Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: There's Still Work to Be Done
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There's still work to be done.
Won Mungwang erupted in fury.
“How dare you! Do you think you can insult the Jongli Family?”
Byeok Taesan replied coolly.
“I was talking to you, not the Jongli Family. Though it’s true the Jongli Family are also morons.”
Won Mungwang was so dumbfounded that he let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah. What gives you this confidence? Don’t tell me you’re expecting the Golden Jade Trading Company or the Yeon Family to come and help you?”
Byeok Taesan smirked.
“Why would they need to?”
Won Mungwang’s expression hardened. But he quickly tried to regain his composure and said.
“No one is coming to help you. Your guard outside will die a miserable death, and the Golden Jade Trading Company will be in turmoil for a while due to the chaos caused by the underlings of the dark factions. The Yeon Family won’t even hear a word of this.”
“That’s quite the long-winded explanation.”
“And you’re going to get beaten until you shit blood. I was going to let you off easy, but I see that’s no longer an option.”
At those words, Byeok Taesan’s eyes sparkled.
“Ah, speaking of shitting blood, it reminds me. Where’s the guy who shit his pants? Did you leave him behind? Afraid he’d do it again?”
Of course, Byeok Taesan knew Jongli Ung was outside.
He was currently in the thick of a fierce battle with Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon.
Byeok Taesan knew very well why Jongli Ung hadn't come inside.
He must have felt an instinctive fear and repulsion.
“I’ll start by smashing that mouth of yours.”
Won Mungwang ground his teeth and strode toward Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan watched him placidly.
Won Mungwang’s ferocious aura swept over him like a storm. A single step was enough to exert immense pressure on his opponent.
He’s definitely half a step above Jongli Seongrak.
“Come to think of it, I have some things to discuss with you too.”
When extracting information from Jongli Ung, the name he heard most often was Won Mungwang.
Won Mungwang was at the very center of the Jongli Family’s plan.
“Don’t forget, you are not to kill him.”
One of the three masters behind Won Mungwang spoke in a low voice.
“I know.”
Won Mungwang spat out the words and took another heavy step toward Byeok Taesan.
Watching this, Byeok Taesan wore an expression of disbelief.
“Isn’t your resolve a bit too soft?”
They should be coming at him with the intent to kill and be killed, yet they were worried about not killing him.
Of course, he understood. But even so, it was still deeply unpleasant.
Won Mungwang took another step forward. At that exact moment, Byeok Taesan also took a step forward.
Won Mungwang shot his hand out. It was incredibly fast. His hand was about to grab Byeok Taesan’s neck, but it closed on empty air.
He had aimed perfectly, yet he missed. And Byeok Taesan hadn’t even moved.
But there was no time to be surprised. Won Mungwang immediately swung his hand to strike Byeok Taesan.
*Whoosh!*
He struck empty air again. This time, he had aimed precisely, but Byeok Taesan had stepped forward and dodged it.
As Byeok Taesan passed by Won Mungwang, he casually flicked his hand and tapped him on the side.
“Keoheok!”
Won Mungwang’s breath caught in his throat. His entire body felt paralyzed, unable to move.
As if he had lost all interest in Won Mungwang, Byeok Taesan passed him and plunged into the midst of the three masters behind him.
They never imagined Byeok Taesan would get past Won Mungwang and reach them, so their reactions were a beat too slow.
Byeok Taesan first swung his arm to the left.
*Smack!*
His palm exploded against the cheek of the man standing there.
The man lost consciousness from that single blow without even a scream.
Next was the one in the middle.
Using the momentum from his swing, Byeok Taesan spun his body and threw a punch.
*Thwack!*
The man’s jaw twisted sideways. His eyes rolled back as he crumpled to the floor.
As he punched the man in the middle, Byeok Taesan lifted his foot.
The rotation continued, and his heel slammed into the last man’s temple.
*Crack!*
*Thud!*
The last man went down with the loudest crash.
Byeok Taesan leisurely turned to look at Won Mungwang, who was struggling to move.
Won Mungwang’s body creaked as it began to move bit by bit. His face was flushed crimson. The pain from being unable to breathe was so intense that his eyes were bloodshot.
