Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Cleaning Up the Trash
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“R-Ruju-nim!”
“Ugh!”
The warriors of Eunha Brothel cried out in horror at the sight of their Ruju, Jeok Woong-san, being dragged in by Namgung Hyuk.
Jeok Woong-san dangled limply from Namgung Hyuk’s grip like a chicken with its neck twisted.
One glance was enough to see his dire state.
His head was cracked open, blood pouring down, and his limbs hung half-twisted and limp.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d been crumpled up like a piece of paper.
Whoosh, thud!
“Cough, hack!”
Jeok Woong-san hacked away for a while before jerking upright in a convulsion.
“Gaaah!”
Looking around in panic, he stared at Namgung Hyuk with a face drained white.
Namgung Hyuk smirked leisurely.
Behind him stood men dressed in Namgung Clan uniforms, looking every bit like bandits. Jeok Woong-san knew they were the Thunder Dragon Squad.
A courtesan he’d planted in the annex had reported it.
‘Groan... W-what the hell is going on?’
It was unexpected, but that wasn’t the issue.
The problem was he couldn’t fathom why the Namgung Clan warriors, who had come as guests, were suddenly causing a ruckus.
No, now he had to suspect their purpose in coming here at all.
Groaning, Jeok Woong-san shouted.
“W-what is the meaning of this...”
Smack!
“Gaaah!”
A shock like his brain exploding hit him, and Jeok Woong-san clutched the back of his head in agony.
It was pain of an intensity he’d never felt before.
He flopped about like a fish impaled on a hook, writhing in torment.
“Kneel, you punk.”
As Tak Hyeok-dong bellowed and raised his arm, Jeok Woong-san flinched and dropped to his knees in fright.
His limbs dangled uselessly, but he had no time to care.
Deep down, though, doubt boiled into rage.
Even if Eunha Brothel belonged to a black path faction and bowed to the Namgung Clan’s influence, this was outright oppression.
They couldn’t just barge in without cause, force the warriors to kneel, and lay hands on him.
And this humiliation on top of it!
Jeok Woong-san glared at Namgung Hyuk with bloodshot eyes.
He stole glances at Tak Hyeok-dong, grinding his teeth.
“...What’s the reason for this! Even the Namgung Clan can’t just show up out of nowhere and run wild! I’ve rolled around in these streets long enough to know the game. Don’t beat around the bush—tell me straight what you want. I’ll make it happen!”
“Wow, our Ruju’s got some fire in him.”
“Don’t mock me.”
“Hoh.”
As Namgung Hyuk sighed lightly, Tak Hyeok-dong—who had been standing ready like an executioner awaiting the signal—raised his palm.
Smack!
“Ptooey!”
“Keep those eyes polite, punk. Be extra courteous in front of the young master.”
“Grk, groan!”
Jeok Woong-san groaned, wiping the blood trickling from his mouth.
It felt like his blood was surging backward.
‘These bastards dare treat me like a joke...’
His bloodshot gaze swept the surroundings.
Fifty Eunha Brothel warriors and their chief steward knelt like criminals, trembling as if seized by malaria.
Sensing he couldn’t turn the tables right now, Jeok Woong-san ground his teeth and glared with venom in his eyes.
Namgung Hyuk chuckled.
“Where’d you hide the ledger?”
“...The ledger? Everything’s in the office. You must be looking for some pretext to hand it over to the authorities. But it won’t be that easy just because we have ledgers.”
“The human trafficking ledger’s different, though.”
Flinch.
Jeok Woong-san clamped his mouth shut.
But he couldn’t hide the anxious flicker in his bulging eyes.
‘How the hell does this guy know about that?’
If word got out that the Namgung Clan’s front yard was a hub for human trafficking, it was all over.
They’d be uprooted at best, and the authorities wouldn’t sit idle either. That’s why the trafficking had been conducted in utmost secrecy.
So how had Namgung Hyuk found out?
Namgung Hyuk smirked.
“You just flinched, didn’t you?”
“......”
