Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: A Scoundrel's Justice
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The So-eung Group Leader's presence changed in an instant.
It felt as if he had become a different person.
“……”
While everyone else was stunned.
Cheon Muryang’s face hardened.
‘This energy…’
It was because he could recognize the foreign energy emanating from the So-eung Group Leader.
‘I’m certain… It’s demonic energy.’
Its identity was demonic energy.
However, although the So-eung Group Leader had engaged in acts no different from those of the Unorthodox Faction, he had not practiced demonic arts.
“Tsk.”
For such a man to possess demonic energy meant one thing.
‘Did the Demonic Cult intend to infiltrate the Cheon Family even back then?’
He had thought he was the one who had brought the Demonic Cult into the picture in the past.
But it seemed the Demonic Cult had been gnawing away at the Cheon Family long before that.
‘And behind it all…’
It was obvious.
The elders must have been behind the Head of the Inspection Corps.
“Hah… What in the world…”
It was a series of confusions.
The memories he had trusted were riddled with lies.
‘So why do I feel like I expected this to happen?’
Even after realizing a truth he hadn't known, Cheon Muryang wasn't flustered at all.
On the contrary, it felt so natural that he might as well have guessed it.
‘Well, I should consider it fortunate. What’s good is good.’
However, the So-eung Group Leader wore a twisted smile.
He seemed to interpret Cheon Muryang’s momentary hesitation as fear.
“You’re the one who hastened your own death.”
*Swish!*
The So-eung Group Leader swung his sword.
Though the sword was broken in half, the strike carried a speed and destructive power that made one forget that fact.
The killing intent, the absolute will to slay Cheon Muryang, was palpable.
“We’ll see about that.”
Cheon Muryang felt a sense of disgust.
Looking at the So-eung Group Leader's smile, intoxicated with demonic energy, made him feel nauseous.
“What a load of crap, acting all high and mighty with power you didn’t even earn yourself.”
It was contemptible.
Who was it that had fought against the Demonic Cult until the very moment of his death?
It was Nameless.
*Grit.*
Although the terrified Cheon Muryang had stabbed him in the back, leading to his demise, Nameless had never hidden his hostility toward the Demonic Cult.
After all, the fall of the Cheon Family was ultimately their doing.
“Yes. They were the same way.”
Cheon Muryang remembered it clearly.
On the day Nameless died, the ones who had attacked the Cheon Family were local ruffians from nearby Zhejiang.
‘They possessed an absurd amount of power.’
They were nothing but Unorthodox Faction riffraff.
Ordinarily, they would have been beneath notice.
‘And yet, every single one of them possessed martial prowess comparable to the Heavenly Dragon Sword Squad.’
At the time, he had been in such a state of shock that he hadn't had the chance to analyze the reason why.
But looking at the So-eung Group Leader, he felt he understood.
“It’s just like… back then.”
The quality was different.
The demonic energy Nameless had faced in the past was far denser and more sinister than the So-eung Group Leader’s.
However, one thing was certain: all of this was connected to the Demonic Cult.
‘I’ll think about it later.’
The So-eung Group Leader came first.
“Die!”
Watching the leader’s sword, which had already closed the distance, Cheon Muryang shook his head.
“All talk, as usual.”
Cheon Muryang moved late.
But it was enough.
‘I can see it.’
The So-eung Group Leader’s sword was undeniably powerful, but that was all.
It was temporarily amplified by demonic energy, but it failed to harmonize with his original energy, leaving the sword path incomplete.
‘Countless flaws.’
Perhaps because he was unaccustomed to demonic energy, he could see the discordant seams.
The Heavenly Light Sword followed those seams.
“……!”
The energies imbued in the two swords were worlds apart.
Thus, the So-eung Group Leader thought he would shatter Cheon Muryang’s sword.
*Whoosh!*
The two blades passed each other in mid-air without clashing.
But from that point on, one of the swords lost its power and clattered to the floor.
“H-How…?”
