Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: To Fujian Province (2)
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The place Naeng Yeom guided him to was a small warehouse built beneath the floor.
As he stepped inside, a familiar greeting rang out.
"M-Master! We've been waiting!"
"We greet the master."
It was Dan-ya and Myo-gwang. Both were clad in tight black attire suited for covert operations, and beyond them sat about a dozen elderly men.
"These are the disciples of the branch."
"Is this all of them?"
"...These are all who responded to the summons."
It was a pathetically meager force.
'Calling it a force is putting it too kindly.'
Every one of them looked unwell and frail—far more like beggars than disciples tasked with managing a Hao Gate branch.
'First, let's hear the situation.'
With a glance at Dan-ya, the bandages strewn across the floor began to dance excitedly.
"I'll start from a little while back."
Dan-ya rattled off the recent developments without pause.
Just as ordered, they had been actively assassinating Mangcheon Society underlings across various regions.
"The Hubei Province Evil Lord was a tough one."
"You mean the Quan-jin Sect incident."
"Yeah. After the sect leader died, we got our hands on the list of underlings left by the Eight Thousand Apostles. We hunted them down one by one."
The dark bandages whipped through the air, as if relishing the memory.
"We snagged a hefty haul of loot too. That sly Quan-jin Sect Leader had stashed away a fortune in gold and jewels."
"Well done."
Next came the briefing on Fujian Province.
"M-Master. This place is weird. It's not easy to find any openings. How should I put it? It feels suffocatingly sealed tight."
"Explain."
When he tossed the question to Myo-gwang beside him, an immediate reply came.
"It seems the branch master is frustrated by Fujian Province's closed-off nature."
"Closed-off?"
"The moment we arrived, we scouted for vulnerabilities as ordered."
Exactly as commanded.
'Before news of the Brutal Death Marshal's death spreads, find ways to shake up Fujian Province.'
Myo-gwang's expression darkened.
"I believe a frontal assault would be difficult."
"Even for you all?"
This was quite unexpected.
Though most of the elite assassins had remained in the desert, the desert assassins were all top-class killers without equal.
Myo-gwang, no less, was a special-class assassin.
"I expect heavy casualties. The branch master might manage individual assassinations..."
"Hoh..."
"Allow me to explain."
Next up was the branch leader, Naeng Yeom.
"Fujian Province is beyond the reach of Hao Gate's influence. The Twin Dragon Sect's ferocity has everyone in the province watching their every move."
"Even the lowly have their place everywhere, or so I've heard."
"That's true in general, but not here in Fujian Province."
Naeng Yeom's subsequent explanation painted an even grimmer picture than imagined.
"It wasn't always like this. It started over a dozen years ago when the Brutal Death Marshal founded the Twin Dragon Sect."
His voice carried a note of regret.
"The Brutal Death Marshal brooked no opposition. The moment he arrived, he unleashed a storm of blood."
Spare those who submitted, purge those who resisted.
"Back then, two or three sects vanished daily. It was so ruthless that even the Iron Chain Alliance issued orders for him to restrain himself."
Yet the Brutal Death Marshal pressed on with the bloodshed, eventually purging most of Fujian Province's unorthodox sects.
'Even unorthodox sects move by strength alone, but this is excessive.'
It was easy to see why he bore the name Brutal Death Marshal.
"In the end, Fujian Province was left only with those loyal to the Brutal Death Marshal and the Twin Dragon Sect."
Naeng Yeom added that the purge hadn't spared only sects.
"Once the sects were dealt with, the Brutal Death Marshal turned his gaze to the common folk."
"Even the commoners? The authorities wouldn't stand for that."
"Normally, yes—but Fujian Province is at the edge of the continent, a place where disgraced officials are exiled."
The authorities turned a blind eye in exchange for the sect executing those fallen high officials on their behalf.
"It only grew harsher after that. He ruled like a king, seizing total control, until no one in Fujian Province dared defy the Twin Dragon Sect."
"Is that why the branch ended up like this?"
Naeng Yeom sighed deeply.
"Even those in the lowest dregs value their lives."
"They chose immediate survival over the sect's cause."
"If anyone acts suspiciously, not just them but their families and kin face mass execution. It was unavoidable."
"......"
The situation was worse than expected.
Come to think of it, the person he sought had once said something similar.
- Back then, I survived only because I couldn't die.
As he recalled the faded lament, Dan-ya ground his teeth.
"Eyes follow you everywhere. The province is crawling with watchers. Never seen a place this creepy."
Even unflappable Dan-ya was complaining.
'There are spies even in the branch itself.'
No wonder the scent of blood lingered here—Dan-ya must have made a mess.
"Does the Twin Dragon Sect control all of Fujian Province alone?"
"Even they couldn't dominate this vast province single-handedly."
Naeng Yeom continued his explanation.
"At the pinnacle sits the Twin Dragon Sect, backed by two subordinate sects: the Blood Dragon Sect and Dark Dragon Sect."
"The twin dragons on their banners, I presume."
"Correct. Beneath the Blood Dragon and Dark Dragon Sects lie four more: the Green Python, White Python, Yellow Python, and Purple Python Sects."
