A Trap for Two Beasts
Jeok-un picked up the horn flute.
It was about the size of a finger joint.
Though slightly charred by fire, its shape remained intact.
Its dark, murky color was prominent, but not because of the soot.
It was because the flute was crafted from the bone of a beast—whether a divine creature or a demonic monster.
That was likely how it had survived the extreme Yang heat of Il-cheon.
Had it been made of ordinary wood, not even ashes would remain.
A bizarre artifact clearly etched in his memories from before his regression.
This tiny horn flute was both a symbol of the Geumhwang Merchant Group's confidence and a warning.
If one found such a horn flute on a pursuer, it was no exaggeration to say they had been marked for death by the Geumhwang Merchant Group.
'The Ghost Horn Flute.'
When one blew into this finger-sized flute, no sound could be heard.
Thus, it was easy for people to assume it was broken.
'Only humans cannot hear it.'
Indeed. Humans couldn't hear it, but carrier pigeons certainly could.
Its range was immense; the Geumhwang Merchant Group's carrier pigeons, even at a vast distance, would inevitably respond to the sound of the Ghost Horn Flute.
The pigeons that reacted to the Ghost Horn Flute were the most exceptional specimens among the thousands managed by the Geumhwang Merchant Group.
Only those at the very top in terms of lineage and intelligence were trained to respond to the flute, and their usage was strictly regulated.
The Geumhwang Merchant Group collected and exchanged information across the Nine Provinces through these carrier pigeons.
Their web-like communication network was completed by carrier pigeons tamed with special spells.
Unlike ordinary carrier pigeons that only flew one way, the Geumhwang Merchant Group's pigeons could fly back and forth like human messengers.
It was no exaggeration to say this information network had built the Geumhwang Merchant Group into what it was today.
They gathered intelligence from all over the Central Plains using these special pigeons, transmitting and exchanging information through their various branches.
Consequently, information regarding these carrier pigeons was strictly classified by the merchant group.
And information about the Ghost Horn Flute was kept even deeper in the shadows.
'If not for my ill fate with Lady Oh before my regression, I wouldn't have known what this was either.'
Jeok-un quickly realized why Jang Ju-hwan possessed the Ghost Horn Flute.
'He intended to contact Oh Chu-baek immediately once he captured me.'
The Golden Sovereign, Oh Chu-baek—the master of the Geumhwang Merchant Group and the biological father of Lady Oh, whom Jeok-un had killed.
He must be desperate to tear apart the man who had taken his daughter and grandson.
'As expected, he joined hands with Do Ye-cheon.'
Even now, the martial artists of the Geumhwang Merchant Group would be lying in ambush near Tongseong County, waiting.
But everything had ended in failure.
Jang Ju-hwan and the Blood Slayer Squad were already wandering the underworld.
Furthermore, Jeok-un even knew the secret of the Ghost Horn Flute.
'And Oh Chu-baek has no idea that I know this, does he?'
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a strategy to kill two birds with one stone formed naturally.
"I can ruin both of them at once with this."
Jeok-un curled one side of his mouth upward.
It was, truly, the smile of a fiend.
Whoosh!
Rough, swelling waves, reminiscent of a surging tide, surrounded the island.
The island's shores were lined with bizarrely shaped rocks and steep cliffs, leaving virtually no place to dock a boat.
Thus, by securing just a few key points, it was easy to monitor and control everyone entering and leaving.
A natural fortress surrounded by a natural moat.
This was Geukrak Island, where the Tongseong Branch of Heukpaeseong was located.
"The Jegal family's prodigal son is coming our way?"
The island's chief, Seo Do-yeom, known as the Sea Overflowing Fist Madman, snorted.
"Yes, Chief. What should we do?"
"What do you mean, what should we do? Have we ever spared anyone just because they were from the Seven Great Families? We kill him."
Seo Do-yeom cracked his knuckles menacingly.
He was brimming with confidence.
Nothing would change just because a single greenhorn was coming.
The Geukrak Island he guarded was a place that could not be breached unless the enemy was prepared to sacrifice a massive force.
Even if they decided to bring their full strength, the balance of power had been tightly maintained for decades due to the presence of another bordering faction.
