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Dark Heaven Village

That night, it was already past the midnight hour when Lee Kwang returned to the hideout.

I approached Lee Kwang, but he looked somewhat exhausted and weary. Seeing him like that, which was unusual for him, I jumped a little when he spoke.

“What’s the matter?”

“Master, I have something to tell you.”

“Can’t it wait a bit longer?”

Typically, when a master says this, you’d be expected to back off. In fact, Lee Kwang’s expression indicated he was quite aggravated and tired, so unless you were completely oblivious, you’d know he wanted to collect his thoughts alone.

But I knew that if I didn’t speak now, the opportunity might slip away. So I said firmly, “We need to talk now.”

“…Then go ahead.”

A threatening aura flickered in Lee Kwang’s expression that suggested he might send me flying if I didn’t have something important to say. Reminded of past memories, I shivered, but bravely mustered my courage and pulled out the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng that I had kept secretly.

As soon as Lee Kwang saw it, he had a puzzled expression for a moment. But soon, he quickly discerned its identity from its form and size and looked at me with horror.

“……!!”

“It’s the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.”

“Wait… didn’t you eat it?”

He was so surprised that even the legendary Lee Kwang stammered over his words. I felt a sense of satisfaction and continued, “I had one, and I brought this one for you.”

“This is unbelievable…”

“Since we have a big event coming up, I thought it should either go to you or Jin So-cheong.”

Lee Kwang seemed to snap back to reality at my words. He placed the ginseng on the table and glared at it intensely. Then he said, “Let’s give it to So-cheong.”

“What?”

I was taken aback by this unexpected response.

It was true that Lee Kwang treasured Jin So-cheong like a child, but the item in front of us was the best spiritual pill any martial artist would dream of, even in their sleep. Despite this, he chose to give it to his disciple. That was far from normal. Especially considering how taking the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng would greatly enhance Lee Kwang’s skills—I couldn’t understand it.

Without answering, Lee Kwang called for Jin So-cheong. She looked equally surprised when she saw the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng on the table.

“This is…?”

“It’s from Baek Woong.”

“What…?”

Jin So-cheong exchanged glances between me and the ginseng with a bewildered expression.

Lee Kwang said with determination, “You should eat it.”

“……!!”

“We need to meet the leader of the Bancheon Alliance soon, and we don’t have time. We plan to rescue General Hwang Yeon before dawn breaks, so you need to decide quickly.”

I had never seen Lee Kwang so urgent. Jin So-cheong seemed to sense this urgency in his tone, her face going serious. After staring for a while, she said, “I will eat it.”

“Before you do, thank Baek Woong. He has made this sacrifice for you.”

Jin So-cheong looked at me with gratitude written all over her face. She hugged me tight.

“Thank you, Master! I will never forget your kindness.”

“Uh… you’re welcome…”

I wondered if this was the right thing. Lee Kwang had a 90% chance of eating it, but now it was going to Jin So-cheong. It could have been for a good reason, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be unknown dynamics or psychological factors at play.

‘Could it be…?’

I shook my head, dismissing that thought.

That couldn’t be it.

Whoosh!!

A moment later, after taking the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and sitting cross-legged, a tremendous energy flowed from Jin So-cheong’s body. She operated her internal energy to quickly stabilize the ginseng’s cold energy, and soon lightning manifested visibly from her entire body.

The flickering lightning ignited sparks. I felt the power within Jin So-cheong grow increasingly vast and formidable. Eventually, when her eyes shot open, the force of her internal energy erupted.

“Whoa…”

Lee Kwang, who was watching, gasped with admiration.

Then, wiping a tear from his eyes, he said, “Finally… it’s done…”

“……?”

“Jin Cheon-hwi… I’ve repaid my debts…”

I didn’t understand what he meant.

As Jin So-cheong gathered her energy and stood up, the atmosphere around her was distinctly different. Until now, she had a vibe of profound internal strength, but now she exuded an aura filled with fighting spirit, as if she could tear through heaven and earth. Though it wasn’t the same level as mine, she certainly reached a level that felt absolutely solid.

It was only natural. No matter how extraordinary Jin So-cheong was, there was a limit to how much internal strength one could accumulate. She possessed more internal energy than others of her age in their twenties, but it was still within certain bounds. What she had before was comparable to that of many elders from great sects, but absorbing the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng amplified all that in an instant.

“Thank you again, Master.”

“Haha, no problem.”

I pushed aside my trivial thoughts and smiled.

‘This is good.’

I had strengthened Jin So-cheong as well.

This further lowered the chances of my demise.

After an hour passed since Jin So-cheong took the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, Lee Kwang went directly to the base of Mangnyang. Mangnyang, waiting there, saluted and asked, “Did everything go well?”

