Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Turning Point (3)
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Yeongho Jung closed his eyes tightly and tapped the table rhythmically with his fingers, lost in thought. Watching him, sweat beaded on Jwa Gong's forehead and trickled down.
'What in the world could it be.'
It had already been half a shichen since he'd been summoned and his lord had said nothing, merely drumming on the table. Something must have clearly upset him, but Jwa Gong had no idea what.
The finger-tapping stopped, and Yeongho Jung slowly opened his eyes.
"Deputy Leader."
"Yes."
Jwa Gong swallowed hard and bowed his head cautiously.
"That man you sent to Shao Xing. Yong Jung, was it?"
"Yes... that's right."
"I recall you saying he was someone you quite valued. Decent skills, too."
"That's true, but did he perhaps make some mistake..."
Jwa Gong probed carefully, gauging Yeongho Jung's expression.
"Tsk tsk, pathetic. To keep a man like that as your trusted subordinate—I'm disappointed. Or no, perhaps it's my fault for keeping a deputy leader with such subordinates by my side. Am I the fool here?"
At Yeongho Jung's self-mocking laugh, Jwa Gong could no longer stand. Whatever the issue, it didn't matter. He dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the floor.
"Please forgive me!"
As Yeongho Jung fell silent, Jwa Gong repeatedly begged forgiveness, banging his head again and again. His forehead split open, and blood from the wound soaked the floor.
"The Ha Hu Clan."
Only when Yeongho Jung finally spoke did Jwa Gong's movements cease.
"The Sword Fiend of the Ha Hu Clan is in Shao Xing. Did you know?"
Jwa Gong's eyes and expression hardened.
"You wouldn't. Even the Flying Wing Unit Leader was shocked when Brother casually mentioned it. If he didn't know, there's no reason you would have. And yet, you as deputy leader—and I—should have known. Why do you think that is?"
Jwa Gong's mind raced furiously.
'If word got out that the Sword Fiend was in Shao Xing, Yong Jung couldn't have missed it. But his report made no mention. That means the Sword Fiend hid his presence. Yet the lord assumes Yong Jung should have recognized him. Why? And more importantly, is the Sword Fiend's presence in Shao Xing really enough to enrage the lord like this? There's no real connection between the Sword Fiend, the Ha Hu Clan, and...'
His whirling thoughts came to a screeching halt.
"Could he be connected to those guys?"
"That mad old Sword Fiend from the Ha Hu Clan is working at their butcher shop."
Jwa Gong's mouth fell open.
He remembered. A report had mentioned that the group had left for somewhere briefly, and in their absence, some old man had taken over the butcher duties.
He'd dismissed it as trivial. Just some lucky fool extending his life a bit longer from the Blood Forest's grasp.
Thinking of the Blood Forest made Jwa Gong's eyes widen once more.
Not long after the report of their departure from the butcher shop, word came that the Blood Forest was refusing the contract.
He hadn't thought much of it then either. He'd heard the rumors: the Eight Winged Sword, wandering on the brink of death from an assassin's ambush, had finally perished, and the assassin had fled with severe wounds.
The Blood Forest's excuse—that pursuing while injured made handling two contracts at once too burdensome—had even drawn a scoff from him, wondering if their reputation was overstated. And Yeongho Jung, who'd worried about backlash, hadn't rebuked them much upon hearing they'd return tenfold the deposit.
"So the Blood Forest refused the contract on him because of the Sword Fiend?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"
"I-I'm sorry."
Yeongho Jung glared coldly at Jwa Gong and sighed before continuing.
"Probably. They wouldn't want friction with the Sword Fiend over some butcher shop rabble. Heh! They must've been thrown for a loop—no sign of the expected punks, and instead this old Sword Fiend guarding the place."
Despite his rising irritation, Yeongho Jung burst into laughter at the absurdity of it.
But Jwa Gong couldn't laugh. Regardless of circumstances, Yong Jung failing to recognize the Sword Fiend right under his nose was an inexcusable blunder. Even granting ignorance of his identity, he should have sensed something off. As an elite of the Flying Wing Unit, as Jwa Gong's prized right hand, he absolutely should have.
"Still, it wasn't a total loss."
Jwa Gong raised his head, puzzled.
"Brother knew information even the Flying Wing Leader didn't. It means the intelligence network he's built independently, led by the Hidden Dragon Unit, is no small force. Even if it relies on lowly street scum. Ha! Losing the Black Ox Squad hurts to the bone."
After a long sigh, Yeongho Jung asked casually.
"By the way, is that Yong Jung fellow still watching the butcher shop?"
"Yes."
"Pull him back. No need to keep a blind fool like that there any longer. Might just irk the old Sword Fiend and stir up needless trouble. Not that it matters—exposure's already happened."
"But shouldn't we at least look into why they're staying at the butcher shop? Confirm his ties to them. Maybe..."
"Maybe what? Maybe it's not just some random punks? Could be. The Black Ox Squad's wipeout might not have been Brother's doing but theirs. Someone of that caliber wouldn't let a worm like Yong Jung spot him. But so what? What does it matter now?"
"Pardon?"
Jwa Gong blinked in confusion, not grasping the meaning.
"The Black Ox Squad, sworn to my loyalty, is already annihilated. While Brother expands his power daily, my limbs are being severed one by one. In this situation, even if I unmask him now, what can I do? From the start, the Celestial Pure Jade Milk was his. Greed for it led to this mess."
Yeongho Jung gave a bitter smile and waved dismissively, as if tired of the topic.
"So withdraw him. Don't get the poor bastard killed needlessly."
"Understood."
Jwa Gong bowed his head and accepted the order weakly.
"Ha! What am I to do?"
Namgung Kyung sat in the Yellow Crane Tower, tilting his cup, sighs spilling endlessly from his lips.
