Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: An Eye for an Eye, A Tooth for a Tooth (1)
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"S-Stop! Please stop!"
Tears streaming down her face, Buyong clutched at Sima Geon's leg pressing down on Ma Yang's abdomen and cried out.
Sima Geon looked down at her with impassive eyes.
Buyong flinched and pulled her hands back as she confronted the uncontrollable killing intent and fury emanating from those emotionless pupils. Her entire body trembled violently.
As Sima Geon reached out toward her, Ma Yang, who had been exerting every ounce of strength to endure the pressure on his leg, urgently opened his mouth.
"St-Stop! I'll tell you everyth…… Ack!"
Ma Yang couldn't even finish his words before vomiting blood.
"Division Leader!"
Buyong cried out in horror and cradled Ma Yang in her arms.
"Y-You…… can do as you wish. So please…… stop……"
Ma Yang gasped out the words. With every breath, fresh blood surged from his mouth.
Sima Geon stared for a moment at Ma Yang's desperate expression beneath his foot on the man's lower abdomen, then withdrew his leg.
"That's enough."
At Sima Geon's command, Cheol Woo and Noejeon halted their attacks simultaneously, having mercilessly swept through the Hao Gate disciples.
"You're lucky, old timer."
Cheol Woo, who had been gripping Du Mi Lok by the collar and about to deliver the final blow, sneered and tossed the limp body aside.
"M-Master!"
Ho Cheop, his legs broken and sprawled on the ground, crawled toward Du Mi Lok. Han Seol, who had reached him first, scooped up Du Mi Lok into her arms.
"Elder! Elder!"
Despite Han Seol's desperate cries, Du Mi Lok did not open his eyes.
"He hasn't croaked yet, so don't worry."
Cheol Woo said as he brushed past her. Then, loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted.
"Already calling it quits? There's still plenty left. Can't we just spare a few?"
The survivors' faces all turned pale at the sight of Cheol Woo scanning the surroundings with a chilling grin.
"You heard him. We don't need a lot of mouths from you lot. Just one that tells the truth. So speak properly. This is your last chance."
Sima Geon warned Ma Yang, then exhaled lightly and asked in a calm, steady voice.
"Who kidnapped my little sister?"
Ma Yang, supported by Buyong, had just begun to raise his mouth to speak.
"Division Leader, hold on a moment."
Noejeon interrupted and stepped forward.
"You went back to your hometown and lost your touch, didn't you? We need cross-verification for this. Basic stuff."
Sima Geon made an "oh" face at Noejeon's words, while Cheol Woo, about to complain, subtly turned his head.
Noejeon grabbed the arm of the unconscious Ho Cheop and shouted toward Han Seol, who was too preoccupied checking on Du Mi Lok.
"Hey, you. Come with me."
"Then I'll……"
Cheol Woo, turning his head, walked toward a middle-aged man leaning against a pillar, breathing raggedly.
"With skills like that, you must've been doing alright around here. Let's talk."
Cheol Woo didn't even give the man a chance to respond before dragging him away.
Once Cheol Woo and Noejeon were completely out of sight, Sima Geon asked again.
"The three answers have to match. Who kidnapped my little sister?"
Ma Yang took a deep breath.
If they had coordinated from the start, lies might have worked, but not in this sudden situation. Besides, he had no intention of lying. Though the Hao Gate's involvement had been exposed unexpectedly, he had planned to reveal the culprits anyway to pit the Yangtze Waterway Alliance against the Butcher Gang brothers.
"It was the Hongik Hall."
"Hongik Hall?"
"A subordinate organization of the Yangtze Waterway Alliance. But rather than numbers games, they mainly deal in buying and selling people……"
Ma Yang trailed off, glancing at Sima Geon's face. A wave of killing intent exploded from Sima Geon, instantly enveloping the surroundings.
"Slave…… traders."
"Yes."
"So those bastards targeted my sister, but figured it would be tough because of the Sword Ghost elder, so they spread those rumors?"
