Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Silver River Brothel
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Namgung Hyeok flipped through the ledger he’d obtained from the Flame King Gang, chuckling to himself.
“You little bastard, you really raked it in.”
The pages were crammed so full they looked pitch black.
It detailed every dirty deed since the gang’s founding.
Usury loans.
Bounties.
Bribes.
Dirty business, just as you’d expect from black path scum.
They’d sucked their victims dry like marrow from bones, yet no one from the government or other sects had stepped in. They must’ve played it smart.
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue.
“Same then as now.”
Some guys just rubbed him the wrong way, no matter how much time passed.
“We’ve arrived, Young Master.”
Namgung Hyeok nodded.
Dozens of his warriors emerged from the dark alleyways.
The whole district was a shadowy den overrun with pleasure houses packed with courtesans.
In the distance, the top of the Celestial Pavilion loomed—a stark contrast.
Namgung Hyeok crooked a finger.
Do Dae-ung came scurrying up from behind.
“Y-Yes! You called for me, Young Master?”
“Where’s the Silver River Brothel?”
“Just head that way!”
“Let’s go.”
Namgung Hyeok put Do Dae-ung out front and moved.
The sudden influx of Namgung Clan warriors turned the alley dead silent in an instant.
* * *
Namgung Hyeok strode up to the Silver River Brothel.
The air grew heavy as dozens of warriors flooded the street.
The gate guards’ eyes bulged at the approaching force.
“The Namgung Clan?”
“What the hell are they doing here?”
Their faces drained of color.
No one dreamed the Namgung warriors would storm in broad daylight.
“G-Go get the chief steward!”
“Y-Yes!”
One guard bolted inside to fetch him.
Namgung Hyeok grinned and planted himself in front of the brothel.
“Got any rooms?”
“……W-What’s this about?”
“What do you think? I’m here to drink.”
“J-Just a moment. We’ve sent word inside—he’ll be right out.”
“Why bother notifying anyone? I didn’t say anything. Just give me a room.”
As Namgung Hyeok stepped forward, Geon Cheon-hwi and Tak Hyeok-dong shot out, shoving the gate captain and guards aside.
“Young Master’s coming through. Move.”
“Outta the way.”
“Urk!”
The gate captain and guards went pale as they were manhandled aside.
Stunned and helpless, they stared at Namgung Hyeok’s back.
Before they could react, he’d already sauntered inside.
Namgung Hyeok swept his gaze over the interior.
Geon Cheon-hwi stepped forward, hand on his sword hilt.
Namgung Hyeok tilted his head at the sight.
“What’re you doing?”
“……Aren’t we smashing the place right away?”
“Gotta check if they’ve got anything worth eating first.”
“……Pardon?”
As Geon Cheon-hwi blinked in confusion, Namgung Hyeok spoke quietly.
“Just follow along quietly. Quietly.”
“…….”
“I’ve got something to confirm.”
Geon Cheon-hwi retreated at the cryptic words.
Namgung Hyeok walked onward steadily.
As he entered the brothel proper, all eyes turned to him.
Bathing in the stares, he called to an approaching errand boy.
“Take us to your biggest, best room.”
“T-To the VIP annex, sir?”
“Doesn’t matter—just take good care of us, got it?”
Namgung Hyeok casually slipped him a money pouch.
The boy’s eyes went wide at its hefty weight.
Peeking inside, he saw a single hundred-tael silver ingot.
Even after top-shelf booze, dishes, and courtesans for the whole crew, there’d be ten taels left over.
“A living god of wealth!”
A money god had descended from the Namgung Clan!
The boy’s grin stretched ear to ear as his back bent double.
“Aigoo, Young Master! Leave it all to me—right this way!”
Humming a tune, the errand boy led Namgung Hyeok and the Thunder Dragon Squad along.
The sun hadn’t even set, yet the brothel oozed seediness.
Courtesans were already prepping for business, peeking out here and there.
Namgung Hyeok followed the boy naturally, while the Thunder Dragon Squad gawked around in a daze.
Courtesans in sheer robes giggled and shot flirtatious glances.
