Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Thunderclap Bomb and True Heavenly Thunder
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"Urgh."
Yeonbaek took a step back. There was nothing more he could do with his own abilities. It seemed he wouldn't get a proper answer. Still, in Yeonbaek's mind, there was no doubt the man had ties to the Black Snake Gang.
"Come on, this isn't the time to be standing around like this. Even as we speak, our boys are getting taken out by those black-and-white bastards. We've gotta move!"
Ak Bi-hwan bellowed, and the Ak Family Manor warriors rallied their spirits once more. They couldn't just ignore the deaths of their comrades.
But at that moment, another Ak Family Manor warrior came rushing up, shouting frantically.
"M-Manor Head!"
"What is it? Don't tell me those bastards have already made it here!"
In response to Ak Bi-hwan's words, the warrior mumbled with a dazed expression.
"W-Well... The Black Snake Gang has been completely wiped out."
"What?"
"Wiped out?"
"You messing with me right now?"
Ak Ung couldn't hold back and yelled. But the warrior, still wearing a stunned look, continued.
"I-It's true. Some demon-like guy suddenly appeared... H-Heek! D-Demon!"
Mid-sentence, the warrior jumped in fright, stumbling backward and falling flat on his butt. He pointed a trembling finger toward where Ak Bi-hwan stood, shaking violently as he cried out.
"D-Demon! That demon!"
Ak Bi-hwan's face twisted in fury. What an embarrassment this was in front of his guests and son.
"I'm the demon? Fine, let me show you exactly what a demon looks like."
Ak Bi-hwan stepped forward, drawing his saber in a flash. It was the fine staff-like blade he favored.
"Eek! Manor Head! Th-That's not—!"
"Now you see me as the manor head? Not a demon?"
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
Ak Bi-hwan's staff moved nimbly from his hand. The warrior took the full brunt, screaming with all his survival instincts.
"Argh! Ack! M-Manor Head! Eek! Not you! Gah! Behind the manor head! Kyaaak!"
Ak Bi-hwan's hand stopped at the warrior's cry, infused with desperate will. He slowly turned his head to look behind him. There stood a single man. Dan Hyeong-u! ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Umun Hye glanced back and forth between Dan Hyeong-u and Jo Seol-yeon with a slightly sulky expression. She especially scrutinized Jo Seol-yeon from head to toe.
"What exactly do I lack?"
As Umun Hye grumbled, the handmaiden beside her smiled faintly and soothed her.
"It's just a matter of time. Any man would be drawn to you, miss."
Umun Hye's mood lightened a bit at the handmaiden's words. She nodded and downed the cup of liquor in front of her. Her face flushed from the alcohol, but her mind remained sharp. Her eyes stayed glued to Dan Hyeong-u and Jo Seol-yeon.
The sight of Dan Hyeong-u and Jo Seol-yeon sitting side by side looked perfectly matched to anyone watching. Dan Hyeong-u kept pouring pitchers straight down his throat, while Jo Seol-yeon watched him with wide eyes. It was infuriatingly intimate.
"Tch. If I really wanted to..."
Umun Hye knocked back another cup. The handmaiden looked on with a hint of concern.
"Miss, that's getting a bit much..."
"I'm fine, I'm fine. If I can't handle it, I'll just blow it all away."
She meant dispelling the drunkenness with her inner energy, of course. But it was easy to misinterpret.
"Haha. This pretty miss has some fire."
Umun Hye turned her head slightly at the voice from behind. Ak Ung stood there, holding a pitcher of liquor.
"What?"
Umun Hye narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but Ak Ung plopped down beside her.
"Nothing much. Just saw a girl I like and wanted to share a drink."
Umun Hye's mouth fell open slightly at his words.
"Heh? How old are you, mister?"
"Me? I'll be turning forty soon."
Umun Hye pointed at her chest with an incredulous look, holding up one finger.
"Twenty."
Ak Ung burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! Looks like this pretty miss misunderstood big time. That's not it. I just like your vibe. You think I'd mess with my nephew's girl? Hahaha!"
Umun Hye's expression shifted subtly at his words.
"Your nephew's... girl?"
She could tell he meant Dan Hyeong-u. So he saw her as Dan Hyeong-u's woman. For some reason, it softened her mood.
"Well, you're not a bad guy. Shall we drink?"
Ak Ung laughed even louder at her response.
"Hahahaha! Great! You're really my type!"
Ak Ung clinked his pitcher against Umun Hye's cup.
Clink!
The two downed drink after drink.
The handmaiden watching from the side let out increasingly longer sighs.
Jo Seol-yeon stared in dismay at the liquor vanishing endlessly into Dan Hyeong-u's mouth. She never imagined he'd drink like this—or that he'd like it so much.
It was already a rare sight just to see him sitting there, but watching him chug entire pitchers was downright astonishing.
"You really hold your liquor."
"Haha! My boy has to be able to handle that much!"
Ak Bi-hwan sat before Dan Hyeong-u and Jo Seol-yeon, holding a pitcher. Beside him was Yeonbaek, looking slightly apologetic.
The banquet, which had turned festive, resumed after Dan Hyeong-u returned and repelled the Black Snake Gang's attack. Now, most of the warriors were drunk out of their minds, utterly off guard.
