Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Back Alley Thugs
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'Damn it all!'
Cheongsang cursed inwardly.
The men surrounding him.
They were clearly third-rate.
The gap in skill was obvious.
Yet ever since the wound on his shoulder, the injuries kept piling up.
He couldn't grasp what was happening at all—it was utter chaos.
This kind of fight was a first for him. Their attacks had no stances or forms.
Instead, they were filled with desperate ferocity.
Even the strikes from these amateurs carried a chilling killing intent that pierced his chest.
Kaang! Ka-kaang!
Moreover, their assaults grew even more erratic and relentless, making defense a struggle.
Spurt!
"Kuhk!"
A sharp slice below his knee sent Cheongsang staggering, and a keen dagger flew straight for his throat without missing the opening.
To dodge...
Thud!
"Tch, I was gonna let you gain some more experience."
"S-Sa-suk..."
The dagger stopped short of Cheongsang's neck, caught in Jinmu's hand that had appeared out of nowhere.
The attacker tried desperately to wrench it free, but it wouldn't budge, leaving him with a bewildered expression.
"You moron, if you're gonna fail, let go already."
Clang!
With a sneer, Jinmu clenched his fist, shattering the dagger with a small popping sound.
And then.
Bam!
A straight kick drove into the man's gut.
"Guhk!"
The man's body bent like a shrimp.
Thwack!
Jinmu's fist slammed down hard on the nape of his neck.
Thud!
The brutal impact sent the man crashing to the ground, unconscious.
"Alright, one down."
Jinmu's cold gaze turned to one of the ambushers—a squinty-eyed man in yellow robes.
'How?'
He'd been hiding among them as one of the group, so how had he known?
Jinmu didn't miss the bewilderment in his eyes.
"What are you? You look like a seasoned ronin who knows his way around a blade."
"..."
"You're not low enough to mix with these losers, even if they're pathetic."
"..."
"Someone put a bounty on us, huh?"
"Wh-what are you..."
"Yeah, didn't expect you'd just politely answer. Guess we'll need a proper chat."
"..."
"Cheongu!"
"Yes!"
Cheongu responded energetically.
"..."
Ugh, sometimes it would be nice if he took the initiative.
"Clean up."
"What?"
A sigh escaped Jinmu naturally.
If these guys had any real skill, they would've bolted by now.
"Beat everyone except this one. Got it?"
Jinmu glared at the yellow-robed man, and only then did Cheongu toss his pack aside and charge in like a bullet.
"Damn it!"
At the same time, the yellow-robed man leaped to flee.
Now that he'd been exposed, best to erase traces and run.
"Where do you think you're going!"
"...!"
A voice rang in the yellow-robed man's ear.
A foot, just over a handspan long, appeared before him.
Splat!
He hadn't even taken three or four steps before it smashed into his face, sending him stumbling back.
Grab!
A hand seized his collar.
"You think I'll let you escape?"
A wicked grin accompanied a thick fist swinging down.
Bam!
That was the end of the yellow-robed man's memory.
The punch crushed his nasal bone, and he went limp, passing out.
Crack! Thud! Bam!
Meanwhile, Cheongu kept fighting.
Snap! Boom! Pow!
"..."
And on...
"Cheongsang."
"Yes, Sa-suk."
"...This is taking forever."
Whack!
As expected, Cheongsang was quicker on the uptake. Once he joined in, things wrapped up in a flash.
The ambushers, minus the two unconscious ones, were lined up on their knees before Jinmu.
"Now, shall we talk?"
Even with Jinmu's smile, the thugs kept their heads held high.
They knew Cheongsang and Cheongu were far superior, so they didn't openly rebel.
"You guys, since we're Taoists, figure we'll just ask nicely, and if you stay quiet, we'll give you a light scolding and hand you to the authorities, right?"
"..."
That was exactly what they thought.
Taoists were like that—never cruel.
If they endured a few hits...
"Yeah, spot on. If it were those kids back there, they'd probably do that. Hell, those naive fools would. But."
Jinmu slowly approached one man and gently grasped his arm.
Smiling kindly...
Crack!
"Gaaahk!"
Everyone's eyes bulged as they whipped their heads away from the man's agonized scream.
His arm twisted backward.
Blood poured endlessly, white bone exposed.
"Sa-suk!"
Even Cheongsang and Cheongu looked shocked at the brutality.
But Jinmu was still smiling.
He grabbed the screaming man's foot and stomped his knee.
"Such a pain."
All while keeping the smile...
Crack!
"Gaaaaahk!"
His leg twisted backward too.
Unable to bear the pain, the man rolled his eyes back and fainted.
"Sa-suk!"
Cheongu froze, blinking, while Cheongsang frantically pulled out first-aid supplies from his pack.
"Why bother handing over more than ten of you to the yamen? With your skills, no bounties anyway... nothing to gain."
Jinmu grinned, flashing white teeth.
"You're used to this, right? Sword-for-hire life—get hurt in scraps, die screaming in ditches now and then. Happens all the time, doesn't it?"
Jinmu smiled as sweetly as possible at the next man.
"...!"
It somehow looked even crueler.
Gooseflesh refused to subside, hearts shrunken to pinpricks, forgetting their normal beat.
What kind of Taoist was this?
"Th-this brutality!"
"Brutality? Hilarious. You tried to kill us first..."
Jinmu snickered, gripped the back of his head, and raised his fist high.
"W-wait..."
