Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: A Worthy Opponent to Roast
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Hyeokryeon Hwi's expression twisted.
"What? The Hwangbo family? Why the hell are those madmen suddenly involved!"
Before Hyeokryeon Hwi, his subordinates who had rushed from Nanchang were prostrated flat on the ground.
"It seems our covert operations have been discovered."
Hyeokryeon Hwi's eyes sharpened.
"So... you're telling me you haven't even figured out the cause yet?"
They all sealed their lips and pressed their heads to the floor. Saying anything more would only be an excuse. And that would invite death.
"Hah! As if things weren't complicated enough..."
Recently, the Golden Moon Trading Company had requested help, and he had been looking into it.
It appeared the Underworld Sect was making a move on the Golden Moon Trading Company, and it was proving more difficult than expected, causing the formidable company to falter.
The Golden Moon Trading Company had maintained a close relationship with Nameless for quite some time.
With many businesses intertwined with them, their fall would inevitably harm Nameless as well.
So, he had intended to help.
But now that this had happened, it was utterly frustrating.
"So, what's the exact situation over there?"
At Hyeokryeon Hwi's question, the prostrated subordinates quickly raised their heads and answered.
"Tied in with the Hwangbo family's succession contest, a considerable force is stirring up Nanchang. If we leave it as is, we will have to abandon our base there."
"And it will end if we just abandon that?"
"We can't gauge how much they've figured out."
Hyeokryeon Hwi laughed coldly.
"Meaning the fire might not stop at Nanchang and could continue to spread."
The subordinate pressed his head to the floor again.
Hyeokryeon Hwi tapped his fingers on the armrest, lost in thought.
"But... something's strange."
Hyeokryeon Hwi glanced around at his subordinates and continued.
"Why does it feel like I'm the only one being targeted?"
"Pardon?"
The subordinate, flustered, snapped his head up and looked at Hyeokryeon Hwi.
"I may be the one in charge of the Hwangbo family's territory, but my men aren't the only ones in Nanchang, are they? Right?"
"Th-that is correct."
Hyeokryeon Bigwang and Hyeokryeon Gyun would typically station their subordinates even in territories that weren't their own.
They needed to gather intelligence and keep an eye on what the other two were up to.
It was the same for Hyeokryeon Hwi.
Even if he couldn't openly enter like when Hyeokryeon Bigwang gave up Wuhan, he would still leave a small base behind.
Hyeokryeon Gyun was dead, but the men he led were still active. The remaining ones were fighting for control, but fundamentally, they were still a faction of Nameless.
So the current situation wasn't much different from before Hyeokryeon Gyun's death.
"The bases of those two in Nanchang are still intact, right?"
"Yes. It seems the Hwangbo family hasn't discovered them yet."
The corner of Hyeokryeon Hwi's mouth twisted.
"Hyeokryeon Bigwang, it's the work of that snake."
The subordinate shut his mouth and swallowed hard. From this point on, it was beyond his place to dare offer an opinion.
"I can't be the only one to suffer."
The subordinate, looking at Hyeokryeon Hwi with tense eyes, asked without realizing it.
"Will you pass the information about those two locations to the Hwangbo family?"
Hyeokryeon Hwi smirked.
"Leave them. I can't be satisfied with just that. Of the areas Hyeokryeon Bigwang is in charge of... the biggest is the Martial Alliance, right? Leak the information to them. Very secretly."
The subordinate's eyes widened like saucers.
He wondered if this wasn't going too far, no matter the circumstances.
Hyeokryeon Hwi, with a completely unconcerned expression, waved his hand dismissively.
"What are you doing? Go handle it at once."
"Ah... Yes. I'll handle it immediately. Then, what about Nanchang...?"
The corners of Hyeokryeon Hwi's lips lifted slightly.
"Nanchang? I'll have to go there and sort it out myself. I can't just throw the men I've raised to be prey for the Hwangbo family."
Hyeokryeon Hwi planned to go to Nanchang himself and pull out all his subordinates there.
It would be even better if he could land a heavy blow on the Hwangbo family in the process.
The Hwangbo family would probably be startled and shrink back if they took a major hit.
