Chapter 131 The Black Mountain Tigers (2)

Chapter 131: The Black Mountain Tigers (2)

Black Tiger Corps.

The name referred to the thirty Black Mountain Tigers, the strongest martial arts group in Nine Dragon City.

True to their nickname, Tigers of the Black Mountain, every single one of them was a peak master.

Moreover, their combat techniques and formation tactics were exceptionally outstanding. The Black Tiger Corps boasted a 100% success rate and survival rate on any mission they undertook.

‘Legend.’

That was true. They were legends recognized not just by Nine Dragon City, but by the entire martial world.

It was an established fact that no other force could match them in guerrilla warfare and ambushes.

For such men to return as rags.

The report that they burned down the Gansu branch must be true.

Moreover, the number of Black Mountain Tigers before us is twenty-eight.

Meaning, the Nine Dragons Fortress legend of 100% survival had been shattered today…

“Ah, two are stationed outside the fortress as scouts.”

…Or rather, it seemed they had simply fought fiercely to complete their mission.

Expressing relief that the legend wasn’t over with a nod, the Black Tiger Clan Leader made a few requests.

“I’ll explain the details later. First, find them a place to rest. If possible, get a physician too.”

“……Well, that much is manageable. Hey! You there.”

“Nine Dragons! Did you call?”

“Show these guests to a place to rest. Get them some snacks too.”

“Yes, sir!”

After giving the order, he addressed the Black Tiger Clan Leader.

“I’ll bring a physician, so please wait a moment. However, the cost will be separate. We’d like to cover it for you, but our branch’s funds are a bit tight.”

He pressed his thumb and index finger together and rubbed them together respectfully. The man nodded.

“Money is no problem, so don’t worry.”

“It’s upfront payment and a bit pricey. Ah! It’s not expensive for nothing. The prized jewel of the Qing Family, the world’s foremost physician, will personally attend to you.”

“That’s certain. How much more?”

“Let me see… Thirty people, so just pay thirty gold coins.”

“……”

“Ah, I mistakenly said gold coins instead of silver coins.”

Only then did the Black Tiger Sect Leader nod. He gestured, and a Black Mountain Tiger approached, handing over a money pouch.

It felt heavy, surely over thirty taels.

“It must be over fifty taels. Also procure some medicinal herbs.”

“Goodness! That goes without saying! I’ll get the finest quality. Please go inside and rest comfortably.”

Carrying that heavy money pouch back to the inn, I found the cleaning lady sprawled out on the table set up in the inner courtyard.

As I stared at her with a look full of questions, her voice reached me shortly after.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen the sunlight.”

“……”

“This is the only place I can lie down and get sunlight, isn’t it?”

“Sigh…”

Without meaning to, my head shook and a sigh escaped me.

“Work’s come in. Get up.”

“Again?”

“You have to earn when you can.”

“I still have a lot left from the last payment…”

Two days prior, the cleaning service had received ten taels of silver as payment for treating the Golden Dragon Party members.

There should still be ample money on hand.

“Huh! Have you ever seen such a stubborn woman? Don’t you know that hardship in youth is worth buying? You have to save up when you can to ensure a stable retirement!”

Especially in a world without national pensions.

“Ugh… Fine. How much is it this time?”

Thud.

He tossed the money pouch beside Cheongso-so’s face as he spoke.

“Twenty taels of silver. It’s a bit less than what we got from Geumryongdang, but I got it upfront, so no worries about getting stiffed. Oh, and there’s some leftover medicine for internal injuries, right? You need to treat those too.”

“Hmm, not bad. I’ll wash up and get ready.”

Watching her go inside to prepare, he thought.

‘At least I can cover my losses now.’

The advance payment Jie Huolan had made to this inn ran out yesterday.

From now on, she’d have to cover the lodging costs with her own money, but thanks to this income, she wouldn’t have to worry for a while.

* * *

A short while later.

Arriving at the clinic and seeing over thirty patients, Qing Shaoxiao wore a weary expression, but having already received the advance payment, she couldn’t back out now.

Whether she lived or died, she had no choice but to treat them diligently.

Still, a pro is a pro. Though it took effort, she devoted herself to treating each patient one by one over half a day.

The Black Coral’s praise was inevitable.

“…This is exhausting.”

He handed her a small handkerchief as she beaded with sweat.

“Thank you.”

“Good work. Go to the inn and order the most expensive and put it on my tab.“

”Can I have alcohol too?“

”Of course, order the most expensive liquor too.”

After all, she needed perks like this to do her job properly next time.

After seeing her off, beaming like a child at an amusement park, I sat down with the Black Tiger leader.

I wanted to hear what had happened.

And.

“The Sheng Clan had been planning to attack Hanzhong from the start. Our move was essentially a counterattack against that.”

The very first words were shocking.

‘Well, of course.’

Even Hao Wen, an outsider, knew that.

The Nine Dragons Fortress wasn’t some neighborhood corner store; they couldn’t possibly be unaware.

“But why didn’t you come to Hanjung? Why the Gansu branch instead…”

Heh.

The Black Tiger Clan Chief smiled as if questioning why he was asking such a thing.

“Was there a need to protect it?”

“Then why?”

“It was you, Lord, who moved the former king. The plan to move him was Mun Sang’s.”

Wow…

Even if deceiving the enemy requires deceiving your own allies, to proceed with such meticulous planning…

‘I never saw Old Man Mun Sang that way. He was a formidable man.’

Simultaneously, admiration flowed out of me.

After perfecting the defenses, strike the opponent’s throat.

Wasn’t this a move that naturally brought to mind the maxim, ‘I live, then I kill him’?

Nodding briefly in admiration, I asked about the lingering question.

“Then what happened to the Golden Dragon Sect Leader? If he had died, it would have caused major chaos in the city.”

