On the surface, everything looked ordinary enough.
To verify their method, I had to borrow money—cue the sigh.
In this body, they’d never lend to me.
This is why I want to grow up fast.
There are too many constraints in a child’s body.
I was wondering what to do when I bumped into someone and my candied haw skewer fell.
I stared at it on the ground when a man’s voice came.
“Ah, sorry, kid. I wasn’t paying attention.”
I lifted my head. A tall, handsome man with a blue headband tied across his brow was smiling at me.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t watching either.”
“What? Hahaha.”
He laughed heartily and held out copper coins.
“Here. Go buy the biggest, tastiest one again.”
My gaze went from the coins to the sword in his other hand.
A blade engraved with “Azure Heaven.”
I didn’t take the coins and instead studied the sword, and the man smiled.
“Interested in the sword?”
“It says Azure Heaven.”
“Oh, this? It signifies my clan.”
“Which clan?”
“Mm?”
When I asked with a face that truly didn’t know, the man chuckled.
“Listen to me. Thinking everyone in the world knows our clan... arrogant of me.”
“Is Azure Heaven enough to recognize the clan?”
“If you’re of the martial world, yes. Azure Heaven is the word that denotes the Namgung Clan.”
“Ah! Namgung Clan! I know them!”
“Do you? Hah! Good to hear you know.”
“The Namgung Clan is in Anhui Province. What brings you all the way here?”
“Oh! You even know where we are. I’m grateful. Right—you asked why I’m here? I’m on warrior’s training.”
“Warrior’s training?”
“Yes. When one reaches the age of majority in the Namgung Clan, you must travel the Central Plains for warrior’s training. Well, ‘training’ is just a way of saying: go experience the rivers and lakes.”
The aura coming off him felt good.
This man was truly righteous.
It put me in a good mood to meet someone decent for the first time in a while.
“You’re a good person, big brother.”
“What? Big brother?”
“Am I wrong?”
“Hahahaha! Well now. I’ve suddenly gained a little brother. Fine! They say within the four seas we’re all brothers—call me brother.”
“What’s your name, brother?”
“My name is Namgung Baek. What’s my younger brother’s name?”
“I’m Kang Wi.”
I concealed my name.
“So you’re Brother Kang. Good to meet you. Use this and buy another skewer—since this big brother made you drop yours.”
“Thank you.”
I took the coins, and Namgung Baek rose with a smile.
“Then be well. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
“Okay.”
Waving, Namgung Baek left.
He interested me.
It was the first time since Taecheon that someone struck my fancy like this.
I trailed after him, watching—and his behavior was strange.
He seemed to be surveying something.
I followed his line of sight. A Hundred-Gold Sect branch.
No way?
Was he watching the Hundred-Gold Sect?
I decided to keep observing and popped the new candied haw into my mouth.
After staring holes in that branch for quite a while, Namgung Baek started moving in another direction.
I followed to a clothing shop; he went in and came out in different clothes.
He didn’t just change; he wrapped his sword tight in a cloth and slung it on his back.
Then he headed for the Hundred-Gold Sect.
I quickly whispered the concealment incantation and made my body vanish, then shadowed him.
Inside, the mood was dark. Big, rough men with tattoos folded their arms and glared at Namgung Baek.
“What brings you here? Judging by your eyes, you’re not here to borrow money.”
Namgung Baek took out a loan note and held it out.
“This note is invalid.”
“Hah. Listen to this. Barging in and spouting nonsense?”
“It says here the interest is five per month. And compounded! You think that makes sense?”
“Why wouldn’t it? Five a month isn’t even that high.”
“That’s eighty a year! The Great Ming Code caps annual interest at thirty.”
“Well now. Look at the judge here. If you don’t like it, report us to the yamen.”
“I already did. The yamen said they can’t touch you because you’re of the martial world.”
“So you did your homework.”
“Tear up this note at once and return the money you’ve extorted. Swear you’ll never do this again and I’ll let this pass.”
“Oh my! So scary.”
The old man at the desk grinned.
“What, and if we don’t listen, what will you do to us?”
“In the name of justice, I’ll punish you.”
“Ha! Justice? I’ll die laughing. In this day and age there’s still someone shouting about justice? Isn’t that right?”
“Sure is. Hahaha!”
“Young hero, is it? You look new to the rivers and lakes, enthusiasm brimming. As a senior, I’ll be generous and let you go this once. Leave quietly.”
“If I turn a blind eye to wrongdoing, I won’t be able to look the heavens in the eye! This is my last warning. Tear up that note and pledge you’ll never do this again.”
“Idiot.”
The old man shook his head.
“You can’t reason with his sort. Get rid of him.”
“Yes!”
When the bruisers rushed in, Namgung Baek slipped their attacks and countered.
Thud—thud—.
The ones struck by Namgung Baek’s fists were thrown back.
