Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Catching the Culprit
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Heuk Do-san stomped hard on Yeom Jin-sang's wrist before snatching away the iron rod. Black grease coated it, and the tip was filed off flat. No doubt about it—it was a ship nail.
Ship nails were the rivets used in boat construction. Unlike regular nails, they were slathered in pitch and rolled in soot, ensuring they wouldn't rust even after a decade in seawater.
But why the hell did this bastard have a ship nail?
'This son of a bitch!'
Heuk Do-san hurriedly rummaged through the man's pockets. Out came a bundle of ship nails meticulously tied with rope scraps. There had to be at least ten of them.
"You, don't tell me..."
"I-It wasn't on purpose. I just pulled it out thinking someone might get hurt if it was sticking out, but then the bottom of the boat suddenly burst open and water came pouring in..."
Thwack!
Yeom Jin-sang's head snapped back.
Fuming with rage, Heuk Do-san kicked him repeatedly.
They'd nearly drowned in the open ocean because of this guy. He still had no idea if the other four survivors were alive or dead. The thought that it was all because this damned bastard pulled out the rivet made his blood boil.
"You goddamned bastard!"
Only when Yeom Jin-sang's mouth split open and blood gushed out did Heuk Do-san's kicks finally stop. Even in his dazed state, Yeom Jin-sang gathered a mouthful of blood-flecked phlegm and spat it out, defiantly proving he was still kicking.
'Hah, this guy's no ordinary scum.'
"Talk. Why are you here?"
"Heh heh heh. What's the point of asking that now? Kill me clean like a martial artist. I'm sick of it all anyway."
"Kill you? Why the hell would I?"
"Didn't you knock me down to kill me?"
"You out of your mind? You attacked first. Some lunatic charges at me screaming he's gonna kill me—am I supposed to just sit there and take it? And about that kick to your temple just now, any human would shut up about that."
"You mean... you might let me live?"
Every word felt like a window into the miserable life this man had led.
Heuk Do-san was equal parts incredulous and furious, thinking of all the people who'd probably died by this bastard's hand.
No, the common folk would've just trembled in fear, so maybe his victims were all cut from the same cloth?
"You wanna die?"
"......!"
"Why the silence? Kill me clean like a martial artist?"
"Just a little longer... I wanna live a bit more."
Yeom Jin-sang's tone shifted to a pathetic whine.
He must really want to live.
"That's your business. Just answer my question. Why the hell were you on that ship?"
"You might not know, but us black folks have an unwritten rule: when you hit an enemy gang, you hunt their boss to the ends of hell. Otherwise, who knows when they'll regroup for revenge."
Fleeing to Hebei, Yeom Jin-sang had twice encountered assassins sent by the Blood Sea Gang to kill him.
He'd barely escaped with grievous wounds, but there was nowhere left to hide.
Then he spotted a notice from the Peng Clan of Hebei. They were recruiting swordsmen for the Righteous-Demonic Great War.
No choice. Yeom Jin-sang scraped together every coin he had, bought a fast horse, and rode straight to the Peng Clan under cover of night.
"I've been hiding my identity and serving as a retainer for the Peng Clan of Hebei ever since, fighting in the Great War. The night the meteor shower fell, I fell into the sea and somehow ended up on that ship. The rest you already know."
"The Peng Clan of Hebei... that's Righteous Alliance territory. You were righteous faction?"
"Of course."
Hah, what kind of ridiculous bastard is this?
"But why were you with the Demonic Cult side?"
"I had my reasons."
"......?"
"......"
"So what am I supposed to do? Only two righteous faction folks left, and one's a woman. Three Demonic Cult guys, though. Plus, I already knew that old fart was the Seventh Star Lord. In that situation, you think I could've sided with the righteous? And you—whose side are you on, huh?"
"......"
"Fuck, what do righteous or demonic have to do with me!"
Couldn't agree more.
What the hell do righteous or demonic have to do with us?
Over the past ten years wandering battlefields, he'd crossed paths with thousands of people.
One in ten had some conviction about wiping the Demonic Cult from the land.
The other nine were there for promotions, merit, or money. He was the only one who'd shown up drunk.
"Can I get up now?"
"Do what you want."
Yeom Jin-sang brushed the sand off his ass and stood. His ribs should've been cracked in a couple places, but he rose effortlessly.
"That Seventh Star Lord Gong Cheon-ak won't let this slide if he finds out."
"You said you'd let me live."
"I will, sure. But they might not. Though, no guarantee they'll even crawl out alive. Still, if they do make it here, it could be a problem..."
What the hell is this? Like pulling garlic from a leper's nose.
Yeom Jin-sang paled. Gong Cheon-ak would tear him apart on the spot for the insult if he found out.
No going to the righteous side now, either—they wouldn't take a traitor.
Hell, that venomous bitch Dang Yak-ran might not even poison him outright for the betrayal.
And that was just the start.
If they learned he'd burst the hull, righteous and demonic alike would unite to stone him to death. Yeom Jin-sang felt his guts shrivel.
"So you're gonna rat me out?"
"Did I say to lie?"
"Who said lie? Just keep your mouth shut and stay quiet."
"I won't bring it up on purpose, sure. But if I start calling you Ha-geuk-sang from now on, won't people get suspicious and ask why? Then I can't not tell them. I never lie."
"Same difference."
"It's not."
