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Chapter 235: The Invincible Sword (2)
Shouting “The Invincible Sword” in the birthplace of martial arts was an absurd act, but its effect was truly extraordinary.
“Oh, my goodness.”
“What the…?”
“I definitely saw it pierce his chest.”
Perhaps it would have been less surprising if the blade had not penetrated the skin at all.
Everyone has imagined skin so tough that a blade couldn’t cut through it.
But…
“Didn’t that sound just come from inside his chest?”
“Could it be that his heart is made of steel?”
“Is that the issue here? The blade definitely went through his heart. So why is he still alive?”
Can this truly be called martial prowess?
Regardless, at least hundreds of people witnessed the abilities of the Strongest Sword of Joseon and had no choice but to acknowledge it.
If they didn’t want to lose their heads, they had to welcome this demon’s entry.
No one understood this better than Zhang Jaham.
He wasn’t the only one, though.
“That… that sword…”
Wu Qingjin, one of the Two Evils of Shandong, mumbled while trembling slightly, prompting Yeongwoo to ask.
“What did you say?”
Suddenly, Wu Qingjin knelt on the ground and cupped his fists.
Thud!
“I, Wu Qingjin of the Two Evils of Shandong, greet the invincible swordmaster Jeong Yeongwoo…!”
“…Ugh!”
Yeongwoo had to bite his lip hard enough to draw blood to suppress the laughter that threatened to escape.
Although blood trickled out, the wound healed quickly, thanks to his insane regenerative abilities.
The gash in his chest from Wu Qingjin’s blade also healed completely.
“Please stand. You seem much older than me, calling me a master is too much.”
As Yeongwoo helped Wu Qingjin to his feet and returned his sword, Zhang Jaham knelt and cupped his fists as well.
“I committed a grave offense! Please forgive me! Have mercy!”
Seeing this, hundreds of Chinese people on the beach, who had been holding their banners, also knelt and shouted in unison.
“Have mercy!”
Where do they even learn this kind of thing?
‘One after another, they’re causing a scene.’
Yeongwoo glanced around before gesturing for everyone to stand.
“There’s no need for mercy. Who could fault Shandong people for trying to protect Shandong?”
“…Is that truly your stance?”
Wu Qingjin looked incredulous, but Zhang Jaham, who had spent a few hours with Yeongwoo in the dungeon, sensed something was off.
However, he couldn’t interrupt as Yeongwoo continued.
“But your efforts are no longer needed. You don’t have to try to protect Shandong yourselves anymore.”
“……?”
Wu Qingjin’s expression changed subtly.
“What do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is, from now on, I will protect Shandong.”
As Yeongwoo said this, he placed his hand on the scabbard at his waist, causing Wu Qingjin’s mouth to drop open.
He finally realized that the Korean in front of him was not a hero but a demon.
“All you need to do to maintain a good relationship with me is.”
Pa!
This time, Yeongwoo held up two fingers.
“Twenty million.”
“……!”
When Yeongwoo uttered “twenty million,” some Chinese people whispered among themselves, wondering if he was talking about twenty million karma.
A few sharp individuals knelt down again, realizing they were still being threatened.
“Jeong… master… if you still hold a grudge, we can…”
Wu Qingjin began to negotiate, but Yeongwoo cut him off by spreading his chest wide.
“A grudge? Look, my wounds have already healed, as if I never had any grudge to begin with.”
Pa!
As Yeongwoo boldly bared his chest, the Chinese people stepped back, examining where the wound had been.
“It’s true, he’s healed?”
“How did it heal so quickly?”
“Is he immortal…?”
A heart that couldn’t be pierced by a sword, and a level of physical regeneration that seemed beyond human.
Everyone reconfirmed that there was no way to expel this man through martial prowess alone.
“Mr. Jaham.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Before the reset, what was the population of Shandong?”
Yeongwoo asked, making Zhang Jaham sweat nervously and roll his eyes.
“Uh… it was just over a hundred million.”
“Then a daily defense expense fee of twenty million karma is not excessive at all, is it?”
“Daily… you say?”
“Of course. Each district in Seoul, with a population of at most 500,000, pays 5 million karma as defense costs every day.”
“Oh… I see.”
Zhang Jaham nodded in understanding but muttered inwardly.
‘Damn it. I’ve brought in a thief.’
Strictly speaking, they had avoided the worst-case scenario.
If they hadn’t known the true nature of this marauder in advance, all of Shandong would have been drenched in blood today.
Though it hurt his pride, it was better to pay tribute than to die.
“You should be able to come up with the money quite easily if you opt for the 30,000 karma provision. Just send the money to Incheon by 6 PM every day.”
After conveying this to the Shandong side, Yeongwoo added a supplementary explanation to the leader in Incheon.
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“At 6 PM, someone from Seoul will come to collect the money. You keep 5 million of the 20 million, and give the rest to my person.”
“Y-You’re giving us 5 million?”
Incheon leader Kim Yongkwan’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected bonus.
The other Strongest Sword of Incheon were equally astonished.
