Chapter 20
Chapter 20
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Magistrate's Interference
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Silence fell over the open clearing. Corpses and pools of blood littered the ground everywhere.
"Wipe your face."
So Yun-un held out a cloth.
"Thanks."
Yuk Jin-yang wiped his face as he caught his breath. It had taken more out of him than expected. He'd had to precisely control his qi to deflect the fire bombs.
'Once we're back, I need to open my middle dantian first thing.'
The group began cleaning up the battlefield.
They supported their wounded allies while confirming the dead. Several enemies had hidden among the scattered corpses. A shallow trick.
"Kuh, found out, huh...!"
"P-Please spare me. I'll serve you loyally."
"Please! Please!"
Despite their pleas, no prisoners were spared. They were in a hurry and couldn't afford extra baggage. Capturing a blood relative of the Jin Clan was enough.
So Yun-un muttered as he sliced a Jin Clan warrior's throat.
"Still, where did the Guangdong Jin Clan get their hands on gunpowder?"
"Not hard to obtain. Just takes resolve to pay the price."
Yuk Jin-yang replied calmly. It was a poorly kept secret that murim clans stockpiled gunpowder. They simply hid it for emergencies, never using it.
So Yun-un asked skeptically.
"Is that so?"
"Collude with corrupt officials to siphon from government warehouses. Or smuggle from southern barbarians beyond the borders. Plenty of ways."
Yuk Jin-yang's gaze turned toward the county office.
"My guess is both."
That was when it happened.
With a rattling sound, the county office gates swung wide open. A portly man emerged, flanked by government soldiers. He appeared to be the magistrate governing Sandu County.
The magistrate's robes were astonishingly ornate. His sash was adorned with jade, and his hat glittered with glass beads and feathers. Far too lavish for a lowly rural official.
The magistrate glanced at the sprawled corpses, stroked his mustache, and asked.
"What's all this commotion in front of the county office?"
Several warriors scowled.
The fight had erupted right in front of the office. Even hunkered inside the main hall, the noise should've been audible. His tardy appearance and haughty demeanor rubbed them the wrong way.
The magistrate narrowed his eyes, slowly scanning the group. His gaze finally met Jin Won-gi's. A strange twist curled his lips.
"Drawing swords in broad daylight! I've heard tales of rivers-and-lakes folk ignoring the majesty of imperial law and running wild. Seems it's true."
"Your Excellency, there's been a misunderstanding."
A woman from the Haenam Sect stepped forward to speak for the group. Unlike the fallen Deung Gwang, she looked youthful. Yet none of her Hainan peers stopped her. Perhaps her seniority belied her appearance.
The magistrate stared at her intently. Then came an out-of-place remark.
"Did I permit you to speak?"
"......"
"Now you may speak."
The woman's face flushed red. The other Hainan warriors frowned. Refraining from drawing their swords was respect enough for an official.
She suppressed her anger and explained.
"We were the ones attacked without provocation. They drew first."
"Judging by your attire, you're from the Haenam Sect?"
"Yes."
"The dead tell no tales. I can't rule based on one side's word alone. How am I to know if you're not bullying under your sect's name?"
Yuk Jin-yang snorted.
'What petty posturing.'
The magistrate's intentions were transparent.
A Guangdong official wouldn't be ignorant of the feud between Haenam Sect and Guangdong Jin Clan.
If the government meant to intervene, they would've mediated long ago. But the fight had already happened. It wasn't for some petty magistrate to meddle now.
From experience, there were two types in such cases.
Either a zealous new official burning with duty to rein in murim folk.
Or one already in cahoots.
'Probably the latter.'
Collusion between officials and murim was commonplace. The times were such. "Officials fear warriors" was a common saying.
"Warriors untouchable by officials" was an outdated custom from the Yuan-Ming chaos, when new clans and sects sprang up everywhere.
Few local garrisons could stand against murim warriors. For magistrates, aligning with them for protection and profit was easier than opposition.
"They even stole and used fire bombs. You must've heard the explosions."
"Hmm? I heard nothing."
The magistrate played dumb. Hainan warriors ground their teeth.
The woman calmly explained, holding back her ire.
"Search their bodies. You'll find unused thunder bombs on them."
"Daring to order me?"
"Not at all."
"Insolent, failing basic decorum with officials! Does Hainan teach no manners? And what's with that one?"
The magistrate pointed at Jin Won-gi. Bound and fallen, a smile played on the captive's lips, as if allies had arrived.
"He's the ringleader who attacked us."
"Untie him now. Even if guilty, you have no authority to apprehend criminals."
"......"
"Dense, are we? Or defying authority? If you claim innocence, disarm first. Judging right and wrong isn't your place."
His arrogance went beyond words. The magistrate signaled his soldiers. They leveled spears at the group, ready for conflict.
Thud.
A heavy footfall shattered the tension.
Yuk Jin-yang stepped forward, blocking the magistrate. His hand rested on his sword hilt. He made no effort to conceal his aura, letting it radiate. A warning he could strike at any moment.
The soldiers froze, sensing killing intent. The magistrate, clueless, scowled.
"Who are you to interfere?"
"Don't you know your place? Even a backwater official has limits. Relying on flimsy authority might cost you your head."
"......What?"
The magistrate blinked, face reddening.
