The World Devours the Weak
Dan Yeop looked up at the signboard.
The characters Yeongunju stood out clearly.
“Then I’ll be going now…”
Song Mu left without even looking back, as if afraid someone might try to stop him.
Dan Bul-wi watched him with eyes full of contempt before turning to Dan Yeop.
“Don’t put anything in your mouth. And if you feel anything strange in your body…”
Dan Yeop, tense to the point of trembling, quietly waited for the rest.
“Do whatever it takes to subdue the Five Poisons Viper and seize the antidote. If he refuses to hand it over, start chopping off his fingers one joint at a time.”
“C-chop them off?”
“Yes. If you want to live, chop them off. Keep going until he gives you the antidote. When dealing with bastards like that, if you’re not cruel, you’re the one who dies.”
Instead of answering, Dan Yeop swallowed dryly.
He had heard the phrases “the ruthless Jianghu” and “a mountain of blades and forest of swords,” but he never imagined it would be this brutal.
Soon after, Dan Bul-wi strode boldly into Yeongunju.
Dan Yeop followed behind him, pressing a hand to his thundering chest.
The interior of Yeongunju was quiet.
That was only natural, since the famous Five Poisons Viper Myo Jin and his party from the White Snake Valley were here.
When Dan Bul-wi entered, the six men and two women of White Snake Valley turned curious eyes toward him.
Dan Bul-wi walked straight up to the White Snake Valley experts without hesitation.
The man who had threatened Captain Baek Jin-gang earlier that day, the Rakshasa Wolf Jeon Ho, shouted sharply.
“Who are you!”
“My name is Dan Bul-wi. I’ve come to see the Five Poisons Viper, Hero Myo Jin.”
“What business do you have with our eldest brother!”
“Two months ago, over twenty people from the Taehwa Trading Company disappeared in Mongtaek, including merchants and escorts. I have questions for Hero Myo Jin regarding that incident.”
“Get lost! Our eldest brother is—”
“Enough. I’d like to hear what he has to say.”
Myo Jin cut Jeon Ho off.
The man who had been growling like a wild beast instantly became docile, as if it had all been an act.
Dan Bul-wi stared directly at Myo Jin and continued.
“I’ve been to Mongtaek. More than twenty people vanished without a trace. Not a single building was damaged, not a drop of blood was spilled. Earlier today, White Snake Valley used poison on the Taehwa Trading Company’s warriors. There must be a reason. I don’t believe in coincidences. Just as White Snake Valley used poison on the Taehwa Trading Company, I believe poison was used in Mongtaek as well. I don’t particularly care why White Snake Valley has suddenly turned hostile toward the Taehwa Trading Company. But I must know whether Seol Gyeong-mun is alive or dead.”
Myo Jin looked at Dan Bul-wi with an intrigued expression.
“Now I see you’re an old hand of the Jianghu. Why are you so curious about Seol Gyeong-mun’s fate?”
“Because he is my close friend.”
“Oh! You came all the way to Baekwol Kingdom for a friend? What remarkable loyalty.”
“Is he alive or dead?”
“And if he’s dead?”
“Then I will kill every last one of you and wipe out the entire White Snake Valley.”
“Pfft! The old man must be senile. Do you really think that’s possible?”
“Of course it would be impossible for me alone. But my disciple can do it.”
“Is the person hiding behind you right now that disciple?”
“Yes.”
Snickers broke out among the White Snake Valley experts.
Myo Jin was curious what the old man thought he knew.
“Hmm. Do you know who we are?”
“I do. Aren’t you the Eight Heroes of White Snake Valley, the White Snake Eight Kings?”
Myo Jin’s expression shifted slightly.
It was understandable that the name White Snake Valley had reached Chang’an Castle.
But knowing about the White Snake Eight Kings was unexpected.
Even within Baekwol Kingdom, most people had never heard that title.
“Are you perhaps a retired elder from the Five Great Sword Sects?”
Myo Jin’s tone had changed.
He had mistaken Dan Bul-wi for a high elder of the Five Great Sword Sects after seeing how boldly the man stood before the White Snake Eight Kings.
“No. I am… a man of Haomun.”
“Haomun? Why would Haomun—ah, you said close friend?”
“That’s right.”
“Your friendship and courage are admirable, old man… but I’m in a foul mood now. How dare a mere Haomun dog bark orders at the White Snake Eight Kings?”
