The Great Tiger Village Chief, feeling utterly disrespected, lunged forward with a roar.
Despite his massive build and the enormous axe he wielded, he flew towards Mu-jin and his group with explosive speed.
True to his moniker, the Black Axe Mountain Lord, his giant black axe emitted a dark aura as he swung it at the man who had been causing the most trouble among his subordinates.
Mu-jin, who was at the forefront of fighting the bandits, swung his leg to meet the incoming axe.
Blocking the axe effortlessly with his golden-tinted foot, Mu-jin kicked the Great Tiger Village Chief away.
“Boss! That guy is the Great Tiger Village Chief!”
It was merely an attack to push the Great Tiger Village Chief towards Mu-gung, who was fighting nearby.
After all, the highlight of territorial battles was the fight between the leaders.
As the Great Tiger Village Chief, kicked by Mu-jin, flew towards him, Mu-gung thrust out his palm.
Furious from being disrespected and kicked by Mu-jin, the Great Tiger Village Chief swung his axe at Mu-gung with bloodshot eyes.
As the huge figures of Mu-gung and the Great Tiger Village Chief collided, thunderous noises echoed continuously.
The bandits couldn’t even dream of interfering in such a high-level fight.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Mu-jin and his group, as if uninterested in Mu-gung’s battle, were busy knocking down the bandits.
And so, Mu-gung, now facing off against the Great Tiger Village Chief as the leader of Black Bear Village, found himself thinking.
‘Damn it. A mere bandit!’
He was having quite a hard time.
It wasn’t that the Great Tiger Village Chief was an extraordinary master.
Their martial arts styles were different, but if compared, he was slightly below the level of the head of the Emei Sect that Mu-gung had faced at the Yongbongji Conference.
Though the Great Tiger Village Chief had more practical experience, making him a bit more challenging despite his lower level.
However, Mu-gung had also experienced many real battles since then, gaining half a realm’s worth of internal energy through a fortuitous encounter.
He should have been able to win easily, yet he was struggling for a simple reason.
‘If only I could use Tathagata’s Palm freely!’
He couldn’t use his signature technique because he was hiding his identity.
Thus, the battle between Mu-gung and the Great Tiger Village Chief dragged on with no resolution, merely creating a lot of noise.
Meanwhile, Mu-jin and his group, having already dealt with all the bandits, sat around watching their fight.
While Mu-yul and Ling-ling danced around cheering for Mu-gung, Mu-jin yawned, looking visibly bored.
“When is this going to end, boss?”
“What kind of subordinate talks to their boss like that!!”
Mu-gung, swinging his fist to deflect the Great Tiger Village Chief’s axe, shouted angrily.
The Great Tiger Village Chief, whose focus was entirely on fighting Mu-gung, finally realized his subordinates were all down and looked around in confusion.
Worried that they might gang up on him, he glanced around nervously.
Seeing this, Mu-jin waved his hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry. Territorial fights should end with the leaders.”
As Mu-jin tried to placate the Great Tiger Village Chief, Mu-gung quickly came up with a trick.
How to use Tathagata’s Palm without revealing it was Tathagata’s Palm!
Mu-gung gathered his internal energy and assumed the stance for Tathagata’s Palm.
Just as the extreme Yang energy from his dantian was about to surge through his limbs and explode from his palm…
He clenched his fist instead of releasing the heat from his palm.
“It’s the Explosive Fist!!”
He swung his fist, wrapped in flames, at the Great Tiger Village Chief.
The Great Tiger Village Chief, worried about Mu-jin’s group’s interference, hurriedly gathered his dark energy to block Mu-gung’s punch.
Unable to withstand the power of Tathagata’s Palm—no, the Explosive Fist—the Great Tiger Village Chief was sent flying.
“How do you like the power of Explosive Fist!”
Mu-gung shouted, proud of his quick thinking.
“That’s no Explosive Fist. It’s just a knock-off Tathagata’s Palm.”
