Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Countering the Ambush
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“Division Leader!”
“Squad Leader!”
At the sight of the two collapsing while clutching their thighs, the men who had scattered like a flock of sparrows whipped their heads around simultaneously.
“Damn it!”
Then they thrust their swords toward Jinmu as he closed in to seize their leaders.
They were exceedingly loyal fellows.
They had simply misjudged their opponent.
Bam!
Taking a single step forward, he bent at the waist to dodge the horizontal sword strike and slammed his fist deep into the masked man's abdomen.
“Gahk!”
Jinmu's knee shot up toward the face that doubled over with a scream.
Crack!
Next came two crossing sword strikes flying at him.
Babam! Bam! Crack!
Leaping into the air to evade them, his feet then shattered their jaws in rapid succession.
Thud! Bam! Crack!
There were twenty of them in total, but the gap in skill between them and Jinmu was far too vast. They had dropped their swords, but it didn't matter. The pure energy infused into his fists and feet was more than enough.
There would be no mercy.
His fists crushed bones, and his feet ground them into the dirt.
Kwang!
Grabbing one by the back of the head, he smashed him brutally against the top of the wall.
The masked man, buried under the crumbling wall and knocked unconscious, would not rise again.
Crack!
“Kyaak!”
Twisting the arm in his grip at multiple angles until it formed a twisted 'ki' shape drew a sharp cry of pain. And then the merciless beating continued.
He didn't stop even when they lost consciousness.
“Ugh...”
By then, the masked men had begun hesitating, no longer daring to attack Jinmu.
Over ten still remained, but they had finally realized this was no foe they could overcome with numbers.
A warrior of a completely different caliber.
And then.
“What in the world is going on here?!”
The sun had yet to rise, but the disciples of Wudang were not the sort to sleep through such a commotion like fools.
Especially not Jingung, who had reached the realm of Tan'gi.
His ears were several times sharper than most.
Moreover, the guards standing watch for the merchant group must have jolted awake as well, for the sound of a large bell tolling urgently rang out.
With Wudang's disciples at the forefront, the merchant group's escorts poured out and surrounded the masked intruders.
To anyone watching, it looked as though Jinmu was under attack by nearly twenty ruffians.
“You lot, drop your weapons this instant!”
Jingung bellowed in a voice like roaring flames shooting from his eyes.
This guy again. Jinmu had done all the fighting, yet here he was acting like he'd handled everything himself.
What an insufferably opportunistic bastard, sleeping soundly until now.
But Jingung's shout had its effect.
The surrounded masked men immediately discarded their weapons and surrendered.
“Disciples, subdue these men and drag them inside!”
“Yes, Martial Uncle!”
Subdue? As if there were any left standing.
But the second-generation disciples were already hauling the masked men into the manor.
“You alright?”
“What.”
“Let's head in.”
What was this?
This grumpy old man asking if he was okay?
Worried? No way...
And he said it with such a stern face, too.
Following Jingung inside the manor, everyone except those with broken legs had been forced to their knees.
“Strip off their masks!”
At Jingung's command, the second-generation disciples yanked the masks from the men kneeling before them. Already captured, there was no resistance.
“You...?”
Jingung's face lit up with surprise as he recognized one of them.
No, it was more bewilderment than surprise.
It was the one whose thigh Jinmu had pierced with a finger strike.
“What is the Beggars' Sect doing here?”
Beggars' Sect?
Hearing that, Jinmu had a rough idea of what was going on.
Yang Sobang, you sly old fox.
“What on earth happened here? For Iron Bone Beggar, one of the Beggars' Sect's Five Great Elders, to be fighting Jinmu? And wearing a mask, no less.”
Iron Bone Beggar hung his head weakly at Jingung's words.
Yang Sobang must have ordered a background check.
Jinmu shook his head with a sigh.
But if those were Beggars' Sect members, then who was the other group?
Jingung provided the answer.
“No! You're Yeowigang?”
Yeowigang?
Who the hell was that?
“Hah, this just keeps getting better. And you, a warrior of the Zhuge branch family—what's your excuse?”
The two offered no reply to Jingung's interrogation.
The Beggars' Sect made some sense, but why would the Zhuge branch send masked men to the Ilhae Merchant Group?
Jingung had the answer for that too.
“Hah! Zhuge Pavilion? Or did Zhuge Murin, the family head, order this himself?”
“The... the family head... doesn't know.”
Yeowigang stammered in a tiny voice under Jingung's thunderous roar.
“Even if the Ilhae Merchant Group incident embarrassed you, to send you after Jinmu!”
“Th-that's...”
“Silence!”
“......”
Yeowigang flinched and shut his mouth under Jingung's piercing glare.
“To dare target a disciple of the main sect without shame! I cannot let this slide. I will notify headquarters immediately and demand accountability from the Zhuge branch and the Beggars' Sect!”
“Jingung, sir...”
“Jingung, sir...”
Iron Bone Beggar and Yeowigang looked up at him in panic.
“Don't even dream of excuses! To target Jinmu—to target Wudang's sword!”
“Pardon? Wudang's... sword?”
“......”
Disbelief filled their eyes at Jingung's words. Sword? Not Wudang's fist...?
“Cheongang!”
“Yes, Martial Uncle!”
“As an executive of Encounter Truth Hall, one of Wudang's Eight Palaces, I command you: Release a messenger bird to headquarters at once!”
“Yes.”
