The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 153

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 153. I Should Say Hello

 

 

Shaanxi Province, Chang’an.

A city that had served as the royal capital of several ancient dynasties, its prosperity was beyond description.

It was a place always bustling with people, but yesterday and today, the people of Chang’an felt something strange.

Tension was spreading throughout Chang’an.

Just yesterday morning, it had been as lively as usual.

People tilted their heads at the inexplicable atmosphere and reduced their outings.

This was especially true for inns and pleasure houses.

Naturally, customers decreased, but the owners paid no attention to such things.

They were currently the most tense people in Chang’an.

Especially.

The tension and anxiety of Hwang Chan, the Inn Owner of Punghwa Inn, had reached extreme heights.

It was nothing else.

The person his organization had designated as a top-priority surveillance target was sleeping and even snoring in his inn.

Right now, the eyes and ears of the main sect were focused on this place.

Having to act normally in such a situation.

Even for him, with over twenty years of experience as a Hao Gate Member, this was an extremely difficult task.

How could a person sleep for a full twelve hours straight?

It had been exactly one day since that fellow arrived.

Then he felt the inn becoming noisy.

There was no change in the movements of the shopkeepers, Head Cook, or customers.

It was the same as usual.

Nevertheless, Hwang Chan felt a strange disturbance.

He had sensed the movements of Hao Gate intelligence agents.

He hadn’t directly felt their presence. He was just an ordinary gate member without martial arts.

However, the intuition gained from twenty years of experience had informed him of this.

‘Something must have happened. Please leave quickly. Please.’

He was worried that a fight might break out in his inn.

Of course, the main sect would compensate for everything, but still, watching his inn get destroyed and damaged wouldn’t be pleasant.

Hwang Chan glanced over the customers filling the first floor.

‘Damn. So many have gathered.’

About half were murim people.

Not just from Hao Gate, but from other places as well.

When a top-priority surveillance order was issued, it was this difficult.

 

Most of the murim people filling Hwang Chan’s Punghwa Inn were figures from the unorthodox sects.

Mun In-baek-song hadn’t sent messages only to Hao Gate. He had also sent them to Four Seas Alliance branches around Chang’an, affiliated unorthodox sects, and directly operated intelligence organizations.

To keep watch over Chang’an.

In Mun In-baek-song’s thinking, it was only a matter of time before Ha Mu-baek turned Hao Gate upside down.

But it was far too fast, even faster than Mun In-baek-song’s expectations.

Who would have thought Ha Mu-baek would appear in Chang’an less than two days after receiving the message?

That’s why they had urgently gathered at Punghwa Inn.

The place where the eyes and ears of Hao Gate and Four Seas Alliance were concentrated.

Ha Mu-baek was far too peaceful.

After finishing his energy circulation and breathing, his whole body felt refreshed.

“As expected, people need to sleep.”

Thanks to his abundant internal energy, his body could endure several days without sleep.

Still, there was a considerable difference in his body’s condition between getting sufficient sleep and not.

“Hmm. Quite a crowd has gathered.”

This was something he had already expected since entering Chang’an.

Startled snakes were raising their heads and glaring at him.

Not just one or two.

“Huh? Why is Four Seas Alliance here?”

Four Seas Alliance martial artists caught by Ha Mu-baek’s ki sense.

Ha Mu-baek tilted his head.

There was no reason for Four Seas Alliance to interfere in his business with Hao Gate.

Especially if it was Four Seas Alliance Leader Gong Ya-jang-cheon and Military Advisor Mun In-baek-song, who understood him well.

“Ah, did Ye Cho-ah ask for help?”

A chilling smile formed on Ha Mu-baek’s lips as his thoughts reached that point.

“It seems she failed to seize the opportunity.”

If she had succeeded, there would have been no reason for her to ask Four Seas Alliance for help.

Hao Gate’s assessment of Ha Mu-baek’s level was exactly that far.

The thought that if Four Seas Alliance stepped in, they could somehow stop him.

Four Seas Alliance Leader Gong Ya-jang-cheon alone was known as an absolute master who could compete with Jeongcheon Alliance Leader So Hwi-ung, and was a hero of the last war.

“I should say hello.”

Ha Mu-baek left his guest room and walked down the stairs with heavy steps.

He felt hungry, so he needed to eat, and he also needed to greet his friends from Four Seas Alliance.

