Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The Young Master's Return
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“Coming back!”
The Thunder Dragon Squad waiting at the dock snapped their heads up.
Tak Hyuk-dong, who had been doodling on the dock floor, bellowed in his booming voice.
“How’d it go? Tied to the mast?”
Geon Cheon-hwi clicked his tongue from the side.
“Didn’t I tell you they’d be underwater?”
“What’re you talking about! It’s the mast!”
“After everything with the Young Master, you still don’t get it? Ten guys—he’s not gonna bother tying them to the mast.”
“Falling in the water’s too cliché! This time it’s the mast.”
Tak Hyuk-dong lifted his chin confidently.
Geon Cheon-hwi tsked again.
“The ones on the receiving end won’t find it cliché. Don’t regret it.”
“Regret? I ain’t regretting shit.”
“You seem pretty sensitive for someone who doesn’t.”
“No way!”
Tak Hyuk-dong wrinkled his nose at Geon Cheon-hwi’s mockery, then yelled at Jang Woong.
“Hey, kid! What is it? Mast or water?!”
“Ah, quit yelling at me.”
“What?”
“Ah, hold on! I see it—there it is!”
Jang Woong darted forward and channeled his inner energy.
The boat sliding toward the dock came into sharper focus.
The Thunder Dragon Squad swallowed hard, waiting for Jang Woong’s report.
Finally.
“Uh, uhhh!”
“What?”
“Water! They’re in the water!”
Joy and despair flipped in an instant.
Tak Hyuk-dong slammed the ground, while Geon Cheon-hwi grinned.
“You fuckers!”
“Shut up and pay up.”
“Ah! Those damn bastards should’ve come tied up! Why’d they swim?!”
Tak Hyuk-dong scowled and handed over a silver tael to Geon Cheon-hwi.
Geon Cheon-hwi snatched the silver with a chuckle.
“Another round?”
“What for?”
“You don’t think the Young Master’s done with them there, do you?”
“Oh, right!”
Tak Hyuk-dong’s eyes widened, then he nodded vigorously.
Considering his personality, it wouldn’t end like this.
Just thinking about what they’d been through made it obvious.
“So, what’s the bet this time?”
“On how the Young Master deals with them.”
“Hmm! Me first! I bet two silver taels he leaves them soaked as is!”
“Then I’ll take burying them in the ground.”
“Heh heh heh! You think the Young Master’ll bother digging holes when he’s lazy? He’ll just leave them like that!”
Tak Hyuk-dong, suddenly an expert on Namgung Hyeok, smirked smugly, but Geon Cheon-hwi replied with a serious face.
“Nah. The Young Master’ll put up with the hassle if it means tormenting them.”
“I say he won’t!”
“We’ll see. So what’re you wagering?”
Tak Hyuk-dong laughed heartily.
“Keum! Fine, if I win, you buy me a drink.”
“Generous of the squad leader.”
“Ahem! Gotta look out for my future big shot. Kahahaha!”
Jang Woong shook his head at Tak Hyuk-dong’s excited rambling.
Soon, the boat reached the dock.
Tap tap!
As Namgung Hyeok stepped off with light steps, the Thunder Dragon Squad rushed over and bowed deeply.
A far cry from their playful scattering on the dirt.
“Welcome back, sir!”
“Welcome back, Young Master!”
Namgung Hyeok nodded and stretched.
“Ahhh! Working like that wears me out.”
“Heading back?”
“No way.”
“Then?”
“You lot, grab some shovels.”
“Oh, shovels.”
Geon Cheon-hwi grinned at Tak Hyuk-dong.
Tak Hyuk-dong’s face flushed red as he pulled a small shovel from his belt.
Namgung Hyeok blinked at it.
“……Why do you carry a shovel?”
“Seemed like I’d need it a lot lately, so I just keep it on me.”
“……Yeah, good thinking.”
Namgung Hyeok nodded with a slightly dazed look.
Geon Cheon-hwi held up the shovel.
“You rest, Young Master. We’ll handle it.”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Right!”
And a short while later.
Pffft!
Do Tak-ryong, hanging from the stern by a rope, and the now-conscious Hepi Ten Swords were hauled up onto the dock like lightning.