“Not quite.”

“What happened?”

Lee Kwang replied bitterly, “The Clear Stream Faction believes in supporting the Emperor’s right governance and aiding the common folks. I thought Elder Deung Gwak would help me, but I misjudged him.”

Mangnyang raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Did he perhaps join forces with the Golden Eagle Guard?”

“Not exactly. I prodded a few times, but he didn’t display any suspicious signs.”

“Then it must be a matter of political safety and self-preservation.”

“That could be the case.”

Lee Kwang looked somewhat drained of energy. He thought the meeting with Elder Deung Gwak from the Clear Stream Faction would go smoothly, but it seemed that Elder Deung had shown reluctance to assist Lee Kwang. Moreover, judging by Lee Kwang’s demeanor, it seemed he was treated rather poorly.

Thinking for a moment, Mangnyang said, “…No, that’s not right. This feels more complicated… something else must be behind it. Deung Gwak isn’t the type to behave that way.”

“I think so too, but we don’t have time now. If we try to persuade Deung Gwak, it might be too late.”

“We have no choice. We must move immediately.”

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, we’ve been waiting for you.”

“I like your decisiveness. Let’s go.”

Whoosh!

Shortly after, the martial artists from the Bancheon Alliance and the experts from the Thunder God Lineage quietly left the base. The experts from the Bancheon Alliance were gathered by Mangnyang, and among them were several peak experts who seemed formidable, having consumed Black and White Lotus before. Upon realizing their capabilities, Lee Kwang remarked in admiration, “To build such a force at such a young age… the leader of the Bancheon Alliance is truly impressive.”

“You’re overestimating it.”

“This will definitely be of help. Now let’s move.”

And so the operation commenced.

The Great Thunder Valley wasn’t inside the capital Luoyang or the Imperial Palace; instead, it lay within a canyon slightly outside Luoyang. Therefore, it was imperative to quietly exit the castle first.

Since it was nighttime, we could move without attracting too much attention, particularly because before arriving at the Great Thunder Valley, we operated in pairs, supporting each other’s stealth.

The person I teamed up with was Gyeok Ho, a newcomer from the Thunder God Lineage. He moved across the rooftops like a cat, laughing quietly.

“Little brat, you’ve had quite the rollercoaster ride. Starting with such an epic adventure, huh?”

“Don’t mind me.”

Gyeok Ho called out telepathically.

“Hey hey! Your Thunder Shadow Step is getting tangled. Put in more effort!”

“I’m doing just fine.”

“Eh…?”

Gyeok Ho kept trying to engage me with telepathy, seemingly full of curiosity and interest toward me. It was rather annoying, but I endured and focused on the task. When I didn’t respond, Gyeok Ho grumbled.

“If I had known, I would’ve played with So-cheong instead.”

Smack!

Before he finished his sentence, Gyeok Ho pounced and subdued a guard in a flash. With an astonishingly swift movement, he struck precisely and knocked them out, moving so quickly that to an average person’s eyes, it would have appeared like a gust of wind passing by. Following him over the wall, Gyeok Ho perched on top, grinning widely.

“How was that? Pretty good, huh, little one?”

“Excellent.”

I assessed him with a flat expression. Gyeok Ho was indeed strong. Suddenly, Gyeok Ho groaned in dissatisfaction.

“Ugh, you’re sounding mundane like an old man in his seventies! Quit acting so serious and be a kid for a bit!”

“What on earth are you talking about? Let’s just get the job done.”

What the heck is wrong with this guy?

Gyeok Ho was driving me crazy. But since we were in the middle of a mission, I couldn’t just punch him.

Gyeok Ho chirped, “Hey bro, I wanna get close to you. What do you say?”

“……”

I ignored him and leaped off the wall. The wall was easily four times my height, yet I floated down like a feather and immediately took off running. Gyeok Ho had already tagged along, matching my speed. While running, he let out a wild laugh.

“How about a race to the Great Thunder Valley?”

“What the…”

“Catch up with me, Baek Woong!”

Whoosh!

Right after he said that, his Sword Form accelerated even further, leaving only an afterimage as he zoomed ahead. Of course, I was too stubborn to lose. After running for about ten more li while trying to catch up with the white afterimage, I suddenly realized something.

‘What the?! Are you kidding me?!’

I was flabbergasted.

This wasn’t human-level light body technique!

At present, I had mastered Thunder Shadow Step and possessed immense internal power, so in terms of instantaneous speed or even long-distance running, I confidently believed I could outpace both Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong. But Gyeok Ho wasn’t on that level; he was running after me at least fifteen li behind and I couldn’t close the distance!

