Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 76 : Escort

Escort

He only made sure to memorize the exact location of the mountain stronghold, but he didn't storm it right away.

Completing the escort mission for the merchant caravan was the highest priority.

That was the right order of things at the moment.

After all, the hardship of this village began with the failure of the merchant caravan.

Because the year's entire crop had been ruined, the village was forced to survive solely through trade with the merchant caravan.

Even now, the storage was full of medicinal ingredients and herbs painstakingly harvested by the villagers through sweat and blood.

The merchant guild collected a small fee, sold off the goods, and in return, was in the process of procuring food on which the fate of the village depended.

It was an enormously weighty task.

Even after losing so many lives in the previous failure, they had no choice but to persist with the merchant caravan.

'I'll annihilate them all.'

Jeong-un hardened his resolve inwardly.

Just scaring the bandits off and chasing them away? That was a laughable thought.

After experiencing it personally, he felt those bastards had to be uprooted from here completely.

He was determined to discuss strategies with his party as soon as they returned to the village.

"H-hurry up!"

The moment they arrived at the Hyeonseong town, the merchant guild members hurriedly dispersed to conduct trades everywhere, with no time to catch their breath.

Jeong-un and Baek Il-gang silently stood by their side.

The other party members, however, kept glancing at the two with nervous, trembling eyes.

Even without this situation, the mere association with the Heavenly Martial Hall of Hanyang Prefecture was a heavy burden.

Wasn't the Murim Alliance directly connected to the royal family? And now, they had even witnessed with their own eyes the tremendous martial prowess.

It was inevitable for everyone to treat Jeong-un and Baek Il-gang with even more caution.

The Murim Alliance, connected to the royal family, and their sword, the Heavenly Martial Hall—

The oppressive force those two organizations exuded was never trivial.

It went without saying that now, after witnessing overwhelming martial skills firsthand, it weighed even heavier.

"I had heard the martial skills of the Heavenly Martial Hall's masters were renowned, but to see this level..."

The Jeongmu Sect martial artist, who had tried speaking to Jeong-un and Baek Il-gang, couldn't even meet their eyes properly.

"T-today, I feel as if I have seen the future of the martial world."

Jeong-un let the compliment go in one ear and out the other.

The village was only a small one even within this local region.

He couldn't possibly be pleased by such words coming from someone of a minor martial community.

Even if their gaze or tone were sincere, it was the same.

He was well aware of just how many true masters existed in the vast martial world.

In the first place, what they called a master and what Jeong-un or Baek Il-gang considered a master could never be the same.

'Their martial skills weren't that advanced.'

For all their boasting of the Green Forest name, their abilities had been paltry.

The only one with any worthy presence was the man who had first stepped forward and raised his voice.

Even he was killed instantly, his forehead pierced by Baek Il-gang.

'To throw a sword...'

Jeong-un ruminated over the first move Baek Il-gang had made.

At first glance it had seemed a light blow, but in reality, it was an unpredictable strike.

To Jeong-un, it was a secret technique in itself.

Even he, standing right beside him, had been taken off guard by how sudden the attack was.

'There's a lot I can learn from him.'

That unconventional martial skill and unrestrained nature often felt refreshing to Jeong-un.

He considered them tremendous strengths, worthy of emulation.

"It's all finished."

Once the trading was complete, the party headed straight back to the Jeongmu Sect.

The wagon drawn by a donkey was now piled high with food instead of medicinal ingredients.

Though the load had doubled, their faces were overflowing with joy.

Hearing that the caravan had returned safely, the Sect Leader of the Jeongmu Sect rushed out immediately.

He was aghast when he heard about the bandit attack, and once again when told that the bandits had all been slaughtered.

When the news spread that the trade was a success and they had survived, the entire village erupted in something like a festival.

People whose faces had always been shadowed now smiled brightly for the first time in ages.

In their expressions, the depth of their previous suffering was clear to see.

'Just as much as...'

Even as he watched the smiling faces, Jeong-un's heart was heavy.

He felt, skin-deep, the impact a martial artist could have on the lives of ordinary people.

If even a lowly commoner picked up a sword, people around would instantly freeze in terror.

How much worse must it be when the person in question was a superhuman with a formed dantian?

'Living as a normal person in this kind of world...'

Finishing that brief reflection, Jeong-un gathered with his companions in the Sect Leader's office.

"You—you found the mountain stronghold's location?"

The Sect Leader asked in a trembling voice, his wide eyes shaking uncontrollably. It was that important.

It meant there was finally a chance to utterly destroy those hated bandits.

Jeong-un nodded and spoke:

"While I couldn't determine their full numbers, I did slay ten of them this time. Their numbers have been reduced. And their martial skills are not particularly threatening."

"Oh..."

The Sect Leader gazed at Jeong-un's face anew.

He had just heard that only Jeong-un and Baek Il-gang had drawn their swords during the battle.

Just the two of them had slaughtered ten bandits.

A group where child prodigies gathered, reaching levels of martial skill surpassing their seniors—

The Sect Leader realized with his whole being that it was no mere rumor.

Resolutely, he spoke:

"Thank you, truly. Now it is our turn."

"Our turn, sir?"

"We shall throw our full force into exterminating those bastards. I will have our disciples ready for battle at once."

Determination was clear in his eyes.

He, too, knew all too well that if they didn't completely uproot the bandits this time, the aftermath would be endless.

But Jeong-un looked at him silently.

'Go for an all-out battle?'

If all dozens of Jeongmu Sect disciples mobilized, it might not be impossible.

But the cost—loss of life—would be severe. That much was obvious. The Sect Leader must also know this.

Yet he was willing to bear it, his gaze said so.

