Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 123

The Three Kings’ Disciple (124)

123

Inside the airplane, a first for him.

The seats, fully occupied, were sparsely empty.

“I chartered the whole thing.”

Baek Cheong had chartered the entire plane, using the name of Buksan, a secular family of Jongnam [a prominent Taoist sect].

Baek Cheong, Lee Rowan, and Bondenno were seated in first class.

“…….”

Bondenno’s face was flushed red.

“Why are you still so worked up?” Lee Rowan asked Bondenno.

“…You shouldn’t do that.”

Bondenno glared at Lee Rowan.

“You told me to take off my shoes before boarding.”

Bondenno, who had actually taken off his shoes and boarded, couldn’t forget the bewildered faces of the flight attendants.

“You believed that?” Lee Rowan said, boarding the plane naturally.

Baek Cheong, who had tried to trick everyone, clicked her tongue as if disappointed, but seemed satisfied that at least one person had fallen for it.

“Like kids.”

At Lee Rowan’s words, Bondenno and Baek Cheong looked at Lee Rowan simultaneously.

A faint smile spread across Lee Rowan’s lips.

Baek Cheong was amazed by his new appearance.

“Nice.”

Bondenno, with a satisfied smile, turned his gaze out the window.

Bondenno had been worried about Lee Rowan, whom he had met again, and his changed appearance.

It seemed that some of Lee Rowan’s old self still remained.

“Anyway…” Baek Cheong said, receiving a lavish in-flight meal.

“What’s the real purpose of going to China?”

Lee Rowan had asked Baek Cheong to include him in the trip to China.

Lee Rowan and Eunha could have gone to China through other means.

However, she was curious about the purpose of secretly heading to China with the help of Jongnam.

“Don’t give me that nonsense about checking on the Eunha branch.”

She had given that reason, but Baek Cheong didn’t believe it.

“…….”

“Are you really not going to tell me?” Even with Baek Cheong’s prodding, Lee Rowan was leisurely focused on his meal.

“Wait,” Lee Rowan said, putting down his fork.

“It’s still too early.”

At Lee Rowan’s words, Baek Cheong’s eyes lit up.

It meant that he would give an answer eventually.

“I’m looking forward to what you’re going to do.”

The things Lee Rowan had done so far.

Lee Rowan’s identity.

Baek Cheong, who knew all of that, had brought him to China with the help of Jongnam, even though he hadn’t even mentioned his purpose.

There was a possibility that Jongnam would suffer because of the things that would happen from now on.

Smirk.

Perhaps the ones who would truly suffer would be others.

“It’ll be fun.”

Baek Cheong also put down her fork and looked out the window.

Through the hazy clouds, a dense forest of asphalt began to appear.

‘The Beggars’ Guild, Shaolin…’

And many other sects that had opened their doors in China.

She was genuinely looking forward to seeing who among them would receive the visit of the Heavenly Demon [a powerful and often feared figure in martial arts stories].

[We will be landing soon.]

***

Hongqiao International Airport.

This was the large airport located in Shanghai.

And Shanghai was.

“Welcome. To the land of Jongnam.”

It was the territory of Jongnam, where Jongnam was located.

The plane stopped, and the atmosphere changed.

The flight attendants were full of tension and seemed afraid to even breathe.

Swish, swish.

The Cheoncheonha Corps members naturally stood up from their seats.

And Baek Cheong.

Swoosh!

They simultaneously tore off the human skin masks they had been wearing on their faces.

The fact that they had removed the human skin masks that they hadn’t taken off even on the plane was also a sign of the confidence that Jongnam’s Divine Maiden, Baek Cheong, was showing.

Thud, thud.

The corps members stood up from their seats without the guidance of the flight attendants and began to approach the open door.

“What are you doing?” Lee Rowan was also standing behind Baek Cheong.

Only Bondenno, unable to hide his tense expression at the energy he felt, moved belatedly.

The Cheoncheonha Corps members, who had flown together, were standing to the left and right of the open door.

Thud.

Baek Cheong walked through the middle.

Thud.

Lee Rowan walked out.

