Chapter 55 – Welcoming Uninvited Guests (4)

Chapter 55 – Welcoming Uninvited Guests (4)

The streets of Hanzhong were buzzing once again. This was because about a hundred Evil Dragon Corps soldiers had reappeared, fully armed in helmets and armor, with their swords drawn. Their armor was stained with blood from whatever they had done. Because of their gruesome appearance, no one dared approach them.

"Out of the way! The Privy Councilor is passing through!"

"Approach, and you die!"

Near the rear of the column, a carriage rolled forward. A heavy, suffocating pressure radiated faintly from the carriage, making the onlookers tense. The watching citizens whispered in hushed tones.

"Those pieces of trash, they are finally leaving Hanzhong."

"Sigh. I hope our General didn't suffer any harm."

"Ugh, never come back."

Soon, the column of the Evil Dragon Corps passed through the gates of Hanzhong.

They marched northward without looking back. After traveling for a long while until Hanzhong Fortress vanished from sight, a forest appeared along the foot of a mountain. The largest soldier in the Evil Dragon Corps spoke.

"How far do we have to go?"

The answer came from inside the carriage.

"This should be far enough."

"Then can I take this off? It's so tight I can't even breathe."

At that moment, the carriage stopped, and the door opened. Surprisingly, the person who stepped out was So-mu.

These men were not the Evil Dragon Corps. They were the Wolf Fang Squad, who had disposed of the bodies and disguised themselves to deceive the eyes of the public. If the Privy Councilor were known to have died within the Hanzhong military camp, the situation would have spiraled out of control.

"Everyone, wait here for a moment."

The squad members asked in confusion, "What is it, Captain?"

"Can't we just take this off and head back now?"

So-mu did not move, seemingly sensing something.

After a moment, his gaze turned back toward the direction of Hanzhong.

"Wait here."

With those words, So-mu dashed toward the source of the presence. Before long, he spotted the person who had been tailing them.

With five knots tied around his waist and a scruffy appearance, it was Branch Leader Heo Gyu of the Beggars' Sect.

"I followed just in case, and indeed it was you," Heo Gyu said.

So-mu sighed and replied, "Sigh. Since the Beggars' Sect noticed, our trick has failed."

"Only I noticed, so it is fine. If you were going to pull off something this massive, you should have warned me. It would have been much easier if we spread some disinformation."

"Then please help us."

As if expecting this, So-mu reached into his robes and pulled out a stack of banknotes.

Although the Song Empire was the first in history to use paper currency, it was a form of money that commoners rarely even touched. At a glance, it was worth dozens of taels of gold.

"Since he was the King of Pillaging, he seems to have amassed quite a fortune. To carry this much money around so casually."

Heo Gyu's eyes widened, and he quickly snatched the banknotes.

"Haha. I was actually joking, but I won't refuse since it is your sincerity."

So-mu tilted his head slightly. He couldn't tell if Heo Gyu had really been joking or if he had baited him for this. But it didn't matter. Considering the help Heo Gyu had given him over the years, this was nothing.

"Since when did the Beggars' Sect, which preaches non-possession, become slaves to capital?"

"We established a secret branch, and our finances are in ruins."

"In any case, this clears my past debts, right?"

Heo Gyu shook his head with a satisfied expression.

"No. With this much money, the balance is off, so I must give you another piece of information. Word arrived today that the Jongnam Sect has fallen."

It was somewhat expected, so So-mu wasn't shocked.

"So the Hui Dynasty has wiped out the martial artists of Shaanxi."

"Even the Shaolin Temple is in danger now. Though the Hui are hesitating for now because it is Shaolin, a crisis will eventually come."

Shaolin was the pillar and pride of the martial world. For the Hui Dynasty to target it meant they intended to end it all.

"If even Shaolin falls, it will be difficult for the martial world to rise again. Why is the Martial League just watching?"

Heo Gyu narrowed his eyes, pretending to ponder.

"Well, if I tell you this, I'll be at a loss."

"I know you'll spit it out anyway."

"Haha. Do you think the Martial League wants to just watch? They are no match for the enemy head-on, so they have shifted their strategy. They are currently debating whether to join forces with the imperial army."

"Only now?"

"Nothing concrete has been decided yet. In truth, many believe the Song imperial court cannot be trusted. There is a lot of internal conflict."

"Naturally. Since the power of the martial world has weakened, the imperial court might not leave them be once peace is restored."

"In any case, my business here is done, so I must go. I will be staying at the Hanzhong branch for the time being, so come buy me a drink when you have time."

Heo Gyu seemed to remember So-mu's past promise. Bidding farewell, he dashed back toward Hanzhong.

Returning to his squad, So-mu's mind felt much lighter. With the public deceived and the Beggars' Sect spreading disinformation, there was nothing to worry about. It was no concern of theirs where the Privy Councilor had met his end.

"We are returning to Hanzhong!"

Burying the Evil Dragon Corps' armor in the nearby forest, they changed into the light official uniforms they had prepared and headed back to Hanzhong.

***

So-mu immediately went to General Jang Yang's office. Jang Yang was sitting at his desk, deep in thought.

Before So-mu could speak, the Shadow King's transmission reached him.

– I told him we killed him when he let his guard down.

Indeed, they could not completely deceive Jang Yang, as they hadn't been able to clear all traces of the battle from the Military Guest Pavilion.

"They told me my blood pressure rose and I fainted. I must have neglected my martial training," Jang Yang said.

"While you were unconscious, I ambushed and killed the Privy Councilor when he was off guard."

"How could I blame you? He had brought so much harm to the people, so he merely received his due punishment. However, I just heard that the Privy Councilor and his men have left Hanzhong."