Jeong-un could understand it. The Jeongmu Sect was rooted in this village, dependent on it for survival.

If their base became impoverished, they'd lose their strength.

However, Jeong-un shook his head.

"You cannot do that."

"Cannot? Why not?"

"The Jeongmu Sect must not mobilize further."

"...?"

The Sect Leader stared wide-eyed at Jeong-un.

Then, as if some realization dawned, his brow furrowed and he spoke quietly.

"... You're worried we'll just get in the way, aren't you?"

Sect Leader Jeok Il-do fully understood his situation.

Though the Jeongmu Sect claimed to be the strongest faction in the area, it had never once managed to stop the bandits' pillaging.

Even when sending their elite to guard, all they had achieved was buying a few merchant guild members time to escape.

The Central Plains was a vast land of countless mountains and rivers.

There were numerous villages even within a small district; the further from the district seat, the less reach the authorities had.

In such remote places, the local sect customarily took responsibility for maintaining public order, collecting "protection fees" in return.

Usually, the common folk didn't resent this arrangement.

This was the way of the world, after all. They, too, needed someone's protection.

It was a mutually dependent, symbiotic relationship.

But the Jeongmu Sect had failed in their role.

Once that trust broke down, the villagers' gaze became ambiguous.

They didn't dare voice complaints, but their true feelings were obvious.

'Even aside from that...'

Jeong-un read a flicker of emotion in the Sect Leader's heated face.

These were martial artists, after all. They had their pride.

Having to ask outsiders for help due to lack of strength, and now even being considered a burden—such humiliation was surely hard to endure.

After his thoughts, Jeong-un spoke.

"That's not the reason."

"Then why are you telling us to stand by?"

"I walked the paths between the village and the district—a commoner's pace—and what I realized is, while there is a road, the distance to the district is considerable, and the village is virtually isolated, surrounded by mountains. The Jeongmu Sect is, in effect, the village's only martial force."

"...?"

Jeong-un continued.

His tone cool and precise, stating facts.

"But your sect has already suffered significant losses. The talent to sense natural energy in the air is said to be a gift from the heavens. It will take a long time to discover and train another disciple of equal ability. And now, if you lose even more disciples? Think about what will happen after we leave, once this is over."

"..."

"Don't get swept up in your emotions. Now is the time to safeguard your people."

The fire in Sect Leader Jeok Il-do's face faded. He had no rebuttal.

He remained silent for a while with a heavy expression, then finally spoke with difficulty.

"... Understood."

Thus, the conversation was concluded.

As Jeong-un stood to leave, the Sect Leader called out from behind:

"Will you really be all right?"

Turning back, Jeong-un saw the man's face twisted with concern.

"The bandits must number at least several dozen. Can just the two of you handle it? Even a master cannot ignore sheer numbers..."

"It'll be fine."

Jeong-un replied firmly. Baek Il-gang, standing beside him, grinned and chimed in.

"It's more than enough. Isn't that so?"

Jeong-un simply nodded.

And with that, they left the office.

* * *

For the Green Forest bandits, looting was simply "business".

In their world, they were the legitimate path.

Was pillaging not the only way to stay alive? Calling it "business" was only natural.

But now, their "business team" had been wiped out—every member who had gone out had died.

It was only natural that the rest, upon learning this, became furious.

It wasn't anger from loyalty or any code of honor.

They were mad because their sacred line of business had been interrupted.

It would have been stranger not to be angry.

"Stronghold lord, let's go smash their necks right now!"

"How dare they point swords at us? They must be completely insane!"

"Ten of ours died, so let's pay them back with a hundred lives!"

Byuk Dae-gwang watched his screaming subordinates in silence.

Was it because they had developed their internal energy with crude, inferior methods?

Most of the bandits were extremely hot-tempered.

Compared to them, he was practically a refined scholar.

Even now, learning that ten of his men had died, he wasn't flustered.

For him, understanding the situation came before anger.

"The Heavenly Martial Hall went undercover as Jeongmu Sect members, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, stronghold lord."

A man who looked like a rat nodded. Among this lot of blockheads, he was at least somewhat clever.

He was a valuable asset. He could read and write.

Byuk Dae-gwang had even ordered him to devise a name for their still-unnamed stronghold.

"Stronghold lord, why make it complicated? Why not just kill everyone?"

Another man shouted, sounding impatient. Not a wrong point, if all they wanted was revenge.

If you just kept killing, sooner or later, the enemy's head would roll too.

'Bunch of idiots.'

Byuk Dae-gwang clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"If you kill them all, are you going to farm the land yourself?"

"What?"

"Say you kill half of them. What if the rest get scared and run away in the night? Do we just pack up and move on? Then how are we any different from homeless vagrants?"

"...?"

The man clamped his mouth shut, still not understanding.

He was only silent because the stronghold lord seemed annoyed.

Byuk Dae-gwang shook his head.

'Stupid bastards.'

If they had any brains, they wouldn't be living as bandits.

They simply reveled in killing and stealing. Secretly, he thought it must be a very easy way to live.

Yet he needed even men like these. Simple-minded fools were easy to use.

'How should I handle this?'

But he was different. Had he not inherited the blood of a father who had once prepared for the county-level civil exam?

His father, Byuk Dae-yang, always emphasized:

In the martial world, force was just a means—a clever mind to calculate gains and losses was what mattered.

That was what set him apart from ignorant brutes who only knew how to swing swords.

He focused not on fleeting revenge, but on the long-term stability of their business.

Finishing his thoughts, Byuk Dae-gwang gave an order to the rat-faced man.

"You, write as I dictate."

Then he turned to another subordinate—a swift one with some skill at archery.

"You, move precisely as I tell you."