As Ha Mu-baek moved, those secretly hiding in the inn became busy.

Ha Mu-baek merely chuckled at their presence, which felt too obvious.

Arriving at the first floor like that.

He looked around from in front of the stairs.

Among them, one fellow.

‘That’s the one.’

There were many people, but there was exactly one person to deliver greetings to.

Upon examination, it was someone from Black Mist Group, Four Seas Alliance’s intelligence organization.

There was exactly one person who had learned the internal energy unique to that place.

Ha Mu-baek approached the table where he sat and plopped down across from him.

“Wh-what?”

The man who had been sipping alcohol with a roasted duck was startled.

He never imagined his surveillance target would sit in front of him.

“Didn’t Mun In-baek-song say anything?”

At Ha Mu-baek’s question, the man before him stiffened completely.

He never expected the name of the person who had given him orders to come out immediately.

Seeing that reaction, Ha Mu-baek nodded.

“Seems he didn’t tell you. Then it means the order came down not long ago. The report that I arrived in Chang’an must be flying toward Hyeongsan Mountain right about now.”

Hearing the other’s monologue, the man opened his mouth wide and couldn’t say anything.

The duck meat he was chewing flowed out and fell, but he had no time to care about such things.

This man was someone called Song Ho-sin.

He was a Four Seas Alliance Black Mist Group Chang’an branch intelligence agent, and was tracking Ha Mu-baek according to orders that had arrived urgently the day before yesterday.

All the Chang’an branch intelligence agents had thoroughly searched Chang’an and discovered yesterday that this target had checked into Punghwa Inn.

That’s why he had been stationed here all day today.

Because Punghwa Inn was in Song Ho-sin’s assigned area.

But to be discovered so easily like this?

It was unbelievable.

The orders also emphasized to be extremely careful not to get caught under any circumstances.

Ha Mu-baek laughed as if he found the other’s reaction amusing.

“Chew what’s in your mouth properly before swallowing. Shopkeeper. Over here!”

Ha Mu-baek called out to the shopkeeper while saying this.

“Yes. Customer!”

The shopkeeper who hurried over quickly wiped the dining table in front of where Ha Mu-baek sat.

“One fried chicken and one thin noodles.”

When Ha Mu-baek flicked two coins, the shopkeeper swiftly caught them.

“Keep the change.”

“Thank you!”

The shopkeeper shouted loudly, bowed his waist, and ran to the kitchen.

Ha Mu-baek’s gaze turned to the man before him.

“Your name?”

“Uh, well…”

“Is there any reason to hide it when we both know each other?”

“Song, Song Ho-sin.”

Ha Mu-baek nodded at his answer.

“Don’t worry so much about the people around us. I’ve set up an energy barrier, so no one can hear our conversation.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Song Ho-sin’s eyes widened.

Blocking sound with an energy barrier. He truly was a special-grade surveillance target.

In truth, he knew nothing about Ha Mu-baek except his name and that he was a special-grade surveillance target.

As was typical for field informants, detailed information about the target was not provided.

“What does Mun In-baek-song say?”

The way he casually mentioned the Four Seas Alliance Military Advisor’s name like calling a neighborhood loafer.

He should have been immediately angry, but Song Ho-sin was quite perceptive.

Feeling that he absolutely shouldn’t do that, he simply answered the question obediently.

“He, he told me to carefully observe the great hero.”

“And then?”

“To only report and absolutely not get involved.”

Ha Mu-baek nodded quietly.

The food came out instantly.

Ha Mu-baek ate the thin noodles and fried chicken that the shopkeeper had set down, then asked again.

“Is that really all?”

“Yes. He told all the unorthodox factions in Chang’an to absolutely not clash with or get involved. Even if a conflict arose between the target, I mean the great hero, and a specific unorthodox faction, we must never intervene.”

“Hmm.”

Ha Mu-baek nodded while chewing and swallowing the chicken.

It didn’t seem like the Four Seas Alliance had come because of what he was worried about.

If so, that was fortunate.

Getting entangled with the Four Seas Alliance would be quite troublesome.

It wasn’t simply because they were a massive organization. Since it was an alliance of unorthodox factions, they had complicated relationships with the Jeongcheon Alliance as well.

“As expected, Gong Ya-jang-cheon and Mun In-baek-song are smart. Unlike someone else.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s muttering, Song Ho-sin’s eyes bulged.

