Chapter 340
Chapter 340
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 348
Chapter Title: Inferno at the Golden Flower Arsenal
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Huangbo Seong's eyes bulged at the urgent report that had just arrived.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? A fire at the Golden Flower Arsenal?!"
It was like a thunderclap from a clear sky. Why would a perfectly functioning Golden Flower Arsenal suddenly catch fire?
"A-arsonists... no, a band of thieves broke in and set it ablaze!"
Huangbo Seong's face twisted at the words of Chief Steward Huangbo Cheol.
"A band of thieves?"
"Yes."
"What kind of lunatic thieves would dare touch the main family's Golden Flower Arsenal? If they're bold enough to target that place, they can't be ordinary bandits. How did we fail to spot even one of them...?"
"There were ten of them."
"What?"
Huangbo Seong doubted his own ears.
"Ten?"
"Yes. Ten of them..."
"Do you expect me to believe that? Just ten men set the Golden Flower Arsenal on fire and escaped?"
Over two hundred men were stationed at the Golden Flower Arsenal.
All of them were warriors capable of combat, a testament to how seriously the Huangbo family took its security.
And among the core forces guarding the arsenal were the Huangbo family's regional vanguard bladesmen.
"What about Huangbo Chil? What the hell was that bastard doing?!"
"The vanguard leader was taken down by the intruders..."
"You idiots!"
BAM!
Huangbo Seong could no longer hold back and smashed the table.
The rosewood table shattered into pieces in an instant.
Huangbo Cheol swallowed hard.
Even the one delivering the report could scarcely believe it, so Huangbo Seong's reaction was only natural.
Who could possibly believe that a mere ten intruders slipped past the Huangbo warriors guarding the arsenal, set it ablaze, and escaped unscathed?
Huangbo Seong exhaled slowly.
No matter how shocking and infuriating the situation, he had to stay calm.
"What’s the damage report?"
"Well... the outer guards extinguished it quickly, but the main arsenal..."
"Out with it."
"...Over eighty percent was incinerated."
Huangbo Seong's mouth twitched.
His jaw clenched, muscles bulging, and bloodshot veins crept into his eyes.
If over eighty percent of the Golden Flower Arsenal's ledgers were burned, reconstruction would take at least several months.
All operations tied to the arsenal would grind to a halt in the meantime, with massive losses inevitable.
If key account books were lost, the Huangbo family's budget might even be slashed.
To think such a colossal disaster had struck overnight—it was beyond mere anger.
"What were they after? It couldn't have been just arson!"
"Witnesses say they targeted the ledgers. Aside from that, the only casualties were injuries..."
"Hmm!"
Ledgers?
They targeted the ledgers?
Huangbo Seong furrowed his brow.
'Bandits going after ledgers?'
Did that make any sense?
It didn't add up to ignore the stockpiled wealth and go for the books.
These weren't ordinary thieves.
And the casualties were just injuries—no deaths.
That only heightened their extraordinariness.
'And they burned the ledgers as if buying time.'
Was it arson to cover their escape, or to achieve their goal?
Huangbo Seong narrowed his eyes.
"It couldn't be those guys."
The Nangong family, Hebei Peng family, and Sichuan Tang family pulling strings from behind? That didn't make sense.
Theft and arson?
Even if the Five Great Families prioritized profit, they openly championed the righteous path.
They wouldn't stoop to nameless demonic rabble tactics without justification, just for revenge.
If this surfaced, the backlash would be unimaginable.
'At the very least, their momentum toward ascension would stall, leaving a massive stain on their reputations.'
From what Huangbo Seong knew of those three family heads, this wasn't their style.
Yet his nape still prickled with unease.
The martial world was a place where anything could happen.
'The church has a dock. They must have come by boat.'
Something dinged in his mind.
Among those at the gathering, the Mad Dragon—that bastard's words flashed back.
"Hangzhou!"
"Yes?"
"Contact Chong in Hangzhou. Find out exactly what those bastards there are up to, every move..."
