Chapter 49
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Price of Harming a Child
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The leader of the Righteous Hall, So Jeok-san, couldn't hide his bewilderment at his subordinate's report.
“What? Say that again. What did those bastards do?”
“The Black Dragon Society bastards took the daughter of Mr. Wang from the drapery.”
“Isn't he the one who vanished without a trace fifteen days ago? No, before that, why did they take his daughter?”
“They say she was taken to cover Mr. Wang's debt.”
“What are you talking about? We already paid off the debt he owed the Black Dragon Society!”
“They presented a promissory note with Mr. Wang's handwritten signature on it.”
“When was it written?”
“They say it was written four days ago.”
A man who disappeared fifteen days ago borrowed money four days ago?
It reeked of suspicion.
“These crazy bastards...”
So Jeok-san ground his teeth at the Black Dragon Society's actions.
It was an open secret that they sold the women taken for debts to brothels.
More importantly, Mr. Wang's daughter was just a child who knew nothing of the world.
“And you just stood by and watched?”
At So Jeok-san's rebuke, the reporting subordinate bit his lip.
“We tried to stop them, but we were outnumbered. Man-seok is hovering between life and death, and the other five are also seriously injured.”
“Damn it!”
So Jeok-san couldn't contain his surging anger.
With their leader, Ga Hwi-seop, gone and their influence shrinking due to the Righteous Hall's fearsome expansion, the Black Dragon Society was in a tight spot.
Sensing a crisis, they contacted Ga Hwi-seop's younger brother in a distant land and summoned him here.
But this man, Ga Hwi-geon, had an incredible background.
The Ancient Tree Divine Monk, who reigned with terror in the Blackwood Cliff area.
The fact that he was the sole disciple of that old monster was revealed later.
After he was appointed as the new leader of the Black Dragon Society, the brothels and gambling dens that the Righteous Hall had worked so hard to eradicate began to reappear.
“Gather the remaining men.”
Seeing So Jeok-san's expression, prepared for a fight, his subordinate hastily tried to stop him.
“You must hold back for now, Great Leader!”
He had witnessed the situation firsthand.
While So Jeok-san's martial arts were superior to their own, the new Black Dragon Society leader's skills were on a completely different level.
But So Jeok-san's will could not be broken.
“What is the creed of the Righteous Hall?”
So Jeok-san roared at his hesitant subordinate.
“What is our Righteous Hall's banner!”
“To uphold righteousness with our brothers and with the merchants.”
So Jeok-san nodded.
“Right. That is our Righteous Hall. That is why the merchants, despite their meager means, pay us for protection.”
Even for back-alley ruffians, there was a code to uphold.
A guild that loses trust can no longer maintain its position.
And above all...
‘If this continues, I won't be able to face him.’
No matter how notorious the Ancient Tree Divine Monk's successor was, Beom Gye-wi was far more terrifying.
‘I'll die either way.’
Just as he was steeling himself for battle.
“How old is the daughter of Mr. Wang they took?”
“...!”
So Jeok-san looked toward the entrance, where the voice had come from, with startled eyes.
A man was walking in casually, as if he'd been there all along.
Was he in his mid-forties?
Despite his sharp eyes, the man had an amiable smile, as if he had reached enlightenment.
Seeing So Jeok-san warily reach for his weapon, the man smiled and spoke.
“No need to be tense. He is the one who sent me.”
“He?”
After a moment of confusion, So Jeok-san's expression turned flustered, and he nodded.
“My, my apologies. I didn't recognize you.”
“It's fine. Let's continue our conversation. How old did you say the child was?”
So Jeok-san glanced at Sa Mu-sim.
Although his own martial arts were mediocre, he prided himself on being a better judge of character than anyone.
And even to his eyes, this man was clearly extraordinary.
“She's probably around thirteen or fourteen.”
At So Jeok-san's answer, the smile vanished from Sa Mu-sim's face.
In that instant, goosebumps rose on So Jeok-san's arms.
He was facing a killing intent so intense that a cold chill ran down his spine.
“Take me to them.”
So Jeok-san immediately led Sa Mu-sim to a location.
It was a manor on the outskirts of the village.
A manor once inhabited by a retired official, it was now the bastards' den.
“This is the place.”
Nodding at So Jeok-san's words, Sa Mu-sim walked toward the manor's main gate.
And then he kicked the gate down.
*CRASH!*
The thick gate was torn from its hinges.
