Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Cornered Rat
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Jucheon, the city where the Heavenly Pillar Gate was located, was enveloped in a chilling silence.
The Gate Master of the Heavenly Pillar Gate had barely escaped the Demonic Cult's attack with his life.
The Heavenly Pillar Gate immediately entered a state of high alert, and its warriors, swords honed, patrolled their territory with menacing eyes.
Merchants locked their doors the moment the sun set, and inns and taverns no longer accepted customers.
It was as if they feared getting caught in the Heavenly Pillar Gate’s fierce storm.
Silence was all that lingered on the streets, where the lights had been extinguished early, making them look dark and eerie despite the bright, shining moonlight.
But the Heavenly Pillar Gate was different.
Outside its walls, warriors patrolled tirelessly in groups, and lights placed everywhere drove away the darkness, creating a city that never slept.
The contrast was stark.
From a distance, it seemed as if only the Heavenly Pillar Gate existed in Jucheon.
And in the main hall of the Heavenly Pillar Gate, brighter than anywhere else, as if it were daytime.
Tap, tap, scratch.
Bae Hyo-gang’s fingers, which had been nervously drumming on the table, began to scratch its surface at some point.
Not only he, but everyone gathered in the hall wore grim expressions.
It was inevitable. Every person in that room had staked their lives on the Heavenly Pillar Gate.
They were men prepared to condone any dirty deed for the sake of their family's advancement, men who had turned a blind eye to the collusion with the Demonic Cult.
When the Gate Master returned, they had instantly sensed what had happened.
And when he opened his mouth, their faces contorted in shock, their mouths agape.
The Demonic Cult's Third Young Master, Neung Un-bi.
He was too big a fish for them. It wasn’t just a branch chief; a central figure of the Demonic Cult was involved.
This was not good. The trouble was far too great.
If the Cult Leader's disciple was involved, they would have to worry about the very survival of their family, no matter how much they claimed to be the rulers of Gansu.
How could they, who had not even made it into the Nine Great Sects, possibly appease the wrath of the Demonic Cult?
But they had trusted in the financial power their patriarch had wielded over the years.
Bae Hyo-gang confidently wrote a letter and sent it by express courier.
They, who had controlled the tides of the Orthodox Murim Alliance from the shadows.
He believed their power would be more than enough to resolve the current situation.
He believed they would not hesitate to start a war between the Orthodox and Demonic factions to protect them.
But when the reply came, they could not hide their sense of futility.
*Were we acquainted?*
Only those words were written in the reply.
It felt as if all the rare treasures they had offered had vanished into thin air in an instant.
If only they had kept a ledger, like Jong Se-in...
They had wholeheartedly believed them when they said they couldn't join hands unless it was a secret transaction.
As their family prospered, their trust deepened.
They were the weaker party, and the Heavenly Pillar Gate, thirsty for success, had followed their demands and cleanly erased all evidence of the bribes they had paid.
That was a fatal mistake.
They had been promised limitless support, but it turned to poison the moment things went wrong.
Not a single piece of physical evidence remained.
Who would believe their story even if they complained?
To make matters worse, the Demonic Cult bastards had found the people they had sold off over the years and had them report to the authorities, causing public opinion to worsen by the day.
Even those who had believed the Heavenly Pillar Gate would never do such things were now watching cautiously and keeping quiet.
The merchants who used to seek relations with the Heavenly Pillar Gate had abruptly stopped coming, and even those who had once been tightly knit with them in friendship had notified them of the termination of their dealings.
Was that all?
The First Young Master, Bae Hap, who had been selected as a warrior of the Orthodox Murim Alliance, was also cast out in an instant. The reason given was that they could not accept him due to the recent unsavory rumors.
Those who had acted as if they would give their livers and gallbladders when the Gate was growing rapidly like a surging river had let go of their hands as it was about to be wrecked upon a waterfall.
All of this happened in just five days.
The tower they had painstakingly built had crumbled.
Because they had built it without realizing its foundation was sand.
The only fortunate thing was that, other than finding people, the Dancheon Gate had shown no other movements.
