Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Ominous Rumors (3)
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“The Chairman had plenty of praise for you. He also passed along a message asking you to keep working as hard as you have been.”
“Thank you. I’ll redouble my efforts, Vice Chairman.”
Blood Faction leader Mak So-dong bowed his head with a face full of emotion at the praise from Bi Do Society’s Vice Chairman, Nam Hwi.
“Come on, everyone, raise your glasses. This is wine and food bestowed by the Chairman himself—enjoy it to your heart’s content.”
At Nam Hwi’s shout, a thunderous cheer erupted from the mouths of the assembled Blood Faction members.
The Bi Do Society members Nam Hwi had brought along also let out whoops of joy, their faces carrying a subtle air of superiority.
The gathering between the Bi Do Society and Blood Faction, which had begun in the early evening, showed no signs of ending even as night deepened. The chefs hired specially for the occasion kept the food coming, while the servants bustled about delivering wine and dishes.
When the courtesans arrived at the height of the revelry, it was like the finishing touch on a dragon’s head—they turned the gathering into a frenzy of madness.
“Oh, right, I heard there was some big commotion in Soheung? Something about a clinic burning down?”
Nam Hwi gently pushed aside the courtesans clinging to his sides and asked.
“Ah, you mean Clear Heart Clinic. Yes, that’s right. Last night, a massive fire broke out and reduced it to ashes. They say all the doctors and patients inside perished.”
“What caused it?”
“The authorities are keeping quiet, so I don’t know the details, but it didn’t seem like a simple fire.”
“You don’t think it’s related, do you?”
Nam Hwi asked, his eyes narrowing like a serpent’s.
“The officials already came by to question us about it. Absolutely not.”
Nam Hwi stared intently at Mak So-dong, then nodded.
“If the head of Blood Faction says so, then it must be. Still, it’ll be a hassle for a while. Be extra careful not to get pinned down.”
“Hold on a moment. Think of all the money we’ve shoveled into their pockets so far. Don’t worry too much.”
Mak So-dong grinned and gave a signal with his eyes. The courtesans around Nam Hwi immediately cozied up, offering him drinks.
Nam Hwi pretended reluctance as he lifted his glass—and just as he was about to drain it...
A clamor of shouts erupted from outside, followed by the sound of something shattering.
Nam Hwi pulled his lips from the glass and scowled. Mak So-dong shot to his feet.
“What’s all the racket?”
At Mak So-dong’s bellow, the boisterous, drunken atmosphere fell silent in an instant.
A few men near the door jumped up to investigate the disturbance.
At first, everyone thought it was nothing serious—just some drunks causing a scene. But when the men who’d gone out to check came tumbling back through the splintered door, the gravity of the situation finally sank in.
Sima Geon and his group, who had turned the merry gathering into chaos in the blink of an eye, slowly revealed themselves.
The Blood Faction members leaped to their feet, unleashing a barrage of roars and curses, while the courtesans shrieked and scattered.
“Wh-what!”
Mak So-dong spotted not Sima Geon first, but the hulking, brutish figure of Cheol Woo following behind him—and promptly sank back into his seat.
Mak So-dong alone knew what Sima Geon and Cheol Woo truly were. Of course, most people knew they were the owners of Soheung’s most notorious butcher shop—rough, crude men. But that was one-on-one. With so many comrades around, there was no reason to fear.
“So, the head of Blood Faction... is that him.”
Sima Geon glanced at Nam Hwi in the seat of honor, then shifted his gaze to Mak So-dong, slumped on the floor right beside him.
“Hic!”
Mak So-dong, locking eyes with Sima Geon, began hiccupping in terror.
“What are you all doing? Crush them!”
Mak Gae, Mak So-dong’s younger brother and Blood Faction’s deputy leader, bellowed.
‘No, don’t! You idiot! Stop!’
Mak So-dong shook his head frantically, eyes wide with near-panic.
But with everyone’s eyes—including Mak Gae’s—fixed on Sima Geon, Cheol Woo, and the Lightning Bolt glancing around warily, no one noticed Mak So-dong’s desperate expression.
“Die!”
A man charged forward boldly, only to be flung back even faster than he’d come.
Flying through the air, he slammed into a pillar and died without even a scream.
The bodies of most members lunging at Cheol Woo froze solid. But a few, too drunk to grasp the situation, kept roaring and charging.
