Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Touched the Wrong One (3)
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Hangzhou's northwest district housed the red-light district.
As dusk began to fall, lights flickered to life one by one in the lanterns that had swayed gloomily all day.
Business hadn't truly picked up yet, so there weren't many people milling about, but the air was already thick with a sticky, sultry haze.
At the heart of the red-light district stood the Hangzhou branch of Haomen—a place nearly as vital as the main headquarters in Nanjing.
"Why hasn't the branch leader arrived yet?"
Han Seol, who had barely escaped the Heavenly Pavilion and raced to Hangzhou, paced the room restlessly, venting her frustration.
"Just wait a little longer. Given who they're dealing with, the discussions are probably dragging on."
Bu Yong, the proprietor of the renowned brothel Cheonnak—and the one effectively managing the branch's operations—tried to soothe her.
"You don't think they've caught on, do you?"
Han Seol asked, her face etched with worry.
"Doesn't seem like it. We were so meticulous; no way they'd suspect."
"Then why come here of all places?"
"Word must have spread to Hangzhou, so they're likely here to request cooperation. Still, with the Beggars' Sect and Haohu Clan in the mix, we can't be too careful."
Before Bu Yong could finish, the door swung open, and Ma Yang, the Haomen branch leader, entered with a weary expression.
"The lady's right. Better safe than sorry."
Han Seol and Ho Cheop hurriedly paid their respects.
"Han Seol greets the branch leader."
"Ho Cheop greets the branch leader."
Ho Cheop bowed once more to the elderly man trailing behind Ma Yang.
"This disciple greets Master."
The elder, Haomen's elder Du Mi Rok, nodded gravely.
"Sit, all of you. I heard the gist on the way, but what exactly happened?"
Ma Yang, taking the seat of honor, gestured for them to sit as he asked.
Han Seol glanced at Ho Cheop, bit her lip, and spoke up.
"It was all my mistake."
Her account was concise and precise—no excuses for her error, just the facts of what had transpired in Shao Xing.
Du Mi Rok shot her a look as if questioning its veracity, and Ho Cheop nodded silently in confirmation.
"So, these fiends attacked the Heavenly Pavilion, and then... you don't remember anything after?"
Ma Yang's question made Han Seol lower her head.
"Yes. To be exact, my memory cuts off right as I was preparing to fight back."
"I see."
As Ma Yang turned to her, Ho Cheop, who had been waiting her turn, spoke immediately.
"Elder Po judged that they were likely Butcher Gang members. He sealed the lady's pressure points and ordered me to take her and flee at once. He also warned that with the Heavenly Pavilion exposed, they might trace it back to headquarters."
"Elder Po sent you running without even planning to fight? Hah! What do you think?"
Ma Yang asked Du Mi Rok.
"He must have deemed them that strong."
"True. Given what they showed at the Living Immortal Medical House..."
Ma Yang trailed off with a heavy sigh.
"We need to prepare countermeasures. If trouble erupted in Shao Xing, it's only a matter of time before we're exposed."
"Elder Po and the kids won't talk, even under torture."
"What if the Beggars' Sect gets involved? Don't tell me you've forgotten who we just met."
Du Mi Rok's warning furrowed Ma Yang's brow.
"We should inform the sect leader. Damn it all—why get tangled in this mess?"
As Ma Yang vented, Du Mi Rok scowled too.
"I never liked it from the start. The Clear Heart Clinic, of all places... absurd. Sure, we've taken hits from those Yangtze pirates plenty, but this crosses the line."
"The sect leader opposed it at first, they say. Wonder which stubborn fools pushed it through."
"The Supreme Dharma Protector."
"Ah, of course."
Ma Yang nodded at Du Mi Rok's assertion.
A beast that lost its cubs doesn't take kindly to prodding—let alone a man. His thirst for vengeance would pierce the heavens. The Supreme Dharma Protector, having lost two sons to the Yangtze River Alliance, would stop at nothing to get his revenge.
"Anyway, it's done. Now we clean it up. Any ideas?"
After a moment's thought, Du Mi Rok replied to Ma Yang's question.
"Leak Hong Ik Bang's identity as planned."
"Divert their attention, eh?"
"Yes. But it won't be enough. As Elder Po warned, this place might get exposed. No—with the Beggars' Sect involved, it's inevitable they'll link it back to us."
Ma Yang's gaze shifted to Bu Yong.
"Might have to shut this place down. Best prepare now."
Bu Yong, who had poured her heart into running Cheonnak for Haomen, nodded despite her regret.
"I'll get ready."
As Bu Yong rose to leave quietly...
A woman's ear-piercing scream erupted outside, followed by chaos.
Ma Yang and Du Mi Rok exchanged glances and bolted from the room without a word.
"N-no way?"
Han Seol paled at the horrifying possibility she dared not imagine.
"Hey, shut it already? Not here for you, but your screeching's splitting my ears. Keep it up, and I'll make you just like him."
At Cheol Woo's chilling threat, the courtesan who had been screaming her lungs out clamped her hands over her mouth. Hiccups escaped her uncalmed terror, but she stifled them desperately, unwilling to end up like the man crumpled at her feet with broken limbs.
"Much better. Tiny thing with lungs like a beast. Anyway, miss, you're dismissed."
Cheol Woo flashed a gruesome smile just from looking at.
"Advice: leave this place if you value your life."
With a casual wave, his eyes scanned not the retreating courtesan but the Haomen disciples pouring in from all sides.
"Halt!"
Du Mi Rok stepped forward, narrowing his eyes at the man with shattered limbs.
'Jang Ryong, taken down this easily?'
He instantly recognized that Jang Ryong—a skilled fighter in the Hangzhou branch—had been overwhelmed without a fight. Tension filled Du Mi Rok's gaze.
