Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Moving (3)
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#096 Moving (3)
At Bukgung Baek’s observation, my mind raced.
A moment later, I realized.
‘It’s a checkmate.’
There was no way out.
Hiding members of the Ten Demon Alliance in my house was an absurd situation to begin with.
‘I’m screwed.’
This was why I wanted to just kick them out…
But regardless of my feelings, Bukgung Baek strode purposefully toward the warehouse.
With every step he took, cold sweat beaded on my head.
Finally.
*Clank!*
Bukgung Baek opened the warehouse door.
“Hmm…”
He quietly observed the eleven members of the Ten Demon Alliance inside.
“Lackeys of the Ten Demon Alliance.”
He identified them instantly.
“No, you see, what happened was…”
\* \* \*
Before the misunderstanding could deepen, I did my best to explain.
I told him that while investigating the recent murders, I had accidentally captured these spies from the Ten Demon Alliance.
And that I was keeping them locked up and torturing them for information.
My explanation seemed plausible enough.
“I see. Good work.”
Bukgung Baek nodded, offering his praise.
“But isn’t your hand a bit too cruel?”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve destroyed their internal energy, which is a martial artist’s very life. It would have been more merciful to simply kill them.”
“Excuse me?”
A moment later.
I heard from Bukgung Baek about the condition these men were in.
“So, you’re saying their internal energy wasn’t just sealed, but absorbed by the War King’s energy? And that’s why it can’t be controlled?”
“It seems you truly didn’t know.”
Bukgung Baek’s explanation left me utterly dumbfounded.
To think that simply stabbing them with a nail infused with my energy had given me control over their internal energy.
It was an unheard-of phenomenon.
“How is such a thing possible?”
“It’s because the internal art you’ve learned operates on a different plane from the other arts of the Central Plains. And also.”
“…”
“It’s because of the profound iron nail you used to subdue them.”
At his remark, I took the profound iron nail out from my robes.
“Even if it’s profound iron, it’s just a sturdy nail. What does it have to do with this bizarre phenomenon?”
Hearing my question, Bukgung Baek showed me his left palm and created a long, black snake from it.
Judging by its size, it seemed to be a mini version of his signature technique, the Black Flame Dragon.
*Crackle. Sizzle.*
The surroundings instantly warmed; this was no ordinary heat.
*Woosh. Fwoom.*
When he extended his hand, the small snake flew into the furnace and instantly lit a fire.
Witnessing a divine skill that surpassed even the Samadhi True Fire, not only Myo Hyang but also the eleven members of the Ten Demon Alliance stared with their jaws agape.
“Do you think the Black Flame Dragon possessed the same thermal power when it left my hand as when it reached the furnace?”
“Of course… Ah!”
“It seems you understand.”
That was right.
Once energy leaves the body, it loses its power and properties as time and distance increase.
However, energy infused into a profound iron nail does not scatter and is preserved in its original form.
‘That’s the very utility of profound iron.’
That’s why weapons made using profound iron are considered legendary armaments.
Moreover, the one in my hand wasn’t just normal profound iron, but ten-thousand-year profound iron.
Its ability to preserve energy was even greater.
In other words, the War King’s energy was embedded in the bodies of those eleven Blood Flame gangsters in its original state.
“Then does this mean they can never use their martial arts again? For their entire lives?”
“That is correct.”
At those words, the gazes of the Blood Flame gangsters fixed on me.
Their eyes were bloodshot, as if they were looking at their mortal enemy.
“That aside, their external injuries are severe. If they don’t receive proper treatment, they could live as cripples for the rest of their lives.”
Bukgung Baek said, looking over the Ten Demon Alliance members.
It was understandable. When I subdued them, I couldn't be bothered, so I just broke two of each of their limbs.
The leader of the group, the Blood Flame Gang Master, even had his right eyeball completely ruptured.
On top of that, having lost their internal energy, their recovery would be twice as slow.
But I couldn’t admit that I had done it by mistake in front of the Ten Demon Alliance members.
“I, Jin Mujeon, am a man who utterly despises evil! I believe the only good member of the Ten Demon Alliance is a dead one!”
I hated being misunderstood for no reason.
“…But you’ve kept them alive for now.”