*Drip.*
*Drip, drip.*
Red blood trickled from the tip of the Heavenly Light Sword, which had pierced the So-eung Group Leader’s heart.
His face was filled with questions, but tragically, he would never hear the answers.
*Thud!*
His body crumpled.
Death was certain, but its form was horrific.
“Ugh, aaargh!”
The demonic energy residing within the So-eung Group Leader’s body began to twist violently.
The reverse flow of demonic energy started to suck away what little life force he had left.
Then, the So-eung Group Leader’s body slowly began to wither.
“Uh, uwaaargh!”
*Crack!*
*Crrrack!*
His body contorted.
His desiccated flesh, devoid of all moisture, crumbled like sand.
Watching this, Cheon Muryang clicked his tongue.
“You crossed a line you shouldn't have, so you must pay the price.”
“S-Save me…!”
“It’s too late.”
Not even Hua Tuo could save him now.
Due to the backlash of demonic energy, the So-eung Group Leader met a terrible end, leaving not even a corpse behind.
“Tsk.”
Cheon Muryang was reminded once again just how cruel the price of demonic energy was.
‘What about you?’
*Glance.*
Cheon Muryang stared at Cheon Ahaeng, who was nearby.
“H-How…!”
As expected, Cheon Ahaeng was also flustered.
Seeing his completely blindsided expression, Cheon Muryang shook his head.
“Shocked?”
*Smirk.*
Cheon Muryang scoffed.
“The end of unearned power is always obvious.”
“……”
Cheon Ahaeng’s mouth hung open, still in a state of shock.
The warriors of the So-eung Group were the same, frozen in place.
They seemed to have completely lost their will to fight.
“All of you, drop your weapons. Of course, if you want to kill yourselves, I won’t stop you. Should I give you some time?”
“……”
Silence fell.
A few of them stared blankly at their own weapons.
But Cheon Muryang was certain.
People like them cherished their own lives above all else.
“No takers?”
It was as he expected.
Not a single person took their own life.
Seeing this, Cheon Muryang approached the still-dazed Cheon Ahaeng.
“I’ll make you pay for your sins as well.”
*Twitch!*
Cheon Ahaeng tried to say something, but without waiting for a reply.
Cheon Muryang swung the Heavenly Light Sword in all directions.
“Huk!”
Along with Cheon Ahaeng’s gasp.
*CRASH!*
The So-eung Group Leader’s office was utterly demolished.
Papers scattered through the air.
Among them, he saw something that the So-eung Group Leader had been looking at.
“Gotcha.”
Snatching it, Cheon Muryang tucked it into his robes and saw the residents of Shaoxing through the collapsed wall.
He could see them all staring this way with wide eyes.
“Hey, you there. Everyone, get out.”
“……!”
The men who had lost their will to fight had no choice but to follow Cheon Muryang’s command.
“Lead me to the So-eung Group’s warehouse.”
It wasn’t far.
Cheon Muryang spoke to the panicked warehouse keeper.
“Go to the main gate right now and bring the gathered residents of Shaoxing here.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
A few men, startled, ran toward the main gate.
“I will thoroughly investigate everything you bastards have done.”
*Grin.*
Cheon Muryang looked at the residents of Shaoxing approaching.
“But I did promise to show them what a real scoundrel is.”
*Fwoosh!*
A faint blue something began to form on the blade of the Heavenly Light Sword, now clean of even the So-eung Group Leader’s blood.
*KABOOOOM!*
With a tremendous roar.
The door to the So-eung Group’s warehouse was blasted apart.
Cheon Muryang stepped inside.
“Whew.”
Inside, countless goods that the So-eung Group had extorted over the years were piled high.
“You’ve really been feasting, haven’t you?”
For how long had they been at this?
Cheon Muryang couldn't even imagine.
Clicking his tongue, Cheon Muryang looked around the warehouse.
“Huh?”
He saw something.
It was a small glass bottle.
But the pure white liquid inside it made even Cheon Muryang gasp in shock.
“Azure Sky Stone Oil?”
Azure Sky Stone Oil was a legendary elixir.
