Roaming the Martial World (2)
I sent a mental message to Cheonma.
What do you think? Should we invite them for a drink?
Of course.
With Cheonma’s confident reply, I quickly turned to the women and said, “Alright, let’s have a drink together.”
“We’ll come over to your table,” one of them offered.
“No, we’ll join you,” I insisted.
We moved to their table, and I found myself intrigued. It was the first time something like this had happened since I started traveling with Cheonma. Honestly, I wasn’t too concerned about the women’s intentions. Whether they were looking for free drinks or just some fun, it didn’t matter much to me.
The women were quite young, probably around twenty-two or twenty-three. One was tall and slender, while the other was shorter with a more voluptuous figure. The tall one had a friendly, open face, while the shorter one was more delicate and charming.
Which one do you like?
Why are you asking?
Well, I have Hwarin, so I’m giving you the first pick.
Hmm.
Having this kind of conversation with Cheonma was both amusing and refreshing.
Then I’ll choose first.
The shorter one.
What do you mean by “the shorter one”?
You crazy fool!
Haha, alright. I’ll take the tall one.
We were pairing ourselves up without the women even knowing.
“You two are quite dashing,” one of them said.
“Really handsome,” the other added.
Their open compliments about our looks made us blush.
Ah, today’s young people! Or should I say, today’s youth in general! Men have changed a lot too, I suppose.
In any case, the women were expressing themselves freely.
“You ladies are truly beautiful as well,” I replied.
“Ladies?” they giggled at my choice of words.
I quickly sent another mental message to Cheonma.
Is “ladies” not the right term? What do people say these days?
I have no idea.
Cheonma replied, slightly flustered. I should have realized something was off then.
“What do you do for a living?” one of them asked.
I gave Cheonma a chance to answer, but he remained silent. So, I had to respond again.
“We’re martial artists traveling the world.”
“Oh, really?”
“That sounds exciting.”
I glanced at Cheonma again. This was the perfect moment to share some of our interesting stories.
But Cheonma just sat there, drinking silently. I had thought he would be adept at handling situations like this, given how he always talked about meeting beautiful women in the martial world.
“Are you two friends?” one of the women asked.
“Yes. And you two?”
“We’re sisters. We work at the Wulin Alliance branch. Oh? Your expressions just changed. Do you not like women who work for the Wulin Alliance?”
“No, not at all.”
I said that, but I was a bit taken aback. These women had no idea they were sitting with the current and former leaders of the Wulin Alliance, or perhaps the current leader and the last Heavenly Demon of the Blood Heaven Sect.
“How’s work at the Wulin Alliance?” I asked.
“It’s alright. Let’s not talk about work, though.”
“Sure.”
I suppose they didn’t want to discuss work while out drinking after a long day.
But what should we talk about? What would they find interesting? I couldn’t quite figure it out.
If we had talked about the Wulin Alliance, I could have gone on all night. Or if it were about past battles, I could have entertained them for days.
But what else could we talk about?
I looked to Cheonma for help, but he just kept drinking, as silent as a clam.
I had expected him to lead the conversation. How could he betray me like this?
You said we should travel the world and meet beautiful women!
We met them, didn’t we?
Then say something. I’ve been doing all the talking!
What am I supposed to say? It’s embarrassing.
Good grief!
My solo efforts weren’t enough to keep the women entertained.
They started to look bored, and soon enough, they remembered a prior engagement.
Our first encounter with beautiful women ended rather anticlimactically. I even got told twice that I seemed more mature than I looked.
As I watched them leave, I sighed and said, “Good grief! What was that?”
What good is money, martial prowess, or good looks?
Cheonma just kept drinking, pretending not to notice.
I turned to him, exasperated.
“Are you mute? Why are you the only one being silent? Do you think I have no shame? You said we should meet all the beautiful women in the martial world and have fun! This is all your fault!”
“They seemed like gold diggers.”
“If they were, we could handle it. We’re immune to all poisons!”
“They also seemed like witches who drain men’s energy.”
“You fool! We could handle that too, couldn’t we? If the Heavenly Demon doesn’t look out for witches, who will?”
In the end, Cheonma’s final excuse was this:
“They weren’t my type.”
Ah! But they were every man’s type!
Twenty days later, at the Wulin Alliance’s Yuanling branch in Hunan Province.
“You bastards! Take one step closer, and you’re all dead!”
A masked man shouted from the window of the closed gambling hall, his voice echoing with considerable internal energy.
Hearing that voice, Joonghyuk swallowed hard. He was a new recruit in the Red Dragon Squad of the Wulin Alliance’s Yuanling branch, just one year into his service.
“How many of them are there?”
“At least twenty. There are at least three experts capable of unleashing sword energy, and they’ve been confirmed to have explosives.”
“Damn it!”
The man asking the question was Imbae, the leader of the Red Dragon Squad. The one answering from a concealed position about thirty paces away was also a senior member of the squad, Soguryang.
The Yuanling branch of the gambling hall had been attacked by unknown assailants.
The Red Dragon Squad and other martial artists from the Wulin Alliance had responded promptly, but dozens of guests and accountants had already been taken hostage.
The Wulin Alliance’s Yuanling branch had mobilized all its martial artists. Forty of them surrounded the area, but only seven were part of the combat team, the Red Dragon Squad.
Typically, the branch’s martial artists were divided into those handling general duties and the combat team, like the Red Dragon Squad, which dealt with dangerous situations.
“We’ll move in within half an hour. Everyone, get ready.”