“Gaaaaah!”
Won Mungwang desperately gasped for air. A thin wisp of air seeped into his lungs as if a single airway had finally opened.
With that, his senses began to return.
Won Mungwang’s gaze fixed on Byeok Taesan, then shifted to the courtesan standing by the door.
It looked as if flames would shoot from his eyes.
The courtesan trembled, unable to withstand the pressure.
Byeok Taesan casually walked over to Won Mungwang and tapped his solar plexus.
“Keo-heo-heok!”
Suddenly, his breath returned, and a violent fit of coughing erupted.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
Byeok Taesan returned to his original seat.
He gestured to the courtesan, who grunted as she dragged the fallen men before him.
“Sit.”
The moment Byeok Taesan spoke, Won Mungwang collapsed onto the spot.
His body had not yet returned to normal. Every part of him creaked, and the flow of his internal energy was severed in places.
He couldn't comprehend how a single tap to his side could leave him in such a state.
He hadn't even felt any internal energy enter his body. It had truly been just a light tap.
Fear flickered in Won Mungwang’s eyes.
But despite that, his will was not broken.
Byeok Taesan stared into Won Mungwang's eyes. Men with eyes like that didn't talk easily.
Of course, that didn’t matter to Byeok Taesan at all.
He had no intention of asking nicely anyway.
“Open the door.”
At Byeok Taesan’s words, the courtesan flinched, then hurriedly opened the door.
Outside, the battle was still raging.
Byeok Taesan’s eyes fell upon Jongli Ung, who was fighting wildly.
It seemed Jongli Ung was the strongest of the remaining enemies.
And because of him, the fight was dragging on.
Byeok Taesan merely stared at Jongli Ung. At that moment, Jongli Ung unknowingly glanced toward Byeok Taesan.
Their eyes met. And a foul stench filled the air.
Jongli Ung’s movements became incredibly awkward and jerky.
Cheon Gyeongwan pierced through the opening like a lightning bolt.
He deflected a swordsman from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and kicked out at Jongli Ung.
*Bam!*
The tip of Cheon Gyeongwan’s foot exploded against Jongli Ung’s shoulder.
Jongli Ung was sent flying backward, spinning through the air.
And shitty water splattered everywhere.
In the midst of a bloody, life-or-death battle, who would even blink at a little shitty water?
It was just disgusting.
In any case, as Jongli Ung collapsed to the ground, shitting himself and convulsing, the tide of the battle shifted dramatically.
The remaining enemies would be dealt with quickly now.
Having seen enough, Byeok Taesan waved his hand at the courtesan, dismissing her.
The courtesan’s face lit up as she quickly exited, quietly closing the door behind her.
“You’re not going to answer even if I ask, are you?”
Byeok Taesan asked, looking at Won Mungwang.
Won Mungwang stubbornly kept his mouth shut.
The pain in his body lingered, but he could endure it.
Byeok Taesan nodded at the sight. He had expected as much.
“First, let’s pull something out.”
At those words, Won Mungwang looked at Byeok Taesan with a puzzled expression. Pull something out? What could he possibly mean?
Won Mungwang gritted his teeth and glared at Byeok Taesan.
“I never thought the dying second young master of the Golden Jade Trading Company would be such a formidable master. I was completely fooled.”
Byeok Taesan smirked.
“Who fooled you? Everyone just believed what they wanted to believe.”
Won Mungwang let out a hollow laugh. Did that even make sense? He himself had been thoroughly deceived.
“Those two bodyguards outside also seem very different from what people knew. And you say you didn’t deceive anyone?”
“I don’t have time for your nonsense. It’s time to begin.”
At Byeok Taesan’s words, Won Mungwang’s expression hardened.
“Are you planning to torture me by pulling off my limbs? If you do something like that here, you’ll face even greater criticism than we will for openly brawling.”
Byeok Taesan smirked.
“You seem to have pulled off a lot of limbs yourself, huh?”
Won Mungwang clamped his mouth shut. Seeing this, Byeok Taesan sneered.
“Shutting up when things get disadvantageous seems to be a trait of you people.”
