandits.

These bandits are the source of fear for travelers passing through the mountains.

Among them, the most notorious, cruel, and powerful bandits are referred to as the Green Forest Seventy-Two Troops (녹림칠십이채).

Needless to say,

I’m one of them!

Bam!

“What are you mumbling to yourself? Don’t raise your hand properly?”

“…Yes, yes! I’m sorry.”

“Is this really all you have?”

“Y-Yes, it is.”

Today was an unlucky day.

A rookie who suddenly barged into the mountain hideout,

He seemed like a young master who had just stepped into the martial world, and I made the mistake of underestimating him.

“At least I’m lucky to still have my head, right?”

When I slightly turned my head,

Near Chaeju, there were dismembered corpses scattered around.

“Do you have any hidden elixirs or something?”

“Shit…?”

The moment he mentioned the elixir, my heart nearly dropped,

But who is he?

Isn’t he Chaeju from the Green Forest, who has been a bandit in these mountains for ten years?

Denial was his specialty.

The members of the East and West branches of the Gyeongban even gave him a pitying look, tossing him a coin when they saw him.

“Grandmaster… I’m just a poor guy from this small mountain who collects tolls. There’s no way I would have an elixir, right?”

It was perfect acting.

Even if a monk from Shaolin, whose insight reaches the heavens, came to see it, they would probably think he was wronged.

“Hmm. Is that so?”

The man nodded as if he understood.

“I’m alive.”

Seeing that he spared a few of his subordinates, there’s hope for me.

I don’t know where this monster of a man came from, but when this rookie walked confidently into the mountain hideout alone, I should have run away.

Didn’t the King of Green Forest say it?

“A lone expert walking in is more dangerous than the elite troops of the martial alliance.”

“But then, what is this?”

The man took out a bamboo tube from his sleeve.

“Huh?”

The bamboo tube, tied with a brown cord, looked very familiar.

“Why… is that here? I put it in the vault…”

“I’ll ask again. Do you have any hidden elixirs or something?”

The man smiled ominously.

“Let’s go in.”

As we passed through the gate, he tucked the letter he was holding into his robe.

“We made it on time.”

The contents written on it were about the Jincheon Squad (陳天隊).

While I had been running around looking for elixirs and recovering, I was running out of time, but I still managed to arrive without being late.

In the vast plaza, which could hold tens of thousands of people, he slowly looked around.

The grand and intricate buildings, though out of place for the times,

Showed that a great deal of effort had been put into constructing this massive structure.

“It’s bigger than I thought.”

Jeongdo Muhak-gwan (正道武學館).

It was a place that trained the righteous sect’s pillar members to oppose the foolish black path and the evil sects, such as the Blood Sect and Demon Sect.

Behind the Muhak-gwan, there were also training halls and dormitories for the students.

It was a time-honored educational institution founded by the second leader of the martial alliance.

Jeongdo Muhak-gwan was the most important place for the late-stage disciples of the so-called prestigious righteous sects spread across the martial world.

It was also an opportunity for the offspring of middle and small sects to build relationships with disciples of the Nine Factions and One Gang (九派一幇) or the Eight Great Families (八大世家), or to catch their attention.

In that sense, Jeongdo Muhak-gwan can be seen not only as an educational institution but also as a social gathering place.

‘All of this is pointless though.’

The novel “The Celestial Sword King Reincarnates in the Body of a Commoner” is an incredibly frustrating read.

Everyone expected exciting scenes, but they couldn’t stand it and gave up halfway.

However, among them…

‘The most annoying part is definitely the beginning.’

It may be different now, though.

He moved his steps deeper into the school.

Whispers filled the air.

As he walked down the corridor of the school, someone spoke up.

“Hey? Isn’t that Cheon Sojin?”

“What? I heard he was missing…”

“How does that guy still show his face…!”

“He’s alive, huh?”

Being the heir of the Guangdong Chen Family (廣東陳家), which is part of one of the Eight Great Families, many people recognized him.

After all, with his remarkable appearance, it would be hard to forget him after seeing him once.

Though it wasn’t very clear, he could hear murmurs from the surrounding people.

As expected, since this was a place where righteous sect members were trained, all the students had the basic training.

“Why did he come back?”

“I heard that guy raped a commoner; what face does he have? He’s a disgrace to the righteous sect!”

