Chapter 441

The clamor of the cooking place suddenly falls dead silent like a deserted forest.

The scholars, who have skills other than their tongues, seethe in anger as they glare at the rogues who dare to interrupt the wise man’s precious words—oh dear.

Just at a glance, they look like typical rogues.

With their unkempt hair sticking out in all directions, coupled with their tan skin, they clearly appear to be the scum of the earth.

And a particularly ferocious scum at that.

Of course, the scholars know that they shouldn’t let injustice pass by when they hear the wise man’s teachings.

But Confucius did say, avoid those who take a dump right in the middle of the road.

It’s a lesson that stupid and ignorant folks will never change, so instead of preaching to them, just let them live as fools.

So, among them, only the dimmest one, Qing, disregards Confucius’ words and stares blankly at the scoundrels.

They’re bad guys, aren’t they?

But do we really need to kill all bad guys?

Moreover, isn’t this our fault too?

Even if the place is a dining spot bustling with food and chatter, the volume could easily have made folks scowl in annoyance.

They might just want to eat their meal quietly.

If they keep provoking us to the point of annoyance, isn’t that just an excuse for murder rather than really dealing with evildoers?

“We must apologize for our loudness. Please forgive our disturbance.”

Qing awkwardly attempts a humble apology.

However, the Confucius isn’t some frail pushover.

In that gruesome age, he led his disciples like a warlord, strong in both body and spirit, even able to handle the eighteen weapons freely, a true ancient warrior of the martial world.

The eighteen weapons refer to everything from bows and crossbows to swords, big swords, spears, halberds, shields, axes, hammers, whips, clubs, staffs, nets, daggers, and even bare hands (though they vary by region).

Would he really say to avoid people just for being stronger than you?

When Confucius advises steering clear of madmen, it’s not just an excuse for cowardice.

He means to ignore folks who don’t make sense.

Suddenly, the ruffians’ arrogance spikes.

Typically, cultured people think that if their opponent bows down, it’s a sign of concession.

But uncivilized fools think that a bowed opponent must be terrified.

This behavior happens not only in the Central Plain but across the East and West, proving that some trash is universally trashy.

“Haha, it’s too late to regret now that the elders’ mood is ruined. Do you think grumbling a half-hearted apology will suffice? How about a more sincere one?”

“A sincere apology, you say?”

“Here’s the deal, girl, you get these old men a good time. Why cover your body up so much? Start by shedding those cumbersome clothes and come over here to pour some drinks. Hehe.”

What the heck? A guy who enjoys the good life?

Qing grits his teeth and endures once more.

The word “endure” is a combination of “blade” and “heart,” meaning the urge to stab someone right now.

So, the essence of “endure” implies not only patience but also cruelty and ruthlessness.

“My party might have been a bit loud, but really, meals are meant for chatting and enjoying. Why do you consider it so indecorous?”

“It seems you don’t grasp the situation. We puke at the mere sound of those boring old sayings from Confucius and Mencius. You’ve ruined our meal entirely.”

“And so?”

“Do you even know who we are? We are the Three Villains of Byungju, who can make even stout men piss their pants in fear.”

Oh, are they finally showing up?

Qing starts counting. One, two.

“Three Villains of Byungju!” “Three Admonishers of Byungju!” “Three Villains of Byungju!”

Looks like they’re somewhat notorious if they’re only visible one out of three times.

Besides, with “villain” stuck to their name, they probably have no redeeming qualities.

Qing smiles lightly.

“Have you ever heard this? In the martial world, you should be wary of old men, women, and children.”

“Ha! Are you saying you’re some kind of unparalleled master? … Haha, how amusing, share your wisdom with us.”

The twinkling starlight.

The light descending upon the mortal realm whispers.

“Bend the knee, you scumbags.”

Qing lets out a deep sigh.

Why in the world?

Isn’t it harsh to drop sweet words?

Because I’m a master, the situation has become a joke; otherwise, what then?

They’re telling me to take off my clothes and pour drinks.

Even if they’re crying and begging for mercy, would I let it go?

“Alright. Anything to say?”

“We did not know your greatness…”

“Does it matter whether I’m great or not? What would happen if I weren’t? Why can’t people understand when you say it nicely? I said I’m sorry, didn’t I? Or did the scholars add their inner strength while shouting? You’re not that loud to begin with, is this even something to apologize for?”

“That is…”

Qing lets out a long sigh in front of the three who are kneeling.

“Thinking back, I didn’t even know who the masters were and acted recklessly, so it’s natural for me to die whenever. It wouldn’t even be my fault if I stumbled across a bad apple someday. So, as a lesson, I’ll take an arm each and let it go.”

“Oh dear, Great Hero, if a warrior loses an arm…”

“But you’re the Three Villains of Byungju, right? The ones with ‘villain’ tagged to their name, how charming they must be. But if news gets out that Cheonhwa-geom let go of such goons, then I’ll have to listen to that blame later, right? Even if you don’t kill me, I’d better chop off an arm each, or how do I sleep at night?”