But they didn’t look badly hurt.
They dusted off their clothes and stood up as if nothing had happened, and Namgung Baek felt something was off.
I definitely infused internal qi into those blows.
They shouldn’t be getting up this easily.
He drew more qi and hammered them, but the big men still got up unfazed.
Then the old man’s voice came.
“You think you’re the first of your kind we’ve met doing this work? Those are boys trained for dealing with you. They’ve learned the Astral-Body Art—ordinary shocks won’t bother them.”
Grinning at Namgung Baek, he added:
“Especially when you can’t even use your internal qi properly.”
“What?”
Drip—
Catching a sharp smell from his nose, Namgung Baek wiped with his fingers and looked.
“Blood?”
Blood was running from his nose.
“What is this?”
“Fool. Stumbling around without even noticing you’ve been dosed with Qi-Scattering Poison. This is why greenhorns are no good.”
As he staggered with a nosebleed, the bruisers’ fists whirled at him.
Thud—thud—thud—.
In an instant, Namgung Baek’s face was a bloody mess.
“Enough.”
At the old man’s word, the merciless punches halted midair.
He walked over slowly, crouched in front of Namgung Baek, and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. In the rivers and lakes, you don’t stick your nose in other people’s affairs. Didn’t your master teach you the basics?”
“I don’t know about that. I was taught not to turn away from injustice.”
“Really?”
The old man stood.
“Crawl between my legs and I’ll spare you. How’s that for an offer?”
“Urgh!”
“That’s better than dying like a dog, isn’t it? They say even rolling in dog filth, this world beats the next.”
Namgung Baek regretted it.
How carelessly he’d acted.
Raised in comfort, he knew too little of the world.
People feared him, so he thought everyone was like that—but they weren’t.
Thinking back, people feared the name Namgung, not me.
Once that name was hidden, I was this insignificant.
Pathetic.
Even so, he couldn’t submit here.
He was direct blood of the great Namgung Clan.
He could die, but he could never bow.
He felt sorry to his parents and family.
His foolishness had stained the clan’s name.
“I’d rather die than do as you say.”
At his words, the old man snorted.
“Still not clear-headed. You don’t realize your fate sits in my hand right now. First, sleep a bit. It’ll be the last time you sleep comfortably.”
Whack—.
Before the words were even finished, a bruiser smashed the back of Namgung Baek’s head.
Thud—.
Looking down at the fainted Namgung Baek, the old man said:
“I’ll make sure the words ‘spare me’ come out of your mouth.”
Grinning like he’d found a fun toy, the old man jerked his chin, and a bruiser bent to sling Namgung Baek over his shoulder.
“Don’t touch him.”
At that moment, a young voice rang out, and everyone in the room turned their heads in unison.
“What’s that?”
“A brat in a demon mask who thinks he’s a demon.”
“Haah. What is today? The guests we want don’t come—just the bad-luck kind?”
Grumbling irritably, the old man seemed to think of something and his expression changed.
“No—that’s wrong. Come to think of it, we need a kid about that size, don’t we?”
“Ah! Right.”
“This isn’t bad luck, it’s good. He walked in himself. Well? Grab him before he runs.”
“Yes!”
The bruisers charged to grab me in the demon mask.
The old man assumed, of course, they’d catch me and didn’t pay much mind.
Thud—thud—.
Thump—.
Crash—.
At the dull, pounding noises followed by the sound of bodies collapsing, the old man snapped his head around.
The bruisers were down. I stood there untouched.
“What is this—so you’ve learned a bit of martial arts?”
He didn’t take it seriously.
He was certain they’d be back on their feet and restrain me in a moment.
But no matter how long he waited, the bruisers didn’t move.
“What are you doing? Get up!”
He barked, but they didn’t so much as twitch.
Looking closely, they’d foamed at the mouth and fainted.
“Fainted?”
He was appalled.
It was a first.
Someone who’d dropped boys trained in the Astral-Body Art.
As I came on slowly, the old man backpedaled and yelled to the remaining bruisers:
“What are you doing! Stop him!”
At his command, the rest of the bruisers rushed me at once.
CRACK—.
The old man saw it clearly.
SPLAT—!
Every time my fist moved, a bruiser’s body rippled wide—and toppled.
Thud—.
The last of them fell, leaving only the old man.
He glanced up at the ceiling and sighed.
“This really isn’t easy.”
It wasn’t the voice of a man giving up.
More like someone mildly annoyed that things weren’t going his way.
He turned his head to look at me.
What was today, really?
He sighed again, studying me.
Judging by the frame, I was definitely a child.
Or not?
It couldn’t be something as absurd as returning to youth.
Dwarfism?
Not everyone with a small frame is a child.
“Just who are you?”
“The fallen man’s little brother.”
I looked at the collapsed Namgung Baek.
“I knew he was bad luck the first time I saw him.”

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