Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Unexpected Encounter
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"What is it now?"
"Seop Dae-gang sent someone to Bongrae to investigate Heuk Ye-mong. With rumors suddenly spreading that Black Brother has a daughter, how could he not find it suspicious?"
"And?"
"My guess is, if she really is Black Brother's child, he planned to eliminate her. There's bad blood between him and Black Brother, so leaving her alive would have been unsettling. But then he found out she's his daughter, the White Deer Academy has been in ruins for ages, and she's been left all alone with no one to look after her. So he changed his mind. He figured she wasn't a threat even if left alone."
"A cunning bastard like Seop Dae-gang wouldn't let something like that slide so easily, would he?"
Hyeon-gak flinched for a split second at the sharp question. But he quickly masked his expression and replied.
"Exactly. Even a monkey falls from the tree sometimes. Even a guy like him couldn't avoid it."
"What?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're hiding something."
"Hiding what? What's there to hide?"
There was definitely something.
But Heuk Do-san didn't press further. The more you know, the deeper you get dragged in.
"But why is that important?"
"If it's not important that Seop Dae-gang is trying to eliminate everyone connected to Black Brother, then what is? It means Black Brother absolutely cannot return to the White Deer Academy. Just being associated with you is enough reason for him to target them. If he finds out you're alive, he'll come after you for sure."
"He won't recognize me."
"Are you not getting it? Or pretending not to? Even if he doesn't recognize you, the mere fact that a stranger showed up at the White Deer Academy will keep Seop Dae-gang from sitting still."
"Whatever. How's Dang Yak-ran doing?"
For a brief moment, bewilderment flashed in Hyeon-gak's eyes. It was so fleeting, and Heuk Do-san wasn't looking at his eyes just then, so it passed unnoticed.
"Why the sudden change of subject?"
"You told me about everyone else, but nothing about Dang Yak-ran. I heard she safely returned to the Tang Clan of Sichuan, but what happened after that?"
"I haven't heard."
"Really?"
"If I had, I'd tell you."
"......?"
"Don't worry. Who in the world could harm the young lady of the Tang Clan? She's probably living comfortably in the Tang Clan stronghold. You can go see her anytime."
"You're sure?"
"Black Brother seems awfully worried only about her. I knew you had feelings for her, but you're being too obvious about it. And you call yourself a former scholar? Tsk tsk tsk. If you're that worried, why not go see her right now?"
"Who said anything about going right now?"
"The problem is Bing-seol. While the Tang young lady is feasting in the Tang Clan, Bing-seol is surviving on grass and tree roots on some isolated island in the middle of nowhere, living like a beast. Poor woman."
"Some isolated island?"
"It's called Jin-o Island, a remote place. Apparently, Gong Cheon-ak and a bunch of the Demonic Cult's top brass are exiled there. While waiting for Black Brother to return, I searched high and low and finally found out where Bing-seol was sent."
"Jin-o Island? Never heard of it."
"Of course not. It's not even on any maps, and even old sailors don't know about it."
"Where is it around?"
"If I knew that, I'd have rescued her already."
"So you don't know after all?"
"Don't worry. Just before Black Brother returned, I tracked down someone who knows about Jin-o Island. I'm in the process of making contact, so good news should come soon."
At that moment, hurried footsteps approached, and a man burst into the room without waiting for permission. It was the man who had gone to fetch Heuk Ye-mong.
Hyeon-gak asked with a puzzled look.
"What's going on?"
"We can't find the child."
"Did you search everywhere?"
"We checked all the likely places, but no luck. Looks like the Black Snake Faction took her."
"Then you should've gone straight to their hideout."
"I did, but for some reason, not a single Black Snake Faction thug was there. They must've gotten wind of something and bolted."
"Damn it all!"
Heuk Do-san sprang to his feet without waiting any longer. Hyeon-gak urgently asked.
"Where are you going?"
"I've got one way to find her."
* * *
'When you get to Hwayang Village, you'll see a manor where thugs who look like bandits come and go in the dead of night. That's the Blood Sea Gang's hideout.'
That was what Heuk Ye-mong had told him earlier that evening when he asked at the dock about the Blood Sea Gang's lair. Sure enough, when he arrived at Hwayang Village, there it was.
Five sword-wielding thugs holding torches stood guard sternly as dark figures filed into the manor one after another.
The air felt off.
'No way they've already sensed me. What, are they holding some kind of rally?'
Heuk Do-san approached the manor. Perhaps sensing the hostility in his bold stride, the guards at the front gate quickly blocked his path.
"Who the hell are you?"
Puk-puk-puk-puk-puk!
No need to draw swords. The five guards, each struck squarely in the philtrum, collapsed spurting nosebleeds.
Heuk Do-san strode past them and kicked the front gate wide open.
Kwang!
With a thunderous boom, the heavy gate exploded as if hit by a bomb. And the scene that appeared was utterly unexpected.
The courtyard was lit up like daylight by torches, filled with over a hundred fully armed sword thugs standing in perfect ranks and files. They looked like soldiers marching off to war.
'What kind of bandits have this many guys?'
All eyes turned to the sudden appearance of the wild-haired giant. Heuk Do-san was caught off guard by the unexpected situation, as were they.
A deathly silence hung in the air for a moment, until a thunderous roar erupted from behind Heuk Do-san, and another wave of sword thugs surged forward like a tidal wave.
"Waaaaah!"
"Charge!"
"Kill them!"
'And who the hell are these guys?'
