Chapter 275: Jiangsu Province-1
Chapter 275: Jiangsu Province-1
Seonwoo Jin's party soon entered Suzhou, the city of pleasure located at the southernmost tip of Jiangsu Province.
And the moment they entered, they had to immediately realize that this was not the sacred land of Zhejiang Province, but Jiangsu Province, the domain of the Four Kings Alliance.
As soon as the party entered the city of Suzhou, they saw the bustling figures of countless passersby thronging the streets.
It was a massive crowd, the likes of which they had never seen anywhere before.
The party could not help but marvel.
It was because the sheer number of people and their vividly animated expressions were so impressive.
That was when it happened.
Several men approached them directly.
They were all men who appeared to be martial artists.
"Hey! Are you martial artists?"
The martial artists the party had encountered in Zhejiang Province had always passed by with a friendly smile and a greeting.
But this place was different.
With greasy grins, the men glanced sideways at Yeon Taejin and Jin So-eun, then cracked their knuckles with a popping sound and spoke.
"Let's fight! We'll crush you bastards and show these beauties the charm of a real man!"
At that straightforward provocation, the party was momentarily dumbfounded and couldn't respond.
It was astonishing enough that anyone would pick a fight with Seonwoo Jin's party at all, but they were also declaring so brazenly that they were doing it because of women.
Judging solely by their brazen attitude and tone, it seemed a line about a righteous champion punishing evildoers would have suited them far better.
Even more absurdly, the martial prowess of the men who had so spiritedly picked this fight appeared to be barely second-rate.
To the party, all of whom were transcendent peak or close to it, those men were nothing more than newborn puppies—exceedingly young newborn puppies at that.
In many ways, it was a preposterous situation.
At that, Jeung Chil, who had been staring blankly for a moment, let out a dumbfounded laugh and opened his mouth.
"In all my living days, I've never seen such newborn..."
But at that moment.
Yeon Taejin intervened with a bewitching smile.
"Hmm, the charm of a real man, you say?"
In that instant, the expressions of the men who had picked the fight went slack.
They wore enraptured looks, as if under a soul-captivation art.
Seonwoo Jin's party, having always been together, had developed a tolerance for Yeon Taejin's beauty.
In fact, they were even getting a little weary of her excessive self-esteem.
But she was none other than Yeon Taejin, the Hawon Dalgi, counted among the Five Great Beauties of the Evil Faction.
There was no way ordinary men could withstand her smile.
The martial artists, who had been staring blankly at her as if entranced, suddenly snapped back to their senses and shouted.
"Th-that's right! Though those fellows seem to have fairly handsome faces, if you watch us fight, my lady, you will realize that for a martial artist, the greatest charm is solely martial arts!"
"Exactly! A martial artist must speak through martial arts, after all!"
"We, the martial artists of Suzhou, shall show you the charm of real men!"
At that, Yeon Taejin's smile deepened.
"That's right. For a martial artist, martial arts is charm itself. I'd really love to see that charm."
At her smile, the men lost themselves once again.
And the warriors, interpreting her smile as fondness for them, shouted vigorously.
"We'll show you right away!"
"We'll show you right here and now!"
"You'll likely be shocked!"
Then Yeon Taejin smiled her beautiful smile again—though it looked bewitching to the party—and played along with them.
"Yes, I truly think I'll be shocked."
Then she winked one eye at the party.
At that sight, the party let out hollow laughs.
Because Yeon Taejin somehow looked like a spider luring prey into its web.
The future of the warriors who would be entangled in her web and beaten like dogs already seemed vividly clear.
Seol Pung subtly turned his head and looked at Seonwoo Jin.
He was asking what to do.
At that, Seonwoo Jin, having had some thought himself, smiled gently and spoke to the man.
"Fine. Let's fight. Shall we do it right here?"
At his words, the man grinned fiercely and replied.
"Oh! Good! For someone who looks like a little girl, you're pretty straightforward! I like you! If you get hurt badly, I'll even buy you a drink! But we can't fight here. If we cause harm to ordinary people, the Alliance's martial artists will be dispatched. Come, let's go over there! There's a duel stage not far away!"
