Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Public Enemy Appears (1)
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Gangseo Province was remarkably short on renowned sects.
Yet no sect or clan could afford to ignore it entirely, for the province housed a branch of the Murim Alliance.
The Murim Alliance's main headquarters stood at the heart of the Central Plains in Zhongqing, with branches in every province. While other branches struggled against pressure from the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Clans, Gangseo's was different.
The province lacked prestigious schools, allowing its branch to flourish like no other.
And the man who had elevated the Gangseo Branch to the Alliance's finest was...
"How's this month's performance?"
A hulking brute whose massive frame evoked images of Zhang Fei or Lü Bu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, exuding a wild, unrestrained aura.
He was Wang Woryong, one of the Murim Alliance's Seven Invincible Venerables—absolute pinnacle masters—and the man who claimed unrivaled supremacy in spear arts.
His fame rested on conjuring phantom afterimages with his spear, delivering precise thrusts and slashes. Yet his sheer bulk suggested he'd cleave foes asunder left and right with a massive guan dao.
"Still short. We need another twenty percent."
"Is that so?"
Wang Woryong was obsessed with racking up merits and boosting performance.
His grand ambition wasn't mere branch leader—he aimed for Alliance Leader.
Steadily piling up achievements to climb from branch head to vice leader, then supreme leader: that was his ultimate goal.
"If it's lacking, we make more. So... shall we craft this month's new Martial Public Enemy?"
To fuel that dream, Wang Woryong framed innocents as enemies whenever quotas fell short.
Innocent commoners paid the price, and unorthodox warriors unaffiliated with the righteous sects or Alliance steered clear of Gangseo soil, even at the cost of death.
One might wonder here: what of the officials and authorities duty-bound to protect the innocent?
"Oh, you've arrived? Lords."
Right on cue, the Governor of Gangseo, the Inspector General, and assorted high officials dropped by.
They came to Wang Woryong bearing massive tribute payments each month, and in exchange, he fitted collars around their necks.
Thus, calling Wang Woryong the true king and lord of Gangseo was no exaggeration.
"Oh, Branch Leader Wang."
"Our thanks again."
From the governor to the inspector tasked with overseeing him, all were in cahoots, eyes bulging with greed for their own bellies.
The vast sums filling those bellies were naturally squeezed from the blood of the common folk.
"Now then, this month's tribute is ready... but any good prey in sight?"
Wang Woryong dangled the gold before them like meat teased before pets, playing them at his whim.
He'd once bowed and scraped first, but now the power balance had flipped—he reigned supreme.
"All unorthodox sects have fled."
"Merchant groups without connections are gone too—even real enemies avoid Gangseo."
The governor and inspector spoke nonchalantly, but only briefly.
"If there are none, make some. That's why I'm handing out this fortune, isn't it?"
His lips smiled, but his eyes blazed with murderous intent. They shrank back, terrified.
Who could recall the ironclad rule that officials and warriors must never clash?
"S-sorry."
"Ah... w-wait! How about this?"
The governor, crushed by the overwhelming pressure, suddenly lit up with an idea.
Wang Woryong gestured grandly, as if he were the province's true ruler: spill it.
"Travelers still flock to our Gangseo. Why not grab a few suspicious ones and brand them bandits or river pirates?"
Was this the talk of a governor sworn to protect his people?
Everyone knew the truth, yet those gathered in the Alliance's grandest hall in Gangseo feigned blissful ignorance.
"Ho, not bad. Ideally, ones who resist fiercely... or know some proper martial arts."
Wang Woryong craved prey that fought back savagely or proved trained masters.
Toppling such foes padded not just his merits but his martial reputation too.
"While we're at it, stock the underground prison. We slaughtered them all—it's empty now."
"Good, good."
As Wang Woryong's mood lifted, the governor and inspector chimed in eagerly, fanning the flames.
"So, travelers entering Gangseo—we hit the night arrivals on the sly. Agreed?"
"Proceed!"
"With the headache sorted, shall we summon some courtesans?"
It was a lawless night where villains ran rampant.
"We've finally arrived."
"From Henan to Gangseo—a long, grueling journey."
It had taken considerable time to reach Gangseo from Henan.
During that span, the Heavenly Demon trained not only Yang Hui-gun but Sima Hon in martial arts.
-Me? A strategist like myself needs to train too?
Sima Hon had questioned it at first.
As head of a martial house, he'd diligently honed his skills to near first-rate mastery, deeming it ample for a tactician.
