Chapter 276
Yeon Tae-jin had thoroughly beaten up Gwang-gyeon Jeon Seok-gu and his gang like dogs.
This time, it seemed she had learned to control her strength better—she didn’t even knock them out.
Bam! Crack! Thud! Smash!
“Ahhh!”
“Please, have mercy!”
“M-my lord! I have a sick mother at home… ugh!”
“Lady Seonnyeo! Please! Ahhh!”
As the beating dragged on, everyone around, including Seon Woo-jin, couldn’t help but look at Gwang-gyeon’s gang with pity.
It was more than just sympathy—it was heart-wrenching.
Just as they were about to step in and stop her, Yeon Tae-jin finally stopped, stretching with a refreshed expression.
“Ah, that feels great! Lately, I’ve only been running into top-tier fighters, and it’s been frustrating. Now I finally feel alive!”
Hearing that, the group finally understood why she had accepted the trouble from Gwang-gyeon’s gang.
Apparently, she’d been bottling up frustration from constantly facing opponents she couldn’t beat.
But to take out that frustration on strangers she’d just met…
Seon Woo-jin silently apologized in his heart to the battered gang as he stepped onto the fighting stage.
Now that Yeon Tae-jin had achieved her goal, it was his turn.
With a cold smile, he scanned the crowd and said, “Is this really the level of Soju’s martial artists? I had some hope since this is the territory of the Sa-wang-ryeon, but this is utterly disappointing.”
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
Then suddenly erupted.
“Whaaat?!”
“What nonsense is that?!”
“How dare you belittle us just because you beat some Gwang-gyeon thugs!”
“Who do you think you are, disrespecting Soju’s warriors?!”
The atmosphere here was definitely more free and open.
It was rare to see ordinary people jeer at martial artists like this anywhere else.
But Seon Woo-jin, though inwardly impressed by the boldness, showed no sign of it on his face.
Instead, he looked down on them with an arrogant expression.
“Why? Is it wrong to look down on them? These are the so-called representatives of Soju?”
The crowd’s anger flared again.
“How can those guys represent Soju’s warriors?!”
“Yeah! They beat some Gwang-gyeon thugs and now they’re disrespecting Soju’s fighters!”
“Hey! Someone go fetch the Hotu Association’s warriors!”
“I’ll go! I’ll bring some experts to crush you all—just wait right there!”
As a few people hurried off, Seon Woo-jin smiled faintly.
Just as he had hoped, things were unfolding perfectly.
From the start, he hadn’t accepted their challenge just to blow off steam like Yeon Tae-jin.
At that moment, a plan was forming in his mind.
Based on the information he’d gathered from the Hao Sect, the first step was falling into place beautifully.
Yeon Tae-jin, watching with a slight frown, asked him, “What is it? What scheme do you have this time?”
Seon Woo-jin simply smiled warmly at her.
Then he glanced at the others.
They were already looking at him with knowing expressions—as if to say, “If it’s Seon Woo-jin, there must be a reason.”
Suddenly, Muk-rang spoke up.
“There’s nothing more valuable than trust earned through experience. In that regard, you have almost their full confidence.”
At those words, Seon Woo-jin felt a warm glow in his chest.
Seol-pung, Jeung-chil, Jin So-eun.
The feeling of having solid trust from the people he cared about was indescribably good.
Originally, he had planned to explain everything to them in detail through telepathy, but instead, he just smiled and said to the group,
“Today, here and now, let’s conquer Soju.”
It was a brief statement, but one only possible because he trusted his companions completely.
After waiting on the fighting stage for a moment, a burly, bear-like, rough-looking martial artist came running up, shouting,
“I am Gu Hang, the leader of the Hotu Association! Who dares insult our Soju warriors?!”
He was clearly a cut above the previous Gwang-gyeon Jeon Seok-gu.
Judging by his aura, he was at least a mid-level first-rate martial artist.
Yeon Tae-jin’s eyes sparkled as she muttered with delight,
“Oh my, this catch is a decent size. This should be fun.”
To her, the approaching fighters looked no more than fish caught on a fishing line.
What she wanted to do with them was probably to fillet them.
Seon Woo-jin sighed deeply, feeling a pang of guilt for what was about to happen to this man, and a flicker of doubt about his past decision to work with Yeon Tae-jin.
“Hmm…”
Was joining forces with her really the wise choice?
Doubt crept in.
Just then, Jeung-chil suddenly leapt onto the fighting stage, shouting,
“Hey! You naked woman! You think you’re the only one having fun? You started warming up earlier, now it’s my turn!”
…Apparently, it wasn’t just Yeon Tae-jin.
Seon Woo-jin covered his face with his hand and sighed again.
At that moment, Gu Hang finally jumped onto the stage, scowling.
He was furious that the frail old man Jeung-chil was stepping up to face him.
Seeing the sturdy Seon Woo-jin, he shouted,
“How dare you send out a scrawny old donkey like that! Are you really a man…!”
