Lick It Clean
A day had passed. But Haenam Sect—no, the entire Haenam Peninsula—was shrouded in a funeral-like gloom. They could accept defeat in a martial duel. But there was a limit to how humiliating a loss could be. It was a crushing defeat so pathetic that even common folk could see it at a glance. And because they felt that humiliation so deeply, the people of Haenam were plunged into unprecedented shock.
"Sob... sob..."
"Waaah..."
The young disciples of Haenam Sect shed tears of rage. Watching them, Heonwon-gang recalled the time he'd been expelled from the Nine Great Sects. Back then, too, many disciples had wept. And they'd vowed to restore Haenam Sect to its former glory among the Nine Great Sects.
But that bitterness had been passed down again. Without achieving a thing.
Reality was this cruel.
"Don't cry."
Heonwon-gang forced a calm voice. "Acknowledge the wall before you and press forward. That's... the only path."
That day, Haenam Sect declared a hundred days of closed doors.
Haegu, the port of Haenam Peninsula. Unlike usual, it buzzed with out-of-towners. They were visitors who'd come to watch the wedding duel and were now waiting to board ships back to the Central Plains. Ships didn't depart every day, so they had to wait at least a few days.
Bang So-un's group was no exception. Even Geom-bong, the central figure of it all.
The Four Seas Inn at Haegu. It was one of the inns far busier than usual. Every room in the annex was full, and the main hall teemed with people just for meals.
On the first floor of that Four Seas Inn's main building, a group that screamed "martial artists" had claimed the largest table. Four men and one woman. Each man had a seasoned look and carried various weapons, while the woman had a seductive yet venomous face and no visible weapon.
They were none other than the Guizhou Five Kills.
A band of ronin who traveled as a pack. Not unusual. Groups of ronin had stronger negotiating power. They could demand higher pay. And so they mainly operated in Guizhou territory, building quite a reputation. Especially since they took on any dirty job without hesitation and showed no mercy in their strikes, they were popular with clients seeking that sort of work.
But that very reason made them shunned by ordinary folk. Their nickname with "Kills" in it wasn't for show.
Their presence on Haenam Peninsula was, of course, to watch the duel. The outcome satisfied them. Seeing a so-called prestigious orthodox sect get smashed while acting like they owned the martial world was always a thrill.
"Sword Dragon, my ass. More like a goddamn worm."
"Haha. Rumors in the martial world are always like that, right, big brother?"
"Haenam Sect's all flash and no substance from the start. Island hicks sure know how to exaggerate."
"Pfft, haha! Country bumpkins strutting around the vast Central Plains like they own it."
"Hehe, my brothers are spot on."
The Guizhou Five Kills trashed Haenam Sect with glee right there on Haenam Peninsula. Even they, treated like mad dogs in Guizhou, wouldn't normally dare. But now? No hesitation. They knew Haenam Sect had declared a hundred days of closed doors. Closed doors meant no external activities whatsoever. Not even on Haenam Peninsula. No Haenam warriors in sight, so they mocked freely. Like weasels rampaging in a mountain without tigers.
"......"
The faces of nearby Haenam locals simmered with barely contained fury. The innkeeper, cooks, errand boys—all locals.
And the martial artists operating in the South Sea region looked grim too. On the verge of exploding. In the South Sea martial world, Haenam Sect held a special place. Trashing it was as good as trashing the entire South Sea martial world.
In the end, someone snapped.
BAM!
A middle-aged martial artist shot to his feet. The Fast Shadow Swordsman.
"Hey, isn't that going too far?"
The Guizhou Five Kills turned wary eyes on him. But realizing he was alone and not that strong, they sneered.
"Who the hell are you?"
Four Kills asked dismissively.
"Martial artists in my region call me the Fast Shadow Swordsman."
The Five exchanged glances. An unknown nickname. That meant one thing. Even if active regions differed, famous nicknames spread. Unknown locally? Small fry.
"Ha, which region? I don't know you, and neither do my contacts there. Self-proclaimed?"
"Puhaha!"
"Pfft, kekeke!"
"Hohoho!"
Four Kills' blatant mockery set off roaring laughter from the Five. The Fast Shadow Swordsman trembled with rage.
"Grr, and what makes you so arrogant...?"
"You think a self-proclaimed martial artist like you deserves our nicknames? Wanna know? Make us talk."
