Time flies like an arrow.

Right around when I started thinking it was strange that the Demonic Cult bastards were being so quiet.

Three days passed without any incidents. Somehow, three whole days had already gone by.

WHOOSH—!!

“Ghk!”

I staggered from the backlash and dropped to one knee. The pain rose sharply.

I tried to move while enduring the throbbing, but—

“Too slow.”

A sharp sword was already touching my neck. It was Sword Emperor’s blade.

“...Ah, damn.”

I let out a regretful groan. I had thought I might at least be able to press him a little, but in the end, it was impossible.

PSSSSSH—!!!

I drew back the energy that had filled my body. Moonbolt’s influence slowly faded.

“Whew.”

Half the energy in my dantian was still left.

Which meant—

I couldn’t even hold out against Sword Emperor until I used half.

On top of that, Sword Emperor had not used inner qi, while I had.

And the gap was still this wide?

As I clicked my tongue in disappointment—

“You are better than before. At the very least, you have started moving instinctively.”

“...Have I?”

“Yes.”

Instinctively.

Sword Emperor seemed to be saying it as praise in his own way, but—

...I don’t know about that.

Could I really call that praise?

Even after practicing for all that time, I still had not reached the place Yoo Cheongil and Sword Emperor had spoken of.

Moving the body before thought.

The claim that I was slow because too many things came to mind was still something I could not understand.

Well, whatever.

I had to keep doing it.

If I did, something would work out eventually.

Thinking that, I brushed off my hands.

“Ah, Elder.”

When I called to Sword Emperor, he looked at me.

“I need to go to Liaoning. Are you coming with me?”

Maybe because I had spent a fair amount of time with Sword Emperor now, I had reached the point where I could ask him things like this.

In the past, I would not have even been able to speak to him.

At least I had come to believe he would not react sharply to words like these.

“Liaoning?”

“Yes. I’m going to visit my family home.”

“...”

Sword Emperor looked thoughtful.

“Go.”

“You are not coming with me?”

“I have work to do in Henan.”

“...Ah.”

That was a little unexpected.

I had thought Sword Emperor would follow me, even if only for training.

“We will pause the training for now.”

“Understood.”

I nodded.

That meant I was going without Sword Emperor.

*****

“So that’s how it is. You are coming with me.”

“...What exactly is ‘so that’s how it is’ supposed to mean?”

After parting from Sword Emperor, the one I went to find was Poison Dragon.

The bastard looked confused at the words I threw out the moment I saw him.

“What? What is this all of a sudden?”

“I’m going to Liaoning, so you are coming too.”

“...Me?”

“Who else is here besides you?”

“There are plenty of people.”

“Who is going to drive the horses?”

“...Why am I driving them?”

Fair point.

There was no particular reason Poison Dragon had to drive them.

But.

“You still need to learn Ten Thousand Flowers Rain. If you’re too incompetent to master it even now, shouldn’t you at least do something?”

“...Grrk.”

Ten Thousand Flowers Rain, which he still had not properly mastered.

Honestly, from what I could see, he was about eighty percent there, but the remaining part was the problem.

Once that was finished—

I’ll be done with this bastard too.

Maybe I could finally end this stubborn tie with Poison Dragon.

As I was thinking that—

“So you drive the horses. Got it?”

“...Gawdit.”

“Speak properly.”

“Understood.”

At this rate, he was going to break his molars.

I snorted and turned around.

“Ah, right.”

Then I remembered something and looked back at him.

“...”

“...”

My eyes met Poison Dragon’s while he was holding up his middle finger at me.

“What are you doing?”

“...My forehead suddenly itched.”

He hurriedly scratched his forehead with his middle finger.

“You think that’s going to work?”

I asked calmly.

“No. I suspect it will not.”

Poison Dragon also nodded humbly.

“Come here.”

At my words, Poison Dragon immediately turned and ran.

...That little shit?

