Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 207
Entering the Cave to Meet the Tiger (2)
Maeng Hee-cheon’s rough voice echoed throughout the inn.
“Hey.”
“…”
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“…”
“Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”
Maeng Hee-cheon, getting no response from Lee Gwak, grabbed his shoulder with a rough hand, turning him around so his face was visible.
Maeng Hee-cheon silently looked at Lee Gwak’s face for a moment.
His eyebrows twitched. Lee Gwak’s face felt strangely familiar.
Lee Gwak silently stared back at Maeng Hee-cheon.
“You’re Lee Gwak.”
Finally, Maeng Hee-cheon recognized Lee Gwak.
His face hadn’t changed much, but his aura was different, making him hard to recognize at first.
However, after a good look, it became clear he was the Lee Gwak Maeng Hee-cheon knew.
Although they weren’t particularly close, Lee Gwak had been under Maeng Hee-cheon’s command for years. It would have been strange not to recognise him.
Lee Gwak stood up and cupped his fists in a formal salute.
“It’s been a long time, Chief Maeng.”
“You bastard! Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be dead?”
“I was lucky to survive.”
Snap!
At that moment, Maeng Hee-cheon’s hand, as big as a pot lid, struck Lee Gwak’s cheek. Lee Gwak’s head snapped to the side, and his cheek swelled up instantly.
He was hit so hard that blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, where the inside of his cheek had split.
“Hey, you bastard! If you were alive, you should have promptly returned. What took you so long to crawl back?”
Maeng Hee-cheon poked Lee Gwak’s chest with his finger as he spoke.
“What’s that look? Are you glaring at me now? Have you grown a liver during the six years you’ve been missing? Shouldn’t you have greeted your chief first, instead of pretending not to know like a rat? How did you survive? Don’t tell me you joined the Celestial Demon Troupe.”
Maeng Hee-cheon didn’t give Lee Gwak a chance to respond, pressing him continuously.
The other squad leaders gathered around.
“What’s going on? Who is this guy?”
“Why has he upset our court master?”
The squad leaders began to show their hostility.
Maeng Hee-cheon grimaced and said,
“13th squad leader, Lee Gwak.”
“I am no longer a chief of the outer faction.”
“Are you kidding me, bastard! Do you think the outer hall is a joke? Do you think you can just quit whenever you want? This guy has totally lost it.”
“I am no longer a person of the Jade Heaven Alliance. Please show some respect.”
“Respect? You’re really losing your mind. This guy…”
Maeng Hee-cheon raised his hand again.
Lee Gwak knew all too well what that gesture meant.
“It would be best for you to lower that hand.”
“Ha! This tiny bastard… you’re really making me want to spill blood on a good day.”
Maeng Hee-cheon snorted heavily.
The foul smell assaulted Lee Gwak’s nostrils.
“You must be out of your mind, wanting to die. It’s a grave sin for an outer hall squad leader not to return to the Jade Heaven Alliance, and now you dare to defy your superior?”
“…”
“What are you waiting for? Subdue this guy. We’ll send him to the Alliance to be judged. Capture him now.”
At Maeng Hee-cheon’s command, the squad leaders surrounded Lee Gwak.
Their interest wasn’t in who Lee Gwak was but in executing Maeng Hee-cheon’s orders.
They closed in on Lee Gwak.
“Sigh!”
Lee Gwak closed his eyes for a moment.
In that brief instant, Lee Gwak’s mind raced.
The conversation they had just had, his current situation, the power dynamics within the Jade Heaven Alliance, and many other scenarios intertwined in his head to form a clear picture.
Then, one of the squad leaders stretched out his arm and said,
“It’ll be better for you if you just let yourself be subdued now.”
He tried to press down on Lee Gwak.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
The chief suddenly collapsed, clutching his throat. Lee Gwak’s hand had hit his throat.
“What?”
“How dare you resist?”
The squad leaders shouted in anger. However, none of them rushed to attack Lee Gwak rashly.
Despite being part of the outer hall, they were martial artists who had trained in martial arts.
Just by seeing one move, they could gauge its level.
The martial arts of the squad leader rolling on the floor weren’t much different from theirs. Yet, he was now lying on the ground, unable to withstand even a second, crying and sniveling.
Lee Gwak was a master beyond their capability to handle.
