Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Section 7. Laying Out the Mat and Waiting (1)
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Yi Ga-hyeon's lips trembled.
"Daring to!"
Flames of fury seemed to blaze in her eyes.
She was Yi Ga-hyeon, who had risen to the position of stronghold leader of the Cheonggang Stronghold, one of the Eighteen Bandit Strongholds of the Green Forest, despite being a woman. The path to that position could not have been ordinary.
At first, she was too weak and had no choice but to endure whatever came her way.
Being so beautiful, there were many who lusted after her body, and she suffered countless rapes as a result. She desperately longed for someone to save her, but not a single person extended a hand.
When both her body and mind were shattered beyond repair, she finally realized.
'In this godforsaken world, the only one I can rely on is myself.'
Once her mindset changed, her actions followed suit.
She no longer cowered. Instead, she took proactive steps.
Her weapons were her beauty and her voluptuous body.
Her first target was Geum Han-tae, the second-in-command of the Cheonggang Stronghold. As the trusted subordinate of the stronghold leader Gwak Han-sul, Geum Han-tae was exceptionally intelligent and served as the strategist.
Seductive Yi Ga-hyeon wrapped him in her skirts with little difficulty. She bestowed upon him pleasures worthy of heaven.
In exchange, she obtained a portion of his martial arts.
Since it was not the entirety of his secret techniques but merely a fraction, Geum Han-tae harbored no real suspicions.
The problem was that Yi Ga-hyeon had not acquired martial arts from Geum Han-tae alone. She had seduced and extracted techniques from all the notable warriors in the Cheonggang Stronghold, then sowed discord among them.
By the time stronghold leader Gwak Han-sul learned of this, the internal strife had spiraled out of control. In the end, Gwak Han-sul tried to eliminate her to prevent future troubles.
But Yi Ga-hyeon instead incited Geum Han-tae to rebellion. Caught off guard by the uprising, Gwak Han-sul collapsed helplessly.
Yi Ga-hyeon stole the martial arts manual from the dead Gwak Han-sul and used it as a foundation to cultivate her skills, eventually even killing Geum Han-tae.
That was how Yi Ga-hyeon had ruthlessly claimed the position of Cheonggang Stronghold leader through her own efforts. To such a woman, Dam Ho's insult was an unbearable humiliation.
"I'll tear you to pieces without mercy."
It was then, as Yi Ga-hyeon spat out her venomous words.
Slap!
Suddenly, her head snapped to the side with a heavy smack. Dam Ho's large palm had struck her cheek.
Yi Ga-hyeon's pupils shook.
For a moment, she couldn't comprehend what had happened to her. But she quickly grasped the situation and ignited with rage.
"Daring to! You..."
Slap!
In that instant, Dam Ho's palm struck her cheek again.
Her head whipped to the side once more, and the struck cheek swelled up in an instant.
"Stronghold leader!"
"You bastard!"
The Green Forest bandits of the Cheonggang Stronghold rushed forward in fury at the sight of their leader being humiliated.
At that moment, Dam Ho's body arched back like a drawn bow, along with his fist.
"Brother!"
"Big brother!"
Bang Jin-bo and Hwang Hye-ryeong called out to Dam Ho simultaneously.
In that instant, Dam Ho's fist slammed down toward the floor.
Boom!
Rumble-crack!
The rocky ground shattered with an explosion, sending fragments flying in all directions.
"Urk!"
"Kuh!"
The Cheonggang Stronghold bandits who had charged to aid Yi Ga-hyeon were sent sprawling by the flying stone shards.
Some had their heads split open with blood flowing, others groaned with broken arms, and some clutched their abdomens, unable to even breathe properly.
There were over dozens such men.
Yi Ga-hyeon too was struck by a flying shard, blood trickling from her forehead. With wounds suddenly marring her face, she collapsed to the ground.
Dam Ho grabbed the collar of the slumped Yi Ga-hyeon and yanked her to her feet.
"Eek! Die!"
