“It seems that this thief is not ordinary. Please, branch leader, step back.”
Hwa Sun-gyeong spoke to the middle-aged man with a sly mustache standing beside him. This man was the branch leader of the Daegum Sangdan’s Huayin branch.
It was an unlucky day. Tomorrow was the agreed day for the Hwasan Sect to receive money from the Daegum Sangdan, and Hwa Sun-gyeong had come to the branch to verify the incoming money and protect it, just in case.
Seeing the branch leader retreat, Hwa Sun-gyeong readied himself and confronted the man in black.
Even though the man in black had easily blocked his Plum Blossom Sword Technique, Hwa Sun-gyeong was not worried about losing. He believed that as a Hwasan Sect elder, he would not lose if he fought seriously.
However, this overconfidence was his downfall. While Hwa Sun-gyeong was leisurely preparing, Mu-jin had already circulated his internal energy and prepared for battle.
Just as Hwa Sun-gyeong swung his sword to draw a plum blossom,
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The problem was the immense strength behind Mu-jin’s punch. Unable to withstand the massive impact, Hwa Sun-gyeong was pushed back at an incredible speed.
He flew past the branch leader, who had stepped back, and crashed into the back wall of the warehouse.
Despite the enormous impact, Hwa Sun-gyeong’s body continued to tumble across the floor, eventually breaking through the back wall of the warehouse and collapsing in a heap. Even though he had sustained internal injuries and was bleeding from his mouth, Hwa Sun-gyeong clung to his sword, a testament to his dedication as a swordsman.
Mu-jin briefly admired this sight before turning his attention to the branch leader, who stood dazed.
“Yes, yes, warrior! What do you need?”
The branch leader, calling the masked man ‘warrior,’ pleased Mu-jin, who smiled beneath his mask.
“Pack the smallest and most valuable items here.”
“If you play tricks and get caught, you can guess what will happen, right?”
The branch leader glanced at Hwa Sun-gyeong, who lay unconscious, and swallowed hard. Firming his resolve, the branch leader began to pack the items in the warehouse into the bag Mu-jin handed him, moving with the agility of a martial artist. ’
Once the bag was filled, Mu-jin tied it and slung it over his shoulder, then looked at the branch leader.
“Now, let’s finish this.”
“Finish what? What do you mean?”
“If you look fine after being robbed, won’t you be suspected?”
In the brief moment the branch leader expressed his understanding, Mu-jin’s hand moved like lightning.
A few teeth and blood spewed from the branch leader’s mouth as he collapsed to the floor. Although Mu-jin had controlled his strength, it would take days for the swelling on the branch leader’s face to subside.
Just as Mu-jin was about to leave the warehouse with the bag on his shoulder,
People started gathering, alerted by the noise Hwa Sun-gyeong had made when he crashed through the warehouse. But these were not warriors of the Nine Great Sects. They were guards working for a small branch of the Daegum Sangdan, and stopping Mu-jin was impossible for them.
Mu-jin easily defeated the guards and blew a whistle he had prepared in advance.
Shortly after his whistle, a whistle echoed from the opposite direction.
‘Seems like they made it out.’
Before entering the warehouse, Mu-jin had arranged a signal. When he whistled, Mu-gyeong and Hye-geol were to escape and head to the rendezvous point without looking back. Despite hearing their whistles, Mu-jin stayed behind, fighting the guards.
Just as Mu-gyeong and Hye-geol had been bait when they first approached the warehouse, Mu-jin played the bait during their escape.
‘It would be risky to leave it to them.’
Even if they hid their martial arts and appearances, traces leading back to Zhongnan would eventually be found. Thus, Mu-jin willingly chose to be the final bait.
After distracting the martial artists for a while and confirming that more guards were joining, Mu-jin moved.
‘This should be enough.’
Determining that the guards had given up chasing Mu-gyeong and Hye-geol to catch him, Mu-jin sprang into action. With a single internal energy-fueled step, he soared above the encircling guards, and by his second step, he was already on the wall, and by the third, he was out of the Daegum Sangdan branch.
The guards tried to catch Mu-jin with all their might, but the distance between them grew larger over time. When the distance was finally sufficient, Mu-jin used his shadow technique to hide in the darkness.
Using the alleys of Huayin County to his advantage, Mu-jin moved in the opposite direction of his initial escape route. He had originally moved in the opposite direction to draw enemies away from Zhongnan Mountain.