“Ughhh!”
“Wheee!”
“Kuugh!”
They retched continuously, vomiting water and trembling as they groaned.
Do Tak-ryong barely lifted his head, then flinched.
The Thunder Dragon Squad stared at them with sinister grins.
“Uh, w-wait, I mean…….”
Tak Hyuk-dong jabbed his shovel into the ground with a twitch of his scar.
Thud!
The shovel sank deep into the wooden dock, quivering.
Do Tak-ryong’s pupils shook like an earthquake.
A shovel?
Why a shovel?
And why’s this guy so pissed?
“You swimming fuckers?”
……Yeah?
“Kah! Ptui! You’re dead today.”
“Huh? W-wait!”
“Shut it!”
Tak Hyuk-dong’s shovel handle mercilessly smacked Do Tak-ryong’s head as he flailed.
Clang!
“Grrrrk!”
Do Tak-ryong’s legs shook as he toppled over.
The Thunder Dragon Squad swarmed next, stomping the Hepi Ten Swords. Amid the crashing sounds, they soon lay belly-up, limbs twitching.
Drag drag……
Tak Hyuk-dong grabbed one of Do Tak-ryong’s ankles and dragged him.
“Come on, you bastards. You’re all fucked today.”
* * *
Joo Ja-cheol’s eyes scanned the surroundings.
His eyelids stung with every roll.
“Ugh!”
His whole body throbbed, drawing out groans. Holding back the pain, he looked around—pure darkness.
All he could see was the moon veiled by clouds and dark thickets.
‘W-where am I?’
He remembered getting beaten by Namgung Hyeok on the boat, but nothing after.
He’d passed out and woken repeatedly while submerged, but drew a blank afterward.
He must’ve been unconscious when they dragged him ashore.
‘Where’d they take me?! Mountains? Where’re the others?’
No way they only grabbed me?
They didn’t ditch me, did they?
‘For real?’
Joo Ja-cheol’s eyes twitched as anxiety surged—Namgung Hyeok could pop out anytime. He tried to move.
“……Why won’t it budge?”
Did they hit his spine wrong?
No matter how hard he strained, his body wouldn’t move.
With vision so poor, he couldn’t grasp the situation.
And why was his body throbbing like this?
Every joint tingled as if dozens had trampled him—were bones broken?
Then, the cloud-shrouded moon peeked out, casting light.
The area brightened briefly, sharpening Joo Ja-cheol’s focus.
In that instant, he gasped.
“Huh, heuk!”
The ground was right in front of his face.
Precisely, only his head poked out of a deep pit.
Joo Ja-cheol’s face paled.
“……That crazy bastard buried me where?! Ugh!”
His violent reaction made his body ache.
What the hell were they doing?
Burial out of nowhere?
Sudden terror gripped Joo Ja-cheol.
Even for that lunatic, this crossed the line!
‘That fucking Namgung Hyeok! He’s a real psycho!’
Curses flooded his mind, but fear kept his mouth shut as he scanned around.
What if Namgung Hyeok was listening nearby?
Brr!
Joo Ja-cheol shuddered.
Recalling being dragged underwater behind the boat made his stomach churn again.
But beyond that, Namgung Hyeok’s skills were beyond him.
‘How’d that weakling get so strong? Makes no sense.’
The Namgung family’s hidden power?
No, a guy who broke at the slightest touch overwhelming them all?
And that twisted mind and freakish personality?
He’d scoffed when Namgung So told him, but now rumors seemed understated. Joo Ja-cheol swallowed dryly.
Dunking them in water wasn’t enough—he had to bury them alive?
A properly insane bastard.
Strength drained from his body, pressure building.
“C-can’t, can’t breathe!”
His breath grew short, limbs numbing already.
He had to escape.
The pitch-black darkness stirred primal fear.
A beast’s howl in the mountains heightened the dread.
Joo Ja-cheol frantically tried to pull free.
“Ugh! Krgh!”
But no matter how he struggled, nothing budged.
It felt like he was sinking deeper.
Without proper inner energy, he couldn’t muster strength—disorienting.
Then.
Step step!
Ssscrape, ssscrape.
At the low footsteps and dragging sound, Joo Ja-cheol tensed.