Mu-jin, picking his ear, replied indifferently.
The place once called Great Tiger Village.
Around fifty burly men knelt with wounds all over their bodies.
“From now on, this place is called Black Bear Village. Understood?”
The bandits, kneeling, responded loudly to Mu-jin’s question.
“Boss, would you like to say a few words?”
Blushing despite his large frame, Mu-gung stepped forward shyly.
Playing the role of a bandit leader was quite embarrassing for the romantic Mu-gung.
“Er, I am Black Bear.” ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NovelHub(.)net
As Mu-gung introduced himself in a barely audible voice, a few quick-witted bandits responded enthusiastically.
“Nice to meet you, boss!!”
“You are truly a man among men! The moment I saw you, I knew I had to follow you as my leader!”
Mu-gung’s face softened slightly at the burly bandits’ fierce welcome.
“We will serve you to the best of our ability!”
“Trust me, and follow!”
As the bandits’ responses grew more enthusiastic, Mu-jin couldn’t help but laugh.
Approaching the bandit who was most actively flattering Mu-gung, Mu-jin squatted down.
“You talk well. What’s your name?”
“I’m Kang Il! Sub-leader!”
“Why am I the sub-leader?”
“It just feels that way! I apologize if I’m wrong. Brother!”
Seeing Kang Il sneakily flattering even in his strict posture, Mu-jin patted his head.
“No, you’re right. Good. From now on, you’re the seventh in rank. Excluding the boss, me, and the original four of Black Bear Village, you’re the highest. Got it?”
“…Shouldn’t I be sixth, then?”
Kang Il asked curiously, to which Mu-jin pointed at Ling-ling.
“Ah! I understand! She’s the sixth, then!”
Bowing his head to Ling-ling, Kang Il’s response made Mu-jin nod in approval.
‘This guy has no pride but is convenient to have around.’
Right now, a guy like him was exactly what Mu-jin needed.
“Alright. From now on, you’re our seventh-ranked Kang Il.”
“We have some things to discuss, so you keep an eye on everyone here. If anyone tries anything funny, let us know immediately.”
Startled, Kang Il glanced around.
Towards the former Great Tiger Village Chief, Black Axe Mountain Lord, and the other executives gathered.
Mu-jin understood his hesitation. He wasn’t scared of them.
“Don’t worry. If we come back and find even a scratch on you, we’ll deal with those guys first.”
Mu-jin shouted loudly for everyone to hear.
Kang Il, wanting to fully utilize this borrowed power, had been glancing around to ensure the hierarchy was clear.
Satisfied with setting a proper pecking order, Mu-jin led his group to a corner of what was now Black Bear Village.
As they moved away from the bandits’ sight, Mu-gyeong asked curiously.
“Aren’t you going to deal with them?”
“I mean, like we did with the bandits last time. Breaking their dantian and limbs.”
“Oh. They might be useful for a while.”
Everyone looked puzzled, but Mu-jin responded nonchalantly.
“There’s a place we need to raid.”
Bandits raiding? Nothing unusual about that.
After finishing their discussion, they returned.
Kang Il was hitting the former village chief, Cheolsang-gwi, on the head.
The former village chief, Black Axe Mountain Lord, eyes bloodshot, got up but sat back down when Kang Il glanced at Mu-jin’s group.
Enjoying his borrowed authority, Kang Il looked satisfied.
Seeing him run over eagerly, Mu-jin smiled slyly.
“Show us around the village.”
“Of course, sub-leader! Where would you like to start?”
“Show me where the money is hidden.”
“Understood, sub-leader!”
Leaving his group to keep an eye on the bandits, Mu-jin followed Kang Il.
In a corner of the village, hidden under a thatched roof and straw, Mu-jin found a stash of treasures.
“Quite a hoard you’ve got here.”
“Haha. It’s a good spot, sub-leader.”
“But why hoard it all ? You can’t spend it as bandits.”
