Episode 1074.
There is a saying.
He who meets will leave, and he who goes will return.
For every meeting there is a parting, and for every departure there is a return.
And at this moment, I was staring wide-eyed, remembering the old adage.
Through the darkness and the monsters that lay everywhere, I saw two figures coming toward us from the distance.
“Over here! We’re here!”
“How many times have I told you not to yell like that…… no, just do your own thing.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
“You’re going to drive me crazy.”
The sight of a young man bouncing around like he has springs on the soles of his feet, and a boy sighing heavily like an old man at the sight of it, may be a funny sight to some people.
But I, and very few others, already knew who they were.
Especially the young man running excitedly in front of me, because even if I only saw him once, I would never forget him.
“……Chengfeng?”
At the two words that slipped out of my lips, the people who had been stunned by the monsters earlier blinked.
“If it’s Qingfeng.”
“Hua, the Huashan Divine Dragon?”
The reaction was instantaneous.
I recognized him instantly, but at the same time, there was only one Qingfeng who would show up in this situation, even if he turned the whole world upside down.
Of course, there were those who raised legitimate questions.
“I can’t see it from a distance. Isn’t the boss mistaken? Why did Qingfeng Xiaoqiao suddenly appear here…….”
Just as Mu Zhen was speaking in an uncharacteristically cautious tone, a clear voice rang out from the darkness.
“Yi Yi Yin!”
“……That’s right.”
“……That’s right.”
“……I’m losing my mind, it’s him.”
It’s almost like fingerprints.
It was the end of the verification process for me, Hyukmujin, and then Red River.
“Eun-in, I’m here!”
With a final shout, a gust of wind swept in and Qingfeng waved at me with a reminiscent face.
“Wow, it’s been a long time, how have you been?”
How the hell am I supposed to react to this?
I stared blankly at the first-time experience villain in front of me for a moment, a mixture of embarrassment and delight, before I finally managed to speak.
“No, not at all.”
“Oh. Well, actually, it looks like it.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Because I haven’t been getting along so well, but I was hoping you’d be different, hehe.”
Seeing Qingfeng’s cheerfulness in the midst of his depressing words, I realized how I should react at this moment.
To be precise, I burst out laughing.
“What are you laughing at?”
“You call that a question? I’m laughing at the ridiculousness of your behavior.”
This is not the answer I gave.
Yikes.
The boy who emerged from the darkness with an almost ghostly air of popularity, or rather, the best of the best, looked me straight in the eye and added, “Of course.
“Of course, he’s a thunderstorm of a man, too.”
Blunt tone, as always.
But when I saw the hazy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud in response.
It was the first time we had seen each other in months.
* * *
It’s always nice to see people you’ve missed.
But none of us were foolish enough to sit around a campfire, especially under the circumstances.
“We’d better get the hell out of here. Follow me.”
Before the afterglow of the sunset had fully worn off, the smile on his lips wiped away as if it had always been there.
“Throw away anything that might weigh you down, right now, especially that idiot over there.”
The idiot that Salsung had named-or rather, Zheng Ho-kun-answered.
“I don’t know what kind of ancestor you are, but at least show some courtesy. I am the golden-armored Chun Ho at the command of His Majesty the Emperor…….”
Shhh.
It was a flash.
The new form of Xue Sheng blurred for a moment.
And with the sound of the wind that followed, a crisp sword pressed against the nape of Zheng Ho’s neck.
“Keep blabbering. If you delay me any longer, I’ll make sure you’re dead.”
The loyalty of Zheng Hao and his golden councilors to the emperor is something that everyone, including myself, can appreciate.
But reality is harsh.
Unlike the Emperor, who is far away in the distance, Zheng Hao’s lips parted with a heavy expression as he gazed at the swordsman who was so close to him.
“As I said before, I am the golden weapon of the Emperor’s command, …… but you seem to have a close friendship with this man, Shang Sanhu, so I’ll forgive you.”
The excuse was ugly for a golden weapon, and the flesh was dry.
“We’re not that close.”
“I’ll forgive you, since you seem to have a certain amount of common ground.”
“Of course I am, but we’re not close.”
“…….”
“Just suck it up. Okay?”
“…….”
“I understand.”
When Sal Sheng, who had defended his last shred of pride with the code of Kang Ho, withdrew his sword, most of the three thousand allies were staring at him in awe.
