Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Villains' Fury
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“Might as well advertise that we're here.”
The one who greeted Beom Gye-wi was Cho Ak-ryang.
After chiding Beom Gye-wi, Cho Ak-ryang looked at Han Seol-hwa walking into the valley.
“It's been a while.”
Han Seol-hwa merely nodded at Cho Ak-ryang's greeting.
Beom Gye-wi glanced around before looking at Cho Ak-ryang.
“Where's Physician Dan?”
“He went to the village. Said he needed some medicinal herbs.”
“So you sent the kid alone? What if he runs into a wild animal?”
“He carries herbs that animals dislike.”
“What if he falls in the dark? If our Physician Dan scrapes his knee, will you take responsibility, Brother Cho?”
Cho Ak-ryang furrowed his brow.
“Why is that my responsibility?”
“When I'm not here, of course you're responsible, Brother Cho. Or should I tell that woman over there to take responsibility?”
Cho Ak-ryang was dumbfounded by Beom Gye-wi's whining. But on second thought, it wasn't entirely without reason.
‘Maybe I should have disguised myself and followed him.’
Beom Gye-wi's irritating fuss made him even more concerned. But that thought didn't last long.
Because Han Seol-hwa, who was looking around the Divine Demon Valley, sent a telepathic message.
*Why is it such a mess?*
“A mess? This is where you'll be living too.”
*In a place this filthy?*
Han Seol-hwa walked past the two men with a deadpan expression.
*I'll get sick just by being here.*
After a moment's thought, Han Seol-hwa started cleaning.
She decided it was far better to do it herself than to entrust the task to incompetent humans in a misguided attempt to save effort.
Watching her, Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi exchanged meaningful smiles.
The plan was a great success.
“By the way, what's that?”
Cho Ak-ryang asked, finally noticing the bowl Beom Gye-wi was holding.
“Don't even think about it. This is for Physician Dan.”
Beom Gye-wi hugged the still-steaming bowl.
* * *
“So…”
Gwak-ga asked, kicking the corpse in front of him.
“You just happened to be passing by where this man was hiding, heard a groan, and found him?”
With his eyes closed, Dan Ak-seon nodded.
All he had said here was a brief explanation of what had just happened. He had no desire to exchange words with the man named Gwak-ga before him.
“And all of that was a coincidence?”
A dry smile played on Gwak-ga's face.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Dan Ak-seon bit his lip.
Same question, same answer. He had lost count of how many times. The questions and answers had been repeating for hours.
This time, Dan Ak-seon didn't answer and glared at Gwak-ga.
In that moment, Dan Ak-seon's head was jerked back. Gwak-ga had roughly grabbed his hair.
“Kid. When an adult asks you a question, you answer.”
Dan Ak-seon's expression turned cold at the question, which was laced with killing intent.
“The Martial Alliance is truly just and fair.”
Gwak-ga's face flushed.
He had placed the corpse nearby to pressure the boy and even used killing intent to intimidate him. Any other child his age would be trembling and begging for forgiveness by now. But this boy before him showed no such signs.
That only made Gwak-ga angrier.
Gwak-ga drew his sword and pressed it against Dan Ak-seon's neck.
“Kid, this is your last warning. Answer my questions obediently.”
A red line of blood formed on the skin where the blade touched, but Dan Ak-seon showed no sign of alarm.
“I've already answered everything. If you ask the same question again, I won't answer.”
“You…!”
Just as Gwak-ga, unable to contain his anger, was about to tighten his grip on the sword…
“Team Leader, it is I, Jang-wi.”
A subordinate's voice came from outside the door.
“A messenger pigeon has arrived from the Pung Medical House.”
“Already?”
At Gwak-ga's question, the man who identified himself as Jang-wi opened the door and entered.
“He says he's coming here himself.”
“Pung Jin-seong himself?”
A look of surprise appeared on Gwak-ga's face. He hadn't expected such an immediate response.
