Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Can You Handle Them? (2)
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'I'm afraid I can't just let it slide when you say that guy's pitiful.'
Even if my incompetent master's words come in whatever form, since he's saying them out of concern for his disciple, no matter what he says, I usually just think, Oh, come on, and let it pass or pretend I didn't hear.
'Haegum Hall Leader Jeong Bong-jin.'
Saying that guy's pitiful—even as an empty compliment or a joke—is a bit much to agree with, Master.
- ...Ahem. After you thoroughly looted the auction house, you seemed to be in a great mood, but seeing that pig and his ragtag crew ruin it made me think they won't get off easy, so that's how I phrased it.
'I know. I know.'
- Know my ass! Would someone who knows give lip to his master who's seeing the world for the first time in a century? Argh! So, what kind of scum are those guys? Their souls are crusted with yin energy, giving off a foul stench—they seem like they've killed a fair share of people.
Hmm. How should I put this?
It was then.
Just as I was about to explain Haegum Hall to my master.
Not quite on the level of my master enjoying the world after a century, but Dang Ok-gi—from the Tang Family of Sichuan, grown amid the harsh Great Bashan Mountains, ignorant of distant lands' finer details—set down the precious wooden box she carried so carefully, drew her dagger, and stepped forward.
She posed exactly the same question as my master, right from her waist.
"What kind of scum is this Haegum Hall...?"
I quickly sent a transmission to her and to Ha-seong, who had drawn his sword.
[Keep our identities hidden for now.]
I was the one who had just said to drop the role-play.
But since I'd prepared the role-play for situations like this in the first place, we had to start it up again.
At my words, Dang Ok-gi reverted to her tough persona, ending her sentence politely.
"...sir?"
Then Ha-seong, slipping back into his meek role, added a word about Haegum Hall.
"You might not know, tough guy, but Haegum Hall in a word... well. They're salt thieves."
Well, for all his meek looks, Ha-seong was the blood heir of the Silver Radiance Merchant Group, the overlords of merchant caravans.
And their main goods were salt—first, second, third, fourth place all salt.
'Fifth might be grains, sixth the silk shipped from Sichuan via the Yangtze.'
Being from such a family, Ha-seong knew about Haegum Hall too.
"Salt thieves—you mean people who secretly bake and sell salt?"
But Ha-seong's explanation missed some parts.
I opened my mouth to clarify for my master and Dang Ok-gi.
"Salt is strictly controlled by the state, but it's fundamentally tied to the people's survival, so there's a code to it. Unless you're an official, we jianghu folk don't slap the 'thief' label on someone just for baking and selling a bit of salt on the sly."
"They do even worse things, right, Young Master?"
"Right. They're the ones called salt sellers on clear days and people sellers on cloudy ones."
"They do human trafficking?"
"Yeah. They're based in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, where there are no major powers. I hear at least three in ten orphans, widows, courtesans, slaves, and servants in those areas fall into their clutches."
Originally sea pirates, they have their main base on one of the South Sea islands.
The authorities lack the will.
The Murim Alliance lacks the means for a full sweep of the South Sea.
And in the unorthodox paths, they're tricky to deal with, so they slowly built their power, as described in the original work.
- But why have these South Sea operators crawled all the way up to Hubei?
'As far as I know, they're here for the Blood Water Myriad Poison Brew.'
Anyway.
As I defined Haegum Hall that way.
The man who had proudly declared himself Haegum Hall Leader bared his yellow teeth and spoke.
"Kekeke. I figured few in Hubei would know my great name, but someone does! Yes, this is the body of Jeong Bong-jin, Pavilion Master of Haegum Hall—the one who stops crying babies in the South Sea and makes grown men piss themselves!"
At the Haegum Hall Leader's voice, Ha-seong tightened his grip on his sword, and Dang Ok-gi on her dagger.
But Dang Ok-gi held her dagger hand angled away, her left hand lowered with her sleeve—a peculiar stance.
Her lowered left sleeve probably hid a poison needle at the ready.
Seeing this, Jeong Bong-jin laughed mockingly.
"Tsk tsk tsk. Don't do anything stupid. No use. You must've only heard my name in Hubei. Drop your weapons. You won't hurt, I'll get top price—scratches on goods headed for sale aren't good for anyone, right?!"
At Jeong Bong-jin's words, Dang Ok-gi's body twitched.
But I stepped in to stop her from lunging.
Instead, she opened her mouth.
"Do you know who this is?!"
The auction house incident must've impressed her; she was trying to intimidate them.
But words like laws and righteousness meant nothing to scum who saw them as mere ass-wipe.
"Kekekeke! None of my business! Strip the silk off, and you're just limbed merchandise. If you're a hassle, chop you up and toss in the South Sea—fish food with no trace!"
As Haegum Hall's underlings closed in moment by moment, I fell into brief thought.
'How to resolve this mess.'