Under the pale moonlight, Geon Cheon-hwi approached, shovel in hand.
Joo Ja-cheol stared, not daring to breathe.
His eyes drowned in fear.
The shovel handle dragging in the dark crept horror upward.
What’s he gonna do with that?
Smash my head?
……Fuck.
“Y-you, youuu!”
Geon Cheon-hwi jabbed the shovel handle right in front of Joo Ja-cheol’s eyes.
“Hik!”
He sucked in breath at the cold metal touching his nose.
“You awake?”
Joo Ja-cheol rolled his eyes frantically, holding his breath.
Behind Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyuk-dong crouched his massive frame, while Jang Woong twirled two shovel handles with a grin.
The other Thunder Dragon Squad members stabbed shovels into the ground, glaring slantwise in his direction.
Only then did Joo Ja-cheol feel the heads of the similarly buried Hepi Ten Swords trembling behind him.
These guys looked rough even drunk, but in the dark, they were spine-chilling.
Joo Ja-cheol’s mind raced.
‘They’re not Namgung blood, right? How dare lowlifes like them touch me!’
Veins bulged on his forehead.
Forgetting their place and laying hands on the White Shadow Sect’s heir?
Sudden courage surged.
Their thug-like lowly status, no Namgung Hyeok around, pride in the White Shadow Sect.
No Namgung warrior would truly harm him.
All that fueled him to lift his head again.
Joo Ja-cheol channeled energy to his dantian and shouted.
“You bastards! Do you know who I am?! I’m Joo Ja-cheol, Young Sect Leader of the White Shadow Sect! Get me out now!”
Geon Cheon-hwi stared blankly.
‘This scene feels familiar.’
It flashed him back to almost dying after sassing Namgung Hyeok.
Life’s funny.
‘Tsk tsk, he’ll come out a new man too.’
They’d learn who you can mouth off to and who you can’t.
Poor bastards.
Seeing Geon Cheon-hwi tsk, Joo Ja-cheol flipped his eyes.
That fucker just tsked, right?!
Outraged, Joo Ja-cheol yelled again.
“Hey, you idiots! Wanna die?! I’m Joo Ja-cheol, son of the White Shadow Sect Leader! You think you’ll get away with…….”
“Fuck, you’re noisy as hell.”
Tak Hyuk-dong spat suddenly, startling Joo Ja-cheol.
“W-what? F-fuck?”
“What!”
“You animal! Can’t even understand…….”
Crack!
Tak Hyuk-dong smashed his shovel handle into Joo Ja-cheol’s head.
“Kugh!”
Joo Ja-cheol’s neck snapped forward.
Geon Cheon-hwi glared at Tak Hyuk-dong.
“You psycho, hitting out of nowhere!”
“No, that fucker pissed me off! Lost three silver taels ‘cause of him swimming over!”
“Technically, they were tied to ropes hanging off.”
“Same damn thing!”
“Sheesh, so petty over three taels.”
“Hmph! You’re gloating?!”
Tak Hyuk-dong glared, huffing.
Geon Cheon-hwi tsked and slyly looked away.
Then, Joo Ja-cheol, head limp like he was dead, screamed again.
“Kaaaa! You crazy fuckers hitting people?! H-help, help…….”
“You little shit!”
“H-heek!”
Tak Hyuk-dong raised his shovel handle, making Joo Ja-cheol gulp.
On second look, this one was crazy too.
Joo Ja-cheol switched targets to the relatively sane Geon Cheon-hwi.
“W-what do you want from me? Why’re you doing this?!”
Geon Cheon-hwi scratched his ear boredly.
“Anbin-nakdo.”
“What? What’s that mean? Oh. Money, right.”
“Means shut your mouth.”
Since when did anbin-nakdo mean shut up?
“Don’t be annoying—just keep your trap shut. Don’t bother the Young Master.”
“……?”
“Young Master’s eating right now.”
Burying people and then eating?
Joo Ja-cheol’s anger rose again, but Geon Cheon-hwi added,
“Be grateful. At least we left a hole to breathe through.”
“…….”
“Want me to plug it?”
Joo Ja-cheol clamped his mouth shut and waited silently for Namgung Hyeok.