The Scent of Rebellion (7)
Dang Gwan’s presence was more than enough to draw the eyes of the entire Tang Family Estate.
Thanks to him, Yeon Hojeong and his companions slipped through the side path Dang Gwan had mentioned and entered the opposite side without difficulty.
A single man who could seize the attention of an entire village just by appearing. They had expected him to create some opening, but none of them had imagined it would be to this extent.
‘That must be it.’
From the shadows of a dark alley within the Tang Family Estate, Yeon Hojeong’s gaze turned toward the countless grand halls rising in the distance.
‘The Tang Family.’
Ch-ch-ch.
An indescribable sense of foreboding washed over him.
Those many halls looked like a demonic realm teeming with snakes and scorpions.
‘The scenery looks different from the past.’
Even during his days as the Black Dark Emperor, he had visited Sichuan several times. Back then, Sichuan had been a rather gloomy place. The streets had been burned to the ground by the invasion of the Three Sects, and the people had no means of expression left but groans.
It was a scene that had been swept by hellfire. The Tang Family Estate had not been like this either.
‘Yet the ominous feeling is still strong.’
Everything visible to the eye was peaceful. But the atmosphere was different.
Yeon Hojeong, more sensitive to the scent of blood than anyone else, saw Sichuan—and the Tang Family—as filled with a murderous tension on the verge of exploding.
Moyong Gun spoke.
“The Tang Family Head seems to have drawn their attention quite effectively.”
“It appears so.”
“Is there nothing caught in your qi net?”
“Nothing. Not yet.”
“Then we may proceed.”
“That said…”
“Why? Something bothering you?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened. His thoughts were growing heavier. Moyong Gun, Hwang Seok-tae, Pae Yul, and Kang Liang quietly watched him.
But even after some time, Yeon Hojeong’s mouth showed no sign of opening.
Moyong Gun glanced at Hwang Seok-tae.
“Will you be all right?”
“……?”
“Judging by your aura, you seem more suited to annihilation battles than street fighting.”
An aura carried not only a person’s combat style but also their attitude toward life. Yet reading it was no easy task—especially the stronger the expert.
It was proof that Moyong Gun’s realm completely surpassed Hwang Seok-tae’s.
Hwang Seok-tae spoke in his usual blunt tone.
“If it looks like I’m going to die, I’ll pull out.”
“Oh?”
Moyong Gun smiled.
“We’ve all staked our lives on this. Are you saying you won’t?”
“I received orders to accompany you, but not to throw my life away in some reckless place.”
“Must be nice not to have any burdens.”
Hwang Seok-tae offered no further reply. He simply stared silently at the Tang Family.
Moyong Gun turned his gaze to Kang Liang.
Kang Liang was the same. The look in his eyes as he gazed at the Tang Family was utterly cold.
Though a volcanic rage could be glimpsed beneath, it was tempered by a composure capable of containing that heat entirely. It was the gaze of a swordsman far too sharp for his age.
‘Not bad.’
He already knew Pae Yul’s abilities well—after all, the man had carried out operations alongside Yeon Hojeong before.
But these two were still unknowns. He had never actually seen them execute a mission.
Moyong Gun muttered quietly.
“Not a single one of them is easy to handle… Good.”
Just then—
“It has to be this way.”
“Hm?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.
“There’s no helping it. I’ll draw the second set of eyes.”
Moyong Gun frowned.
“You’re going to draw the Tang Family’s attention?”
Yeon Hojeong pulled several small pouches from his robe.
There were three in total, each no larger than a baby’s palm—one red, one blue, and one black. Their contents had all been personally crafted by Dang Gwan.
“No matter how I think about it, I’m the right person for this. I trust the Iron Cavalry Commander, Senior Pae Yul, and Kang Liang’s skills enough, but when it comes to poison resistance, I can’t help feeling uneasy about entrusting them with this task.”
It was a cold assessment, but because they were in the middle of an operation, no one took offense.
Even if they weren’t in the middle of an operation, the opponent was the Tang Family. Not only their supreme masters, but even their secret extreme poisons could afflict a master of the Sacred Heavens. They were an opponent no one could afford to feel at ease against.
Moyong Gun spoke.
“Not everything in this world goes according to plan. But isn’t this derailing things too much from the start? We already decided that Pae Yul would be the one to draw the second set of eyes.”
Pae Yul nodded.
The Pointy Sword Sect’s movement arts were as formidable in real combat as they were renowned. While other sects might surpass them in long-distance movement or instantaneous speed, few could match the Pointy Sword Sect when it came to unpredictable footwork and hit-and-run maneuvers.
In truth, Pae Yul’s true strength lay in his terrifying practical footwork. Both his spear technique, which possessed fearsome penetrating power, and his sword technique, which unleashed endless killing methods, all stemmed from his footwork.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“I know Senior Pae Yul’s skills well. He’s not someone who would fall easily under normal circumstances. But if something goes wrong even once…”
“Yeon Dae-su.”
“……?”
“Can’t you be a little more cold-blooded?”
Yeon Hojeong frowned.
“I’m being plenty cold-blooded.”
“No. You’re not cold-blooded at all.”
Moyong Gun’s words were decisive.
When Yeon Hojeong tried to speak again, Moyong Gun continued.
“If you were truly cold-blooded, you wouldn’t be thinking of taking the vanguard yourself when you’re also serving as the strategist for this operation.”
“……!”
“I’m not unaware of how outstanding your abilities are. If you stepped forward, there would be no one more reliable.”
Moyong Gun’s eyes flashed with a sharp light.
“But you are the center of this operation. Aside from the Tang Family Head, you’re the one who understands best what’s happening within Sichuan.”
