Chapter 5
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Piercing Sword Sect Luoyang Branch
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Thud! Crack! Crash!
"Grab that bastard!"
"You worthless idiots! Can't you lot even catch one little rat when you're swarming him like this?!"
"Don't hold back—seize him! If you can't, grab his pant leg and hang on like dogs!"
Mid-level Black Society cadres shoved the lowly grunts forward, bellowing at the top of their lungs.
But the grunts hesitated to charge at me.
Over a dozen of them had already thrown themselves at me fearlessly, only to have their arms and legs shattered.
As a result, the underlings just surrounded me, spewing vulgar curses without actually closing in. No one dared rush me anymore.
"You bastards! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Have you ever seen such pathetic cowards in the world? And you call yourselves Black Society members?!"
"Attack! If you don't strike him down right now, I'll punish you for insubordination!"
The grunts weren't listening, and it was driving the mid-level cadres mad—their faces flushed beet red, like they might explode.
One particularly fierce-looking cadre even kicked the ass of the organization member in front of him to force an attack.
"Get up front! I'm telling you to go fight!"
"N-no, sir! I've got an ailing mother at home to care for. Who'll look after her if I end up a cripple?!"
"What? You dare talk back to me, Iron Hand U-gon, after staring me down?!"
Slap!
U-gon backhanded the man's cheek with a hand the size of a pot lid.
He hadn't even used any techniques or inner energy, but his raw strength was immense—the grunt flew back from a single blow.
"Since when did the Black Society's chain of command turn into such a joke?"
Splat! Ptooey!
U-gon spat a thick glob of phlegm at the grunt, whose cheek was already swelling massively, then pulled his men back.
"Useless trash! Get out of the way! I'll handle this bastard myself!"
U-gon stomped forward with feet as massive as his palms.
Yet the sight didn't feel threatening at all. If anything...
It was like a bear freshly awakened from hibernation, stumbling around in a daze as it hunted for prey.
"Wow, I'm impressed you can walk on two legs instead of all fours."
I scanned U-gon's hulking frame from head to toe, letting out a genuine sigh of admiration.
But to U-gon, my comment must have grated, because he let out a enraged boar-like roar and charged me headlong.
"I'll kill you!"
"With that lumbering body? Think you can manage it?"
"Raaargh!"
Over seven feet tall. A massive bulk that had to weigh at least 250 pounds.
With such overwhelming physical specs, no third-rate black path thug could stand against him.
But by my standards, U-gon—who hadn't even mastered basic external arts—was just a one-trick pony.
Whoosh.
I effortlessly sidestepped his body-slam using Blue Eagle Step.
Truth be told, I didn't even need Blue Eagle Step; a simple twist would have sufficed.
But the moment U-gon launched himself, two mid-level cadres who'd been biding their time drew their swords and rushed me.
Unlike U-gon, these guys knew some martial arts—their sword swings were decent—so I countered with Blue Eagle Step and Eagle Claw Technique.
"Typical back-alley black path scum, huh?"
Crunch!
"Threatening a guy who's just here to settle his tab—with swords, no less."
Crack!
"Have you ever seen such outrageous villains?"
I first shattered their collarbones with Eagle Claw Technique.
If they'd been clueless grunts with no martial arts, I'd have stopped there.
But these two had some training, and the stench of blood on them suggested they'd wounded plenty of people with those blades.
So I hit them a bit harder.
"Gaaahhh!"
"My shoulder... my shoulder...!"
They clutched their dislocated shoulders with their opposite hands, writhing on the ground. They even tossed aside their precious swords like trash.
"B-big brothers!"
U-gon couldn't hide his shock that they'd gone down without landing a single blow.
"You fiend! What sorcery is this?!"
"Sorcery? Watch that crooked mouth of yours. How dare you call the Great Piercing Sword Sect's Eagle Claw Technique 'sorcery'?"
I closed the distance to U-gon in a flash, drew not my sword from my waist but instead wrapped my hand blade in qi to sharpen it like a honed dagger.
Phoenix Wing Heaven-Spreading. An adaptation of Rising Phoenix Sword's opening form using my hand as the blade.
Screeech!
U-gon instinctively crouched and crossed his arms into a sturdy barricade as my hand blade flew toward his throat.
But it wasn't enough.
He hadn't properly trained external arts, nor was his flesh as thick and tough as a real bear's hide.
How could he possibly block a hand blade honed with murderous intent like a razor-sharp dagger?
"Grk!"
U-gon groaned in agony and dropped to his knees right there.
To fully subdue him with just Phoenix Wing Heaven-Spreading, I'd have needed to sever both arms, so I pulled back midway and used the centrifugal force for a back kick to his solar plexus.
It was calibrated so he'd choke for now but pass out for half a day before coming to.
I couldn't exactly turn a debt collection into a funeral expense.
"Phew. So, want to keep going? Or should you fetch your boss nicely?"
Nearly twenty men lay scattered already, and adding the debt collectors we'd brought on the cart pushed it past thirty—all smashed by one guy.