Sa Mu-sim walked through the shattered gate.
His demeanor was as relaxed as if he were out for a stroll.
Behind the startled underlings of the Black Dragon Society who rushed out, a young man with a distinct presence slowly emerged.
Emotionless eyes showing white on all sides.
He was a young man with a face so gaunt and pale it felt grotesque.
Spotting So Jeok-san, Ga Hwi-geon let out a smirk.
“I was looking for you anyway. Thanks for saving me the trouble.”
Then, he shifted his gaze to Sa Mu-sim.
“How did you manage to hire an expert of this caliber?”
He was speaking to So Jeok-san, but his sharp gaze was fixed on Sa Mu-sim.
Sa Mu-sim, on the other hand, was inwardly surprised.
It was because of Ga Hwi-geon's energy, which surpassed his expectations.
His level of martial skill was unbecoming of a mere dark sect that ruled the back alleys of this town.
It seemed the old ghost of Blackwood Cliff, who called himself a divine monk, had painstakingly raised one disciple.
Sa Mu-sim smiled quietly.
But while his face smiled, his eyes did not.
“Do you know what I hate the most?”
“...?”
“It's harming a child.”
Before the words had even finished, Sa Mu-sim shot forward.
Startled by his speed and momentum, Ga Hwi-geon hastily unclasped his hands from behind his back.
As he did, powerful claws, imbued with a sharp, blue energy, appeared at the tips of his outstretched hands.
*CLANG!*
A brilliant blue spark erupted as the two men retreated exactly three steps each.
Gauging his opponent's skill, Sa Mu-sim frowned.
The man's accomplishments were remarkable for his age.
It wouldn't be strange to include him among the top one hundred masters right now.
Before meeting Dan Ak-seon, he would have found it difficult to guarantee victory.
Ga Hwi-geon, for his part, couldn't hide his own surprise.
He had belatedly identified the weapon in Sa Mu-sim's hand.
There weren't many in the martial world who used a two-foot-long, jet-black iron ruler as their signature weapon.
“Money-Grubbing Ghost Lord! So you're that money-grubbing ghost!”
Ga Hwi-geon was flustered.
Sa Mu-sim's martial prowess was completely different from what he had heard.
Conversely, Sa Mu-sim didn't miss the opening created by his opponent's wavering.
The opponent's breathing had become slightly lax between breaths as he spoke.
Closing the distance again, Sa Mu-sim's iron ruler instantly exploited that gap.
At the same time, he unleashed all of his concealed energy waves.
*Swish.*
With a gruesome sound, Ga Hwi-geon's powerful claws were severed all at once, just like his fingers.
“...!”
As the horrified Ga Hwi-geon reeled, Sa Mu-sim closed the distance even further, reached out, and seized him by the neck.
“Gah!”
“Is Mr. Wang alive?”
For a moment, Ga Hwi-geon was speechless.
Dumbfounded by the unexpected situation, he couldn't recall who Sa Mu-sim had just mentioned.
In that instant, he felt a chill near his armpit.
The moment Ga Hwi-geon belatedly noticed the iron ruler that had slipped under his shoulder and was about to speak.
*Slice.*
Amidst a thick spray of blood, Ga Hwi-geon's arm was severed.
Staring blankly at his dismembered arm rolling on the ground, Ga Hwi-geon belatedly screamed.
“Aaargh! You! How dare a bastard like you...!”
“That is not the answer I wanted.”
Feeling the coldness of the iron ruler digging into his other armpit, Ga Hwi-geon hastily shouted.
“That wench! His daughter is still alive!”
The implication was clear.
Mr. Wang was no longer of this world.
And so, Sa Mu-sim smiled quietly.
“W-wait!”
*Slice!*
“Uwaaagh!”
Having lost his remaining arm, Ga Hwi-geon thrashed about, spraying blood.
But Sa Mu-sim's cold eyes remained indifferent.
As the grip on his neck tightened, Ga Hwi-geon's already pale face turned as white as a sheet.
“Gurgle! Money! I'll give you money!”
According to the rumors circulating in the martial world, he should never refuse.
But Ga Hwi-geon was wrong.
An unwavering killing intent was transmitted through his entire body.
This was not the Money-Grubbing Ghost Lord he had heard of.
“How dare you... Do you think you'll get away with this?”
At Ga Hwi-geon's threat, Sa Mu-sim's smile deepened.