Cheol Woo showed them no mercy. His fists swung casually, like swatting flies, snapping their necks one by one.
By the time about a dozen members had fallen to Cheol Woo’s fists, Sima Geon had Mak So-dong right in front of him.
“Who the hell are you... Aaaagh!”
A scream burst from Nam Hwi’s mouth as he tried to speak with a stern face.
With a mere twitch of his finger, Sima Geon had severed Nam Hwi’s shoulder. He beckoned to Mak So-dong.
“Get up.”
Before the words finished, Mak So-dong sprang up like lightning.
“A certain rumor has been circulating in Soheung lately. You know it?”
“What rumor... Agh!”
One of his ears sliced clean off soared into the air as Mak So-dong clutched the wound, screaming.
“Think carefully before you answer.”
“Y-yes, I will.”
Mak So-dong nodded frantically, not even trying to staunch the blood pouring down.
“The rumor was that the head of the Hahu Clan had passed away.”
Mak So-dong’s body went rigid.
Confirming the rumor’s truth from Mak So-dong’s reaction, Sima Geon’s eyes darkened ominously.
“Who was it? Who commissioned Blood Faction to spread that rumor?”
A short distance from where Bi Do Society and Blood Faction were drinking, two Hidden Dragon Squad members—who had come to inspect Blood Faction alongside Bi Do Society but hadn’t revealed themselves—quietly sipped their wine.
“Did you hear that?”
Yu Sang’s eyes flashed as he lifted his glass.
“You too?”
Sado Jong, who had already turned toward the window, jumped up and asked back.
“Yeah. Sounds like something’s up.”
“Right? Doesn’t seem like just some drunks making trouble. Are the Blood Faction bastards up to something?”
“Against Bi Do Society? Ridiculous. Some of the higher-ups know about us. They wouldn’t dare unless they were insane.”
“Simple, then.”
Sado Jong grabbed his weapon and smiled coldly.
“Means it’s an outside attack. Let’s go. I was getting bored anyway—looks like something fun’s happening.”
The two burst through the door and arrived at the banquet in the blink of an eye. They saw Cheol Woo pinning down Blood Faction members with a single glare, arms crossed, and Sima Geon quietly menacing Mak So-dong.
“Why the silence? Don’t tell me you’re trusting those guys?”
Sima Geon glanced at Sado Jong and Yu Sang in the doorway and asked.
“N-no, not at all. Absolutely not.”
Mak So-dong shook his head desperately.
Mak So-dong, who had successfully taken over Dongsim Society with support from Bi Do Society and the covert Hidden Dragon Squad, clearly remembered what had happened to those Hidden Dragon Squad members who killed the Dongsim Chairman and razed their headquarters.
“Then why keep your mouth shut? Ah, Blood Faction didn’t spread the rumor—it was someone else?”
Sima Geon’s tone softened slightly.
Feeling extreme danger, Mak So-dong judged that even more perilous.
“Yes, that’s right. We did spread the rumor.”
Mak So-dong shouted hurriedly, bowing his head repeatedly. He didn’t fall for the trap Sima Geon had subtly laid.
Though they didn’t know the full situation, Yu Sang and Sado Jong frowned at Mak So-dong’s complete submission.
“That’s enough out of you. And you—shut it.”
Sado Jong glared at Mak So-dong and yelled.
“Hey, the one who needs to shut up is trash like you.”
Sado Jong’s gaze turned to Lightning Bolt, who sauntered forward insolently.
A prickling sensation across his body told him this was no pushover.
“Who the hell are you...”
The words didn’t finish.
Sado Jong’s pupils trembled violently.
He couldn’t understand why his voice wouldn’t come out.
‘I saw something flash...’
As he thought he’d glimpsed something gleaming before him, the world went dark.
“No!”
Yu Sang hurriedly caught Sado Jong as blood sprayed from his throat, but he was already dead.
“You talk too much.”
Lightning Bolt muttered lazily after severing Sado Jong’s neck with a sword flash like lightning.
“Die!”
Yu Sang laid Sado Jong’s body down and swung his sword at Lightning Bolt.
As Lightning Bolt smirked and moved to counter, Cheol Woo blocked his path.
A casual swing shattered Yu Sang’s sharp blade to pieces, and a follow-up punch crushed the bones guarding his chest.