"Brother, about that..."
"What now?!"
Huangbo Seong snapped irritably, and Huangbo Cheol let out a sigh.
"Communications have been cut off."
"What? Cut off how?"
"...We've been steadily reaching out to coordinate using Oga Village as a foothold, but no replies..."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
Huangbo Cheol flinched at Huangbo Seong's roar.
He glared at him with bloodshot eyes and bellowed.
"Send men to track the bastards who hit the Golden Flower Arsenal right now! And dispatch Elder Il to Hangzhou!"
"E-Elder Huangbo Ryeon, you mean?"
"Now! And contact the other family heads..."
That was when it happened.
Elders came rushing into the Heavenly King Hall.
All wore frantic expressions.
What could bring the elders swarming like this?
Their uniform urgency stirred dread.
"F-Family Head! Disaster!"
"The Hebei Peng family declared they're canceling all trade with our merchants!"
"The Sichuan Tang family is poaching our iron mine laborers at double the pay!"
"The Moyong family sent word they won't deal with us anymore."
Blood vessels bulged in Huangbo Seong's eyes.
"What did you say?!"
Had they all gone mad collectively?
So perfectly timed to sever ties all at once?!
And the Moyong family?
Didn't those bastards not even attend the gathering?!
Huangbo Cheol groaned.
"B-Brother. This has to be their retaliation..."
Huangbo Seong let out a howl.
"They dare cut ties with the main family?! Ha! You think that'll make me flinch? Me?!"
"B-Brother!"
Huangbo Seong ground his teeth, his face twisting like a wrathful demon.
'You bastards really want to go there? Fine, let's see. Does Huangbo Seong look like the type to just take it?'
He would pay them back.
Absolutely!
"Send men to Oga Village in Hangzhou first to push the operation! And unleash the Eight Divisions' warriors to hunt those thieving bastards! Now!"
Huangbo Seong's voice echoed through the hall.
He bared his fury, grinding his teeth.
'You think isolating the main family will make me come crawling? Begging?'
If they crossed the line, he would too.
The laws of the martial world didn't differ much between righteous and demonic sects.
Underestimate someone, and they trample you.
The only difference was that the righteous maintained face and justification.
'Hmph! They're getting desperate, resorting to such shallow tricks!'
Huangbo Seong would never fall for it.
His eyes gleamed coldly.
* * *
"A fire broke out at the Golden Flower Arsenal!"
The booming voice shook the Soaring Palace Hall, and Nangong Jangcheon, Peng Cheonwi, and Tang Uicheon's faces changed.
Sichuan Tang family's Chief Steward Tang Uigeum watched their reactions and let out a low groan.
'Is this really okay?'
There was justification in cutting ties and isolating the Huangbo family.
They were punishing the Huangbo family for breaking the agreement first and scheming.
But wearing masks and torching the arsenal had crossed a line.
If exposed, they couldn't escape public condemnation.
It could shatter the Five Great Families' unity and cripple their external activities—a massive scandal.
'This could lead straight off a cliff. We can't continue these rogue acts.'
The retaliation had to stop here.
If the Five Great Families weren't to walk the demonic path, the righteous needed justification and greater cause.
'Push too far, and the Huangbo family might resort to extremes.'
That would veer far from the gathering's intent, potentially escalating disastrously.
The other elders had to know that...
"Hahaha! Karma's a bitch, Family Head!"
Karma?
"It has me dancing on air!"
"What great news, great news!"
"Those Huangbo bastards! Served 'em riiiight!"
...Huh?
Tang Uigeum's jaw dropped at the Nangong elders jiggling their shoulders.
"N-No, what the..."
He stammered in bewilderment.
Grand Elder Nangong Wigeong turned to Nangong Jangcheon.
"Heh heh! Burned good, did it? How much?"
The elders chimed in.
"Should've smashed their skulls while they were at it."
"Heh heh heh! Their operations will be paralyzed for half a year!"