Because no matter how terrifying the old monster of Blackwood Cliff was, he was nothing compared to Cho Ak-ryang, Beom Gye-wi, and Han Seol-hwa.
Sa Mu-sim tightened his grip.
“Guhh...”
Ga Hwi-geon's tongue lolled out, and the light of life vanished from his eyes.
And so, Ga Hwi-geon was strangled to death while still standing.
It was a death too hollow for someone of his background and status.
Looking around at the pale-faced members of the Black Dragon Society, Sa Mu-sim spoke.
“Is there anyone among you designated as the next leader of the Black Dragon Society? If so, step forward. It would be a hassle to visit again, so let's settle it here.”
With the master Ga Hwi-geon dead so helplessly, the underlings of the Black Dragon Society were terrified and fell into disarray.
They couldn't compose themselves in the face of this sudden disaster.
Sa Mu-sim declared to them.
“The next leader of the Black Dragon Society will also die by my hand. And the one after that, too.”
The remaining members of the Black Dragon Society, watching Sa Mu-sim's expression, slowly backed away.
Then, in an instant, they turned and fled, scattering in all directions without looking back.
“I have a proposal.”
Now that they were alone, Sa Mu-sim smiled gently at So Jeok-san.
But So Jeok-san couldn't let his guard down for a second.
Because he had smiled with that same look of enlightenment when he brutally killed Ga Hwi-geon.
A tiger in the back mountain or a wolf right in front of you—both were equally terrifying.
Beom Gye-wi was frightening, but this man was no less of a monster.
“I will obey any command.”
“It's not a command, so feel free to refuse if you don't like it. I'll just find someone else.”
Sa Mu-sim mentioned the real reason he had sought out So Jeok-san.
“I'm planning to create a trading company for western trade. If you're willing, I'd like to entrust you with the job.”
“A trading company... you say?”
“From what I've seen, you seem to be a man who understands trust. I'll give you time, so think it over carefully.”
* * *
That afternoon.
Dan Ak-seon, Han Seol-hwa, and Beom Gye-wi gathered in Cho Ak-ryang's hut.
Cho Ak-ryang sat cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed, while Dan Ak-seon sat opposite him, an unconcealable tension etched on his face.
It was the moment the treatment passed its major crisis.
The same was true for Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa, who were performing the Dignified Fire Therapy.
They were concentrating on controlling their true energy more than ever, awaiting Dan Ak-seon's instructions.
How much time had passed?
Dan Ak-seon spoke.
“You can withdraw your energy now.”
Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa, who had been holding Cho Ak-ryang's pulse points, released their hands and stepped back. Dan Ak-seon carefully removed a needle from near the Sea of Qi point on Cho Ak-ryang's lower abdomen.
At that, Cho Ak-ryang slowly opened his eyes.
In that instant, an intense light shot from his eyes, and a mist-like auspicious energy billowed from his entire body.
Cho Ak-ryang was speechless for a moment.
It was a wave of true energy he hadn't felt in a very long time.
Confirming that the true energy, which had been coursing powerfully through his energy channels, had settled in his dantian, Cho Ak-ryang couldn't hide the emotion in his eyes.
“You've worked hard.”
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Dan Ak-seon gave Cho Ak-ryang a smile.
“We're past the dangerous part now.”
“Does this mean I can use my internal energy like before?”
Dan Ak-seon nodded at Cho Ak-ryang's cautious question.
“Yes. Your disordered energy channels have all returned to their proper places.”
“Thank you.”
Cho Ak-ryang looked at Dan Ak-seon with eyes full of gratitude.
He also sent a grateful look to Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi.
Because he knew better than anyone the effort they had put in for him, despite their grumbling.
Cho Ak-ryang closed his eyes and briefly circulated his true energy to check the level of internal energy settled in his dantian.
He then nodded calmly.
‘It's only thirty percent, yet it feels this reassuring!’
It was a moment where he truly understood the saying that you only realize how precious something is after you've lost it.
Although his internal energy was less than half of what it was in his prime, with just that, Cho Ak-ryang felt as if he had gained the whole world. If he absorbed the remaining energy of the elixir through cultivation, he would be able to quickly recover his former internal energy.
Cho Ak-ryang left the hut.
Having recovered his internal energy, he now wanted to test his martial arts.
Walking to the center of the Divine Demon Valley, Cho Ak-ryang slowly gathered his true energy.
After steadying his breath for a moment, he powerfully stomped his foot.