CHAPTER 440: SEIZING THE INITIATIVE (1)

After days of travel, the Viridian Scholar's party finally arrived at the base of Mount Heng, also famed as the Southern Peak of the Central Plains' Five Great Mountains. Long ago, the Mount Heng Sect, a sect rivaling the Nine Sects One Gang, established itself there and flourished for centuries.

Although the sect had now ceased to exist, the mountain's scenery remained as breathtaking as ever. In fact, many consider it to be the most beautiful of the Five Great Mountains.

"Finally...!"

"We've arrived...!"

Jang Geol and Gu Gil clenched their fists and looked up at Mount Heng tearfully. Their journey had taken less than ten days, yet it felt like an eternity. Sometimes, they had even wished for broken bones, just to have an excuse to take a break.

Unfortunately, due to Baek Suryong's impeccable control over the intensity of their grueling training regimen, their sturdy bodies recovered fully after a night's sleep. The result? They experienced a new hell each day to get there, so they couldn't help but be moved.

"Hahahaha! We're here!"

"The Hell Duo has come to take over Mount Heng!"

Jang Geol and Gu Gil threw their arms around each other's shoulders, basking in the majesty of Mount Heng. Both men looked unrecognizably gaunt, having lost so much fat that their martial arts uniforms hung loosely on them.

Even their once-lush beards were now mere stubble. Baek Suryong had shaved their facial hair off, claiming it was unhygienic and a hindrance to training.

As a result, they no longer looked like rugged Viridian Forest bandits. Instead, they resembled professional bodyguards escorting a scholar.

""Hahahaha...!""

"You're getting sloppy," Baek Suryong barked from behind them.

The two large men instinctively flinched in terror.

Baek Suryong frowned disapprovingly. "What makes you think your training will end just because we've reached Mount Heng? You can't go back to the Yama Keep and teach the other kids with that kind of mentality. Should I make you climb to the summit while walking on your hands?"

Namgung Su is mad at you for feeding a thief. You are not allowed to eat his cooking anymore.

"N-No, sir!"

"We'll correct ourselves!"

Jang Geol and Gu Gil snapped to attention. Hell Duo or not, it seemed they were doomed to be tormented by the King of Hell until the unorthodox sects' meeting ended.

However, Baek Suryong wasn't nagging them without reason. "This is where the leaders of the unorthodox sects gather," he warned sternly. "If you want to keep your heads attached to your necks, stay sharp."

""Yes, sir!"" Jang Geol and Gu Gil shouted, their discipline restored instantly.

Baek Suryong nodded, satisfied with their response.

"Senior Brother," the Viridian Scholar called out politely.

Baek Suryong turned toward him. In just a few days, the man's aura had changed remarkably, and his gaze had become so piercing that most people would find it difficult to look him in the eye.

When that gaze was directed at him, however, he could see only respect and courtesy within its depths.

"As you said, Senior Brother, we don't know what's going to happen from now on. Wouldn't it be best to have a hearty meal before we start climbing Mount Heng?"

"...Should we?" Baek Suryong asked back awkwardly. HHe had never experienced a senior-junior relationship like this before, and he found Ju Pyo's deferential manner a bit uncomfortable.

Talking to him would be a lot easier if he were like that punk Wonkang.Why is it that my so-called orthodox sect students are such rude delinquents, while my bandit junior brother is so well-mannered?

He sighed at the irony.

"Please rest for a moment while I prepare the meal," the Viridian Scholar said.

Throughout the journey, he had treated Baek Suryong with the utmost respect. He was never impolite or out of line. He handled everything himself, from arranging sleeping spaces to cooking meals, without ordering his subordinates around.

Baek Suryong uses the Heaven Defying Divine Art on you and beats you to a pulp.

Finally, even the shameless Baek Suryong felt guilty for simply relaxing while he did everything.

"No. I'll make lunch today, so you should rest, Junior Brother," he offered, rolling up his sleeves.

"W-Wait...!" The Viridian Scholar's face went as white as a sheet.

He clearly remembered the stew Baek Suryong had made a few days ago. If the instructor hadn't been his senior brother, he would have jumped up and shouted, 'This is an insult to the ingredients!'

