Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Red Tiger Demon (2)
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‘What is that?’
*Thump!*
Bai Cheong-il's heart began to race.
It was more overwhelming than when he had witnessed the martial arts of his own father, the Black Dragon Gang Leader.
It was like seeing a butterfly that had just emerged from its chrysalis, something that transcended conventional martial arts.
‘I want to break it.’
Bai Cheong-il felt a strong desire as he watched the Six Harmonies' Path to Perfection unfold from the tip of Ouyang Jue's sword.
I don't want to back down.
From the moment he resolved himself, the aura of the Art of the Tiger King grew even stronger.
As if it could easily devour a human body whole.
The internal energy flowing from Bai Cheong-il's core surged.
“……”
Ouyang Jue maintained a calm expression as he watched.
The Six Harmonies—heaven and earth, east, west, south, and north.
The One Path to Perfection, a singular journey toward completeness.
The number that surpasses six from one is seven.
Seven cannot be complete on its own, so it is discarded. It is the darkness not included in the Six Harmonies.
The number that follows, eight, is a number that bites its own tail, repeating into infinity.
If that is not perfection, what is?
A bud reminiscent of a plum blossom began to form at the tip of Severing Manifestation.
Seeing this, a look of satisfaction slowly spread across Bai Cheong-il's face.
“Good, very good!”
Was it a miracle born of his competitive spirit?
The Art of the Tiger King surrounding Bai Cheong-il's body gradually shrank, then attached itself to him, replacing his lost arm.
Bai Cheong-il watched this in amazement, then swung the arm lightly.
‘I don't know if I can consider this my real arm.’
But for now, isn't it great?
‘I now have a way to fight someone like him.’
Delaying any longer would be no different from a shy greenhorn.
*CRACK!*
A loud crack echoed as Severing Manifestation and Bai Cheong-il's arm collided.
Ouyang Jue winced at the sharp pain in his wrist.
A complaint followed.
“Didn't you say growing back an arm was a lie?”
“You believed the words of an Unorthodox Sect member? Haha!”
Indeed, his words weren't wrong. Ouyang Jue immediately twisted his blade.
The Six Harmonies' Path to Perfection was, in essence, completeness.
No matter where it was swung, it was unending and flawless.
In other words, it was a continuous chain of attacks that would not end unless he willed it to stop.
Did he realize this instinctively?
Bai Cheong-il suddenly backed away, swinging his left hand to hurl tables and chairs at Ouyang Jue.
*CRUNCH! CRACK!*
Watching them get sliced apart instantly by the sharp energy emanating from Severing Manifestation, a bitter sound escaped Bai Cheong-il's lips.
“Heh…!”
‘That's just cheating.’
To have such skill at his age wasn't enough; he even possessed a renowned sword I've never seen before.
Bai Cheong-il licked his lips without realizing it.
It seemed the sharp energy that flew off Severing Manifestation as it cut through the table had slightly grazed his lip.
“Let's see what you've got!”
Bending his knees and kicking off the ground, Bai Cheong-il charged straight at Ouyang Jue.
His momentum was not just fierce but downright menacing.
Bai Cheong-il. His martial arts were shallow compared to the absolute masters, but his mental fortitude was said to be comparable to theirs.
‘Perhaps it's a good thing I'm dealing with him here.’
Ouyang Jue calmly raised Severing Manifestation.
What had started with the Golden Ring Merchant Guild had now come to this.
So, I will end it here.
Just as Severing Manifestation gleamed with a sharp light.
*BOOM-!*
Pivoting on his right foot, Bai Cheong-il leaped toward the ceiling. Ouyang Jue let out a surprised sound.
Unconventional.
And above all, wild.
“Kuhah!”
Letting out a roar, Bai Cheong-il kicked off the ceiling, nearly shattering it, and descended vertically.
In that instant, Ouyang Jue noticed that the arm made of the Art of the Tiger King had vanished.
“Tiger Dragon Fang!”
And seeing Bai Cheong-il confidently shout the technique's name, he realized it was his signature technique.
