Chapter 296 Acting Lord

Chapter 296: Acting Lord

The return journey was crowded.

Led by Dang Yanggang and Seo Incheong, one hundred and eighty Samro warriors and thirty Black Dragon Corps members, including Bukgung Chang, surrounded them tightly. Jik Hwaran, riding in the carriage with them, chattered incessantly.

What’s more, Tang Yanggang, the leader of the Three Roads, had slipped into the carriage on the pretext of being bored and joined Jie Huaran in chattering away, leaving no moment of quiet.

“Hehehe, try this here. Come on, ah.”

“How can someone without a lover live in sorrow? Hey, what the hell are you doing?”

“Oh my? You say a master like Sam Roju has no lover? Well… even with his abilities, he looks like a village hooligan, so what can you do?”

“What? Is that all you have to say? Even if she’s destined to be the master’s wife…”

“But you know what? There are plenty of women around me.”

“So, what are you implying?!”

“Who knows? Perhaps one of those ladies might take a liking to Lord Sam Roju.”

“Hehe, ever since I first laid eyes on you, Madam, I thought you were destined to be our leader… no, our master’s partner.”

“Heh heh heh. Is that so?”

“……”

It went something like that.

After that noisy journey, we finally arrived at Nine Dragons Castle.

[Congratulations! Welcome back, the Absolute Master of the Martial Arts Tournament.]

“……”

An unexpected banner and a martial artist from the Shadow Poison Sect bearing the master’s orders greeted us.

“The Lord of the Castle has ordered that the Dragon Lord enter the city one hour from now.”

We were exhausted, but what could we do?

When ordered to bow, one must bow.

“Then go buy me some food.”

“Huh?”

“You told me to wait an hour. It’s almost lunchtime now. I can’t just wait here starving, can I?”

“……I’ll obey your orders.”

After waiting an hour while eating the meal brought by the Amdokdan warrior,

“It should be fine for you to enter now. Ah, the lord has ordered you to dismount from the carriage and ride in on horseback.”

“Good grief, he wants a lot.”

As I entered the castle grounds, a huge crowd welcomed me.

Waaah-!

“It’s the Lord of the Jeonryong Clan!”

“Gasp! He saw this place!”

“No! You saw me!”

“Did the Lord of Jin personally behead the bloodline master who returned from the grave?”

“And that’s not all! He single-handedly slaughtered over ten thousand of those Bloodline bastards.”

“Good heavens, what… divine intervention is this? Truly, heaven is aiding Guryong Fortress.”

“It is truly a fortunate turn of events.”

“The Dragon Lord is truly the light and salt of Nine Dragons Fortress!”

“……”

Just as I tilted my head, wondering what kind of parade this was, Jie Hua Lan, riding behind me, sent a telepathic message.

[It seems the Lord intends to make Gagga a hero.]

‘Hmm….’

She wasn’t wrong.

As the saying goes, it would be advantageous in many ways to conceal my true abilities, but I’ve already spilled the beans.

I even commissioned viral marketing through Hao Wen, using the alias ‘Dragon-Slaying Bandit’.

Master seems to want to leverage my name being out there to make a big splash, hoping it positively impacts the city’s morale.

Still.

‘Well, it’s not bad.’

Perhaps because I’m naturally an E personality, I didn’t feel bad about it.

How should I put it? Maybe it felt rewarding to have trained for two hours a day?

That said, I couldn’t very well jump up and down with joy for appearances’ sake.

I quietly waved my hand to express my gratitude to the people.

Waaah-!

Kyaaah!

Cheers erupted from all directions.

Amidst it all, I heard voices conversing nearby.

“But wasn’t the Bloodline Lord killed by the Lord of the Castle long ago?”

“Well, he came back to life, didn’t he?”

“Hey, you fool. How could a person come back to life after dying?”

“They’re Blood Clan scum—they must have some trick up their sleeves!”

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘Huh?’

Master had defeated the Blood Clan leader long ago and become a top-tier master.

I too gained fame by killing him this time.

But.

‘Master barely won with my help, didn’t he?’

On the other hand, didn’t I capture him single-handedly without anyone’s help?

Even though he was missing an arm, this much…

‘It might be possible…!’

Perhaps I’ve surpassed my master.