His reputation as a mere team leader in the Martial Alliance was nothing compared to that of the Pung Medical House. And yet, its head was coming in person. He could guess just how much Pung Jin-seong cared for this boy.
“Stop!”
Gwak-ga's gaze turned to Dan Ak-seon.
When Dan Ak-seon, who rarely showed excitement, shouted, Gwak-ga felt as if he had won.
“Don't drag him into my problems! He has nothing to do with this!”
Hearing that, Gwak-ga actually became more composed.
“We'll see about that.”
Dan Ak-seon glared at Gwak-ga, but Gwak-ga didn't even blink.
“Come to think of it, I don't need you anymore.”
Gwak-ga ordered his subordinate.
“Get him out.”
“From the very beginning…”
Dan Ak-seon said, gritting his teeth.
“You were after Mister Pung.”
“This is not for a child to meddle in. This is a matter for adults.”
Dan Ak-seon was dragged out by the subordinate and thrown out of the inn.
“Get lost. If you don't want Pung Jin-seong to get hurt too.”
Dan Ak-seon had no choice but to turn away. His body trembled with surging injustice and rage.
* * *
“Something must have happened.”
As the night deepened, so did Beom Gye-wi's anxiety.
Cho Ak-ryang also wore a grave expression. Dan Ak-seon had never been this late before.
“I think I should go check.”
Even Cho Ak-ryang, who had been nagging Beom Gye-wi for being impatient, nodded this time.
“Let's go together. You go to the village and ask around about Physician Dan's whereabouts. I'll search the path leading to the village.”
Just as the two were about to leave Divine Demon Valley, they spotted a small figure trudging toward the entrance.
It was Dan Ak-seon.
“Physician Dan!”
Beom Gye-wi's face lit up as if his worry had never existed. He rushed toward Dan Ak-seon as if taking flight.
Spotting Beom Gye-wi, Dan Ak-seon also called out.
“Mister!”
“Huh?”
Beom Gye-wi let out a sound of confusion.
Because as they got closer, Dan Ak-seon reached out and threw his arms around his waist.
“I missed you.”
For a moment, Beom Gye-wi was stunned.
Dan Ak-seon's welcoming gesture was bewildering. But at the same time, he was incredibly happy. It was a strange, ticklish feeling in a corner of his heart, hard to pinpoint and describe.
“Uh, um… yeah. I missed you too.”
Feeling awkward for no reason, Beom Gye-wi stammered his reply. Then he reached out and patted Dan Ak-seon's back.
But something felt strange.
Dan Ak-seon's hands, wrapped around him, were trembling. Beom Gye-wi stared blankly at Dan Ak-seon.
A strange feeling, different from usual.
Come to think of it, his voice lacked energy too.
“I'm going to go wash up.”
Dan Ak-seon struggled to compose himself and went to his own pavilion. Then he turned his head once more and forced a smile.
“I'm glad you're back.”
With those words, Dan Ak-seon turned away.
After Dan Ak-seon disappeared, Beom Gye-wi muttered.
“I smelled blood.”
“There was a cut on his neck, too. It was definitely from a blade.”
Before Cho Ak-ryang could finish speaking, Beom Gye-wi started to move.
“Wait.”
Cho Ak-ryang reached out and grabbed the shoulder of Beom Gye-wi, who was about to dash off.
Beom Gye-wi growled, his face ferocious.
“If you try to stop me now, I won't go easy on you, even if you are Brother Cho.”
“I'm not trying to stop you. I'm trying to be certain.”
The two villains met each other's eyes.
A thick killing intent was also pouring from Cho Ak-ryang's eyes.
* * *
So Jeok-san was in a good mood.
The tribute money collected today had far exceeded his expectations.
“Haha! Drink up, drink up! If not on a day like this, when else can we get properly drunk!”
As soon as So Jeok-san finished speaking, his subordinates raised their cups together. They drank and chattered boisterously for a long while.
Just as the night-long festivities were reaching their peak…
“Here, take it! I put in more than last month!”
