Chapter 100. The Leader of the Not-So-Mysterious Force

I was truly curious about the mind of the Blade Gang leader who had come alone without any fear.

"Why did you come alone? Did you get betrayed? Or did you suddenly gain some kind of cliffside fortune?"

"Is that even possible?"

"Baldy, in the Black Path, they always tell you to be careful of the second-in-command."

The Blade Gang leader tilted his head.

Perhaps it was because he was dressed in black but spoke in a way that didn't match, the Blade Gang leader continued with a dubious expression.

"In the martial world, betrayal has no meaning. After all, the strong always take everything."

I uncrossed my arms and drew Hei Miao'er.

"Is that so? I've heard your valuable words."

The Blade Gang leader slowly drew his sword and said,

"How much did you receive from your client?"

"Why?"

The Blade Gang leader spoke as if he was looking down on me.

"Tell me."

"Thirty-nine thousand eight hundred taels, you brat."

"..."

"Why?"

"You guys move for money. I don't mix emotions with business. I have more money than the one who hired you. I'll give you double the commission. Kill the one who hired you to kill me. I have no feelings for killers like you."

"..."

I suddenly thought that the reason this guy was talking so much was that he was waiting for his subordinates. I had a lot to say, but being the taciturn black-clothed man, I just swung my sword.

It's better to talk while fighting than to just argue.

The Blade Gang leader deflected Hei Miao'er with a quick draw and immediately struck with a palm, and I countered with the Flame Technique.

Suddenly, a loud drum-like sound echoed, and the Blade Gang leader quickly retreated several steps.

His face, which had exchanged palm energy with me, was full of surprise, and I couldn't help but speak.

"Baldy, surprised?"

Perhaps because he was hit by the Flame Technique, the Blade Gang leader's face from his forehead to his scalp was bright red. It was like seeing a red squid standing on its two legs in the dark night, and I was actually a bit surprised myself.

'Goddamn, what a shock.'

The Blade Gang leader's appearance, which had gradually changed due to his evil deeds, made it even more uncomfortable to look at. His face, which changed constantly in the moonlight due to the oil on his skin, was also a man whose expression changed from moment to moment.

'Evil people are evil. Their faces change all the time.'

A person's face gradually changes according to their usual thoughts.

This guy, who had degenerated into a foul-tempered red squid since birth, had the appearance of a doomed species.

While slicing a squid might taste good, I felt that killing this guy would be unpleasant.

I followed the Blade Gang leader to prevent him from escaping and swung Hei Miao'er, infused with the Wood Technique.

"Don't even think about running. Red squid, red octopus, squid head, red egg, bright red teenager. Red-faced baldy."

For some reason, my limbs were clumsy today, even with my own idle chatter.

It must be because I usually use a saber but have been thinking about sword techniques recently. The flow of the sword wasn't as smooth as I thought.

On the other hand, the Blade Gang leader's movements revealed that he was already planning to run after exchanging palm energy. The Blade Gang leader, who suddenly became tense, fiercely swung his sword in resistance.

However, despite having the internal strength to counter the Flame Technique, his sword skills were not at a high level compared to the depth of his internal strength.

If the Blade Gang leader had more practical combat experience, he would have fought much better than he did now.

But the traces of commanding subordinates with a nod since his youth were deeply ingrained in his body and sword.

It means he didn't solve many problems personally.

I've seen such leaders before.

If he meets a more skilled expert, he will inevitably suffer a defeat. The Blade Gang leader's mistake was judging me as just a hired killer trying to strike and run.

Since there was a possibility that the Blade Gang leader's subordinates would come, I continued to attack quickly and relentlessly.

I struck with finger techniques, poured out palm energy, and occasionally mixed in the Absorption Technique, deliberately grabbing the Blade Gang leader's wrist, arm, and sword to disrupt his balance and force him to defend.

The sword techniques I used today didn't feel right, but combining various attack methods with palm techniques made them even more powerful.

* * *

As the Blade Gang leader's expression changed from moment to moment, I muttered in a low voice, also launching a psychological attack.

"It's too late. Begging won't help. I hope the Blade Gang will clash with the Southern Heaven Alliance when they see your corpse. The Blade Gang's wealth will be scattered, your subordinates will become corpses, and the Southern Heaven Alliance will be worn out dealing with you. You are seafood, and I am the fisherman."