"Besides, if the Jegal bastards throw a fit, that's for the main castle to worry about. It's none of our business."
"Uh... but they say he has severed ties with the Jegal family now."
"Severed ties with the Jegal Clan?"
"Yes. To be precise, he was cast out of the family registry. They say he fled after killing the Divine Strategist's second wife."
"What?"
At his subordinate's words, Seo Do-yeom fell into thought for a moment.
"The Divine Strategist's second wife... isn't she the daughter of the Geumhwang Merchant Group?"
"Yes, that's correct. The only daughter of the Golden Sovereign."
"Ho. Tell me more."
"Yes, well, that bastard..."
The subordinate began to explain in detail.
How he had committed an act of filial impiety in the Jegal Clan, fled to Sadocheon, slaughtered Ji Jung-yeong—who was called the Night Lord—and became the captain of the Waicheon Squad as a reward.
"Heh, a direct descendant of the Seven Great Families defecting to Sadocheon. The Divine Strategist sure failed at raising his kids."
"And since then, he's been acting so bizarrely that everyone is talking about it."
"Bizarrely? How so?"
"The lunatic suddenly went crazy for gold and bought a bunch of depleted, abandoned mines."
"Enough, I don't need to hear any more. He's just a madman, then."
Having heard this much, Seo Do-yeom decided there was nothing else worth listening to.
'So he's a guy I can kill without any backlash.'
Just another worthless bastard to be turned into fish food, as usual.
The subordinates immediately chimed in.
"Chief, what should we do? Just give the word."
"Should we raid the Sadocheon dock? That way, he won't even be able to set foot on the main island before he dies!"
"Oh, that's a great idea! Let's do that right away, Chief!"
Naturally, the subordinates assumed they would intercept and kill Jeok-un before he could do anything.
But Seo Do-yeom's judgment was entirely different.
"No. Instead, help him board the ship."
"Huh?"
"I mean escort him safely until he reaches the island."
"What? Why...?"
When the subordinates showed expressions of utter confusion, Seo Do-yeom clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. A lump of gold is walking right into our hands. Why would we stop it?"
"Huh? Gold?"
"Tsk, tsk. You fools. That's why you lot can't rise to the rank of chief like me. Send word to the Jegal Clan and the Geumhwang Merchant Group immediately."
"Send word? Why?"
"Why do you think! Both of them will want his corpse! We should sell the body to whoever pays more!"
"Ah."
The subordinates gasped in admiration.
They thought Seo Do-yeom's scheme was brilliant.
Having already taken it for granted that Jeok-un would die by his hands, Seo Do-yeom was merely contemplating where to sell the corpse.
"Heh, as expected, the Chief's business acumen is amazing."
"We'll prepare it right away!"
"Yes, you bastards. Now that you understand, move quickly. We have to sell it before the corpse rots to get a better price."
"Yes, sir!"
Thinking they would get a share of the spoils, the subordinates rushed out.
Left alone, Seo Do-yeom gazed out at the deep, dark blue waters.
"Heh, come on over. If you die after taking in the scenery here, you won't have any regrets."
Along with his murderous gaze, Seo Do-yeom's hands glowed with a sinister light.
The target Jeok-un aimed to retrieve.
The sacred relic of the Dang Clan, the Seolhon Sutou.
The Tongseong Branch of the Orthodox Martial Alliance.
"Haah!"
Swish!
The sounds of intense training echoed clearly.
The atmosphere among the martial artists was fierce, and even a layman with no knowledge of martial arts could see their training was razor-sharp.
Their strict discipline, in particular, was highly noteworthy.
Anyone familiar with the structure of the Martial Alliance would find this strange.
Originally, the Martial Alliance was structured as Headquarters – Branch – Sub-branch, and the Tongseong Branch was a sub-branch, the smallest unit.
It sat at the very bottom of the Alliance's hierarchy.
Yet, the size of this massive manor, which easily spanned fifty rooms, was far beyond the scale of a mere sub-branch.
Anywhere else, this would have raised eyebrows, but in truth, no one in the Martial Alliance regarded Tongseong as a mere sub-branch.
