Book 28 Chapter 15

Open the South Gate

-The South Gate Keeper

There's a saying that goes something like this.

Never look down on infinite gatekeepers with black eyes.

This is because even if they're a jerk, they might be hiding some skills.

Think about it.

For a hundred years, the Black Covenant has taken root here, penetrating deep into the military.

How advantageous it would be for those who cultivate martial arts in the Black Heavenly League to be selected for the military gates!

It didn't take long for the Black Sky Blind's breath to penetrate the castle's ranks, to drive them deep into madness.

While most of them were sewers, there were a few true masters hiding among them, who legitimately oversaw the entry and defense of the castle.

It is no exaggeration to say that all military power in the city is in the hands of the Black Heavenly League.

In other words, you have to be really careful. And you should never be lulled into a false sense of security by being an idiot.

The rescuers were too relieved to realize that the "avalanche force" they had been paying attention to had temporarily vacated the south gate.

"The Hubei branch of the Zhongyang Mark Bureau?"

There was a hint of displeasure in the voice of Nam Hee-sung, the head of South Gate.

"Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Nam!"

Zhang Yiha said with a wide smile on his face.

"The Hubei Branch of the Zhongyang Mark Bureau…… I've never heard of such a place."

Said Nam Hee-sung, the head of the Water Gate, as he smoked a cigarette.

"Well, that can't be right, you must be mistaken."

Zhang Yiha protested with a look of disbelief.

"Have you ever heard of a marker called the Zhongyang marker?"

"Well, that's the first I've heard of it, sir?"

When asked, Byungjol replied with a smirk.

"How many times has our Zhongyang Marking Bureau been in and out of this wuqiang, haha?"

Zhang Yiha was embarrassed but smiling.

"Isn't it strange, then, that at the southern gate, which I guard, there is not a single flag of the Zhongyang Bureau to be seen, and therefore I am bound to doubt its existence, for this is the south, not the east."

Zhang Yiha cursed under his breath, "Then so be it!

'Damn, this is why I didn't want to come to the south gate. You don't know what you don't know! You know what you don't know!

The reason for this was obvious, like the behavior of an unfamiliar marksman. It was unfortunate that the Hubei branch of the Zhongyang beacon had been giving gifts only to the head of the alumni.

"Maybe we should have had a gate on this side, too, just in case?

The Hubei branch had just been established, so this was a slow process.

"Hahaha, don't worry. Our Zhongyang Station is an up-and-coming station, isn't it? It wouldn't be if it weren't for the interest of people like you, Mr. Nam, and I've been meaning to find out who else is helping our station."

"Is that true?"

At Nam Hee-sung's hesitant reply, Zhang Yiha nodded vigorously.

"I swear, I swear, I swear, I swear!"

Then he leaned in and whispered in Nam Hee-sung's ear.

"It's hard right now because there are a lot of eyes on you, but I'll make sure you get a seat at the table."

At those words, the face of the head of the Water Gate, Nam Hee-sung, widened as if for the first time.

"That's a really good idea."

"Well, I'll look forward to seeing you around, Mr. Nam. I, uh, may I enter now?"

"Uh, yeah. There's a lot of chaos in the city right now, so the checkpoints are very tight. However, I'll only let you through if I see your name and Zhang Ziguizhou's face. Do you understand?"

Zhang Yiha smiled a humanizing smile and nodded.

"Cancer, or not, I will never forget this favor."

"Remember. It's better to be a south gate than an east gate!"

As a final reminder, Nam Hee-sung said. He said that in the future, they should go to the south gate instead of the east gate.

Watching it from afar, Lady Gutcheon blurted out a word to her eldest daughter, Hyo-in, who was standing next to her.

"I'm going to have to switch people for the south door."

Hyo-in immediately lowered his head and said.

"I will take action as soon as I enter the mang, Mother."

"So be it; I do not wish to see such a sight again; for how can I entrust the keys of the gates to a thief?"

"You're right, ma'am, I'll change it right away."

Unaware that his fate had been decided by the women watching from afar, Nam Hee-sung gleefully barked out orders.