By ‘you people,’ Byeok Taesan meant the orthodox factions. But Won Mungwang took it to mean the Jongli Family.
Byeok Taesan reached out and placed his hand on the crown of Won Mungwang’s head.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do something as crude as pulling off your limbs.”
Won Mungwang’s eyes filled with terror.
“Don’t tell me… you’re going to pull off my head?”
Without another word, Byeok Taesan yanked out Won Mungwang’s soul.
He pulled out exactly half.
And then, he gently burned it.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!”
A scream that seemed to burn his very soul erupted from the depths of Won Mungwang’s lungs.
***
Cheon Gyeongwan felt as if his body would collapse from exhaustion, but he forced himself to move.
The fight was over, but there was still work to do.
Not many of their opponents today had died.
Two were certainly dead, but the rest were still alive. Though a few of them were so badly injured they would likely never practice martial arts again.
Cheon Gyeongwan meticulously tied them up.
He sealed their acupoints to immobilize them and bound their hands and feet tightly with sturdy rope.
A short distance away, Yu Seoyeon was doing the same.
Cheon Gyeongwan couldn't focus, stealing glances at Yu Seoyeon whenever he had the chance.
When the fight ended, the fiery fighting spirit that had consumed him vanished as if it were a lie, and he thought the side effects had ended with it.
But he was wrong. The moment he saw Yu Seoyeon—or more precisely, the moment he saw her drenched in sweat—a fiery lust flared up.
It was far more intense than the first wave of desire that had washed over him.
Just as Cheon Gyeongwan was reaching the limits of his patience, a terrifying scream that shook the entire building completely wiped away his thoughts.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!”
The lust instantly subsided.
This was already the fourth scream. And for the fourth time, his lust had subsided.
He thought that if it weren't for the screams, he might have actually pounced on Yu Seoyeon.
Today, Cheon Gyeongwan was truly experiencing the limits of his endurance.
Once the screaming stopped, the lust began to creep back up.
Just then, Yu Seoyeon approached him.
“Are you all right? You look very unwell.”
Her voice, so close, acted as a catalyst for his desire.
A faint reddish tinge appeared in Cheon Gyeongwan’s eyes.
He slowly turned to face Yu Seoyeon.
Then he raised his hands and gripped her shoulders tightly.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked straight into his.
Just as Cheon Gyeongwan, unable to hold back any longer, was about to do something, the door swung wide open.
“What are you doing?”
The moment Byeok Taesan’s voice reached him, Cheon Gyeongwan flinched, dropping his hands and taking a step back.
Yu Seoyeon was just as startled, but she didn’t take her eyes off Cheon Gyeongwan.
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan frowned.
“Clean up the ones inside too. There’s still work to be done.”
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon, trying to calm their excitement, slowly entered the room and began to bind the men on the floor.
“What’s with them?”
Byeok Taesan muttered as he watched them. The Divine Doctor of the Ages sidled up to him.
“Young Master, you’re being too much.”
“What?”
“You are just far too oblivious.”
Byeok Taesan stared at the Divine Doctor of the Ages with a look of disbelief.
“Why should I be observant? I’ve never been one to read the room in my life.”
Others might read his, but never the other way around.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages sighed briefly, as if to say there was no getting through to him, and shook his head.
“It is time to wrap things up, is it not?”
“Right. Let’s go.”
It was time to conclude today’s plan. Byeok Taesan took the Divine Doctor of the Ages and headed for the place where the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was on the top floor of the same building, directly above them.
As he climbed the stairs, Byeok Taesan extended his senses.
He had been ambushed right after a fight far too many times to let his guard down for even a moment.
Sure enough, there were two men hiding at the top of the stairs.
Reaching the top, Byeok Taesan nonchalantly extended his hands to both sides.
*Crack!*
The necks of the two men, who had been about to launch a surprise attack, were caught in his grasp.
They collapsed without so much as a groan.
Without sparing the fallen men a glance, Byeok Taesan walked down the corridor and threw open the last door.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was sitting there demurely.
Looking at her, Byeok Taesan said calmly.
“You will atone for today’s sins with your body.”