Ma Yang's heart chilled at Sima Geon's question. Cold sweat dripped down his back.
The Hongik Hall had learned of Sima Jin's existence because the Hao Gate leaked the information. The rumors about the Ha Hu Clan had nothing to do with them either.
'If they knew the Sword Ghost could get involved with the Ha Hu Clan, they wouldn't have moved no matter how tempting the target.'
To successfully link the Yangtze Waterway Alliance and the Butcher Gang brothers, the Hongik Hall absolutely could not know that fact. Of course, he had to hide the full picture from the monster before him as well.
'Old Man Gwan, dragged off by that brute, knows the whole story, so he'll handle it properly. The problem is Han Seol.'
Ma Yang doubted whether Han Seol, taken by Noejeon, could answer correctly. But in this situation, there was no way to intervene. He could only pray she made the wise choice.
"At the time, we didn't know the exact situation. We just received a request to spread rumors and did as they asked…… Ack!"
Sima Geon grabbed his throat, cutting off Ma Yang's words.
"You got paid, so you did the job? Does the Hao Gate not care what the job is as long as the money's good?"
Though his heart shrank under Sima Geon's blazing glare, Ma Yang judged that boldness was the way to go.
"It wasn't about the money. The Hao Gate is always at the mercy of the weak, forced to bow to threats from those who wield swords over words. Refusing meant we couldn't even guess how many of those poor kids scraping by day to day would die."
Ma Yang cast a mournful glance at the corpses of several courtesans who had breathed their last, then continued.
"It may sound like an excuse, but for a powerless group like the Hao Gate, it was unavoidable."
Ma Yang gently pushed away Buyong's supporting hand and knelt before Sima Geon.
"This is an impudent request, but the others were just following orders from above. Take my life alone and please show mercy to the rest."
Sima Geon looked down at Ma Yang, who had pressed his forehead to the floor, with a complicated expression.
He knew the Hao Gate possessed information networks rivaling the Beggars' Sect but lacked martial prowess. That made them vulnerable to manipulation by other powers. Emotionally, it was hard to accept, but rationally, it made sense.
As time passed without an answer to Ma Yang's plea, Cheol Woo returned, dragging Old Man Gwan.
"What's this? Why's the old geezer kowtowing like that?"
Cheol Woo tossed Old Man Gwan off his shoulder and asked.
"Never mind that. What'd he say?"
"Hongik Hall bastards. Connected to some Yangtze Waterway Alliance."
"Anything else?"
"Not really. Just that they couldn't help spreading rumors due to threats. What about the old man here?"
"Similar. No real difference."
No sooner had Sima Geon finished than a tongue-clicking sound came.
"Tsk tsk, you really lost your edge."
Noejeon approached, one hand dragging the bloodied Ho Cheop, the other gripping Han Seol's hair.
"What bullshit? Why are they in that state?"
Cheol Woo scowled.
"Shut up and listen."
Ignoring Cheol Woo outright, Noejeon quickly continued before he could erupt.
"Hongik Hall links to the Yangtze Waterway Alliance, right?"
"Yeah."
Sima Geon nodded.
"This girl said the same."
Noejeon flung Han Seol aside. She collapsed on the floor, staring blankly with half-dazed eyes, unable to rise.
"But she spilled it too easily, so I got suspicious. You always say interrogate enemies with suspicion upon suspicion. So I dug deeper. She kept repeating the same story, so I applied some pressure."
Noejeon tossed the bloodied Ho Cheop next to Han Seol.
Ho Cheop's limbs twitched unnaturally. Unlike the injuries from Cheol Woo, his body was covered in countless cuts of a different league. Seeing this, Sima Geon and Cheol Woo instantly understood how Noejeon had pressured Han Seol.
"Then she said something interesting."
Noejeon flashed a light smile at Ma Yang. Everyone could tell it was blatant mockery.
"What interesting? Don't make me mad, spit it out."