"That was impressive, truly. I never dreamed anyone could take on both the Black Snake Gang's Black Moon and White Moon Units at once."
Yeonbaek had mostly set aside his suspicions. What reason would the Black Snake Gang's rival have for massacring their elite units? Of course, he hadn't dropped them entirely. Doubts about Dan Hyeong-u's origins lingered, forcing Yeonbaek to remain cautious. That was his nature—and his reason for survival.
"Haha! I heard from Ung that you were strong, but I didn't expect this. What martial art do you practice?"
To Ak Bi-hwan's question, Dan Hyeong-u replied simply.
"The Three Talents Sword Art."
"Three Talents Sword Art?"
Ak Bi-hwan and Yeonbaek's faces twisted oddly. Even if all paths converged at the pinnacle, this felt excessive.
Jo Seol-yeon saw their expressions and smiled knowingly.
"Don't misunderstand. Same name, completely different art."
Only then did their faces relax, nodding in understanding.
"I see. Three Talents Sword Art... Care to tell us your master?"
Yeonbaek asked, and Dan Hyeong-u answered lightly.
"No master."
"None?"
Ak Bi-hwan looked shocked. Mastering such profound arts alone? Impossible.
Jo Seol-yeon listened with interest, recalling their meeting at Mount Hyeong.
"Could it be... the Heavenly Qi Master..."
Her words caused a stir. Ak Bi-hwan and Yeonbaek stared at her in surprise, then turned to Dan Hyeong-u for confirmation.
Dan Hyeong-u paused briefly.
"Similar, but different."
Jo Seol-yeon grasped the meaning. To confirm, she probed further.
"You first learned from the Heavenly Qi Master, but now it's an entirely different art?"
Dan Hyeong-u nodded.
"Incredible. The Heavenly Qi Master's arts..."
It was astonishing. The Ak Family Manor's rapid rise was thanks to him.
"He's just an enemy."
Jo Seol-yeon looked puzzled. Why call the one who taught him such power an enemy?
"The bastard who dragged us away."
Her mind raced. She remembered following the treasure map left by the Heavenly Qi Master with the Martial Alliance Leader to Mount Hyeong.
There were said to be his arts and a secret weapon.
"N-No way. Then your brother's comrades..."
Dan Hyeong-u nodded. Jo Seol-yeon finally understood a bit.
"How could..."
She couldn't say more. Ak Bi-hwan and Yeonbaek were bursting with curiosity, especially the impatient Ak Bi-hwan.
"What the hell happened? Spill it!"
Instead of Dan Hyeong-u, Jo Seol-yeon spoke up.
"Brother Dan has ninety-nine friends."
"Ho, ninety-nine? Impressive."
"They're not of this world."
"What?!"
"And all connected to the Heavenly Qi Master."
Ak Bi-hwan and Yeonbaek were hooked. So were Umun Hye, the handmaiden, and Ak Ung nearby.
Jo Seol-yeon pieced together a rough tale, mostly accurate: the Heavenly Qi Master imprisoned a hundred geniuses on Mount Hyeong to learn his arts, and they all met their end.
Dan Hyeong-u nodded lightly, confirming it. Everyone was stunned.
"Th-Then even we..."
Ak Bi-hwan's face contorted. They'd rejoiced at gaining the Heavenly Qi Master's arts, only to learn he was the enemy who stole and doomed their son.
"Perhaps even our Ak Family Manor mastering his arts was part of his scheme. A twisted recompense."
Yeonbaek's words made Ak Bi-hwan sigh. What could they do now? Discard arts this powerful?
"Let's call it a night."
Ak Bi-hwan rose wearily and headed to his room. The Ak Family Manor warriors cleaned up and dispersed.
Yeonbaek watched them and sighed softly.
"Haa."
The banquet cleared quickly. Only Yeonbaek and the guests remained.
"Follow me. I'll show you to your rooms."
Dan Hyeong-u and the others followed Yeonbaek slowly.
The tangled, chaotic day finally drew to a close. * * * ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Black Snake Gang.
Located in a fairly large village about an hour's walk from Sichuan's capital, the gang was growing at a frightening pace, threatening not just the Tang Family but every sect in Sichuan.
The village itself was essentially Black Snake Gang territory. At its center stood their massive compound.
It spanned hundreds of jang in every direction—not from the start, but through relentless expansion.
In the heart of the Black Snake Gang, two men sat across a table in a small but ornate room.
Both in their late forties, one in blue robes, the other in white. They glared at each other with sharp eyes.
"You think that makes any sense?"
"Aren't you the one being unreasonable, brother?"
The white-robed man narrowed his eyes at the blue-robed one.
"Losing the entire Black Moon and White Moon Units to trash like the Ak Family Manor, and you have the nerve?"
"I said our intel was wrong."
The blue-robed man's voice rose.
"The Ak Family Manor far exceeded expectations! Don't underestimate the Heavenly Qi Master's arts!"
Sneer crossed the white-robed man's face.
"Hmph. Heavenly Qi Master's arts? Laughable. Don't you know our Black Snake Gang's arts surpass theirs?"
"I know. But still, there's something about the Ak Family Manor."
"So, you need True Heavenly Thunder for that? To crush mere Ak Family Manor trash?"
"Nothing else will topple them."
The white-robed man's resolve wavered at the firm tone. But True Heavenly Thunder couldn't be wasted like this.