Three Kills sneered this time.
"Such insolent scum!"
The Fast Shadow Swordsman was truly furious now. Others too.
"Damn it, can't watch anymore."
"There's a line to everything, you mannerless bastards!"
Two more South Sea martial artists stood. Wolf Sharp Blade and Whirlwind Hand. Now three. Enough to threaten the Five seriously.
The Guizhou Five Kills' expressions hardened. They knew well: Crush them visibly while it's three-on-three, or others would crawl out. But no ganging up. They'd think they won through numbers. Make it three-on-three and stomp thoroughly.
"Three, Four, Five. You handle it."
One Kill leisurely gulped his drink and said.
"Yes, big brother."
"Leave it to us."
"Hehe, got it."
Three Kills with sword, Four Kills with spear, Five Kills bare-handed. Though no one knew if truly bare until the fight.
"We leave it to you, great heroes."
"No worries. I'll take the spear guy."
"Then I'll handle that woman."
A fierce battle soon erupted in the inn.
Slash!
"Gaaargh!"
Three Kills' sword severed Fast Shadow Swordsman's right shoulder. The severed arm hit the floor, sword still in hand. He collapsed screaming in agony. He wouldn't die, but life as a martial artist was over. Crippled.
"Hmph, pathetic skills."
Three Kills flicked blood off and sheathed his sword.
Meanwhile, the other fights neared conclusion.
Thrust!
"Kuhuk!"
Four Kills' spear pierced Wolf Sharp Blade's left knee. Flesh and bone shredded. The lower leg dangled by a thread, nearly severed. Wolf Sharp Blade crumpled. Crippled too.
They were the lucky ones.
Stab! Stab!
"Gyyyaaah! My... my eyes! My eyyyyyes!"
Five Kills' hidden weapons brutally destroyed Whirlwind Hand's eyes. Blind forever. Life in ruins in an instant.
The gruesome outcome froze everyone in horror. Some trembled in terror. The inn was now firmly under Guizhou Five Kills' control.
"Ha, clueless idiots. Hey, innkeeper!"
Four Kills bellowed.
"Y-yes, heroes!"
The innkeeper rushed out, bowing low. No one could blame him. Survival instinct.
"Drag these worm bastards outside. Ruining my booze."
"Y-yes! Right away!"
The innkeeper groveled, yelling at the errand boys.
"What are you waiting for? Get these... these people out now!"
The boys hurriedly dragged the brave South Sea martial artists outside by force. Brutal, but reality. This was the martial world, ruled by strength.
"Boring, so boring. That all? Any more malcontents? Come out!"
Four Kills glared around the inn. Everyone averted eyes, heads down, barely breathing.
"None? Then shut up and eat! Puhahaha!"
Four Kills laughed uproariously, returning to his seat.
"Hohoho, Fourth Brother's so bold."
Five Kills giggled, sitting too.
"Saw what happens if you mess up? Be careful."
Three Kills warned coldly last, returning.
"Well done."
One Kill said approvingly.
"Haha, nothing."
"Even more boring than Haenam Sect."
"Hehe, too easy to bother talking about."
The Five all thought: Rampaging where the tiger's gone is pretty fun. Rare opportunity.
How often did a major sect suddenly close doors?
"Haenam Sect must be reeling hard."
Two Kills snickered.
"Haha, yeah. Stabilizing internal unrest will be tough. That's when demonic possession hits."
The most seasoned One Kill saw through much of it. A sect humiliated publicly before crowds? Inexperienced disciples would suffer heart demons. Emotions hard to control. And heart demons led to qi deviation. No wonder the hasty closure.
"Heh, quite entertaining."
Four Kills chuckled over his drink.
"What's so funny?"
"Huh?"
The Five quickly scanned around. Everyone startled, heads down.
"Not them."
One Kill narrowed his eyes.
"Obviously not, morons."
The curse made the Five's faces ugly.
BAM!
Four Kills kicked up from his seat.
"Which crazy bastard? Show yourself!"
"Me."
Someone entered from the door. Seeing the face, the Five's expressions turned oddly complex.
That guy...?
"Close the door."
"Yes, Young Master."
BAM!
Jang Il shut the door.
Bang So-un strode to the table where the crippled martial artists had sat, plopping down. He poured the remaining liquor from the cup onto the floor.
Splash.
"Lick it. Then I'll spare you, thinking you know manners."