At Cheol Woo's urging, Noejeon shrugged.
"Out of nowhere, the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds popped up."
"What?"
Cheol Woo's eyes widened. Sima Geon also looked considerably surprised at the unexpected name.
Ma Yang's reaction dwarfed theirs. Horror filled his eyes as he floundered in shock.
"They commissioned an early investigation on the Division Leader and Deputy Leader."
"Why would the Green Forest……"
Sima Geon furrowed his brow, then recalled the Golden Fox Bandit Lair—and the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds' figures there.
Cheol Woo remembered it too.
"Boss, looks like it's those guys from the Golden Fox Bandit Lair."
"Seems so. So, the Green Forest is involved in this?"
"After that, it was all nonsense, so nothing solid. But piecing it together, it seems the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds fed info to Hongik Hall. Obvious intent."
Ma Yang inwardly sighed in relief at Noejeon's words.
The Green Forest was involved, but the Hao Gate had actively lured Hongik Hall, spread the Ha Hu Clan head's death rumor to draw out the Sword Ghost, driving the plan. Even in the worst case, Han Seol hadn't revealed that much.
"Did you give our info to the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds?"
Sima Geon asked. Knowing lies wouldn't work, Ma Yang nodded obediently.
"Yes. As you know, when we receive a commission……"
"How far did it go? No, looking at this, I don't need to ask."
Feeling Sima Geon's voice turn icy again, Ma Yang prostrated flat.
"It's all this old man's fault. I'll take responsibility, so please forgive the others."
"I understand enough. That the Hao Gate had no choice."
"Boss!"
Cheol Woo called out with a "what are you saying?" look.
"Th-Thank you. Truly, thank you."
Ma Yang bowed his head repeatedly in gratitude.
"But just as the Hao Gate has its position, so do we."
"What does that……"
Sensing something ominous, Ma Yang cautiously lifted his head.
"Thanks to your Hao Gate's 'position,' my little sister was kidnapped, and innocent lives were lost. So don't hold grudges. As you said, it's just positions clashing. Besides, I've made up my mind."
Sima Geon's gaze on Ma Yang turned chillingly cold.
"Not to let a single one involved in this live."
Before Sima Geon finished, quick-witted Noejeon moved like lightning.
With every flash of his sword, a life ended.
Terror-stricken Hao Gate disciples screamed and scattered, but most didn't take a few steps before perishing pointlessly.
The Hao Gate's top experts, led by Ma Yang and Du Mi Lok, were already subdued, so the disciples couldn't even dream of resistance.
Cheol Woo, robbed of his turn by Noejeon and disappointed by the Hao Gate's total loss of will to fight, clicked his tongue.
"Tsk tsk, even worms squirm when stepped on."
Boom!
As if responding to Cheol Woo's mutter, a beam of light pierced through the wall.
"Watch out."
Confirming the sword aimed at Noejeon, Cheol Woo shouted in alarm.
Even without the warning, Noejeon had sensed the incoming sword and the formidable energy it carried—something he couldn't ignore.
Noejeon hastily adjusted his stance and deflected the charging sword.
Severing Flash.
The essence of the swift sword he had honed his life for.
A consummate strike he prided himself on being faster, sharper, and more destructive than any other.
Regrettably, that pride shattered.
"Kuh!"
A startled cry burst from Noejeon's lips.
His sword had vanished somewhere, and blood poured from his mangled hand.
But that wasn't the end.
Another sword flew in.
Sensing even greater power than the first, Noejeon leaped aside without hesitation. As he rolled desperately on the floor, the sword twisted to pursue.
"Damn it."
Cheol Woo snatched the sword mid-air after cursing at Noejeon rolling behind him. With a disdainful look, he snapped it effortlessly.
"Some skilled bastards have arrived."
"Calling Imperial Sword Flight a 'trick' is a bit much."
Noejeon brushed dust from his clothes as he stood, his relaxed tone contrasting the murderous glare toward the sword's origin.