With those words, the men and their group took the lead, and Seonwoo Jin's party began to follow them.
Then, the ordinary citizens who had been listening to their conversation nearby began to chatter noisily.
"It's a showdown! The Mad Dog gang is having a showdown with out-of-town martial artists!"
"Oh! Those mad dogs?! That's entertainment I haven't seen in a long while!"
"Hehehe! Fighting those guys, the clueless outsiders are going to get properly bitten, hehehe!"
Then, in an instant, they swarmed in like clouds and began following behind the party.
Their reaction was as if some fine spectacle had appeared.
The party was quite bewildered by the reaction of the ordinary citizens.
Usually, citizens in other regions either paid no attention to the affairs of martial artists or tended to actively avoid them.
But the martial artists called the Mad Dog gang, seeing the citizens' reaction, smirked and instead waved their hands, shouting toward them.
"Alright! Watch our cool scenes closely! Because we'll clearly imprint the excellence of Suzhou's martial artists on these outsiders!"
At that, the citizens jeered playfully.
"Boo! Since when are you guys the representatives of Suzhou's martial artists?!"
"Hahaha! That's right! To be called the representative of Suzhou martial artists, you'd have to be at least from the Baek family or the Alliance!"
"Tsk! If you're fighting out-of-town martial artists, you're the representatives! What's so special about being a representative?!"
"Wahahahaha!"
Seonwoo Jin and his party felt a fresh shock at the sight of the Mad Dog gang martial artists communicating with ordinary citizens. It was a shock with a different feeling from the one they had received in Zhejiang Province.
Jeung Chil spoke with a hollow laugh.
"This place is interesting. I thought it would be really bleak and brutal because it's the Four Kings Alliance's domain."
At his words, Seonwoo Jin also looked around with fascinated eyes and replied.
"I heard that the reason the Mad Demon, the father of the first Four Kings, created Tongcheonbang, the predecessor of the Four Kings Alliance, was to gather wicked people and manage them himself. So, even now, not harming ordinary citizens is said to be an iron rule of Four Kings Alliance martial artists. But... I never imagined the atmosphere would have formed like this either."
It was true.
Not harming ordinary citizens was a traditional iron rule passed down in the Four Kings Alliance.
Because of this, there was even a saying among the unorthodox factions: 'If you want to make a name for yourself, go to the Four Kings Alliance; if you want to live freely, run away from the Four Kings Alliance.'
Moreover, it was common knowledge among ordinary citizens that the territory of the Four Kings Alliance was far more livable than the territories of most orthodox sects.
At that, Jin So-eun, who was hearing this for the first time, rounded her eyes and asked.
"Even though it's an evil faction, not harming ordinary citizens is an iron rule? Is that... possible?"
Jin So-eun's doubt was, in fact, natural.
The reason evil factions were called evil was because the most important values to them were their own benefit and freedom, and they were people who could sacrifice others at any time for that.
So, if an evil faction did not harm ordinary citizens, there would arguably be no reason to call them an evil faction anymore.
At her question, Seonwoo Jin smiled gently and answered.
"So, I hear that for those in the evil faction who want to live well and eat well as they please on their own, the Four Kings Alliance isn't really an attractive option. To them, not being able to lord over ordinary citizens like kings would be a fatal flaw. But if you exclude that one iron rule, the rules of the Four Kings Alliance are very simple and clear."
"What is it?"
"It's just power. I heard it's that and nothing else."
The Four Kings Alliance gave preferential treatment to the strong unconditionally.
With absolute meritocracy based on strength, they appointed the strong, raised them to high positions, and provided sufficient compensation.
Therefore, they could live well and eat well enough without deliberately tormenting ordinary citizens.
Also, for that reason, the Four Kings Alliance did not prevent conflicts among martial artists but rather encouraged them.
They did not discriminate between types of conflict either.
Whether it was a many-against-one fight or a sneak attack using hidden weapons, they acknowledged it all.
Unless it was a one-on-one duel, he had always accepted whatever outcome a contest produced.
At those words, Jin So-eun slightly furrowed her brow and asked,
"You don't mind many-against-one fights or ambushes? But if that's how it is..."