They knew it too.
That even with the Third Young Master and his companions, they couldn't fight the Heavenly Pillar Gate with their strength alone.
They were waiting. For reinforcements from the Demonic Cult to arrive.
So, there was no choice.
Before reinforcements arrived from the Demonic Cult, they had to attack and destroy the Dancheon Gate branch and fabricate the evidence.
They had to find the ledger that Jong Se-in supposedly had and pin all the crimes on the Demonic Cult branch.
They had to disguise themselves as victims sacrificed in a conspiracy.
Therefore, not even an ant could be left alive.
For the Heavenly Pillar Gate to survive.
Thus, led by the Head of External Affairs, Gwak Chung, sixty percent of their forces were deployed.
Tonight is the turning point. If news of victory arrives, the Heavenly Pillar Gate will have grasped a sturdy lifeline.
It was a matter that required deploying all their forces, but don't they say a cunning rabbit always digs three burrows?
The Gate Master of the Heavenly Pillar Gate had kept the direct descendants of the family behind, preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Those present in the main hall were them.
The Gate Master and his younger brothers, as well as his son and the Great Elder.
"Gate Master, have you heard anything from In-geol in the Orthodox Murim Alliance?"
"..."
Uncle Bae In-geol?
Yes, he is in the Orthodox Murim Alliance.
But what power could he have in this situation?
It was a position he secured through all sorts of bribes. He was in a situation where his own neck could be on the line at any moment, even if he laid low.
"Uncle will be of no help. If this matter isn't resolved, his position will be revoked as well."
"Hmm..."
At Bae Hyo-gang's words, the atmosphere in the hall grew even heavier.
"Ahem! It's alright. By now, the Head of External Affairs should have reached the Dancheon Gate, so don't worry too much."
The Great Elder, So Go-yeon, continued, as if trying to change the heavy mood.
"Let's wait. They will surely succeed. Although the one leading the Demonic Cult branch is the Cult Leader's disciple, he's still a youngster. It's not time for the Demonic Cult's reinforcements to arrive, so the Head of External Affairs will handle it well."
"Hmm..."
"Haha, haven't we also thoroughly investigated the forces that the Dancheon Gate possesses?"
"..."
"The Gate Master said he personally killed the branch chief and his twelve guards, so what can that boy do with the remaining men?"
Although So Go-yeon's words were meant to be comforting, Bae Hyo-gang's expression remained dark.
Because it was a lie.
He had no choice but to lie to his own family.
How could he say it?
No matter how urgent the situation, he had his pride and dignity as the head of the family.
Moreover, he didn't want to appear weak, at least not to his own son.
But So Go-yeon's words were correct.
The martial prowess of the Third Young Master he had seen firsthand was formidable, but not to the point of being terrifying.
About the same as himself, or perhaps slightly better?
As So Go-yeon said, the number of warriors remaining at the Dancheon Gate was small.
At most, about a hundred?
In contrast, the Heavenly Pillar Gate's forces facing them were more than three times that number.
No matter how great the martial skills of the Third Young Master and his companions were, unless they displayed the absolute divinity of a master who had comprehended Sword Ki, they would never survive.
"By the way, they are truly damnable bastards."
"..."
"They enjoyed sucking up all the sweet nectar..."
So Go-yeon's anger was directed at those who had taken bribes from the Heavenly Pillar Gate.
"It's better this way."
"...What do you mean?"
"Now we know exactly how they treat us."
"..."
"What kind of place is our Heavenly Pillar Gate? We are a place that has produced elders of the Orthodox Murim Alliance for generations. For them to ignore the loyalty we've offered all this time... once this is over, we must change our allegiance. Indeed."
As everyone nodded at So Go-yeon's words, Bae Hyo-gang's brow furrowed deeply.
They didn't know.
Because no one but himself had ever seen *them*.
They only knew what he had told them.
The Heavenly Pillar Gate?
It was a great name only to them. To *them*, it was nothing more than a dog they kept.
Bae Hyo-gang had joined hands with them knowing this.
To climb to a higher place.
That's why he had to resolve this matter even more.