Yeongwoo spoke calmly.
“After all, you have to meet with the Chinese and receive the money. Consider it your fee. And since it’s a border area, it makes sense to strengthen you more than other regions.”
“T-Thank you, brother!”
The Incheon Strongest Sword were thrilled at the prospect of handling the huge sum coming from China, as if it were a scene from a movie involving secret transactions.
‘Since 5 million is 25% of the total amount, they shouldn’t have any other thoughts. And it’s also prudent to strengthen the border swordsmen in case the Chinese side changes their minds.’
Yeongwoo had started to see things in a broader perspective.
He wasn’t sure if it was because the sums he dealt with had grown so large, or if it was due to the dragon heart he possessed, but he had become bolder.
‘Now the remaining issue is…’
Yeongwoo’s gaze returned to the two strongmen of Shandong.
Even if it was a ‘defense expense fee,’ the tribute couldn’t continue indefinitely.
Sooner or later, discontent would arise within Shandong, and when the shock of ‘The Invincible Sword’ wore off, there would be a coup.
‘Well… even if that happens, I can suppress them again with force, but that would mean losing a buffer zone.’
He couldn’t afford to forget.
Before the reset, China’s population was a staggering 1.42 billion, and Shandong, with its 100 million people, was the only friendly region.
Failing to maintain a cooperative relationship with Shandong would mean that all the selected strongmen from the 1.42 billion people would head straight for Korea.
‘With North Korea almost destroyed, the northern border is virtually open. So I must at least secure this area well.’
After some consideration, Yeongwoo asked the two Shandong strongmen.
“Suddenly paying the defense expense fee might feel like a loss, right? Is there anything I can do to help in return?”
The ‘Two Evils’ exchanged glances before carefully speaking up.
“Well… could we ask for one favor?”
“Of course. Anything.”
When Yeongwoo nodded readily, the Two Evils made a bold request.
“Could you turn Beijing into a sea of blood?”
“What? What kind of sea?”
* * *
Beijing. Also known as Peking.
The capital of China and a well-known wealthy area, it was once a city only accessible to the upper class.
It was akin to Pyongyang in North Korea.
And more importantly, it was home to the Great Hall of the People, a symbol of power.
Yet they were asking to turn such a city into a sea of blood…
‘Is it anger towards the upper class or the party?’
When he was tasked with assassinating Kim Jong-un, it made sense for various reasons, but this request was somewhat puzzling.
“What’s in Beijing?”
When Yeongwoo asked for clarification, Wu Qingjin lowered his voice and replied.
“That person is in Beijing.”
“That person…?”
Yeongwoo still seemed confused.
Zhang Jaham, appearing to have made a decision, approached Yeongwoo.
“It’s Im Dupyeong.”
“What…?”
Im Dupyeong.
[PR/N: Talked with the tl, searched on google for hours, and this is a fucking euphenism for that one president of china who removed term from constitution of china in 2018.]
He was the President of China right before the reset, essentially a dictator.
By removing the term limit clause from the Chinese constitution, he had maintained his position as the top leader for over a decade.
“Im Dupyeong is in Beijing? In what capacity?”
The dictator of 1.42 billion people, Im Dupyeong.
There was no way he survived the extinction vote during the reset.
‘Then is he staying in Beijing as a mutant? Is that even possible?’
Considering the case of Kim Jong-un, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
But for a former dictator to occupy a city alive, he would have had to overpower all the local martial artists.
Yet Shandong Province was intact, and he had even encountered the Dandong Three Swords who had crossed the border from North Korea.
‘So, not all the experts in China were wiped out… Is Im Dupyeong just too strong for anyone to deal with?’
As Yeongwoo pondered various hypotheses to make sense of the situation, Zhang Jaham provided an answer.
“You don’t quite understand, do you?”
“No. If Im Dupyeong is really occupying Beijing, how are you all still alive? If he were a mutant, he would have…”
“He’s not a mutant.”
“What?”
“Im Dupyeong is not a mutant; he’s human.”
“That… what do you mean?”
It was rare for Yeongwoo to look puzzled, but an even rarer event was unfolding in the Chinese capital.
“President Im Dupyeong survived the extinction vote.”
“How is that possible? So, he was a candidate but didn’t get enough votes to be eliminated? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, none of us have ever been candidates. But if it happened, it must be possible.”
“Good grief.”
Yeongwoo covered his mouth in shock. It was beyond his imagination.
Even assuming he somehow passed the extinction vote, what about the subsequent individual filter stage?
He would have faced at least tens of millions of killing attempts.
‘No, maybe even hundreds of millions.’
And Im Dupyeong had survived all those attempts.
How many karma points did he have?
‘The world really is vast.’
As Yeongwoo marveled inwardly, Zhang Jaham cleared his throat and continued.
“And there is a crucial reason why you must conquer Beijing.”
“…What is it?”
“We are already paying tribute to Beijing.”
“What, you’ve been sending my money to Beijing?”
[PR/N: Yeah buddy, YOUR money.]
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[Proofreader – Gun]
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