The energy of nature was divided into yin and yang.
Thus, it was the natural order for things to be skewed toward either yin or yang.
‘Even the Great Cyclic Pill, the Purple Elixir Pill, or the Grand Purity Pill cannot be said to have achieved perfect harmony…’
Those pills were nothing more than concoctions of natural elixirs, altered to match the energy of their respective factions.
However, Azure Sky Stone Oil alone was a natural elixir of perfect harmony, leaning toward neither side.
“With this much…”
It would surely be enough to dissolve all the residual energy from the elixirs still sitting heavily inside him.
*Slide.*
Without realizing it, Cheon Muryang slipped the bottle of Azure Sky Stone Oil into his robes.
“Ahem.”
Then he spoke to the warriors of the So-eung Group, who were standing idly behind him.
His tone was deliberately gruff.
“What are you doing?”
*Flinch!*
The warriors, who didn't dare to even think of defying Cheon Muryang, flinched.
“Aren’t you going to move these goods?”
“Sir?”
“Move them. All of them.”
“……!”
Under Cheon Muryang’s fierce glare, they silently began to move the goods outside and stack them up.
“Hey, stack them neatly!”
As if he were a supervisor, Cheon Muryang’s shouts echoed as the So-eung Group’s riches piled up like a mountain.
“You, bring me paper and a brush.”
“Ah, yes!”
When the man brought the paper and brush, Cheon Muryang spoke.
“From now on, record this precisely.”
“Yes? W-What should I…?”
Without answering the man holding the brush, Cheon Muryang addressed everyone who had gathered.
“Alright, please come forward one by one. Tell this man how much was extorted from you by the So-eung Group, and take that amount from here.”
“……!”
What did he mean by that?
Everyone, without exception, was stunned.
“Of course, I’m not saying this will settle everything. The Cheon Family plans to conduct a thorough investigation and provide additional compensation, but let’s start with this.”
“Waaaaaaah!”
They let out a cheer.
Some of them shed tears.
The scoundrel of the Cheon Family had just declared an end to their long years of exploitation.
“……”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
The first person called came forward, repeatedly expressing their gratitude as they took items from the So-eung Group’s warehouse.
They had been exploited for so long; what was piled up in this warehouse was likely not nearly enough to compensate them.
“Tsk.”
But seeing the residents so happy, Cheon Muryang couldn't help but smile.
‘It’s not just because of the Azure Sky Stone Oil.’
As he smiled, he saw the boy who had guided him here.
“Come here, will you?”
“Hehehe. Okay!”
“Where’s Gaettong’s family?”
“Over there!”
Where the boy pointed, he could see Gaettong’s family, smiling brightly.
“They’re smiling?”
“Yes! It’s all thanks to you, big brother!”
Cheon Muryang patted the boy’s head.
“I’m glad.”
“You’re strong, aren’t you, big brother?”
“I am.”
“How can I become strong like you?”
Cheon Muryang, a smile on his face, spoke to the boy whose eyes were shining.
“If you want the answer, come to the Cheon Family. I will give you strength. Then, finding the answer will be up to you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But you’d better not try with a half-hearted attitude. It will be brutally difficult.”
“That’s okay. I really want to become strong like you.”
Cheon Muryang laughed.
He thought of a gift to give this nameless little boy.
“Alright. I’m in a good mood. Watch carefully, I’ll only show you once.”
“Yes!”
Cheon Muryang gripped the Heavenly Light Sword.
Then, he soared toward the sky and plummeted back down with the force to cleave the earth itself.
*Fwoooosh!*
Heaven-Severing.
He had split the sky.
The boy’s eyes were wide with amazement.
“See you later.”
Leaving the boy behind, Cheon Muryang departed, taking all the warriors of the So-eung Group with him.
“G-Great Young Lord, th-there must be some misunderstanding… I-I’d like to resolve this through dialogue…”
Among them was the Head of the Inspection Corps, Cheon Ahaeng.
“What misunderstanding?”
“G-Great Young Lord?”
“You’re finished.”