Tang Uigeum stared at them in confusion.
Were these people sane?
The Peng side muttered.
"But pushing the Huangbo family this hard feels a bit..."
Exactly.
That was the reaction...
"A bit fun, isn't it? Imagining those merchant scum—no, Huangbo bastards—flummoxed. Heh heh heh!"
...What?
Crazy?
Tang Uigeum couldn't hide his shock.
Were these people even thinking rationally?
'This is demonic cult vibes...'
It wasn't just the reaction; it was the phrasing.
Smashing skulls, burn more...
Were the Nangong and Hebei Peng families starting to sound alike?
The elders' excitement showed no signs of stopping.
"Indeed, indeed! The Second Young Master never disappoints."
"Right, right! Who'd have thought he'd torch the arsenal!"
"Heh heh! Those Huangbo dogs got a spicy taste. What a Mad Dragon!"
"We have to give props to our Second Young Master's character. The chief steward's son sent a letter, right? Said no ledgers, so burn it!"
"Not your average personality!"
Was that an insult or praise?
They were laughing, so praise—but why did it sound like trash talk?
No, that wasn't the point now.
'I need to keep a clear head myself.'
"Family Heads!"
Tang Uigeum raised his voice, drawing eyes to him.
"This isn't something to celebrate. A cornered rat bites the cat."
"Right, you're spot on."
Good, brother.
Sichuan Tang family's head, Tang Uicheon, nodded.
"We should stop these rogue acts here..."
"A rat bite hurts how much?"
"...Pardon?"
"Let it nibble. Heh heh heh."
Tang Uigeum was stunned.
"B-Brother?"
Forgetting decorum, he stared at Tang Uicheon, who was already chuckling with bouncing shoulders.
Hebei Peng family's head, Peng Cheonwi, guffawed.
"It's already out of our hands, isn't it?"
That's why it shouldn't have been.
"We trusted him, and he's delivering."
"Heh heh, Peng Family Head's eye for talent is spot on."
"Too kind. He was no ordinary sprout from the start, was he?"
"Not your average personality. Heh heh!"
Nangong Jangcheon eyed the two.
"Heh heh, praise indeed."
"Of course!"
What the?
Nangong Jangcheon cleared his throat, then fixed Tang Uigeum with a steady gaze.
"I fully understand Chief Steward Tang's concerns."
Tang Uigeum's eyes lit up.
As expected, the Nangong Family Head had a composure the Hebei Peng head lacked.
The Peng head's reaction was predictable.
'...Brother's probably expecting something from the Nangong Second Young Master after the Sichuan and Anhui incidents.'
As he thought that and looked at Nangong Jangcheon, the man continued.
"But there's nothing to be done."
"...Pardon?"
"Heh heh, he's my son, but that boy's beyond measure."
"..."
Pardon?
What?
As Tang Uigeum gaped, Peng Cheonwi laughed in agreement.
"Exactly—if he knew limits, we wouldn't have handed it to him! Gwahaha!"
Tang Uicheon chimed in.
"He's flipping the board because he's too damn good, isn't he?"
"Gwahaha!"
"Heh heh heh."
These people...
Nangong Jangcheon glanced at the two heads, cleared his throat again.
Then, composing himself, he spoke.
"What's done is done! If it's the second son's will, supporting him is the adult thing, no?"
Solemn tone, reckless words.
Tang Uigeum flapped his mouth.
"...F-Family Head?!"
The elders chuckled at his shock.
"Why fuss over this?"
"Right, it's just the beginning."
"Exactly! With that personality, it won't end here!"
"Heh, wait till you hear what's next—you might faint. Shall I call the medicine hall master for a pulse check?"
...More than this ahead?
Even more?
'What the hell else is coming?'
Tang Uigeum eyed the madmen with fearful eyes.
The family heads and elders danced on their shoulders, their glee tinged with insanity.
Was it an illusion, or did someone overlap in his vision?
Tang Uigeum's eyes began to tremble with anxiety.