The carriage carrying Geum Hae had been blocked off by subordinates of the Black Cat Gang.

In the chaos of startled horses being calmed and people shouting over one another, some guy was slapping my subordinate who had disguised himself as the carriage driver.

What made me angry wasn’t that my subordinate had been hit.

It was because the coachman was also originally from the Hao Clan.

So, to my eyes, it wasn’t a Black Cat subordinate being slapped—it looked like some regular coachman was getting smacked across the face.

I leapt into the air without slowing down my light footwork in the slightest.

The flying kick is a basic attack technique that even kids start learning around age seven or eight, and you can keep using it all the way into your eighties.

It’s the reason they call it the signature martial art of pathetic men.

Naturally, as a proud representative of pathetic men, I too can execute a flying kick.

First, leap into the air with your right leg fully extended.

Tuck the left leg slightly, like a counterweight to balance you mid-air.

It helps to stretch out your right arm parallel to your right leg.

Keep your left fist lightly curled, pulled back like a drawn bowstring in preparation for a counterattack.

Assume this form, and even the instructors at the Martial Alliance {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} wouldn’t have a thing to criticize—this is a flawless flying kick.

Thwack—along with the sound, the guy who had been slapping the coachman went flying, and all eyes were immediately on me.

Geum Hae was wearing a mask, so I couldn’t see his expression, but he was definitely staring at me.

“What’s a stinking servant doing here?”

“A stinking servant… fair enough. But mocking someone for smelling even after they’ve bathed—now that’s something I can’t tolerate.”

Geum Hae replied, “What kind of bullshit is that? You think I’ll just let this go because you’re Senior Brother’s servant?”

Just then, the guy who’d been sent flying by my non-enhanced kick returned.

“Sir, allow me to handle this.”

With my arms crossed, I dashed forward at lightning speed and landed a side kick on the approaching swordsman. He had only managed to draw his sword halfway before being hit again, sent tumbling across the ground.

This time, he didn’t get back up. Either he fainted or just decided to stay down.

The flying kick had no internal energy behind it. The side kick did.

That’s the difference.

If you don’t know your place even when I’m going easy on you, I have no choice but to hit for real.

Geum Hae scratched his cheek where it peeked out from beneath his mask. He’d seen my skill and was clearly weighing his options.

“You’ll have to answer to Senior Brother for this nonsense of yours.”

Then Geum Hae picked up on something odd, surveying the coachmen’s faces and the atmosphere around him. He spoke again.

“So this was all your doing. You must know I’m not just the disciple of the Great Rakshasa but also a member of the Geumsan Trade Group. If you’re subordinates of Senior Brother Myo, then the entire Black Cat Gang will have to bear the wrath of my master. And if you were paid off by someone to do this, our trade group will find out. I have an appointment today, so consider yourselves lucky and back off.”

Geum Hae pointed a finger at me.

“And you. You don’t seem like just a servant. If I spend a little money, finding out who you are won’t be difficult.”

Geum Hae thought I was a spy who had infiltrated the Black Cat Gang from the outside. Smart people tend to imagine all kinds of possibilities.

I walked up to Geum Hae and nodded.

“Go ahead, find out.”

“Don’t come any closer. You stink.”

I stepped right up in front of him and said,

“I told you I bathed. Now you’re asking for a beating. Surround the area wide so he can’t escape.”

My subordinates backed off and took position at all the exits.

In the middle of it all, Geum Hae and I locked eyes.

If Geum Hae’s martial ability hovered around a seven or eight, that meant he ranked somewhere in the middle among the Twelve Divine Generals.

He stared at me, then thrust his right palm forward.

I immediately extended my left palm.

With a crackling sound, our palms collided, and we began clashing with sheer force.

Both of us unleashed a burst of internal energy, sending waves rippling through the air. Geum Hae’s wide sleeves inflated like they’d been stuffed with wind.

Geum Hae had turned this into a test of inner force because he was the son of a wealthy merchant family.

What that meant was…

He was rich and pampered, so instead of messy fights, he had more confidence in inner energy duels.