After all, if the blows continued and the family's power was severely damaged, they could be torn apart by the jackals greedily eyeing the Five Great Families.
But he couldn't do it alone. He needed help.
"I should use this opportunity to absorb some of the men who were under Gyun."
Hyeokryeon Hwi's eyes gleamed like a wild beast's.
***
"It's over there."
It was an alley lined with shabby houses on both sides.
The alley wasn't long. In total, there were twelve houses, counting both sides.
"All the houses in this alley are their dens."
Hwaok said this and turned her head to look behind her.
An Underworld Sect member gave a few signals and disappeared.
"They say all the men watching the inn have been captured."
Byeok Taesan nodded and strode forward.
"You wait here for a moment."
Hwaok started to follow Byeok Taesan but hesitated.
She looked at Byeok Taesan with a puzzled expression, but she had no intention of disobeying his order.
Byeok Taesan entered the alley without hesitation.
Just as he took a few steps inside, the doors of all the houses in the alley swung wide open, and red powder poured out.
The powder didn't just come from the doors. It was also sprinkled from the roofs and burst up from the ground.
Seeing this, Hwaok's eyes widened like saucers.
It seemed Byeok Taesan had anticipated this and left her here.
"Poison?"
As she muttered this, a reply came from behind.
"It's closer to a tonic than a poison. To be more blunt, it's a kind of aphrodisiac. Good for men, and good for women."
Hwaok slowly turned around.
About twenty men stood in a wide arc some distance behind her, having approached without her noticing.
It was a formation meant to block her escape.
The man who had just spoken stood one step ahead of the others, studying Hwaok intently with cold eyes.
He continued what he was saying.
"It's a tonic we've crafted with great care. Inhale or ingest it, and you'll be overcome with an unbearable desire."
With an unwavering gaze, Hwaok surveyed the man and those lined up behind him.
The aura they exuded was quite formidable.
Compared to them, the men who had been watching the inn were like children next to adults.
"If you don't relieve that desire quickly..."
The man brought his hands together in front of him, then spread his arms wide and shouted.
"Bang!"
The man grinned.
"You'll explode. How about it? A little more interested now?"
As he spoke, the man took a small pouch from his robes, tossed it into the air, and caught it again.
"This is the antidote."
Hwaok said calmly.
"You're saying if I want the antidote, I should grovel for it, is that it?"
"Oh! I like that we understand each other. You're a beauty, but I have no intention of doing anything sordid, so you can rest easy on that front. Well, I could, if you wanted. I'm not impotent."
A hint of curiosity appeared in Hwaok's eyes.
She wasn't worried at all. She didn't think a mere drug like that could do anything to Byeok Taesan.
Besides, shouldn't she show these men a thing or two herself?
Hwaok glanced over the men once more.
"Is this all of you?"
The man looked puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think you can stop me with just this many? Especially after showing me the antidote."
Hwaok smiled gently.
But to the man standing before her, that smile felt strangely chilling.
In that instant, Hwaok lunged forward.
She was so fast that the man couldn't react in time.
*Swish!*
Hwaok brushed past the man.
She leaped into the line of men and unleashed a flurry of kicks and strikes.
*Crack!*
As Hwaok's hands and feet moved in a blur, three men were sent flying.
Only then did the man who had been in front turn and charge at Hwaok.
Hwaok spun, snatching the man's wrist and pulling him forward.
*Thwack!*
Hwaok's fist sank deep into the man's solar plexus.
"Keoheok!"
The man's eyes bulged as he crumpled forward.
*Thud.*
The fallen man trembled all over in agony.
He tried to move, but his body wouldn't obey.
His eyes took in the sight of his subordinates being thrown about.
Hwaok's limbs moved ceaselessly, drawing large arcs.
And everything caught in those arcs was swept away.
The man's subordinates tried to attack Hwaok, only to find themselves spinning through the air before being slammed into the ground.
Once more than half of them were down, some began to try to flee.
But they couldn't escape either.
Hwaok dealt with the fleeing ones first.
She was fast and strong.
No one could escape her, and with every move of her hand, at least one person was inevitably slammed to the ground.
Soon, Hwaok stopped moving and stood still.
