Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Black Bear Village

At the time when Mu-jin’s group was gathered in the thatched house, Cheolsang-gwi, the former chief of Great Tiger Village, and several of his close bandits were secretly holding a meeting in a corner of Heukwoongchae.

“Brother, it’s dangerous to let those crazy guys run wild any longer. If we keep operating like this, we’ll all end up dead.”

“I know that, you fool.”

At the urgent words of the second-in-command and deputy chief, Cheolsang-gwi answered with a sinister expression that didn’t match his burly figure.

“That’s why I already tipped off Deok-chil.”

Deok-chil was a bandit in charge of procuring goods from the slash-and-burn farmers’ village whenever Great Tiger Village needed supplies.

“In a few days, my sworn brother, Peerless Twin Axes Pyo Tae-seok, will come!”

Peerless Twin Axes Pyo Tae-seok, also known as the Golden King Chief, was the chief of Golden King Village.

Unlike Great Tiger Village, which was merely middling in the Green Forest, Golden King Village was one of the top ten notorious bandit groups in the Green Forest.

Moreover, Cheolsang-gwi had proudly formed a sworn brotherhood with him during the Green Forest Conference.

‘If only my brother would come!’

He would take care of those damn guys who took his place. Most importantly,

‘I will rip Kang Il’s skin to shreds!’

Cheolsang-gwi’s hands trembled at the thought of that damn flunky, who always backstabbed him every morning and evening.

The more he thought about how he had given that sycophant alcohol and meat during his time as the chief, the more his anger doubled.

* * *

After convincing his group, Mu-jin spent about one sijin examining the items.

“I can’t believe it’s here.”

Mu-jin muttered unconsciously as he picked up a delicate silk dress suitable for Ryu Seol-hwa.

The box containing the dress also held dozens of other silk dresses, but Mu-jin’s eyes were only on that one dress.

Compared to the other elaborate silk dresses, this one had little embroidery, making it inconspicuous.

Mu-jin hadn’t been looking for this dress from the start.

In the second part of the novel he read, several mystical items or artifacts appear.

These items were usually hidden and required special methods to find. The family heirloom that Dao Yuetian painstakingly sought was one such item.

Many mystical items that didn’t appear directly in the novel or had no specific method to find them also existed.

So Mu-jin was using every method he had seen in the novel to search through the items, experimenting with each silk dress, thinking there was nothing to lose.

Buzzing.

He got a reaction from this silk dress.

“So this went through the North Wind Escort Agency and ended up with the Wolf King.”

Hearing Mu-jin’s muttering, Mu-gung, who was searching through the items with him, asked curiously.

“Wolf King? Was there such a nickname?”

“Ah, I misspoke. Don’t worry about it.”

Mu-jin made a vague excuse. After all, as Mu-gung said, the Wolf King didn’t exist. At least not now.

The Ten Great Masters of the martial world, currently known as the Three Swords and Seven Kings, were actually from the previous and the one before that generation.

It had been over ten years since the titles of the Three Swords and Seven Kings were established.

While no one knew the exact age of the Assassination King, a pillar of the Seven Pillars, as no one had seen his real face, the youngest among the Seven Kings and the Three Swords, the Fist King Wi Ji-hak, and the Heavenly Sword Emperor Hyeok Jin-gang, were around sixty years old.

The rest of the Ten Great Masters, except these two, were mostly over seventy, with the oldest, Poison King and Namgung Sword Emperor, being eighty.

Thus, about five years later, when Dao Yuetian would emerge from seclusion training, the list of the Ten Great Masters would start to change.

During this process, a unique master who didn’t belong to either the orthodox or unorthodox sects would appear, known as the King of the Wanderers, the Wolf King.

The symbol of the Wolf King, who survived countless battles as a mercenary in the martial world, was now in Mu-jin’s hand.

However, the Wolf King was not a woman, nor was he a perverted madman with a fetish for secretly wearing women’s clothes at night.

“Mu-gung.”

“Huh? What?”

Mu-jin, calling Mu-gung by his name rather than ‘boss,’ held out the silk dress to him and said.

“Light this dress with the Tathagata Palm.”

It sounded as casual as asking him to light a cigarette.

“Why burn such an expensive silk dress? What a waste!”

“Just do it. Don’t burn it too strongly, just light it.”