When Myo Jin openly displayed his displeasure, Jeon Ho stepped forward.
“Eldest Brother, allow me to chop this senile old fool into pieces and feed him to the pigs. Please grant me permission.”
“Finish it before the wine loses its flavor.”
“Yes.”
Jeon Ho drew his curved blade and charged straight at Dan Bul-wi.
Dan Bul-wi responded by raising his horizontal saber.
The curved blade and horizontal saber clashed in midair, scattering sparks.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang—!
Jeon Ho, who had stepped forward with such confidence, was forced back after only five exchanges.
The name White Snake Eight Kings sounded impressive, but without Myo Jin, the rest were merely second-rate.
In contrast, Dan Bul-wi had spent fourteen years training in the Byeongmachong, building rock-solid internal energy, and had elevated his saber techniques to a higher realm with the Jin-sam-dae-do-beop.
In the end, after only ten moves, Jeon Ho tumbled backward in a disgraceful heap.
Crash!
Dan Bul-wi did not press his advantage and simply stepped back.
For a moment, a strange silence fell over the tavern.
Two of the seven spectators kicked their chairs aside and shot to their feet.
“Enough.”
At Myo Jin’s command, the two sat back down.
This time, Myo Jin slowly rose to his feet.
“You have the skill to boast. However, since you have disrespected the White Snake Eight Kings, you will atone with that worthless life of yours.”
With those words, Myo Jin flicked his hand.
With a puff, yellow smoke enveloped Dan Bul-wi.
Startled, Dan Bul-wi instinctively held his breath.
At that moment, Myo Jin’s curved blade came flying toward him.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang—!
The curved blade was far faster than Jeon Ho’s, so Dan Bul-wi’s stamina was rapidly depleted.
But Dan Bul-wi was not simply taking the beating.
In a moment of absolute crisis, he unleashed the fifth form of the Jin-chil-sang-do-beop—Osanghonri.
It was a vicious killing technique that meant “sever the soul and scatter the spirit.”
Myo Jin urgently raised his curved blade to block the horizontal saber that had reached his chin.
Clang-clang-clang—! Clang—!
After a fierce struggle, Myo Jin’s curved blade finally snapped. He immediately rolled away using the Thunder Lizard Tumble technique.
The Thunder Lizard Tumble was the most shameful movement a martial artist could display.
Yet even in that chaotic moment, Myo Jin did not forget to release more poison.
Puff!
To make matters worse, this time a brown smoke engulfed Dan Bul-wi.
The Jin-chil-sang-do-beop was as profound as it was draining on one’s energy.
In the end, Dan Bul-wi was forced to inhale a single breath.
“Cough!”
With a choked cough, the fight was over.
The smoke quickly cleared, revealing Dan Bul-wi’s condition.
His face had turned a vivid crimson, and his body trembled violently like a leaf in the wind.
Soon, bright red blood began streaming from his nose.
Myo Jin dusted off his hands as if nothing had happened and spoke.
“Old man, the one who survives is the strong one.”
Dan Bul-wi, barely standing, slowly turned around.
“…Didn’t I tell you? If you want to live, what must you do?”
Dan Yeop answered with a trembling voice.
“Chop them off…”
“Yes… that is this world…”
With those final words, Dan Bul-wi collapsed with a thud.
A momentary silence fell over the room.
Myo Jin smiled coldly and spoke to the young man.
“You saw your master, didn’t you? This is what happens when you don’t know your place. Do you want to live? Then bark like a dog.”
“I… I…”
Before the malice radiating from Myo Jin, Dan Yeop could barely even breathe.
He had to subdue the Five Poisons Viper, steal the antidote, and save Dan Bul-wi…
His heart pounded violently, and just like back in the Byeongmachong, his mind began to go numb.
What… what do I do…
When his so-called disciple hesitated, the Five Poisons Viper Myo Jin felt a surge of irritation.
What a pathetic wretch. Worse than a dog.
Perhaps it was because of the spirit the old master had shown that his anger burned even hotter.
“This won’t do. Just die already.”
The moment Myo Jin moved to strike, a woman among the watching White Snake Seven Kings, her hair adorned with silver ornaments, shot to her feet.
“Wait!”
The woman stopped Myo Jin, the leader of the White Snake Eight Kings.