Geon Cheon-hwi cleared his throat awkwardly, and Tak Hyeok-dong rolled his eyes this way and that.
“……Ahem, you said you had something to check, but now we’re heading to a drinking party? Testing the booze, huh?”
“W-Whatever the Young Master wants, that’s what we do—don’t question it, just hngh!”
“Ahem, still, a place like this…… Hey, you feeling unwell or something?”
“W-What’re you on about?”
“Who’re you even looking at? Huh? Why’s your face so red?”
“Hmph! R-Red? It ain’t red!”
Tak Hyeok-dong ducked his head but kept sneaking peeks around.
Geon Cheon-hwi narrowed his eyes.
“If you’re sick, go wait outside.”
“Outside? Hell no! I, Tak Hyeok-dong, stick by the Young Master to the end—end!”
“Then stand straight. Quit slouching.”
“Sheesh.”
As Geon Cheon-hwi and Tak Hyeok-dong bickered, Jang Woong’s voice cut in from behind.
“Quit acting like country bumpkins. You’re being loud.”
Tak Hyeok-dong’s eyes flashed.
“What’d you say, punk?”
Jang Woong slyly turned away and fell back.
Geon Cheon-hwi twitched his brow.
“That guy’s been getting mouthy lately. You gonna train him or what?”
“Why me?”
“Should I do it?”
“We’ve got underlings for that…… Ahem! We’re here.”
Their chatter ended as the hallway opened up.
Outside lay a massive annex.
They’d barely settled in when the drinks arrived.
True to a dive in this alley, the spread was pathetic.
“Hundred taels of silver for dog food.”
“Highway robbers, these bastards.”
“I’m itching to smash ’em already.”
Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, and Jang Woong griped.
But as they stared in disbelief, the annex doors opened.
In walked beauties that made their eyes pop—rivaling even the Celestial Pavilion’s courtesans.
Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, Jang Woong, and the whole Thunder Dragon Squad perked up.
“Ahem, they’ve got some conscience after all.”
“…….”
“Let’s hold off on smashing for now.”
Namgung Hyeok smirked as the trio muttered.
“Young Master, have a drink.”
A courtesan poured his cup with a sultry lilt.
Namgung Hyeok downed it with relish, kicking off the party.
The Thunder Dragon Squad loosened up, swigging away as the girls’ teasing laughs amped up the vibe.
Namgung Hyeok drained his cup and scanned the room.
“Alright, time to poke around a bit?”
He flashed a sly grin and raised his voice.
“Here ya go—feeling good! This one’s for you!”
He pressed a bill into the hand of the courtesan serving him drinks.
Her eyes rounded.
“Oh!”
A hundred-tael silver bill. Her mouth fell open.
That was a full month’s earnings in an instant.
Clutching it, she cozied up to him, drawing all the girls’ attention his way.
As the mood peaked, Namgung Hyeok popped some snacks and asked casually,
“How long you been working here?”
“Three months now.”
“Oh? Not as long as I thought.”
She smiled wordlessly, and he blurted,
“How old are you?”
“……Twenty.”
“Really? You look way younger. I pegged you at fourteen or fifteen.”
He studied her as he spoke.
Her face stiffened slightly, and his lips curved softly.
“So, how’d you end up here?”
“W-Well…….”
The serving girl hesitated, looking uneasy.
A girl feeding him snacks from his left cut in.
She smiled gently.
“Why dig into a lowly girl’s past? It’ll just kill the vibe. Every wench here’s got a sob story.”
“That’s why I wanna hear ’em.”
“It’ll sour the drinks, and us girls’ll be in trouble. Worried the pouches’ll snap shut over our tales. And the chief steward scares us plenty.”
Namgung Hyeok snorted and pulled out a bill.
Thud.
Eyes widened at the thousand-tael note.
“Not shutting now, are they?”
“……My mistake. It’s just the girls’ stories are too pitiful—I don’t wanna talk.”
“Drunk enough, anything slips out.”
He added another bill, eyeing her.