He never expected him to treat even the Four Seas Alliance Leader so casually.

Meanwhile, Ha Mu-baek had finished eating all the thin noodles and fried chicken.

After rinsing his mouth with a cup of tea.

“Let’s go.”

“What?”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Song Ho-sin asked with a bewildered face.

Suddenly telling him to go.

“You have to watch what I’m doing and report it, right? Why go through the trouble of hiding and watching? Just come along with me. So follow me.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Song Ho-sin stood up awkwardly.

What the hell was this guy?

Why did the alliance tell him to monitor this guy?

Did the Military Advisor know about this guy’s true identity?

All sorts of questions arose in his mind, but all Song Ho-sin could do was follow Ha Mu-baek.

When the two men moved, Punghwa Inn quietly became bustling.

After confirming Ha Mu-baek’s departure, Inn Owner Hwang Chan let out a sigh of relief.

Because that special-grade surveillance target had left his inn without any incident.

 

After leaving the inn, Ha Mu-baek spread his ki sense widely.

Since he already knew Ye Cho-ah’s presence, finding where she was wouldn’t be difficult.

Thus Ha Mu-baek roamed through various paths in Chang’an.

Sometimes walking the main roads, sometimes walking the back alleys of the slums.

A route whose destination was completely incomprehensible.

Even walking together with Ha Mu-baek was this confusing, so if he had to secretly follow behind, it would certainly have been greatly troublesome.

“Are, are you doing this to shake off the surveillance agents following us?”

Where did such courage come from?

Song Ho-sin asked cautiously.

“No way? It’s annoying, but shaking them off is more annoying. I’m leaving them alone because even sweeping them away is bothersome.”

At the chilling aura, Song Ho-sin swallowed dry saliva.

The words about sweeping them away made his throat feel cold.

“Then where are you going…”

Another question followed.

Once the conversation started flowing, much of his fear had disappeared.

“I don’t know.”

But the answer that came back was absurd.

Leading the way while not knowing the destination.

At Song Ho-sin’s expression, Ha Mu-baek smiled slightly.

“That thing keeps moving around here and there. I’m slowly following to see just how far it can go.”

Ha Mu-baek started walking again.

It seemed this special-grade surveillance target had a target he was pursuing.

Truly chasing and being chased, chasing and being chased.

Just how many martial artists were playing hide-and-seek here in Chang’an?

Song Ho-sin had such thoughts.

Today especially, Chang’an’s atmosphere seemed particularly heavy.

 

***

 

“He has turned toward the slums.”

At those words, Ye Cho-ah frowned.

How long had it been since they moved from Haomun’s Main Hall to the safe house prepared in Chang’an’s back alley slums, and now he was turning toward this place?

“Let’s move again.”

Ye Cho-ah left the safe house. Second Guardian followed behind her.

Only these two were moving.

The thought was that if many people moved, it would only draw Ha Mu-baek’s attention.

Hao Gate Members spread densely throughout Chang’an were constantly reporting Ha Mu-baek’s movements through coded signals.

Second Guardian relayed Ha Mu-baek’s movements to Ye Cho-ah according to those coded signals.

But it was all useless.

Within Chang’an, no matter where they hid, Ha Mu-baek would turn his steps toward that direction like a ghost.

What a persistent bastard.

Midnight.

There were no people on the streets.

Even so, Ye Cho-ah moved quickly.

Once again, the secret signals of the disciples were transmitted.

Ha Mu-baek changed direction again.

“Damn, what a persistently stubborn bastard…”

 

***

 

Growl.

Song Ho-sin quietly rubbed his belly at the sound coming from his stomach.

Quite some time had passed since dinner, so it was natural to be hungry.

“Let’s grab a late-night snack before we move. Do you know any places?”

It had been the same at dinner time.

He had asked about a restaurant, saying they should eat and then move since he was hungry.

Thanks to that, they were able to rest for a while.

“Yes. There happens to be one nearby.”

Song Ho-sin took the lead and guided them.

Ha Mu-baek followed him while glancing back.

“Not bad. Still haven’t given up? Well then, it’s about time to end this boring game of hide-and-seek. Wait a moment. I’ll fill my belly first before we go.”

No one heard Ha Mu-baek’s quiet muttering.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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