Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Translator: Penny
Chapter 79
Don't Look Back (3)
Standing alone in the field, Ho-yeon Nam was in shock.
First, he was stunned by Song Hwarin.
It wasn't just because he had lost the spar to her. It was her words afterward that pierced him like a dagger:
"I'll remember this: at twenty, I met a Master who couldn't control his lust. That's how I'll record it in my life."
Her words struck his heart like a dagger.
As she turned away with a smile, his chest felt like it was being torn apart. He felt utterly insignificant.
A murderous rage surged through him, urging him to kill both Song Hwarin and Byeok Ridan. He wanted to slaughter Byeok Ridan and ravish Song Hwarin right there and then.
How much did I love her?
He had let her go so willingly that day, without claiming her as his own, precisely because he loved her.
Just then, a telepathic message arrived. It was from Byeok Ridan:
-Yeom Hwa has instructed me to tell you: withdraw from Shandong immediately.
For a moment, Ho-yeon Nam's mind felt completely blank.
What did he say?
While he stood there dazed, Byeok Ridan and Song Hwarin had already left.
Belatedly, Ho-yeon Nam's face twisted into a demonic grimace.
"That fucking bastard!"
Only then did he realize that this entire situation had been orchestrated by The Butcher Yeom Hwa.
"So that's it. It makes sense."
Otherwise, why would Song Hwarin suddenly ask to meet him and then treat him with such contempt? Yeom Hwa must have been manipulating her from behind.
"He's trying to ruin me!"
Simultaneously, self-justification took hold.
Yes, Hwarin would never do this to me.
Burning hatred consumed him, overriding any rational judgment.
Having received Yeom Hwa's message, Ho-yeon Nam saw no reason to think otherwise, nor was there any situation that would warrant it.
A murderous glint flared in his eyes.
"That bastard... I'll kill him for sure."
I returned home.
I couldn't predict the consequences of my single telepathic message.
If he made the right judgment, it would amount to nothing more than meaningless babble. But if he harbored malicious intent, it would ultimately become a blade that cuts himself.
Three days ago, after tailing Ho-yeon Nam to the brothel, I immediately sent a letter to the Yang Association, requesting a spy to be sent here.
Upon the spy's arrival, I assigned him the task of monitoring Ho-yeon Nam and Yeom Hwa.
Now, all that remained for me was to wait for the outcome.
On my way to my room, I encountered my mother and Jeong Yeong, Baek Pyo's wife.
The two women were chatting amicably, like close sisters.
"Mother, Madam Jeong."
I greeted them both politely.
Jeong Yeong's expression was brighter than when she first arrived. The stiffness and tension that had marked her earlier demeanor were now completely gone.
"Where's Myeong?"
"He's studying. Madam enrolled him in an academy with an excellent tutor," Jeong Yeong replied with a cheerful smile.
"Stop calling me 'Madam' and call me 'Older Sister,' I've told you before."
"...Yes."
Jeong Yeong lowered her head.
Given my mother's personality, I suspected they would soon forge a sisterly bond. Her composed and dignified manner seemed to have won my mother's approval.
At times like these, I felt a renewed sense of respect for my mother. Though I had asked her to take good care of Jeong Yeong, her actions now went far beyond simply fulfilling my request.
She was acting out of genuine affection for Jeong Yeong, and I could clearly see that this stemmed from a deep love for humanity.
This wasn't simply a matter of age. Even in my previous life, when I was over seventy, I had never treated people with such warmth.
"Please let me know if you need anything," I said to Jeong Yeong.
Before she could answer, her mother interjected slyly, "I need a daughter-in-law."
Pretending not to hear, I quickly excused myself.
Behind me, I could hear their laughter. My marriage prospects would soon become the blossoming topic of their gossip.
Three days later, the news I had been waiting for finally arrived.
It was about the negotiations between Ho-yeon Nam and Yeom Hwa. Yeom Hwa had initially refused to negotiate, but the Ho-yeon Family had repeatedly insisted on it.
At the hard-won negotiation table, Ho-yeon Nam suddenly drew his sword and attacked Yeom Hwa, turning the meeting into utter chaos.
In the end, Ho-yeon Nam was killed on the spot, while Yeom Hwa suffered a severe sword wound.
Despite his skill, comparable to Yeom Hwa's, and the element of surprise, Ho-yeon Nam had still met his end. This proved he had already lost his composure.
If he had truly repented for attempting to violate his young female disciple, he would have returned to the Ho-yeon Family on the day of his spar with Song Hwarin. Had he done so, he wouldn't have lost his life.