“I’m Namgung Clan’s second young master. Ring a bell? Touch my heartstrings, and I might buy you out.”
The girl bit her lower lip.
Yeon-hwa, the first server, spoke cautiously.
“……Um, Young Master.”
She glanced around nervously, then froze.
One courtesan stared at her, slowly turning her head.
“Well, well?”
Namgung Hyeok’s eyes sharpened.
“Hey.”
“……Yes?”
“You. Out.”
“Y-Yes? Suddenly?”
“Out.”
Her face hardened; she trembled briefly, then fled the annex.
Namgung Hyeok waved her off before she could glare at Yeon-hwa one last time.
“No more of that. Now talk freely.”
Yeon-hwa’s eyes widened, then she looked wary.
“……But are you really a Namgung young master?”
Tak Hyeok-dong snorted.
“Hah! What else would he be, missy? Can’t you tell just by looking?”
Yeon-hwa scanned him up and down, then bowed hastily.
Geon Cheon-hwi smacked Tak Hyeok-dong’s head.
Whack!
“You idiot, don’t laugh! You’re scary!”
“W-What’d I do!”
“Don’t laugh with that beet-red face. Makes it worse!”
Geon Cheon-hwi subdued him and waved it off.
“Ignore this fool. Keep going.”
Yeon-hwa hesitated, then steeled herself.
“Three months ago, my dad’s debts got me sold here. Usury and threats…… I’m fifteen now…….”
“Fifteen?”
“Y-Yes.”
“And them too?”
“……Yes.”
Damn, starting off rough.
Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, and Jang Woong jolted in shock.
Staring at the nearby girls, they leaped back.
“Urk!”
“Mercy, Your Honor! I’m innocent!”
“……I-I haven’t drunk yet!”
The Thunder Dragon Squad backed against the wall like clockwork.
As the girls floundered, Namgung Hyeok tilted his cup and said,
“Got anyone else?”
They hesitated, then one by one spoke up.
“I’m seventeen, and the reason I came here is…….”
The tales poured out, thickening the air.
“……I tried running away, but they always caught me. Beat me till my bones broke, so now…… sob.”
The last girl choked up and burst into tears.
Crunch.
Geon Cheon-hwi’s jaw clenched, eyes darkening.
Tak Hyeok-dong balled his fists, cursing under his breath.
“Crazy bastards.”
Jang Woong chimed in.
“Are they insane? Human trafficking right under our clan’s nose! Kidnapping, beatings—what the hell…….”
The Thunder Dragon Squad fell silent.
The stories defied imagination.
Every one tragic, unjust.
Namgung Hyeok chuckled.
“These girls won’t do.”
Rotten to the core, and their vibes sucked too.
As tearful sobs filled the annex,
“Where’s the owner?”
“……Top floor of the Silver River Hall.”
“Yeah?”
Namgung Hyeok rose slowly.
“Five or six of you stay and guard this place.”
“Yes, sir!”
Six Thunder Dragon Squad members stayed; Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, and the rest followed.
The brothel guards gaped at the sudden exodus from the annex.
Namgung Hyeok sighed wearily at Geon Cheon-hwi and Tak Hyeok-dong.
“Sigh, hey—get those guys on their knees.”
Geon Cheon-hwi’s eyes gleamed.
“Yes, Young Master!”
Tak Hyeok-dong bellowed,
“Everyone, on your knees! Down!”
With fierce shouts, the Thunder Dragon Squad charged the brothel guards.
“W-What?!”
“Gaaack!”
Ignoring their screams, Namgung Hyeok kicked off the floor.
Five leaps later, he’d scaled the outer wall to the top of the Silver River Hall.
Crash!
He ripped out a window in one go.
“W-Who the hell are you!”
The brothel owner gawked in terror.
Namgung Hyeok smirked.
“Who the hell? Watch your tongue, punk.”
He reached for the retreating owner.
Crunch!
“G-Gack!”
The owner’s eyes bulged; his tongue lolled out.
“You and I are gonna chat downstairs.”
Namgung Hyeok started dragging him down, then paused.
“Oh, right—first, a beating.”