"Hoo, Great Elder. For a moment, just for a moment, I'd like to rest."
"Ah! Look at me. I understand. The Gate Master must be the most mentally exhausted... this old man has just been making things more chaotic."
"Not at all, Great Elder. It's just as you said, the mental toll has been great."
"Heh heh, you must rest. In any case, don't worry too much. It will be resolved well. Now, let us withdraw so the Gate Master can get some rest."
"Yes, Great Elder."
"..."
So Go-yeon led the people gathered in the hall and went outside.
Damn it, I hope it gets resolved well, just as he said.
I really do...
*Bang!*
"...?"
So Go-yeon was just about to leave with the family members.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a warrior who had been guarding outside rushed in with a shocked face.
"You insolent fool! What is this impudence!"
So Go-yeon immediately roared, but the warrior paid him no heed and shouted urgently.
"We're under attack!"
"...?"
"The Demonic Cult bastards have breached the main gate!"
"Wha-what!"
Did those words open their ears?
Through the open door, the faint clash of weapons mixed with the blowing wind.
The noise made by blades.
And screams.
It was becoming clearer. The distance was closing.
"This is damnation!"
So Go-yeon was the first to move.
He launched himself toward the commotion with a speed unbelievable for a man of his age, and the warriors followed him.
Bae Hyo-gang's expression crumpled.
What is this...
Could it be?
Were the enemies who attacked the Dancheon Gate defeated so easily?
Or was this an enemy ploy?
It was impossible to grasp the situation, as it had happened so unexpectedly.
But there was no time to hesitate, lost in his own thoughts.
The sounds were too close.
The screams were growing louder, which meant the Heavenly Pillar Gate's losses were greater.
*Grind.*
There was no escape now.
In that case?
Bae Hyo-gang, grinding his teeth so hard his jaw trembled, called out to his son, who was about to follow So Go-yeon to the battlefield.
"Hap!"
"...Yes?"
"You must leave at once."
"...What? Wha-what do you mean?"
Bae Hap asked with a dumbfounded expression, but Bae Hyo-gang was busy fumbling at his waist with urgent hands.
Soon, he handed a heavy money pouch to his son.
"This should be enough for your travel expenses. As soon as you get out, go to Lanzhou."
"..."
"Go and rely on your Seventh Uncle. You will hear news of the main family later. If the Heavenly Pillar Gate stands strong, then return, but if not, do not even turn back. You must not reveal your identity either."
"Father!"
"You fool! There's no time."
"..."
"Remember this. It is said that a gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years. If the Heavenly Pillar Gate falls, use today's humiliation as a stepping stone to become stronger. Cultivate your strength by any means necessary. Revenge comes then. Do you understand!"
"B-but..."
"You fool! Do you not know that you are the Heavenly Pillar Gate! Even if this father dies here, and the family faces annihilation at the hands of those wicked Demonic Cult bastards! As long as you survive, we can rise again!"
"..."
"Go! Quickly!"
"Father!"
"I said go!"
Hesitating at Bae Hyo-gang's urging, Bae Hap clenched his teeth and knelt.
He was bowing. To the paternal love that sought to save him.
Bae Hyo-gang, who had been rushing his son, did not stop him from doing that.
Though every moment was critical, it might be their last farewell.
"Keuk!"
"...?"
Suddenly, Bae Hyo-gang's face hardened.
He snapped his head to look at the wall, where two figures were crouched.
"Y-you are?"
Recognizing one of their faces, Bae Hyo-gang's eyes widened.
The Demonic Cult's Third Young Master, Neung Un-bi.
"How?"
"How? I came to see you, of course. I used all sorts of strategies, you know? Just to leave you all alone."
"..."
As Neung Un-bi smiled broadly, Bae Hyo-gang's pupils trembled minutely.
"Hmm, what a tear-jerking father-son moment."
"Well, I suppose even villains have paternal love."
Nodding at Wang Cheon's words, Neung Un-bi leaped down from the wall.
"But if someone overheard, they might think we're the bad guys, right?"
He said, with a sinister smile.