Chapter 574

A colossal tent stood before them, serving as the residence of the Green Forest Bandits' chief. The man who had extended an invitation to Davey was the leader of this stronghold, the one who called himself the King of the Green Forest.

"Welcome to our humble abode! Rumor has it that you are the messengers of Heaven!"

"I didn't expect the Green Forest to be so hospitable to an outsider."

In response to Davey, the man burst into hearty laughter. "Well, you're not wrong. We are crude men and we lack education. But even people like us are helpless against those who come from the heavens. What would we do if we incurred the wrath of celestial gods?"

Davey didn't need Perserque's power to tell that the man was lying. It was written all over his face. While the Green Forest boasted many strong bandits, intelligence wasn't their forte.

He didn't know much about what happened in the Central Plains after the demise of the Heavenly Destroyer, so he was not exactly familiar with what was going on in this area right now. According to this man, he was the Green Forest King. However, as far as Davey knew, the Green Forest Bandits had 72 strongholds in total, making it a major bandit gang. It had 71 leaders united under a single Green Forest King.

"I've heard that under the Green Forest King, there are supposed to be 71 leaders."

"Oh? You know that much? Quite surprising."

"So you're telling me that you are the chief of the Green Forest Bandits?"

"Well, yes. I am destined to become the chief, in any case."

"Destined to become?" Davey found the choice of words puzzling but just shrugged. "Well, anyway, let's clarify something first."

"Clarify what?"

"First, I'm not some messenger from the heavens. I'm just here on my honeymoon."

"Hmm?" The man's eyelid twitched.

"Second, don't just do stupid stuff like this. It can get you killed." Davey smiled coldly as he took out a bowl filled with the signature five-spice pork from his Pocket Plane.

"This is..."

"This is the lunch that you served us."

"..."

"Seemed like you're planning to try something."

The man's expression hardened. "I don't know what you mean."

"Do you want to try it yourself? Or would you prefer to confess first?"

Confronted with Davey's question, the man stared silently. Then, he spoke quietly. "Alright, let me confirm. Are you truly not a messenger from the heavens?"

"That's correct. I'm just a traveler."

"Ha..." The man let out a defeated sigh, looking at Davey quietly. He then asked, "Then the lady next to you?"

"What do you think?"

The man remained silent.

"Consider yourself warned. I don't plan on causing trouble unless I really have to, so I'll spare your life. But if you pull something like this again, it won't end well."

"You ate that?"

"It tasted good."

Davey's smile triggered a violent response from the man, who slammed the armrest of his chair with a loud bang and stood up.

Kaboom!!!

Simultaneously, bandits clad in their well-known Green Forest attire burst in from all directions, brandishing their swords at Davey and Perserque.

"Are you not afraid?"

"Why should I be?"

"If you're genuinely not a heavenly messenger, then you're just a human like me. It's quite brave of you to show no fear before the Green Forest King, Du Sam... I've heard rumors that you're quite skilled, traveler."

"Did they tell you that too?"

"As your senior, I believe that it's my responsibility to give you a little lesson about how cruel the world can be."

Swoosh!!

As if he had been anticipating this moment, the man drew a colossal spear, and his eyes gleamed with feverish intensity as he declared, "The food you consumed contains a medicine that seals qi. Even great masters who consume it and attempt to muster their qi will immediately fall into a frenzy."

Medicine that was capable of sealing one's qi was extremely rare. Davey was surprised that some random bandits had something like this.

"If you surrender, I will spare the girl's life."

As he spoke, the bandits pressed in with their swords, gradually advancing.

"Whee-eew! So it's a fight!"

"It's a robbery!"

As the bandits cheered, as if they had been restraining themselves until now, Perserque sighed. "Davey, we agreed not to shed blood."

"That's correct."

"There was no need for provocation."

"Don't worry. You won't see any blood."

Du Sam's face contorted into a sneer. "Ugo said you're quite the master. Well, if you want to resist after you ate that thing, be my guest."