"Open the gates!"

The south door, which had been firmly closed, slowly began to open.

'We're finally entering the front yard of the Black Panthers!

The nervous Namgungsang breathed a sigh of relief. Now all he had to do was get through that open door.

"Will this finally get me away from those girls?

It was the only thing on Iceblade and Salty's minds.

'Father, we've finally made it this far, and I'm coming to save you.'

Na Yerin silently promised herself, and as she looked at her, Bi Ryuyeon thought, "I'm not going to be able to do that.

"Are we finally walking into the tiger's den?

The wide-open south gate looked like a peephole into a tiger's den. Just when we were all lost in thought, a booming voice rang out.

"Wait!"

Zhang Yiha's hand was about to signal their departure when it stopped. Everyone's eyes turned to the place where the shout had come from. It wasn't the gatekeeper guarding the southern gate, but an old soldier in a shabby military uniform who had raised his hand to stop them. His once-black uniform was tattered from the years he'd worn it, and his hair was shaggy and matted.

His eyes were bleary, as if he'd just woken up, and he looked like a drunk. It's hard to believe that at his age, he's still only a cadet, and the only thing that stands out is a pair of black, shiny ropes around his waist.

Oh, you heard that wrong.

Yeah, you heard that right.

Zhang Yiha sighed with relief as she patted her chest.

What kind of an idiot would halt the course of the Zhongyang Marking Bureau with the words, "Wait!" That's ridiculous. He's only an idiot, and he's still an idiot at his age. What an incompetent.

Zi Guozhu reasoned with himself. He turned his head back to normal and raised his hand to give Fei Heng the order to leave.

"Wait! I said stop!"

Again, I was told the same thing.

Zhang Yiha turned his head again. Still standing in the direction of the sound was the old cripple. He and the rescuers couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

How dare you stand in their way? What kind of balls do you have?

"Is there something you need to do?"

It was a remarkable display of self-control on Zhang Yi's part not to say half a word. The old soldier nodded and said, "I'm sorry.

"Toilets? Cancer, yes. You guys need to take off your blindfolds and get your marks."

Everyone swallowed hard at the outburst.

"You look like an idiot, and you talk too little?"

Zhang Yiha said sharply, calming her shaking fists.

There was also the possibility that the entire South Gate was being manipulative and scheming, so he decided to be cautious and deal with someone higher up.

"What right do you have to stop us? It seems to me that this man is in charge of this place. You're old, but you're not a mere soldier, are you, Captain?"

He looked at the head of the water gate, Nam Hee-sung, as if he couldn't understand why Zhang Yi would tolerate such an arbitrary protrusion.

Then I realized something was wrong.

"Watermaster……?"

His complexion wasn't red with anger, but rather, it was dull and purple with fatigue.

"You're just an old fool who's worth a fortune?

Something was up.

At times like this, it was best to leave quickly.

"Then we're done, kids, let's go!"

The door is already open, Zhang Yi ordered without waiting for an answer. Immediately, the footsteps began to move.

Chorus!

Just then, a piercing sound cut through the air, and something flew toward the gate, slamming into both sides of the open gate.

Boom, boom, bang, bang!

Two loud bangs rang out in quick succession, followed by the scraping of metal, and the door that had opened began to close at a rapid pace, whipping through the air and swiftly returning to its original owner. It was a bundle of black rope that the old soldier took up again.

"Where dost thou dare to pass at will!"

The old cripple snorted and sneered, then grabbed the black rope he'd retrieved and swung it back.

Whirrrrrrrr!

Then the black rope around his waist stretched in astonishment, and he flew toward the front door like a living creature.

"You may not pass through this south gate without my permission!"

The rope slithered through the air like a living snake, snapping back and forth between the rings embedded in the gates on either side. The gate quickly formed a thick, massive net of black rope. Moreover, the black rope, shiny as it was, seemed to be the work of a mighty man who could not be easily cut by a sword. The wielder of such a device could not be a common soldier.

"……!"