Of course, he didn’t know who I was, which is why he made such a poor move.

The problem was—neither of us expected what happened next…

The Heavenly Pearl began absorbing.

Was it because our palms had locked together so perfectly?

In an instant, Geum Hae’s inner energy started being sucked into my palm.

Startled, he pulled back his left hand, so I had no choice but to block with my right palm.

Smack!

The absorption sped up even more.

The ground beneath us sank from the force of the impact.

Two strong forces had collided and tangled, and in the process of being absorbed, Geum Hae, shocked almost to the point of fainting, had to give it his all.

His whole body trembled, and with a crack, the golden pig mask he wore shattered.

Only then did I see his expression.

The face of someone who had never suffered a day in his life was drenched in sweat like a downpour. He finally managed to speak.

“Let… go!”

That’s when I realized something about the selfish nature of the Heavenly Pearl.

It was mercilessly sucking up the opponent’s internal energy.

But if I tried to stop it prematurely, Geum Hae’s incoming force might damage me instead.

So I had to stay sharp.

If I didn’t cut this off at the right time, Geum Hae could die. And while killing him wasn’t exactly a tragedy given my goal of taking down all the Twelve Divine Generals…

I didn’t want his ghost or soul attaching itself to the Heavenly Pearl.

That would make me no different from the Cult Leader of the Demonic Sect.

I want to survive in my own way—not become a monster like him.

Thankfully, once a good amount of Geum Hae’s internal energy had been sucked into the Heavenly Pearl…

The strength of his force weakened significantly.

I cut off the Pearl’s absorption without much trouble. Geum Hae stumbled back, then fell flat on his ass.

Thud…

I scratched the back of my head.

‘Came to rob some money and ended up robbing his energy instead.’

Geum Hae looked at me like he had just lost the world.

“What… what the hell did you do?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I wonder if this guy realizes I spared his life out of the kindness of my heart.

Are there any other chivalrous men like me in the world?

I said to Geum Hae,

“You attacked first. I only defended myself. If my martial arts hadn’t forced you back, you would’ve died right here. You know better than anyone that I stopped the inner force clash on purpose. Want me to absorb the rest of your internal energy too?”

I squatted down to meet his eyes.

Geum Hae stared at me with a blank expression.

“……”

I gave the order to my subordinates.

“Check inside the carriage. Since we’ve already robbed them, might as well take everything.”

Geum Hae said,

“Stop. Some of the cargo is meant for Baek-yu of the Divine Generals. Can you afford to mess with that?”

“For Baek-yu?”

Was that a threat, or did he slip up?

As I listened to my subordinates’ report, I replied,

“Bring me that little box.”

One of the men came running over with a small box and, without being told, opened it.

Inside were four roots of the Hundred-Year White Flame Herb—exactly like the one I had taken.

I spoke with a look of mock surprise.

“Now this is dirty business. Three roots for Heukmyo, four for Baek-yu behind their backs. Planning to bankrupt Heukmyo through Biwu Gambling, are we?”

Geum Hae chuckled and replied,

“You got proof?”

I slapped him across the face and said,

“Nope, you bastard. What do you all think?”

My subordinates chimed in,

“Isn’t this match-fixing? They’re not deciding rankings through martial arts, but with under-the-table deals. A middleman manipulating things behind the scenes. Even for the underworld, this is disgustingly low.”

That guy hit the nail on the head.

I glared at Geum Hae and said,

“I just came to shake you down for some cash, but if I report this, the Black Cat Gang Leader will be furious, the Great Rakshasa will be furious, and Geumsan Trade Group will be in chaos. If the Gang Leader finds out, he might mobilize all his men to attack Geumsan. Think the Great Rakshasa will just sit back?”

One of the smarter subordinates added,

“Maybe if Geumsan gives up half their assets, he’ll let it slide?”

Geum Hae now feared the fallout for Geumsan more than the disgrace he suffered today.

His face had gone pale.

Clearly, he didn’t know how to properly threaten someone, so I decided to give him a personal demonstration.

“Should I rat you out to the Black Cat Gang? Or maybe to the Great Rakshasa? You choose. I don’t really mind either way. What do you guys think?”

