Chapter 153
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Sowing the Seeds (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“What did you say?!”
Sangbaek shot up from his seat, startled.
“Is it true?”
“Y-Yes, it is.”
“The letter! Bring me the letter!”
Sangbaek's face turned pale as he read the letter his subordinate handed him.
“So the Red Snake House has truly been wiped out.”
The Red Snake House was an assassin organization active in the southeastern Central Plains.
They were an infamous group of assassins to begin with, but there was another reason for their fame.
Over a decade ago, the strongest assassin in the south, the Lord of Death, emerged south of the Yangtze River. The Red Snake House was the very organization that had produced him.
Riding on the Lord of Death's reputation, the Red Snake House gradually expanded its influence, training more assassins and eventually establishing itself as the top assassin organization in the south.
This was how the Red Snake House came to be known as one of the ten great assassin organizations of the martial world.
But that was short-lived.
Two years ago, due to a certain incident, the Red Snake House lost more than half of its assassins.
Even the Lord of Death, their star assassin and the so-called strongest in the south, met an untimely end.
Still, the Red Snake House continued to operate as one of the ten great assassin organizations.
Their reputation and track record hadn't simply vanished, so they remained quite active.
And now, that same Red Snake House had been annihilated overnight.
*Why?!*
Sangbaek bit his lip.
*Could it be the Beggars' Sect?*
The Red Snake House still had much to do for the Lower Five Gates.
If such an organization was massacred, it was highly likely the beggars of the Beggars' Sect, who saw the Lower Five Gates as a thorn in their side, were responsible.
“Damn it!”
*Thud!*
His fist slammed onto the table, trembling with agitation.
“I poured hundreds of thousands of nyang into those bastards...”
Just then.
“V-Vice Lord!”
“What is it now?!”
Another subordinate handed him a letter with a trembling hand.
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Sangbaek snatched the letter and unfolded it.
“...!”
The hand holding the letter trembled.
“First the Red Snake House, and now the Three Black Group?”
The Three Black Group was also an assassin organization active south of the Yangtze River. Their influence was comparable to that of the now-destroyed Red Snake House.
Fortunately, the Lower Five Gates had no dealings with the Three Black Group.
But for some reason, Sangbaek felt a strange sense of unease.
*Two of the most influential assassin organizations south of the Yangtze have been wiped out. What about the others...?*
Three days later, another letter arrived.
“The Netherworld Society has been annihilated as well. But...”
Sangbaek's expression hardened.
“The other three are moving west? So openly?”
Of the ten great assassin organizations, six were located south of the Yangtze River.
Three of them had been massacred, and the remaining three were now moving west.
“What in the world is going on?!”
Just then, a memory flashed through his mind.
*...?!*
Sangbaek's eyes wavered.
“Guards!”
“Yes, Vice Lord!”
“Two years ago... bring me the list of assassin organizations that participated in the Kingchase Bloodbath. Quickly!”
A moment later, a document was placed before him.
“...I was right.”
Sangbaek's face grew pale.
“The Red Snake House, the Three Black Group, and the Netherworld Society. These three organizations were all involved in the Kingchase Bloodbath.”
Two years ago, a secret chase had unfolded, known only to a select few.
It was a major incident where the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress joined forces, casting a net from which there was no escape, all to kill one man. They eventually succeeded, but the losses on the side of the Alliance and Fortress were said to be immense.
Those who knew of the incident called it the Kingchase Bloodbath.
A bloodbath that occurred while chasing a king. That king was the King of Slaughter, the monarch of the assassination world, who was considered one of the top ten masters of the time.
*It was incredible.*
Recalling that time, Sangbaek shook his head unconsciously.
*A chase that lasted seven days and seven nights. It was said that nearly seven hundred masters from the Alliance and Fortress died at the hands of the King of Slaughter.*
It was a great slaughter that proved just how terrifying the power of a single absolute master could be.
Seven hundred in seven days and nights meant he had killed at least a hundred men a day.
And that was while he was on the run. Even worse, the body count included several masters who were on the verge of becoming one of the top ten themselves.
At this point, he could only be described as a monster. It was a feat unbelievable even for one of the ten greatest masters in the world.
The Lord of Death had died because he had dared to challenge the King of Slaughter. Judging from the state of his body, it was presumed he'd been taken down with a single strike.
It was like a large dhole attacking a tiger, the king of the mountains. The result was only natural.