And at that moment, a long-forgotten myth resurfaced in the mind of the iron-hearted Zhang Yiha.

A story comes to mind of a man who was the worst of all the soldiers working in Wuchang, where the Black Heavenly Blind is located, and who handled the infamous black rope like a living creature. His main characteristic was…….

Zhang Yiha's heart sank as he stared at the scattered foreheads of the old soldiers who had flown through the air in seventy-eight swift steps and blocked his way.

"What a dog!

Zhang Yiha couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Scattered and haphazardly tied together, the letters on his forehead were none other than the word "dog.

It's amazing that anyone would write "I am Garoso!" on their forehead.

But Zhang Yiha couldn't help but laugh at him. Instead, he felt like crying.

"Shi, excuse me, but can you teach me the honorifics of the Great Conversation?"

Zhang Yiha asked politely, calming his trembling hands. He was doing his best to keep his overlapping hands from shaking.

"Kkkkk, what's the point of having a fancy name for a piece of shit. I guess people just call them old people because they're old."

At that moment, Zi Guozhu's body stiffened. The members of the Zhu Clan who recognized the name tensed up.

And one name popped up.

"The strongest old black dog!"

Nozole Black Dog.

The strongest soldier in the army, who, despite his incredible martial prowess, has been a pawn in the military for decades.

And then he had another title that followed him around.

The men shouted in unison.

"Black Ten Thousand Monuments!"

Yes, he was a member of the Black Heavenly Ten, one of the ten masters of the Black Heavenly Blind, the equivalent of sword magic transcendence. He was a person who could never be ignored and could never be overlooked.

He was an idiot, but he had enough power to mobilize the troops within the city to persecute them. It was not unreasonable for Nam Hee-sung, one of the gatekeepers of the southern gate, to tremble before him.

"Kkkkk, have you changed your mind now? I don't want you to bother this old fool anymore."

Zhang Yiha couldn't help but think. If he held out any longer, the Hubei Branch of the Zhongyang Mark Bureau would no longer be able to set foot in Wuchang City.

"Hey, what do we do now, iceberg, do we break through?"

"Hang in there, you know that revealing your identity here will undo all your hard work, but?"

The women of Shinmaga still stood behind them.

"So what, I'm going to take it off and it's going to show anyway, do you have any other pointy ones?"

"Nothing."

Binggum's answer was terse, but it was enough to turn Yidou's outfit upside down.

"…Oops, don't cut me like an ice pick until I do."

When they take off their masks, their dubious character is revealed to the world. There was no way they could have been so unusual. There are no more excuses.

'Damn…….'

That's when Yeomdo and Iceblade were at their wits' end.

"How long are you going to stand in my way?"

Behind her, waiting for the checkpoint to end, Lady Gu Tian spoke up in a calm voice.

At the sound of the voice, the black dog's body froze in place. He barely craned his stiff neck to face them.

The black dog's eyes flickered with turbulence as he saw the lady in black at the head of the line, and what he did next stunned everyone. He rushed toward her like the wind and threw himself to the ground, struggling and bowing.

"Greetings, lowly old man!"

An emotionless voice came out of the black dog's mouth.

"Yeah, it's me. How have you been?"

The black dog seemed to choke for a moment, then quickly opened his mouth.

"Yes, of course. The Great Mother is still beautiful. I am impressed, impressed, impressed."

Nozol exclaimed, racking his brains.

"What's wrong with him?"

Seeing the unexpected turn of events, Jang Hong sent a message to Bi Ryuyeon and asked.

"Well, I can't help but be impressed, you must be a follower of the Big One."

"Is he that old?"

"Tsk, tsk, age is just a number, look at those twinkling eyes and those excited cheeks, she's probably looking at the halo behind 'Big Mama's' head right now."

While Jang Hong and the others were frozen in place, Lady Gu Tian nodded and spoke in a soft voice.

"Thanks for putting words in my mouth."

He seemed to look at one of the Black One Thousand and Ten as if he were a cute neighborhood kid or a wagging puppy, but he didn't hate Nozol, he liked him.

