Chapter 88

“This is the place. Anhui Street.”
“Yes, business is brisker than I expected, and everyone’s faces are cheerful.”
“It’s peaceful.”
The man in the bamboo robe, his bulk swelled to a size that could not be concealed even by a robe. And not just him, but four other men as well.
“This is where he is.”
“If you mean the Grand Duke of the Southern Palace, then this is the right place, big brother.”
“What’s his star sign?”
“……Ten Thunder Sword Star.”
“Thunder Sword Star, huh. I can’t believe you’ve survived my hand for so long.”
There was one person who didn’t hide his discomfort as he pulled at his tangled robes with a grim expression.
He then turned his gaze to the Jilip man standing before him.
“Are you sure you’ve come all the way here?”
“The monkfish leader told me you were here.”
“I would kneel before him.”
“If I can break the seal.”
“Brother!”
At Huang Bo Gyeom’s shout, the man from Jilip appeared.
The man, harder than a rock, sturdier than a megalith, spoke up.
“Huang Bo’s name is already in the ground. Have you not seen how well Shandong has fared without us?”
“…….”
“We’ve realized our folly and decided on a course of action.”
“No matter what, our dignity will not be…….”
“The Bai family has already fallen. The Huang family has found out and taken away all the money we’ve been paid and all the talented children we’ve had.”
“The Huangs have stolen all of our money and taken all of our talented children.” ……
“You still don’t see the way, do you? It’s not about might makes right, it’s about conformity and working together to move forward. When all say no, we must join hands with those who say yes.”
“Is that what it means to break the chain of command and carry Huang Ga on your back?”
“Yes.”
Huang Bozhong, patriarch of the Huang family.
Huang Bozhong, the monarch of the Five Great Clans and the first in command, smiled at Huang Boqiong. His expression was relaxed, as if he had gained a lot of enlightenment during the time he had spent in the gates, even though it had only been a little over a year.
“Over the past year, looking at the situation in Jianghu, taking care of Huang Bo, and seeing a day in Shandong, I realize how arrogant and carefree we have been. I realize that it’s time to change. Fortunately, only the Southern Palace and the Huang Family know of our Bai family lineage and its alliance with the Green Forest. Or, more accurately, the Southern Palace and the Aguidan.”
At those words, the Netherworld Huang Bo Geng sighed.
“Don’t sigh. We’ll pay more if we have to, but we’ll pay our debts in our own way.”
When Huang Bo Gyum responded in silence, another patron standing next to him stepped forward.
“Elder brother is right, Second Brother is probably not pleased with the Grand Duke of the Southern Palace, but it’s not a bad idea for us to join hands in advance for the sake of the future.”
It was the Dragon Tiger Clan’s Huang Bo Shang, and he looked at Huang Bo Geng with a sour expression, knowing where his fat expression was based on.
“What a waste.”
“Third brother. Who likes it when you talk like that, you backwoodsman!”
Huang Bo Yue added, and Huang Bo Hyun, the youngest and most youthful of the five men, was pacing the grounds, excitedly saying that this was his first time out of Shandong.
Five men,
Five men of unusual aura entered the Southern Palace City.
* * *
“……Oh, the five great powers?”
“Uh, how dare they set foot in the land of Anhui.”
I leisurely accepted the gazes gathered from Elder Nan Gongbon and the four elders’ puzzled expressions.
“I said it was called a teleportation, and it’s not over yet.”
The other Elders’ heads snapped around at my words. Thirty or so familiarly marked men had appeared since the Great Power had entered.
They all had swords at their waists, and their faces were familiar as they entered and greeted my reflection in the window.
“……Namgung Han, and the Nangong Stone.”
“That’s right. Our family in the Shandong branch has come. They must have come to lend a hand.”
I greeted the members of the Shandong branch with a welcoming smile and pointed to the back of the group, who had just entered Anhui, as a sign that we weren’t done yet.
“This old man,” I said, ”he’s crazy to keep asking me to come, he’s acting as if he’s a real disciple, what can we do about it, Takgung, Takgung!”
“Now, Zhang Wen-yin, you’ve come too far in one step to say that! Hehehe, I’m going to die!”
“Yeki, you bastard, how can you not come if you’re so curious about the game he’s playing!”
“……You were the one who wanted to come after all.”
“What are you doing?!”
It was none other than Zhang Wenyin, a man who wore the mark of Qingcheng, a man of great power, a man of the Wu Nai Fifty, who had ridden that long distance in a single bound.
Judging by the aura in the air, he could easily overwhelm the Five Great Powers and the Five Powers of the Five Great Powers. The Five Great Powers also looked at the newcomer with increased tension.