Ssssssssst!!

Suddenly, a bluish qi began to gather at the tip of his spear. It was the blade qi used by Masters, people above the Peak and Expert realms.

As Du Sam took a step forward, Davey stretched lightly and also stepped forward. "I don't plan to shed blood."

"Well, unfortunately for you, you might get to see some of your own blood. Maybe I'll make the little lady bleed a little tonight as well."

This crude remark made Davey's eye twitch.

Perserque sighed and shook her head.

Davey cracked his knuckles loudly and drew a deep breath. "If I say there will be no blood, then there will be no blood. It's not up to you to decide who bleeds and who doesn't."

"You insolent fool!"

With those words, Du Sam charged at Davey, his impressive speed completely belying his massive stature.

[Devil Ylgr's Crowd Suppression]

[Piercing Strike]

Kaboom!!!!

Following a resounding thud, the surroundings plunged into silence.

"Ugh..."

Thud!!

As Du Sam, frozen in place, twitched, Davey straightened him up with a decisive punch to the jaw and offered a cold smile. "I told you. No blood."

The truth was, Davey harbored no fondness for these Green Forest bastards. In his early days of sword mastery, he had fallen victim to their devious strategies. Those were the days of a naive and foolish Davey.

Of course, this was all because Dokgo Jun, the Heavenly Destroyer, had conjured illusions of these Green Forest Bandits.

If only they had recognized their place, Davey might have spared them out of goodwill, considering that he was on his honeymoon trip. However, all of that was up to a limit.

Du Sam was frozen in place, struggling to comprehend what was going on. Davey's casual display of superhuman strangth shocked him like nothing ever had.

"I knew you put drugs in the food. Do you think I ate it because I'm stupid?"

"..."

"Have you ever considered why I warned you not to cross the line?"

No answer came. This made sense, considering that Davey had completely shattered the man's jawbone. Even if he survived, future held nothing but soup for him.

"You probably didn't think about it. If you had, you wouldn't have taken such a risk."

Davey radiated an incredible aura. Du Sam had only heard descriptions from Ugo and Bugo, so witnessing it first hand made him turn pale. His eyes bulged in astonishment.

"What should I do with the rest of them now?" Davey mumbled to himself.

The previously stunned Green Forest men began to twitch, waking up from their stupor. Then...

"Kill... Kill them!!!"

Seeing their reaction, Davey gently cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Great. It's easier for me this way."

'Don't worry, there will be no blood. I'll just make sure you're permanently crippled.'

* * *

A Green Forest Bandit stronghold lay in ruins.

True to expectations, the man who claimed the title of the Green Forest King was just one of 72 leaders. Why had he pretended to be the Green Forest King? The reason was simple. Presently, the Green Forest Bandits were not under the unified leadership of one Green Forest King with 71 underlings; instead, they were entangled in a power struggle, with over 30 self-proclaimed Green Forest Kings. Everyone used the title, but lacking the skills to back it up made it an empty claim.

His cultivation had reached the peak of the Master realm, which was quite good by local standards, but he was still a long way from being able to to rightfully claim the title of King of the Green Forest.

"Not long ago, there was a big explosion on the island where the Heavenrend Sect is, and we saw smoke rising from there. Some men were sent to see what happened."

Not all Green Forest men recklessly charged in. A few cunning ones swiftly bowed their heads and begged for their lives. Since Davey had intended not to spill blood on what was meant to be a pleasant trip, he had spared them in exchange for information.

In a display of gratitude, they not only revealed even information Davey hadn't asked for, but also disclosed the secret treasure storage hidden by Du Sam, showering Davey with flattery.

'Are they trying to bribe me with money?'

Considering the considerable amount of gold and silver, Davey thought he wouldn't have to worry about money while staying here, so he readily accepted them.

"If you go down this road, you'll reach the Village of the Beginning, managed by the Martial Alliance. It's called the Village of the Beginning because it's often visited by beginners going out into the world, due to its beautiful scenery and the martial arts hall."