After escaping from the cave, Cheon Sojin had spent half a year training under the Sword King’s guidance, becoming more courageous and diligent.

However, he was extremely clumsy.

Rumors are always exaggerated, whether they’re good or bad.

Especially when it’s about the heir of the Eight Great Families; such a provocative topic would only make things worse.

“Do you think someone who will inherit the sect can be this slow? Didn’t the lie get exposed already? Why are you still talking like that?”

“Ah, no? I knew that too. I was just testing if you knew.”

“You barely knew anything.”

The sprouts of trouble must be nipped in the bud.

Even though the truth had been cleared with swift action, some people still sent him unfriendly glances.

They were looks full of suspicion, jealousy, and mockery.

But he didn’t have the time to waste on those scoundrels.

“Then, is it true you were kicked out of the Chen Family?”

“That’s true. For sure. It’s said he even lost to his younger sister, not the Sword Phoenix.”

“Hahahahaha! What a complete idiot…!”

As he glanced over, the guy froze on the spot.

“What? You stopped talking? Why are you sweating now…?”

‘To be tricked by something like this… there’s always someone below standard.’

It was because that guy’s level was especially low.

He continued walking toward the auditorium.

By the time Cheon Sojin returned to Jeongdo Muhak-gwan, the rumors had already grown out of control.

Just the rumors alone made him the Martial World’s Public Enemy (武林公敵).

Though the Jeongdo Muhak-gwan claimed that they couldn’t expel him without solid evidence, the story wasn’t something that would be believed by the young righteous sect hopefuls who were firm in their belief in justice.

In the end, he was falsely accused of attempted rape and was expelled from Jeongdo Muhak-gwan.

Only then did he cry tears of blood and search for the delinquents and street kids, but…

‘It’s too late.’

Everything has its time.

After that, he concealed his true identity and, under the alias of Gwai Hyup (怪俠), he began his own form of justice.

It was fine to practice justice, but at least…

“Hey!”

In front of the auditorium,

A man suddenly blocked my path, sticking his pig-like face right in front of me. There was no one else around.

“Cheon Sojin, where are you going when your brother is calling you?”

The man had a unique look with a cross-shaped scar on his forehead.

‘Cross-shaped scar?’

“Today, I don’t see your female allies around. Where did they go? What happened to them? Hehe…”

“Jin Lin Mu?”

“Yeah, you bastard! This guy even got hurt on his head. Haah!”

Screech!!

It was really a pig-like sound.

The man couldn’t finish his words and was sent flying through the air.

It was a strange sight to see such a massive figure soaring through the sky.

“Ahh!”

It felt refreshing.

Why hadn’t I done this earlier?

Jin Lin Mu, from the Jin Lin Family,

Even though this was a righteous sect, Jeongdo Muhak-gwan was still a miniature version of the martial world.

That meant strength was necessary.

Jin Lin Mu was particularly one of those who had been tormenting the protagonist, so it was good that he got caught.

For beasts, a hawk is the cure.

Planning to administer more punishment, I turned my head, and there, in front of the beautiful woman with black hair, Jin Lin Mu was lying on the ground.

He had been sent flying right in front of her.

“Soje, are you alright? I’m really sorry.”

“I’m fine… Are you Cheon Sojin, the young hero?”

She seemed to recognize me, given that she mentioned my name.

I simply nodded without replying.

She slowly moved her gaze up and down, from my toes to my head.

It felt like she was evaluating me.

“Hmph… Now that I see you, the rumors don’t seem very reliable.”

She was saying something that sounded important, but since I couldn’t immediately think of anyone, she didn’t seem like someone significant.

“Soje, anyway, I’m glad you weren’t hurt. I have business with that person, so would you mind stepping aside?”

Her extremely righteous, proper manner seemed to please me.

“Hehe… Alright. I’ll see you next time.”

She gave a slight smile as she raised the corners of her lips and disappeared.

After finishing with Jin Lin Mu, I arrived in front of the auditorium.

It was a huge auditorium, large enough to hold a thousand people.

It was long.

The reason I returned to Jeongdo Muhak-gwan wasn’t just to obtain the elixir but also to sever ties with old grudges.

“So, does that mean I have to wait for Cheon Sojin to arrive?”

As I was about to open the door, a sharp woman’s voice rang out.

It was the voice I remembered from my past.