We’re both at the same cultivation level anyway.

Moreover, I mastered the Zhenwang Style, the North Palace Clan’s strongest orthodox martial art, while my master relies on the Black Dragon Palm, a shoddy derivative martial art.

A clash between orthodoxy and imitation.

Under these circumstances, the orthodox style’s victory should be certain.

Suddenly, my butt twitched.

“Oh my? Why are you acting like that all of a sudden? Like you’re about to dash off somewhere…”

So intensely that even Jik Hwa-ran beside me noticed.

And then, my patience finally snapped.

Thud.

My heart raced as I spurred my words and unleashed the Wind of Descent.

“Gaga! Where are you going?!”

Leaving Jik Hwaran and the others behind, I dashed straight ahead.

The acceleration was distinctly different from before.

“The Dragon Lord is soaring through the heavens!”

“Walking on air…! A martial god must have been born in the Nine Dragons Fortress.”

Waaah-! Long Dragon Lord, ten thousand years!

That lasted about a minute.

Kwoong.

I opened the gates of the Fortress.

“You’re here?”

As usual, I faced my master sitting in the small thatched hut.

Need I say more?

“Let’s have a match.”

“Alright.”

A challenger proves himself only through skill.

* * *

I got beaten like a dog.

“…….”

So badly that Mun-sang, standing beside me, looked at me with pity.

“Oh dear…”

That’s how it was.

In that moment, intoxicated by the euphoria of the moment, I had touched someone I shouldn’t have touched.

There was one thing I hadn’t factored in earlier: the fact that my master knew about the Jeonwangryu.

And in great detail, at that.

Thanks to that, my master easily parried most of my attacks, and after about seven hundred seconds, with the damage piling up, I had no choice but to admit defeat.

‘I should have been more careful with my body…’

Of course, it wasn’t a defeat where I couldn’t even put up a fight.

Brr.

As the distinct sensation of his hands told me, I did land a few hits.

If we faced off again, I wouldn’t go down so easily this time.

‘Next time, I’ll crush him for sure!’

If I just put in a little more effort, the day I crush my master won’t be far off…

“You’ve improved a lot.”

“I worked hard to earn my master’s approval! Hehehe.”

“……”

Impressed, the master closed his mouth and sighed.

“Sit down.”

“Yes!”

Scamper.

Mun-sang, seated nearby, tilted the teapot.

“I’ll drink it well… Ha! Wait, why is there liquor in the teapot?”

“The Lord doesn’t care much for tea, so I substituted liquor.”

“……”

At Mun-sang’s explanation, he looked at his master with an expression that said, ‘Is your liver okay?’, but the master downed it in one shot without a second thought.

“So, you sparred with the swordsman?”

“Yeah, well…”

“How was it?”

“He was strong.”

“Compared to me?”

“……I think the swordsman is about half my level.”

Mun Sang’s eyes widened in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected her to be so bluntly honest to his face.

But what could he do?

This body is Jinmujin, the very epitome of honesty, simplicity, and sincerity.

“I still have a long way to go.”

“Don’t worry too much. In the end, the final victor will be you, Master.”

“Why is that?”

“In the long run, isn’t it highly likely that the Sword Lord will be buried within twenty years? On the other hand, you’ll still be going strong even after twenty years. That’s practically winning. You can just go to his grave later and have a good laugh at him.”

“……”

“In the same vein, the current ruler of Muheungseong will also meet his end soon enough. Heh heh heh.”

The master sighed and poured him some liquor.

“I’ll drink well.”

After emptying and setting down the cup, the master said flatly.

“I intend to close the sect soon.”

“Close the school… Master? Why?”

“I’ve gained a small insight. This time, I intend to achieve results and crush my father… No, defeat him.”

“No.”

Suddenly, are you being unfilial?

Even if I can accept that since my bloodline isn’t connected, seeing a son trying to destroy his father makes me think the North Palace family is nothing short of a soap opera-level dysfunctional household.

“…Well, ambition is a necessary mindset for a warrior. I support you.”

“Right.”

“By the way, did you receive the letter? I had it sent to So-pyeong.”

Mun Sang answered instead.

“I received it. For now, I believe several factors must be considered, so I’m consulting with the scholars of the Military Affairs Bureau.”