But Ouyang Jue didn't use a different technique.
He merely channeled even greater internal energy into Severing Manifestation.
“……Impossible?!”
Bai Cheong-il was startled by the sudden increase in sword energy and tried to twist his body in mid-air.
But it was already too late.
*Stab!*
Severing Manifestation pierced through Bai Cheong-il's right chest. A slight twist from Ouyang Jue would mean instant death.
He could barely breathe, so further resistance was futile.
Bai Cheong-il spat out the blood that filled his mouth.
After clearing his throat, he could deduce how the previous situation had occurred.
“You... damn bastard. You inherited internal energy on top of such martial arts? You should know when to stop taking all the luck!”
“You should know this is something you brought upon yourself, no?”
At those words, Bai Cheong-il gave a pained smile.
“You're right. Damn it, I should have sent Ha Jin-ak's head flying.”
Ouyang Jue's expression hardened.
“Do you want to die right now?”
“Well, even if you kill me, you're just going to tear my body to shreds and scatter the pieces, aren't you?”
Dismemberment.
Knowing he would face the most humiliating punishment for a martial artist, Bai Cheong-il slowly shook his head.
“But I don't really like that idea.”
“I don't have that authority, though.”
“Come on, there's something you can do for me right here.”
Bai Cheong-il's eyes slowly closed.
He could feel the inevitable death, which even his immense internal energy couldn't prevent, gradually tightening its grip on his entire body.
“Don't bury me. Burn me.”
“……?”
“There are still so many places in the world I haven't seen……”
*Thud.*
Dropping his head, Bai Cheong-il seemed to have departed from the mortal world without any lingering regrets.
But Ouyang Jue knew.
That behind that seemingly peaceful expression lay countless calculations.
‘Asking to be burned… he must not want to bring harm to the Black Dragon Gang.’
Ouyang Jue shook his head lightly.
“That sounded quite cool, but I can't do that.”
*Shhh…*
Grabbing Bai Cheong-il by the collar, Ouyang Jue walked out of the inn.
“I'm ruined……”
Behind him, he thought he heard the innkeeper's lament.
***
“Has anything like this ever happened before?”
The Black Dragon Gang Leader Bai Wun-hwan's face was not just dark with worry; it had turned ashen.
Bai Cheong-il had always maintained contact, no matter what happened, no matter the difficulty.
But there was still no word from him.
An assumption slowly formed in Bai Wun-hwan's mind.
With the Shaanxi branch annihilated, and in the midst of all the chaos, the branch leader dies as well.
This was a major incident.
The Black Dragon Gang's reputation would plummet, and their enemies, who had long viewed them unfavorably, would begin their assault.
‘I need time. Time.’
Looking out the window, Bai Wun-hwan subconsciously glanced at the carrier pigeon on his desk.
Only three days remained.
If they couldn't catch Ouyang Jue within that time, the Black Dragon Gang's ascent would be over.
“……”
Lost in thought for a long while, Bai Wun-hwan called for the waiting elder.
“Elder Black Bear.”
“Yes, Gang Leader.”
“Is there anything in the Shaanxi branch that could be fatal to us?”
At those words, Elder Black Bear narrowed his eyes.
“That… to be honest, I'm not sure. Branch Leader Bai had a tendency to act separately from the rest of us.”
“That's right. He was the one who first proposed the Shaanxi branch.”
As Bai Wun-hwan fell into a brief melancholy, Elder Black Bear thought it was a parent's worry for their child.
But his next words were different.
“It was just too obvious, gathering only those loyal to him and plotting things. Heh heh……”
“Gang Leader, you knew?”
“How could I not know?”
Bai Wun-hwan smiled bitterly.
“Sometimes, I even wondered if I should kill him before he grew too powerful.”
Should this be seen as cold-hearted?
Or the authority of a sect leader?
Elder Black Bear looked at the coldly composed Bai Wun-hwan and remained silent for a moment.
At times like this, a moment of silence was more valuable than a hundred words.
