Beastly and Fearlessly - Chapter 40
Only Noblemtl
Episode 40
“It’s Mokreung Village… … .”
He was staying in a small village called Mokryeongchon in Namman.
A place known as the village of the Central Plains people.
Fortunately, it’s not far.
“Thank you. And take it.”
The old man handed the boy the pouch containing the money he had won from the bet.
If converted to Central Plains money, it would be a large sum of money equivalent to approximately thirty nyang.
The kid will take care of exchanging money.
“It’s an additional investment. Of course, my share of the profits is five percent. Of course, yours too.”
I was afraid there might be confusion about the profit distribution, so I explained it again clearly.
By the way, if you keep increasing your investment like this, you will become the Golden King before you become the Beast King.
“You didn’t even check what happened to the last investment, and now you’re investing this much money… … .”
“Aren’t you doing well?”
I stood up from my seat, leaving the little boy trying to explain something.
“But you still need to hear an explanation of how the profits are generated… … .”
“I left it to you because I didn’t want to be bothered. I paid you half the commission. And now you want me to get involved in that bothersome business?”
“Oh, no.”
There is no need to keep checking on someone you have already trusted.
“By the way, do you need someone to guide you to Mokreung Village?”
“There are only a few hundred locals here. Do I really need to ask an outsider for directions?”
The little boy made a pouty expression for some reason.
“Oh, and I’m probably going to the Central Plains soon. I’d like to get a share of my earnings then.”
I plan to attend the Yongbong branch meeting.
And when you travel, you need to have thick pockets.
“The Central Plains?”
There was a mixture of surprised and delighted expressions.
“I’ll tell you the details later. Is there a Yunnan branch of the Bangrimpyoguk? I’d like to receive it from there.”
The little boy was muttering to himself and calculating something.
‘Let’s just stay still. I can leave the Gansu expedition to Zhang Biaodu. He said that I must go because it is an important matter. As for the Guizhou expedition, it won’t matter if it is postponed for a few months… ‘
The little boy who had been mumbling and counting on his fingers for a while opened his mouth with a bright expression.
“Ah. Lord Sodong, you are lucky. I will be in Yunnan in three months. I think I can guide you to the Martial Arts Alliance. Haha.”
Am I lucky?
It seems like you’ve changed your schedule a lot?
“There’s no need to force your schedule to match. If we can’t meet then, let’s stop by Pyo-guk on the way back.”
The little boy’s expression was filled with disappointment, but there was nothing he could do.
You never know what kind of misfortune or accident might occur on your first trip to the Central Plains.
It’s not a good idea to go with this guy, as something dangerous might happen.
“Ah… … I understand that you have a firm intention. However, I think I should follow you to Mokryung Village. Wouldn’t he be surprised if a stranger suddenly appeared?”
The little boy’s eyes were filled with the determination to follow no matter what.
* * *
Yonghomun-dong.
One of the eight guardians who protected the first Beast King, Nam Ji-hak.
But that was a story from hundreds of years ago, and now the family has long since fallen into decline.
But hiding in the shadows doesn’t mean that the desire will subside.
Dongjujeon is decorated extravagantly, as if trying to recreate its past glory.
There is a secret space in the basement that only Dongju can enter.
There were two people there, facing each other.
“Dragon’s Seal? Didn’t you say it was nothing special?”
“That’s right. He’s a guy who shouldn’t have even been stamped. Because he has the dirty blood of the Central Plains mixed in.”
A middle-aged man sitting awkwardly in front of Yonghomun Dongju answered.
“Haha. You’re a dirty blood from the Central Plains. You must have forgotten because you see me so often. I’m from the Central Plains too.”
“Please don’t misunderstand, I didn’t say that to you.”
The person sitting in front of Yonghomun Dongju is Galdugyeong Bang, the leader of the Heuksa Gang.
The Black Sword Sect, which jumps into anything that will make money.