"Brat with no manners! Did your parents teach you that?"
"Doubt it. My grandfather would've taken your head if he heard you talking to his grandson like that."
The Flying Stream Pavilion warriors chuckled. Sensing something amiss, the official grudgingly asked.
"And who might you be?"
"Me? Just some Yuk from Zhejiang."
Color drained from the official's face. Jin Won-gi's eyes widened. Both failed to hide their shock. Only one family bore the Yuk surname in Zhejiang.
Not even the Surveillance Commissioner or Provincial Military Commander dared touch the Zhejiang Yuk Clan. You'd need Imperial Guards for that. Let alone a mere magistrate.
"C-Can you prove it? Show your seal."
He puffed out his chest, but the earlier bravado was gone.
Yuk Jin-yang pulled an ivory plaque from his robes and tossed it over.
The magistrate examined it warily. Instead of an official seal, it bore the family head's signature.
Yuk Jin-yang lacked a government-issued seal. He hadn't undergone the coming-of-age rite yet.
Instead, he carried a clan identity token issued when departing on his mission. Proof of Yuk Clan membership.
Sweat beaded on the magistrate's forehead. He coughed and returned the plaque. No trace of prior arrogance remained.
"Ahem! Seems there was a misunderstanding."
"Right?"
"Indeed. The Zhejiang Yuk Clan must have good reason. No need to report to your grandfather, then..."
"Won't mention a word."
The magistrate nodded and turned away. His soldiers hastily followed. A pathetic retreat.
Yuk Jin-yang kicked Jin Won-gi's shin as he lay dazed. The captive crumpled weakly.
"Now you've got one more thing to tell me. Like your ties to the officials."
"I won't talk. Kill me."
A Hainan warrior interjected urgently.
"Don't kill him! He's no side branch—he's the family head's nephew. He must know plenty."
Yuk Jin-yang nodded and clamped his fingers on the captive's collarbone. They dug into flesh, reaching bone.
"Gaaak!"
"Everyone bluffs at first. But enduring torture isn't as easy as it sounds."
Jin Won-gi writhed, but Yuk Jin-yang tightened his grip.
"By the way, my technique isn't clean. It'll hurt more."
Crack! Bone shattered amid screams turning to gurgling moans.
"......Yes, we bribed the official."
About an hour later. Jin Won-gi's attitude had softened noticeably. Torture marks marred his body. Blood trickled from his mouth.
"That why you spouted all that 'greater cause' nonsense?"
"Yes. Most Guangdong magistrates support us."
"And condoned the gunpowder use?"
Jin Won-gi nodded.
"That's not all. Magistrates won't mobilize troops. What other schemes did you hatch?"
"......"
"Don't want to answer?"
Yuk Jin-yang placed a hand on his shoulder. Jin Won-gi flinched and spoke hastily.
"W-We also bought off unorthodox sects. Not just Guangdong—nearby regions too."
"You went all in."
Yuk Jin-yang muttered shortly and struck his knockout acupoint. The captive slumped unconscious. So Yun-un glanced at him and asked.
"Not killing him?"
"Might have value as a hostage. Bind him for now."
So Yun-un nodded and dragged Jin Won-gi away.
By the time cleanup finished.
The woman who had spoken for the group earlier approached and bowed.
"I'm Jeong Yak-bin. I apologize on behalf of Senior Deung's rudeness earlier. And thank you for averting disaster."
"No need. How's your side? Looked like heavy casualties."
Jeong Yak-bin shook her head weakly.
"The seriously wounded are worse than thought. Our golden sore medicine is woefully short."
"We should discuss next steps."
Signs weren't good. Yuk Jin-yang nodded toward a distant clearing. A signal for private talk. No point broadcasting bad news.
"First, tell me Haenam Sect's situation."
"The battle's stalemated. Skirmishes breaking out across Guangdong Province."
"Sounds like both sides fear an all-out clash."
Jeong Yak-bin gave a wry smile at his sharp tone. Yuk Jin-yang changed tack.
"What's your orders or policy?"
"Link up with your group, then hit the nearby unorthodox sect aiding the Jin Clan."
"Their strength?"
"Considerable. They call themselves Black Sword Sect—longtime pests stuck to Jieyang County, wreaking havoc. We'd have crushed them without Jin Clan protection."
Contempt laced Jeong Yak-bin's voice. Their villainy had been severe.
Yuk Jin-yang had never heard of them. No infamous masters, clearly—just local thugs terrorizing the area.
He pondered briefly. Watching, Jeong Yak-bin ventured.
"Young Master Yuk, surely you're not thinking of attacking them?"
"Yes. Straight at them."
Yuk Jin-yang stated firmly. His confidence made her dubious.
"No masters in Black Sword Sect, but their numbers are high. Deep roots in the area—they've recruited every admiring novice they could."
"Can't abandon the wounded. And if they're big, better for us. Bound to have a physician held in town."
She fell silent at his calm rebuttal.
"Plus, pursuit's a worry."
"Pursuit?"
Yuk Jin-yang eyed the bound, unconscious Jin Won-gi.
"They know our movements now. Reinforcements coming for sure."
The Guangdong Jin Clan wouldn't let the family head's kin go. Once they noticed the silence, pursuit teams would follow.
They had to leave before encirclement.