The squad leaders threatened with loud voices but hesitated to act, unable to bring themselves to move forward.
“This guy!”
Maeng Hee-cheon’s expression twisted ferociously at their ridiculous appearance.
He hadn’t dreamed that Lee Gwak would resist.
To Maeng Hee-cheon, Lee Gwak’s current appearance or status didn’t matter. In his mind, Lee Gwak remained the same as he was six years ago. Thus, he subconsciously thought it was okay to treat him recklessly.
“Move aside!”
Maeng Hee-cheon pushed through the hesitating squad leaders to approach Lee Gwak.
“So, you’ve learned a bit of martial arts and think highly of yourself. But that’s useless against me.”
Maeng Hee-cheon gathered his internal energy throughout his body.
As the leader of the Jade Heaven Alliance’s outer hall, he would be regarded as a peak expert anywhere in the Jianghu. Indeed, Maeng Hee-cheon’s martial arts were at that level.
He was on a different level from his squad leaders.
“Kneel.”
Swoosh!
Maeng Hee-cheon’s large palm struck towards Lee Gwak’s chest.
It was the Great Bear Dominance Palm, a technique powerful enough to crush even large rocks to dust in a single blow.
Maeng Hee-cheon was confident that this move would inflict serious injury on Lee Gwak.
At that moment, Lee Gwak executed the Leaf Blade Technique.
Crack!
A chilling sound of bones breaking echoed.
Maeng Hee-cheon’s eyes widened in shock. His wrist was broken and dangling limply.
“Ugh!”
A pained groan escaped Maeng Hee-cheon’s lips.
He looked at Lee Gwak in disbelief.
“You, you dare to do this to me?”
“You are not my match.”
“You bastard…”
Enraged beyond reason, Maeng Hee-cheon screamed and charged like a furious wild boar. However, unfortunately for him, Lee Gwak saw numerous flaws in his attack.
Lee Gwak’s hands drew elegant curves in the air.
It was the Leaf Blade Technique, performed with bare hands.
Crack!
The Leaf Blade Technique exploded against Maeng Hee-cheon’s chest. Maeng Hee-cheon was thrown back without even a scream.
“Ugh!”
Maeng Hee-cheon lay on the ground, vomiting blood.
Crimson blood stained his chin and chest red, a sign of severe internal injuries. Not only that, several bones in his chest were broken, making it difficult even to breathe.
Maeng Hee-cheon looked up at Lee Gwak with a bloodied face. His eyes, filled with burst blood vessels, seemed like they could start crying blood at any moment.
He gritted his teeth so hard they could shatter before speaking.
“Do you think you’ll get away with this? Daring to injure Maeng Hee-cheon in the Jade Heaven Alliance’s territory? The moment I report this, your life is over.”
This place was as good as Jade Heaven Alliance’s courtyard.
If word got out that the Outer Hall leader was bloodied in the Jade Heaven Alliance’s courtyard, the internal masters would mobilize to capture Lee Gwak.
The moment they mobilized, it was over for Lee Gwak. No matter how high his martial arts were, he couldn’t stand against the entirety of the Jade Heaven Alliance.
Lee Gwak knew this, yet his expression remained calm. He silently looked outside as if waiting for something.
Maeng Hee-cheon felt an ominous premonition at Lee Gwak’s demeanor.
“You, you bastard! Are you waiting for someone?”
“Yes!”
“Madman!”
Maeng Hee-cheon’s jaw twitched.
Blood continued to flow from his mouth, but he couldn’t feel the pain. His emotions were too complex at the moment.
The disconnect between the Lee Gwak he remembered and the Lee Gwak before him caused confusion.
“Grind!”
Maeng Hee-cheon gritted his teeth.
He had to admit it.
The Lee Gwak in front of him was entirely different from the one he had known as a chief.
Whatever had happened in the past six years, Lee Gwak had returned as a completely different entity.
Lee Gwak’s martial prowess was beyond speculation.
Then, at that moment.
A commotion was felt from outside, and soon, numerous martial artists flooded in.
Maeng Hee-cheon recognized them.
“Damn it! The Discipline Squad.”
The Discipline Squad was an enforcement body belonging to the inner court, primarily responsible for upholding the law.
