Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: No One Around
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There's no one around.
The Jongli Family was in an uproar.
The Flying Tiger Unit had all been injured. These were no simple injuries; they were severe beatings inflicted upon their entire bodies, so grave that they would be unable to move again without a very long period of recuperation.
The only reason they weren't dead was because they belonged to the Jongli Family.
If the Underworld factions had truly vented all their pent-up frustrations, killing them all might not have been enough, but they couldn't go that far, considering the repercussions.
Still, the Flying Tiger Unit was now out of commission for the Jongli Family—and for so long that it could hardly be called temporary.
The Jongli Family had two other warrior units besides the Flying Tiger Unit.
That was just the main combat units; including their other warriors, the numbers were quite substantial.
They had steadily increased the number of their warriors to build a foundation for the future.
But as the number of warriors grew, so did the maintenance costs.
Until now, they had sustained it by squeezing the Underworld, but with the factions rebelling right when tribute was due, their cash flow had completely seized up.
The head of the Jongli Family, Jongli Cheon, stared at his chief steward in disbelief.
“Is it that serious?”
“Yes.”
To be told that they would have problems procuring food supplies in just ten days was a major crisis.
“You must devise a solution quickly.”
Jongli Cheon frowned.
“We should have moved on the Golden Jade Trading Company sooner...”
If they had swallowed the Golden Jade Trading Company, a problem like this would never have occurred.
No, if that had been the case, they would have wiped out the Underworld factions first.
After all, the fact that they had been receiving tribute from them could not be revealed.
The surest way to cover it up, then and now, was to kill them all.
“Is there no surplus cash at all?”
“We exhausted all our reserve funds while making our move on the Golden Jade Trading Company.”
Jongli Cheon shook his head.
“The timing of this situation is so impeccable, I'm at a loss for words.”
“My apologies. I should have been more attentive...”
“No. What fault is it of yours? I'm well aware that the family's finances have not been easy.”
Jongli Cheon comforted the steward and then contemplated his options.
There were a few possibilities.
One was to borrow funds from a more pliable neighbor.
However, doing so would severely damage the Jongli Family's prestige.
Another was to ask for help from the Thousand Gold Alliance.
But that, too, was likely to come back to haunt them later.
They would surely be at a disadvantage when it came time to divide the Golden Jade Trading Company.
He couldn't mortgage the future to solve a problem of the present.
“The only option left is to wipe out the Underworld factions that rebelled.”
“But you must investigate carefully. There is something behind them.”
“I'm sure there is.”
Otherwise, how could the Jongli Family's Flying Tiger Unit have been so devastatingly defeated by mere Underworld thugs?
No matter how numerous they were, a pack of dogs could not defeat a tiger.
“For now... let's deal with them one by one. I doubt they'll band together to face us.”
“Then I will do some preliminary work to ensure they don't unite.”
“Do so. It's always better to be certain.”
The chief steward bowed his head and retreated.
Left alone, Jongli Cheon ground his teeth, swallowing his anger.
“How dare these... filthy Underworld bastards stab me in the back?”
He had backstabbed others before, but this was the first time he had been on the receiving end.
That's why it hurt so much. And he had to return this pain several times over.
“There's no turning back now.”
Once they crush the Underworld factions and take all their money, there would be no safety net.
The Jongli Family couldn't just step in and extort money from the back alleys like the Underworld did.
So, they had to quickly conclude the matter with the Golden Jade Trading Company while they still had funds.
“First, I need to summon everyone.”
He had to mobilize all his forces and handle this with a swift, overwhelming strike. Failure was absolutely not an option.
***
“Young Master, when on earth did you form a connection with an escort agency like this?”
Byeok Taesan and Cheon Gyeongwan were currently staying in a small pavilion at the heart of the East Lake Escort Agency.
The East Lake Escort Agency treated the two with the utmost hospitality.
They had cleared out an entire small but splendid pavilion for them and assigned a host of maids to attend to their needs.
And amidst all this, they carried out Byeok Taesan's instructions without a hitch.
The director of the East Lake Escort Agency showed not a hint of complaint or doubt regarding Byeok Taesan's orders.
