CHAPTER 441: SEIZING THE INITIATIVE (2)

Seeing the terrified hairy man's crotch grow damp, Jang Geol and Gu Gil pinched their noses and frowned.

"Is he really from the Giant Spirit Keep? This coward who pisses himself?"

"Why's he so weak?"

The three strongest powers in the Viridian Forest were the Yama Keep, the Giant Spirit Keep, and the Tiger Pass Keep. Being competitors, they were familiar with each other's skills.

However, the bandits whose limbs they had just broken were far too weak to be from the Giant Spirit Keep, so naturally, they began to doubt their identities.

Gu Gil asked, "Don't you think these guys are just some local thugs lying about who they are?"

"A trap! It might be a trap!" Jang Geol exclaimed.

"What kind of trap?"

"I'm not sure about the details... but there's no way the Giant Spirit Keep is this pathetic! They've got their pride as part of the Viridian Forest!"

Following a discussion, Jang Geol and Gu Gil concluded that these weak bandits could not be from the Giant Spirit Keep. Both men eyed the kneeling hairy man and the men behind him skeptically.

The Viridian Scholar sighed inwardly. It seemed the pair hadn't realized how much stronger they had become or how terrifying it was to face Baek Suryong's killing intent.

Meanwhile, the hairy man, still unaware his opponents belonged to the same profession, seethed with indignation.

What's with these crazy bastards...! he thought, but he didn't dare argue and kept his head bowed low. He didn't want another beating for acting out.

"They're probably from the Giant Spirit Keep," the Viridian Scholar cut in, pointing at the wolves lying on their backs with their bellies exposed. The creatures were still desperately trying to curry favor with a grumpy Silver Tiger. "Beast taming is a specialty of the Giant Spirit Keep, and I've never heard of them sharing that secret technique with anyone else."

He glanced at Baek Suryong, who squatted casually before the kneeling, trembling hairy man.

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Senior Brother will handle this just fine.

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Baek Suryong wasn't the Bandit King's direct disciple for nothing. This martial arts instructor was more skilled at blackmail and intimidation than most bandits. Even without help, he would surely extract the necessary information from the terrified man.

True enough, Baek Suryong sneered, "Looks like you really needed to pee, huh?"

"S-Sorry..."

"You should lift your head and make eye contact when you talk to someone. You wanna die?"

"N-No, sir!"

Baek Suryong squatted before the hairy man and wrinkled his nose at the stench, but he soon smiled amicably and patted the man's shoulder. "No worries, it happens. Pissing when you have to, stuffing your face when you're hungry, and killing and robbing visitors... that's what the heroes of the Giant Spirit Keep do, right? Isn't it?"

"...N-No, I lied. We aren't from the Giant Spirit Keep," the hairy man denied fervently. Although he was trembling from Baek Suryong's killing intent, confessing the truth was another matter.

If the Boss finds out about this, I'm dead.

Fear of the Giant Spirit Keep Boss had long been ingrained in him. The man was famous for his savage nature and never tolerated traitors. Even if he made it back alive, the Boss would kill him... no, he wouldn't just kill him, but brutally torture him for a month first.

As for how he knew? Well, he had witnessed another bandit die that way.

I'd rather die here than go back alive.

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

Baek Suryong uses the Heaven Defying Divine Art on you.

A look of resignation settled on his face.

Baek Suryong didn't miss the change in his adversary. "You think it'd be better to die here at my hands?" he teased. "You really think so?"

"......"

"Pfft!" Baek Suryong giggled playfully.

The hairy man squeezed his eyes shut, anticipating a world of pain. Similarly, Jang Geol and Gu Gil figured Baek Suryong would mercilessly beat the man.

Only the Viridian Scholar watched with a slightly different, expectant expression.

SWOOSH!

Baek Suryong stepped closer to the hairy man. Instead of throwing a punch, though, he leaned in and whispered something in the man's ear.

Soon, the hairy man's resigned face grew stiff. His eyes flew open and he began to tremble uncontrollably. "P-Please, anything but that...!"

The Viridian Scholar raised an eyebrow, curious. What on earth did Baek Suryong say?

The hairy man's face turned ghostly pale, and tears streamed down his face as he broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. "T-That's right! We're bandits from the Giant Spirit Keep! Waaah! Please, have mercy just this once, Great Sir!"

