Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Exile (1)
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The results of the life-or-death duel were in.
Dang Yu-wol's victory.
It was so decisive that no one could utter another word.
"Yukwol Hall is to be disbanded."
"N-No!! But this is...!!"
"Is there some problem?"
"Yukwol Hall... cannot be disbanded!"
"He's right! That was just the ravings of our senile hall master!!"
Yukwol Hall had committed all sorts of atrocities across Sacheon up until now.
From the hall members' perspective, they had no choice but to react this way.
'If Yukwol Hall is disbanded, their grudge will turn to us.'
'Absolutely not. No way!!'
But that was merely their own circumstance.
"Then just die."
Dang Yu-wol, who had slain Yuk Geo-wang, flicked the dagger in his hand.
At his signal, the Tang Clan disciples rose to their feet.
Would they fight here?
Or bide their time for another day?
In the end, the Yukwol Hall members bowed their heads.
"...We will disband Yukwol Hall."
"And all of Yukwol Hall's rights and properties will revert to the Tang Clan."
They had staked everything on the fight.
So the consequences would follow suit.
In the end, they were left with nothing as Yukwol Hall disbanded and they were chased out.
-Are you really just going to let those guys go?
'As if.'
He had already informed Ji Gong and the escorts.
Once the duel ended, they were to wait outside the government office and eliminate them.
"Friend!! I knew you'd win!!"
-For someone who knew, you sure looked anxious as hell.
'Let's just gloss over that.'
"Thank you."
"By the way, what was that Nine Palms technique earlier? Does the Tang Clan have something like that?"
"Haha. We have a few secret techniques hidden away."
He gave a light response to Magistrate Jang Ung's question.
But even Dang Yu-wol himself was curious.
So he had asked Ye-ui, who explained it nonchalantly.
-It was a technique used by someone I worked with long ago. They called it Eight Trigrams Palm.
'It was more powerful than I expected. Know any others?'
-There are a few, but... they're beyond what you can handle right now.
'Even with my first-rate level of internal energy, it's not enough?'
-Exactly.
'Then I'll have to train harder.'
-Good luck with that. Anyway... the Sacheon Merchant Alliance has fallen.
The Sacheon Merchant Alliance had crumbled, and he had absorbed everything they possessed.
But with such rapid growth, the internal discord couldn't be ignored.
'There are still those hostile to the Tang Clan within.'
-So what do you plan to do?
'Clean them out first...'
And above all, recruiting talent was crucial.
-Got any good candidates?
'Of course. Isn't the regressor's privilege knowing the future?'
Dang Yu-wol grinned, recalling his plan.
There was some good talent available.
"Young Clan Head!!"
"Congratulations on your victory!"
Those dissatisfied with Yu-wol Hall offered their congratulations.
Dang Yu-wol looked around at them.
"Thank you for the well-wishes. We can't let this joyous day pass idly."
"Then...?"
"I'll host a banquet. Please enjoy yourselves."
The Tang Clan was throwing a celebration.
Who would turn down free booze and food?
Everyone who had come to watch rejoiced greatly.
"Congratulations."
As he returned to the Tang Clan after the banquet, a beggar elder approached him.
It was Gu Hwan-gae.
"I didn't expect you to pull off something this big."
"I'm still a long way off."
"Hahaha. I suppose so."
"Does the Beggars' Sect plan to make an issue of this?"
"As if. As long as the Tang Clan flies the flag of the orthodox faction, the Beggars' Sect has no reason to complain."
"I see."
"More importantly, how did you forge an alliance with Cheongsung Sect?"
"It's a secret."
"Argh, you're killing me with curiosity."
"I can't have you dying on me."
"So you'll tell me?"
"No."
"You little...?!"
Gu Hwan-gae bristled.
This wasn't even teasing—what was his deal?
"Whatever. You'll have to figure it out yourself."
A Beggars' Sect disciple couldn't just be handed information.
He figured he'd look into it quietly.
"By the way, the recent situation in the martial world feels off."
"What do you mean?"
"Poisons are spreading here and there."
-The Blood Cult.
'Yeah. Right around now, they're testing the poisons they've been developing.'
"Know anything about it?"
"Has the Beggars' Sect uncovered something?"
"Hm... less 'uncovered' and more my guess."
He rolled his eyes slyly.
"It's the Blood Cult."
-Sharp as ever.
His experience in the martial world wasn't for nothing, it seemed.
Dang Yu-wol looked at him with wonder.
"Don't give me that look. It's just a hunch."
"I had a similar thought."
"Huh? How would you know about the Blood Cult?"
"...Various things happened."
"A punk who hasn't even lived twenty years knows what...?"
He shook his head in disbelief.
"Anyway, I just came to congratulate you today."
"Not to ask about the poison?"
"Ugh. Yeah. I figured you might know something."
"What are the symptoms?"
"The body grows listless. For those who cultivate martial arts, their meridians gradually stiffen."
"That's all?"
"No. Non-martial artists often vomit blood. And red spots appear all over the body..."
"It's Earth Soul Rigid Poison. A poison once used by the Five Poisons Sect."
"Huh? What connection does the Five Poisons Sect have with the Blood Cult?"