Cheonhwa-geom. The eyes of the Three Villains of Byungju gleam.

If it’s Cheonhwa-geom, isn’t that one of the supreme martial artists?

Maybe if they ambush, they can win.

The three glance at each other, exchanging tacit signals with their mouths.

But Qing reads the air.

Not just being good at gauging the atmosphere, but truly mastering physics, he perceives every movement in his limited scope.

But why can’t we talk nicely?

Can’t we just leave off with an arm or two?

After running amok until now, giving up an arm seems like a sweet deal—can’t someone just detach one arm and leave?

As Qing releases another deep sigh.

“Kill them!”

It’s like the act of kneeling was merely their drive; they charge at him with the speed of arrows.

The glint of shining metal.

In a moment, Qing’s figure splits into eight directions—jumping, walking, rising, doing flips—all sorts of afterimages scatter.

Nengpa Mibo is superb but leaves one rather dizzy.

It twists nature’s qi and folds space, a literal shortcut in existence.

To others, it seems cool, but for him, it’s a dizzying experience with the world sprawling out in every direction like he’s about to drop from all sides.

Since Qing’s body transcends mankind, he can do it without a hassle, while an average supreme martial artist would be heaving their last meal, grappling with severe motion sickness.

But Qing’s physique withstands it.

Thus, with a snap, he turns his back to the enemy and elegantly extends his hand.

With his slim fingers blindly grabbing onto the nape of one of the Three Villains of Byungju.

All three plotted an ambush, but one ends up trying to flee and is caught immediately.

With a rough twist, Qing swings him backward.

Boom! The solid ground of the dining place cracks under the impact.

That dude’s leg gets twisted in an unnatural direction, and a huge scream rends the air.

One down.

As the other two finally turn around, they’re greeted by the surge of Qing’s body like mold spreading out.

His right and left hands curve like sickles, pulled tight like a bowstring.

Then, with a sudden thrust between them, Qing’s arms stretch out fully.

His slender fingers, now unfurled, dig deep into the lower bellies of the two villains.

Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat, First Skill: Absolute Resilience.

He chuckles with joy as he severs their energy.

The two laugh together, dropping to their knees, holding their bellies while gushing red blood.

In between, Qing dusts off his hands.

“So, one runs off without flair, lacks morality, brotherhood, or even skills. Now, among those with wide experience here, would anyone care to explain what kind of scum these Three Villains of Byungju are?”

“They’re vicious bandits!”

One writhes with legs in a twist while the other two spout blood, rolling on the ground.

If they hadn’t been incapacitated, they wouldn’t seem so harmless, boosting the courage of the crowd to rise and to expose them.

Originally, the Three Villains were elite of the Northern Army, but their brutal pillaging got them expelled from the military.

People might wonder why they were chased out for committing robbery, murder, and torture against northern barbarians, but the problem is they did the same in Han Chinese villages near the borders.

Thus, they’re now wanted in the military and hefty bounties on their heads.

So, they’re scurrying about the border, dodging pursuers, or something like that.

Qing tilts his head in curiosity.

Living on the edges, evading pursuers, huh?

“Then why the heck did you crawl all the way to Taiyuan? Were you planning to die? If that’s your wish, I can’t refuse!”

“Wait! We didn’t just come here!”

“What if you didn’t?”

“That’s… if you spare our lives, we can tell you things that might even interest the Great Hero…”

“Not interested. Is that where your epilogue ends?”

“No! It’s! It’s about the Treasure Map! We came down to find the Treasure Map, and if you spare us, we’ll give you the map!”

In an instant, one of them shouts in horror.

—-

Cheon Yu-hak has been focused on deciphering the Treasure Map for over two months.

And at last, his obsession has borne fruit.

He has successfully narrowed down the potential sites of the Treasure Map to five.

Now, it’s just about hitting the road to check them out.

“Master, I’m back.”

“Ah, you’ve come! Hmm? What about the fellows you dragged behind? Why do they look all mangled?”

“They were cheap, unworthy creatures, hardly qualified to be called humans!”

“Well, if you say so. But more importantly…”

In an instant, they’ve become mere scum.

But Cheon Yu-hak is a man who believes there’s no reason to show mercy to lesser humans.

And he has absolute faith that his overly righteous disciple wouldn’t harm the wrong person.

So, all is well.

More than that.

“Hehe, I’ve finally, finally finished decoding the Treasure Map! I found five places that match the map’s geography; let’s start in Liaoning and make our way around the Central Plain step by step!”

“Is one of those places the military district in Shandong Province?”

“Huh? How do you know about that?”

Qing lets out a hefty sigh in response.

“The map doesn’t specify what’s buried there, does it?”

“Whatever it is, it’s surely something significant for it to be so heavily concealed.”

To that, Qing casually tosses out the answer.

“It’s the Heart Consumption Technique, apparently.”

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