He simply followed them to the letter.
Was that all? They also generously provided all the information the East Lake Escort Agency had steadily gathered since establishing itself here.
Thanks to this, Byeok Taesan and Cheon Gyeongwan learned in great detail when and how the Jongli Family had settled here, and what they had been up to.
Based on that, they were able to gauge the Jongli Family's current strength and formulate an appropriate plan.
The first step had been a success.
“I suppose it's about time we headed back.”
“What? You're leaving already?”
Byeok Taesan let out a small laugh at Cheon Gyeongwan's words.
“Why? Is it so comfortable here you don't want to leave?”
“That's not it. It's just that you've only just started something, and now you're talking about leaving without finishing it.”
“These guys will take care of the finishing touches.”
“But... our opponent is the Jongli Family. If things get difficult later, shouldn't I at least lend a hand?”
A grin spread across Byeok Taesan's face at that.
“Can you win a fight against the director here?”
“Pardon? Well, I'm not sure? I'd have to fight him to know for certain... but isn't he about my level?”
“What about the escort captains here?”
“I'm slightly stronger.”
“Wrong.”
“What?”
“You might be better than the escorts here, but you're a long way from fighting the captains. The director is on a whole other level.”
Cheon Gyeongwan's eyes widened. He couldn't accept it. He had definitely gauged the captains' skills when he met them. What he had just told Byeok Taesan was a modest assessment; frankly, he was confident he could win overwhelmingly.
“What you see isn't everything.”
The director and captains here were all members of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
However, among the escorts, some were from the cult and some were not.
The ones who had mingled with the Underworld factions to fight the Jongli Family were all members of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
Those who weren't were completely excluded from the plan. Moreover, strict secrecy was maintained.
They would continue to do so in the future battles against the Jongli Family.
The reason Cheon Gyeongwan couldn't accurately gauge their skills was because they were adept at concealing their power.
They were so skilled at hiding their martial arts that even a considerable master would have difficulty discerning their true strength.
It was only natural, as having excessively high martial skill while posing as an escort agency would inevitably arouse suspicion.
At the same time, they couldn't dispatch weak martial artists here, as they would be unable to carry out their missions.
The East Lake Escort Agency had come to Byeok Taesan's mind after he decided he needed to poke the Jongli Family a bit.
As he searched his memories related to the Jongli Family, the fact that the East Lake Escort Agency was located near them surfaced naturally and vividly.
It was a similar situation to when he discovered the Heavenly Demonic Cult's safe house in Wuhan.
In any case, now that he remembered these guys and had met them, all he had to do was make good use of them.
They still didn't know his exact identity, but for them, doubt itself was not permitted.
They simply had to obey unconditionally when a superior appeared.
At a glance, it might seem like the entire organization could be taken over by the wrong person, but the chances of that were extremely low.
That was because when someone from the Heavenly Demonic Cult arrived here, they were subject to a multi-step verification process.
“So, we just need to go back.”
The rest, they would handle themselves. Though they would only complete the given mission before returning to their original lives.
***
“Young Master, must we take this path?”
“It's a shortcut.”
“But... aren't we going to the Golden Wall Estate, not the Yeon Manor? This way is actually a bit of a detour.”
It wasn't just a bit of a detour; it was a long one. Their schedule wasn't tight, but there was no need to take the long way around.
Besides, he had already told the Divine Doctor of the Ages and Yu Seoyeon to head toward the Golden Wall Estate.
“We're not the only ones who use this shortcut.”
Cheon Gyeongwan fell silent at Byeok Taesan's words. He finally understood why they had come this way.
Who else would use this shortcut? People hurrying from the Yeon Manor toward the Jongli Family.
“You intend to meet people from the Jongli Family on the way.”
“It's a good opportunity for some practical training.”
Cheon Gyeongwan's expression darkened slightly.
When he had crushed those eleven warriors from the Jongli Family before, Yu Seoyeon had been with him.
But now, he had to face them alone.
The Jongli Family warriors he saw before leaving the Yeon Manor were clearly stronger than the previous ones.
And among them were two overwhelmingly powerful masters.