“That may be true, but—”
“Even the Dragon Head Unit Commander drew the line with you, not with ‘us.’ In other words, the moment something happens to you, this operation is already half-failed.”
Yeon Hojeong’s expression hardened.
Moyong Gun clicked his tongue.
“As a political rival, I’d be delighted if you disappeared, but you’re not someone who should die in a petty operation like this. Have you already forgotten why we joined hands, or why you called for me?”
“……”
“Be cold-blooded. You said it yourself—we have to stake our lives on this. Just as you said, everyone here has staked their lives. And besides…”
Moyong Gun chuckled and looked at Hwang Seok-tae.
“Even this spear master has.”p>
Hwang Seok-tae did not deny it. He had said he would retreat if death threatened, but that was not his true intention.
“Even if you’re capable, even if you can see everything clearly, even if it pains you—you have to endure it all. That is your role right now.”
It was rare advice from Moyong Gun.
And that advice struck deep into Yeon Hojeong’s heart.
Yes. Moyong Gun was right.
Yeon Hojeong had always stood at the front and slaughtered his enemies. Whenever a battle broke out, the supreme expert called Wall Mountain Tiger General had always broken the enemy’s momentum.
But not this time.
If the coming battle had been obvious, it might have been different. But the opponent was the Tang Family—and they were infiltrating the Tang Family’s own territory.
Yeon Hojeong could not lead the way. He was the one who held every detail of this operation in his head. Even if it was something he could handle himself, he had to entrust it to others. Even if an operative died, he had to maintain his composure and ensure the mission succeeded.
That was the fated burden a leader had to carry—the blood-soaked trust that every conqueror under heaven had to bear.
Yeon Hojeong, who had been silently watching Moyong Gun, let out a quiet breath.
“Very well. I’ll do as you say.”
Moyong Gun smiled faintly.
“This is why you’re frightening. Even when you hear something unpleasant, you understand and accept it.”
Yeon Hojeong looked at Pae Yul.
“Senior. I’m counting on you.”
Pae Yul snorted.
“Don’t worry. I still haven’t had a proper fight worth enjoying. And you promised me—you’d take me to the most intense and entertaining battlefield in the world.”
“You like fighting that much?”
“Everyone has their own tastes.”
Yeon Hojeong handed the blue pouch to Pae Yul.
“Here it is.”
“Got it.”
“This operation will be dangerous and not at all fun. Don’t go rampaging on your own and turn me into a liar who broke his promise.”
“Hearing you talk like that puts me at ease.”
“I’m saying this as the commander of this operation.”
Yeon Hojeong did not utter any sentimental lines like “Don’t die” or “Don’t get hurt.”
“Draw their attention properly.”
Pae Yul grinned.
“I’m the kind of man who always lives up to expectations.”
He opened the blue pouch and poured its contents into his mouth.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Pae Yul’s skin flushed bright red.
“Kuh!”
He tried to suppress it, but a groan still escaped. Even the great Pae Yul could not endure the pain.
But a moment later—
“Huuu.”
With a quiet sigh, Pae Yul’s skin returned to its normal color. The veins that had bulged on his neck also receded.
With this, he had gained immunity for half an hour against nearly all deadly poisons except the Tang Family’s Five Great Extreme Poisons.
And after half an hour—
No one knew what would happen to Pae Yul’s condition. Not even Dang Gwan.
Shing.
Pae Yul drew his short spear and ghost sword and stepped forward.
“Get ready. I’m about to go wild.”
Boom!
The moment his words ended, Pae Yul shot toward the Tang Family.
Some time passed.
Crash! Rumble!
A fierce explosion and the sound of walls collapsing echoed in all directions.
* * *
The man in his early fifties standing in the center, Dang Muk, bowed at the waist.
“Third Elder Dang Muk greets the Family Head.”
The elderly men standing on either side also bowed in the same manner.
“We greet the Family Head.”
Dang Gwan, who had been silently watching them, pointed to the space in front of him with his chin.
“Sit.”
“……Yes.”
The three men took their seats with cautious expressions.
Just as Dang Muk was about to speak, Dang Gwan pulled the golden cord hanging from the ceiling.
“You’ve come all this way. You should at least have a drink.”
“We are unworthy.”
A moment later, a woman in silk robes opened the door and entered.
“You called, Family Head.”
“Bring three empty cups.”
“Yes.”
“Ah, not the same cups as mine.”
“……Pardon?”
In that instant, Dang Gwan’s eyes turned cold.
“I suppose I could gouge out your eyes to make two cups and rip out your lower jaw to make the last one.”
“……?!”
A look of bewilderment appeared on the woman’s face. The sudden outburst was so abrupt that she couldn’t immediately understand what he meant.
At that moment, Dang Gwan swung his hand.
Thud!
The woman’s eyes went blank for an instant before she collapsed onto the table.
“……!!”
Shock spread across the faces of Dang Muk and the two elders.
The woman lying on the table did not move. But aside from her face, which was covered in white powder, the skin on her hands and neck gradually turned blue.
She was dead.
Dang Gwan had poisoned her in an instant.
“F-Family Head? What in the world is this…!”
The elders were the ones startled by the sudden turn of events.
Dang Gwan poured liquor into his own cup and spoke.
“Hwa held most of the shares in the Green Water Tavern, didn’t she? Did you think I wouldn’t know because it was done in secret?”
“……?”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice something as crude as an eighty-percent Galhaeng Jeoneum?”
“……!!”
“It was quite the commotion. The moment I arrived, you were all firing secret transmissions at each other so much that my ears hurt.”
Dang Gwan emptied his cup in one gulp and continued.
“Was it Hwa who bewitched you? Or has Hwa herself become a pawn of the traitors?”