“……What the hell do you think you’re doing, bringing someone like me here?”
Elder Nan Gongbon looked back at me with an incredulous expression. I shrugged my shoulders.
“Seo, no way.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
There were still people entering Anhui. The winters in Anhui aren’t exactly warm, either, so they’re bundled up in layers.
“These are guests from far away. We’ll have to be very hospitable.”
Nearly thirty white-skinned men appeared, clad entirely in fierce-looking bear pelts and dressed in reindeer fur.
They were warriors and warriors of the North Sea, men who had learned over the years how to withstand the cold of the northern winds and snow.
At the forefront of the group stood Bing Tian Sword Bu Ping, followed by a large number of others, including the Five Great Powers Army’s Qin Tiankai, who walked with an unflappable momentum.
“……Beijing Ice Palace.”
“That’s right, guests from the North Sea. I didn’t expect the palace lord himself to come, but…….”
I was a bit dumbfounded at that part, but whatever.
As long as I remembered the hardships I had suffered and the crisis I had overcome, I was in a good mood.
Huang Bo Segawa, the Southern Palace of Shandong, the Qing Sheng Sect, and the Northern Ice Palace. The elders all swallowed hard, all of them looking at the same person.
“Looks like the nanny will be busy today.”
The thought of the nanny already rolling up her sleeves and exerting herself to serve food made me feel sorry for her, but what could I do?
There would be no other time like this to gather all these people together. Especially here in Anhui.
“Can anyone else come to…….”
“Of course there are.”
The Four Elders shook their heads as if they had spoken unnecessarily, and at this point, they could only wonder who else could come.
He said.
“You’ve come at the right time.”
“He’s never late for an appointment.”
I glanced over to see ten men and one woman stately entering Anhui City.
A middle-aged man with a stature comparable to Huang Bo Gong’s, the tallest of the five great powers, and a palm the size of a pot lid, strode in, wearing a greatsword to cover his back. The first elder, Namgung Yeol, who recognized the figure as soon as he saw it, spoke up.
“Ho Tae-do Fang Gak.”
“That’s right, Elder Sun.”
“Did you summon Hebei Ping’er yourself?”
“I didn’t invite him, I just took advantage of the fact that I have a personal relationship with him.”
The elderly man coughed a few times. His unapologetic attitude made everyone shudder. After all, it was obvious to anyone with two eyes to see that the people gathered here were anything but ordinary.
Especially.
There were more than a hundred people within Anhui City alone. All of them were highly cultivated, and all of them had arrived here, including the Wu Nai Fifty Realm Master, the Five Great Lords, the Northern Sea Ice Sword Master and Ice Heaven Sword Master Bu Ping, the White Ice Sword Master Nam Gongsuk, the Shandong Branch Master Nam Gongshan, and finally, the Hebei First Dao and Iron Blood Sword King An Baek, whose strength could be divided by dozens.
“These are all my relationships that I have built up in Jianghu. They are my friends, and they have answered my call and traveled all the way here.”
Whether they like it or not, these are the people who have built relationships with me. Even if the Southern Palace is criticized, these are the people who have come to me because they want to be with me.
“Chew and curse all you want. Spit and stomp all you want. I will not bat an eye at them.”
The mouths of Elder Namgungbon and Elder Namgungun of the Fourth Elder, who were about to stamp on me at my threat, fell silent. Their reactions were not much different from the others.
What I’ve demonstrated here is not merely my authority. I cherish the value of the relationships I’ve built, and I’ve never been shortchanged or lacking in my treatment of them.
“But even so, there must be those who consider us unworthy.”
I looked directly at Elder Nangong Bone and Elder Nangong Kun with a cold gaze. The two elders flinched at my gaze.
“Instead of fighting for the safety and peace of the people, why don’t we show these unreasonable people that they are still using the Huang Family’s backroom to make their own decisions, looking out for their own interests and gains.”
“What do you mean.”
At Namgung Mu Bai’s question, which cut through my speech, I reached out and pointed to a new group that had emerged from the ranks of the assembled horde.
None other than.
It was the monkfish troupe leader Huang Tianhou and his monkfish troupe.
They numbered more than a thousand people, and as they filled Anhui City, their momentum overwhelmed everyone.
“This is the first time that the Huang family will break with the old tradition and hold a martial arts tournament in person.” ……
This was the Fengyun Festival.
It’s a martial arts tournament that everyone can participate in and that no one can interfere with.
It would be the Southern Palace itself that would organize it, and with their help, countless others would participate in the Fengyun Festival.
The work of balancing the powers would begin in earnest.