“I’m about to kill them.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I walked toward them.
The eleven members of the Ten Demon Alliance began to shake their heads in terror.
At the same time, their leader tried to open his mouth to say something.
He was probably planning to expose the legitimate deal we had made.
*Thwack.*
“Kuhuk!”
I quickly kicked a stone from the ground, striking him in the forehead.
Seeing him foam at the mouth and pass out, I felt a slight pang of pity, but it couldn’t be helped.
The dead tell no tales.
“You bastards! I granted you my mercy and let you live until today! However, now that the ‘strongest’ in Nine Dragons Fortress, the great Ten-Hand Heavenly Conqueror Bukgung, has ordered your death, I can no longer extend your lives. Die!”
At the subtle emphasis on the word ‘strongest,’ Bukgung Baek gave a faint smile.
With him behind me, I was about to unleash Explosive Death Force and send them all to the afterlife when Bukgung Baek’s voice stopped me.
“Stop.”
“No, sir. It is right to exterminate all evil in the world. By punishing these men today, I will make an example of them and instill a sense of caution, so that the Ten Demon Alliance will never again dare to look down on Nine Dragons Fortress.”
Of course, that was unlikely. The Ten Demon Alliance wasn’t the type to care about the deaths of a few men like these.
But if I could avoid suspicion by overacting like this, that was enough for me.
“Killing them will just be a hassle to clean up the corpses, won’t it?”
“Do not worry. If I turn them to dust, we can avoid such troubles.”
“…Just leave them. I will use them as servants.”
“You scum! Die… Pardon?”
“Did you not hear me? I said I will use them as servants.”
“All of a sudden?”
“If I keep them by my side and teach them, they might be reformed. Is that not the righteous path of justice?”
*No, you’re not qualified to preach about justice.*
Of course, I only had that thought in my head.
“What if they run away?”
“You can just catch them.”
“How am I supposed to catch them if they’re determined to escape…”
“Even though it has left your body, the War King’s energy is still the War King’s energy.”
Hearing Bukgung Baek’s explanation, a hypothesis flashed through my mind.
‘Could it be?’
I closed my eyes for a moment and focused my senses, and I could feel the War King’s energy latent in their bodies.
It felt like it was mine, but not mine, yet still mine somehow.
“I surmise that once your realm reaches the Transformation Stage, you will be able to detonate it inside their bodies.”
Wow.
I carefully placed the nail I had just taken out back into my robes.
It seemed I shouldn’t sell this after all.
\* \* \*
In the end, the eleven members of the Ten Demon Alliance voluntarily decided to become Bukgung Baek’s slaves… no, servants.
Thinking about it, rather than killing them for no reason, keeping them alive like this to get unpaid labor seemed like a gain.
Of course, I didn’t forget to take proper precautions.
“Alright, everyone, eat this.”
“What is this…”
“Would you rather I just kill you now?”
“Ah, I understand. I’ll eat it.”
*Gulp.*
After confirming that all eleven had swallowed the pills, I spoke to them.
“Now, read what’s written over there.”
“…Cheong Family Fortress, Mujeon Branch? The, the Cheong Family of Hubei?!”
“Hehehe. That’s right. This is a branch created by the esteemed daughter of the Cheong Family Lord. The pill you just ate is a poison she concocted.”
“Gasp!”
“If you don’t take the antidote once every two months, you’ll start melting from your fingertips, so don’t forget to come and get it, alright? Ah! And for the record, if any of you blabbermouths run your lips, you’ll never get the antidote again.”
Of course, there was no such thing.
If you took poison, the symptoms would appear immediately. How could they possibly manifest after two months?
“…”
Their foreheads creased in disbelief.
To make them believe, I slightly moved the War King’s energy in their bodies.
I couldn’t detonate it yet, but I could at least do this much.
As the internal energy in their bodies began to run wild, they screamed in terror.
“Ugh!”
“The, the poison!”
After about a quarter of an hour, they finally calmed down and fell to their knees before me, bowing their heads.
“P-please spare us!”
“You won’t die. You just have to take the antidote once every two months, I’m telling you.”
At this point, their quick-witted leader spoke up.