Before he could finish, an enraged Jeung-chil shot forward like a flash.
“Hey, you!”
Thwack!
A powerful punch that seemed to pierce through his stomach.
Gu Hang’s body bent like a shrimp.
“Ughhh!”
“What did you say about a scrawny old donkey?!”
Unfortunately for Gu Hang, that was just the beginning.
Jeung-chil’s furious barrage swept over him like a storm.
Bam bam bam bam!
“Ughhhhhh!”
The beating was so brutal that even Yeon Tae-jin, who had just beaten Gwang-gyeon’s gang like dogs, looked on with a grim expression.
Gu Hang couldn’t hold out long and soon was begging pitifully, tears and snot streaming down his face.
“P-please, Lady Seonnyeo, have mercy…”
But Jeung-chil didn’t stop.
Only when Gu Hang’s body was nearly a pulp did he finally relent, panting heavily.
Still fuming, he shouted at the crowd,
“Are all Soju’s warriors just pathetic donkeys like this?! I can’t tell if they’re real fighters or just scarecrows!”
His provocation stirred the crowd into an uproar again.
“Unbelievable! Even the Hotu leader got beaten!”
“We can’t just stand here! Someone go tell Baekwoo Bang!”
“I’ll go!”
“We’ll show them the true strength of Soju’s warriors!”
As more people ran off, Jeung-chil grinned at Seon Woo-jin, as if asking, “Didn’t I do well?”
Seon Woo-jin gave a wry smile.
Apparently, Jeung-chil had figured out that Seon Woo-jin had deliberately provoked the crowd to bring out stronger fighters.
That was quite an impressive deduction.
Seon Woo-jin smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
Soon after, another group of martial artists came running.
“I am Jo Doo-seok, the leader of Soju’s Baekwoo Bang! Who dares…!”
Bam bam bam!
“Ughhh!”
Jo Doo-seok was a martial artist at the early peak level.
At that level, in a small city, he could easily be the ruler.
But unfortunately for him, his opponent was now Yeon Tae-jin, who had just relieved Jeung-chil.
Against her, even a peak beginner’s skill was no different from the second-rate Gwang-gyeon Jeon Seok-gu.
Soon, Jo Doo-seok lay sprawled beside Gu Hang, a ragged mess.
Seeing even a true master like Jo Doo-seok get beaten so easily, the people of Soju were left in disbelief.
“How can this be? Even Leader Jo got beaten!”
“And so easily! Who are these outsiders?”
“Does it matter? At this rate, our Soju’s reputation will be completely destroyed by them!”
“What are we going to do? Now that even Leader Jo is down… could it be?!”
“Right! The Baek family! Let’s send word there!”
“But the head of the Baek family is…”
“Though the Baek family head is ill, there are the Baek heirs! They’ll surely come!”
“Yes! The heirs will be enough!”
Listening to the serious chatter, Seon Woo-jin smiled faintly.
The name he had been waiting for had finally come up.
The place he had targeted from the start: Soju Baekga.
Long ago, the first Sa-wang of the Sa-wang-ryeon, Gwe Ja-woon, had divided territories among his trusted lieutenants, the Guangma brothers who had shared hardships with his father.
He had declared those lands their own, outside the Sa-wang-ryeon’s direct control, instructing future generations never to interfere.
These territories became the independent factions within the Sa-wang-ryeon, known as the Sa-wang Thirteen Families.
And Soju was the domain of the Soju Baekga, descendants of Baek Dong-seong, the So-myeon Marquis, a prestigious family of the Kun clan, famous throughout the martial world.
In his past life, Seolpung had managed to become a candidate to succeed as the next Generation Four of the Four Kings.
But according to the information Sun Woojin had gathered out of curiosity about him, that was as far as he got.
“The current Generation Four, Gwae Galhyeon, decided that the next Generation Four would be chosen through endless competition among the successors. And in that competition, not only personal skill but also one’s faction played a crucial role. Since Brother Pung had no base within the Four Kings’ Alliance, even after joining, unlike the other candidates, he never achieved any notable accomplishments.”
And that situation hadn’t changed much even now.
Though Sun Woojin, Jeungchil, and others were following him this time, compared to the other candidates who already had solid footing within the Four Kings’ Alliance, Seolpung’s faction was still practically nonexistent.
So Sun Woojin had been gathering intel on the internal dynamics of the Four Kings’ Alliance, pondering which factions might potentially support Seolpung.
The most prominent among them were the families of the Thirteen Houses of the Four Kings’ Alliance, who held independent status even within the alliance.
“Of course, many of the Thirteen Houses were already tied in some way to other candidates. But according to the Hao Gate’s intel, the Soju Baek family, which rules over Soju here, hasn’t been involved yet.”
Sun Woojin had included Soju as a route to the Four Kings’ Alliance precisely to create a connection with the Soju Baek family.
If he could somehow forge ties with them, then when Seolpung became a candidate, he might gain their support and influence.