“...If I catch you, you’re dead.”

It took less than half a quarter-hour for Poison Dragon to end up in my hands.

*****

After beating the dust out of Poison Dragon under the pretext of additional training, I shook out my slightly stiff wrist.

“That’s what you get for acting up.”

Ah, I felt a little refreshed.

I remembered the bastard screaming near the end.

I did not feel sorry.

I was the one kindly providing a service here.

How many months had I been teaching him Ten Thousand Flowers Rain?

By now, it should have sunk in.

At this point, maybe Poison Dragon simply did not want to go home?

Even if he goes back, he’ll have to return in a few months anyway, so I guess it’s not like he can really leave.

The meeting with the Demonic Cult.

The things that had happened there.

The educational institution the Alliance would open by gathering the younger generation was right around the corner.

Even if Poison Dragon of the Tang Family, based in Sichuan, went back, it was about time he would have to return anyway.

All the outstanding prodigies will have to gather.

Every genius known for excellence would have to come.

If the Demonic Cult was sending its younger generation—

Our side can’t look inferior either.

Since we could not afford to be pushed back there too, the younger generation who had to be called was already decided.

Among them, Poison Dragon was someone who could not be left out.

Did that bastard know?

Even if he doesn’t, the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Alliance won’t send him back anyway.

Whether he knew or not changed nothing.

He could not escape the Alliance.

Coming with me was at least a way for him to get out.

Of course—

...I don’t know whether he wants to get out.

Who cared?

Poison Dragon has no choice anyway.

I had never given that bastard anything like a choice in the first place.

Poison Dragon was attending.

I needed someone to drive the horses.

However.

“You don’t necessarily have to go. Are you coming?”

Yu Yeon was different.

She did not particularly need to go to Liaoning.

Strangely, Yu Yeon nodded hard with eyes that had life in them for the first time in a while.

It meant she wanted to go to Liaoning.

“...Oh, really?”

She had followed me this far, and if she wanted to go all the way to Liaoning, I was not going to stop her.

“Fine, then.”

Leaving her alone did not sit right either.

...Even if the Alliance is keeping a close eye on the Demonic Cult bastards.

Yu Yeon was of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline.

No one knew that, but I did.

If that somehow—

It would be troublesome if the Demonic Cult found out.

The fact that she was a Heaven-Slaying Star also had to remain unknown.

So taking her along was not bad.

For Yu Yeon, that was.

If there was one problem here—

“Sounds fun. You’re leaving today?”

“...”

The problem was Yu Yul, who was always attached to stories like this.

“...Are you coming too, Senior?”

“Why do you look like you hate that it’s me?”

“Because I do. Just stay at the Alliance.”

“Come on. I can’t do that.”

Yu Yul smiled brightly.

Ah, damn it.

This man was clearly planning to come along.

“Where did you hear that...? I definitely kept it hidden.”

I had made every preparation to leave without Yu Yul knowing.

How the hell did he find out?

The answer to that question came from Yu Yul’s mouth.

“Poison Dragon told me.”

“That bastard...!”

That damn bastard was loose-lipped too?

The next time I saw him, I would have to beat him a little more.

Grinding my teeth, I let out a sigh.

“...Are you really coming?”

“What am I supposed to do here alone after coming all this way? Get into a brawl with the Young Cult Leader? That does sound a little fun.”

“...”

Mm.

This man was also the type to cause trouble if I left him behind.

Then again, what did I expect from someone of the Azure Moon Sect?

“There will be nothing for you to do in Liaoning.”

“I can look around.”

“I’m telling you, there will be nothing to look at.”

“Now, let’s go.”

“You really don’t listen with even the back of your ears, do you?”

They truly were a pack of damnable humans.

That said, I could not exactly leave him behind either.

“Ah.”

A thought occurred to me.

“Then, since you are coming, can I ask you for one favor?”

“If I don’t agree, you won’t take me?”

“Yes. Pretty much.”

