Chapter 615: I’ve Come to Collect
Chapter 615: I’ve Come to Collect
Sama Myeong could see it clearly.
A green flag was fluttering in Geom Mu-geuk’s heart—he trusted the Poison King absolutely. The special bond between the two brothers was something even the brilliant strategists of Tongcheon Pavilion could not decipher through mere analysis.
“Where is your brother’s next destination?”
Sama Myeong looked at the topographical map and replied, “The First Young Master’s next destination is the Black Snake Sect in Yueyang.”
A subordinate strategist pinned a slip of paper labeled ‘Black Snake Sect’ over the location of Yueyang. Even without Sama Myeong’s direct orders, the Tongcheon Pavilion strategists immediately began gathering and classifying data on the sect. It was a clear display of why they were considered the premier intelligence organization in the Jianghu.
Sama Myeong was already well-versed in the basics.
“The Black Snake Sect is notorious even among the Black Path gangs of Hunan. They have expanded their organization through all manner of atrocities and are now among the top ten powers within the Hunan Black Path. Their attempt to purchase the counterfeit Charge weapons seems to be a move to suppress rival gangs and seize control of the Hunan underworld.”
“What kind of man is their leader?”
“The leader of the Black Snake Sect is a man named Hwang Pae, a Black Path scoundrel to his very marrow. He is so obsessed with wealth that it’s fair to say he’s crazed for money. Having been born and raised in the rough underbelly of society, he never backs down when facing an enemy. The Hunan Murim regards him as a madman. He is likely someone who wouldn’t even fear our Cult.”
To this, Geom Mu-geuk gave an unexpected response.
“That actually makes him easier for Brother to handle. His greed will be a weakness easy to exploit. And if the guy tries to act up, Brother’s true personality will come out. It’s only because people don’t know... Brother has the worst temper in the entire Cult! Everyone is being deceived right now!”
Geom Mu-geuk’s voice rang through the strategy room.
Others might have frowned, thinking he was badmouthing his brother behind his back, but Sama Myeong and the strategists knew better than anyone. They knew exactly how hard Geom Mu-geuk had worked to ensure his ill-tempered brother didn't end up dead.
“Send all information and data regarding the Black Snake Sect to Brother as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.”
Geom Mu-geuk stood up from his seat. “I’ll be heading out now.”
“Please, get some rest,” Sama Myeong replied, offering a polite fist salute.
“But it’s late; aren’t you going home, Strategist?”
“There is a place to sleep here. I stay there during emergencies.”
“Do you mean your office?”
“No. There are quarters with beds.”
It seemed there were sleeping quarters within Tongcheon Pavilion. Since they always met in this strategy room or his office, Mu-geuk hadn't known such a place existed.
“May I take a look?”
“Of course.”
Sama Myeong led Geom Mu-geuk to the strategists' quarters. There were rooms for the general strategists, and a separate, more spacious room prepared for Sama Myeong. It was more comfortable than expected.
“The Cult Leader had this renovated for me shortly after I became the Chief Strategist.”
Mu-geuk thought that perhaps around that time, his father had truly begun to trust Sama Myeong.
“Do you sleep here often?”
“Originally, I only stayed during emergencies. But lately, I’ve been staying here frequently.”
“You’re not getting any younger. You should sleep at home.”
Sama Myeong’s house was located within the Cult’s grounds, but even if he went there, he would be alone in that large house. This place was more comfortable. However, he couldn't give that as a reason.
“As I mentioned before, I am benefiting greatly from the mental method the Cult Leader taught me.”
Mu-geuk had spoken with Sama Myeong many times and had even shared drinks at the Pungryu Tavern, yet he didn't actually know much about the man. Take his house, for example. It was inside the Main Cult, but Mu-geuk had never been there. He had kept his distance out of consideration for Go Wol, and Sama Myeong rarely spoke of personal matters.
“Do you have any hidden liquor?”
Sama Myeong had once mentioned that he used to be quite the drinker in his younger days. Mu-geuk had asked half-jokingly, but Sama Myeong actually brought out a bottle from a cabinet.
“I occasionally have a glass when I can’t sleep.”
Sama Myeong poured a drink for Geom Mu-geuk.
“You should have one too, Strategist.”
“I do not drink when an emergency alert is active.”
Sama Myeong poured some cold tea from a kettle and took a sip.
“Is the alert always active like this even when I’m away?”
“To be honest, an even higher-level alert is issued then.”
It made sense. If an alert was issued just for his brother, it was only natural for one to be active when the successor was out. Sama Myeong always treated him with composure when he returned, but in reality, the man had been enduring this long, invisible tension behind the scenes.
One could tell just by looking at the documents piled high on the desk against the wall. Mu-geuk realized what kind of effort went into maintaining Sama Myeong’s peaceful smile.
“I’m sorry.”
“Whatever for? This is naturally my duty.”
“No, I’m apologizing in advance. I might go wandering off again once Father comes out of closed-door training.”
Sama Myeong let out a faint smile at Geom Mu-geuk’s half-joking remark. Mu-geuk felt the urge to do something for the Chief Strategist who was suffering because he had the wrong Young Cult Leader.