"Since they are fundamentally unorthodox sect members, the perception is that if you fall to such things, that too is a lack of skill. However, that doesn't mean they recognize many-against-one attacks or ambushes as righteous displays of skill. As I said before, the Four Kings Alliance is a meritocracy of strength above all."
Because the martial artists of the Four Kings Alliance revered the strong, those who defeated opponents through ambushes or many-against-one fights were dismissed as weaklings.
Thus, even if one won a match in such a manner, they could not gain recognition from the Four Kings Alliance or attain a high position within it.
Because of this, one-on-one duels between martial artists in the Four Kings Alliance's territory were practically a way of life.
Duel stages were set up everywhere, and you could easily watch martial artists fight every day without fail.
The place where the Mad Dog gang was currently taking Seonwoo Jin's group was also one of those places.
Yeon Taejin, who had been scanning the surroundings with deep eyes, abruptly looked at Jin So-eun and said,
"Sister So-eun, you said last time that you wanted to make Gwangju like Zhejiang Province, right? I want to make Hawon like this place. I think if it's a place where martial artists live, it ought to be like this."
The Hawonbang faction where she served as faction leader, though also an unorthodox sect, had always pursued coexistence with ordinary civilians, so to Hawondalgi Yeon Tae-jin, this place looked like the utopia of her dreams.
At Yeon Taejin's words, Jin So-eun seemed lost in thought as she looked around without answering.
The distance to the duel stage was not far.
As soon as they turned off the central avenue, a well-maintained duel stage appeared, and martial artists who had arrived earlier were already fighting there.
Then the leader of the Mad Dog gang, the man likely known as the Mad Dog himself, spoke to Seonwoo Jin's group.
"Wait a moment. It looks like it will end soon, so we can use it on the next turn."
At his words, Seonwoo Jin looked at the martial artists scuffling on the duel stage for a moment.
Both were third-rate amateurs who hardly looked any different from ordinary civilians.
He suddenly gave a soft grin and said to the Mad Dog,
"If you're called the Mad Dog, I assumed you'd have quite a temper, but you even wait for amateurs to finish their fight. That's somewhat unexpected."
At that, the Mad Dog snorted and said,
"Hmph! Did you think we would kick them out just because they're weak? The martial artists of Jiangsu do not commit such disgraceful acts!"
His words prompted genuine admiration from the group.
It was admiration for the atmosphere of Jiangsu, where mistreating the weak was dismissed as a disgraceful act.
Mukrang abruptly spoke to Seonwoo Jin.
- I cannot help but agree with Miss Yeon's sentiments as well. This Jiangsu seems to be a far more desirable image of the martial world than Zhejiang Province. Brother Goe's descendants have created a truly excellent atmosphere here.
'Indeed. It gives you a lot to think about. In any case, that man called the Mad Dog seems more decent than I expected. I suppose I'll have to beat him gently.'
- Hahaha! Yes, be appropriately gentle with him.
A short while later, when the duel of the martial artists ahead of them ended, the Mad Dog leaped up onto the duel stage.
Then he flashed a brazen grin at Seonwoo Jin's group and shouted,
"Now! I shall show you the greatness of the martial artists of Soju, Jiangsu! Come at me! Anyone is welcome!"
At that, the ordinary civilians who had been waiting around the stage also began cheering and clapping noisily.
"Woaaaah! It's finally starting!"
"We believe in you, Mad Dog!"
"Show us the majesty of the Soju Mad Dog!"
Seonwoo Jin's group looked around and chuckled wryly.
Seol Pung said with a dumbfounded expression,
"Somehow it feels like we've become the villains here."
At that, Jeung Chil replied with a wicked grin,
"Well, isn't it not entirely untrue? We're about to play the villains now. Uheuheuheu!"
It was just as Jeung Chil was about to step up onto the duel stage saying that.
Jeung Chil could only blink his eyes as he saw the person who had already stepped onto the stage while he was speaking.
"Huh?! Half-naked wench, you?"
Yeon Taejin, who had climbed onto the stage first, looked around with an alluring smile.
The surroundings, full of cheering just moments before, had fallen silent as if dead the instant she stepped onto the duel stage.