In that instant, Yi Ga-hyeon whipped her hand out like lightning. In it was the jade hairpin that had been in her hair.
The hairpin was a demonic weapon called the Blood Dragon Dagger. Once embedded in flesh, it never came loose and caused massive bleeding, killing the opponent in moments.
Clang!
But the Blood Dragon Dagger halted without even reaching Dam Ho. His hand had already seized her slender wrist.
"You?"
In that moment, Dam Ho tightened his grip.
Crack!
"Aaack!"
Yi Ga-hyeon's slim wrist shattered like dry bamboo.
With her wrist suddenly broken, she let out a piercing shriek like a madwoman. Her appearance was terrifying enough to chill the blood.
Crunch!
Dam Ho's fist smashed into Yi Ga-hyeon's face. She lost consciousness without even resisting.
"......"
A suffocating silence descended upon the hall in that instant.
This was the Paewang Stronghold.
In the head stronghold of the Eighteen Bandit Strongholds of the Green Forest, one of their stronghold leaders had been brutally crushed by an outsider.
Dam Ho stomped on Yi Ga-hyeon's voluptuous body, which writhed like a worm.
"Even if you're in heat, you should choose your partners more carefully."
Her body shuddered at his chilling voice, devoid of any emotion. Even unconscious, her flesh reacted.
The leaders of the Eighteen Bandit Strongholds rose in shock.
"Th-that?"
"Daring to cause a disturbance in the Green Forest."
But not one moved rashly.
Dam Ho was a guest of the Supreme Stronghold Leader Hwang Gyeong-mun. Though he had been rude, without Hwang Gyeong-mun's permission, they could do nothing to him.
Baeknok Stronghold Leader Gwak Sam stepped forward.
"Supreme Leader."
"Speak."
"An outsider is causing a commotion in the Paewang Stronghold. Is it alright to let this slide?"
"A commotion..."
"This stronghold leader has been insulted. That crime demands death."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. An eye for an eye is the rule of the Green Forest. Supreme Leader, you must punish him immediately to uphold the code."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Anyone who touches a Green Forest bandit, if not of the Green Forest themselves, must be punished without fail."
"I see!"
Hwang Gyeong-mun nodded.
Turning his head, he saw Jo Yun-san and O Jong-sam staring at him with cold eyes, as if waiting to see what decision he would make.
Hwang Gyeong-mun's eyes narrowed.
Gwak Sam's words were not wrong.
Whatever Dam Ho's intentions were in humiliating Yi Ga-hyeon, this was a place governed by Green Forest rules.
Letting Dam Ho go like this would shake the entire code of the Green Forest.
"Tch!"
Hwang Gyeong-mun clicked his tongue and rose. A mountain-like aura surged forth, dominating the area.
"Urgh!"
Jo Yun-san and the others groaned.
'To think the old man still possesses such spirit.'
'As expected of the absolute ruler who has dominated the Green Forest for decades.'
But they revealed none of their inner thoughts.
Hwang Gyeong-mun walked past the slumped Yi Ga-hyeon toward Dam Ho.
"Daddy!"
Hwang Hye-ryeong called, but Hwang Gyeong-mun didn't even respond.
His gaze was fixed solely on Dam Ho.
Dam Ho was still trampling Yi Ga-hyeon's body. The voluptuous form that would have stirred countless men in the past was now nothing more than a filthy lump of meat.
Hwang Gyeong-mun finally spoke.
"Do you plan to keep this up?"
Dam Ho kicked Yi Ga-hyeon in the waist.
"Aaack!"
Even unconscious, she screamed as she tumbled away.
Hwang Gyeong-mun gazed for a moment at Yi Ga-hyeon rolling wretchedly across the floor like a rag.
The depths of his eyes were unreadable, giving no hint of his thoughts.
"This is the Green Forest."
"I know."
"She is the leader of the Cheonggang Stronghold, one of the Eighteen Bandit Strongholds."
"I know."
"I am the Supreme Leader of the Eighteen Bandit Strongholds."