"How far is it?"

"If you take the usual route, it's three days away, but if you follow this map, you can arrive in half a day. It's a path only our Green Forest men know, hidden from the Martial Alliance the and government authorities."

Davey nodded as the man handed him the map. He then placed Han Ja-Seong and Cheon Ji-Hee, who were still unconscious, in a carriage led by two horses. He also had Perserque don an outfit that looked much more local, while he himself also dressed like a typical martial artist. At a glance, they looked like a precious young lady and her escort warrior.

"Clean your hands and live an honest life. Well, I don't think you'll listen to me, but you can't say I didn't tell you."

"Yes, how could we not heed your warning? We will remember and cherish your words, great hero!"

The Green Forest men all sweat profusely, clearly afraid that Davey would decide to come back.

Davey chuckled and then mounted the horse behind Perserque, embracing her from behind.

"Let's go then."

"You're leaving them as they are?"

"You know what they say, let people deal with their own problems. Murim is different from other places; here, the victim is the fool and they can't complain for their own weakness."

Survival of the fittest. If one did not like it, the simple solution was not to step into the martial world. In fact, the Green Forest men targeted the goods of the escort agencies, not the merchants who had not set foot in the martial world. That did not mean these men were good; they were clearly bad. Davey just did not have the reason to interfere if he could not handle the aftermath.

"What about those two?"

"We can just dump them at the Village of the Beginning or whatever it's called, since they have a physician there, and then we can go and enjoy the view."

The World of Martial Arts had a different kind of beautiful scenery from Tionis. What Davey most wanted to show to Perserque were these landscapes. This naturally slowed down the procession. There were beautiful scenes filling the path to the Village of the Beginning from the Green Forest stronghold.

Perserque mostly dealt with magic, she did not do much in the way of physical training. Even so, her physique fundamentally surpassed human limits. With a light jump, she could hop from cliff to cliff, and the hem of her silk dress fluttered in the wind, embodying the very image of a fairy that local people talked about.

As she found joy in bouncing around the beautiful sights, it was only natural that she forgot about the two "patients." As for Davey, he also couldn't be bothered with the fact that someone was approaching the two right now.

* * *

"Argh..." Han Ja-Seong woke to a throbbing pain engulfing his body.

[Run away, Ja-Seong... You must live.]

[Please take care of Hee-Ah.]

It was a tragic nightmare—the dreadful sight of his siblings and elders dying.

As he opened his eyes, he looked around in confusion. Where was he?

He looked at the crimson setting sun and his eyes widened in shock. Then, he suddenly burst out with inhuman strength to jerk his nearly paralyzed body into a sitting position, scanning his surroundings.

"Hee-Ah! Hee-Ah...!" He frantically looked around and sighed in relief once he saw the girl lying beside him, peacefully asleep. "Huff..."

Cheon Ji-Hee, the girl he sought, was lying next to him. With a deep frown, he slowly reached out and gently stroked her cheek. As far as he remembered, they had been found by the Green Forest Bandits just before he passed out. He should have been left there to die, and Hee-Ah should have been taken away by those villains to be used as their plaything. It was the natural way of things.

'So...what happened?'

He soon realized that his injuries had been bandaged. He had been treated. But who could it be? Had the brutal Green Forest Bandits suddenly become benevolent and treated them before releasing them? It made no sense.

As Han Ja-Seong looked around, trying to assess his situation and prepare for whatever happened, he noticed a tied-up horse, a carriage, and traces of someone's presence nearby. From the looks of it, someone had rescued them from the Green Forest men and provided first aid! Whoever it was that saved them deserved his deepest gratitude. However, he saw no sign of his savior anywhere.

"This is near the Great Cliff... There aren't many places to go far without making noise around here..."

Though this was one of the scenic views, he was familiar with the geography of the area as he had visited with his elders. Unless one was a master of exceptional martial arts prowess, carelessly wandering around here could lead to a serious injury.