Heuk Do-san whipped around like a gale, assuming a combat stance toward the incoming horde.
As he thrust his fist toward the fierce-looking leader charging at the front, the men brushed past him and pounced on the group assembled in the courtyard.
"Don't leave a single one alive!"
"End the Blood Sea Gang!"
A shout exploded from the midst of the courtyard group as well.
"It's the Sea Dragon Gang! Get 'em!"
The two forces clashed head-on in the courtyard. Swords clanged, and a cacophony of curses and yells filled the air.
Only then did Heuk Do-san grasp the situation. The Sea Dragon Gang, which once dominated the nearby Dongyeon Dock, was launching a surprise attack on the Blood Sea Gang that now ruled Bongrae Dock. The Blood Sea Gang had anticipated the raid and prepared in advance.
But Dongyeon Dock had been under Blood Sea Gang control for ages—how had the Sea Dragon Gang suddenly reemerged?
"This is insane......"
Talk about bad luck—like the saying, even a unlucky bastard falls on his ass and breaks his nose. Why tonight of all nights?
In moments, the fight intensified, with over a dozen men collapsing in sprays of blood. The Blood Sea Gang had the numerical advantage since it was their home turf.
But the Sea Dragon Gang had more experts. They rapidly advanced to the middle of the courtyard, shredding the Blood Sea Gang's formations.
From then on, it devolved into a chaotic melee where friend and foe tangled indistinguishably. The manor turned into a battlefield of Asura in no time.
No one paid Heuk Do-san any mind. Even after he downed the five gatekeepers and smashed through the front gate.
The Blood Sea Gang seemed to think he was with the Sea Dragon Gang, and the Sea Dragon Gang figured he was some master hired secretly by their leader.
It was perfectly timed—he'd knocked out the guards, smashed the gate, and cleared the way, so the misunderstanding was understandable.
Their war was their war; he had his own business. The problem was, with everyone mixed up in a jumble, he couldn't tell which side was the Blood Sea Gang anymore.
'This is maddening.'
Scanning the surroundings briefly, Heuk Do-san spotted a pillar supporting the eaves in the distance. It was thick enough that an adult would need both arms to wrap around it.
Without a second glance, he charged over and yanked the pillar free.
"Hut!"
With a short shout and a surge of strength, the pillar came loose with cracking sounds. The eaves collapsed with a crash, and roof tiles tumbled down in a roar.
Heuk Do-san hoisted the pillar overhead and dashed into the fray, swinging it wildly at anyone in his path.
"Argh!"
"Aaack!"
People began flying back with dull thuds. Before the massive pillar root sweeping a foot off the ground at waist height, no swordsmanship stood a chance.
The sight of the freak wielding the enormous pillar root like a stick turned everyone—Blood Sea Gang and Sea Dragon Gang alike—pale with terror.
'Is... is that human strength?'
In an instant, Heuk Do-san seized the center of the battlefield, then hurled the pillar root toward the main hall as a final act.
Kwang!
With a mighty boom, the pillar smashed through eaves, walls, and roof before embedding itself. Dust billowed up unexpectedly.
The fighting halted abruptly, followed by dead silence.
Having taken control of the courtyard in the blink of an eye, Heuk Do-san swept his piercing gaze over the crowd and boomed.
"Who's the leader of the Blood Sea Gang?"
Was it fear of his monstrous strength? Everyone clamped their mouths shut in terror.
At that moment, a man presumed to be from the Sea Dragon Gang jabbed his large axe toward an elderly man at the far back end opposite him.
"That's the leader!"
The sharp-featured old man who was pointed out went white as a sheet.
But Heuk Do-san's gaze didn't turn to the Blood Sea Gang leader. Instead, he fixed his eyes steadily on the Sea Dragon Gang man who had pointed him out.
Around forty years old? Bald head shaved clean, with a colorful snake tattoo snaking across it—his face was the ugliest imaginable. By looks alone, he could rule not just Bongrae but the entire Shandong Peninsula.
Heuk Do-san had seen this man before. In fact, he knew him very well.
"Yeom Jin-sang?"
"......?"
How could this be happening?
Why on earth was this man showing up here and now, out of nowhere? Piecing together fragments of memory after a long moment, Heuk Do-san finally realized what was going on.
Before joining the Righteous-Demonic Great War, Yeom Jin-sang had betrayed his superiors seven times to become the leader of the Sea Dragon Gang that ruled Dongyeon Dock.
But his luck ran out when the Blood Sea Gang from Bongrae launched a surprise attack. Yeom Jin-sang fled north to Hebei to escape assassins sent by the Blood Sea Gang, then threw himself into the Hebei Peng Clan under a false identity.
When the Hebei Peng Clan joined the Righteous-Demonic Great War, he got dragged along to the front lines as well.
And now, that same Yeom Jin-sang had returned to Dongyeon, revived the Sea Dragon Gang, ambushed the Blood Sea Gang for revenge—and somehow, Heuk Do-san had ended up right in the middle of it.
Meanwhile, Yeom Jin-sang flinched in shock.
His real name was Ha-gok-sang. But back when he was stranded on the Daldaan Steppe due to the Demonic Cult's Ki Gate Formation, he'd used the alias Yeom Jin-sang to hide his ties to the Righteous Alliance.
Since returning to Dongyeon, he'd never used that name once. In other words, only a handful of people who wandered the Daldaan with him back then knew his alias as Yeom Jin-sang.
So how did this wild-haired freak who appeared out of nowhere know that name? Who the hell was he?
"You... know me?"