Ensure that no one escapes; attack simultaneously from all directions. The front gate will attract the most attention, so we’ll send two there first. One person each will cover the left, right, and rear.
After assigning their positions, they utilized their Qinggong techniques to scale the wall and infiltrate Taeeulmun.
A guard on night watch shouted in alarm but was swiftly subdued by Mu-jin.
“What is the meaning of this!?”
“Why are you attacking us suddenly!?”
Hearing the commotion, the martial artists of Taeeulmun started to rush out, but they were no match for Mu-jin and his group. Most of them were no better than second-rate warriors.
After knocking down about twenty martial artists, a white-bearded, kind-looking old man cried out in indignation.
Mu-jin stepped forward and addressed the elderly man, who seemed to be the leader.
“Are you the sect leader of Taeeulmun, Bang Ji-hyuk?”
“Yes! Who are you to commit such atrocities against us? What have we done to deserve this!?”
“You haven’t committed a crime yet, but you are preparing to, aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about?”
The man’s tone was incredulous, but Mu-jin didn’t bother to explain further and added a cryptic remark.
“Your act won’t work. Bang Ji-hyuk of Taeeulmun, or should I call you Sichuan Branch Number One?”
“How do you know that name?”
Bang Ji-hyuk’s expression changed from kindness to a sharp look as he responded with a counter-question. The title “Sichuan Branch Number One” was used to refer to him by the main headquarters.
Just like Geum Pyo-gu, who was known as Hanam Branch Number One while working as the internal overseer of the Cheonryu Sangdan.
Mu-jin had no intention of revealing his sources.
“Why should I tell you where I got my information?” Official source is n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
“Hmm. In that case, I’ll just have to capture you and find out.”
Bang Ji-hyuk’s demeanor turned cold, and his aura changed dramatically. Not only his, but a few others around him also revealed their true nature.
Before the situation could be understood, the bodies of those standing near Bang Ji-hyuk were cut in two. To hide their identities, they had killed their comrades with whom they had shared years of camaraderie.
Moreover, among the fallen martial artists, several began to rise naturally. They had pretended to be defeated to conceal their true strength.
The second piece of misinformation the tavern owner had provided was about their combat power. About ten martial artists, emitting strong auras and sword energies, began approaching Mu-jin and his group.
Though they were not as formidable as the elite members of major sects or great families, ten experts who had reached the early stages of mastery were an unbeatable force in this provincial area.
Even for Mu-jin, it wouldn’t be easy to handle ten experts simultaneously.
‘Good thing I didn’t come alone.’
Mu-jin wasn’t alone. His group consisted of five members, and they each began to fight two enemies.
If they had come here directly after the Yongbongji Conference, it might have been a tough battle. While Cheongsu Dojang and Mu-jin could manage, Mu-gung, Mu-gyeong, and Mu-yul, who had reached the early stages of mastery, still lacked sufficient internal energy.
But that was no longer the case.
A man who had boldly emitted his sword energy and displayed his martial arts let out a groan just from clashing with Mu-gung’s heavy Tathagata Palm.
Cheongsu Dojang and Mu-gyeong seemed to be enjoying the fight, effortlessly deflecting or dodging their opponents’ attacks and steadily pushing them back.
The most noticeable change, however, was in Mu-yul.
Just like during the battle with the boar spirit, Mu-yul displayed excellent teamwork with Ling-ling. When Mu-yul used his Crane Fist to deflect an attack, Ling-ling would mimic his Crane Fist movements, leaping from Mu-yul’s head to scratch the face of an attacking opponent with its claws.
When another opponent shot a palm strike at Ling-ling, Mu-yul used his Leopard Fist to block it, leaping into the air.
Sometimes, Mu-yul would imitate Ling-ling’s movements, even making monkey sounds while executing his moves.
‘…It’s not like they are lost twins or anything.’
Mu-jin wondered if the monkey was actually human or if Mu-yul was originally a monkey. Whatever the case, Mu-yul and Ling-ling demonstrated a level of coordination surpassing that of two humans.
It seemed Mu-yul had gained the greatest benefit this time. His physical skills were unparalleled, but his intelligence was at monkey-level. However, Ling-ling filled this gap perfectly, even exceeding it.
‘Hmm. Seems like there’s no need to help anyone.’
Mu-jin’s momentum shifted as he fended off two attackers, while keeping an eye on his companions’ battles.
As he grabbed a sword wrapped in sword energy with his left hand, the swordsman let out a startled cry. In that moment, the correct choice would have been to abandon the sword and flee.
But the swordsman had no time to react before Mu-jin’s fist was already buried in his stomach.
Meanwhile, the other attacker managed to land a punch infused with energy into Mu-jin’s side.
“Ho, Ho-shin Gang-gi?”
However, the Golden Turtle Technique’s Qi barrier deflected the punch.
Mu-jin, having finished off the swordsman, dropped the sword and reached for the neck of the other attacker who had come within range.
It was merely a Qi barrier, albeit enhanced by the Jade Vajra Technique.
But his opponent could not hear his response, as Mu-jin’s grip had already broken his neck.
After swiftly dealing with the two attackers, Mu-jin looked at Bang Ji-hyuk. Bang Ji-hyuk’s previously friendly expression had turned cold and then changed again to one of confusion.