The principle of the fisherman's gain.

I remembered the story of a fisherman catching two people fighting on the seashore, but I couldn't recall who the two were, so I just called them seafood. Whether it was frogs and turtles or squids and eels, it didn't matter to me.

What's important is that I am always the fisherman who catches black fish.

As soon as I saw the Blade Gang leader's movements becoming increasingly chaotic, I lightly slashed his forearm with Hei Miao'er.

As soon as I saw the blood gush out, I felt my eyes widen and used the Absorption Technique on the wound.

The wound, the size of a finger, widened, and a long stream of blood spurted out. It was a technique I discovered unexpectedly during the fight, but I named it to remember it.

Excessive Bleeding.

By cutting the blood spurted out by excessive bleeding with Hei Miao'er, the Flame Technique caused a sizzling sound. I pushed the blood droplets, which scattered into smoke in the air, with palm energy.

With a *pa-pa-pa* sound, the Blade Gang leader, hit by the hot blood, was startled and retreated. Holes appeared in his clothes where the blood droplets had pierced.

I had completely taken the initiative.

Although I was holding a sword unsuitable for thrusting, it didn't matter much, so I advanced, targeting the Blade Gang leader's vital points with fast, thrusting techniques.

*Ching-ching-ching!*

In the midst of this, the Blade Gang leader deflected seven thrusts accurately. He was a capable man, worthy of being the leader of the Blade Gang. But his defensive movements, which I saw as the wobbling of a red squid, made me feel uneasy.

"You're good at blocking, squid."

I suddenly thought,

If I don't kill this guy here, he will become a giant squid that will have a significant impact on the martial world later. He will grow into a powerful figure in the Black Path, spreading black ink around.

Of course, in my previous life as a demon, he was unknown.

I thought he might have been killed by the leader of the Southern Heaven Alliance, another Black Path figure, or an enemy known as the Hall Master of Heaven.

I wrapped Hei Miao'er with Flame Fragrance and sent it flying with a sword wind, obscuring the Blade Gang leader's vision with the flying Flame Fragrance. Then, I extended a palm to the lower part to grab the Blade Gang leader's leg.

As the Blade Gang leader, who was trying to step back, lost his balance, he kicked off the ground and soared into the air. I moved simultaneously, grabbing his right ankle and slamming him to the ground.

*Boom!*

I twisted his ankle, breaking it, and methodically subdued the Blade Gang leader's struggles and screams.

I knocked his sword away and kicked him several times on the ground, then tried to grab his hair but realized it was a mistake and grabbed his neck instead.

"Ke..."

Suddenly feeling the lack of sleep, I squeezed the Blade Gang leader's neck with all my strength. My temper flared, and my true feelings slipped out.

"Why did you send a killer and cause trouble? You brat. I almost died from exhaustion."

"..."

"Let's get some sleep."

I slightly loosened my grip, and the Blade Gang leader's strained voice came out.

"Who are you?"

I pressed the Blade Gang leader's acupoints and whispered in his ear.

"I am the leader of the Xiaowen Sect."

I grabbed the Blade Gang leader's stiff hand. The hand of a swordsman had very few calluses.

I crushed the Blade Gang leader's hand and extracted his internal strength from his dantian. After dropping Hei Miao'er, I covered the Blade Gang leader's mouth as he screamed.

Suddenly, I thought his internal strength was dirty, so I stopped the Absorption Technique and strangled the red squid with a chokehold. He wasn't much different from the people I killed in my previous life, so I didn't feel much.

Finally, the Blade Gang leader's body lay limp on the cold ground.

I gazed at the surrounding darkness for a moment.

"..."

The troops that had been waiting at a distance for a while finally started to move.

"Wow, these guys..."

Today, I didn't come to fight like a madman, so I barely suppressed my temper.

I picked up the Blade Gang leader's sword and tried to have a conversation with the corpse.

"Did you know you were going to die because of the second-in-command?"

"..."

"You didn't know?"

After killing the Blade Gang leader, I recalled the calm appearance of the Hall Master of Heaven.

When I threw the spear, the Hall Master of Heaven quickly dodged.

The Blade Gang leader, not knowing my skills, grabbed the spear and mistook the Wood Technique's power for my full strength.

It's normal for a hired killer to use full strength in such a moment.