“Is there anything you want to do, Strategist? Ah, excluding the unification of the Murim.”
Sama Myeong’s smile deepened at the addendum. “Nothing in particular.”
“Anywhere you want to go?”
Sama Myeong quietly shook his head as he drank his tea, indicating there was nowhere.
“Then what was your childhood dream? Surely it wasn't to be the Chief Strategist of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?”
Sama Myeong briefly recalled his childhood. He felt like there were many things he had wanted to do. Surprisingly, however, he couldn't quite remember what he had wanted to be or what he had wanted to do.
“I don’t remember well, but perhaps it was to be the Chief Strategist of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?”
This time, it was Geom Mu-geuk who laughed at Sama Myeong’s joke.
“If you can’t remember, it’s because you’ve used your brain too much on the task of keeping this Cult alive.”
This time, Sama Myeong asked about Geom Mu-geuk’s dream. “What was your dream, Acting Cult Leader? Other than becoming the successor.”
“I didn't have one besides that.”
Sama Myeong asked in surprise, “You didn't have one?”
“Yes. Why are you so surprised?”
In his life before the regression, he truly had no dreams. Due to the competition with his brother that began in childhood, his only desire was to become the successor. After that, he lived only for the sake of regressing.
What about his dream after regressing?
“I felt like you would have many dreams, Acting Cult Leader.”
“It’s probably because I talk so much.”
Geom Mu-geuk emptied his glass and stood up. “I’ll stop bothering you and head out for real.”
“I will see you tomorrow.”
Sama Myeong followed him out to see him off. Looking back from the entrance, Mu-geuk saw that Sama Myeong was not returning to his sleeping quarters but was walking back toward the strategy room.
The emergency here would continue until the flags that had gone out returned to the Cult.
*
Hwang Pae, the leader of the Black Snake Sect, was furious. He was always angry, but today he was exceptionally so.
“So? You still haven't found the goods?”
“No.”
The subordinate who answered briefly was Myeong Gwi, Hwang Pae’s right-hand man. If the one reporting had been any other subordinate, a palm strike might have already sent their head flying. But he couldn't do that to Myeong Gwi.
Myeong Gwi was the one who had made the Black Snake Sect what it was today. Myeong Gwi’s martial arts were even more profound than the leader’s, and the reason he remained loyal to Hwang Pae was out of gratitude for saving his son. Five years ago, a group of ronin had raped and murdered Myeong Gwi’s wife and were about to kill his young son when Hwang Pae, who happened to be passing by, killed the ronin and saved the boy. Since that day, Myeong Gwi had served as Hwang Pae’s hands and feet, offering his absolute loyalty.
“Is it possible the sellers staged this themselves?”
This time, they had agreed to pay a massive sum in secret to purchase the Ten Great Forbidden Hidden Weapons. However, on the day they took delivery, the goods were stolen by someone. Whoever it was, they must have known about the transaction in advance and waited for the opportunity.
“We haven't paid them yet, so why would they do that?”
The sellers had agreed to receive payment after delivery. If they had intended to steal the goods back from the start, they would have demanded payment upfront.
“Is it those bastards from the Great Light Sect after all?”
The Great Light Sect was another Black Path gang in the Hunan region that competed with the Black Snake Sect for interests. Just then, Myeong Gwi quietly raised his hand to draw Hwang Pae’s attention before speaking lowly toward the door.
“Who is it?”
The door opened, and a man revealed himself.
“I’ve come to collect.”
The man wore a bamboo hat pulled down low, hiding his face, but a rough and domineering aura seeped through his low voice.
Myeong Gwi sent a voice transmission to Hwang Pae.
— Be careful. He is no ordinary man.
The fact that he had infiltrated this far while evading the eyes of the subordinates was proof enough. Hwang Pae nodded slightly and asked the man in the bamboo hat, “What money are you talking about?”
“If you’ve received the goods, you must pay the price.”
The man walked over and sat down across from Hwang Pae.
“We didn't receive the goods.”
“The Changsha Escort Agency clearly stated they delivered the goods to you.”
Hwang Pae’s eyes turned fierce. The thought of having to pay money without even receiving the goods made his blood boil. Of course, if he were the type of person to submissively hand over money in such a situation, he wouldn't have survived in this rough underworld until now.
“And if I refuse to pay?”
The man spoke lowly. “Since you didn't receive the goods, you haven't had a chance to test the hidden weapons.”
He raised his hand and aimed it at Hwang Pae. Before anyone realized it, a Charge weapon was in his hand.
“Would you like to be the test subject yourself?”
Sring.
Myeong Gwi’s sword was halfway out of its sheath. He was ready to cut the opponent down in an instant.
“No matter how fast that sword is, it won't be faster than this.”
Despite having the Charge aimed at him, Hwang Pae did not lose his nerve.
“If this bastard kills me, cut off his limbs, skin his torso alive, and throw him into a salt vat.”
Hwang Pae’s bravado came from the belief that the man wouldn't fire as long as he hadn't received the money. Sure enough, the man did not discharge the weapon.
“Bring me the person who first opened the trade with us.”
“Why him?”