Brawling with these small fry any longer was pointless, so I gestured again for them to summon the Black Society leader.
Not long after, Black Society Leader Gwak Su-san appeared, his face red as a ripe persimmon. He jabbed a finger at me and roared.
His massive build made his gravelly voice boom across the entire estate.
"You punk! Got a death wish or what? Do you even know where you are, starting a ruckus in broad daylight?!"
"How long ago did I send for you, and you show up now?"
I barely restrained the urge to kick the cheek of Gwak Su-san, who had no sense of how precious others' time was.
I skipped the pleasantries and got straight to why I'd come to the Black Society.
"No time for fake smiles and chit-chat, so let's cut to the chase."
I pointed to the blood trickling from my forehead as I continued.
"Black Society Leader, see this wound? Your men came to a law-abiding debtor in broad daylight, threatened him with swords, and gave him this."
"What bullshit are you spouting, you lunatic?!"
"Ah, hold on—I'm not done. Don't interrupt; just listen."
Gwak Su-san swallowed a gasp of disbelief at my words, radiating a ferocious aura like he might draw his sword and charge any second.
At that moment, Na Cheol-gi—the Black Society's deputy leader and brains—shook his head and restrained Gwak Su-san.
"Leader, let's hear what nonsense this madman's babbling first."
"Tch."
"Sure, his conduct's spotty and his head's not all there, but until a few years ago, he was Luoyang's top young talent: Spectrum Sword Jang So-cheon of the Piercing Sword Sect, right?"
Na Cheol-gi flicked his tongue like a snake eyeing prey.
I didn't like the gesture, but since he stayed quiet while I spoke, I let it slide without comment.
"Mm, so... the debt collectors smashed the Luoyang Branch gate. Threatened with swords during collection, causing a forehead wound and excessive bleeding?"
"Yes, and now he's claiming PTSD for mental damages, demanding partial debt forgiveness and an extension on the repayment date."
"This crazy bastard. After crippling dozens of our guys' arms and legs? What? A little cut on the forehead causes PTSD? And he wants compensation for mental trauma?"
Gwak Su-san ground his teeth, snorting furiously as the scholarly-looking man chimed in annoyingly from the side.
"Hmph! The Piercing Sword Sect's days are numbered. Even as a minor sect among the Nine Great Righteous Sects and Eight Schools, I thought setting up in Luoyang meant resuming activities. But no—they're raising shameless gamblers to bleed honest moneylenders dry."
"..."
"They strut around as an upright righteous faction in public. But behind the scenes, they flaunt force to demand debt waivers. Hell, why even sign a contract then?"
Acting the part of a black path sect leader, Gwak Su-san didn't blindly draw his sword like his underlings. Instead, he attacked me with the facts as his weapon.
"Wall Chief Manager, how much does Piercing Sword Sect's Jang So-cheon owe by month's end?"
"Principal plus interest totals five hundred thirty-seven taels."
"Even if I generously write off some, I'd still need five hundred taels."
"Yes, that's correct."
Gwak Su-san eyed me coolly, then cockily jutted his chin.
"Young hero Jang, think you can scrape together five hundred taels by month's end?"
"Ahem! By the end of the month might be a bit..."
"Oh, and as per your request, we'll call the thirty-seven taels compensation for our injured men's forehead wound and mental trauma. So no more petty nonsense—let's settle this debt cleanly."
"Tch."
Word had it Black Society Leader Gwak Su-san was hot-tempered, leading with fists over words.
Why was he handling this so coolly today?
'Tsk, if he draws the line this calmly, I'm totally screwed...'
My face was already thoroughly wrecked. Preserving pride wouldn't shave off a single coin from the debt.
So I lowered my stiffly raised head slightly and made a polite request in a humble tone.
Since raising funds by month's end was tough, could he extend it to next month's end?
Gwak Su-san snorted derisively, as if he'd expected my shamelessness.
"Jang So-cheon, cut the impossible crap and go clean up your branch nicely. I'll come collect the estate we hold as collateral by month's end. Heh heh heh heh."
"..."
Gwak Su-san's mockery turned into an icy dagger, stabbing into my chest.
Thinking my past solo actions might bring ruin not just to the branch but the main sect made my blood run cold.
But that didn't mean I regretted sticking my nose in back then.
'As a righteous knight-errant, I did what was right. Not a shred of regret.'
Just...
I was sorry for doing good but failing to handle the killer interest rates, leaving me drowning in debt and burdening my sect.
Clench!
I balled my fist tight and slowly turned my body at an angle, preparing to draw my sword.
'Subdue Gwak Su-san and Na Cheol-gi in an instant, grab the scholar, and shred the debt contract without a trace.'
Negotiations had failed, so extreme measures were the only way now.
Click.
I pushed up the sword guard with my thumb, took a wide stance, and prepared my honed-to-perfection draw technique.
But then Na Cheol-gi made a shocking proposal to Gwak Su-san.
"Leader, why get heated over a mere five hundred taels? Why not hand 'that job' to young hero Jang So-cheon?"