"Who knows. Maybe the Blood Cult acquired it from them."
-That's exactly it.
'No need to reveal that much.'
"Anyway, I'll tell you the antidote."
"What?! You can do that?"
"Yes. But... I have one request."
"What is it?"
"I need to stabilize the Tang Clan. I'd appreciate your help, elder."
"Huh. What do you need?"
"Stay in Tang Clan territory for a while. We'll feed the beggars and all."
-Planning to use everything at your disposal?
'Damn right.'
Right now, beggars or whatever—he needed to make use of them.
-So? Who are you bringing in?
Dang Yu-wol smiled faintly.
Memories of his past life surfaced.
'The exile.'
"Jin-seong. As of today, you are banished from our sect."
In Jin-ung County, not far from Seongdo.
The new sect leader of Gusung Sect, one of the county's sects, declared firmly.
Hyeon-gyeok spoke with authority.
"What?!"
To be suddenly kicked out of the sect.
For Jin-seong, it was a bolt from the blue.
"Wh-Why are you saying this, senior brother? I... I..."
"You bastard!! The sect's rules are strict!! Calling the sect leader 'senior brother'!!"
The son of the former sect leader.
Standing beside Hyeon-gyeok—whom he had called senior brother just yesterday—were those who had been his martial siblings until yesterday.
"Jin-seong. How many years has it been since you joined the sect?"
"Th-That is..."
Fifteen years.
Fifteen years since his master had taken in the beggar boy he once was.
"Yet you still haven't surpassed the third star of Gusung Sect's martial art, Nine Fire True Azure."
"But! Even so, I!!"
"The power dynamics in Sacheon are shifting now. With the Tang Clan ascending, we must swiftly demonstrate our sect's strength."
"But senior... no, sect leader. I've lived my entire life for Gusung Sect!!"
"For someone who claims that, you can't even properly wield the martial arts. What can you do?"
Hyeon-gyeok's fiancée—and Jin-seong's junior sister—Ju Hye-san giggled coyly.
She clung to Hyeon-gyeok's arm.
"It's the sect leader's decision! How dare you keep objecting!!"
His martial brothers and sisters.
And even the disciples who had called him grandmaster until yesterday now looked at him with contempt.
"Disciples, listen!! Seize this outsider at once!!"
"Yes!!"
Gusung Sect disciples grabbed him.
He wanted to resist somehow.
But there was nothing a third-rate like him could do.
"Everything left in your body belongs to Gusung Sect. We'll take it all back."
Hyeon-gyeok reached out with a cruel smile.
"Kaaaaagh!!"
His internal energy ravaged Jin-seong's tiny dantian.
Making it so he could never cultivate martial arts again.
"Guhhh...!! Why... why are you doing this... senior brother..."
Tears welled up.
Not from the pain, but from the betrayal.
But the Gusung Sect members only sneered at him.
A month had passed since losing his dantian.
The aftereffects of the dantian ruin still lingered.
Still, a man had to eat to live.
So Jin-seong dragged himself to the labor office again today.
"Oh, there he is. Hey, come over here."
A job? He hoped it wasn't too strenuous.
The lingering effects made it hard to exert himself.
As he approached with a deathly pale face, the office manager beamed.
"This gentleman wants to hire you."
"Who... are you?"
He looked younger than Jin-seong.
A man in fine silk robes.
Dang Yu-wol smiled gently.
'Martial artists produce nothing.'
-That's right. They're nothing but consumers.
Ye-ui agreed with Dang Yu-wol's words.
-Martial artists claim their job is honing their martial prowess and fighting.
As if it were more important than anything in the world.
Even though they produced almost nothing.
'Exactly. That's why martial artists need support from others.'
Dang Yu-wol assessed the man he needed to recruit this time.
'And in that regard, Jin-seong is exceptional.'
Those who resisted the Blood Cult in his previous life weren't just the orthodox sects and the imperial court.
Among them, Dok-a-rang Jin-seong was truly remarkable.
-Dok-a-rang, huh. I've heard of him.
'Oh?'
-If the King of Ronin led the ronin at the front, Dok-a-rang took care of them.
'Right. Without him, the ronin couldn't have fought properly. Logistics and administration can't be ignored.'
-So? You're going to pick him up now?
'Yeah. I heard he stayed in the area for a year after being expelled from Gusung Sect.'
-Wow. Coincidence or fate? Him getting banished right when you regressed.
'Doesn't matter.'
Right. It didn't matter.
For the Tang Clan.
And to stop the Blood Cult.
Upon arriving in Jin-ung County, Dang Yu-wol headed straight for the labor office.
"Jin-seong? He's over there."
And found him.
"Wh-Why would a noble person like you...?"
"I've heard you handled administration, support, and everything else at Gusung Sect."
"It's what I've done since I was young..."
"It's absurd. A sect can't survive without someone providing that support."
Jin-seong hung his head.
He had thought it important too.
But this was his end result.
"Why did they cast you out?"
"...I don't know."
-Are they idiots? So what if he can't fight? Losing the guy handling all the admin right away...
'Historically, the ones doing the expelling are usually the fools. It's tradition.'
-...There's a history and tradition of that?
'In my previous life, yeah.'