Despite Mu-jin’s strange request, Mu-gung, tilting his head in curiosity, grabbed the dress’s sleeve and used the Tathagata Palm.

With the intense heat of the Extreme Yang Energy, the sleeve caught fire, and the whole dress soon emitted thick smoke.

And where the dress, engulfed in flames, should have completely burned down to ashes,

“Huh?”

There was a mix of charred ash and a thin silver thread.

This thread was the treasure symbolizing the Wolf King, the Dragon Scale Thread.

Though it was unknown if it was truly made from dragon scales, its abilities were genuine.

Despite its extreme thinness, it boasted a toughness that couldn’t be cut by ordinary steel swords, and it even amplified power when internal energy was infused into it.

Thus, it was an invaluable weapon for those who practiced martial arts involving ropes or threads, and the best armor for those who practiced protective techniques.

* * *

Having hidden the Dragon Scale Thread to avoid detection by the bandits, Mu-jin headed to where the escorts were tied up.

This time, Mu-jin went there alone, not with his group.

‘Can’t let the kids see the interrogation.’

Mu-jin was not accustomed to interrogations or torture, but he felt that the sight of such cruel acts would be difficult for those young individuals to adapt to.

The captured guards lay sprawled out, their acupoints suppressed and their limbs bound to prevent them from committing suicide, resisting, or escaping.

These captives typically reacted in one of two ways: those who wanted to live at all costs, and those who wanted to die no matter what.

The former were undoubtedly innocent guards, while the latter were likely associated with Shinchun.

Thus, Mu-jin decided to first interrogate those connected to Shinchun.

“Grrk…”

He clumsily mimicked methods he had heard of, like breaking fingers one by one, pulling out nails and toenails, or rubbing dirt and gravel into the wounds.

‘These are some tough guys.’

However, just as the Tang clan had said, none of them divulged any information, regardless of the harsh training they had undergone.

“Sigh.”

Mu-jin let out a deep sigh and reluctantly looked at the innocent guards.

He had no intention of subjecting them to such cruel torture, especially since they likely knew very little.

He merely intended to ask them a few questions.

“Ask me anything! I swear I’ll tell you everything I know!”

But the perspective of those who had witnessed Mu-jin’s torture firsthand was completely different.

In addition to providing known information, they eagerly shared even the smallest details they had forgotten and even offered conjectures based on their knowledge.

As a result, Mu-jin reached a significant conclusion, despite not expecting much.

“So, usually the cargo transported with that escort chief heads to either Daegum Sangdan or Eunha Sangdan, right?”

“Y-Yes, that’s correct!”

Watching the guards nodding vigorously, even to the point of tears, Mu-jin organized his thoughts.

‘Since Cheonryu Sangdan is blocked, they seem to be targeting those as the next best options.’

Although Mu-jin had no immediate plans for Daegum Sangdan or Eunha Sangdan, discovering their connection to the shadowy forces was a noteworthy gain.

* * *

In a mountain stronghold about a hundred li from the Black Bear Gang’s base on Mount Lo.

“Hahaha. That fool eventually lost his prized position.”

Inside the largest thatched house in the stronghold, a rough and sinister-looking man burst into a vile laugh.

He was Pyo Tae-seok, the chief of Geumwangchae.

A few years ago, Pyo Tae-seok had nearly lost his mind upon hearing from Great Tiger Village Chief Cheolsang-gwi about how someone less skilled than him was earning comparable wealth.

The Great Tiger Village’s location on Mount Lo was a lucrative spot.

Pyo Tae-seok had been tempted to kill Black Axe Mountain Lord Cheolsang-gwi and take the position immediately.

However, the current head chief only permitted ranking battles and forbade territorial disputes among the Green Forest factions.

As a result, Pyo Tae-seok proposed a sworn brotherhood to Cheolsang-gwi, believing the man was unfit to hold such a prime spot.

The plan was to have Cheolsang-gwi seek help from him, his sworn brother, once he inevitably lost his position, allowing Pyo Tae-seok to naturally take over the area under the guise of rescuing him.

Finally, the preparations Pyo Tae-seok had made years ago were about to pay off.

“Summon the Geumrangdae!”

Pyo Tae-seok planned to head to Mount Lo with the elite Geumrangdae and his deputy chief.