This was due to the unique circumstance where three major factions were entangled within a thirty-li radius of the Tongseong administrative office.
Unlike other sub-branches in Hubei Province, the Tongseong Branch did not answer to the Wuhan Branch and was granted independent command.
Under these circumstances, the number of experts stationed here was naturally high.
Among them, the most renowned was, of course, the leader of the Tongseong Branch.
He was the Poison Dagger Yama, Dang Maeng.
Dang Maeng was now in his fifties, infamous for his stubbornness, explosive temper, and ruthless methods.
Even putting aside his status as the biological younger brother of the current head of the Sichuan Dang Clan, he was an expert second only to the clan head and a high-ranking official equivalent to an Alliance squad leader. No one dared to cross him.
The sole reason Dang Maeng guarded the blood-soaked Tongseong Branch was his clan's thirst for vengeance.
"Is this the best you can do?"
"T-that is..."
"I look away for a few days, and your training turns to garbage."
Seeing the deep dissatisfaction in Dang Maeng's eyes, the adjutant standing beside him fidgeted anxiously.
"I-I am sorry..."
What else could the adjutant say?
All he could do was offer apologies while trembling like a leaf.
In truth, overseeing the training of the branch members was Dang Maeng's responsibility, not the adjutant's.
But there was no way the adjutant could point that out.
'Hmph, worthless insects.'
In reality, Dang Maeng did not care about the results of the training either.
He was merely venting his twisted frustration over the unpleasant rumors he had been hearing lately.
That was why he was making such a fuss over non-existent flaws.
He took pleasure in seeing them cower in fear, groveling and bowing their heads before him.
"Enough. The bastard coming down from Sadocheon is just a piece of trash from the Jegal family anyway. This level should suffice."
"Yes, yes! I shall report the intelligence received from the Alliance regarding that man!"
The adjutant quickly shared the intelligence report sent directly from the Martial Alliance.
"He is a degenerate cast out by the Jegal Clan. His name is Jeok-un. After his exile, he threw himself into Sadocheon..."
The adjutant wiped the sweat from his forehead as he listed the information gathered by the Alliance.
Remembering his superior's extreme hatred for the Jegal family, he went out of his way to mock and belittle Jeok-un.
The tactic worked, as Dang Maeng's expression softened slightly upon hearing the report.
"Jegal Jeok-un. I saw him when he was just a babe. Even then, he was a worthless insect. A vulgar bloodline cannot be hidden."
"Yes, you are absolutely correct!"
Dang Maeng's contempt did not stop at Jeok-un.
He targeted Jeok-un's biological father, Jegal Mun, and by extension, the entire Jegal Clan.
"A family that does nothing but count numbers and play petty tricks like merchants deserves such disgrace. That such people are called a 'Great Clan' alongside us... what an embarrassment."
"Indeed! They can never compare to the Dang Clan that rules Sichuan."
The adjutant chimed in eagerly.
He knew very well that Dang Maeng harbored a deep grudge against the Jegal Clan.
However, this was not just Dang Maeng's personal quirk; it stemmed from the past history between the Sichuan Dang Clan and the Jegal Clan.
"Heh, degenerate or not, he is still of his blood. I wonder how that grand Divine Strategist will react when he sees his son reduced to nothing but a severed head."
As Dang Maeng spat out these vulgar words, a sudden commotion arose outside.
Just as Dang Maeng frowned once more, a subordinate rushed in with news.
'Has the bastard arrived already?'
Dang Maeng scowled.
But before he could speak, the doors of the training ground creaked open, and a man walked in.
A stalwart man in his thirties with twin swords strapped to his back.
With handsome features and an aura as sharp as a sword, his gait and posture alone proved that his martial cultivation was formidable.
Step. Step.
The man walked confidently up to Dang Maeng and bowed politely.
"Moyong Geon of the Alliance greets Branch Leader Dang."
The eldest son and young master of the Moyong Clan.
The vanguard of the previous generation's Nine Dragons and Four Phoenixes.
The Universe Sword Dragon, Moyong Geon, was the identity of this man.
Yet, the eyes with which Dang Maeng glared at Moyong Geon shone with a cold light, as if looking at an enemy.