Truthfully, in this era without clear distinctions between states, accepting the non-aggression treaty with a resounding “Yes!” is a hundred times the right move.

It’s just that pride is making him hesitate a little.

And it’s understandable—isn’t the Mu Huang Fortress the strongest force in the martial arts world?

Rumor has it that not a single blade of grass remains where the Five Thousand Warriors of the Wu Huang Fortress have passed.

Moreover, the castle lord has long been regarded as the world’s greatest martial artist for over thirty years.

For them to join hands with the Lion Alliance is something we at Nine Dragons Fortress refuse to even imagine.

Knowing this, Mun Sang’s eyes flashed brightly.

“Do not worry. We will not overturn the banquet prepared by the Dragon Sect Leader.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll handle it just fine.”

“Why do you seem so uninterested?”

“If it doesn’t work out, what else can happen but ruin?”

“Then won’t everyone die?”

“We can escape before that happens. Take everyone with us—family, friends, subordinates, the whole lot.”

“……”

“You’d do well to show a little more interest in the castle affairs.”

“Me? Why?”

“Well, you’re the one who’ll succeed the castle lord.”

“We’ll think about that when the time comes.”

His master frowned, clearly displeased with the answer.

“Then why don’t you start practicing now?”

“……What?”

“Acting Lord.”

“Wait, why are you suddenly calling me Deputy Governor…?”

“Someone needs to take charge while I’m in seclusion.”

“…Then appoint the Red Dragon Sect Leader. Isn’t he the Deputy Sect Leader elected by vote?”

But my master wasn’t the type to listen to my circumstances.

“Just do it yourself.”

“No, I said I don’t want to!”

“You have no choice.”

“No, why don’t I have a choice?!”

“Because I’ve already stamped it.”

“What the hell kind of bullshit is that…!”

Flutter.

Just as I was about to protest, my master fluttered a sheet of white paper in front of me.

[Jin Mujeon, Head of the Jeonryong Clan, pledges to faithfully fulfill the duties of Deputy Clan Leader. Should I violate this pledge, I shall surrender all my property. (Submitted)]

The document bore my unmistakable seal.

The problem is, I never stamped it.

“Wait, how did this get stamped here?”

Heh.

Master smiled like a victor.

“I went to your room and stamped it. No one stopped me.”

“No way.”

Are you a con artist?

* * *

A short while later.

Moon Sang, the one who proposed entrusting the acting position to Moojeon, smiled broadly.

He had already secured the understanding of his father, the master of the Red Sect, to ensure the success of this endeavor.

“Are you satisfied?”

“Isn’t this a priceless experience money can’t buy? If you gain experience as the acting lord, it will broaden the vision of the head of the Jeonryong Clan.”

“I suppose I’ll let you push through with it… but I’m worried that bastard will just make a complete mess of things.”

“……”

“Well, we’ll see.”

Bukgung Baek downed his drink and looked down at his trembling hands.

“By the way, he’s improved. At this rate, he’ll catch up in three or four years.”

“……Is that so?”

“His internal energy was on par with mine. He must have gained some extraordinary opportunity.”

“You haven’t consumed the Heavenly Fate Shrine yet?”

“I did. On the day I ascended to the position of City Lord.”

“……!”

Mun Sang’s eyes widened in shock.

The Heavenly Mandate Divine Pill.

It was a divine pill of heavenly origin, requiring thirty years just to create, and only one pill was given when a new Lord of the Castle took office.

For a city lord who consumed such an offering to possess comparable inner strength meant a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the sort one only read about in books, had come to Jeon-un.

In that instant, Mun Sang recalled the adage: Heaven creates heroes to bring order to a chaotic world.

“Perhaps a hero who will end this age of chaos might emerge from Guryongseong.”

“Who knows. It might just spawn the very one who stirs up chaos.”

At that joking remark, Mun Sang broke out in a cold sweat.

‘Well, that could be true.’

Because what Baek said sounded quite plausible.

‘I’ll just have to keep a closer eye on things.’

Of course, Mun Sang trusted the radio, but better safe than sorry.

‘No. It would be better to create a dedicated team to investigate thoroughly.’

To reiterate, Mun Sang trusts the radio.