"That depends on how well you cooperate," Baek Suryong chuckled. His hand was still on the hairy man's shoulder. "Okay, let's start from the top. How many more of you are there?"

"Well..."

The hairy man confessed everything he knew. Whether it was the scale, strength, or location of the bandits surrounding Mount Heng, everything came pouring out like an unstoppable flood.

From an onlooker's perspective, Baek Suryong's skill in blackmail and intimidation was masterful.

"What on earth did he do?"

"He didn't even hit or torture the dude..."

Jang Geol and Gu Gil gaped at Baek Suryong, appalled.

On the contrary, the Viridian Scholar nodded his head in appreciation.

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That's Senior Brother for you.

He felt certain that Baek Suryong had inherited not only the Bandit King's martial arts, but also his blackmail and intimidation techniques as well.

He explained how his Senior Brother had threatened the hairy man to the curious Jang Geol and Gu Gil. "Senior Brother warned the bandit that he'd set his crotch on fire with the True Samadhi Fire and drag him to the mountaintop. After slowly burning the thing until it's useless, he pondered what would happen if he handed him over to the Giant Spirit Keep Boss and thanked him for guiding them all the way there."

""Holy shit...!""

Jang Geol and Gu Gil's faces turned as white as a sheet.

The Viridian Scholar stroked his beard, smiling. "Ah, I truly have much to learn from Senior Brother!"

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At the Zigai Peak on Mount Heng, east of Zhurong Peak where the unorthodox sects' conference was scheduled, two Viridian Forest bigwigs arrived for a meeting.

"It's about time that old scholar showed up," a giant said.

Over two meters tall, he sat on a rock covered with tiger skin. His iron-tower physique and massive, bronze-colored muscles hinted at immense physical power.

"Grr..."

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

Ferocious beasts, each twice the size of normal animals, prowled around the giant. Contrary to their intimidating appearance, a massive tiger the size of a house, a black bear, and an eagle nuzzled the giant affectionately.

"Those creatures look nice and plump," the other man replied. "I'm feeling a bit hungry, mind if I catch and eat one?"

Like the giant, he had an extraordinary appearance. His body was covered in thick hair, and his arms were abnormally long, like a monkey's. When he grinned, his thick lips curled up to reveal sharp fangs.

Baek Suryong uses the Heaven Defying Divine Art on you.

The giant frowned. "Touch my pets, and I'll rip out your gallbladder while you're still alive."

"So stingy! Can't you spare a single animal for a friend?"

The Giant Spirit Keep Boss scoffed. "Crazy bastard. Since when were you and I friends?"

The monkey-faced man took a long pipe from his pocket and puffed out a cloud of white smoke. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, no? You and I are here for the same purpose."

"Hmph..."

The Giant Spirit Keep Boss and the Tiger Pass Keep Boss were two of the leaders who currently controlled the Viridian Forest, and they were indeed currently holding a meeting because they shared a common goal.

The Giant Spirit Keep Boss's tiger-like eyes glinted with a subtle killing intent. "Are you talking about the plan to kill the Viridian Scholar?"

The Viridian Scholar, Ju Pyo, was a thorn in their side. He was a shameless old man who built roads to win over commoners and charged low tolls, yet still dared to call himself a Viridian Forest bandit.

Thanks to him, the Giant Spirit Keep and the Tiger Pass Keep saw their incomes plummet. To avoid paying their high tolls, people were taking slight detours to travel through mountain passes controlled by the Yama Keep and their allies.

The Tiger Pass Keep Boss bared his fangs and nodded. "Yes. We agreed to cooperate until the Viridian Scholar is eliminated, right? Whether we like it or not, we're friends until then."

Unlike the Giant Spirit Keep Boss, he didn't reveal his killing intent openly. While his co-conspirator was simple and savage, he was cunning and scheming.

"But we must be cautious," he warned. "The Viridian Scholar will come here fully prepared for a fight. If we're not careful, we could be the ones taken down."

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"Ha! No matter how much that old man prepares, there's no way we can't kill him if we attack together. In fact, I could beat him to death all by myself!" the Giant Spirit Keep Boss declared confidently.

He drained the liquor bottle he was holding in one go, then threw the empty stone bottle, hitting a distant tree.

CRACK!

The thick tree trunk snapped in the middle and toppled over.

