Becoming the Swordmaster Rank Young Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family Chapter 217

Episode 216. The Great Transport

“… … It seems that there are people attacking us in the dark. There are about 50 of them, and we are telling you to evacuate immediately.”

Jang Chun-il spoke quickly. He said that it was a signal that everyone living in Goitek was familiar with.

“Does this happen often?”

Dang-myeong asked with a bit of a puzzlement. The timing was so coincidental. Villages located near the desert, such as Goi-teuk, said that when bandits invaded, they would immediately flee to the inner desert formation of Tapgeukrapmagan through a secret passage known only to them. From the bandits’ point of view, they would be difficult targets for plunder.

If it were a wealthy village, then that would be fine, but in places like Goiteuk, where people who lacked the tribute to offer to the Cheonmasin Church and thus were unable to receive proper protection, they would have to be poor. There wasn’t much to plunder, and even if they were to raid, there was a much higher chance of missing, so they would be unsuitable prey for thieves.

But on the day that Dang-Myeong-I visited, a fairly large group of bandits invaded the village… …?

‘It’s artificial.’

Dang-myung lowered his eyelids and thought. He doesn’t feel any tension or threat. He is confident that he can wipe out a group of thieves, not even fifty, but five hundred, in half an hour. There is no need to draw his sword.

It was just annoying.

It’s a bit of a hassle to recover from mental fatigue caused by being caught up in a ridiculous story.

Dang-myeong was almost certain that his visit and the robbers’ attack were not unrelated. Someone must have plotted something. And as if to add weight to that conviction, Jang Chun-il shook his head and said.

“We are on guard, but it is safe to say that there are almost no attacks by bandits during normal times. Sometimes, a demon possessed by a demon and crazy to kill will lose his way and come here because his mind is clouded, so we are on high alert. Those who are mad cannot communicate and are not greedy for wealth, and only want to kill, so the purpose of our alertness is to avoid them.”

As far as I can tell, most of the Goitek people are commoners who have not learned martial arts. Of course, there were quite a few who had magic. Even if they were not followers, they probably learned the breathing method of the Demonic Cult that was widely spread in Xinjiang for the sake of their health. There must have been quite a few who entered the profession in order to receive the money that was given as a reward for their achievements.

However, the amount of magic they possessed was extremely small. The extent of their function would be to make their bodies a little stronger. If the Demonic Cult had any sense, they would not have taught the breathing method that accumulates magic energy to the point of falling into a demonic state to the common people who had to pay tribute for their entire lives.

On the other hand, if a person is so obsessed with magic that they are mad enough to steal, there is a high probability that they have learned to advance considerably in magic. Ordinary civilians have no means of resisting. Therefore, even after the attacks by bandits became rare, they would have put in effort in being on guard.

“I told you that there may be times when I have to use poison on you, sir… … .”

Jang Chun-il carefully trailed off. He seemed worried that he might be suspected. Well, it was understandable, since he had been talking about attacks by minions and bandits before the metallic sound of “Dae-eung …

“It’s a coincidence, but I don’t doubt you.”

The motive was clear. Jang Chun-il was a man with a clear motive. The reason he fled to Xinjiang after taking revenge on his wife and survived so tenaciously was probably because he wanted to find his daughter’s whereabouts and confirm her life or death. Now that he has learned that the Apostle forces including the Black Lotus have completely disappeared from Sichuan, he must be thinking about returning to his hometown. It would be of no help to him to plot a scheme here.

Besides, didn’t I tell you that only the Dangga and Jeongcheonmaeng remained in Sacheon? If he had any thoughts and wanted to find his daughter, he wouldn’t do anything that would harm the Dangga people.

“It’s a mess outside, what happens now?”

“The villagers are probably preparing to evacuate, and the village chief will come soon.”

“The village chief?”

“Yes. It is not uncommon for high-ranking officials of the Demonic Cult to visit small villages on their expeditions and receive lavish hospitality. Villages that are unable to properly pay tribute and thus are not protected by the Demonic Cult welcome such visits. The reason is that it is an unwritten rule that the Demonic Cult personnel ensure the safety of the village while they are staying there. I will ask you to deal with the bandits.”

“Just call me Confucius. Not Daein.”

Yu Myeong-myeong thought as he said that. He thought that he now understood why the villagers who had been trembling in fear when he first entered Goiteuk and showed off his skills as a master of the Demonic Sect had a sense of relief on their faces. It would be cheaper to treat them with respect than to offer them tribute, and even if he had not trained in martial arts, he would have guessed that Yu Myeong-myeong’s ability to jump from a great distance and land in the village in one breath was no ordinary feat. Since a master of the Heavenly Demonic Sect had come to protect the village, it was no wonder that there were people who welcomed him.

“They’re coming.”

Dang-myung muttered. He had reduced his energy level significantly in order to rest, but he could still sense within a radius of three jang. There was a sound of panic approaching. As Jang Chun-il had said, the village chief had arrived.