Like Sado Jong, he died without a proper scream, his body crumpling into a corner. The atmosphere froze completely.
Not only the Blood Faction members who’d lost comrades to Cheol Woo’s merciless fists, but even Bi Do Society members—who knew full well the Hidden Dragon Squad’s prowess—ducked their heads, terrified of making eye contact.
Cheol Woo, who had crushed Bi Do Society and Blood Faction with his overwhelming power and presence, turned to Mak So-dong, whose face was etched with despair.
“What’re you waiting for? Keep talking.”
“Y-yes. Yes.”
Mak So-dong nodded dazedly and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Yes, we spread the rumor you mentioned.”
“The one about the Hahu Clan head dying.”
“Y-yes.”
“Why spread it?”
“We got paid.”
Sima Geon’s eyes flashed coldly.
“Paid?”
“Yes. Someone came with an offer: spread the rumor, get money...”
Cheol Woo followed Mak So-dong’s gaze to a man flattened on the floor, shivering, and nodded to Lightning Bolt, who approached and nudged him with his foot.
“Hey.”
The man on the floor, Jin Po, shot up. His speed made even Lightning Bolt flinch.
“This bastard.”
Lightning Bolt smacked the back of Jin Po’s head—perhaps to cover his embarrassment—grabbed him by the collar, and flung him before Sima Geon.
“You got the offer?”
“Y-yes.”
“Who made it?”
“Well...”
As Jin Po hesitated, Lightning Bolt crushed his ankle. Then, to the writhing, screaming man, he said calmly:
“Shut up and stand. Answer properly. Next time, I’ll twist your neck off.”
Startled by Lightning Bolt’s aura, Jin Po stifled his screams and barely stood.
Lightning Bolt shoved his face close.
“Who commissioned the rumor?”
“I-it was Geum Wol from Heavenly Pavilion.”
“Geum Wol? What’s Heavenly Pavilion? You mean like... a tavern?”
Lightning Bolt fired questions rapidly, somewhat flustered by the unexpected answer.
“Yes.”
“You wouldn’t lie if you wanted to live.”
“It’s true. Geum Wol from Heavenly Pavilion commissioned it.”
“Sure about that?”
Sima Geon asked Mak So-dong.
“Yes. That punk rushed in bragging about landing a big job.”
“A rumor that the Hahu Clan head is dead—and you just took it without a second thought? Are you idiots?”
Cheol Woo looked incredulous.
“I thought it was fishy, so I checked a bit. Turns out it was already all over Hangzhou, so no big risk. Plus, the payout was hefty, so I took it. Still, to be safe, we spread it as discreetly as possible.”
Cheol Woo and Lightning Bolt snorted in unison at “as discreetly as possible.”
“You crazy bastards!”
The curse came not from Cheol Woo or Lightning Bolt, but from Nam Hwi, who had lost his arm and become a cripple.
“Do you know what the Hahu Clan is? Spreading such bullshit!”
His eyes rolled back in rage, having lost his reason upon realizing his arm was gone because Blood Faction chased money with fake rumors.
One might pity Nam Hwi’s misfortune, but to Cheol Woo, it was yawn-worthy.
“Just stay crumpled.”
Nam Hwi’s body flew through the air from a wild punch, crashing into the opposite wall.
Cheol Woo had gone easy, but no one thought the limp, collapsed Nam Hwi was alive.
Sima Geon snapped his fingers at Mak So-dong, who was trembling and staring at Nam Hwi.
“What’s Heavenly Pavilion? Never heard of a place like that in Soheung.”
“It’s a tavern on the northeast outskirts of Soheung. Small place, just opened, not well-known.”
“A dump like that commissioning rumors? Stinks to high heaven.”
Sima Geon nodded at Cheol Woo’s words.
“Sloppy work means they’re not the source either. Just being used like Blood Faction, oblivious to being discarded.”
Sima Geon looked at the quaking Mak So-dong.
“I left home vowing not to forgive anyone even slightly involved.”
“Sp-spare me. P-please...”
Sima Geon ignored Mak So-dong’s wretched pleas. Passing Cheol Woo and Lightning Bolt, he tossed one last remark.
“One of you guide us to Heavenly Pavilion.”
The death sentence had been pronounced.