No matter how high he struck, the boy who had fallen short of the terms had overpowered the golden-armored Tianhou, who was at the edge of his peak.
In a single blow, at an invisibly fast speed.
Everyone was stunned by the unbelievable scene in front of them, but among them, the shock felt by Shen Tianjin was even greater than expected.
“Doudou…… who the hell is this?”
The scenery changes depending on where you stand.
As an already skilled Super Peak Master, Hyun Tianjin was able to vaguely infer the true level of Sal Sheng’s cultivation, and while he was too stunned and shocked to speak easily, Gongsheng spoke on his behalf.
“It’s been a long time. I never thought I’d see you again.”
Salseong, who had seen through his opponent’s identity as well as Gungsung, replied with a bitter smile.
“I thought we would never meet again after that day.”
“Kangshan changed, the world changed, and I had to act to bring it all back.”
As the stares around them grew more and more questioning, Gongsheng added.
“Just like you did, Salseong.”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
For a moment, the air around them crackled.
Salsung.
The name of a once-maligned name that had been pointed at by the entire world, but since the outbreak of the Great Demon War, it had struck fear into the hearts of countless great demons.
Those two words were enough to fully explain and convince everyone of the current situation.
With a small nod to the court, he turned to the people, who had become as stiff as stone statues.
“So, are there any other fools who wish to waste this precious time?”
Of course, there weren’t.
Or, more accurately, there shouldn’t be.
At least not if the questioner’s nickname was Salsung.
Thud, thud, thud!
As Jung Ho-gun and the rest of the Gold Council quickly shed their armor like reservists returning home from a mobilization drill, Salsung’s eyes narrowed.
“By the way, what the hell is that thing doing?”
I turned my head to follow Salsung’s gaze, and at once realized the meaning of his words.
And why he was referring to a limbless human as a thing.
“He, uh, he’s a little off his rocker, if you will.”
“I’m feeling enough of that …… already.”
Salsung sighed, blurry-eyed as he watched the large man, who was now blending in amongst the golden chairs, gleefully removing his top and bottom.
“We’ll have to wait to hear the details, but it’s clear we’ve added another madman to the mix.”
Of course, the old madman was right next to him, admiring the new one’s physical beauty.
“Wow, I’ve never seen anyone strip so boldly before!”
The big man, who was just about to remove his underwear when he was stopped by Zheng Ho, spotted Qingfeng and his eyes lit up.
“Thank you for the compliment. By the way, who are you?”
“Hello, my name is Qingfeng!”
“You’re so cheerful, it’s good to see. Your name is Shunzhi.”
“Thank you. Madam!”
No.
What a bunch of crazies.
Just as everyone was stunned by the meeting of two natural disasters that shouldn’t happen once in a hundred years, a shaking Xalsheng spoke up.
“Now, let’s get going.”
And in Salsung’s hand, he held a rope that stretched into the distance.
“What is that?”
“The loot.”
* * *
To conclude, there was no subsequent pursuit.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that there was no pursuit.
“You go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
With those words, Salsung left several times, and each time he returned in time, his body always reeking of blood.
After nearly two days had passed, Salsung said, “I’ll be less of a nuisance from now on.
“You’ll be less annoying from now on.”
None of the three thousand or so allies, including myself, knew that this meant the end of Amtian’s relentless pursuit.
Nor did any of us know how Sal Sheng had dealt with his pursuers so swiftly, or that the ten thousand monsters he had slain were due to him and Qingfeng’s efforts, not the Great Man’s.
“Eup, Eup.”
A looter whose entire body was bound with ropes. No, when the black-clad man squirmed, Tae-San, who had been running with him at his side like a burden, raised a fist the size of a pot lid.
“Don’t move, or I’ll hit you.”
“Ugh. Ugh!”
“Don’t make a sound. Eat.”
“……!”
It was an odd way to threaten, but it worked.
The black man immediately fell silent, and after several days of unrelenting marching, the allies were soon out of that torturous wilderness.
And what awaited them was a huge lake they’d never seen before, and a group of beggars huddled around a campfire.
Including a very familiar face.
“Oooh, here we are. Here, here!”
A face so vintage that, even from a distance, you can’t help but reach for your wallet.
It was the next royal beggar, the palace guard, the man who would lead a horde of 100,000 beggars.
