Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Wol Yeong (3)
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"My master's enemy. I can't forgive that. Come at me."
"……"
No, if you're not going to comply with the demand, then get the hell out of my sight?
Wol Yeong was utterly dumbfounded.
What kind of boy was Cheongun?
He was the kind of money-grubbed madman who, upon receiving the Golden Plum—one of the Ten Treasures of the World—as a gift from his master, immediately put it up for auction.
The Golden Plum was a priceless treasure crafted by Yang Ji-hwa, the famed artisan of the Western Regions, to celebrate the former emperor's sixtieth birthday.
It was one of only ten such items in existence across the entire Central Plains—a treasure among treasures.
The martial world had erupted in chaos when it appeared at auction!
Jin Mu-seong, furious at the act, had ground his teeth and paid an exorbitant premium to buy it back. It was a famous anecdote.
The money-mad bastard, Cheongun.
The lunatic who would auction off even his master's gift. So surely, if he offered a massive sum to persuade the master, there'd be no reason to refuse.
That was the calculation. Yet here he was, responding like this right off the bat!
Wol Yeong cautiously opened her mouth.
"What the hell is this? You clearly just told me to get lost..."
"Shut up. You're annoying. Come at me."
"……"
Cheongun pointed at the stunned Wol Yeong with his finger while directing his gaze to Ryeon standing beside him.
"Ryeon-ah, did you see that?"
"See what?"
"That information peddler over there."
"That bitch?"
"Yeah. The one who nearly got your sect leader's one and only disciple killed, then spouts nonsense about persuading the master. Information brokers are always like this. Top-tier in sheer shamelessness across the Central Plains."
Cheongun addressed Wol Yeong once more.
"You, stay right there. And don't you dare open your mouth."
"……"
Cheongun immediately turned to So Yerin.
"So Yerin. You've got something to do."
"Say it."
"Check the secret tattoo."
So Yerin nodded as if it were no big deal, approached the rigid Wol Yeong, and slightly lifted the hem of her jeogori.
On the left side of her exposed navel was a small raven tattoo.
It was the black bird, symbol of the Secret Assembly.
As So Yerin closely examined the secret tattoo, Wol Yeong—her face flushing beet red—tried to shout something.
"I clearly told you not to make a peep. I hate people who make me repeat myself. If you open your mouth here, I'll have to tell you to shut it again, right? I hate repeating myself twice, and three times even more. But what's to guarantee someone who's pissed me off once won't do it again? So it's better to just kill off anyone who makes me repeat myself beforehand."
At those words, Wol Yeong's gaping lips snapped shut as if by magic.
Cheongun gazed calmly at So Yerin, as if nothing had happened.
"The martial world runs on favors and grudges."
"Favors and grudges?"
"A debt owed must be repaid someday, and a grudge suffered must be avenged. That's the way of the jianghu."
"……"
"That's why even righteous sect warriors, in the heat of fury, don't just draw their swords recklessly. They set rules and duel formally. They're afraid of the chains of favors and grudges that come with raw combat, so they wrap it in the pretense of a 'duel' to give both sides a clean excuse."
Cheongun pondered how to convey his true feelings toward the Secret Assembly and continued.
"There are many kinds of favors and grudges. The common thread is that each has its justification. Master's enemy, parents' foe, avenging the sect's honor—whatever. For a favor or grudge to hold, there must be a plausible incident or backstory tying the parties."
So Yerin thought for a moment before responding.
"So what?"
"That's why you and that bitch are both problems."
"Suddenly?"
Cheongun paused briefly before continuing.
"Here's what I think. Information is like a spark. If it lands right, it becomes warming heat that saves lives. If it lands wrong, it turns into a raging inferno that burns everything. Even if you're selling info, you need to know where it's going and who it might harm."
"……"
"Look at the Beggars' Gang. They handle information too, but they don't sell it recklessly. They know where to draw the line. If there's even a whiff of favors or grudges involved, they refuse no matter the sum. They only provide to those who truly need it."
Cheongun glared alternately at So Yerin and Wol Yeong as he pressed on.
"But what about the Filth Gate or the Secret Assembly? If the price is right, they'll sell anything. They hand info to assassins targeting innocents, leak merchant caravan details to ruin trade routes. They even shield human traffickers as 'family.' Without justification or story, they peddle hate everywhere, stirring up fights."
"...That's."
Cheongun finished his point.
"That's why they're black道."
"……"
"That Wol Yeong bitch is the same. She nearly got a clan heir killed by selling her info without a shred of justification, and now she's whining about injustice to me. Shameless to her core. A retard on top of being stupid."
So Yerin's face flushed red.
He was cursing Wol Yeong, but it felt like he was cursing her too.