*Then again, the mere fact that the Alliance and Fortress had to join forces, even for a moment, was proof enough that he was a monster.*
Lost in thought, Sangbaek slapped his own cheeks.
“That's not what's important right now.”
A subtle fear surfaced in Sangbaek's eyes.
“The organizations that participated in the Kingchase Bloodbath have been wiped out? Could the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress be behind this?”
Are they killing the hound after the hunt is over? After all this time?
Sangbaek shook his head.
“That's impossible. The Demonic Cult's influence is strong in the south. It would be difficult to dispatch enough forces to carry out something like this.”
It would be more plausible to say the dead King of Slaughter had returned as a ghost to kill them.
*What in the world is happening?*
Just then, an urgent shout came from outside the door.
“Vice Lord! It is the Red Crow Lord!”
“Come in!”
The Red Crow Lord burst through the door and handed Sangbaek a letter.
“Please, look at this.”
“Damn it. I never thought I'd be this afraid to read a letter. What is it this time?”
Sangbaek unfolded the letter.
His body froze.
*Drip. Drip-drop.*
Beads of sweat fell onto the letter.
“I-Is this true?”
“...”
“Why aren't you answering! I asked if it's true!”
“...It is. The members of the Red Crow Unit confirmed it themselves.”
Sangbaek's trembling eyes fell upon the single character at the end of the letter.
- Demon (魔).
“The Demonic Cult... did this?”
Just then.
“To be precise, *I* did it.”
Startled, the two men looked toward the window.
“Hah!”
A young man was sitting casually on the windowsill. With a massive saber, nearly the size of a horse-slaying blade, propped up beside him, he looked utterly languid.
“So this is the Lower Five Gates. A classic feint, just as I'd expect. I thought you'd have your headquarters hidden in some back alley or marketplace.”
The young man, Seo Ryang, ran a hand along the windowsill.
“To think you'd build your base in a canyon like this. You've really moved up in the world, Lower Five Gates.”
The Red Crow Lord placed his hand on his sword.
“W-Who are you!”
Sangbaek instantly raised a hand to stop the Red Crow Lord.
Swallowing hard, Sangbaek asked.
“...Are you from the Great Mountain?”
“I am.”
The Red Crow Lord was shocked.
The Great Mountain referred to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, the headquarters of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon. This meant the young man was undoubtedly a member of the Demonic Cult.
Sangbaek took a deep breath.
“If I may be so bold, might I ask your name?”
“No reason I can't. But before that.”
Seo Ryang gestured outside with his thumb.
“Your men are swarming this way. What's the plan? Should we have a little brawl before we talk? I don't mind, either way.”
Sangbaek shouted.
“Red Crow Lord, order the disciples to stand down! Now!”
“Y-Yes!”
*Fwoosh!*
The Red Crow Lord quickly exited the room.
A faint smile touched Seo Ryang's lips.
“I like a quick thinker. That's right, no need to needlessly destroy a base you worked so hard to build.”
Sangbaek bit his lip.
Destroy the base? That meant this young man hadn't come alone.
*But how did he find this place?*
Sangbaek would never know. Seo Ryang had single-handedly tracked the carrier hawk sent by the Lower Five Gates member dispatched to the Red Snake House.
He had abandoned the Earth-Shrinking Divine Steps, but Seo Ryang's movement technique was still fast enough to chase a flying bird.
“Please, reveal your identity.”
“Seo Ryang.”
“...Seo Ryang?”
Was there someone named Seo Ryang in the Demonic Cult?
*Gasp!*
Sangbaek bowed deeply.
“Sangbaek, Vice Lord of the Lower Five Gates, greets the Third Young Master of the Divine Cult.”
The names of the Cult Leader's disciples were largely unknown to the martial world. And yet, Sangbaek knew Seo Ryang's identity.
It was to be expected of the second-in-command of the Lower Five Gates, an organization said to control the flow of information in the martial world alongside the Beggars' Sect.
Seo Ryang said.
“We're not here to share tea. I'll get straight to the point.”
“Please, speak.”
Sangbaek's attitude was extremely respectful.
He had no choice. No matter how much the Lower Five Gates struggled, they couldn't compare to the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
They had built an information network across the world, but the one place they had never managed to plant a spy was within the territory of the Divine Cult.
One wrong move, and it wouldn't just be his life on the line; the entire Lower Five Gates could be annihilated. He was facing a god of death right now.