After displaying monstrous strength that made one question if he was even human, the Giant Spirit Keep Boss chuckled. "So what if he's one of the Ten Great Villains? Just because those prissy orthodox sects gave him a stupid nickname doesn't make him the strongest in the Viridian Forest."

"...You've gotten stronger than the last time I saw you."

"Bwahahaha! That pathetic old man's no match for me now!"

The Giant Spirit Keep Boss's laughter echoed thunderously across Zigai Peak.

The Tiger Pass Keep Boss narrowed his eyes. The Giant Spirit Keep and the Tiger Pass Keep had a complicated relationship dating back to their previous bosses. Furthermore, as sons of the former bosses, they had heard a lot about each other since they were young and had even met occasionally.

Their shared lineage of Bandit King martial arts made them rivals. They had even tacitly agreed that if a new Bandit King were to emerge in the future, it would have to be one of them.

Because of this, their forces had frequently clashed and spilled blood for decades.

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

However, while they were busy warring with each other, the despicable Yama Keep quietly built up its strength and expanded its influence. From their perspective, the Viridian Scholar was nothing more than a despicable fox who had grown his power while the tigers were busy tearing each other apart.

"We can't just stand by and watch an old man without any ties aim for the position of Bandit King."

"You're right. We must take this opportunity to root out the evil shaking the foundations of the Viridian Forest."

"How many subordinates did you bring?"

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

"One hundred. You?"

"About the same. I told them to hide well at the foot of the mountain."

The two bandit bosses reached an agreement and grinned.

"Come, let's have a drink."

"Fufu! Sounds good."

Even as they shared a drink to commemorate their alliance, though, the same thought swirled in both their minds.

After the Viridian Scholar, you're next.

The subordinates behind them waited in tense silence. The looks their Bosses exchanged were anything but friendly. A fight could break out at any moment.

The Giant Spirit Keep Boss asked, "By the way, when the Viridian Scholar dies, how should we divide the forces under him?"

"We should split them evenly, half and half."

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"Hmph! You think they'll accept that quietly? The guys under them are famous for their loyalty. I'm sure a war will break out immediately."

The Tiger Pass Keep Boss cackled like a monkey. "Why would a war break out? The Viridian Scholar will be killed by the Black Snake Alliance Chairman, the Lord of the Valley of Evil, or maybe the Sect Leader of the Mount Mo Sect."

"...So you're saying we should frame someone else?"

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"I was thinking we could frame whichever one's the most annoying."

"Fufufu, you despicable bastard..."

"What? You don't like the idea?"

"I never said that."

The two men's smiles deepened as they fleshed out their evil plot.

"DIE!"

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from below Zigai Peak. The Giant Spirit Keep Boss and the Tiger Pass Keep Boss glanced down immediately to see what was happening.

"Damn idiots! I told them not to let anyone up, and they can't even do that one simple thing?" the Giant Spirit Keep Boss complained irritably.

One of his attendants bowed. "I'll go take care of it."

He was one of the top five elites in the Giant Spirit Keep and skilled enough to have been personally taught martial arts by the Boss. With his fierce and brave nature, he could kill a wild beast with his bare hands, earning him the Boss's favor.

"Okay, you go." The Giant Spirit Keep Boss nodded. This subordinate was skilled enough to beat even a decent first-rate expert to death within thirty exchanges, so he figured he could quiet the disturbance and it would die down quickly.

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

The man shot off as if flying toward the commotion.

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"You go too," said the Tiger Pass Keep Boss, pointing to one of his subordinates. This man was also an elite, handpicked from the Tiger Pass Keep and no less skilled than the Giant Spirit Keep's best.

As the bandit bosses expected, the commotion quickly died down once the two men went down.

PWAK! PWAK!

Two impact sounds echoed, and then only a heavy silence remained.

The bosses of the Giant Spirit and Tiger Pass keeps stared at the mountain path with equally stiff expressions.

""......""

A man they had never seen before was dragging their unconscious and toothless men up the path by their hair.

WHOOOOSH!

The strong breeze whipped his voluminous blonde hair around wildly, making it look like a lion's mane.

"......"

Baek Suryong tossed the unconscious bandits in front of the two bosses and grinned. "Hey there! Shall we enjoy this nice view together?"

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Translator's Note: This week's releases will be spread out over 4 days instead of 3, as Monday is a holiday (Happy Diwali!) and I will be joining various parties.

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Baek Suryong uses the Heaven Defying Divine Art on you.