And so, he made a hasty excuse, "...How can I let Senior Brother cook when this junior is present? I can't commit such a disrespectful act."

Baek Suryong tilted his head. "What's so disrespectful about it? I don't give a damn about things like manners and hierarchy, so relax. Just sit down somewhere and wait. I'll whip something up in no time."

He took out a pot and reached out for the dried meat and greens.

SWISH!

The Viridian Scholar's hand shot out like lightning, grabbing his senior brother's wrist and preventing him from touching the food.

"......" Baek Suryong was both surprised and impressed by his junior's restraining technique.

"...The Master Maeng I saw in my dream told me to treat you as my teacher, Senior Brother. How can this student stand by and watch as my master performs such trivial tasks? Please, allow me to prepare the meal," the Viridian Scholar insisted.

"No, I can handle this much..."

"Please, Senior Brother."

"...Fine, if you must insist." Faced with the grim determination in his junior brother's eyes, Baek Suryong could only nod reluctantly.

He must really respect Master Maeng a lot...

Baek Suryong uses the Heaven Defying Divine Art on you.

"Thank you." The Viridian Scholar sighed in relief, took the ingredients from Baek Suryong, and began preparing the meal.

Meanwhile, Jang Geol and Gu Gil, who initially struggled to adapt to this new dynamic, had grown accustomed to it. Most importantly, their training was so brutal that they had no energy for anything else.

"You two, stop training and come eat."

""Okay, Boss!""

Their final meal before climbing Mount Heng was peaceful.

The Viridian Scholar asked, "Senior Brother, do you think any of the unorthodox factions will honor the agreement to only bring four people?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we were the only ones." Baek Suryong smirked cynically as he took in the magnificent scenery of Mount Heng. They hadn't even started climbing yet, but he could already smell blood. "Whenever the leaders of the unorthodox gather, conflict is bound to arise. A fight will definitely break out."

"I agree. Everyone will try to show off their strength, if only to seize the initiative," the Viridian Scholar concurred, his voice just as cold as Baek Suryong's. Although he was usually civil, he was still one of the Ten Great Villains.

"Hehe, I'm quite curious to see what kind of power each of them has hidden."

"The one who ultimately wins the fight will become the Unorthodox Alliance Chairman."

"Kekeke..."

"Fufufu..."

Despite their differences, the senior and junior brothers' thoughts were perfectly synchronized. Though they appeared calm and intellectual, their words were filled with conspiracy and intrigue.

Their eyes met, and they grinned and nodded like mirror images of each other.

"Kukuku... Let's go crush them all, Junior Brother."

"Of course, Senior Brother, heehee..."

Jang Geol and Gu Gil, who had been eating quietly, shivered at the eerie laughter. Today's lunch was probably going to give them indigestion.

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In the end, Baek Suryong's prediction was spot on. Not long after they began their ascent, a group of people blocked their path.

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"Wow, I didn't expect them to show up so openly like this..."

A dozen wolves emerged from the bushes, baring their teeth and growling as they surrounded the party.

Baek Suryong wrinkled his nose. They reek of blood... likely human blood.

Next, more than ten bandits emerged from the bushes.

"Hahahaha!" A burly, hairy giant with a large axe slung over his shoulder laughed hysterically. "Look! I told you we'd get guests if we waited at this spot."

"......"

"Hahahaha! Looks like they're too scared to even speak!"

The Viridian Scholar's party stared dumbfounded at the bandits.

Who the fuck are these guys?

Sometimes, when an event was too absurd, it left a person speechless for a moment. This was one of those times.

Unfortunately, the hairy bandit took their silence as a positive sign.

"Uhm, Hyung-nim..." a bandit next to the hairy one whispered anxiously. "Didn't the boss say we shouldn't do business here? He told us to lie low and wait for contact."

Well, look at this?

Oho...

Baek Suryong and the Viridian Scholar both narrowed their eyes. Even though the bandit was whispering, his words were as loud as a lion's roar to masters like them.

Baek Suryong uses the Heaven Defying Divine Art on you and beats you to a pulp.