Above all, it was embarrassing.
There wasn't a word of it that was wrong.
Seeing that, Cheongun drove the nail in.
"If the Filth Gate is scum from the bottom rungs banding together, they should climb up from there. The moment they wallow in the filth and call it normal, it's not survival anymore—it's just rotting."
"That's."
"No such thing as born nobility, but you can choose your path. Look at a caterpillar. Born eating rotten leaves, it becomes a butterfly through pupa stage. Are you worse than a damn caterpillar?"
"......"
Cheongun followed the flow of his thoughts.
It started as just tearing into them, but deep down, he hoped So Yerin would snap out of it.
Since he'd been isekai'd into this world, his ultimate goal was still toppling the Demonic Cult.
To do that, he needed to reform the Filth Gate and Secret Assembly.
He could do it himself, but that'd be a hassle.
Once he crushed the Demonic Cult, he'd pocket the profits and vanish to live leisurely forever.
So he tossed a few words hoping his companion So Yerin would wise up.
Cheongun spoke in a calm tone.
"I know about the Filth Gate and Secret Assembly's relationship."
"……"
"So this time, I'm planning to wipe the Secret Assembly from the jianghu."
At that, Wol Yeong shuddered violently, hiccuping nonstop.
"But it's a shame to just destroy such a force. That's why I'm going to swallow it up and merge it into the Filth Gate."
So Yerin asked.
"The Filth Gate and Secret Assembly?"
"Yeah. But not in this retarded way of selling every scrap of info for money. That won't last. Eventually, you'll buy grudges like now and get tangled in revenge messes."
"You're right."
"Not scum from the gutters circle-jerking with mental victories. We need a force where dragons rise from the sewers."
"Dragons rising from the sewers... a force..."
Cheongun nodded.
Wol Yeong, trembling at the bizarrely shifting atmosphere, nodded unconsciously too.
She was genuinely impressed by his words.
As she nodded, a smile unwittingly crept onto her face. Cheongun spotted it and glared.
"Hey."
"Ah...?"
"Smiling? You think this situation's funny?"
"No, it's not that."
"Look at this bitch. I said don't make a peep, and she's grinning. No sense of the situation? Am I a joke? Fine. Die. Just die already."
Cheongun unleashed his killing intent.
Just a casual scatter, but the massive qi wave choked the air. Wol Yeong couldn't breathe for a moment.
Tears welling, she desperately cried out.
"It's not that! I wasn't laughing because it's funny!"
"I said shut up, and you opened your mouth. Die."
"No, fuck, that's not what I meant! I'm innocent!"
"Innocent? Then die."
"You lunatic!"
Cheongun floated the Crimson Night Sword and aimed its tip at Wol Yeong's throat.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you."
"Um, that's."
Cheongun smiled brightly.
"There isn't one, right?"
At the question, Wol Yeong chuckled weakly.
"...Nope."
Sword qi bristled wildly from the blade aimed at her throat.
Witnessing it, Wol Yeong finally sighed and uttered the words.
"…I'll hand over the Secret Assembly. Just spare me."
The Secret Assembly's leader, Black Orchid, felt like she was losing her mind.
In less than a month, seven of their nine strongholds had been reduced to rubble.
And by just one opponent—a total monster.
She hadn't expected such overwhelming dominance.
Black Orchid was half-resigned already.
As a last resort, she'd sent her blood sister Wol Yeong to the Sword Sovereign's disciple, but without much hope.
And now.
"Keh heh."
An elder with an immortal-like aura approached the entrance of the eighth stronghold, hands behind his back.
An unmistakable face.
Crimson Night Sword Sovereign, Jin Mu-seong.
"……"
Black Orchid stared blankly ahead.
Secret Assembly elites rushed out one by one to block the approaching Sword Sovereign, but without exception, they were shredded by sword-shaped qi manifestations in the air.
Jin Mu-seong locked eyes with Black Orchid from afar.
He chuckled.
"You know."
"……"
"Time to die."
Once more, the empty air filled densely with white sword-shaped qi masses.
Black Orchid gritted her teeth.
As she debated fleeing, surrendering, or fighting back.
"…?"
Another presence rode the wind.
Black Orchid and Jin Mu-seong both turned.
Four black silhouettes approached: one boy and three women.
They sharpened into focus as they neared.
Cheongun, Jeok Hwa-ryeon, So Yerin, and Wol Yeong—sniffling tearfully in Cheongun's grasp.
A textbook hostage scene.
Jin Mu-seong blinked in surprise at his sudden disciple's arrival, while Black Orchid gaped in shock at her captured sister.
Then, Cheongun spoke.
"…It was summer."
"……"
"……"