Chapter 702: The Most Terrifying Person Is One With Nothing to Lose
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 702: The Most Terrifying Person Is One With Nothing to Lose
The Sampyeong Teahouse was tucked away in a quiet corner of the Holy City.
On the second floor, in a secluded corner, Tang Jin-seol was leisurely savoring her tea.
"Mmm..."
She took in the aroma.
Slurp.
She savored the taste.
Clack.
Setting the teacup down on the table, she rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window. It was as if she were waiting for someone.
After a long wait...
Creeeeeak.
The sound of hinges grinding echoed through the teahouse. Tang Jin-seol’s gaze shifted toward the first floor.
Soon, he appeared.
Step. Step.
A man walked inside. His hair was shaggy and unkempt. His eyes were like those of a wild beast, stained with murderous aura. His skin was bronzed, as if he had spent his life under the scorching sun of the South Sea. Even his crude sword was covered in nicks and scratches.
At a single glance, he was a man who radiated danger.
Step. Step.
The man who entered the teahouse moved with slow, deliberate strides. He wasn't in a hurry, yet he wasn't exactly relaxed either—he moved with a measured pace.
Step. Step.
He crossed the center of the teahouse, climbed the stairs, and eventually came to a stop right in front of Tang Jin-seol.
"You’ve arrived, Honju."
"The teahouse is remarkably quiet."
The man called Honju spoke with a smirk.
"I rented the whole place."
"This entire building?"
"The fewer ears listening, the better."
"As expected, my Lord has a grand scale. Hehehehe."
Honju let out a repulsive laugh and continued.
"By the way, why did you call for me?"
"There is something I need you to do."
"Just give the order. Whether you want someone killed, raped, or a whole clan exterminated, I will see it done."
Honju spoke with an amused expression.
"I want you to spread a rumor."
Tang Jin-seol spoke in a calm, flat tone.
"…A rumor, you say?"
Upon hearing her words, Honju asked back with a deflated look. It was a completely unexpected request.
"Yes, a rumor."
Tang Jin-seol nodded as she spoke.
"……"
Honju remained silent, his face clearly showing his reluctance.
"You don't look very pleased."
As if reading his mind, Tang Jin-seol looked at him and spoke again.
"You are trying to use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken. How could I be pleased?"
Honju’s voice was dry. Who were they? Were they not the demons of hell who had inherited the martial arts of the Honma? And yet, she wanted them to spread rumors? Why was she assigning them a task fit for common thugs?
"Why not commission the Hao Clan or some lowlifes from the Unorthodox Path?"
"It has to be you."
Tang Jin-seol’s expression was firm.
"Is there a reason you’re insisting on us?"
"Because it’s something no one but you can do."
Tang Jin-seol’s eyes glittered with a cold, serpentine light.
"Now that you put it that way, my interest is piqued."
Meeting that gaze, Honju looked back at her with newfound curiosity. A task that only they could perform—he couldn't help but be intrigued.
"I’d like to hear the details."
"I intend to shake the Cheonmu Alliance Leader."
"…Are you serious?"
Honju asked, looking somewhat surprised.
"Do I look like the type of person to waste words?"
"…No, you certainly don't."
The man spoke in agreement. Tang Jin-seol was a woman who prioritized efficiency in all things. He didn't think she would spout such a ridiculous joke for no reason.
"…But why?"
Honju asked with a questioning look. Shaking the Cheonmu Alliance Leader was no different from declaring him an enemy. Was the Alliance Leader not her husband? Why would she turn against him?
"I’ve been discarded."
"Discarded?"
"Yes. I have been thoroughly cast aside."
Tang Jin-seol spoke with a self-mocking smile.
"I intend to have my revenge. And for that revenge, I plan to use you hunting dogs to the fullest."
"I see. Now I understand why you said it had to be us. Hehehehe."
Honju spoke with a twisted grin. Hearing the whole story, it made sense. He understood why she wanted to use killers like them as agents. No matter how lowly the members of the Hao Clan were, they valued their own lives above all else. There was no way they would turn the Cheonmu Alliance Leader into an enemy, even if they were offered ten thousand gold.
As she watched him, Tang Jin-seol slowly stood up.
Drag. Drag.
She pulled a large coffin forward and placed it right in front of the man.
"What is this?"
Honju asked curiously.
"Open it."
Tang Jin-seol replied calmly.
Creeeeeak.
At her word, Honju slowly began to open the coffin lid. When he threw it wide open, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. A brilliant silver light filled his vision.
"…Silver!?"
Honju spoke, his voice thick with bewilderment.
"It should be about two million nyang."
Tang Jin-seol spoke as she watched the stunned Honju.
"How did you get your hands on such a massive sum?"
Honju asked, puzzled. Tang Jin-seol had been discarded by Lee Jae-won. That meant she should no longer have access to the privileges she once enjoyed. So where on earth did she get this much money? Two million nyang was enough to cover the operating costs of a decent sect for several years.
"It’s alimony."
Tang Jin-seol spoke with a nonchalant expression.
"……That’s quite a lot for alimony."
"I lived with him for over twenty years. If you calculate it at a hundred thousand nyang a year, isn't the balance about right?"
"The Cheonmu Alliance Leader is more generous than I thought, tossing away such a staggering amount so readily."
"Hardly. That man is a pathetic coward with a heart the size of a bean. Moreover, he’s greedy—the epitome of a petty man who fears losing his own money more than death itself."
Tang Jin-seol let out a mocking laugh.
"Then how did you get this money?"
Honju asked, burning with curiosity.
"I took out a loan. Using the Cheonmu Alliance’s credit as collateral."
"……Do you have any intention of paying it back?"
