Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 72 : Disguise

Disguise

They received the route that the traveling merchants had taken.

Before Jeong-un set out for reconnaissance, he said that the two of them should remain in the village.

He suspected that "those bastards" were likely watching them closely from afar.

"It's important that we give them the impression that we won't be leaving this place so easily."

Thus, Baek Il-gang and Jo Gwang remained behind to patrol the village.

Jeong-un and Tang Yerin used lightness skill, moving swiftly along the path the merchants had traveled.

Between the towering ancient trees ran a dirt path, trodden smooth by many feet.

With each light leap, dust rose behind the pair like a shimmering heat wave.

The sensation of internal energy filling the lower dantian remained unchanged.

When Jeong-un tried to forcibly circulate it, the energy never followed the intent of his will.

It was because this internal energy hadn't been intentionally circulated and pressed into his dantian in the first place.

However, if he worked with the true ki he was used to handling, a trace of the other energy would follow him, circulating together within his body like a shadow.

That lingering internal energy, Jeong-un then melted into his own using One Illumination Movement Technique.

Still, the amount was paltry. The amount of true ki he was able to refine within a day was insignificant.

But Jeong-un knew firsthand the effects brought about by patience and perseverance.

That one day would become ten, then fifteen, and then a month – and before long, the amount of true ki would gradually accumulate.

'It's no different from a fortuitous encounter.'

By now, that's how he saw it.

Others might not have such an opportunity to fill their bodies with this much internal energy, no matter how many lives they lived.

Of course, it would have been ideal if he had slowly circulated and absorbed it by moving it along his meridians through proper cultivation methods from the start.

But this internal energy had settled into his body in a way he hadn't even understood in the first place.

For now, slowly and steadily melting it down like this was the best he could do.

After several bouts of nonstop lightness skill that took them across the vast mountain range, they finally discovered corpses scattered carelessly by the roadside.

They had been brutally murdered in an attack by someone. Among the corpses were two wearing the attire of Jeongmu Sect disciples.

"... What savagery."

Tang Yerin muttered grimly, just as she had been told by the Sect Leader.

All the goods that the merchants had been carrying were gone without a trace.

The corpses bore all the signs of being hacked mercilessly by weapons.

It was a scene of pure massacre – all dead, everything taken.

Jeong-un inspected the scene carefully, then looked back along the road they had traveled, his gaze sweeping toward the distant mountains.

'This is far from where bandit activity usually occurs.'

Did they lie in wait, letting the group come this far deliberately, just to carry out the deed here? If so, for what reason?

As he pondered, Tang Yerin spoke.

"Something's strange."

"What do you mean?"

She was examining the disfigured corpses with care, frowning as if she couldn't understand.

"I've been thinking... We were told that these bandits are settled on a mountain nearby. But it's suspicious how none are left alive, how they kill everyone each time."

"That's just how bandit scum act, isn't it?"

Tang Yerin shook her head at Jeong-un's words.

"That's common with roving or impulsive lowlifes who might strike once or twice. But those who've settled in one place don't usually act that way. They actually let people live."

Jeong-un tilted his head in confusion. Bandits letting people live? That sounded paradoxical.

Tang Yerin continued.

"Think about it. Even if they kill for sport, once they've built a mountain stronghold, they must need a steady source of income."

"An income source?"

"If they keep killing everyone who crosses the mountain, eventually fewer people will come through. Then they cut off their own livelihood. Once their stronghold's established, it's not easy for them to simply migrate to another region, either, since their numbers are too great."

"So..."

Jeong-un let his words trail off.

They had known even before arriving that the bandits killed everyone who passed through – and that they had done so for quite some time.

'In that case...'

Hearing Tang Yerin's explanation naturally led him to a single conclusion.

"They're showing off their power."

Tang Yerin nodded.

"I think so too. Even the most cruel villains secure themselves a way to survive. This is more like a deliberate display – a warning for everyone to see."

"..."

Bandits showing off their force? It wasn't an easy idea to accept.

'Besides, didn't they claim to belong to the Green Forest?'

Seventy-Two Strongholds of the Green Forest.

Even Jeong-un, whose knowledge of the martial world was shallow, knew that it was an association of bandits who trained in martial arts.

Until recently, he hadn't paid it much mind. He'd only learned the details after arriving here.

'I heard "Seventy-Two Strongholds" is just symbolic now.'

The name originated from their heyday.

Nowadays, there were more than a hundred small and mid-sized mountain strongholds across the Central Plains.

'With numbers like that, their influence on the martial world must be immense.'

Jo Gwang's startled reaction upon hearing the name flashed through Jeong-un's mind.

Jo Gwang was often dramatic, but he wouldn't react so to just any group's name.

The martial world was typically divided into orthodox and unorthodox schools, but the Dark Path was always treated separately.