"Green Mang Sect, White Mang Sect, and so on?"
"We call them the Pair Dragons, Single Dragon, and Four Pythons."
Alongside the red and black dragons following the twin dragons, their python underlings.
"Quite the amusing nomenclature."
"...This is no laughing matter. The Twin Dragon Sect alone rivals a major Nine Great Sect family. The dragons and pythons are no slouches either—they match most major sects."
Naeng Yeom added that they had grown by devouring smaller sects.
"They already rule Fujian Province like kings. Killing one or two won't change a thing."
No sooner had Naeng Yeom finished than a bellow erupted from the silent disciples.
"You! They call you the Dark Lord?"
It was an elderly man with a thick beard. He raised his fluttering empty right sleeve and shouted.
"With the urgent missive from headquarters, you seem like quite the expert. But this time, could you please stay out of it?"
A quick glance aside, and Myo-gwang whispered.
[He's a Hao Gate sub-branch deputy.]
For a one-armed man to hold such a key position spoke volumes about the branch's dire straits.
Pretending ignorance, Chu Un-hwi replied.
"What do you want to say?"
"Even scraping together every last fighter, our branch numbers fewer than a hundred. Meanwhile, the Pair Dragons, Single Dragon, and Four Pythons boast countless experts. Better to sit this impossible fight out."
Naeng Yeom glared fiercely, but the one-armed elder picked at his ear and grumbled.
"Think no one stepped up while things got this bad? Plenty of so-called experts came from the main sect."
"What happened to them?"
"Tch. Half were murdered. Washed up on the shore without a trace."
The cackling elder continued.
"The dead were the lucky ones. The other half bowed to the Twin Dragon Sect and submitted."
"......"
"If they were going to betray us, they'd only bow their own heads—but because they spoke of the branch's disciples, countless died."
A glance at Naeng Yeom, who answered with a grim face.
"...It's true."
The elder's grumbling turned into a desperate plea.
"I don't know how great you are, but no single person can shoulder an entire province."
"...So, what are you saying?"
"Stay silent. Or if you're betraying them, at least keep silent about the branch."
He pointed to his flapping sleeve.
"Wisdom bought with my arm and my son's life."
"......"
After a brief pause, Chu Un-hwi spoke into the silence.
"It seems best if Hao Gate sits this one out. I'll speak to the leader."
"...What do you intend to do?"
Beyond Naeng Yeom's worried words came Dan-ya's chuckling.
"What's the plan, Master? What do we do?"
"Give us your orders."
To their eager questions, Chu Un-hwi gave a curt reply.
"Found a sect."
"F-Found a sect?"
"Found a sect, you say?"
"Absurd!"
Bam! The Hao Gate disciples watching the exchange shot to their feet in unison.
"Found a sect?!"
"You think they'll just sit by if you open a sect here?"
"Preposterous!"
Their outrage was understandable.
Founding a sect (開派)—in the heart of the Iron Chain Alliance's territory, no less.
"M-Master. I trust you, but is it possible?"
Even steadfast Dan-ya tilted his head in doubt.
"Master. Founding a sect requires vast wealth and time. It can't be done on short notice."
True enough.
Founding a sect wasn't just about personal strength.
'You face constant checks from rivals, challengers flock to you.'
From the founding ceremony to selectively recruiting disciples, it was grueling work that could take years.
But Chu Un-hwi answered firmly.
"No need for that. I'm thinking of a sect with just two people."
"Huh? A sect with two people? Is that even a sect?"
He nodded slightly to the baffled Dan-ya.
"It's possible. Or rather, it has to be."
"Wha—at. If Master's got it all figured out, I'll just follow."
Naeng Yeom gaped, his face a mask of bewilderment.
He had arranged this meeting at the elder's behest, but the situation had spiraled beyond mortal comprehension.
In the end, even Naeng Yeom voiced his discontent, much like the one-armed elder.
"I don't know how lightly the Dark Lord views Fujian Province affairs, but it's no simple matter. The moment a suspicious figure appears, the people of Fujian will face mass slaughter."
"Didn't I say I'd handle it? Hao Gate needn't concern itself—put your worries aside."
"Ha... Simple matter..."
Finally, the one-armed elder barked again.
"Defy their whims, and not just those involved—even the innocent die as examples! What in the world are you thinking, founding a sect?"
Looking at the fuming elder, Chu Un-hwi asked.
"Have you heard of the way of the Hegemonic King from the Records of Swindlers?"
The sudden scholarly reference made the elder cock his head.
"The Dark King seizes wealth with spear and sword for luxury, the Tyrant King hoards it to fill his vaults, and the Sage King spends it to win hearts."
"From the Biographies of Swindlers."
"The ways of the jianghu are the same. Without a whale-like great sect or hordes of disciples, you can still found one by winning hearts."
The listening elder snorted.
"Hmph. Planning to buy loyalty with silver?"
"No. As if."
Chu Un-hwi smiled back and added.
"What needs filling is fear."
Fear so overwhelming no one dares look upon it.
"Right in their hearts."
So you all need only answer one thing.
"Shall we start by crushing those half-formed pythons dreaming of becoming dragons?"