The hairy man smacked his subordinate on the head. "You stupid bastard! He said that so we wouldn't get caught by the unorthodox sects' guys. What has that got to do with us letting go of easy prey who clearly know nothing of the world?"

"But..."

"Take a look. Do they look like martial masters to you?"

The bandit shook his head. "Not at all, sir."

The party in front of them consisted of only four people. One was a middle-aged scholar, while the other three appeared to be bodyguards. None of them seemed very strong. Two of them were large and muscular, but they had pale complexions and looked extremely exhausted. If they were already tired after only climbing this far, they must not be very skilled.

The hairy man grinned. "If we let such a delectable guests go, can we still call ourselves the heroes of the Giant Spirit Keep?"

"Hehe! Guess I didn't think far enough ahead, Hyung-nim."

"You punk. Just trust and follow me from now on."

After grinning at his subordinate's flattery, the hairy man surveyed the guests again, his eyes glinting with killing intent. "Besides, we're going to kill them all anyway, so who's going to know they were here?"

Radiating intense killing intent, the bandits slowly closed the distance, letting the wolves maintain the encirclement to prevent anyone from running away.

"Kill them all!" the hairy man commanded.

The bandits rushed the Viridian Scholar's group from all sides.

Smirking maliciously, Baek Suryong pushed Jang Geol and Gu Gil forward. "Show me the results of your training, but don't kill them just yet."

""Yes! Hyung-nim!""

Jang Geol and Gu Gil stepped forward, cracked their necks, and broke into wide, chilling grins.

The fight that followed was a one-sided beating.

BASH! POW! WHAM! SLAM! BAM!

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The pair took to fighting as easily as fish take to water. They were already among the top fighters in Yama Keep, and Baek Suryong's guidance had honed their skills. The results were now on full display.

"Hahaha! The Giant Spirit Keep is nothing special!"

"This really clears up my indigestion!"

The enemy bandits were no match for the two men, who effortlessly fractured their bones and dislocated their limbs.

"D-Damn it. They were masters..." The hairy man's face turned deathly pale.

Although the situation unfolded differently than he had expected, he couldn't just run away. If the master of the Giant Spirit Keep found out he had been conducting business on his own, he could really be killed.

His eyes fell on the middle-aged scholar and the slender bladesman, who were standing leisurely with their hands behind their backs.

"Take the old scholar hostage! Kill the bladesman!"

FWEET!

At the sound of the bandits' whistles, the wolves charged, teeth bared.

"Mrrroow?" Silver Tiger, who had been napping in Baek Suryong's backpack, suddenly poked his sleepy head out, having been woken by the noise. Spotting the approaching wolves reeking of blood, it bared its fangs. "Grrrrr..."

Baek Suryong uses the Heaven Defying Divine Art on you and beats you to a pulp.

This was the cry of a predator, a sound that not even Baek Suryong had ever heard before. The roar, filled with the fury of a spirit beast, rendered the advancing wolves frozen in place. Some even wet themselves in fear.

"Whine... Whimper..."

"You mutts! Go bite them! Bite them!"

Finally, the hairy man lost his will to fight. After glancing around briefly, he slowly began to back away.

Needless to say, Baek Suryong wasn't about to stand by and watch the idiot escape. He gestured toward the hairy man with his chin. "Bring that bastard here," he barked.

""Yes, sir!""

Moments later, the bandits were bound and kneeling in a line, their faces swollen and bruised. Each of them had at least one fractured bone and moans of agony escaped their lips every now and then.

"P-Please spare us..."

"I'm really sorry for failing to recognize you, great warriors..."

The Giant Spirit Keep bandits cowered and begged for their lives while the wolves lay beside them, belly up.

"Hey, idiot. Are you from the Giant Spirit Keep?"

"I-I'm..."

Baek Suryong crouched in front of the hesitant hairy man and placed a hand on his shoulder. Smiling kindly, he reassured, "It's okay, just tell me the truth. If you don't, I'll just feed you to those wolves you raised. Your death will be quick and painless... I think."

The hairy man pissed his pants without realizing it.