“But even if I find the ledger, I don’t think scum like you will vanish for good.”
The black path was like poisonous mushrooms.
Take your eyes off them for a second, and they sprout in corners, spreading spores and overtaking everything.
Cut them down, and more keep popping up—you could never uproot them all.
It had been that way in the past, it was now, and it would be in the future. He was certain.
“Ledgers? We can just make new ones. How hard is that?”
...They’re going to forge documents?
Jeok Woong-san cried out desperately.
“Why, why are you doing this? Why? Tell me why!”
Namgung Hyuk grinned.
“Who’s the guy backing you? Care to enlighten me?”
“T-that’s...”
“The ledger’s with him, right?”
“......”
“Oh, I see. So it’s not just you managing it, then?”
Cold sweat poured down Jeok Woong-san’s back.
Not a word from him, yet he was seen through completely.
He looked like someone who’d rolled in the black path for decades, knowing every dirty trick.
It was an aura only a veteran could exude.
Namgung Hyuk nodded as if he’d expected as much.
“Hey, you hear that?”
...Hear what? He hadn’t said a thing?
Eyes fixed on Jeok Woong-san, Namgung Hyuk grinned.
“Round up every last bastard running a pleasure house around here. Brothels, thugs, doesn’t matter.”
Geon Cheon-hwi responded instantly, as if he’d been waiting.
“Yes, Young Master!”
The Thunder Dragon Squad scattered in all directions.
Despair crept into Jeok Woong-san’s eyes.
People lined up kneeling in rows across the Eunha Brothel courtyard.
Every time the Thunder Dragon Squad returned, the line grew by one or two, until there was scarcely any empty space left in the yard.
Namgung Hyuk crossed one leg over the other, swinging his foot idly.
“Whew, there’s a ton of them.”
Dig in one spot, and they came out connected like potato vines.
That’s why cockroaches and poisonous mushrooms were so scary.
Take your eyes off for a moment, lower your guard, and this happens.
But still, for poisonous mushrooms to sprout in bundles right under the Namgung Clan’s nose...
“This ain’t cute anymore.”
Namgung Hyuk clicked his tongue, and Geon Cheon-hwi approached.
“That’s all of them.”
He nodded and rose to his feet.
At that moment, Tak Hyeok-dong slipped behind the lined-up Rujus.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
“Straighten the line! Be respectful, you punks!”
Tak Hyeok-dong unleashed a flurry of palm shadows rivaling the Plum Blossom Mountain Dance of the Mount Hua Sect, smashing the backs of the Rujus’ heads in a spectacular display.
“Gah, gaaah!”
“Eek!”
With bizarre screams, the Rujus toppled forward only to scramble back into position.
The Rujus desperately eyed Namgung Hyuk, sweat and blood streaming from their foreheads as they gulped dryly over and over.
Watching them, Namgung Hyuk spoke.
“Who’s the guy backing you?”
The Rujus’ mouths gaped as they stared at Namgung Hyuk. Their eyes involuntarily flicked toward Jeok Woong-san.
Jeok Woong-san shook his head frantically in panic, but their distrust didn’t fade.
Given the situation, anyone could see Jeok Woong-san had played a part in their capture.
He might’ve sold them out to save his own skin, or maybe he’d already spilled everything and Namgung Hyuk was testing them.
Either way, when the question of their backer came up, the Rujus realized the scales had tipped.
If the Namgung Clan decided to dig, uncovering the backer would be child’s play.
The only difference was that by then, they—the ones already caught—would have nowhere to run.
Grinding their teeth and glaring at Jeok Woong-san, the Rujus steeled their resolve.
“...Dodongpa.”
“Dodongpa?”
Just as the intel from the black market suggested, Dodongpa was tied to human trafficking.
But the scale and web of connections were far beyond what he’d imagined—immense by comparison.
It rubbed him the wrong way.
Namgung Hyuk stood, declaring.
“Let’s go clean up the trash.”
Geon Cheon-hwi and Tak Hyeok-dong snapped their heads up.
“Yes, Young Master!”