So Jeok-san placed a bundle of money pouches filled with silver on the table.
Clink.
At the heavy sound of the silver coins, his subordinates cheered at the top of their lungs.
“As expected of our Great Hall Master! You're so generous!”
“Is it just his generosity? His martial arts are the best under heaven, too. You all should have seen the Great Hall Master's prowess when he was cornering those bastards from the Shinhyo Gang!”
“Now we just need to crush the Black Dragon Society, right?”
“With the Great Hall Master here, isn't that a given? Unifying the gangs of Muwi is a job for the Great Hall Master. We just have to trust and follow him.”
All sorts of praises poured in from every direction.
So Jeok-san, basking in it all, opened his mouth to address his subordinates.
“That's right. Muwi will soon be in our hands.”
After moistening his throat with a cup of wine, he continued his speech.
“Now that we've taken down the Shinhyo Gang, the brewery and brothel they managed are ours as well!”
“Hooray!”
So Jeok-san nodded with a satisfied look at his cheering subordinates.
“You've all worked hard. But from now on, we must be more careful.”
“Is it because of the Black Dragon Society?”
So Jeok-san nodded at his subordinate's question.
“They were after the Shinhyo Gang as well. We'll be clashing with them more often from now on.”
At those words, his highly spirited subordinates shouted from all around.
“In that spirit, please show us a display of your martial arts, Great Hall Master!”
“That's right! Please show us a move from your martial arts, which have reached the realm beyond the heavens!”
So Jeok-san stood up sheepishly.
“Then I shall show you a few moves.”
So Jeok-san assumed a rather plausible-looking opening stance.
At that moment, a wind from nowhere swept through the room. Simultaneously, So Jeok-san's body shot up into the air.
Crack!
It was as if the tavern's roof was torn off completely.
So Jeok-san's body was sucked up into the air.
A momentary silence fell over the room.
“Whoa! Did you see that?”
“I can't believe the Great Hall Master's lightness skill was that incredible!”
“Those Black Dragon Society bastards should have seen this!”
The thoroughly drunk men began to chatter excitedly.
* * *
When So Jeok-san came to his senses, he was deep in the mountains where even the moonlight couldn't penetrate.
‘What just happened? Where am I?’
So Jeok-san, looking around, fixed his gaze on one spot. He had spotted a figure huddled in the darkness.
A moment later.
As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could make out the figure's face.
“You!”
A gasp of shock escaped So Jeok-san's lips.
A one-eyed man with one side of his face caved in from a burn. It was undoubtedly Ga Hwi-seop, the leader of the Black Dragon Society, who shared control of Muwi's underworld with them.
He was as famous for his venomous heart as he was for his vicious temper.
But his face was a mess. His single venomous eye was barely visible due to a swollen eyelid.
Moreover, his face was covered in dark bruises.
He, too, seemed to have recognized him, as killing intent began to pour from his eye.
‘Damn it!’
So Jeok-san belatedly tried to summon his internal energy.
No.
He tried to summon it.
‘What?’
So Jeok-san couldn't hide his bewilderment. His internal energy was not responding to his will.
“Attention.”
Startled, So Jeok-san looked toward the source of the voice.
‘A master!’
An overwhelming presence that made it hard to breathe just by facing him!
He felt something indescribably and extremely dangerous. A bald, burly man with a bristly beard like a hedgehog's opened his mouth.
“Find out everything that happened in the village today concerning a boy named Dan Ak-seon. You have one hour.”
“Dan Ak-seon? Who's that?”
At the question from Ga Hwi-seop, leader of the Black Dragon Society, the bald giant grinned.
Crack.
“Kuaargh!”
Ga Hwi-seop's desperate scream shook the night air.
Blood streamed endlessly from his caved-in nose.
Gulp.
So Jeok-san swallowed dryly.
It had happened right before his eyes, yet he couldn't see what kind of technique had struck Ga Hwi-seop.
“Remember. One hour. Anyone who's late…”
The bald demon laughed chillingly.
“...dies.”