He drained the cup and turned to the window. Beyond, under the red sunset, stood the ancient pavilions of the Living Immortal Medical House—far from flashy splendor.
"Just how reckless do they plan to get?"
Namgung Kyung's gaze toward the Living Immortal Medical House brimmed with frustration.
Namgung Hak, seated opposite and quietly wielding his chopsticks, asked cautiously.
"The Heavenly Demon Cult's deadline is until tomorrow. Even the Living Immortal Medical House has to yield, right?"
"If it were that simple, I wouldn't be worrying. They're utterly blocked off—front, back, left, right. No reasoning with them at all. 'We're deliberating, so just wait,' they say."
Namgung Kyung recalled his morning visit, forcing extreme patience, and roughly lifted his cup again.
"Tsk tsk. From your face, looks like words fell on deaf ears. I told you it was pointless."
Glancing to confirm the speaker, Namgung Kyung scowled.
"If you're just here to grate on my nerves, leave. My chest is about to burst as it is."
The old man plopped down uninvited—the former elder of the Beggar Clan, one of the Murim Three Freaks, the Wandering Liquor Freak. He reached for the cup before Namgung Hak and chuckled.
"I get it. I was the same yesterday."
"You visited the Living Immortal Medical House too, Senior?"
"Yep. Came back with my chest ready to explode, just like you. Damn near considered torching the place. It's the Living Immortal Medical House, so I held back."
He said it like a joke, but it didn't land as one. Though his temper had mellowed lately, the Wandering Liquor Freak was more than capable of it.
"I don't get why they're making this so difficult and convoluted. Just hand over the man they want."
"You think they should yield too."
"Wouldn't that be best?"
"Sure. That's the right call. The Living Immortal Medical House is finally coming to their senses, saying they can't send a barely mobile patient to slaughter. It's nonsense, though—means they'll hand him over once he's fully cured. Driving him to death either way. Still, that stubbornness is what built them into what they are."
"The problem is the Heavenly Demon Cult holds the justification. Anyone can see they've conceded plenty so far."
"Returning the lost treasures of each sect was their masterstroke."
"Honestly, I was shocked. Agreeing to return such treasures without conditions."
"Attaching strings to the Living Immortal Medical House affair would've sparked backlash. They decided to return them before the man they hunt even sought refuge there, so everyone's just eyeing each other warily. Plenty of sects have already gotten theirs back, I hear."
As the Wandering Liquor Freak spun his empty cup with a finger, Namgung Hak promptly refilled it.
"They say the Namgung Clan has a crouching dragon awaiting ascension. Must be you."
"You're too kind, Elder."
Namgung Hak bowed politely.
"So, what're your plans, Senior? Just sit back and watch?"
The Wandering Liquor Freak chuckled wryly at Namgung Kyung's question.
"The Chief and those shit-for-brains elders all decided to stay put, but I can't."
"You sure? The Murim Alliance's stance, Mount Hua's position—we have to consider them. Blue Cloud Sword hasn't returned yet, either."
"What does it matter? The debt we owe the Living Immortal Medical House is massive. Others can sit it out, but the Beggar Clan can't. Pathetic lot!"
Roaring in fury, the Wandering Liquor Freak downed cup after cup to calm himself. His face eased somewhat as he asked,
"And you? What's the Namgung Clan doing? Heard the Peng Clan hasn't gotten their Wave Subduing Technique back either."
"The clan debated fiercely, but the end result matches the Beggar Clan's."
"Figures. Old Namgung fogeys and Beggar Clan idiots—all the same breed. So how'd you get here? Unlike me, hard for you to defy the family consensus."
"The Patriarch declared: we can't move officially, but we won't stop unofficial actions. Then he quietly tasked me."
"Unofficial, huh. The old timers watching their backs got a public slap from the Patriarch. Heh heh, fits his temperament. Come to think, the Sword Fiend moniker belongs to that kid now, not the Ha Hu elder."
The Wandering Liquor Freak pounded the table with a satisfied grin.
"We won't intervene outright. Can't, honestly. Didn't bring many men, and shamefully, the Heavenly Demon Cult forces already here outmatch what I or my boys can handle. Plus, those old demon heads you know arrived a few days ago."
"Heard about it. Makes my blood boil that those bastards strut around here. Same for me, though. With justification on their side, intervention must be minimal. Just enough to spare the Living Immortal Medical House major damage. If possible."
"We'll make it possible."
"Silver lining: the mood at the Living Immortal Medical House has shifted a bit."
"Really? Didn't sense it when I visited earlier."
Namgung Kyung brightened.
"Principles matter, but this risks innocents. As is, not just their household but patients under care are in danger. And weird rumors are circulating too."
"Weird rumors?"
"That the Living Immortal Medical House refuses the Heavenly Demon Cult's demand out of hidden greed."
Namgung Kyung looked baffled.
"The divine relic the escapee from the Heavenly Demon Cult carries is the Heavenly Demon's. Might even hold his martial arts. And the Living Immortal Medical House is after it. Haven't heard?"
"I did, but dismissed it as nonsense. Who'd believe such drivel?"
"That's the problem—they do. Doubts grow into convictions. Plenty here are gathered just to verify the rumor."
"Hmph! Verify and then what? Plan to snatch it midway?"
Namgung Kyung scoffed as if it were absurd, vowing non-acceptance even if true—but the Wandering Liquor Freak's expression said otherwise.
"Human greed knows no bounds. Forgot? How many bloodbaths swept the murim over trifling manuals or weapons?"
"......"
Dozens of examples sprang to mind instantly; Namgung Kyung couldn't speak.
"What can we do? Just hope those stubborn fools make the wise choice."
But both knew the odds were slim—the Wandering Liquor Freak lifting his cup, Namgung Kyung clinking his against it.