Sensing the tide of the battle turning against him, Bang Ji-hyuk attempted to flee.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
As Bang Ji-hyuk prepared to use a stepping technique to escape, Mu-jin, already employing the Fast Ascent Step to its extreme, charged towards him.
“I’ll take your head with me!”
Bang Ji-hyuk swung his sword in the air, releasing a semi-transparent energy that surged towards Mu-jin. In the dark of night, the nearly invisible sword energy was more akin to something an assassin would use rather than a reputable martial artist.
Mu-jin’s direct charge seemed reckless, like a moth flying into a flame.
A tremendous explosion erupted, and Mu-jin, enveloped in a golden aura, tore through the dust cloud, heading straight for Bang Ji-hyuk.
Bang Ji-hyuk, now alarmed, employed a nearly imperceptible stepping technique to retreat, his hands moving swiftly in the darkness.
The invisible sword energy Bang Ji-hyuk sent out was neutralized by Mu-jin’s golden Qi barrier.
A golden aura that protected his entire body.
A young martial artist using domineering techniques.
With these two pieces of information, a rumor circulating throughout the martial world flashed through Bang Ji-hyuk’s mind.
“Shaolin Fist Dragon!!”
The recent winner of the Yongbongji Conference and Shaolin’s new rising star.
But why was this star here?
He had heard that the Shaolin Fist Dragon had returned to the Shaolin Temple immediately after the Yongbongji Conference.
‘Because of that, they failed to brainwash him…’
Bang Ji-hyuk’s thoughts were abruptly cut short as Mu-jin, ignoring his attacks, closed the distance.
Bang Ji-hyuk barely managed to block Mu-jin’s powerful punch, but the impact made him cough up blood.
Even in that moment, Bang Ji-hyuk was contemplating.
‘Shaolin Fist Dragon knows our identity!’
The urgency to report this information to the main organization clashed with the realization of his own survival.
‘Can I survive this? Or will he capture me for interrogation?’
The decision was quick.
Bang Ji-hyuk, already injured, coughed up more blood, this time a different color – completely lifeless.
Realizing that Bang Ji-hyuk had taken poison, Mu-jin urgently grabbed him, but Bang Ji-hyuk’s eyes had already lost their light.
“We need to capture at least one alive!!”
Mu-jin’s urgent cry came too late. Following Bang Ji-hyuk’s suicide, the remaining enemies also bit down on poison.
The children, experiencing such a scenario for the first time, were bewildered as their opponents suddenly collapsed, coughing up blood.
Mu-gung’s face paled as he realized their opponents had died in such a short time.
Mu-yul’s face also darkened with sorrow, while Mu-gyeong and Cheongsu Dojang appeared confused.
They were all skilled martial artists, but this was their first real battle, especially one involving life and death. They struggled to accept the current situation.
“You didn’t kill them. They all committed suicide.”
Mu-jin spoke up, trying to comfort them.
In truth, when Mu-jin had initially planned his nighttime escape, he had hesitated about bringing the Muja Trio for this very reason.
He needed to bring them out and feed them the miraculous elixir for the future.
But subsequent battles against the shadowy forces would inevitably lead to such outcomes.
Despite everything, the reason Mu-jin brought them along was because…
‘Ultimately, it’s something they will have to face someday…’
Aside from the shadowy forces, it was something that anyone living as a martial artist would eventually encounter.
Rather than confining them in Shaolin and letting them grow up as children, Mu-jin thought it would be better to grow stronger together while overcoming hardships.
However, it was also irresponsible in many ways to leave the confused children to overcome things on their own.
“Just take a break for a moment.”
Saying this to the children, Mu-jin then started to search every corner of Taeeulmun’s pavilion.
Under the table of what seemed to be the pavilion of Taeeulmun’s leader, he found a stash of the item he was looking for.
It was none other than the map of the Divine Thief’s Hidden Path.
Of course, it wasn’t to leave the children, who were in shock from their first real battle and the act of killing (even though it was self-defense), and go treasure hunting.
Mu-jin took the bundle of maps and returned to the battlefield.
He pulled out the maps from the bundle and distributed them to the children.
“A map of the Divine Thief’s Hidden Path.”
“A map!? The one that shows the location of miraculous elixirs and treasures?”
“Did you have us fight these people because of this?”
Mu-gyeong asked, sounding somewhat disappointed or perhaps shocked.
Mu-jin shook his head and replied.
“You’re half right and half wrong. Think about it. If this map was really showing where such treasures were hidden, would there be so many of them?”
Even in their confused state, Mu-jin’s words made sense to them, and they all had complicated expressions.
“I told you, this is the most notorious sect in this area, Gan-yang-hyeon. And this is the reason. You saw how hostile the atmosphere in Jayangshi was. What do you think would happen if these maps were distributed in large quantities and people flocked to the Divine Thief’s Hidden Path?”
Starting with the brilliant Mu-gyeong, one by one, they began to understand Mu-jin’s point.
“The guys we just fought were planning to turn Sichuan into a bloodbath. If we hadn’t dealt with them, hundreds, if not thousands, might have died.”
The reason Mu-jin deliberately showed the maps to the shocked children was to alleviate their guilt.
If the weight of killing was too much to bear, it would be easier to think of the ones they killed as vicious villains.
To think of them as heinous criminals who would have killed hundreds or thousands if left unchecked.
Just like the education he received during his time in the special forces.
Killing terrorists is far better than letting citizens die from terrorism.