Their internal power struggles and scheming for power are too common, so it wasn't particularly surprising.

No matter how fast the leader's lightness skills were, the fact that his subordinates hadn't arrived yet revealed the internal situation of the Blade Gang.

The Hall Master of Heaven, who seemed to be the second-in-command, was likely controlling the situation. He might be playing the role of a fisherman like me.

But what's the point of grabbing the power right in front of you? The Blade Gang will either be destroyed in a battle with the Southern Heaven Alliance or be burned to ashes by my hand.

Power gained through betrayal and conspiracy is as futile as anything else.

I unsheathed the sword from the Blade Gang leader's waist and used lightness skills to leave the place. I wasn't sure if the sowing of discord was going well, but the important thing was that I had killed the Blade Gang leader, so I didn't attach much significance to it.

In the martial world, disputes end when someone is killed.

* * *

"I've come to entrust a cargo."

I placed the Blade Gang leader's long sword on the table. Gong Douchan, the chief of the Biyan Escort Agency, looked at the sword carefully and asked me,

"Where should I deliver this?"

"It's an urgent gift for the leader of the Southern Heaven Alliance. Deliver it as quickly as possible. Set the price."

Gong Douchan replied with a puzzled expression.

"Excuse me, but do you know whose sword this is?"

I ran my hand through my hair and replied calmly.

"This is the sword of a bald man."

"Could you tell me who this bald man is?"

I looked around and yawned.

I was still sleep-deprived.

I had come to entrust a cargo, but the main hall door kept opening, and more and more guards and chiefs were gathering.

I tried to suppress my drowsiness and spoke to the chief.

"I already told you. It's the sword of a bald man."

"I just need to confirm if it's stolen. It's not a common long sword."

"It's not stolen. It's the sword of the Blade Gang leader."

"..."

I saw the cold silence that settled in the Biyan Escort Agency and knew it was the one Nan Jialuo had expected.

This agency is affiliated with the Blade Gang. They pretend to have no connection to avoid a decrease in cargo due to their association with the Black Path.

I looked around and asked Gong Douchan.

"Everyone looks so sour. Is the cargo that strange?"

Gong Douchan replied calmly.

"Is the Blade Gang leader dead?"

"He's dead."

Gong Douchan said,

"It seems you know we are affiliated with the Blade Gang. What do you want?"

"Chief, this is a normal cargo request. Deliver the Blade Gang leader's sword to the leader of the Southern Heaven Alliance. If the Hall Master of Heaven isn't an idiot, he'll gather troops and attack the Blade Gang. I came to the nearest agency because it was troublesome to deliver it myself. Did I come to the wrong place?"

I tapped the table with my hand.

"An agency should act like an agency. Give me a guest room. I need to sleep. I didn't get much sleep because of the killer sent by the Blade Gang leader. If the Blade Gang's Hall Master of Heaven comes looking for me, tell him you haven't seen me. He seems to have betrayed the leader, but if he wants to pin the blame on me, he'll be tracking me."

I mumbled drowsily.

"..."

Gong Douchan was speechless. I looked at him with my heavy eyelids.

"Whatever. Don't ambush me while I'm with a woman. I killed the Blade Gang leader because I woke up from my sleep. Chief, got it?"

The chief, unable to answer, looked at the expressions of the chiefs gathered in the main hall and replied.

"Please follow me to the guest room. Please get up."

I blinked and stood up.

"What about the cargo?"

"I'll assign someone and start the delivery immediately."

I nodded and followed the person guiding me to the guest room.

"The fate of the Biyan Escort Agency depends on this delivery. Let's see how it goes."

I lay down on the bed in the spacious guest room and said to the young guard who had shown me in.

"Hey."

"Yes."

"If you wake me up, you'll all be wiped out. Just you know."

"Yes, I understand."

The guard, about to leave, asked cautiously.

"Is the Blade Gang leader really dead?"

"Yes."

"Did you kill him yourself?"

"Of course."

"Can I ask about your identity or affiliation?"

I replied with my eyes closed.

"I'm the man who was always chased, the man who fell off a cliff, the man who gained fortune there, the master of the black curtain, the leader of the not-so-mysterious force, a black-clothed man with a clear identity, not bald but strong..."

My eyelids grew heavier.

"...that's me."