“You're close with the Iron Blood Fortress, aren't you?”
Sangbaek swallowed again.
He wanted to ask how he knew, but he couldn't.
“...We are.”
A rash lie would be worse than saying nothing. Sangbaek resolved to speak only the truth during this conversation.
“I figured. You're from the Unorthodox Faction at your core, after all.”
Seo Ryang grinned.
“Which is why you were close with the Red Snake House, too. Right?”
*Shudder!*
Sangbaek's face turned ashen.
Seeing his reaction, Seo Ryang licked his lips.
“I didn't come here to threaten you, so you don't have to be so tense. Let's get to the main point.”
“...”
“Find me the closest high-ranking member of the Sichuan Tang Clan who is an expert in poison.”
“The... The Tang Clan?”
“Why? Is it impossible?”
“It's not impossible, but...”
“Aha?”
Seo Ryang took a money pouch from his robes and tossed it to him.
*Clank!*
The pouch was extremely heavy. The atmosphere was too tense to open it, but it clearly contained an unimaginable sum.
“That's the down payment. Complete the request properly, and I'll give you a fantastic gift.”
“...”
“You have five days. Can you do it?”
Sangbaek placed the money pouch on the tea table.
Taking another deep breath, he spoke.
“I'm sorry. I cannot accept this request.”
Seo Ryang's eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
“W-We have a few organizations we do not cross. The Sichuan Tang Clan is one of them. We have never sold their information...”
“Is my cult on that list?”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
“...”
“...”
“So, what's it going to be? Are you taking the job or not?”
Sangbaek had been chewing on his lip so much it was nearly raw.
*What do I do? What do I do?*
If word got out that they sold information on the Tang Clan to the Demonic Cult, the Lower Five Gates would be finished. In some ways, the Sichuan Tang Clan was known to be even more relentless than the Demonic Cult.
They wouldn't even have to go far; just releasing a single poison-man in the Lower Five Gates' territory would turn the entire area into a living hell.
“Hey.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“Are you afraid of the Tang Clan's retaliation?”
“...”
“Looks like you are.”
Seo Ryang's eyes deepened.
He didn't say something like, "So you're scared of the Tang Clan, but not us?"
“I take it the Iron Blood Fortress won't protect you?”
“We... are merely... to the Iron Blood Fortress...”
“Right. I know that while you call it an alliance, you're treated like lackeys.”
“...”
“Want to come work for me?”
Sangbaek's eyes widened.
Seo Ryang scratched his head.
“I feel like I've been recruiting a bit too much lately... but the truth is, what I lack most is intelligence-gathering capabilities.
It's fine within the Cult, but I imagine there will be a lot of restrictions when operating outside.”
“...!”
“At the very least, I won't be so incompetent that I can't protect my own when you're harassed by an enemy even I find troublesome.”
Seo Ryang extended his hand.
“Come.”
For a moment, Sangbaek felt a strange urge to take that large hand.
But he did not forget his position as Vice Lord.
“...I'm sorry.”
“Hah. So you won't take the request, and you don't want to join me. Aren't you being a little too stiff?”
“I apologize. But I cannot lie to a guest from the Great Mountain just to get out of a difficult situation. This is my true intention, so I ask for your understanding.”
Seo Ryang smiled.
*Not bad.*
He was a decent man. He might not be magnanimous, but he was certainly a man of responsibility.
“Well, fine. Can't be helped.”
“Thank you for your underst—”
“Still, I'd like that information on the Tang Clan. I brought a gift you guys might like.”
“...A gift?”
“Yep, a gift.”
Seo Ryang reached his hand out the window.
*Whoooosh!*
Instantly, a dozen thick books flew in from the distance. Sangbaek's eyes trembled.
*Telekinesis?! At his age!*
Seo Ryang tapped the books resting on the windowsill.
“What do you think these are?”
“...Pardon?”
“These are the transaction ledgers from the Red Snake House. And what do you know, your Lower Five Gates is in here.”
“...!!”
“If the Righteous Heaven Alliance finds out about this, don't you think the Beggars' Sect will take the lead in wiping you out completely?
What has an Unorthodox information group been up to, working with an assassin organization...? You know how imaginative those Alliance bastards are, right?”
The color drained from Sangbaek's face, leaving it deathly pale.
Seo Ryang's smile widened.
“I'm taking one day off, so you have four. Get moving.”