"As you might have guessed, the Wolf Fang Squad disguised themselves as them. The Beggars' Sect has agreed to spread disinformation, so no one will realize he died here."

Jang Yang took a moment to organize his thoughts.

If what So-mu said was true, the Evil Dragon Corps had been annihilated. The milk was already spilled. There was no need to dwell on the past.

"You must have gone through a lot of trouble to clean up the mess and handle the aftermath. But what of So-so?"

Surprisingly, Jang Yang's primary concern was So-so's well-being.

"She went to play with her friends."

For the first time, a bright expression appeared on Jang Yang's face.

"Haha. Then it is fine. I will handle the rest."

Just then, So-mu remembered something and said, "In the rush, I forgot to tell you about my journey to the capital. General Yue Fei's interrogation had already concluded and the verdict was delivered, so I could not present the petition."

Jang Yang asked with a tense face, "So it has turned out that way. What was the result?"

"He was spared from execution, as you feared. General Yue Fei and Adjutant Zhang Xian received ten years of imprisonment, and his son Yue Yun received three years."

"Sigh. What a relief."

"Still, ten years is not a short time. Shouldn't we rescue him?"

"I believe an opportunity will come if we are patient. Compared to the palace prison, the state penitentiary should be bearable. I will think of a way."

"Understood. Since I see you are safe, General, I will take my leave."

Leaving the office, So-mu fell into thought.

This incident had put So-so in grave danger. Furthermore, some of his squad members had been injured by Jang Jun, so he could not let this slide.

*They are still no match for a Flower Realm master. We don't even know how many Flower Realm masters the Hui Dynasty has. At the very least, I must make sure they can defend themselves…*

***

Hanzhong returned to its peaceful daily routine. The squad members trained with even greater intensity, having felt their own limits during the incident.

Currently, they were all sitting in the barracks, focusing on circulating their qi.

Right then.

"Squeal!"

An absurd scream, like a pig being slaughtered, echoed from the Wolf Fang Squad's barracks. Shocked, the squad members quickly concluded their meditation and opened their eyes.

"Gasp! What is happening?!"

The one panicking was Il-gwang. He was rolling on the floor, screaming in agony.

"Damn it! Why are my fingernails falling out?!"

The squad members' eyes widened. Indeed, all of Il-gwang's fingernails and toenails were falling off.

"Brother Il-gwang?"

"What is going on?"

But this was only the beginning.

*Crack!*

With the sound of bones contorting, the fallen Il-gwang curled up like a shrimp.

"Aaargh! Am I dying?!"

Just then, So-so pointed a finger and shouted, "Uncle Il-gwang! A forest is growing on your head!"

"What?!"

Il-gwang reflexively touched his head.

So-so's words were true. Hair was rapidly sprouting from his once-bald scalp.

Il-gwang laughed in joy, only to scream again as his teeth fell out one by one.

"Gah!"

Soon, the skin all over his body began to peel. Il-gwang struggled to turn his head, looking at So-so who had approached.

"So-so… your uncle is dying… help me…"

"Ugh, don't come near me!" So-so cried in alarm and hid behind Cheong-hae.

At that moment, Hyeon-jeong of the Mount Hua Sect spoke cautiously.

"It seems to be Rebirth."

The squad members gasped in awe.

"Rebirth?"

"Wow! Brother Il-gwang?"

What was Rebirth? It was the reconstruction of the bones and shedding of the flesh, transforming the body into one optimized for martial arts. With no obstacles in executing techniques, the body responded as the mind willed, resulting in vastly improved reaction speeds. As a bonus, the rate of accumulating internal energy would also double.

However, this alone did not make one a supreme master. When one attained enlightenment and reached the higher state of the Flower Realm, they would undergo Rebirth once more.

"Yes, it definitely seems to be Rebirth," Cheong-hae agreed, leaving no room for doubt.

After a long struggle, Il-gwang's trembling stopped after a quarter of an hour. He had become a completely different person.

Though his fierce impression remained, he now had a full head of hair, and the scars across his body had vanished, replaced by smooth skin. Realizing what had happened, Il-gwang erupted in joy.

"Bwahaha! Did you guys see that? Don't I look handsome now? Look at this smooth skin!"

"How did you do it?"

"Wow…"

Hyeon-jeong answered for him.

"His Ren and Du meridians have been opened. All his acupoints are finally cleared."

Most of the squad members had already cleared all acupoints except for the Ren and Du meridians. Il-gwang was the first to achieve this, thanks to So-mu secretly assisting him.

The following day, So-mu helped Cheong-hae, and the day after that, he helped Hyeon-jeong. Even for him, helping more than one person a day was exhausting.

Next was So-so's turn.

He could not perform the procedure on So-so in the barracks. While the squad members were out training, he took the child to Mount Dingjun for lightness training.

The father and daughter rested under a giant birch tree.

"I love lightness training the most!" So-so chirped.

"Why?"

"Mmm~ I just like running with you, Father! Hehe."

Caressing her head, So-mu said softly, "Shall we meditate for a bit before we go?"

"Okay!"

Sitting cross-legged, So-mu opened his eyes after a quarter of an hour. He saw his daughter sitting like a puppy, her short legs crossed.

He gently placed his palm on So-so's back. Soon, a massive wave of pure qi surged, knocking at her Ren and Du meridians. Since she was young and her body lacked impurities, the process was much smoother than with the squad members.

After ten minutes, So-so's body began to tremble.

Undergoing Rebirth did not cause drastic physical changes in a child. Her skin would simply become finer, and her features more defined. However, the process could still frighten her.

Without hesitation, So-mu pressed her acupoints to put her into a deep sleep. Holding her in his arms, he quietly watched as his daughter underwent the youngest Rebirth in the history of the martial world.