Centered on her, over twenty men lay on the ground, shivering in pain.
The man took in the entire scene.
The trembling in his body had stopped. The pain was gone too.
The man staggered to his feet.
Seeing this, Hwaok approached with light steps.
Just as the man was about to say something, Hwaok swung her hand lightly.
*Smack!*
The man, who had been trying to stand, was struck across the cheek by a downward swing and collapsed, losing consciousness.
Hwaok looked up at the sky with a refreshed expression and let out a long breath.
She soon regained her usual expression and looked toward the alley Byeok Taesan had entered.
People started popping out from inside the alley.
Of course, they were not in good shape.
They were all unconscious, flying out and landing on the ground, piling up like a mountain.
But the alley was still covered in the red powder. It was as if a red fog enveloped only the alley.
*Whoooosh!*
The red fog began to swirl into a vortex.
A massive whirlwind engulfed all the red fog and shot upward.
*Whoooosh!*
The red whirlwind soared high into the sky.
Looking up at it, Hwaok suddenly felt a pang of worry.
'When that whirlwind disappears, won't the aphrodisiac scatter everywhere?'
Would that really be okay? Wouldn't many people in Nanchang be affected by the aphrodisiac?
If that happened, chaos would break out.
But at that moment, as if it knew all of Hwaok's worries, the red whirlwind ignited.
*Fwoosh!*
The scene was like a grand fireworks display exploding.
The entire sky was covered in flames.
Hwaok stared blankly at the sight.
Perhaps because the whirlwind had caught fire and then exploded, flames shot out in all directions.
'If the sky were a little darker, it would have been truly spectacular.'
Hwaok thought this, unable to take her eyes off the sky for a while.
The flames that had shot out in all directions soon descended like snow.
The sight of the flames pouring down was like a rain of fire.
And walking through that downpour of fiery rain came Byeok Taesan.
The scene of Byeok Taesan emerging from the alley, surrounded by the rain of fire, was like a painting.
Hwaok stared blankly at that sight as well.
Before she knew it, Byeok Taesan stood before Hwaok.
And he glanced around at the ground. No, he was checking the men Hwaok had taken down.
"Well done."
Hwaok smiled brightly and bowed her head slightly.
Then she turned and gave a signal, and from somewhere, members of the Underworld Sect appeared in a rush and began to tie up and deal with the fallen men one by one.
The Underworld Sect members hoisted the tightly bound men onto their shoulders and disappeared in a rush.
Byeok Taesan and Hwaok began to walk slowly.
"What has the Hwangbo family been up to lately?"
"They're relentless. They are running rampant not only in Nanchang but also in the surrounding areas, vowing to subjugate Nameless."
"Is it helping at all?"
Knowing what he meant, Hwaok smiled brightly and replied.
"Yes. Nameless has also begun to move proactively against the Hwangbo family. I believe we will achieve good results soon."
The good results Hwaok spoke of referred to new information about Nameless.
Currently, the Hwangbo family was making the most aggressive moves, but other groups had also begun to counter Nameless based on the information Byeok Taesan had leaked.
Soon, the world would be in an uproar.
And the Underworld Sect and the Secret Heaven Group would watch the chaos from a distance, cherry-picking the benefits for themselves.
"We've detected movement from Changsha heading this way."
"Is that so?"
Byeok Taesan's eyes gleamed.
If they were coming from Changsha, it must be to resolve the situation in Nanchang.
In that case, there was a possibility that Hyeokryeon Hwi would come himself.
Hwaok had reached the same conclusion.
"It is highly likely to be Hyeokryeon Hwi."
Byeok Taesan grinned.
"And Hyeokryeon Hwi will surely try to smuggle out the Nameless members in Nanchang."
It was obvious. No matter how formidable Nameless was, they wouldn't openly fight the Hwangbo family here.
Doing so would expose them to the world through the Hwangbo family, and they would have to fight a massive war against even greater powers.
It was wiser to take a step back.
"Nameless will likely continue to hide and conceal themselves unless they gain some sort of certainty."
"I suppose so."
Byeok Taesan nodded and continued.
"Anyway... it seems I'll finally catch someone worth roasting properly."
The corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted pleasantly.