'What game is this dog bastard playing?'
In his life of crime, Yeom Jin-sang had been in this spot countless times. Mostly with officials.
Nine out of ten thieves were officials, and they'd always pick a fight to squeeze bribes.
He'd stuffed their greedy mouths with fortunes—of course, fleeced from others. But he had no money now.
"I know where treasure's hidden."
"Hm?"
"Seventy-four Demonic Cult branches in Shandong Province. Think they moved all the loot when they retreated? Hell no, they stashed it all over. I know one spot. If we make it back to the Central Plains safe, we split 7-3. I take seven."
"Take it all yourself."
"You think I'm lying?"
"That's why—take it all."
"6-4. That's my limit."
"I said take it all."
"5-5. If you don't like it, kill me. I'm all in anyway."
"How much is fifty percent?"
'There it is. Hook, line, and sinker.'
Yeom Jin-sang drove the point home.
"Could be more than a million taels."
"You sure?"
'Gotcha. He's almost in.'
"Definitely."
"Then you keep it. But write an IOU right here, promising to pay me a million taels when you make it back to the Central Plains alive."
'You sneaky dog bastard!'
Yeom Jin-sang seethed inside. He planned to pocket a million taels whether treasure existed or not.
The treasure talk was pure bullshit anyway.
What a crafty old fox.
And now scheming to line his pockets off this. Where the hell did this guy come from, so slick and shameless?
'Definitely not some prestigious sect disciple...'
"Don't want to?"
"I'd write it, but no brush or ink."
"Carve it on your arm."
"My arm?"
With those words, Heuk Do-san picked a sharp ship nail and thrust it out without hesitation. Yeom Jin-sang took it reflexively, inwardly torn.
'Jab his eye with this?'
Distance was just six feet. Lean back, thrust the right arm—done. Quick, clean, instant.
But he couldn't. Even earlier, leaping at him over the campfire.
It was a gale-force strike with no opening for counter. Yet the guy smashed his nape with a burning log. He hadn't even seen him grab it.
'Not below Gong Cheon-ak or Hyeon-gak. Screw up, and I'm done for—bones and all. Play along for now, strike later.'
"You sure?"
"Of course."
"If you insist."
Yeom Jin-sang extended one arm toward Heuk Do-san.
Hurry up and take the arm, it said.
"Gotta carve it on your arm."
"What?"
"If you carve it on mine, won't you claim self-inflicted later? Carve it on yours, so when I come collecting, no bullshit. Right?"
"Th-That's outrageous..."
"Your act as a Demonic Cultist is the real outrage."
"No one walks around with an IOU tattoo. This is inhuman."
Heuk Do-san shoved his face right up to Yeom Jin-sang's.
"After what you did in the cabin, anything I do to you now ain't excessive. And don't you like tattoos? What the hell'd you do to your head? Never heard of the Sea Dragon Gate leader sporting a snake tat."
"Got it after joining the Great War. Figured it'd scare off Demonic Cult rabble. Think about it—me, who once commanded over a hundred men, scrapping with no-name grunts? Pride, you know."
"Worked, huh?"
"Grunts stopped charging me directly, yeah. But they figured I was a captain and rained arrows on me alone. Nearly turned into a porcupine more than once."
"Grow the philtrum, shrink the nose. Longer upper lip means shorter snout."
'What the hell? Random proverb out of nowhere?'
"If Hyeon-gak and Gong Cheon-ak survive, they might porcupine you. What'll it be? Cowardly tattoo for a few more days? Or man up, confess, and take it like one?"
Yeom Jin-sang grimaced like he'd eaten shit and rolled up his sleeve. He began carving the tattoo on his own arm. The sharp tip pierced skin, blood trickling down. Pain was one thing, but humiliation made his hand shake.
"Real name. Might whine later."
"Just carve it. What do you take me for?"
"Deep. On the arm and in your heart."
"Can't you see the blood gushing?"
"Gushing? It's barely beading."
"Goddamn it."
"Gotta rub in ash later."
"Why ash?"
"You think I'm a sucker...?"
Heuk Do-san glared murderously.
Rub ash in wounds to make tattoos permanent. Otherwise, new skin grows and fades it. Common trick in Shandong dockside alleys for cheap tats.
Yeom Jin-sang ground his teeth.
'What the hell is this guy's deal?'
Finally finishing, he grabbed a handful of ash and roughly smeared it into the wound.
Unspeakable agony surged, but he endured.
He'd never scream in front of this bastard while alive.
Soon, words rose on Yeom Jin-sang's arm.
「I, Ha-gok-sang, vow to repay the million-tael debt to Heuk Do-san immediately upon returning alive to the Central Plains. -Martial Force Year 964, Some Godforsaken Place. Sea Dragon Gate Leader Ha-gok-sang.」
Wrath and fury etched in every stroke—not repayment, but vengeance.
"Sea Dragon Gate Leader to the end, huh."
Heuk Do-san snatched the nail from Yeom Jin-sang's hand and pocketed it with the rest. Then he said,
"I'll hold onto these till you pay up."
"Where's that fair?"
"IOU without collateral?"
"Still too much. Technically, I didn't even borrow from you. And these nails are weapons I scrounged hard for."
"Wanna jab my eye while I sleep?"
'Ghostly bastard.'
In that instant, Heuk Do-san's expression darkened.
A splashing sound came from the seaside.