But he couldn't control his rage. He ended his life as a wretched man to the very end.
Upon hearing the news, I immediately donned the Human Skin Mask and headed to the Shandong Night Merchants.
They must have already heard that the negotiations had collapsed and the meeting place had turned into a sea of blood, and were likely holding an emergency strategy meeting.
When I announced I was from the Heavenly Blade Gate, the guards at the gate escorted me to Yacheon.
Yacheon asked cautiously, "I heard you're from the Heavenly Blade Gate."
In the Guest Hall, a dozen men stood tensely. I knew well that hidden weapon tubes were concealed in their sleeves.
For someone of my martial arts level, being caught off guard by a hidden weapon was the only real danger. Once I was aware of it, it ceased to be a threat.
I openly unleashed my murderous intent.
"How dare you try to deceive us?"
As I fully revealed my aura, its overwhelming force made those with weak constitutions tremble and wet themselves on the spot.
"What are you talking about?"
"You dare involve the Ho-yeon Family to attack us?"
"It's a misunderstanding! I only sought their mediation."
"Enough with the lies! The old Ho-yeon Family bastard ambushed Great Hero Yeom, leaving him severely injured. Weren't you the ones who summoned them?"
"I never imagined such a thing would happen."
"Hah! You call that an excuse?"
As I scoffed, Yacheon urgently asked,
"What do you want from me?"
"You'll pay with your life. I'll kill every last one of you."
A chilling silence descended upon the hall.
Yacheon and the men exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to handle the situation.
Just then, the hot-tempered Gucheol moved first.
"You bastard! You're the one who should die!"
Whoosh!
With an ear-splitting roar, hidden weapons shot from the cylinder Gucheol held.
Clang!
I casually swung my sword, deflecting the projectiles. The deflected weapons struck Gucheol, sending him crashing to the ground.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A barrage of hidden weapons followed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But I swung my sword, deflecting the hidden weapons, and the men who had launched them flipped over and collapsed. To onlookers, it must have seemed as if the weapons had been turned against their own masters.
"Uwaaaah!"
The remaining men threw down their hidden weapon canisters, clutched their heads, and fled.
I let them escape. The rumors of the Heavenly Blade Gate's actions needed to spread.
With my sword drawn, I strode toward Yacheon.
Yacheon prostrated himself on the ground, shouting, "Please spare me!"
I raised my sword into the air.
"I'll give you all the money I promised the Ho-yeon Family."
The descending blade froze above his head.
"You should have said that sooner."
At my words, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Follow me."
The man led me to his room. He manipulated a hidden mechanism, and a bookshelf swung open.
"Let's go."
"Try anything funny, and you'll die right here."
"I value my life above all else. That won't happen!"
Yacheon led me down into the underground.
There, we found a secret vault.
"You must not move from this spot. One wrong step, and poison smoke will be released."
Just as he was manipulating the lock to open the vault door...
Clang!
Suddenly, iron bars slammed down around me.
The mesh between the bars was so fine that not even a dagger could be thrown through. I recognized it instantly: Millennium Cold Iron.
As expected, Yacheon seemed like a completely different person now, utterly relaxed and confident.
"You fucking idiot! How dare you crawl in here alone and cause a scene? Do I look like a joke to you? Huh?"
After yelling at me, the man actually opened the vault.
It required entering a unique numerical code, pressing a device under his foot, and activating another mechanism on the wall. The vault would only open if these steps were executed in the correct sequence, with double and triple layers of security.
Inside, the vault was crammed with banknotes, gold bars, and various documents.
The man grabbed a large leather pouch he had prepared earlier and grumbled, "Damn it! Looks like I'm going to have to bolt after all."
He seemed deeply regretful about abandoning the Shandong Night Merchants.
"If I lay low overseas for a few years, I'll figure something out."
As he gathered the banknotes, he glanced back at me.
"Do you even know how I earned this money? Once, a pregnant woman came looking for her husband. He'd been dragged here after failing to repay his debt, and she hadn't heard from him since. She begged me to release him, saying he was going to be a father. So...
What do you think happened? I kept her locked up until she gave birth. Then I sold the child and sold the woman to a brothel. Her husband? He'd been dead for ages, feeding the dogs. This, you bastard, is how I made my money."
"Even hell is too good for you."
I maintained a calm demeanor.
"You crippled bastard! Still acting all high and mighty like some Martial Arts World big shot!"
I slowly drew the Asura Radiant King Sword.
Shhhhk.