‘Can I really defeat men like that on my own?’
Even knowing their weaknesses.
“Here they come.”
At Byeok Taesan's words, Cheon Gyeongwan snapped his head up and looked ahead. But he couldn't see anything yet.
After staring ahead for a moment and channeling his internal energy into his eyes, a small dot began to appear in the distance.
The dot grew larger and soon took the shape of a person.
Contrary to his expectation, it was only one person.
‘Is it not someone from the Jongli Family?’
Just as Cheon Gyeongwan was thinking this, Byeok Taesan muttered.
“His aura is quite fierce.”
Hearing that, a surge of tension washed over him.
Who else had Byeok Taesan ever appraised so highly?
Soon, the person was close enough for his face to be clearly identified. Cheon Gyeongwan finally recognized him.
“It's that master from the Jongli Family.”
“The one you said you didn't even dare to fight?”
He had said there were two men like that.
Byeok Taesan nodded. He was indeed quite something.
The two of them continued walking straight toward the approaching man without stopping.
Soon, the two parties met.
“Hoh. So we meet here. I thought you'd scurried away like a rat back to the Golden Wall Estate, but here you are.”
Jongli Seongrak smiled brightly.
Honestly, he had gone to some trouble trying to catch Byeok Taesan, traveling back and forth between the Golden Wall Estate and the Yeon Manor several times.
And he had asked around, checking multiple times if Byeok Taesan was at the Golden Wall Estate.
In the midst of all that, he heard news that something had happened at the Jongli Family and was on his way back.
Won Mungwang remained at the Yeon Manor. He couldn't leave because he had work to do.
He had inwardly given up on meeting Byeok Taesan, but to think he would run into him here.
“By the looks of it, you're coming from the direction of East Lake.”
Jongli Seongrak tilted his head. Why on earth was Byeok Taesan coming from East Lake?
The Jongli Family was located there.
Didn't it somehow look as if Byeok Taesan and Cheon Gyeongwan were returning from a visit to the Jongli Family?
“Don't tell me you're on your way back from our family? No, there was no word of anyone seeing you there.”
“Of course not. We were inside the East Lake Escort Agency the whole time.”
Jongli Seongrak's eyes widened at Byeok Taesan's reply.
“The East Lake Escort Agency? What's your connection to them?”
Byeok Taesan grinned.
“What's it to you?”
Jongli Seongrak frowned.
“You have no manners. I wanted to meet you anyway, so this is perfect.”
Cheon Gyeongwan stepped in front of Byeok Taesan, glaring at Jongli Seongrak.
“I don't believe you have any business with our Young Master...”
Jongli Seongrak smiled faintly.
“It seems a sharp lesson is in order. Isn't that the duty of an elder?”
As he spoke, Jongli Seongrak unleashed his aura.
The surging energy coiled fiercely around Cheon Gyeongwan.
The rough energy pressed down on his entire body, causing considerable pain, but Cheon Gyeongwan stared back at Jongli Seongrak calmly.
He no longer even blinked at ordinary pain. He could swing his sword without a care even if chunks of his flesh were torn away, so what was a little pressure like this?
“Hoh. Not bad. But something's strange. You're decent, but you don't seem strong enough to have overwhelmed all of our men at once.”
Just then, Byeok Taesan stepped forward.
“That's because I know the weaknesses of the Jongli Family's martial arts.”
“What?”
Jongli Seongrak's expression hardened instantly. Those were not words he could take lightly.
“You know the weaknesses of our martial arts?”
“I know them inside and out. The openings in your attacks, the flaws in your defense, the fatal blind spots that inevitably appear in certain situations.”
“I can't believe it. Is that true?”
Jongli Seongrak's gaze shifted to Cheon Gyeongwan.
Cheon Gyeongwan hesitated for a moment before nodding. He figured there must be a reason for Byeok Taesan to say such a thing.
“If that's true, then a simple lesson won't be enough. It looks like you'll have to come with me to our family estate.”
At those words, Byeok Taesan grinned and looked around.
“But you know what? There's no one else here but us.”
Jongli Seongrak's expression hardened.