Surprisingly, Myo Jin withdrew without any sign of displeasure at her interruption.
The woman with silver ornaments in her hair—Dokyo-seon Myo Hwa—walked forward with a bright, charming smile.
Her dark indigo Miao-style clothing, decorated with silver accessories, swayed gently, revealing her seductive figure at a glance.
Her long black hair was loosely tied with a single silver thread, swaying with lively charm every time she moved.
Her voluptuous body and graceful steps carried a strangely alluring quality.
Finally stopping before the beautiful youth, Myo Hwa spoke.
“My name is Myo Hwa. What’s yours?”
“…Dan Yeop.”
“A name that suits you perfectly. Now listen carefully to what I’m about to say. I’ll give you a chance. Swear to serve me for the rest of your life and kiss the top of my foot. If you do, you will live. I’ll even detoxify your master over there. How about it? It’s a good offer, isn’t it? Oh, of course, from now on you must live with me, your new master, not your old teacher.”
Dan Yeop stared at the woman with dazed eyes.
The men wanted to kill him, and the woman wanted to make him her slave.
“And if I refuse?”
The bright smile on Myo Hwa’s face instantly froze over with a layer of frost.
“Then you die. What will it be?”
“I refuse.”
“Then die.”
With those words, Myo Hwa pounced on Dan Yeop like lightning.
Her hook-like fingers shot toward his throat.
Dan Yeop deflected her hand using the Gimun’s Nak-hwa-san-su.
Pop! Pop! Pop—!
Though its destructive power was lacking since it was a courtesan’s specialty technique, it was more than enough to block Myo Hwa’s hand.
When the seemingly frail Dan Yeop blocked her attack, Myo Hwa’s face quickly twisted with venom.
“Die!”
With a sharp shout, both of her hands shot forward like lightning.
It was Dokyo-seon Myo Hwa’s signature technique, White Snake Flicking Its Tongue.
Dan Yeop instinctively blocked one hand.
But the other hand snaked in agilely beneath his chin.
When Dan Yeop saw Myo Hwa’s “white hand,” his eyes widened as if they would tear apart.
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Confronted with the latent terror of the “white hand,” Dan Yeop’s mind froze completely.
The instant Dan Yeop stiffened like a statue, Myo Hwa seized the opportunity and grabbed him by the throat.
Then she cried out triumphantly.
“I told you I’d kill you!”
“Guhk!”
In the suffocating pain, Dan Yeop barely regained his senses.
What did I ever do wrong?
Was his mother, and now this woman from White Snake Valley, also trying to kill him?
He didn’t know.
Come to think of it, Captain Baek Jin-gang had also begged for forgiveness without having done anything wrong.
Suddenly, his final conversation with Dan Bul-wi flashed through his mind.
—…Didn’t I tell you? If you want to live, what must you do?
—Chop them off…
—Yes… that is this world…
This is that kind of world!
Dan Bul-wi’s voice thundered in his ears.
That’s right… this was always that kind of world…
From the pit of his stomach, a rage as hot as molten lava surged upward.
“Kwaaaaaah!”
The moment he roared, veins bulging in his neck, Myo Hwa’s fingers were flung away.
“Haa!”
With a violent exhale, Dan Yeop threw a punch.
It was the first form of Cheonjung-kwon—Cheonjungjise.
Boom—!
With a sound like a leather drum being struck, Myo Hwa was sent flying backward.
She crashed into a table with a loud clatter and did not get up.
Seeing this, the Rakshasa Wolf Jeon Ho charged at Dan Yeop like a mad dog.
His curved blade rained down on Dan Yeop without pause.
Clang! Clang! Clang—!
Sparks flew between Dan Yeop and Jeon Ho.
That wasn’t all.
With a sharp puff, red smoke engulfed Dan Yeop.
At some point, Myo Jin had made his move.
Even on the brink of death, Dan Yeop held on with desperate tenacity.
The rage boiling up inside him had completely robbed him of reason.
He had truly become a berserker.
Because he had always lived while suppressing himself, the rebound was fiercer than a typhoon.
When Dan Yeop, who should have fallen quickly, continued to endure, the other experts began throwing concealed weapons.
The tavern had turned into a battlefield between the White Snake Eight Kings and Dan Yeop.
As time passed, Dan Yeop was gradually driven into a corner.
Holding his breath while fighting inside the poisonous smoke had its limits.