He didn’t dare come in, so he stood in front of the door for a while and then shouted.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty. I’m sorry, but can I see you now… …! It’s such an urgent situation… … .”

“Come in.”

As soon as the official permission was given, the village chief opened the door and came in cheerfully despite the chaos in the village. However, soon after, he saw that not only the young man of the Madokyang family was in the room, but also Jang Chun-il, and he spoke with a slightly uneasy look.

“Jang-ga, why are you here… … .”

“I called you because I have something to ask. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Oh, yes. I don’t know if he said it, but did you hear the bell ringing a little while ago?”

“I heard. They said that about fifty people are attacking.”

“Yes. The guys standing guard said that they were like the horsemen of the northern steppes, and their horsemanship was like that of ghosts. There were as many as fifty of them, so I thought it would be best to avoid them for now… … .”

The village chief trailed off like that. Contrary to Jang Chun-il’s expectations, he did not directly ask for protection from Dang Myeong-myeong. He simply suggested that they take refuge together.

‘What a clever author.’

Dang-myeong looked down at the village chief’s head, who kept bowing his head as if he was ashamed, and thought. He thought of himself as a young master of the Madokyang family, so it seemed like he was trying to stimulate his pride and make him fight against a group of bandits. He was definitely a person with a sinister side. In fact, I didn’t like him from the first time I saw him. It was like he was after the divine group, trying to win their favor by treating them excessively, and according to the women who were talking while serving food, it seemed like he was trying to push his granddaughter to bed. It was also like he seemed to dislike Jang Chun-il.

‘If it has anything to do with this incident… … .’

Today next year will be your memorial day━ As Yu Sangmyeong muttered to himself and stared at the village chief, he suddenly felt a chill and shivered, looking back at Yu Sangmyeong with a pale face.

“Sir, why are you like this… … .”

“Old man. Did you think that this body would run away just because it was afraid of a group of bandits?”

The obvious choice was to play the young magician who was too young to fight. Since nothing had been revealed yet, he had no intention of doing anything to the village chief.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. This old bastard doesn’t even know the subject… … I knew the reputation of the Madokyang family very well… … .”

“Okay. Show them to me right now. I’ll turn them all into a handful of poisonous snakes.”

After saying that, Dang-myung kicked open the door and walked out. The village chief followed him and said, “This way,” and headed toward the east side of the village.

It wasn’t a very big village, so even the old man could quickly reach the edge of the fence at a brisk pace.

“It’s them, you idiot!”

The village chief pointed to a group of people running in the darkness, raising dust. Even under the bright moonlight, it was difficult to distinguish their specific shapes. It seemed to be because they were covered with dark cloths, but the ceaseless clanging of horse hooves and the vibrations that matched the rhythm were the only indications that the bandits were gradually approaching. They were quite fast. They were closing the distance in an instant, making it seem like they were really northern horsemen.

Of course, to Dang-myeong, who had begun to use his eyes in earnest, their figures and movements were clearly visible, like turtles moving in broad daylight. The bandits were wearing black masks, either to avoid breathing in the dust or because they knew they were doing something dishonest. As they approached the village, they split into two groups as if they were surrounding it and slowed down a bit.

‘Fifty-seven.’

Was there a bandit group nearby? Even if this attack was planned by someone, the fact that they were able to move in half a day meant that their base was quite close.

Dang-myeong left the village when the men approached about twenty steps ahead.

“Stop.”

One of the two leading men in the band of bandits pulled the reins of his horse and said, Almost simultaneously, all the horses raised their forelegs and stopped. The gurgling sounds of their breathing showed that they were quite excited.

The village chief and the villagers who had followed him watched the confrontation between the thief and the bandits with tense expressions. To them, only the hazy eyes of the man and horse reflected in the moonlight were clear, but they wanted to capture the sight of the master of the new religion working his hand. This is because the common people of the Central Plains and Xingang were in a world where there was little to enjoy.

“You, aren’t you a resident of Goiteuk?”

The thief who opened his mouth first spoke.

“If you have any background, please tell me. I may be willing to spare your life in some cases.”

“The Poisonous Yang Family.”

“… … Is that true?”

“then?”

“It’s hard to believe. Tell me the name. No, at least if you’re from the Madokyang family, you should have at least one divine pill. Show me that.”

“I have no altar to give you guys. It would be useless to tell them their names when they are about to die.”

“What that means is that I have it.”

The bandit who seemed to be the leader opened his mouth in delight. This is a stroke of luck.

As he nodded, surprisingly, a considerable amount of magical energy burst out from a dozen or so thieves. It was a level of magical power that was hard to believe was from a mere thieves.

“Were you hiding your skills?”

“Yes. If you know, it would be better to be captured without any problems. I won’t kill you. If you are truly the second-generation leader of the Madokyang family, you will become a valuable hostage.”

“Can I get twenty Shindan?” The expression on the bandit leader’s face suddenly changed the next moment he muttered.

Saaaaaaaa━

With a feeling of the surrounding atmosphere cooling down.

The order of the commanders was to activate the zone of life in the thirty front lines.