At her unexpected appearance, not only the Mad Dog's gang but even the ordinary citizens were staring at her with dazed faces.
This was because they had naturally assumed men would come up; they had never imagined a beautiful and delicate-looking woman like her would step forward.
The Mad Dog stammered as he asked her,
"M-Miss, I, surely you don't mean to duel with me..."
At that, Yeon Taejin smiled brightly and asked,
"Why? Is it not allowed for me to do so?"
"No, it's not that it's not allowed, but..."
The Mad Dog glanced at Seonwoo Jin and his group with an awkward expression.
The purpose of the duel had been to approach her, but the very target of that purpose was now entering the duel, and that felt rather wrong.
However, Yeon Taejin did not care whether he felt awkward or not.
She smiled radiantly and cracked her knuckles.
"Then let's have a bout. Aren't martial artists meant to speak through their martial arts, after all? I will look forward to seeing something impressive."
At her bright smile, the spectating people began to get excited once more.
"That's right! Martial artists speak through martial arts! What does it matter if it's a man or a woman?!"
"She's right! She's right! Show her the cool image of a Soju martial artist, Mad Dog!"
"We'll cheer for you! Hang in there, Mad Dog!"
Receiving the enthusiastic cheers of the people, the Mad Dog looked at Yeon Taejin with a slightly swaggering expression.
It was a look full of pride, as if he were quite the figure himself.
He ultimately resolved to duel with Yeon Taejin.
The thought had occurred to him that as long as he didn't go too hard on her, it might actually be a better opportunity.
He faced Yeon Taejin, cupped his fist in salute, and introduced himself in a dignified voice.
"This humble one's name is Jeon Seok-gu. Although I am gentle-natured in ordinary times, I never back down when it comes to a fight, so people also call me the Mad Dog. However, Miss, you absolutely do not need to worry. I shall be as gentle as possible."
Immediately, a chorus of jeers burst out from the surroundings.
"Booo! Since when have you ever been gentle?! You're just the same mad dog whether you're at ease or fighting!"
"Don't put on an act just because you're in front of a beauty, just be yourself, Mad Dog!"
His face was just flushing hotly from the cries of the ordinary citizens who knew him well, when—
Yeon Taejin gave him a captivating eye smile and said,
"I am called Yeon Taejin. And I will apologize in advance."
Apologize?
At her words, Jeon Seok-gu asked with a puzzled expression,
"Pardon? What is it you wish to apologize for...?"
At the same time, the thought flashed through his mind that he had somehow heard the name Yeon Taejin somewhere before.
It was that very moment.
Yeon Taejin, who had been smiling radiantly, instantly appeared right before Jeon Seok-gu's eyes.
And she drove a punch square into his stomach.
Ppeo-eok!
"Kkeo-eok!"
The Mad Dog's back bent like a shrimp.
At the same time, he was able to recall.
'Yeon Taejin... Hawondalgi?!'
But that was his very last thought.
Ppeo-eok!
"Kkeo-eok!"
A kick flew in and smashed into his face, and with that, his consciousness was severed for good.
Kudeongtangtangtang!
At the sight of the Mad Dog, who had performed a splendid midair spin before collapsing disgracefully onto the duel stage, the surroundings instantly fell silent.
Then Yeon Taejin beamed a bright smile at the Mad Dog's companions and said,
"Oops, my mistake! I failed to control my strength properly. I'll try to do a bit better next time, shall I? Now, next person!"
The Mad Dog's comrades unconsciously gulped.
Her smile, which had seemed more beautiful than a goddess until just moments ago, suddenly felt chilling, like the gaze of a grim reaper.
Abruptly, Mukrang spoke to Seonwoo Jin.
- ...Didn't you say you'd handle him gently?
'Hahaha, well, she didn't kill him, did she? She didn't even break any bones. For Miss Yeon, that level was more than gentle enough...'
- .......
'...I'm sorry. It seems controlling Miss Yeon is not something I am capable of.'
After meeting Yeon Taejin, Seonwoo Jin had reached a state where he could viscerally realize why the young master of the past had said managing women was so difficult.