Finally, a terrified flight attendant stood in front of the door where the bright sunlight was shining.

“Thank you for your service.”

“I-It was an honor to serve you.” The flight attendant stepped back with trembling eyes at Baek Cheong’s words.

“Welcome again,” Baek Cheong said those words and moved into the sunlight.

“To the land of Jongnam.”

Lee Rowan followed behind her.

Swoosh!

Around the stopped plane, nearly a hundred people stood motionless.

The blue martial uniforms they were wearing spoke of their identity.

Swoosh!

Hundreds of martial artists simultaneously performed a fist salute.

“We congratulate the Divine Maiden on her return.”

A loud greeting towards Baek Cheong, who was walking down the stairs leading from the door.

Baek Cheong seemed to take it all as naturally as eating a meal.

“Congratulations on your return.”

A martial artist in a blue uniform approached Baek Cheong and said.

“It seems the matter you went to resolve…” The man, who had opened his mouth, stopped his gaze on Lee Rowan.

“Has been resolved.”

A gaze that seemed to scan Lee Rowan.

“Jang Han-so.”

Baek Cheong stopped and called the man in the martial uniform in a cold voice.

“He’s my guest. Be careful.”

“……I will keep that in mind.”

“If you get your neck cut off, I won’t be responsible?” At Baek Cheong’s words, the man called Jang Han-so’s brow twitched.

Baek Cheong’s words clearly meant that Jang Han-so was below Lee Rowan.

The man named Jang Han-so seemed to find that unacceptable.

“Han-so.”

“Yes, Divine Maiden.”

“A true martial artist should know how to properly assess their opponent. I’m not joking, so listen carefully.”

“……I will keep that in mind.” The man, who had been about to say something, closed his mouth.

By now, black vehicles that had been parked nearby had arrived in front of Baek Cheong and Lee Rowan.

Thud.

Baek Cheong naturally got into the automatically opening door.

The moment the man named Jang Han-so was about to close the door.

“What are you doing?” Baek Cheong frowned again and called Jang Han-so.

“We’re riding together. Including the guest behind him.”

“……Understood.”

A brief commotion.

Even so, only the man named Jang Han-so and Baek Cheong were speaking.

The moment Lee Rowan, with his languid eyes, was about to step over the car door.

Throb.

He felt Jang Han-so’s cold gaze.

Lee Rowan stopped.

“Do you… have something to say?” It was when Jang Han-so asked Lee Rowan.

Smirk.

A faint smile spread across Lee Rowan’s lips.

“Jongnam isn’t anything special.”

At Lee Rowan’s words, spoken in the Eun language, Jang Han-so’s face contorted.

“Now…”

“You call her the Divine Maiden and give her this kind of welcome, but ignoring a warning in front of her face is something even the Beggars’ Guild wouldn’t do.”

At Lee Rowan’s words, not only Jang Han-so but also the faces of the gathered martial artists contorted simultaneously.

Lee Rowan’s words were no different from saying that Jongnam was worse than the Beggars’ Guild, no, worse than beggars.

“Haa.”

A sigh came from inside the car, from Baek Cheong.

“Apologize.”

Jang Han-so said, straightening his back.

“This is disrespecting Jongnam…”

“That’s right, I’m disrespecting them.”

Lee Rowan said, looking around.

“I’ll let it slide this once because of Baek Cheong’s face.”

“Now…”

“So choose.”

Swoosh-!

In an instant, a thick darkness seemed to descend upon the area.

The energy emanating from Lee Rowan’s body was touching their consciousness.

‘Wh-What…’ Jang Han-so couldn’t help but be flustered.

Who was he?

He was an elder of Jongnam, a disciple of Bak San.

He was of the same rank as the current head of Jongnam and a disciple of Bak San, a powerful figure in Jongnam that no one could ignore.

Jang Han-so himself had been called a genius since childhood and had mastered all of Bak San’s true martial arts.

He admitted that he was inferior to Baek Cheong, but he was someone who could have risen to the position of corps commander if he wanted to.

Twitch.

Such a person was being suppressed by the man’s energy.