As he was trying to make sense of the whole situation, he suddenly felt an intense killing intent from behind and he bolted upright.

Shing!

Han Ja-Seong drew his sword, shouting into the woods, "Who's there? Show yourself right now!"

Following his shout, a silhouette slowly came out of the forest, where darkness deepened as the sun set. It was a leather-clad woman with red hair and a seductive smirk on her face.

"Oh my, aren't your instincts pretty good?"

The leisurely speaking woman did not seem to be armed, but Han Ja-Seong felt a chilly dread take over him—and for good reason. The red-haired woman in leather clothes was from the Ak Rim Sect; she had been alongside the elder who annihilated the Heavenrend Sect, which was practically his home.

"..."

A cold sweat broke out naturally. The woman before him was a monster incomparable to the Green Forest Bandits; an outstanding senior brother of his had been torn to shreds by her whip during the fight. Though she didn't seem to have her whip with her, he could not ignore the fact that she was a formidable master.

"You ran away and ended up here? How miserable..."

"Why are you doing this to us?! What did we do to you?!" shouted Han Ja-Seong in anger, but the woman just chuckled.

"Who knows. Maybe ask the elder? I'm just doing what I'm told. Anyway..." She paused for a moment before moving closer. "The order I received now is to bring back that little girl."

At that moment, Ja-Seong was struck by a realization. He had found it strange that Hee-Ah, who barely even knew what martial arts were, had survived the whole ordeal while so many experts had died. But if the target of the attack was Hee-Ah herself, then...it all made sense.

"I won't let you take Hee-Ah. I will stop you if it's the last thing I do!"

Han Ja-Seong took the basic stance of the Heavenrend Sword Art, and his qi flared. The woman was a powerful being who could destroy even his skilled senior brothers; against such a master, Han Ja-Seong, a freshman who had just started learning martial arts, was nothing more than a candle before a storm. Still, he could not back down.

[Heavenrend Sword Art]

[Lone Phoenix Blade]

Swoosh!!

The sword flashed with a reddish hue, resembling a phoenix in flight, slashing through the air toward the woman. Han Ja Seong charged at her, ignoring his stiff and aching body. However, his reckless bravery came at a cost.

Thud!

With a resounding impact, Han Ja-Seong collapsed on the ground, curled like a shrimp.

"Argh... Uh..."

"How weak... Well, don't worry. The elder said I should spare you. So I'd appreciate it if you did not resist."

Depleted of all strength, Han Ja-Seong struggled to focus his blurred vision, watching the woman approach Hee-Ah. How could he have escaped from the island only for this to happen?

As he felt himself slip into unconsciousness, he suddenly realized that those who had saved him may have been harmed by this woman. "You... those who saved me... Did you also..."

Before he could finish speaking, the woman smirked. "Who knows?"

Just as she was about to reach out to Hee-Ah, at the very moment Han Ja-Seong's consciousness was about to succumb...

Thud!!

The last thing he heard before he fainted was a dull thud coming from somewhere in front of him.

"What's with this woman?" Davey mumbled casually, scratching his head.

The red-haired woman fell to the ground and passed out. She appeared to be a skilled assassin, but to Davey, she might as well be a helpless chicken.

Behind him, Perserque appeared, narrowing her eyes as she gave Davey a stern stare. "Again? You really should learn to solve problems with words rather than fists!"

"Hey, don't worry, I did not kill her. Just knocked her out. Now, let's set up camp and roast what we caught."

"Aren't you worried it'll taste gamey?"

"Who do you think I am? I can turn even moldy bread from last year into something edible."

"Sure, but can you make it taste good?"

"Well, that's... Uh..."

"What about her? Are you going to leave her like this?"

"She'll be gone when she wakes up. Don't worry about her."

If the unconscious Han Ja-Seong heard this banter between them over the fainted red-haired woman, he would think that he had gone insane.