"I told you, it’s alimony. Lee Jae-won is the one who has to pay it back."
"Pfft… Hahahahahaha!"
Honju finally burst into laughter. The sheer venom in his Lord’s actions made laughter bubble up uncontrollably. To take out a massive credit loan right before being discarded—what kind of madness was this?
"My Lord, you truly are insane."
Honju spoke, his face full of mirth.
"Are you not afraid of the consequences?"
"I’ve already lost everything. What is there left to fear?"
Tang Jin-seol’s expression turned cold.
"Listen well, Honju. The most terrifying person in the world isn't the one with the strongest martial arts, the greatest fame, the most wealth, or the highest power."
Tang Jin-seol looked at Honju with a piercing gaze.
"The most terrifying person is one with nothing to lose."
Her eyes began to sparkle with a hint of madness.
"Hehehehe… You’re not wrong."
Faced with that madness, Honju began to let out a sinister laugh. Her crazed attitude filled him with excitement.
"What rumors should I spread? Just say the word. I’ll make sure they spread across the entire Central Plains immediately."
Honju’s eyes also began to glint with madness. The thought of dragging the great hero who saved the Central Plains down into the abyss filled him with wild exhilaration.
"Ruin."
Tang Jin-seol looked at him with an unwavering gaze.
"The core of the rumor is the total ruin of Lee Jae-won."
Tang Jin-seol wore a deep, dark smile. She intended to expose everything. She would tear down everything Lee Jae-won had built.
*
Dozens of placards were posted.
They appeared near the commercial district, the very heart of Jinan. The contents written on the large-character posters were utterly shocking. They detailed the numerous atrocities committed by the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, Lee Jae-won.
It started with the rape and murder of the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor’s granddaughter. It listed the countless women he had violated and killed. It described how he had framed his own disciple, Jang Sam, to restore his own reputation. It detailed how he had continued his habit of rape and murder even after that, and how he had branded victims as stooges of the Demonic Cult and exterminated their families to destroy evidence.
It mentioned how he had wiped out Gu Ja-yeop’s entire family simply because he mentioned impeachment. It listed how he had slaughtered innocent people en masse just to pin the blame on the Demonic Cult. Countless evils were written there.
The people who read the posters were horrified. They wanted to believe it wasn't true, but the descriptions were so graphic and detailed that it seemed impossible for anyone but an insider to have written them.
Some said it was nonsense, a mere trick to slander the Alliance Leader. Others said there was no smoke without fire.
The reactions of those who read the posters were varied and numerous. However, there was one thing everyone agreed on: if even half of what was written was true, Lee Jae-won was surely an arch-demon the likes of which the world had never seen.
The warriors of the Cheonmu Alliance soon arrived to tear down every single poster, but they could not tear down the suspicion growing in the people's hearts.
*
The Conference Room.
The leadership gathered inside remained silent, their mouths tightly shut. Not a single person spoke. A long silence settled over the room, turning the atmosphere chillingly cold.
After some time had passed...
Slam!
Lee Jae-won, sitting at the head of the table, slammed his fist down violently. His fist was trembling with rage.
"What do you think you're doing!?"
Lee Jae-won roared, glaring at the leaders. His voice was thick with fury.
"How is it that not a single one of you can come up with a solution!?"
He was livid. Posters detailing his crimes had been plastered all over Jinan—and with terrifyingly vivid detail. As a result, a flood of petitions had begun to pour into the Cheonmu Alliance, paralyzing their operations. How could he not be furious?
"……"
Despite Lee Jae-won’s rage, not a single member of the leadership opened their mouth.
"The Alliance Leader, the representative of the Cheonmu Alliance, has been insulted! And yet you all sit there in silence!?"
Lee Jae-won felt a suffocating frustration. These bastards were always quick to chatter when there was a profit to be made or a loss to be avoided. But now, when he actually needed them, not one of them would speak up. How could they be so hypocritical?
‘Fucking Chinks… The only good Chinese is a dead one!’
The old saying that the only good Chinese was a dead one seemed to be perfectly true. It seemed these bastards would only become "good" once he killed them.
"……Um…"
Just then, Lee Dae-gon, who had been quiet, slowly raised his hand.
"What is it!?"
"…Couldn't we just… make an official announcement that the contents of the posters are false?"
"Do you think I’m doing this because I don't know that?"
Lee Jae-won barked, his face contorting into a scowl. His anger flared at Lee Dae-gon’s frustratingly obvious suggestion.
"What’s the point of announcing it’s false!? If we don't catch the culprit, the posters will just go up again!"
"……The majority of the Alliance members won't believe such slander."
"Suspicion is something that, once planted, grows without end! Even if they don't believe it now, if they keep seeing such malicious content, eventually people will start to believe it’s true! How can you be so thoughtless!?"
Lee Jae-won began to berate him in an agitated tone. He was already annoyed enough to die, and hearing such a stupid suggestion made his blood boil.
"Identify the culprit! The culprit!"
Lee Jae-won screamed at the top of his lungs, demanding a solution.
He had been shouting for quite some time when...
Bang!
The door to the conference room suddenly swung open, and a clean-cut middle-aged man appeared. It was Zhuge Chan, the Chief Strategist of the Cheonmu Alliance.
"Alliance Leader! We have a problem!"
He shouted as soon as he entered the room.
"What is it!?"
"It’s not just Jinan! They say posters have been put up across the entire Shandong Province!"
Zhuge Chan raised his voice urgently.
"What!?"
Upon hearing those words, Lee Jae-won’s face filled with horror. Not just Jinan, but the entire Shandong Province? What kind of bullshit was this?
Lee Jae-won’s face began to crumple in utter shock.