He was at least twice as fast as me!

At that rate, he was already faster than a horse, even faster than an arrow. I never imagined he could run like that for such distances.

Thud, thud, thud…

After a while, when we finally arrived near the Great Thunder Valley, Gyeok Ho was already comfortably sitting there.

The Great Thunder Valley was a treacherous mountain valley, and Gyeok Ho was lounging beneath a nearby stone wall.

“Looks like we’re the first ones here.”

Gyeok Ho chuckled. Our mission was to approach the Great Thunder Valley by eliminating any guards along the way, so there were no enemies in sight yet. Of course, even if there were guards, there was no way they could stand up to us.

“Haa…”

I found it ridiculous that Gyeok Ho showed no signs of fatigue. For me, I was relying on my nearly boundless energy to substitute for my stamina, but how on earth was he still fine after running such a long distance so fast?

Gyeok Ho exclaimed, “That’s the look I wanted to see! Now you finally look like a kid.”

“Your attitude is just tiresome.”

“Heh, who cares? If you don’t like it, let’s fight!”

Gyeok Ho was joking around as if he were a street punk. I was genuinely curious and asked, “How can you use such incredible light body technique? Even Master Lee Kwang can’t…”

Gyeok Ho snorted.

“Hmph. The strongest among the Thunder God Lineage is indeed Lee Kwang, but that doesn’t mean he knows all my techniques.”

“What?!”

“Hehe, this is a secret! I won’t tell you more unless you offer me a pretty maiden.”

I frowned.

“You’re nothing but a corrupted servant.”

Gyeok Ho’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Corrupted? You little brat, do you not know how beautiful relationships between men and women can be?”

“It may be beautiful, but it’s not something a servant should say.”

“You’re annoying! How about this?”

Whoosh!

Gyeok Ho suddenly pulled a book out from his clothes and threw it at me. I caught it and read the cover in the moonlight:

“Spring Flower Painting”

“……”

I could guess without even looking at the contents.

With a serious expression, Gyeok Ho said, “This is my treasured secret. This mysterious painting can make even middle-aged men suffering from their wives’ nagging spring up! It was drawn by the most famous erotic artist in Chang’an!”

“……”

Gyeok Ho wore an expression as if he were meditating.

“I hope you come to understand the ways of love better and enjoy it fully.”

“What the hell?!”

I yelled as I threw the Spring Flower Painting away. This guy was clearly messing with me! Gyeok Ho quickly caught the discarded painting and grinned.

“Is it too early for you, little brat?”

“Cut it out! You’re supposed to treat me like a senior!”

“Haha, what will you do if I don’t stop?”

Swish swish!

I could no longer contain my anger and charged at Gyeok Ho. Using Thunder Shadow Step, I struck him with Thunder Cloud Palm. It was a covert op, so I didn’t infuse too much internal power, intending to just toss him aside with some playful technique. However, Gyeok Ho grinned and suddenly unleashed his light body technique, causing his image to blur and disappear.

Thwack!

“……!!”

In that moment, I noticed that twelve blue shadows had sprung up in the air, all resembling Gyeok Ho. The surprising thing was that, similar to when facing the Dharma Guardian from the Wind Spirit Sect, I couldn’t distinguish which one was the real Gyeok Ho. As I tensed up, Gyeok Ho withdrew his shadows and burst into laughter.

“Haha, scaredy-cat~”

“Who’s scared?!”

“Well, you are…”

Just as Gyeok Ho was about to tease me further, a deep voice came from the other side.

“Gyeok Ho. You used a secret technique again.”

Although the voice wasn’t loud, it rang clearly in our ears. Gyeok Ho and I instantly recognized who it belonged to. Gyeok Ho, in particular, flinched as if caught in wrongdoing and stood up straight.

Before Gyeok Ho stood Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong. They had arrived one after the other. When Lee Kwang looked coldly at Gyeok Ho, he dropped to one knee and respectfully performed the etiquette of the Thunder God Lineage.

“I’m sorry.”

Lee Kwang, perhaps feeling better thanks to the earlier incident, waved his hand to signal forgiveness.

“It’s your choice to use it, but remember that overusing it before reaching your true potential will only harm you.”

“…Yes.”

Gyeok Ho replied nonchalantly but seemed a bit disgruntled.

Shortly after, Mangnyang and around ten martial artists from the Bancheon Alliance also arrived, and Lee Kwang said, “Then we will execute the operation as planned.”

Mangnyang saluted, “We will secure an escape route nearby.”

“Very well. I hope Yun Guang and Lee Ji-pyeong will assist.”

“May the fortune be with you.”

The operation for the Great Thunder Valley rescue began.

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