While considering how to do that, one event caught his eye: this very duel.
Here, battles between martial artists were so deeply intertwined with the lives of ordinary people that it was a natural occurrence—and the outcome seemed directly tied to the pride of their hometown, Soju.
So if they could frame the situation as Soju’s martial artists versus outsiders, stirring their hometown pride, Sun Woojin thought he might meet the Soju Baek family here without having to go directly to them.
Judging by how things were unfolding, that idea seemed to be working perfectly.
As the locals called forth the Soju Baek family’s martial artists, Sun Woojin listened closely to their conversations.
Being locals, they revealed some details that even the Hao Gate hadn’t uncovered.
“The head of the Soju Baek family is ill? I hadn’t heard that before. Is it recent? And why is everyone only talking about this ‘Second Young Master’? I thought he had three sons, but no one mentions the Eldest or Third Young Masters.”
Sun Woojin recalled the information he had from the Hao Gate about the Soju Baek family.
The family head had three sons.
The eldest was considered perfect to succeed as the next family head, excelling in both conduct and martial arts.
In contrast, the second and third sons didn’t have such good reputations.
The second was a talented martial artist but a troublemaker with a problematic personality, constantly causing incidents.
The third was neither skilled in martial arts nor confident in character, often described as timid.
Of course, these were just rumors, and Sun Woojin couldn’t be sure of their accuracy.
Since the information came from far-off Guizhou and Guangxi provinces, verification was impossible.
Moreover, the Soju Baek family might have deliberately spread such rumors to solidify the eldest son’s position as heir.
Still, even considering that, it was strange that everyone was only talking about the Second Young Master.
“Even if the other two are similar in skill, shouldn’t the Eldest Young Master’s name come up more often than his?”
It seemed necessary to learn more about him to approach the Soju Baek family.
Just then, someone came rushing in from afar, almost flying.
“Wahahahaha! Who are these bold fools who dared to underestimate Soju’s martial artists?!”
A strong, resonant voice filled with powerful internal energy.
Yet it belonged to a young man who didn’t seem very old.
The ordinary Soju citizens waiting anxiously erupted into cheers.
“Wooooah! It’s Young Master Baek Muho!”
“Baek Muho of the Soju Baek family has arrived!”
“Young Master Baek! We’ve been waiting for you!”
The reaction was unlike anything seen with other martial artists’ arrivals.
The closest comparison might be Jeon Seokgu of the Guanggyeon family, who was friendly with the people.
Baek Muho seemed extremely popular among Soju’s common folk.
Confirming Sun Woojin’s impression, Baek Muho lightly landed on the duel stage like a flying bird and immediately began interacting with the ordinary citizens rather than Sun Woojin’s group.
“Thank you all for waiting! Now that Baek Muho is here, you have nothing to worry about! I will show these outsiders the true strength of Soju’s martial artists!”
“Wooooah!”
“As expected of Young Master Baek Muho!”
“Baek Muho! Baek Muho! Baek Muho!”
The Soju citizens around the stage began chanting his name in unison.
Baek Muho looked up at the sky with a moved expression, trembling slightly.
He seemed overwhelmed with excitement at hearing his name chanted like that.
He was definitely no ordinary man.
Closing his eyes briefly to savor the moment, he suddenly leapt into the crowd and started shouting his own name with them.
“Baek Muho! Baek Muho! Baek Muho!”
“Wooooah! Baek Muho! Baek Muho! Baek Muho!”
His behavior was uncharacteristically free-spirited—some might say reckless—for the scion of a noble family.
Sun Woojin and his companions stared at him dumbfounded.
Jeungchil muttered, “What’s with this guy? Is he really a martial artist, or just a quack?”
Everyone nodded blankly in agreement.
And it wasn’t only Sun Woojin’s group who were embarrassed by Baek Muho’s antics.
They noticed a group of martial artists who had followed Baek Muho covering their faces in embarrassment.
Seolpung looked at them with curiosity.
“Who are they?”
Sun Woojin answered, “They’re probably the Soju Baek family’s martial artists.”
“Ah.”
The Soju Baek family’s martial artists were clearly ashamed of Baek Muho’s behavior.
It seemed the rumors about this Young Master Baek Muho being a troublemaker were true.
Then, after mingling with the crowd and having his name chanted for a while, Baek Muho suddenly jumped back onto the duel stage.
He twirled a black staff strapped to his back, tucked it under his arm, and bowed politely.
“Apologies for keeping you waiting. I am Baek Muho of the Soju Baek family. Among martial artists, I’m honored to be called ‘Fierce Tiger Staff.’”
He was a sturdy man in his late twenties.
His solid build and commanding presence marked him as a formidable fighter, and his face bore a mischievous grin.
Overall, he looked like an older prankster.
At that moment, Mukrang suddenly spoke to Sun Woojin.
“Hm? That man is in a state of intoxication.”
“Excuse me?”
It was an utterly unexpected remark.