Upon reaching the rendezvous point, Mu-jin reunited with Mu-gyeong and Hye-geol.
“Didn’t expect to see Hwasan Sect disciples, but it’s nothing serious.”
While Mu-jin took down Hwa Sun-gyeong and looted the warehouse, Hye-geol and Mu-gyeong had dealt with the Hwasan Sect disciples. They didn’t kill them but left them injured, similar to what happened to the Zhongnan Sect.
Killing when the other side hadn’t crossed the line would be problematic. Moreover, leaving the disciples injured rather than dead would be more beneficial, as Hwasan Sect would be preoccupied with tending to their wounded.
Confirming that their plan had gone relatively smoothly, Mu-jin, Hye-geol, and Mu-gyeong headed back to Zhongnan Mountain. Unlike when they had come, they took precautions to leave no traces and only used full-speed martial arts when they were sure they wouldn’t leave any signs.
They returned to Zhongnan Mountain within three hours of their departure.
The robbery of the Daegum Sangdan branch near the Hwasan Sect caused an uproar. Despite the presence of Hwa Sun-gyeong and one of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, Cho-yoon, the branch was ransacked. Hwa Sun-gyeong suffered severe internal injuries, and Cho-yoon was left beaten and bedridden.
Naturally, this caused chaos in Huayin County and the Hwasan Sect, but Mu-jin was unperturbed.
“Alright, let’s do fifteen more sets!”
Mu-jin continued his routine, training the Zhongnan Sect disciples in strength training in the morning and his own exercises in the afternoon. Occasionally, he received updates on Huayin County and Hwasan Sect’s situation through messages from the Cheonryu Sangdan.
“Hmm. What’s with this confidence?”
Despite their chaos in Huayin County, Hwasan Sect had not withdrawn their main forces from Zhongnan Mountain and other strategic locations. Instead, they sent more second and third-class disciples to Huayin County.
“It seems they need a lesson.”
A lesson about the consequences of not properly guarding their valuables.
About ten days after the Daegum Sangdan robbery,
As evening approached, Mu-jin, Mu-gyeong, and Hye-geol left Zhongnan Mountain again. But this time, they headed to Daeryeo County, not Huayin County. Daeryeo County, located slightly farther from Zhongnan Mountain, was still relatively close to the Hwasan Sect and under its influence.
“Let’s start with that place.”
Mu-jin pointed to a brothel in Daeryeo County’s market. According to information from the Cheonryu Sangdan and Beggar Sect, this brothel was actually run by the Hwasan Sect. Sure enough, upon approaching, they saw the Plum Blossom emblem of the Hwasan Sect and a few Hwasan Sect disciples guarding the entrance.
“Attacking commoners isn’t ideal, even if the place is run by the Hwasan Sect.”
Mu-jin and Mu-gyeong nodded in agreement with Hye-geol’s statement, who looked like a typical thief or assassin.
“Of course, we won’t touch commoners. Just beat up the Hwasan Sect disciples and make the guests flee from the fight.”
Since the disciples were clearly marked with their sect uniforms, there was no risk of mistakenly attacking commoners.
The trio stormed the brothel, taking down the Hwasan Sect disciples and looting the brothel owner’s room of the money intended for the Hwasan Sect. Not satisfied with just one target, they hit two more Hwasan Sect businesses in Daeryeo County before leaving.
‘This should draw their disciples back to Hwasan Sect.’
With the main forces withdrawn to Hwasan Sect, Zhongnan Mountain would be more manageable.
However, a few days later, news from Cheonryu Sangdan contradicted Mu-jin’s expectations.
“They sent more disciples to Huayin County and Daeryeo County?”
Instead of pulling back disciples from the
conflict with Zhongnan Sect, Hwasan Sect had sent more of their remaining disciples to the two counties. Analyzing the information and what he knew, Mu-jin realized something odd.
“So, how many are left in Hwasan Sect?”
Even conservatively, less than a hundred disciples should remain at Hwasan Sect, and around forty of them were injured from the previous raids.
If the Cheonryu Sangdan’s information was accurate, Hwasan Sect was nearly unguarded.
“Could it be they trust in that person?”
Indeed, if that person was in Hwasan Sect, they wouldn’t fear attacks from ordinary people.
“Then, I guess it’s time to visit Hwasan Sect.”
For some reason, a sinister smile spread across Mu-jin’s face.