"What you say is utterly unjust. If my words are false, I don't care if you rip out my tongue and chop it into twelve pieces. If anyone dares to insult your beauty, I will rip out his tongue and crush his head right now."

He swept his sharp eyes around the room, as if he were trying to identify the person harboring such unsavory thoughts and make an example of them.

"Did you see the madness in that sharp gaze?"

"That's… serious."

"Critical! Critical!"

There was no doubt about it: he really meant what he said. It was clear that he had been (and still was) a great follower of the big lady.

"People talk. You're still the same."

"Of course. I am your eternal servant."

It was a sight that could not have been seen by a man of the Black Thousand and Ten, and the more the black dog looked at her, the more her fear grew in her bones.

"Why don't we just let them go, they've been with us for a while."

The Nine Heavenly Maidens said in a scolding voice. At those words, the black dog was startled and said.

"Well, well, well, did you know about this? Nozole almost made a big mistake. I think there are some women in the crowd……."

The momentum we had earlier is nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, I don't need to tell you that because I already know that. They'll hire a female printer if she's good enough, but there's always resistance to anything new. I'm sure it'll be fun to see women in print someday."

How dare he say no after all that.

"When the Great Master speaks like that, how can a slave dare to disobey?"

Rising to his feet, the black dog swung his right hand a few times, and the black ropes that had been wrapped around both sides of the gate were instantly unwound and retrieved by his hand.

"Your skill with ropes is still there."

"I see this old geezer has dazzled the big lady with his catch."

The black dog scratched the back of his head and said shyly, stepping aside with one foot.

"Come on in."

The ninth princess nodded her head once, then walked away with her daughters. The black dog's gaze upon them was still sharp, as if its doubts had not been fully resolved, but it did not stop them. Only after they had completely passed through the southern gate could the rescuers clear their chests, but they were relieved to see that the Three Great Nanglangs and the Divine Eight Elders were still by their side.

"Where are you guys going to stay?"

"Yes, I intend to stay at the Yongsan Guest House, Big Mama."

Zhang Yiha said politely, airborne.

"Well, she has somewhere to be, so I'll go first."

There was a deep sadness on her face as she said that.

"Yes, have a look, big lady."

The Nine Heavenly Maiden Muhua led her two sisters and the Eight Adepts toward the Black Heavenly Blindness, and Zhang Yiha, Ice Sword, and Yin Dao traveled a long way until they were out of sight.

As their shadows faded from view, Salt and Iceblade let out the breath they'd been holding.

"Phew, I survived. Damn, I was so nervous I was going to get caught."

"Who would have thought we'd meet in such a place?"

"You didn't recognize me, did you?"

"If he knew, he wouldn't have stayed, it's his nature."

"Yeah, good, because I was afraid your blue hair would stand out."

Yeomdo said with a decade-old look on his face.

"Your unruly hair was more of a problem, didn't I advise you to dye it?"

"My hair is my pride, praised by my master, so why don't you dye your ferns a little darker, or bleach them white?"

"You can't do that because she'll scold you."

At those words, Yeomdo's body stiffened. He realized who the 'she' was that had just spoken. He remained silent for a moment.

"……."

Binggum didn't say anything more.

Suddenly, the air around them became heavy. With the two adults in the group keeping their mouths shut like that, no one dared to speak up.

Just then, someone raised their hand and exclaimed.

"I'm hungry."

At the sound of his voice, the heads of the silent Yidou and Binggum snapped up.

"Who would dare to do such a reckless thing?

Everyone else was freaking out, but the guy who did it was nonchalant. Usually, there was one person who would do something reckless at such a time. It was none other than Bi Ryuyeon who raised her hand and spoke up.

"Shall we go now?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Bi Ryuyeon's mouth as she spoke, meeting the gazes of Yeomdo and Ice Sword nonchalantly.

"Come on."

Binggum was the first to speak.

"Let's go."

Yeomdo said bluntly, pouting his mouth.

As the salt and ice sword began to move again, so did the tableau.

Anyway, that's the end of the breathless ride.

The two decided to take solace in that.