“Hehe. There are ways.”
“Ways? But you can’t go to nearby towns because you’re wanted.”
“We use distant settlements. Give them some money to buy things for us. Sometimes, we even get women and booze to party.”
Mu-jin, smacking Kang Il on the head for his lecherous grin, brought up his real question.
“More importantly, these are all stolen goods. To sell them, you need to
go to the black market, right?”
The black market (黑市). Commonly known as the underworld market. Mu-jin had come to Guangxi Province for this very reason.
To approach it more naturally, he decided to play the part of a bandit and came to Hechi County.
“Sometimes we use the black market.”
“Hm? Then, do you know the one in Guilin?”
Asked about the Guilin black market, Kang Il shook his head.
“It’s too far from here. We don’t know much about it. Maybe a nearby village does…”
“Because Guilin is a famous tourist spot, the bandits there are quite strong. Of course, our leader and you, sub-leader, could handle it!”
Kang Il’s flattery made Mu-jin smile wickedly as he organized his thoughts.
‘Once things settle here, we’ll raid that village next.’
Even after Great Tiger Village was renamed Black Bear Village, the bandits’ daily lives didn’t change much.
They split into groups, watching the roads through the mountains, checking for merchants or escort agencies passing by.
The only difference was…
“Sub-leader! An escort agency is passing by!”
“Huajin Escort Agency!”
They only watched. Never raided.
While Great Tiger Village didn’t rob every escort they encountered, they did collect a small toll through negotiation.
But now, even that small toll was gone.
Naturally, without income, the bandits might have been disgruntled, but…
“Good job. Now rest.”
“Haha. Thank you, brother!”
Thanks to the feast and booze filling the village, there were no complaints.
Only the former Great Tiger Village chief and his executives were on the verge of going mad.
All the booze and feasts were bought with the wealth the former chief had accumulated.
Mu-jin and his group simply instructed the bandits to guard the roads, occasionally bought food and drink, and spent their days leisurely in the village.
Mu-jin started learning the Ghost’s Manual and Shadow Technique through Mu-gyeong and trained his muscles using rocks and trees.
Others also trained their martial arts or explored the mountain scenery.
The only exception was Mu-gung.
Perhaps because he had struggled while hiding Tathagata’s Palm, Mu-gung tried to learn something new.
“If you swing an axe with those strong arms of yours, escort agencies will fall like leaves!”
“Of course! That little axe can’t compare!”
The bandits encouraged Mu-gung, taking advantage of his recent prominence.
With Kang Il’s flattery raising his rank, others began flattering Mu-jin’s group too.
Mu-jin used this to his advantage, Mu-yul and Cheongsu Dojang didn’t mind, and Mu-gyeong found it uncomfortable.
“Haha. You think so too?”
Mu-gung seemed delighted by the praise.
“When did he start laughing like that?”
Mu-jin laughed in disbelief, and Mu-gyeong chided him.
“You shouldn’t call the boss ‘he.’”
“True, he’s acting like a boss.”
Swayed by the flattery, Mu-gung took the former chief’s axe and swung it through the air.
“Whoa! A divine strength bestowed by heaven!”
“Indeed, our Black Bear leader is the best!”
Every time Mu-gung’s axe made a whooshing sound, Kang Il, enjoying his drink and meat, flattered him.
Mu-gung’s hearty laugh echoed, boosted by Kang Il’s praise.
Having been treated as an inferior by Mu-jin, and just a friendly local by Mu-gyeong and Mu-yul, Mu-gung was now being revered by the bandits, his spirits soaring.
Watching this, Mu-jin shook his head with a smile.
They spent their days leisurely until…
“Sub-leader! An escort agency is passing by!”
The bandit, hiding his thoughts of ‘why ask if you’re just going to let them go,’ responded.
“North Wind Escort Agency!”
Hearing this, Mu-jin stood up with a sinister smile.
“Guys, get your weapons.”
Finally, their awaited prey had appeared.