While the senior members nodded confidently at Imbae’s whisper, Joonghyuk was inwardly tense. This was his first real mission. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but he felt like he was suffocating.
“You’re wearing your protective gear, right?”
“Yes.”
The protective gear was made of tough leather, but it would still be cut through by sharp swords or sword energy. Still, it was better than nothing, so everyone wore it.
The problem was the numbers. There were seven of them and over twenty of the enemy. And judging by the skill of the man who had shouted from the window, they wouldn’t be easy to deal with.
Plus, there were hostages.
“They won’t keep the hostages alive.”
Imbae, with his extensive experience, knew the mindset of those who raided gambling halls. They typically used hostages as a means to escape and then killed them all.
“We’ll get in before that happens.”
The seven martial artists approached the back of the gambling hall and entered. The passage they used was a secret escape route known only to the gambling hall staff.
“Rookie, stay behind us and don’t lose sight.”
“Yes!”
They infiltrated the hall. Joonghyuk had practiced building infiltration dozens of times, but in a real situation, he was trembling.
They moved quietly through the narrow corridor when suddenly, the senior members in front stopped.
Joonghyuk saw it. A sword was pointed at the neck of Soguryang, who was at the front.
“Drop your swords, or this one dies.”
The next moment, there was movement behind them. A sword was also pointed at the martial artist at the rear.
Moreover, the masked men who appeared both in front and behind were holding explosives. If they threw them, the group in the narrow corridor would be blown to pieces.
There was no choice.
“Drop your swords.”
At Imbae’s command, the Red Dragon Squad members dropped their swords. Joonghyuk felt like his heart was about to burst.
‘Is this the end for us?’
In contrast, the senior members were much calmer than he was.
The masked men rushed in and sealed their energy points, preventing them from using their internal energy. The attackers had known they would try to infiltrate.
“How did they know?”
Imbae’s question was met with a rough punch.
Thud!
“Doesn’t matter.”
They were dragged into the main hall where the hostages were held. There were already over fifty hostages there. The more hostages, the higher the attackers’ chances of survival, so they kept them alive.
The man who seemed to be the leader asked someone near the safe, “How much longer?”
The man working on the safe replied without turning around, “Almost done.”
“Hurry up.”
“Yes.”
Imbae had been with the Red Dragon Squad for over twenty years. He had seen it all, and even in this dire situation, he remained unfazed.
“Do you think you can rob this place? The outside is surrounded like a fortress. If you think you can escape by taking us hostage, you’re mistaken.”
The leader’s eyes narrowed, a blatant smirk on his face.
“If by ‘fortress’ you mean the thirty-three ragtag martial artists outside, then you don’t need to worry about us.”
Imbae and the other Red Dragon Squad members’ expressions hardened. The enemy had precise knowledge of the Wulin Alliance’s forces.
They were clearly well-informed about the Wulin Alliance and this gambling hall.
As Imbae looked around, he suddenly realized something.
“Ah, so you’re with the battlefield unit.”
Looking around, it was clear that none of the subdued warriors belonged to the battlefield unit. The ones who were supposed to guard the battlefield had conspired to commit this act. They knew the Red Dragon Squad would use the secret passage and had prepared accordingly.
“Those who should protect the money are the ones stealing it. They have no honor.”
“Honor?”
The leader sneered, then suddenly leapt through the air and kicked Imbae mercilessly.
Thud!
Imbae’s body flew and crashed to the ground.
The leader spoke coldly, “Preaching to me, are you? Lucky you, dying for honor.”
He drew his sword and advanced toward Imbae.
“No!”
Jung-hyuk rushed forward, blocking the path to Imbae. Where he found the courage, he didn’t know. The fear of death was still there, but he couldn’t let his senior die.
Thud!
This time, the leader kicked Jung-hyuk. He was knocked back but quickly got up to shield Imbae again.
Just then, a voice called out, “The vault is open.”
The leader dashed toward the voice.
Jung-hyuk turned to Imbae. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. What about you?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
“I’m alright, so take care of the hostages.”
“Yes!”
Jung-hyuk ran toward the hostages. He was overwhelmed, not really in a state to protect anyone, but the situation demanded it.
The hostages were trembling with fear.
“We’ll protect you, don’t worry.”
The masked guards around them sneered. “And who’s going to protect you?”
Ignoring them, Jung-hyuk reassured the hostages, “Don’t worry.”
Among the hostages, two people stood out. One was dozing off. Sleeping in a situation like this? Either they had nerves of steel or were so terrified they’d lost their senses.
Next to the sleeper was a young man, calm and composed, observing everything around him.
Jung-hyuk’s eyes met his.
The young man smiled slightly and asked quietly, “Are you with the Red Dragon Squad?”
“Yes, we are.”
The man, though young like Jung-hyuk, exuded an unusual authority.
“I saw you earlier. Very brave.”
“Not at all. But how did you know we were with the Red Dragon Squad?”
“Because I created it.”
“What?”
Jung-hyuk looked puzzled.
“Are there just seven of you guarding Wonreung?”
“Yes.”
“That’s far too few.”
Jung-hyuk was bewildered. Why were they having this conversation now? And why was he answering so earnestly? What was this inexplicable authority and dignity he felt from the man? And these cryptic statements?
“I’ll increase the numbers at each branch.”
“But who are you?”
“I’m just a customer who came to withdraw some money. And…”
The man smiled as he added, “I’m also the one who pays your monthly salary.”