Evil Faction referred specifically to those who accumulated sinister ki as they honed their arts.

Dark Path, on the other hand, was a general term for those who, though not necessarily possessing sinister ki, violated the laws of the land with their martial skills.

The Green Forest was one of the foremost organizations of the Dark Path, coalescing around the legendary top master, king of the Green Forest Gu Cheoldo.

Supposedly, their activities extended far beyond banditry – they regularly conducted business with many merchant guilds and security bureaus throughout the Central Plains.

Any merchant guild or bureau that paid tribute could pass through safely.

In essence, they were leveraging their martial might into an enterprise.

'It's absurd, really.'

Having entered the martial world, Jeong-un could tangibly feel the turmoil of the land.

If they threatened the populace with that level of power, they could be seen as a rebellious military clique, not mere bandits.

But the royal family's power was weak, most military force concentrated in the north, so this was the result.

Each year, the royal family increased the supplies sent to support the Murim Alliance.

That wasn't a good sign – it revealed how difficult direct management of Evil Faction and Dark Path groups throughout the land had become.

"..."

Jeong-un slowly surveyed the horrific scene. Was there a connection between the massacre and the bandits' claim to the Green Forest name?

"Hmm..."

Tang Yerin, brow furrowed deep in thought, finally glanced at Jeong-un and asked,

"Young Hero Yu. Is there any way to track their remaining ki signature?"

She must have recalled how, on their first mission, Jeong-un tracked an enemy by following his leftover energy after kidnapping a child.

"That's not possible."

Jeong-un shook his head. He had already probed the area with his sensitivity.

Unfortunately, he could only sense remnants of a brief struggle – there was no latent energy trail to follow.

"That time, the man carried a great deal of sinister ki in his body. He wasn't able to control it well and all but left his energy leaking everywhere. That's why I could track him."

Jeong-un had an extraordinary sensitivity when it came to the uniquely sinister energy that Evil Faction practitioners accumulated.

The stronger the sensation, the more unpleasant it made him feel.

But now, he didn't sense any such energy.

Just as one didn't have to be from an orthodox sect to not be Evil Faction, not all bandits built up sinister ki.

In many cases, those with talent for internal energy learned superficial cultivation methods like the common Three Harmony Methods, awakened their dantian, gained minor strength, and then joined criminal gangs.

Jeong-un spoke.

"It'd be best to head back now. We have to report this."

Tang Yerin nodded.

There seemed nothing more they could glean from this place.

The only solid facts: Since their group had arrived, the bandits had halted their activities for a while.

Now, for some reason, the killing had begun again, and far from the usual site.

At present, there was nothing more to deduce beyond this.

So they returned to the village. Immediately upon arrival, Jeong-un informed the Sect Leader of Jeongmu Sect.

Jeongmu Sect quickly organized a team to recover the corpses.

Upon seeing his disciples' bodies again, the Sect Leader couldn't hide his overwhelming grief.

"What are we supposed to do now..."

His eyes echoed with dread and helplessness.

With the violence returning after a period of calm, his exhaustion was apparent.

"..."

Jeong-un turned away from the sight.

Baek Il-gang, Jo Gwang, and Tang Yerin quietly followed, having noted the hardened expression on his face.

This was Jeong-un's first mission as a two-stripes. They worried it might make him feel impatient inside.

Back at the guest hall, Jeong-un finally spoke.

"We need to see those bastards' faces soon."

"I couldn't agree more, but how are we supposed to find them in these mountains, when they never show themselves...?"

At Baek Il-gang's question, Jeong-un spoke again.

"Because the fields haven't been tended properly, the village's food stocks will soon dwindle. I also heard they have many herbs piling up, unsold. Eventually, a merchant caravan will have to set out again. We should take advantage of that."

"You mean... join the merchant caravan?"

"Yes."

"Wasn't our mission to wipe the bandits out?"

Baek Il-gang quietly objected. He didn't seem convinced by the proposal.

Baek Il-gang continued,

"Since we arrived, the bandits have hidden themselves and ceased activity entirely. Safe to say, they're wary of us. If we join the merchant guild as guards, isn't that just a stopgap measure? The bandits can watch us from high up in the mountains. If they see us escorting, they'll stay away; if we're not there, they'll attack."

"That's exactly right. If we're seen escorting, they'll be too cautious to strike. But we can't stay here and guard them forever."

Jeong-un answered readily. Baek Il-gang narrowed his brow at him in puzzlement.

"Then... why?"

Jeong-un silently looked over the group. More specifically, at the black uniforms they wore.

He spoke quietly.

"We won't participate as Heavenly Martial Hall warriors."

"...?"

"We'll disguise ourselves as Jeongmu Sect disciples and take on the escort."

"...!"