Clang!
As expected, even the Asura Radiant King Sword's razor-sharp blade couldn't cut through the bars.
The man laughed mockingly and shouted, "You mutt! Those are made of Millennium Cold Iron!"
I channeled my Internal Force into the Asura Radiant King Sword.
Ping?
After a long hiatus, the Asura Radiant King Sword accepted my Internal Force and let out a long, resonant hum.
Yacheon flinched at the sword's cry.
A cyan Sword Qi began to coalesce around my blade, shimmering like a rippling blue wave. It had been an eternity since the Asura Radiant King Sword had manifested its Sword Qi.
Ziiiiiiiiing!
The Sword Qi began slicing through the Millennium Cold Iron.
"Idiot! Sword Qi can't cut through that! If it were that easy, it wouldn't be called Millennium—"
Yacheon's words choked off as his eyes darted wildly.
"Huh? Huh? Huh?"
Srrring, srrring.
With repeated strikes, the iron bars began to sever.
"Fuck!"
Yacheon scrambled over to manipulate something.
Clang.
Iron plates descended around the bars, sealing them off completely.
Hiss, hahahaha!
Poison smoke began to rise from the floor inside the iron bars.
"Heh heh heh! If you'd just stayed still, I would have given you a clean death. That poison is the Fatal Acrid Poison. You'll die feeling the agony of every meridian in your body being severed."
The interior of the iron cage was soon engulfed in poison smoke.
In the next moment, Yacheon's eyes widened.
Chi-i-i-ing!
A sword blade suddenly burst through the splitting iron plate.
Yacheon had been watching, assuming it was the prisoner's last desperate act.
But then the sword began to move, slicing through the bars.
Srrring, srrring!
Smoke leaked through the gaps in the blade.
Inside the smoke-filled cage, the Asura Radiant King Sword was sawing through the bars. With no person visible, only the sword protruding and moving on its own, the sight was both terrifying and surreal.
"Huh? Huh?"
Yacheon felt like he was in a dream. Cutting through Millennium Cold Iron within the Poison Smoke? Impossible things kept happening one after another.
"Ugh!"
He quickly started gathering the money, desperate to escape.
"Fuck! What are you? A ghost? Is that it? Damn it!"
Cursing, he frantically scooped up the money. He could abandon everything else, but not this.
Then, a sound came from behind him.
Clang.
The sound of metal hitting the floor.
Yacheon whirled around, his eyes widening in shock.
Terrified, he collapsed onto his backside.
How could he not be terrified?
The Millennium Cold Iron and the iron plate had been cleanly cut through, and I had walked out of the Poison Smoke.
Yacheon trembled violently as he stared up at me, as if seeing a ghost.
"It was just a joke! It wasn't Poison Smoke, just ordinary smoke. Please forgive me!"
I smiled and blew a sharp gust of wind. The Poison Smoke lingering in my mouth shot out, engulfing his face.
"I enjoy jokes too."
Caught completely off guard, Yacheon inhaled the Poison Smoke and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"No! Aaaaaaah!"
He clawed at his body and writhed on the ground. Even in his agony, he couldn't comprehend why I hadn't died. How was this possible?
After enduring the agony of his meridians being severed throughout his body, Yacheon's eyes rolled back, and he breathed his last.
My gaze toward the corpse was cold.
"Just as you confessed to me earlier, make sure to confess your past sins clearly before King Yama."
I gathered the remaining banknotes the man had failed to collect. They were all small denominations, representing the entirety of his life's accumulated wealth. At a glance, the total amounted to several hundred thousand taels.
This money must have caused immense suffering for many, and countless lives had likely been lost because of it. I prayed for the repose of their souls.
"Now, this money will be used to save good people. So, forget your grudges and be reborn in a better place."
I swept up everything in the room—not just the banknotes, but also documents, boxes, gold ornaments—everything.
Using Sword Qi, I sliced through the Millennium Cold Iron, making it manageable to move. Though it was quite heavy, its mostly mesh-like structure meant my internal energy was sufficient to carry it.
The documents stored separately were loan agreements. Upon inspection, I discovered absurd contracts requiring borrowers to repay several times the principal after just one year.
I burned every last one of them.
From today onward, the man would be declared dead. With all the contracts destroyed, no one would need to repay their debts. Those who had suffered under his loans would finally escape their debt hell starting tomorrow.
I shouldered the massive Leather Pouch and the Millennium Cold Iron and left the place.
As of today, the Shandong Night Merchants had vanished from the Martial Arts World.