Then, Bai Wun-hwan spoke.
“This is why I like you, Elder Black Bear.”
“……”
“Weren't you one of Cheong-il's supporters?”
At those words, Elder Black Bear lowered his head slightly.
“With the Unorthodox Overlord of the North before me, how could I serve a mere worm?”
“Keuk, keuk keuk keuk……”
On the surface, he acts loyal, earning trust with his taciturn nature, but he never follows a loser.
Every time he saw this side of Elder Black Bear, the thought of getting rid of him someday would pop into his head, but Bai Wun-hwan managed to restrain himself.
Now was not the time.
‘He must have set up two or three layers of protection for himself.’
Bai Wun-hwan shrugged.
“From what you've observed… does it seem likely the Shaanxi branch has done anything that could harm our Gang?”
At those words, Elder Black Bear let out an uncharacteristic laugh.
“Who do you think Branch Leader Bai learned from?”
“That's true.”
Bai Wun-hwan severed his last remaining affection for Bai Cheong-il.
“Dispose of everything related to the Shaanxi branch.”
“Including the people?”
Bai Wun-hwan's face turned icy. He was feeling slightly displeased with the current situation.
The bonds of blood?
What did any of that matter?
Even if it was his cherished eldest son, if he became an obstacle to the Black Dragon Gang, the answer was to remove him without mercy.
No, this would be a good opportunity to get rid of his remaining second son as well.
Bai Wun-hwan instructed Elder Black Bear.
“Yes, take care of that bastard Bai Dong-il, too.”
*Riiip!*
The message tube, marked with 'three days', was torn into dozens of pieces in Bai Wun-hwan's grip.
Meanwhile, the man unaware that he was in mortal danger, Bai Dong-il, was belatedly entering Chang'an.
Unlike his brother Bai Cheong-il, he looked somewhat frail and had a scrawny build.
He was so timid that one would never guess he was the legitimate son of the Unorthodox Overlord.
‘……What if someone recognizes me.’
He had wrapped his collar tightly around his face.
Even though he was wearing a human-skin mask.
Finally arriving in front of the Shaanxi branch, Bai Dong-il wore a devastated expression as he looked at the ruins of the Black Dragon Gang's Shaanxi branch.
“How could this be……”
The depth of his emotion was so intense that even passersby could vaguely sense it.
Of course, most people thought he was just some wannabe who admired the Unorthodox Faction, but a few martial artists were already watching Bai Dong-il closely.
However, Bai Dong-il didn't notice.
“Then where in the world could my brother be?”
Bai Dong-il wandered through Chang'an with a messy gait.
These were all the sights his brother had shown him the last time he visited Bai Cheong-il.
A route more akin to sightseeing.
As two hours stretched into nearly four, even the martial artists watching him gave up and went elsewhere.
Just then, Bai Dong-il's brow furrowed.
The very faint, unique scent of a Black Dragon member was coming from nearby.
‘Is he nearby?’
*Step, step.*
Bai Dong-il turned his steps toward the source of the scent.
His brother, Bai Cheong-il, had told him that in Chang'an, at least, he could act without worrying about what others thought.
Thus, there was no hesitation in his steps.
‘But something is strange.’
Bai Dong-il stopped before an alley.
This wasn't the kind of place Bai Cheong-il would frequent.
It was damp and narrow.
The Red Tiger Demon would never go to a place barely wide enough for one person to pass, let alone a main street.
Just then, someone about to pass through the alley abruptly asked Bai Dong-il.
“Who are you?”
Turning around, Bai Dong-il was horrified when he saw what the man who called him was holding.
“Who are *you*! Who are you to……”
Bai Dong-il gritted his teeth.
“drag my brother around with such disrespect!”
“The Red Tiger Demon had a brother?”
Seeing Bai Dong-il fall silent at his words, Ouyang Jue was certain.
“What, it seems you're the real deal.”
They said the Black Dragon Gang Leader had only one legitimate son, but it seems that wasn't the case.
Ouyang Jue suddenly thought of a good idea and smirked.