Responses came from every direction.

“We’re good either way.”

“Sounds fun to me.”

“What if we tell both?”

I shook my head.

“Then it’s no fun. We’re doing this for the thrill. Don’t ruin it. Geum Hae of the Divine Generals, it’s decision time. Which one’s it gonna be?”

I tapped an imaginary drum with my fingers and said,

“Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo… make your choice already.”

Geum Hae continued with a complicated expression.

“If you held a grudge against me, you would’ve killed me already. In the end, humiliating me like this isn’t about revenge—it’s about my family’s wealth, isn’t it? Let’s drop the pretense and speak honestly. If you don’t report this to my master, I’ll make sure you get plenty of money.”

Before I could respond, a calm voice echoed from the other side of the road.

“Senior Brother, I’ve arrived.”

All the men turned their heads at once.

Hongshin was walking toward us, looking exhausted, holding someone’s mask in her hand. She didn’t look completely unscathed either—there were bloodstains on her forearm and the edge of her clothing.

Even Geum Hae stared at her in shock.

“Why are you here?”

Hongshin looked at him and answered.

“You got caught too?”

She held out the bloodstained Nok-sul mask to me.

“The ambush failed, but I stuck with him and sorted the ranking out properly. He’s gone to heaven. Considering this poor junior sister’s suffering, could I get the antidote now? I’m having sudden toilet emergencies and can’t fight properly. Please have mercy. It’s just constant diarrhea…”

I stood up and responded.

“Well done, Sister Hong. A promise is a promise.”

Geum Hae looked back at me and asked,

“Who the hell are you?”

As I put on an annoyed expression, Hongshin, her eyes darkened from the stress of her intestinal distress, slapped Geum Hae across the face.

“Watch your mouth when speaking to Senior Brother.”

I nodded at her.

“Well done, Sister.”

“Thank you.”

I glanced around and gave the final instructions.

“Alright. Load the box back onto Geum Hae’s carriage. Clean up the rest and head back. That guy who’s passed out over there—take him with you and release him later. I’ll be going somewhere with Sister Hong and Geum Hae, so let’s part ways here.”

I gave Geum Hae a light kick to the butt and said,

“Go fetch your coachman. The three of us are headed somewhere.”

When Geum Hae opened his mouth again, probably to spout off some more nonsense, I looked at Hongshin.

She silently raised her hand.

“Golden Pig, don’t talk back to Senior Brother.”

Geum Hae got up without saying a word—only to get slapped by her again.

Smack!

I looked between Geum Hae and Hongshin.

Was he always powerless in front of her, or was he just keeping quiet now because he’d lost so much internal energy?

Either way, Hongshin was clearly taking out the frustration she’d endured from me on him.

With a composed voice, I intervened between the two childish martial siblings.

“You shouldn’t be hitting each other so often, even as brothers and sisters in arms.”

Geum Hae looked at me while holding his cheek, and Hongshin gave a slight nod.

“We’ll be more careful.”

The three of us got into the carriage—Hongshin and Geum Hae sat side by side, while I took the seat across from them.

The coachman asked,

“Where shall I take you?”

I replied in a calm tone,

“Sister Hong’s been cut, and Brother Geum has internal injuries. Of course we’re going to the physician.”

“Which physician should I go to?”

“There must be one your young master visits regularly.”

“Ah, I’ll take you there.”

I held out my hand to Hongshin. She placed the Nok-sul mask onto my palm. Has she reached the level where she understands my intent with just a look? She was spot-on.

As I slowly put the Nok-sul mask over my face…

Hongshin also slowly brought her hands together in a respectful salute and said,

“Greetings, Brother Nok.”

Geum Hae’s eyes shook violently as he watched.

“…!”

Still holding her salute, Hongshin suddenly scowled and glared at Geum Hae. Expecting another slap, he twitched nervously in his seat and awkwardly followed suit, bringing his hands together in a salute toward me.

“Greetings, Brother Nok.”

I replied with a cold expression and a commanding tone.

“At ease.”

“Yes.”

“…Yes.”