Jeong Bong-jin and Haegum Hall weren't scary.
I knew them well because in the original work, they appeared right when going for the Blood Water Myriad Poison Brew.
Thus, I knew their level.
'Compared to the original, the difficulty is way lower.'
Of course, in the original, all the protagonist generation's key players were at the auction, and it was a year later, so individuals were stronger there.
'But comparing situations?'
A year later in the original, besides the protagonist group and Haegum Hall, another force targeted the Blood Water Myriad Poison Brew.
'The Demonic Cult.'
After the 'Demon Eon Yong-un' incident, the Demonic Cult started rearing its head. Right after the protagonist group advanced a grade, before securing the brew, the Cult joined incognito.
Failing the bid, they revealed themselves and tried to seize it by force.
'Jeong Hyeon and the kids had to face both the Demonic Cult and Haegum Hall then.'
But now, it was just Haegum Hall.
And we had two natural counters to Haegum Hall.
'Me and Dang Ok-gi.'
I'd just said they were tricky for the unorthodox paths because these salt thieves used poisoned salt and toxins as weapons.
'In the original, it wrapped up with Jeong Hyeon, who achieved poison immunity via the Heavenly Poison Pill.'
So I could do it too.
I might not compare lengths with the original Jeong Hyeon, but against villains far from pure qi or Taoist arts—especially ones relying on poison with weak individual skills—I was their perfect predator.
But one issue to consider.
'For all their looks, they're a seasoned gang in the unorthodox world...'
I didn't want to let them live anyway, but even if I offered mercy a hundred times over and told them to go their ways, they'd scoff.
Fleeing wasn't viable—the wooden box with the Blood Water Myriad Poison Brew couldn't take rough handling.
Kill them all? Then I'd have to worry about Haegum remnants or other forces eyeing their turf.
Hunting down every last one would be a hassle.
'Eh? Hold on...?'
Then.
A simple, clear solution flashed through my mind.
'The answer was in Jeong Bong-jin's words?'
That bastard said if I was a hassle, he'd chop me up and toss me in the South Sea to become untraceable fish food?
'Just do the same to them.'
In my way, of course.
My way of burying the Haegum Hall scum wasn't anything special.
'The first four forms of Heaven-Splitting Ten Swords are perceived as Three Disasters Sword Technique by this era's people.'
So, avoid Dragon Subduing Palm, dispatch them, then use appropriate grabs to stage the scene like they killed each other.
But first, one prerequisite.
'I need to separate Ha-seong and Dang Ok-gi from the scene.'
Ha-seong learned swordsmanship from a Nangong branch, leaving thunder qi on his blade, and Dang Ok-gi left Tang Family traces on every attack and defense.
There was another reason too, but anyway, separate them.
Not hard.
'Ha-seong will play dead if I say so and go to the safe house if told.'
The problem was Dang Ok-gi...
"Tough guy."
"Yes?"
No way she'd obey meekly.
She griped forever about playing maid, and Tang folk always yapping about clear grudges and debts—she wouldn't just head to the safe house.
'If I had time, I'd talk it out...'
No time.
Only us and Haegum now, but delay and merchants might show.
Worth a shot though.
Dang Ok-gi trusted me fully, no guard up.
And I had three free passes.
"Remember earlier? I said I'd forgive you three times even if you pissed me off?"
"...Yeah? Why bring that up suddenly?"
"Using one now."
With that, I struck the back of her neck, hitting the knockout acupoint squarely.
Thwack-
"?!"
Dang Ok-gi collapsed like a log, last expression pure confusion.
I caught her.
Then spoke to equally baffled Ha-seong.
"Meekie. Set down the load, take tough guy to the safe house, and wait. No time for questions."
"Yes, Young Master."
His eyes screamed questions, but as expected, Ha-seong took Dang Ok-gi without a word and bolted up the hill.
At his movement, Jeong Bong-jin roared immediately.
"What are you doing?! Two pieces of merchandise escaping!"
At his bellow, four black-clad Haegum thugs kicked off after Ha-seong.
But I didn't let them.
'Pardon me, Master.'
Smoothly drawing Regret, I stepped Phantom Shadow Heaven-Splitting Step, blocking the black-clads' path.
Stab! Stab!
Slash! Slash!
With concise, precise forms.
I took their breaths.
Then, from over there, Jeong Bong-jin clapped.
"Wow! You're no slouch! Thought you were the noblest, but sending the maid off with the guard—hidden concubine? Kuahaha. What rare purity!"
"Lard even in your skull, huh? Matches your thinking level. Fitting—shit dogs see only shit."
"Your mouth's as sharp as your sword, but can you handle our whole crew alone?!"
"Can you handle them?"
At Jeong Bong-jin's voice, a involuntary smirk tugged my lips.
No point trading barbs with lowlifes.
I extended a hand toward the cooling four black-clads.
And murmured low.
"Rise."