Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Beginning of Revival (3)
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The voice, laced with anger and disappointment, commanded just as much attention as a shout infused with internal energy.
All eyes turned toward the owner of that voice.
He was a burly man with a thick, bushy beard named Yang Qiu.
He was the owner of the Painted Bear Inn, the one who had made a huge fuss about needing to feed our young master some nourishing tonics back when Murong Bi had wiped out the Black Tiger Gang.
"I can't believe this. After watching and waiting, it's just ridiculous. Are you people even warriors?"
Go Cheok's eyes flashed with fury.
"What did you say?!"
"What kind of warrior breaks a promise they made with their own mouth? Don't people of the martial world live and die by their honor?"
"You bastard! How dare you wag that impudent tongue of yours!"
Yang Qiu made no effort to hide his disgust.
"You're the impudent ones."
"What? What did you say?"
"To put it bluntly, you strutted around acting like overlords under the Ten Sword Sect banner. What have you ever done for Wunan? Plenty of folks have suffered because of you."
"Shut your mouth, you punk!"
Yang Qiu didn't back down.
Perhaps influenced by the crowd's mood, but it seemed like he'd harbored a lot of resentment for a long time, as he unleashed his grievances without restraint.
"Fine, business ethics? I could let that slide as a heated moment. But canceling residents' gatherings just to give your sword-wielding lot space to reminisce, and when there's no good seats because of crowds, you mock some poor waiter instead. What kind of nonsense is that?"
It wasn't outright crime, so one could call it trivial.
But to the merchants making a living on those streets, it was no joke. Strip away the Ten Sword Sect name, and they'd be no different from foul-tempered rogues deserving every curse thrown their way.
Crucially, the Ten Sword Sect were the strong ones.
To ordinary folk, a warrior who cultivated internal energy was practically a superhuman. Add a sword at their waist, and the intimidation was off the charts.
"And that's not all? A supplier I'd dealt with for years suddenly cuts ties. Turns out your businesses had swooped in and snatched up all the prime ingredients at rock-bottom prices. Had to go hunting in the mountains myself just to keep up, and that's how I bulked up."
"You...!"
"If you're going to torment the locals like that, at least keep the streets clean. Then I could tell myself you were busy maintaining public safety. But as Young Master Murong said, why the hell did you let the Black Tiger Gang run wild?"
Murderous intent flickered in Go Cheok's eyes.
A few people flinched, but Yang Qiu only glared back harder.
"You think I'm lying? Or that Young Master Murong is? Does that mean all of us are in cahoots to sabotage the Ten Sword Sect?!"
He hadn't unleashed it with full intent, but it was still the killing intent of a martial artist. No ordinary person could withstand it.
Yet here he was, raising his voice even louder. Yang Qiu's guts were clearly innate.
Murong Bi whistled inwardly.
'Tough bastard.'
That level of nerve and spirit was rare even among martial artists. If he'd trained in martial arts from childhood, he might've become a once-in-a-generation master.
And that sheer audacity pried open the mouths of the hitherto silent crowd like clams.
"Innkeeper Yang is right!"
"Even for them, this is too much."
"Are you really righteous sect members? Or did you set up shop here just to squeeze money out of us?!"
"What's the difference between you and the Black Tiger Gang?!"
"Did the Black Tiger Gang pay you off? Explain that first!"
One spark ignited a wildfire.
Accusations poured in from every direction. Some even hurled curses too filthy to repeat.
Go Cheok was utterly flustered.
'This isn't right.'
To him, the common folk were lowly scum who trembled at a mere glare.
But now these wretched masses were lambasting him one after another, and he couldn't handle it. His cultivated internal energy, his swordsmanship, his position as the Ten Sword Sect's grand elder—none of it mattered.
'This is bad!'
He'd felt uneasy seeing the sect leader's brutish behavior because he'd instinctively grasped the importance of public sentiment.
Yet when his own anger flared, he'd thrown threats around, ignoring all that. Even he knew it was idiotic.
'Can't let it go on like this! It's getting dangerous!'
The sect leader's disgrace had already tanked their public image to rock bottom, but right now, calming this madness took priority.
"Wait! Everyone, just calm down for a moment!"
Woooooong!
Go Cheok's voice, amplified by internal energy, only poured oil on the crowd's raging flames.
"Now he's trying to shout us down?!"
"Think a loud voice settles everything? Might as well kill us all! Go on, try it, you bastard!"
"I've known that son of a bitch since he was whoring around brothels as a young punk! Full of piss and vinegar, that one!"
"Why don't you kill yourself, then?"
Arrows seemed to fly from every visible direction.
Go Cheok was at a loss. No way to quell this monstrous rage and condemnation came to mind.
The White Dragon Squad was in the same boat.
Not as bad as the crowd, but they too were deeply disappointed in their sect leader and grand elder's conduct. Being lumped in and condemned only fueled their own anger, but they couldn't even vent it.
It was quite the spectacle.
Watching the crowd raise fists or flip them off at these warriors who could neither advance nor retreat truly drove home how popular fury rivaled a natural disaster.
"Whoa."
Murong Suhyang surveyed the street turned into a sea of fire and clicked her tongue.
"Maybe it'd be better if they just died cleanly with one stroke..."
Even though the ire wasn't directed at her, her whole body ached like she'd been pummeled.
She hadn't understood the chief steward and Old Man Gwak's complaints about their aching bones, but now she could at least grasp half of it.
"Isn't this getting dangerous, though?"