"I know."
"What you've done is as good as smearing mud on my face."
"I know."
"So you know it all. And yet you reduced Yi Ga-hyeon to that state. How amusing!"
Hwang Gyeong-mun chuckled.
In that instant, an immense pressure arose like a tidal wave crashing toward Dam Ho. But Dam Ho didn't blink an eye and continued speaking.
"I don't like bitches that throw themselves at anyone when they're in heat."
"Even if she is a bitch, she's one of our own from the head stronghold."
"So?"
"If you've committed a crime, you pay the appropriate price. There's a place called the Repentance Cave behind this hall. Spend three days there."
"Very well."
Dam Ho nodded readily.
"Supreme Leader!"
"We can't allow that."
The other stronghold leaders protested Hwang Gyeong-mun's decision.
Hwang Gyeong-mun turned to look at them.
"Then you handle it."
"Supreme Leader!"
"You know this man's nickname, right? Fist Demon."
"......"
"He's the one rumored to be the best fighter in the martial world. But I'm old now, my bones rusted, creaking every time I move. You expect me to fight him directly? That's too much of a joke."
Hwang Gyeong-mun chuckled again. The overwhelming pressure that had filled the hall vanished as if washed away.
Jo Yun-san ground his teeth as he watched Hwang Gyeong-mun.
'The old fox is thrashing about to avoid getting blood on his own hands.'
But rebelling against Hwang Gyeong-mun's decision now would not be easy. It could lead to a fierce battle with Dam Ho before their grand plan, depleting their forces.
It was then that Yun Chung stepped forward.
"If you're truly sending him to the Repentance Cave, at least bind him with the Demon Binding Shackles."
"The Demon Binding Shackles?"
Hwang Gyeong-mun furrowed his brows at Yun Chung's unexpected suggestion.
The Demon Binding Shackles were one of the treasures passed down in the Green Forest for ages. Forged from Myeongjeok Iron, the hardest and heaviest metal in the world, they weighed a thousand jin.
Once locked on hands and feet, their immense weight crushed the wearer, and no one could remove them with their own strength alone—earning them the name of the worst restraints.
Yun Chung approached Hwang Gyeong-mun and whispered.
"That's the least we need to placate the other stronghold leaders, brother."
"Urgh!"
As if waiting for it, the remaining leaders raised their voices.
"Put the Demon Binding Shackles on him."
"You must."
"Urgh!"
In the end, Hwang Gyeong-mun let out a low groan.
At that moment, Dam Ho stepped forward and extended both arms.
"Lock them on!"
"Are you sure?"
Dam Ho nodded silently to Hwang Gyeong-mun's question.
"Big brother."
Hwang Hye-ryeong looked at him with anxious eyes.
She couldn't understand it at all.
Even if Yi Ga-hyeon had given him cause, there was no need for such a tyrannical response.
The backlash from his excessive reaction was engulfing the entire Paewang Stronghold. That fact left Hwang Hye-ryeong uneasy.
It was then.
"It'll be fine."
Bang Jin-bo comforted her.
"What do you mean?"
"Brother isn't the type to act without reason."
"But..."
"Trust brother."
Even as everyone else looked on with distrustful eyes, Bang Jin-bo's gaze held not a shred of doubt.
He trusted Dam Ho.
'If brother starts something like this, there must be a damn good reason for it.'
His faith bordered on devotion.
The Demon Binding Shackles were being locked onto Dam Ho's arms and legs.
A thousand jin of weight clamped down on his limbs. A normal person couldn't even breathe under such pressure, let alone move.
Jo Yun-san approached Dam Ho and whispered.
"You... will never leave the Repentance Cave alive."
"Looks like you still haven't remembered."
"You?"
"You'd better recall it quickly. Dig through every corner of your memories. Otherwise, I'll make you remember."
Dam Ho's voice left an eerily lingering chill.
When Jo Yun-san looked up again, Dam Ho was surrounded by Green Forest warriors, heading toward the Repentance Cave.