Now, they are supplying Namman women to the wealthy people of the Central Plains.
The most lucrative of all businesses.
“It’s still a lump of flesh, aren’t you worrying too much? What’s with that dragon’s imprint? Hehe.”
“The Ark may not understand, but in the Nanman, the engravings have special meanings. And the dragon’s engraving… … .”
Yonghomun Dongju frowned and became lost in thought.
His goal is one thing.
Pushing out Namcheon Damdong and regaining the status of Paldong.
Because it originally belonged to Yonghomun-dong.
By chance, I came into contact with Heuksabang, and the business I was doing with them was bringing me an unimaginable amount of money.
All he had to do was open a path for them to travel between the Central Plains and the Southern Plains.
Now, I thought that I just had to use this money to regain my position as the leader.
Suddenly a dragon’s imprint… … .
“Isn’t that the guy who touched our carriage last time? Is that Dam-myeong?”
“That’s right. That’s him.”
“Then don’t worry. I was just about to give you a hand. The damage was enormous because of that incident. It just so happened to be that carriage. Tsk tsk.”
There was a special client who wanted a young girl from Namman.
I had a hard time finding a child who met the criteria.
‘I had to pay back three times the deposit before I could even get it fixed. Damn.’
Galdukyeong let out an annoyed sigh.
“How can you help me? The other party is the Sodongju of Namcheon Damdong. You may not admit it, but in the Central Plains, it is a family that can rival the Five Great Families.”
“Hehe. Listen carefully to what I have to say. Do you know why our Heuksabang, located in a corner of Guangxi Province, gets away with all kinds of trashy things?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t be surprised. Our Black Sect has connections with one of the Twelve Apostles.”
“Twelve years old?”
Yonghomun Dongju was startled by the unexpected word and asked back.
Half of the Central Plains is Sapa.
The twelve most powerful of these are called the Twelve Apostles.
If we look at it from a political perspective, it is a place that boasts the same level of power as the Gupailbang.
“Haha. This guy is more amazing than I thought. Which of the twelve places is it? The place where the connection is supposedly made.”
“Haha. It’s hard to say that far ahead. Anyway, it’s not hard to bring a few people here to the land of Namman through them. Of course, it would cost quite a lot of money.”
If you have the water in the middle of the plains, everything will go smoothly.
There is no connection with Yonghomun-dong, so there is no need to be suspicious.
“But if it’s through the Twelve Apostles… … . No way?”
“Haha! That’s the name I just remembered. It’s the best assassination group in the Central Plains, and it’s also the one that’s listed among the Twelve Apostles. Salmak! First-class assassination at that. It’s probably about time we arrived in Nanman.”
What do you do when you get the dragon’s seal?
If the neck is cut, that’s the end.
Only by surviving can fate have meaning.
“Oh. Then when?”
“Well, there will be a time when he goes out of Namcheon Damdong. We can wait for that moment.”
Now, the once dark face of Yonghomun-dongju has brightened.
“Can I trust that it will be dealt with properly?”
“That guy is already as good as dead. He’s a first-class assassin from Salmak, of all places. Hehe.”
* * *
I was a special agent of Salmak.
Among the twelve apostles, there are only three special-class killers, including me.
Of course, I was the best among them.
Because I was called one of the three great assassins of the Central Plains, who went beyond the limits of Salmak.
Why did they kill me like that?
From Salmak’s perspective, it’s a huge loss of power.
And that night, at least thirty first-class assassins will die by my hand.
There is definitely a reason.
If I know the reason and kill him, my revenge will have meaning.
“Your Majesty, what are you thinking? You’ve lost your memory again and become stupid… .”
Deoksam, who was standing at the very front and giving directions, asked.
“Shut up.”
We are walking along the mountain path leading to Mokneung Village.
The group consists of me, Deoksam, and a little boy.
Mok Ye-rang, the only daughter of the king who will one day inherit the kingdom of Bangrim.