“I will keep my mouth shut for the rest of my life. Please, just spare my life. *Sob.*”
“Good thinking. They say a gentleman’s word is worth a thousand pieces of gold, don’t they? Let’s take this opportunity to live as gentlemen.”
Watching them shed hot tears, I thought to myself.
The fake poison pill cliché from martial arts novels wasn’t entirely nonsense.
‘This is pretty good.’
I should use this from time to time.
\* \* \*
Preparations for the move began immediately.
The date Bukgung Baek wished to move was not far off.
‘To think he’s been living at the headquarters all this time…’
Was it really normal for a man who was the Outer Hall Master to set up a bed in a corner of his workplace and live there?
The more I saw of him, the more I found myself shaking my head.
Thanks to him, Myo Hyang and I were busy.
She was preoccupied with packing her cherished household items.
“Can’t you move faster?!”
“S-sorry!”
I directed the Ten Demon Alliance members, who had become my servants, to pack up the household goods.
I wanted to entrust them with moving everything to the new house, but since their faces couldn’t be seen, I outsourced the job.
“Good work, everyone.”
“N-not at all, great warrior. It is our honor.”
I hired the ruffians loitering around Black Snake Road.
“This isn’t much, but it’s for your trouble. Go have a drink of rice wine on your way.”
“Oh, you don’t have to give us anything…”
“It wouldn’t be right for an executive of the Outer Hall to make people work for free. It’s really not much, so don’t feel burdened and take it.”
“Then we will accept it gratefully.”
The poor guys.
Having given them character education whenever I had the chance, I’d grown quite fond of them.
The thought of not seeing them for a while even made me feel a bit sad.
That’s why I gave them ten coins for their trouble.
They seemed to feel the same, as they ran off, overjoyed.
They looked like runaway slaves who had found their freedom.
Once the packing was done, Myo Hyang and I toured the mansion.
In terms of sheer size, it was comparable to the Outer Hall headquarters.
The space that had been used as a merchant hall faced the main street, promising a decent rental income.
The vast inner courtyard situated within the merchant hall gave a sense of leisure to anyone who saw it.
Around it stood three large, magnificent pavilions built with high-quality materials.
And that wasn’t all.
Behind each pavilion were small warehouses, a pond, a garden, and other well-equipped amenities.
It probably couldn’t compare to the homes of the Hall Masters of the Eight Inner Halls, which could be called conglomerate mansions, but this was certainly a grand estate.
“I’ve always dreamed of living in a house like this.”
Myo Hyang looked around, her face flushed with excitement.
And it was the same for me.
‘You’ve worked hard, Mujeon.’
Fifteen years since I came to Nine Dragons Fortress, a lone orphan with no one in the world.
I suppose this is the reward for living diligently all this time.
Even though I’ll only be living here for three years, I’m thoroughly satisfied.
‘When I sell this house later, I’ll build an even bigger one.’
With the thirty-five hundred nyang under my bed and the money I’ll get from selling the Jo Merchant Hall later, I’ll be able to build an even more magnificent house.
As I was savoring the scent of success, lost in my thoughts, Myo Hyang said something out of the blue.
“But doesn’t it feel a bit empty?”
“Huh? What does?”
“It feels like we left something behind.”
“What could we have left behind? I had the kids scrape everything clean.”
“I know, but I just have this feeling that we forgot something.”
“Nah, there’s nothing like that.”
Leaving her tilting her head in confusion, I entered the central pavilion that would be my room.
I needed to organize my money and personal belongings.
“Let’s see…”
As I was sorting through my clothes and the gold in the boxes.
“Huh? What’s this?”
I saw a familiar bundle of paper.
I unfolded it and saw it was the coded message I had found at the former Ten Demon Alliance hideout.
“Ah! I forgot to have it deciphered.”
I must have forgotten in the sudden rush of moving.
It seemed I’d have to go back and ask about it soon.
‘Well, it’s not urgent.’
If it was a serious problem, it would just be a hassle and of no help to me.
Just as I was about to put the bundle of paper away.
“Kyaaah!”
Myo Hyang’s piercing scream echoed through the air.
*Clank.*
I immediately rushed out to find her, her face pale as a sheet.
“What is it?! What’s wrong!”
“I-I left So-so behind!”
Ah, right.