"Time to stop it."
"What the fuck!"
Startled, Murong Suhyang whipped her head to the side.
Murong Bi had approached without a sound. He was dragging Hwang Gyu by the hair, the man limp and pathetic in his unconsciousness.
"You scared me. When did you get here?"
"Just now."
"I didn't even see you."
"With the whole street in an uproar, you think I'd stand out? Everyone was too distracted."
Murong Suhyang felt awkwardly embarrassed. As her brother said, she'd been so fixated on watching Go Cheok get verbally thrashed by the crowd that she'd lost all awareness.
But that lasted only a moment.
"You hurt anywhere?"
"Harder to get hurt grabbing idiots like these."
"These idiots are your idiots."
"'Were' my idiots."
"Not anymore?"
"Think whatever you want. Since when do you listen to me anyway."
There was a time when she'd believe the sky was the ground if he said so.
Murong Suhyang didn't voice her inner thoughts.
"What now? We have to clean this up, right?"
"Yeah."
Murong Bi looked toward Go Cheok.
Go Cheok's face was on the verge of rotting away. Exaggerating a bit, he looked like he wanted to bash his head on the ground and die.
Pitiful enough to evoke sympathy even from an enemy.
Murong Bi spoke up.
"Please hear me out for a moment."
Wuuuuuuuung!
His voice, laced with deep internal energy, spread in all directions.
The crowd, mid-tirade against Go Cheok, fell silent.
The din that had filled the street vanished, replaced by an ominous silence that reared its head.
Go Cheok, dazedly looking around, felt a chill of fear.
'Crazy.'
The mob that had been ready to tear him apart moments ago.
Their faces had calmed in the blink of an eye. Some looked at Murong Bi with eager anticipation, but most were blankly expressionless.
That was all the more terrifying and eerie.
The crowd that would savage even demons from hell if they saw them as foes became meek as lambs to someone they didn't.
The chilling gap was as stark as summer to winter, as vast as the distance to the stars.
"As you all saw, Ten Sword Sect Leader Hwang Gyu staked his entire sect on our duel."
The crowd held their breath at the resonant voice.
Confusion clouded Murong Suhyang's face.
'What is this?'
Even she found herself drawn to her brother's voice. And that surprised her even more.
It wasn't about internal energy or vocal power. Murong Bi's voice wielded a compelling force that demanded attention from anyone.
That was presence.
Beyond innate charisma, it was something only those who had led multitudes could possess—a vibrant life force honed through mingling with people.
Not understanding that, Murong Suhyang could only marvel at her brother's ever-changing demeanor.
"Honestly, I never expected them to honor the promise. These guys who used the Black Tiger Gang as proxies to extort money without dirtying their own hands—think they'd uphold a vow of the martial world? Do they even know what honor means?"
Someone murmured a quiet agreement.
"But today, they need to learn the weight of a promise. Why? Because my clan nearly fell to ruin because of them."
Murong Bi's gaze shifted again.
He hadn't lost his composure, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
"They tried to smash my entire house, so they should've been prepared to be smashed themselves. If they'd at least apologized out of remorse, maybe. But these ingrates who drew swords in rage? No reason I should let them off."
Of course, he'd provoked the sword-drawing himself, but that was irrelevant now.
Murderous intent glinted in Murong Bi's eyes as he glared at Go Cheok.
"Grand Elder."
Go Cheok flinched and stumbled back three steps involuntarily.
Even from a distance, Murong Bi's piercing gaze felt like it was right in his face.
A ferocious stare evoking a mountain bandit king.
"Enough with the excuses that don't hold water. Last chance: will you take your own life?"
"...!"
"If you do and show everyone the gravity of a promise, I'll consider the Ten Sword Sect's dissolution annulled."
Go Cheok bit his lip.
His hand trembled on his sword hilt.
'What do I do? What can I do?'
One death saves the sect, he says.
He was being forced into an inescapable choice.
'Ridiculous. Even if I kill myself, he won't leave the sect alone.'
Public opinion was in tatters.
Strength wasn't the issue. The Ten Sword Sect could never regain its former glory. Not even the sect leader had escaped unscathed.
'But...!'
The crowd glared at him.
They weren't shouting anymore. They just watched with dreadful intensity, like thousands of daggers piercing his body.
Go Cheok swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
"I..."
"Too much to ask, right?"
"...?!"
"Then let's end it here."
Thud.
Murong Bi flipped Hwang Gyu onto his back with his foot and swung his fist.
Thwack!
"Gaaack!"
Hwang Gyu, who had been unconscious, snapped his eyes open and vomited blood.
A fist packed with Mixed Origin True Energy struck his dantian dead-on.
Fizzzzzz.
"Aaaargh!"
With a scream, Hwang Gyu passed out again.
Dantian destroyed. He'd permanently lost his internal energy, suffered severe internal injuries from the ruptured core, and with his wrist severed to boot, survival was touch-and-go.
Go Cheok's jaw dropped.
This time, Murong Bi laid Hwang Jihwa beside Hwang Gyu.
"W-Wait a second!"
"Got questions?"
Terror finally cracked Hwang Jihwa's voice.
"Spare me! Please! We won't touch House Murong ever agai—!"
Thwack!
"KyaAaAaAgh!"
Her dantian shattered just like her father's, and she foamed at the mouth before blacking out.
Murong Bi said coldly.
"Payment for breaking the promise."
"..."
"You take responsibility for ruining this foolish father-daughter duo's lives."