But that doubt faded quickly.
-Sima Hui of the Demonic Eye Thunder Brain was a strategist, yet he reached the realm of transcendence.
He couldn't help but marvel—Sima Hui's prowess far outstripped most warriors.
Even the Demonic Eye Thunder Brain Records stressed that true mental acuity demanded martial backing. No excuses.
-Understood. I'll train alongside young hero Yang Hui-gun.
Thus, Sima Hon steeled his resolve.
But why did Yang Hui-gun grin so slyly?
The mystery unraveled swiftly.
On their first training day with the Heavenly Demon...
-Aaaagh! Aaaaah! This'll kill me!
Sima Hon realized: Yang Hui-gun grinned because he now had a comrade to share the agony.
Sharing the beating made it bearable; Yang Hui-gun bonded with Sima Hon as fellow sufferers under the Heavenly Demon's regimen.
Their camaraderie deepened.
Above all, the Heavenly Demon's brutal training inflicted excruciating pain but yielded phenomenal growth.
Sima Hon teetered at first-rate; post-beating—er, training—he surged upward in a skyrocketing curve.
-Hon, you'll reach peak mastery at minimum from now on. Got it?
Soon, the Heavenly Demon piled fresh homework on his new dragon-like strategist, Sima Hon.
"All entering Gangseo Province, come here!"
After endless trials, the Heavenly Demon's group reached Gangseo past midnight, nearing dawn.
Too late for crowds—thirty-odd souls, including their party.
Something felt off.
"Hm? That's not the road into the city."
Quick-witted Sogang raised a hand in doubt.
"Shut your mouth unless you want trouble. A fearsome Martial Public Enemy has descended—we're conducting strict identity checks. Noncompliant? Get lost now."
The gate captain, stern-faced guardian of the city gates, declared it.
Some cities were notoriously picky about entrants.
"Good sir, please reconsider..."
Sogang, versed in storyteller ways since childhood, knew flexibility.
He slipped a few silvers to the captain and his men.
Bribes usually greased such wheels.
But...
"You rat—daring to bribe us?"
"Madness. Absolute madness. Trying to buy us off with pocket change these days."
They'd snatched bribes eagerly before—now they bellowed. Sogang reeled.
Instinct screamed: they had ulterior motives.
Sogang personally tasted Gangseo's infamous rot and clicked his tongue.
His unease proved spot-on.
"No funny business—over here."
"Rebels get summary execution."
These guardians of city peace had long become lapdogs for officials and Branch Leader Wang Woryong.
Wielding petty power unchecked, they were hooked.
"M-my lord, mercy!"
"We're just humble merchants."
"We have family in Gangseo—just visiting briefly."
Besides the Heavenly Demon's group, the rest had tales to tell.
They sensed the trap instantly and begged.
They'd turn back if asked.
The captain smirked wickedly.
"Growing suspicious by the minute. Heading here so late, now fleeing where? You're bandits, plain and simple!"
"W-what?"
"What nonsense is this?"
"We're mere powerless commoners."
Their blunt words crushed many; some surrendered without fight, cursing their luck.
"Heh heh heh, blame your rotten luck for entering now. Oh right!"
The captain drew his keen blade showily, flashing a loaded grin.
"Know some kung fu and wanna resist? Go ahead. Better yet, thrash about good."
Oddly, he seemed to favor martial artists.
But the others sans Heavenly Demon's crew were gentle folk who'd never so much as grabbed a collar.
"Kuh-huh-huh!"
"Mercy, please!"
All they could do was grovel, begging forgiveness for uncommitted crimes.
"What? Bust again?"
"Word must've spread."
"In this day and age, not one trained fighter?"
"You lot deserve death!"
With the governor corrupted, his inspector followed suit.
The ranks below inevitably rotted; the captain's arrogance infected his underlings, who savored killing and oppression with their tail-end power.
"Sima Hon, behold. Is this truly the righteous path? They can't represent it, but nor do they discern right from demonic."
The Heavenly Demon strode forward boldly.
"Oh ho, fancy heir from some great house? What's this? Nobler than the governor or inspector?"
"The emperor's secret spawn? Pu-hahaha!"
Clean streams birth clean flows; foul sources breed foul waters.
These degenerates dared harass the Heavenly Demon, who looked like untouchable nobility.
"The Seven Invincible Venerables here? Some pup dares claim invincibility?"
A rare thrill of battle-lust stirred; the Heavenly Demon clenched his fist.
And unleashed his power.