After so many twists and turns, the Renan escort agency finally began the journey back home. And in their hands was something absurd. A True Heavenly Thunderbolt.
Seolyeon commented that he truly was incredible. After all, he had single-handedly defeated the entire Black Viper sect, and even brought that thing back with him. Dan Hyunwoo, however, casually replied that it looked useful, so he decided to bring it along. He even said that he thought the name was something like heavenly lightning.
When he heard that, Hyeong Pio nearly lost his mind, and asked if he was talking about the legendary True Heavenly Thunderbolt, the weapon that had destroyed the entire Thunder Sect. Yet Dan Hyunwoo continued treating it like it was just some ordinary object.
Meanwhile Jo Seolyeon casually started playing around with the bomb, leaving Hyeong Pio completely horrified. He begged her to stop immediately, and said that he could store it safely instead. Since he was the only one there who truly understood the value of that explosive, he ended up taking responsibility for keeping it secure. After all, it could become a major trump card in rebuilding the Renan escort agency in the future.
But then that troublesome woman appeared once again. Wuan Hai. She asked if everyone was returning to Renan, and commented on what a coincidence it was, because she had also been thinking about going there. Then she asked if she could travel together with them.
Jo Seolyeon joked that at this rate she would end up officially working for the agency. Hyeong Pio admitted that she clearly was not the type to leave just because someone asked her to, so he said they could tolerate her for a little longer. Wuan Hai asked if they were happy to see her again, and commented that they would be travelling together once more. Seolyeon replied that she was looking forward to it, but the atmosphere immediately turned strange. The two women began staring at each other with an extremely obvious rivalry.
Meanwhile Hyeong Pio simply watched everything, and thought that the real person responsible for all this chaos, Dan Hyunwoo, was pretending like nothing was happening. Honestly, it was already easy to imagine the mess this journey would still cause.
But before they departed, someone appeared calling out to them. It was Tang Hogwan, the elder of the Tang clan. Hyeong Pio immediately bowed respectfully and asked what had brought him there. The elder calmly replied that he only had a small favour to ask. He said he also had business in Henan, and asked if he could accompany them on the journey.
Without hesitation Hyeong Pio agreed immediately. He even commented that he had been worried about the trip because of his weakened physical condition, so this ended up being a huge help. Then Tang Hogwan revealed that he also needed to introduce someone who would be travelling with them.
Meanwhile, back at the Tang patriarch's pavilion, they commented that this was probably the perfect opportunity. After all, they had already given her the chance, and now she needed to make use of it.
And so Tang Munyeong appeared. Daughter of Tang Cheol and heir of the Tang clan. Of course, with yet another beautiful young woman joining the group, the rivalry became even worse.
Only after that did the journey to Renan truly begin.
During the trip, Jo Seolyeon began feeling deeply uneasy, even ignoring the fact that Tang Hogwan had suddenly appeared to accompany them. The real problem was something else. Her attention was focused on Tang Munyeong, a woman famous for both her beauty and her martial arts skills, known as one of the Three Phoenixes. And besides her, there was still Wuan Hai of the Wumen clan, whose beauty seemed to surpass even Tang Munyeong's, not to mention her terrifying assassination arts.
So Seolyeon began wondering why women of that level were travelling with them. There was only one possible answer. Both of them were looking at the same man. Poor Dan Hyunwoo.
Even so, Tang Munyeong thought that he did not seem all that special, so she decided to approach him to confirm it personally, and suggested that maybe they should introduce themselves properly. But Dan Hyunwoo simply ignored the girl completely. Unable to believe that reaction, Tang Munyeong asked if he truly intended to ignore her.
At that moment Wuan Hai commented that she was still a beginner when it came to dealing with him. After all, his indifferent reaction never changed. Then Jo Seolyeon tried to ease the tension by explaining that Dan Hyunwoo was not used to etiquette and formalities. Because of that, he simply asked directly what she wanted. Already irritated, Tang Munyeong commented that he did not even know how to answer properly.
That was when Tang Hogwan finally revealed the reason they had come to them. What they wanted were the Thousand Thunders.
At the same moment Tang Munyeong was shocked. Seolyeon realized she should have guessed it from the start. Even Wuan Hai was surprised by his boldness. After all, in the Murim, martial arts techniques were never taught outside the relationship between master and disciple. Asking to learn a secret art was already considered a huge taboo. And it became even more absurd coming from an elder of the Sichuan Tang clan.
Even so, Tang Hogwan brushed that aside and asked what the Renan escort agency's future plans were. Seolyeon replied that she intended to rebuild the agency. Hearing this, the elder praised her determination and declared that from then on, whenever the Tang clan passed through Henan, they would use the services of the Renan escort agency.
Upon hearing that, Jo Seolyeon immediately realized how huge that opportunity was. It was an offer that was almost absurdly advantageous. Then Tang Hogwan explained the only condition of the agreement. One or two members of the Tang clan would accompany all escort missions of the agency.
Even Hyeong Pio fell into thought after hearing that. But before any deeper discussion could take place, Dan Hyunwoo casually replied that it sounded fine, and that he accepted. After all, traditional Murim rules had never meant much to him. Hearing his answer, Tang Hogwan was even startled, wondering if Dan Hyunwoo had just smiled.
In reality, the Thousand Thunders were a completely different martial art from the Heavenly Thunder used by Dan Hyunwoo. If the Heavenly Thunder was like a single bolt descending from the heavens, the Tang clan's Thousand Thunders functioned like an endless storm of hidden weapons falling like lightning. Hundreds, even thousands at once. However, it existed only as a secret manual, treated almost like a legend within the Tang clan itself. No one had ever found any concrete clue about that technique.
But amid the entire situation, Tang Hogwan had finally found a key to reaching it. Dan Hyunwoo himself was the key he had been searching for. During the journey, the elder instructed Tang Munyeong to keep an eye on him at all times. He was certain that the answer to unlocking the Tang clan's hidden technique lay within that boy.
Later, Hyeong Pio announced they would set up camp there for the night. And at that moment Tang Hogwan's plan began. The elder approached Dan Hyunwoo and asked if they could have a duel. Without hesitation Dan Hyunwoo replied that he intended to win, but Tang Hogwan explained that he already knew that. What he wanted was not a duel to decide who was stronger.
Meanwhile Hyeong Pio tried to quietly warn him that he could not kill a Tang clan elder, but Dan Hyunwoo calmly replied that he already knew that. After all, he had gone through similar situations before. Hearing that, Hyeong Pio recalled Dan Hyunwoo's last duel, and thought that in fact it had not ended very well. The challenger had practically been destroyed back then.