"Who the hell are you? What gives you the right to bully helpless courtesans?"
"Her voice could wake the dead, sure, but helpless? This guy's no innocent."
Cheol Woo kicked Jang Ryong's side, where pained groans emanated.
As Du Mi Rok caught the flying body amid a muffled scream, Jang Ryong's breath had already ceased.
"Not the type to crawl red-light alleys. Had no intention of starting something, but he got nosy..."
Cheol Woo irritably glanced at Noe Jeon prodding his own side.
"There she is."
Noe Jeon pointed at Han Seol, who had followed Ma Yang and Du Mi Rok out late.
"That the wench?"
"Yes."
Cheol Woo grinned wolfishly at Han Seol.
"Nice to meet ya, wench."
"Hah! We've been tailed."
A sigh escaped Du Mi Rok.
"We checked so many times..."
Ho Cheop, who had fled with utmost caution, bowed her head in disbelief.
"My apologies. All my fault."
"No. We fell for their ploy from the start. They startled the snake while beating the grass."
Ma Yang chuckled hollowly, consoling Ho Cheop, who hung her head in guilt.
Sima Geon fixed his gaze on Ma Yang and spoke.
"You seem to be the boss here. Straight to it: whose orders?"
"No idea what you're talking about."
Sima Geon's eyes darkened ominously at Ma Yang's response.
"Haomen, holders of the world's secrets alongside the Beggars' Sect... didn't think you'd be this brazen."
At the mention of Haomen from Sima Geon's lips, Ma Yang's pupils quivered faintly.
"We know Haomen had a hand in my brother's kidnapping. No excuses. Last chance: who took him?"
"This is Haomen, true, but kidnapping? First I've heard. Must be a misunderstanding..."
Sima Geon's icy voice cut Ma Yang off.
"Still clueless, huh. Cheol Woo, Noe Jeon."
"Yes, Division Leader."
"Wipe them out."
No sooner had Sima Geon commanded than Cheol Woo's fist cleaved the air.
The qi surging from it shot straight at Ho Cheop.
Du Mi Rok stepped in front of the frozen Ho Cheop.
Having read reports of Sima Geon and Cheol Woo's feats at the Living Immortal Medical House, he knew their prowess well.
Even without that, ignoring the ferocity of an attack from such experts targeting Ho Cheop would be folly. He unleashed his full power, thrusting both palms forward.
The Heaven-Hating Palm Technique—the skill that elevated a forsaken orphan from the gutters to elder status—unfolded in its ultimate form.
Boom!
A thunderous clash, followed by a whirlwind storm.
Du Mi Rok grunted shortly, staggering back.
Cheol Woo's massive frame shrugged off the shockwave and leaped. He punched again from mid-air.
Unlike Cheol Woo, unscathed, Du Mi Rok reeled from the single exchange, intimidated by the follow-up.
Unable to counter, he dodged desperately. Ho Cheop and the Haomen warriors rushed to aid him, but Noe Jeon's dazzling swift sword perfectly sealed their movements.
With each flash of Noe Jeon's blade, severed arms soared, and blood sprayed like fountains, staining everything red.
Ma Yang, horrified at his subordinates falling without landing a blow, drew his sword toward Noe Jeon. But he couldn't move. A colossal aura had bound him the instant he unsheathed.
Ma Yang's eyes turned to the source.
Sima Geon watched Cheol Woo and Noe Jeon impassively, arms crossed.
Ma Yang felt a pressure from him like a mountain—heavy as Mount Tai, scorching as the sun.
'We touched the wrong one! Why provoke someone like this?'
Ma Yang lamented Haomen's gravest mistake: making an untouchable foe. He sensed calamity looming not just for the Hangzhou branch, but the entire sect.
"Argh!"
Du Mi Rok, swept by Cheol Woo's fist, clutched his mangled arm and rolled on the ground. Most who had aided him, including Ho Cheop, lay dead or critically wounded.
"Aaack!"
Amid shrieks, heads of Cheonnak courtesans rolled to Ma Yang's feet one after another.
Wide eyes, gaping mouths, faces twisted in terror—they spoke volumes of their final horror.
Though Haomen disciples, these women knew no real martial arts. Their brutal deaths ignited Ma Yang's fury.
"How dare you commit such atrocities!"
Ma Yang roared at Sima Geon.
Forcing back the binding qi had taken its toll—his eyes bloodshot, crimson blood trickling from his mouth.
"Atrocities?"
Sima Geon's lips twisted savagely.
"You still don't get it."
As Sima Geon advanced, Ma Yang reacted swiftly, slashing at him.
Even as the blade aimed for his throat, Sima Geon made no move.
As Ma Yang wondered why, harboring faint hope...
The lightning-fast sword halted abruptly.
Sima Geon had caught it with fingers alone. He snapped the blade, then hurled the broken tip at the stunned Ma Yang.
'D-danger!'
Instinct screamed to dodge, but his body wouldn't obey. He tried desperately, but the shard was too swift.
It buried into Ma Yang's shoulder.
"Gah!"
Ma Yang's mouth gaped wide.
Pain like flesh seared by a branding iron.
It spread from his shoulder through his body in an instant.
He'd endured countless wounds, far graver ones, but nothing like this.
Crack!
Bones shattered. Ma Yang collapsed, groaning in agony.
As he writhed, clutching his broken leg, Sima Geon pressed a foot lightly on his lower abdomen.
"That's why you don't spout nonsense, old man."
The pain from shoulder and leg was nothing. That single foot felt like a mountain crushing him.
Ma Yang couldn't retort. Opening his mouth felt like it would burst his body apart.