“His move here was unexpected, even for the City Lord. It nearly ruined the entire operation.”

“Then why didn’t you warn us beforehand…”

“I intended to.”

The Hokhodan Lord lowered his voice as he continued.

“I don’t know why, but he left Hanjung far too quickly. Probably because those Ten Demon Clan bastards laid out a proper bait.”

“Ah.”

Looking back, the Golden Dragon Lord really was the villain.

Because of one man, this century-spanning operation nearly failed.

“…So that’s how it happened.”

“Heh heh, but thanks to you, everything worked out perfectly, didn’t it? Plus, I hear you even took out Elder Yeomjong?”

“I was fortunate.”

“Modesty aside… you did a splendid job. The report has been sent to the Military Bureau, so a reward will be coming your way.”

The news of a bonus payment made a smile involuntarily spread across my lips.

Bonuses were one of the few rewards for office workers and the highlight of office life.

“Then, thank you.”

I had a rough grasp of how things worked.

But what mattered now wasn’t the past, but what would happen next.

“So, what happens next?”

“You’re not a complete blockhead after all. “

”……Believe it or not, I’m known as a rising star in strategy and tactics.“

I played Romance of the Three Kingdoms 6 so much back in elementary school.

The Black Tiger Commander sighed at my self-promotion and replied.

He seemed to intuitively know he couldn’t fool me.

”What can we do? We’ll just have to sit tight here until the defense force arrives.”

“I see.”

Hearing his answer finally put my mind at ease.

War in the martial world is also a kind of pride battle.

If I suffer 10 points of damage, I won’t feel satisfied until I inflict more than that on my opponent.

If I don’t do that and just stay quiet, I think people will look down on us, which is why this happens.

Sometimes it looks like a fight between immature fools, worse than modern Korean gangsters.

That meant the Shima Clan, whose Gansu branch had been wiped out, wouldn’t just sit idly by.

If the defense force didn’t arrive soon, Hanjung would suffer the same fate as the Gansu branch.

From my perspective, with nearly my entire fortune tied up here, that was absolutely unacceptable.

Still, if the Black Tiger Clan protected Hanjung, I could rest easy.

A group of thirty peak masters whose coordination was flawless was a formidable force, rare anywhere in the world.

I bowed my head to the Black Tiger Clan leader with the utmost courtesy.

“Then, please rest well. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll dart out like an arrow to fetch it.“

”……Thank you.”

Well, he was considerably older than me, so it was best to be polite.

And so began my cohabitation with Heuksanho.

* * *

A few days later.

I was handling duties in the General Affairs Office as usual.

Scouting teams were scattered in all directions, prepared for any potential threat.

Haa-! Haa-!

Outside, the familiar sound of martial training echoed as usual.

It was the thirty Black Sanho members honing their martial arts.

I shook my head.

‘These gentlemen, not even fully recovered yet…’

Even if the medical skills of the cleaning crew had reached a high level, this was still the martial arts world.

They couldn’t heal instantly like medics in an SF setting, nor could they convert mana into vitality like healers in a fantasy world.

Considering the injuries they’d sustained, they should have needed at least several dozen days of recuperation. Yet, the Black Coral warriors began practicing martial arts the moment they could move.

Could there be anything more foolish?

Still.

“It’s a sight to behold.”

Whether infected by the fervor they radiated, the members of the Funtao faction also began practicing their martial arts one by one.

Perhaps it stemmed from the realization that in this chaotic situation, martial arts were the only thing that could protect them.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Responding to the knock, the door opened immediately, and Geum Jahwan entered, his arms full of documents.

A sight that made me involuntarily frown.

Unconcerned with my reaction, he set the stack of papers down on the desk.

Why this?

Because Geum Jahwan had been promoted to security squad leader.

“Jahwan, couldn’t you handle simple matters at your level? Or isn’t there a reconnaissance squad leader too?”

“If we start ignoring procedures, the entire unit’s discipline will collapse. The commander, as the superior, should set the example.”

How could someone be so rigid…?

Well, truthfully, the problem isn’t just Geum Jahwan’s stubbornness.

The biggest cause is the manpower shortage.

Originally, the unit’s personnel were sent from the main castle.

But a recent audit saw a third of our personnel sent back to headquarters, and twenty strike team members were killed at Geomgaksan.

Naturally, our unit is now severely understaffed. As a result, even administrative staff have been deployed to the field.

The outcome is this pile of paperwork before me.

As acting commander, I have less than two months left in my term. I couldn’t live like this for the entire period, so I’d already sent a telegraph to the main castle requesting they resolve the manpower shortage.

“Ah, a reply just came in from the main castle.”

And whether my earnest plea had been heard or not, the reply came surprisingly quickly.

After all, I’d sent five telegraphs—this world’s ultra-high-speed communication network.

“Huh?”

But the content of the reply was utterly absurd.

[Entrust full authority to Acting Commander Jin Mujeon. Resolve the manpower shortage in Hanjung swiftly. – Mun Sang]

“……”

No, they need to send people to resolve the manpower shortage. What am I supposed to do?

As I frowned for a moment, Geum Jahwan, who had glanced over my shoulder at the reply, offered his opinion.

“In my opinion, it seems to mean that the branch office itself should recruit people.”

“……No way.”

Even a branch office member is part of Guryongseong; we can’t just recruit anyone.

Even for the Outer Hall, don’t they verify martial arts skills, background, name, and even ideology just to recruit one person?

But Geumjahwan shattered my prejudice in an instant.

“Wouldn’t it be enough to recruit people just to handle specific tasks? Anyone could handle gatekeeping or patrol duties. Setting a fixed term for the job might also be an option, though…“

”Ah!”

Non-regular employment.

That was it.