“Then I guess I have to agree.”

Yu Yul grinned.

Did he know what kind of favor it was, making that face?

It won’t be easy.

It absolutely would not be easy.

Even for someone with a bizarre personality like Yu Yul, that would be true.

I was sure of it.

The reason was—

Compared to that lunatic...

Our dear “older brother” was probably an even bigger lunatic.

*****

After roughly checking the personnel, I returned to my residence.

The roster had piled up with people I wanted and people I did not, but preparations were more or less complete.

As for the time...

It was well past noon.

I would just change out of my training-soaked clothes, then go see Thousand-Mile Divine Eye.

Thinking that, I was about to enter my room when—

“...”

Something smelled inside the room.

It was an unpleasant, musty stink.

What the hell was this stench?

I frowned and opened the door.

“Oh, you’re here.”

There was a guest inside.

As expected, an uninvited guest.

Damn it, why did everyone keep barging into my residence like this?

Worse, it was someone I could not complain to.

“...Greetings, Union Leader.”

Beggars’ Union Leader, Staff Strike Woo Aseok.

He was lying in my residence as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“What brings you here...?”

“What do you mean, what brings me here? We agreed to meet after three days, didn’t we?”

“I thought you would send someone and tell me to come to you.”

I had never imagined he would come in person like this.

“I did not expect the Beggars’ Union Leader to come personally.”

“Ho ho ho. I had some time to spare. And I figured I might as well see some old monsters while I was at it.”

By old monsters, did he mean Thousand-Mile Divine Eye and Divine Spear?

“...And I have to see an unpleasant bastard too.”

Woo Aseok’s atmosphere changed for a moment, but he quickly returned his voice to normal and handed me several letters from his robes.

“Brat, this is what you wanted.”

“Ah.”

Hearing that, I took the letters.

“Thank—”

“Burn them the moment you read them. They must never be left behind.”

“...Understood.”

I nodded at the firm warning.

“I organized it as much as possible. I did take measures so there would be no problem, but you never know. That bastard is far too sensitive.”

“So that’s why I should burn them the moment I read them...?”

“If you understand, keep them hidden well.”

“Understood.”

I wondered whether Dark Sovereign could notice even under these circumstances, but it was better to listen to Woo Aseok’s warning first.

“Anyway, I’ve given you what I came to give, so I’ll be going.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for the trouble. I appreciate it.”

As if he really had come only to deliver the letters, Woo Aseok disappeared while picking his nose.

Only the stench he left behind remained in the room.

He was truly like the wind.

“How am I supposed to get the smell out?”

So a human could smell like this.

I did not think simply leaving the door open would be enough.

...Thank goodness.

Thank goodness I was leaving this room today.

I did not think I could sleep here anymore.

I let out a relieved sigh and was about to turn around when—

Rustle.

“...”

I felt a human presence.

Was it Woo Aseok?

Surely he had not heard what I said, right?

No, he probably had.

Thinking that, I hurriedly tried to make an excuse.

“Union Leader, that’s not what I—”

WHOOSH—!

“...!”

Something lunged at me.

“Ugh!?”

Something drove into my body.

I hurriedly twisted away.

Fortunately, it did not seem to be an ambush.

It was too weak for an ambush.

“What the hell—!”

I caught the attacker and shoved her away.

Grabbing a slender wrist, I checked the other person.

“...Huh?”

She looked somehow familiar.

“...You...”

The person glaring at me had vicious eyes.

Softly swaying pale golden-white hair and light-blue eyes like the sky.

Those prim eyes were raised as high as they could go.

“Oh.”

Was this person, by any chance—

“What exactly did you do to me...?”

She spoke in a voice thick with malice.

Hearing that voice, I named her identity.

“Bow Ghost?”

The one who had attacked me was Bow Ghost.

For some reason, though—

“...Why do you look like this?”

Compared to the form I had seen before, she looked at least twenty years younger.