That is, they dealt with those who violated rules or caused chaos within and outside the Jade Heaven Alliance.
The innkeeper was nowhere to be seen.
He had likely fled at the first sign of trouble to report to the Jade Heaven Alliance.
With the Discipline Squad’s arrival, things wouldn’t end quietly.
Lee Gwak was going to be taken to the Jade Heaven Alliance, and his defeat of Maeng Hee-cheon would become widely known.
“Ugh!”
Maeng Hee-cheon’s face twisted miserably.
The position of outer court Master, which seemed within his grasp, felt like it was slipping through his fingers like fine sand.
The fact that the Outer Hall Leader had been defeated by a former subordinate was inexcusable by any excuse.
The disdainful look from Du Il-yeop, the leader of the Discipline Squad, confirmed his fears.
“What a sight. The Outer Hall Leader, causing a scene and getting humiliated in broad daylight…”
“Ugh!”
Maeng Hee-cheon was left without any excuse.
Du Il-yeop’s gaze shifted towards Lee Gwak.
His appearance, as cold as if not a single needle could penetrate, and his eyes, devoid of emotion like a snake’s, created a chilling atmosphere.
“How dare you cause a commotion in the Jade Heaven Alliance’s territory? You must be utterly audacious. If you’re so confident, reveal your identity.”
“I am Lee Gwak of the Mad Martial Sect.”
“Mad Martial Sect?”
Du Il-yeop’s brows furrowed. It was a sect he had never heard of before. However, he wasn’t particularly concerned.
If it was a sect he had never heard of, it was likely an insignificant third-rate martial arts sect.
Du Il-yeop approached Lee Gwak and said,
“What will it be? Will you resist and die, or will you be subdued and taken to the Jade Heaven Alliance?”
“I am not guilty of any crime.”
“Your guilt is not for you to decide. The chief and the Inner Court Master will judge and administer the appropriate punishment.”
Du Il-yeop ignored Lee Gwak’s words entirely, only expressing his own thoughts.
Given his responsibility for maintaining Jade Heaven Alliance’s rules, Du Il-yeop and the Discipline Squad wielded immense power. Ordinary organizations or martial artists couldn’t even breathe too loudly in their presence.
That’s why Du Il-yeop didn’t place much importance on others’ words or opinions. He only trusted and valued his own judgment.
Du Il-yeop gestured to his subordinates, and they stepped forward to subdue Lee Gwak.
As an organization responsible for enforcing Jade Heaven Alliance’s laws, the Discipline Squad consisted of highly skilled martial artists. Their martial prowess was incomparably more formidable than that of the outer faction squad leaders.
They approached Lee Gwak without any sign of fear, their sharp aura filling the inn.
Their presence seemed to tighten around Lee Gwak.
Lee Gwak stood motionless in their midst.
At first glance, it seemed like he had resigned himself to their punishment. However, Maeng Hee-cheon knew that was not the case.
‘He’s not giving up. He’s orchestrated this entire situation.’
Their confrontation had clearly been spontaneous.
Lee Gwak had initially turned his head to avoid conflict with him. But once the confrontation happened, his demeanor changed.
As if he became a completely different person.
It was evident that he was not trying to evade the situation but was actively using it to his advantage.
‘What are you planning, you bastard?’
Maeng Hee-cheon couldn’t take his eyes off Lee Gwak.
That’s when the Discipline Squad’s martial artists moved to subdue him.
Swoosh!
They launched their attacks right from the start.
The sight of the Outer Hall Leader Maeng Hee-cheon being brutally defeated had heightened their vigilance.
Fierce qi surged towards Lee Gwak like a tidal wave.
That’s when Lee Gwak moved.
For a moment, it seemed he flickered, and then he vanished from their sight.
The Discipline Squad’s martial artists were left with confused expressions just as Lee Gwak reappeared.
He materialized right in front of a martial artist attacking from the left, having executed a swift movement technique.
Clang!
The Leaf Blade Technique not only shattered the attacker’s weapon but also exploded against his chest.
The martial artist collapsed without even a scream.
That was just the beginning.
Swoosh!
The wind brought by Lee Gwak filled the inn.
Where the wind passed, the Discipline Squad’s martial artists fell like autumn leaves.
Du Il-yeop’s eyes widened in disbelief at the scene.
“You…!”