A rising star in the world of flags who has been following the flag since the day she started walking.
A master of directions who can get you anywhere in the world with just one map.
The little boy who confidently walked ahead while saying that got lost.
It’s only been three hours since we left the city.
So, it became Deoksam’s job to give directions.
He brought the Muk Gang Han Cheol in a box and carried it on his shoulder.
If possible, I plan to make it into a sword right away.
The servant walks empty-handed, while his strong master carries the burden.
Noh Cheong-bong.
The best field marshal in the Central Plains.
Old memories came to mind.
The one who created the sword that was with me until the end.
It is more important to answer the questions he asks than to find him.
“The village you see over there is Mokneung Village.”
“Oh.”
The village of the Central Plains people.
It might be different wherever people live, but this place was exactly like the Central Plains.
More than Jang Seong-hyeon, which I briefly visited beyond Mt. Porang.
We entered Mokreung Village.
Despite being a southern village, most of the people are from the Central Plains.
Rather, Deoksam and I, who are both from the same country, were unable to blend in with the scenery here.
Heterogeneous space.
“Is it true that he still runs the blacksmith shop?”
This is No Cheong-bong, who gave up the title of the best field marshal in the Central Plains and went into hiding in the southern provinces.
I thought there must be some grand reason, but surprisingly, he was still running the blacksmith shop here.
Instead of swords, we are making sickles, and instead of swords, we are making plows.
Finding his forge wasn’t difficult.
In front of the store, there were plows, hoes, and other things hanging in clusters.
I could see him dozing off inside.
He looks just like I remember him, except he has a bit more white hair.
“Wait here.”
I left Deoksam and Kkomaeng behind and slowly approached him.
By the time we arrived in front of the store.
He opened his mouth without even opening his eyes, as he had been sleeping.
“The only thing that sticks to me here is a sickle.”
The order of the guests is that there are no such things as swords.
Well, if I couldn’t convince him, I was going to buy a scythe.
If it’s a scythe he made, it’s better than any sword.
“I need a sword.”
Only then did No Cheong-bong raise his head.
* * *
The best field marshal in the Central Plains.
It is an adjective that always sticks with Noh Cheong-bong.
The current leader of the martial arts world and seven of the twelve leaders of the magic world are holding blades that they created themselves.
All the masters in the world wanted his sword.
Of course, I didn’t make a sword for just anyone.
It was a sword like a child, so it was only given to those who were worthy.
It didn’t matter whether he was a member of the political faction who had come out to assist, or a murderer who dreamed of revenge.
There was only one question.
‘What is a sword?’
Just as everyone’s life is different, so are the answers.
There were those who wanted to kill people, and those who wanted to save them.
He only made swords for those who had their own reasons for doing so.
‘Looking at this guy reminds me of that murderer from back then.’
Noh Cheong-bong looked at the huge mass blocking his way and thought.
Even though his face and physique were different, for some reason I was reminded of that guy from back then.
‘I wonder if he’s still alive?’
One day, a strange guy came to visit me.
A weak man who looks like he could collapse at any moment, with eyes filled with venom.
“I need a sword.”
My question was answered like this.
‘It’s just a tool for survival.’
I liked that answer, even though it was nothing special.
In fact, he was a guy who didn’t fit in with the world of killing people.
Because it didn’t feel like they were trying to kill someone, but rather like they were struggling to find a way to live.
“I need a sword.”
A low voice, resonating like a cave, brought Noh Cheong-bong back to the present.
He came knowing who I am.
I don’t know how they found out and came looking for me, but they just asked me a question, gave me an answer, and sent me away.
“What is a sword to you? If you like my answer, I’ll make one.”
Surely, a plausible answer that has been prepared in advance will pop out.
Of course, no matter what answer you give, I have no intention of making a sword for you.
The guy answered in an indifferent voice.
“… … Do I really need to know?”