“Let’s go, lads!”
Seeing the Thunder Dragon Squad leap to their feet, Do Dae-woong flinched.
The sudden shift in their aura made his legs go weak.
They erupted with killing intent—it chilled him to the bone.
‘What’s gotten into these guys?’
It was a different vibe from when they’d been beating the Rujus.
“...Y-Young Master. Do I go too?”
Namgung Hyuk spoke as if it was obvious.
“You’re guiding the way.”
“......Yes.”
* * *
The Thunder Dragon Squad halted before the Dodongpa headquarters south of Hefei.
Geon Cheon-hwi ground his teeth.
‘These mad bastards!’
To brazenly run human trafficking right in Namgung Clan territory in Hefei—it was shocking.
He knew black path scum sucked the blood of the common folk, and he’d heard it once before at the black market.
But hearing the victims’ tales firsthand made it hit differently from vague notions.
Their shameless kidnappings and trafficking ignited his fury.
Rough and savage as they were misunderstood to be, the Thunder Dragon Squad were still orthodox warriors of the Namgung Clan.
They’d caused plenty of trouble in the past by flouting regulations, but they’d never strayed from the righteous path.
Pure rage at such outrageous crimes was only natural.
Shing!
A keen blade slid free, and Geon Cheon-hwi bared his fangs.
Killing intent billowed as Tak Hyeok-dong drew his axe from his back and growled.
“I’ll take the lead. I’ll rip out these mongrel bastards’ guts and use ’em for dog leashes!”
Tak Hyeok-dong strode forward, eyes blazing with fury.
Jang Woong drew his twin blades behind him, clashing them with a shing-shing.
Sparks flew, heightening the tense atmosphere.
They pawed the ground like they’d charge any second.
Namgung Hyuk spoke in a cool, steady voice.
“No need to get worked up. Scum like this is everywhere you go.”
“......”
“Don’t half-ass it. With these types, half-measures just let them sprout back.”
The Thunder Dragon Squad nodded at Namgung Hyuk’s words.
Namgung Hyuk crooked a finger.
“Go fetch their leader’s head.”
“Yes! Young Master!”
* * *
Dodongpa warriors began sweeping goods from the warehouse.
“Don’t leave a single thing behind—take it all!”
“No traces! Move it!”
“Hurry up, hurry! You wanna get caught by the Namgung Clan bastards?!”
Squad leaders hounded their underlings.
The men scurried even faster.
Dodongpa’s boss, Gu Do-dong, stared blankly at the assets being loaded onto carts as he burned documents.
Nearly all unnecessary papers were ash by now.
“Brother! Brother!”
Gu Do-dong turned to see a subordinate from the water gate come panting up.
“Big trouble! The Namgung Clan bastards are heading this way!”
The Dodongpa warriors stirred in an instant.
It was way too soon.
Word of Namgung Clan warriors hitting the brothels had broken less than half a shichen ago.
Gu Do-dong asked.
“How many?”
“About twenty, with some second young master or whatever leading them. Get out while you can—before they arrive!”
Gu Do-dong tossed the ledger into the flames, dusted his hands, and stood.
“I’ll handle it, then we go.”
The deputy boss yelped in alarm.
“What? Brother, they’re Namgung Clan!”
“So?”
“If we touch them, the Namgung Clan will...”
“Run now or kill and run—it’s the same chase. Better to take them out now and buy time.”
It sounded reasonable on the surface, but reckless too.
Gu Do-dong’s expression didn’t change.
“We’re leaving anyway—what’s hard about killing some Namgung brat? Drop the baggage and finish them off proper.”
At Gu Do-dong’s words, the Dodongpa warriors grimly gripped their weapons.
Gu Do-dong walked to the courtyard with cold, sunken eyes.
Fifty Dodongpa warriors followed.
They’d just reached the main gate when—
Boom!
The thick gate doors shattered, white dust billowing up.
Step. Step.
Amid the rising dust, shadows of Namgung Clan warriors emerged.
In that instant, Gu Do-dong roared.
“Kill them!”