Clench.

He couldn’t back down.

‘Why did I join the Cheoncheonha Corps?’

The reason he had given up the position of corps commander and joined the Cheoncheonha Corps.

It was because of Jongnam’s Divine Maiden, Baek Cheong.

But such a Baek Cheong had gone all the way to South Korea without permission and brought back a guest.

“Choose? What do you mean by choose?” Even Jang Han-so’s tone had changed.

-He doesn’t know your identity. I hope you’ll show some mercy. Lee Rowan said, listening to Baek Cheong’s voice.

“Arms, legs. Which one?”

“Now…”

“I have no intention of being lenient with those who show their teeth from the start.”

“How dare you…!” It was the moment Jang Han-so was about to draw his sword.

Sploosh!

A fountain of blood obscured Jang Han-so’s vision.

“……?” Jang Han-so’s face was blank.

“Since you didn’t say anything, I chose for you.” It was only when he heard Lee Rowan’s voice belatedly that he realized that the fountain of blood was gushing from his own arm.

The moment he was about to explode all his energy with bloodshot eyes.

“Stop.” Baek Cheong’s voice echoed everywhere.

“Don’t tarnish Jongnam and my face any further.” A stern warning.

For those who had never seen Baek Cheong this angry, it was something they couldn’t dare to interfere with.

Even if it wasn’t that.

Shudder.

The martial artists who had been about to draw their swords when Jang Han-so’s arm was cut off couldn’t even draw their swords.

The energy that was suppressing them.

No, the fear was preventing them from moving their bodies.

‘Just what…’ What had the Divine Maiden brought back?

***

“You’re cunning.” At Lee Rowan’s words, Baek Cheong chuckled and said.

“Was it that obvious?” The incident at the airport was Baek Cheong’s doing.

“They should know their place and not try to get close just because they’re the disciples of elders. It’s so annoying.”

There was no way that someone like Baek Cheong wouldn’t know the personalities of the corps members in her corps.

The show at the airport was intentional by Baek Cheong. Knowing that there would be friction between Lee Rowan and Jang Han-so due to Jang Han-so’s personality, she had deliberately placed him at the airport.

“That can’t be the only reason.”

If that was the only reason, Lee Rowan wouldn’t have gone along with Baek Cheong’s actions.

But there was another reason for Baek Cheong’s show.

“If you cause trouble after entering Jongnam, it’ll become too big,” Baek Cheong said.

“There are only a few people in Jongnam who know your true identity. They just know you as a guild member of Eunha who’s been making a lot of noise lately.”

Baek Cheong said in the car, which was moving like a yacht.

“There are many who are dissatisfied with me getting involved with you.”

She had heard from Ha Se-min that the name of the Divine Maiden of Jongnam had a special meaning.

The fact that a Divine Maiden existed in the Taoist Jongnam was unusual, but that was why Baek Cheong’s existence was even more special in Jongnam.

Naturally, there were many who were interested in the Divine Maiden’s every move.

“Now that they’ve seen your skills, there will be less trouble. If you cause trouble in Jongnam, it’ll be hard for me to take your side.”

It was a warning in advance.

The opponents were martial artists, and there was a limit to what could be achieved with words.

There was no more certain method than showing power.

Of course, that could lead to even greater conflict.

‘That’s also necessary.’

Baek Cheong was someone with whom he might have to maintain a deep relationship in the future.

It was never a bad thing to put her further in his debt.

Screech.

The car, which had been moving like a yacht, stopped.

They had arrived at their destination.

Thud.

Baek Cheong got out of the open door with a welcoming face.

Lee Rowan and Bondenno followed behind her.

“Yuraaaan-!” Baek Cheong shouted happily and ran to hug a beautiful woman.

It was Choi Yu-ran, the guild leader of Baran, who had been put in charge of the Shanghai Eunha branch.

“Divine Maiden. People are watching.” She seemed to have become quite adept at handling Baek Cheong, pushing her away and walking over.

The martial artists lined up behind her.

“We greet the Guild Member.” They performed a fist salute and greeted him with trembling eyes.