He didn’t want to lead the entire Geumwangchae there, fearing someone might seize his stronghold in his absence.

* * *

In the main hall of North Wind Escort Agency in Haji-hyeon.

“What?!”

Shocking news had just arrived.

The escort team that had departed from Haji-hyeon for Guizhou a few days ago had not yet reached Guizhou.

Not only that, but they had also failed to reach Namdan-hyeon, a midpoint.

This was a serious issue. The escort agency’s chief wouldn’t usually be concerned with failed deliveries, but this escort carried a particular item.

‘If this becomes known, the Seven Great Lords will not stand idly by.’

A recently elevated Great Lord had yet to make his official entrance into the martial world, and the agency had sent the item as a gift from the main branch to him.

That’s why they had dispatched their best escort chief, Jang Won-sang, along with seven undercover guards.

‘Now is not the time to worry about such things. We must retrieve that item quickly.’

Fortunately, the location of the blocked escort could be inferred.

The only problematic place between here and Namdan-hyeon.

“Gather the guards. We’re heading to Mount Lo!”

The escort agency’s chief issued the order, drawing a character on his forehead.

While there was no doubt that the blockage occurred at Mount Lo, the chief found it strange.

‘Could the Great Tiger Village Chief have bested Jang Won-sang?’

Considering the usual level of bandits in the area, the chief couldn’t help but feel this situation was unusual.

* * *

Even after robbing the North Wind Escort Agency’s goods, Mu-jin and his gang stayed at the Black Bear Gang’s base.

They expected North Wind Escort Agency to make a move since they had stolen their cargo.

Moreover, there was a chance the escort agency’s chief might come this time, meaning more information would naturally come to Mu-jin.

A few days later, the news Mu-jin had been waiting for arrived.

“Leader! The guards are climbing the mountain!”

“Which escort agency are they from?”

“North Wind Escort Agency! And the agency’s chief is with them! It seems they’ve come to capture us!”

Perhaps because more than ten comrades had died while robbing North Wind Escort Agency, the bandit who brought the news spoke in a fearful tone, but Mu-jin replied with a delighted expression.

“Oh-ho. That means there’s more to steal?”

Inspired by something, Mu-gung rose with a bandit leader’s demeanor and shouted.

“Ha-ha-ha! Don’t worry and trust this brother!”

“Yes! You’re the best, brother!”

Kang Il, ranked seventh, shouted obsequiously as Mu-gung confidently called out.

“Grab your gear, boys! Let’s go!”

Following Kang Il’s lead, the other bandits also shouted sycophantically as they armed themselves and headed towards the path where the guards were coming.

Naturally, some of them were scowling, particularly Cheolsang-gwi and those who harbored resentment towards Mu-jin’s gang.

Before long, Mu-jin’s gang and the bandits encountered the guards climbing the mountain.

Clang!

The man at the front of North Wind Escort Agency’s group, presumably the chief, drew his weapon without a word, signaling that there was no need for negotiations upon spotting the bandits.

“Where is the cargo?!”

At his command, the guards following him also drew their weapons, and the bandits prepared for battle in response.

Just as the tense atmosphere suggested that a fight could break out at any moment.

Rustle.

Suddenly, about a dozen men dressed as bandits appeared from the right side of the guards.

“Brother!!!”

Recognizing Pyo Tae-seok, Cheolsang-gwi shouted with joy at the sight of his rescuer.

That one word was enough for Mu-jin to quickly grasp the situation.

‘That bastard secretly called for reinforcements!’

Despite the unexpected increase in enemies, Mu-jin felt this situation was an opportunity.

Mu-jin shouted at the newly appeared bandits with all his might.

“Brother!! Those bastards are the ones! Let’s rob them together and make a fortune! Hahaha!”

At Mu-jin’s shout, some guards’ faces hardened.

“It seems like a trap, Chief!”

In contrast, the chief’s expression became even more murderous.

“Kill everyone except one to question about the cargo’s location!”

“Understood!”

At his command, the guards charged at the bandits without hesitation.

Some charged towards Mu-jin’s group.

“Damn it!!”

“Kill them!!!”

“Clear a path first!!”

Many guards also charged at the newly appeared bandits.

Watching the two forces that had come to capture them fighting each other, Mu-jin smiled contentedly.

‘Hahaha. What a mess.’

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