"Oh, yeah. Don't move. Neck'll snap."
Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
Rhythmic.
Steady.
Nasal bones shattered, blood sprayed.
Jinmu's smile and sharp fangs gleamed coldly amid it all.
Blood filled his mouth, muffling screams.
Released unconscious, his face was unrecognizably caved in.
"Ah, my new robes..."
Blood splattered.
For the first time, Jinmu's smile vanished.
One thought filled their minds:
Crazy bastard.
Crazy Taoist bastard.
Turns two men into rags in seconds, smiles, then grimaces at blood on his clothes.
"I-I'll talk!"
"..."
The third man, sensing he was next, shouted with a pale face.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Not really interested."
"..."
It felt like the sky was crashing.
Anything—say anything.
Fall into that lunatic's hands, end up crippled or dead.
Something in his knowledge would catch the guy's interest.
The third thought so, and the rest agreed.
From then, they erupted like a babel of tongues, spewing every memory to outshout each other.
"Enough!"
"..."
"Too noisy, can't hear."
Jinmu frowned, and they shut up like they'd rehearsed.
"You!"
"Yes! Eight Dragon Faction's Gwakcheonggil, age forty-two!"
"Speak."
"Yes! Eight Dragon Faction's a thug gang in Dankanggu's back alleys, shaking down protection money from the southwest fabric district. Boss is Ipallyong!"
In other words.
These guys were small-time back-alley punks preying on merchants for "protection" when their boss suddenly ordered them to grab three young Taoists near Wudang Mountain.
They never expected Taoists with this level of skill.
They figured snatching three kids would be easy.
Plus, the two Jinmu downed—the Ten Dams Two Evils—were known experts in Dankanggu's alleys, having killed a famed Shaanxi warrior and hidden there. They thought it doable.
Meaning they knew Jinmu's group would pass through.
But why?
No reason to target three Taoists, especially Wudang's.
Wudang, weakened or not, was still Wudang. Too big a bite.
Mess up, and not just them—extended family wiped out.
Even major unorthodox sects avoid it.
Asking anyway meant guts without brains.
And the bounty must be huge to risk it.
"Good. Solid info. Go crouch over there."
"Thank you! Great hero! N-no, Daoist, Master!"
Gwakcheonggil bowed tearfully and scurried back.
The fourth man, under Jinmu's gaze, blurted without prompting.
"Eight Dragon Faction, thirty-two years old! Wangdeoksam! Third son, second of the beauties! Pillar of the red-light district's songbirds!"
"..."
Desperate to live, he spilled more than Gwakcheonggil.
Even mauled by dogs, keep wits and survive.
But.
Gwakcheonggil, you bastard.
Share the load. You spilled everything on the faction... Still, say something.
Wangdeoksam started babbling his life story unnecessarily.
"Stop."
"Huh? N-no, I have more. Please..."
Tears welled as he pleaded.
"Shut up. From now on, answer only what I ask."
"Yes!"
"Who placed the bounty?"
"Huh? Th-that..."
"Don't know?"
"..."
Not just Wangdeoksam—all paled.
They didn't know.
"Don't know?"
"Spare us. Truly don't know. Honest. Please."
"Hm..."
Jinmu pondered, asked more, but only useless drivel—no real info.
Guess they'd have to visit Eight Dragon Faction's boss, Ipallyong, directly.
"Alright. Those two famous?"
Jinmu pointed at Ten Dams Two Evils.
"Yes! Top names in Dankanggu alleys. Rumor is they killed a known Shaanxi fighter and hid here."
"Worth?"
"Huh?"
"Bounties, right?"
"About ten taels of silver each."
"..."
Damn... Figures.
Not Short River Evils, but Village Ten Dams Two Evils.
Still, twenty taels total. Way more than Jinhyeo's pocket money.
Collect first.
"You got anything?"
"..."
What now?
After hesitation, the Eight Dragon Faction thugs stripped emergency cash from their undergarments and offered it to Jinmu.
"Sa-suk."
Cheongsang and Cheongu watched, dumbfounded.
Not content with maiming them cruelly, now robbing thugs?
No matter how you sliced it, not Taoist behavior—but Jinmu pocketed it contentedly.
"Good. Now scram."
"Huh?"
"Get lost. But don't tell Ipallyong. If I go and he doesn't show, you're all..."
Jinmu glanced aside; eyes followed.
A man with limbs twisted backward, barely human after Cheongsang's hasty first aid.
Another with caved-in face, breathing thanks to desperate patching.
Gulp.
Throats bobbed.
"We'll never do evil again. We'll flee and live right elsewhere!"
They shouted in unison.
"Huh? Nah, no need. Keep ruling the alleys. Take protection money, bully folks."
"N-no! Never. I swear on my name—my father's name!"
"You idiots! I said live like scum!"
"...!"
Jinmu glared; they choked silent.
"Tch, go. Take the wounded."
"Huh? Yes!"
At permission, they glanced warily, hoisted the injured, and bolted at top speed.
They probably wouldn't return to Dankanggu.
"Alright, let's go?"
"..."
After the storm, Jinmu dusted off casually; Cheongu and Cheongsang couldn't adapt.
"What're you gaping at?"
"Huh?"
"Carry 'em."
"..."
Ten Dams Two Evils.
Cheongsang and Cheongu each shouldered one.
Cheongu also bore both packs, naturally.
Burdened with gear and men, they looked comical... but strong despite the stupidity. No issue.