“If there is no money, the price must be paid in blood. I will at least take the life of the one who first called us.”
He spoke as if that were their law. Hwang Pae inwardly cheered. He had been thinking of ways to cut the price, and if he could substitute it with a subordinate’s life, he would gladly accept.
Just as Hwang Pae was about to tell someone to bring the subordinate...
“You!”
Myeong Gwi, who had been silently watching the man until then, spoke up. “You’re not from that place, are you?”
As Hwang Pae looked at Myeong Gwi with a surprised face, Myeong Gwi continued. “This man is not someone who would serve as a subordinate to anyone, let alone go around collecting money.”
The instinctive sense of crisis Myeong Gwi felt from the opponent was something he had never experienced in his entire life.
“Take off the hat!”
The man slowly removed his bamboo hat. The person who revealed himself from beneath the hat was none other than Geom Mu-yang.
He had used the fact that the sellers of the counterfeit weapons had agreed to post-payment to disguise himself as one of them. What Geom Mu-yang needed to find out from the Black Snake Sect was how they had learned about the sellers and how the transaction had been conducted. There was bound to be someone in the Black Snake Sect who had handled the practical details.
This plan was based on the information that Hwang Pae was a man crazed for money. He was definitely the type to hand over a subordinate instead of cash. Mu-yang had thought it would be an easier and more certain method than beating the information out of a madman.
However, Myeong Gwi had seen through the fact that Geom Mu-yang was not the type to go around collecting money. Despite the disguise and the rough aura, Myeong Gwi’s eye for people was extraordinary.
Geom Mu-yang returned the words he had just heard back to Myeong Gwi. “You aren't someone who should be a subordinate to a man like this, either.”
The moment their eyes met, Myeong Gwi knew. ‘He is not someone I can handle.’
On the other hand, feeling insulted, Hwang Pae roared. “You bastard, who are you?”
Geom Mu-yang placed the Charge weapon on the table and asked, “Who were you planning to kill with our goods?”
Hwang Pae, who had been momentarily dazed, suddenly jumped up. “The Demonic Cult!”
This reaction was a confession that he knew the hidden weapons he was trying to buy belonged to the Demonic Cult. A heavy silence fell. A single sentence flowed coldly from Geom Mu-yang’s mouth.
“Sit. Stop looking down at me.”
Geom Mu-yang now unleashed an aura on a completely different level from before. The cold chill in his eyes took Hwang Pae’s breath away.
‘If he intended to kill me, he wouldn't have bothered with a disguise in the first place, right?’
Hwang Pae decided that acting tough would be more advantageous for him. “Do you think anyone is afraid just because you’re from the Demonic Cult...?”
WHACK!
Hwang Pae’s face was whipped to the side. Geom Mu-yang’s fist, which no one saw coming, had slammed into his face.
Sring!
The moment Myeong Gwi drew his sword.
“Don’t.”
At Geom Mu-yang’s single word, Myeong Gwi’s body froze. A powerful Demonic Energy pressed down on him, rendering him unable to move. Hwang Pae spat out a mouthful of broken teeth and screamed.
“Kill this bastard!”
Demonic Cult or not, he was the type who had to act on his temper to feel satisfied. In the next instant, Hwang Pae’s body flew into the air. Geom Mu-yang had thrown him through the door.
CRASH.
Hwang Pae, who had smashed through the door and rolled across the courtyard, scrambled to his feet and shouted. This time, he yelled at the subordinates standing in the yard.
“Kill that bastard!”
But no one moved.
“What are you doing, you idiots?!”
Suddenly, Hwang Pae flinched. He thought they were his subordinates, but unfamiliar martial artists were staring at him. They were the Changsha Branch Leader, Ho-myeong, and the elites of the Changsha Branch. Behind them, his own subordinates were kneeling on the ground. Some who had attacked without recognizing the opponent had been beaten so badly their faces were unrecognizable.
The Black Snake Sect might be a prominent Black Path gang in Hunan, but how could they possibly stop a Branch Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and his elite subordinates? Seeing Hwang Pae, one subordinate instinctively tried to stand up and rush forward.
Thuck!
A branch warrior standing behind him indifferently drove a sword into his neck. Watching him collapse while spraying blood, the Black Snake Sect warriors bowed their heads in unison. They were people who had lived without knowing fear, the type whom no one dared to make eye contact with in the marketplace, but today, they had met their match.
Even in this situation, Hwang Pae gritted his teeth.
“So what if you’re the Demonic Cult? Go ahead and kill me! Try killing Hwang Pae on this Hunan soil! Do you think the Unorthodox Path Alliance will just sit by if you touch us?!”
If they wanted to kill me, they would have done it already. With this single belief, he held out until the end. He acted even tougher because his subordinates were watching.
Geom Mu-yang, who had been watching the ranting man with indifferent eyes, turned his head to look at Myeong Gwi.
“I heard you lost your family to ronin?”
Myeong Gwi was startled by the sudden mention of that event. It meant they had looked into him before coming.
“We looked into it, and...”
Just then, Hwang Pae interrupted Geom Mu-yang and shouted.
“What is it you want?!”