“Inform the elders and sect leader of this incident immediately, and request the prompt arrival of Elder Myeongchung, Lord of Encounter Truth Hall!”
“Yes, Martial Uncle!”
Should've covered it with my hand, now it's out there like a shovel to the eyes. At Jingung's orders, Yeowigang and Iron Bone Beggar pleaded with faces like the sky was falling.
“S-sir, must you go that far...?”
“I said silence! You targeted a disciple of headquarters. Do you not grasp the implications? From now on, I won't hear a word from you. Elder Myeongchung will judge the full circumstances.”
“......”
The meaning of targeting a Wudang disciple.
Sometimes, disciples away from the sect fell victim to misfortune.
If it wasn't due to personal error or combat, but murder by conspiracy or ambush, it became a grave matter.
And Wudang never let such things pass. An emergency summons went out to all disciples under their banner, followed by massive retaliation in the sect's name.
That was Wudang's wrath.
“Lock these men up and guard them strictly!”
“Yes, Martial Uncle!”
Jingung coldly turned away from Yeowigang and Iron Bone Beggar, who were dragged off by the second-generation disciples while casting desperate glances.
Then.
“Jinmu.”
“Yes?”
“You must have lost sleep at dawn, so go rest.”
“Ah, yes.”
Jingung's voice toward Jinmu remained stern, but it was filled with warmth.
...Things seemed to have blown up a bit. Whatever.
The commotion at the Ilhae Merchant Group spread like wildfire across all of Danganggu.
The Zhuge family and Beggars' Sect had come upon hearing the news, but the gates remained shut, as no elder from Wudang had yet arrived to confirm the incident.
Slap!
“You utter fool!”
“......”
Zhuge Kak, struck across the cheek by Zhuge Murin's fury, could not utter a word.
“To move the Dark Heaven Squad without permission?”
“I apologize.”
“Apologize? Apologize?!”
Thwack!
A vicious kick sent Zhuge Kak tumbling across the ground.
“Do you think a mere apology fixes this?!”
“I apologize.”
Scrambling up to kneel again, Zhuge Kak could say nothing else. He wanted to plead it was just to confirm, but the words wouldn't come.
“You fool! Get out of my sight!”
“......”
Though ordered to leave, Zhuge Kak closed his eyes with a devastated expression, not moving an inch.
Huhu, brother. How did you mess this up so badly.
Watching from the side, Zhuge Geun smirked inwardly.
This would knock him from the position of young master, giving him another chance.
“Damn it!”
Zhuge Murin's rising fury made his blood boil in reverse.
To top it off, a letter from headquarters had just arrived ordering restraint over the Ilhae Merchant Group matter.
“That bastard Yeowigang must be mad. How could he handle things like this?!”
Zhuge Kak was one thing, but he hadn't expected the Dark Heaven Squad leader to act so rashly. Zhuge Murin's rage only grew.
“Qinghua Squad Leader!”
“Yes.”
“Assemble the warriors immediately and surround the Ilhae Merchant Group's manor!”
“Surround it?”
“Yes! Surround them.”
“Understood.”
It was exactly as stated.
Qinghua Squad Leader Mo Iksang instantly grasped the implication.
The family head clearly intended a show of force.
It started as a squabble among juniors, but now it had to become a clash of adults. With the fact of targeting a Wudang disciple exposed, it was inevitable this would escalate into an inter-sect conflict.
Especially with recent friction over Danganggu's interests, it wouldn't end easily.
This was no longer about rescuing men. From here on, it was a battle of pride between Wudang and Zhuge.
A battle of momentum between murim sects.
It might not erupt into bloodshed, but they had to demonstrate Zhuge's power. Losing the battle of wills would hand all of Danganggu's public opinion to the victor.
Moreover, if conflict between Wudang and Zhuge fully ignited, the Orthodox Alliance wouldn't stand idle. Their mediation would allow the Zhuge family—far more adept at schemes and interests than mountain-dwelling Taoists—to resolve things from a superior position.
Wudang, this fight was bound to happen someday.
A situation where they could seize the advantage. Yet Zhuge Murin frowned at a fleeting unease.
Then he looked down at his kneeling son.
“You fool.”
“Martial Uncle! Martial Uncle!”
Cheongang burst in urgently, prompting puzzled looks from Jingung and Jinmu, who had been speaking with merchant leader Kang Yu.
“What's got you in such a frenzy?”
“You need to come see this.”
“What?”
Seeing Cheongang's grim expression, Jingung followed with a hardened face, while Jinmu trailed with clear irritation.
Jinmu hated this situation.
He wanted to torture the captives until they spilled everything, but Jingung had blocked it.
Across history, torture was best for loosening tongues. Once they talked, he could grab them by the collar, storm the Zhuge family, smash their front gate, and demand answers. Why wait for Elder Myeongchung?
Righteous sects truly bungled handling things.
All that procedure nonsense.
But Jinmu wasn't one to obediently comply.
The first captive. He'd secretly handed him off to Cheongsang.
That one wasn't one of Yang Sobang's men, nor some third-rate unorthodox thug.
Unknown identity, but surely tied to this mess. Maybe even Zhuge. Digging into his background would yield something useful.
But then.
“What the...?”
Opening the front gate, an oppressive aura washed over them.
Over a hundred warriors encircled the gate with ferocious momentum.
“Zhuge?”
Jingung's eye twitched.
“Not the Blue Cloud Sword Dragon.”
“......”
The one approaching with a friendly face was none other than.
Mo Iksang.
Jingung's face twisted sharply.