Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Zhenzhou Yan Clan (4)
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“Ugh, agh, you… you devil…”
Even breathing seemed to cause him immense pain. Yan Yang-gun wheezed for a long while before managing to utter a single word.
Even swallowing his own saliva felt like a taste of hell. It was as if a plow was being dragged through his throat.
And it wasn’t as if the rest of his body was in any better shape.
From his limbs to his bones and sinews, all the way to his dantian.
Even if he were lucky enough to survive this, would he ever be able to live like a human being again?
The Yan Clan was already as good as finished, so he could not return. He might be dragged around by some traveling troupe as a freak.
The misery of it all seemed to melt his mind. He would rather die.
If he had a dagger, and if his hand could move, he would plunge it into his own chest.
But he couldn't even do that.
‘Can I not even protect my pride as a warrior?!’
Yan Yang-gun could no longer maintain his dignity as the head of the Yan Clan. Hot tears streamed from his eyes.
“Coward…!”
“…”
But Ouyang Jue merely looked down at Yan Yang-gun with cold eyes.
“Do you truly think this is cowardly?”
“If you’re going to mock me, just kill me…!”
“How absurd.”
Seeing Ouyang Jue say this, Yan Yang-gun realized he wasn’t trying to taunt him or drive him to despair.
“If you had come to the Mount Hua Sect and succeeded in destroying it, what do you think you would have done? Have you ever considered it?”
“…”
“You would have stolen the secret manuals, tortured the inner and outer disciples for their oral traditions… the common fate of a vanquished sect. Am I wrong?”
“You… bastard!”
“How shameless. When you do it to others, it’s the law of the strong, but when it happens to you, it’s cowardly. How convenient for you.”
Ouyang Jue did not defend himself. It wasn’t in his nature, and besides, he never considered himself a good person.
Survive.
In his past life, that was all that mattered. That was why his life had been so sordid. Even in the moments he approached, ready to die, he had been miserable.
Ouyang Jue’s gaze turned to Yan Yang-gun.
‘Is there really such a difference between my past self and this man now?’
A life of hating the declining Mount Hua Sect, running away with a promise to return successful, only to come back stronger to destroy it.
A life of championing the law of the strong, only to call it cowardly when he was dying by that very same law.
There was no difference between the two. Finding it laughable, Ouyang Jue let out a hollow laugh.
“…Haha, hahaha…”
“What’s so funny?! You bastard!”
Even as he coughed up an endless stream of bloody phlegm, Yan Yang-gun’s eyes burned with venom.
It could be called resentment, or perhaps lamentation. It was the moment his ambition to finally leave Hebei and conquer the Central Plains was shattered, and any expression of anguish would have been an understatement.
Ouyang Jue murmured softly to Yan Yang-gun.
“There was a time I thought like this: the most important thing after breathing is winning. That to win, the means and methods don’t matter…”
Was that something the man who used gunpowder should be saying?
Yan Yang-gun erupted in indignation.
“You intend to humiliate me to the very end!”
“…Of course, I still think winning is important. But… but, you know. After almost dying once, I came to understand.”
Ouyang Jue reflected on all the tragedies he had experienced in his past life, a bitter expression on his face.
“How you die, and what you pursued while you lived. That’s what’s more important.”
Yan Yang-gun’s lips trembled faintly, then twisted.
“…Dammit.”
With those words, Yan Yang-gun’s breathing stopped. That he had been able to speak at all was likely thanks to a lifetime of training.
Ouyang Jue looked down at Yan Yang-gun’s corpse and unconsciously closed his eyes.
“Cheol Pung-gae, are you there?”
“What?”
“Please ensure his body is returned to the Zhenzhou Yan Clan.”
“…”
Cheol Pung-gae hesitated for a moment before replying with difficulty.
“I will.”
“Thank you.”
Ouyang Jue’s gaze shifted from Yan Yang-gun to the sky.
* * *
The power of the Zhenzhou Yan Clan had collapsed overnight!
The entire martial world was in an uproar over the news. It was completely unexpected.
Yan Yang-gun, who had always acted with such caution, had suddenly been discovered dead.
The cause of death, the identity of his killer—nothing was revealed. Above all, the Zhenzhou Yan Clan was extremely reluctant to disclose anything.
It was simply a suspicious death. Anyone who knew Yan Yang-gun’s usual disposition tilted their heads in confusion.
That wasn't all.
“…It seems Yan Yang-gun wasn’t the only one who died.”
Since that day, the Zhenzhou Yan Clan’s external activities had decreased significantly. The displays of power they held like an annual event were gone, and they wouldn’t even let merchants through their gates.
Because of this, people assumed that the clan’s warriors had been killed off. It wasn't particularly surprising.
The decline of a sect that ruled through force often began this way.
After that, things proceeded quietly, without anyone noticing.
The Beggars' Sect, the Hebei Peng Clan, and finally, the dark factions that had been eyeing the Zhenzhou Yan Clan with greed.
When they all grabbed a piece of the foundation and shook it, the sand grains forming the roof began to fall, one by one.
The martial arts of the Zhenzhou Yan Clan, their wealth, even their blood relatives with good constitutions.
They were all devoured greedily.
There was a sliver of pity, but it was just a speck. On the other hand, there were other feelings.
‘What kind of stupid shit did they pull to end up like this, tsk tsk.’
‘From now on, no sect in Hebei will be able to compare to ours!’
It was a vortex created by greed. And so, the fall of the Zhenzhou Yan Clan sent ripples of influence throughout the martial world.
Amidst this, the five great families who had been close to the Zhenzhou Yan Clan clicked their tongues, while the other Daoist sects and martial families, though feigning indifference, rejoiced.
Among them, the Beggars' Sect.
The leader of the Beggars' Sect, Cheon-wa-gae, was in a private meeting with Cheol Pung-gae, delaying his answer.
“We must provide appropriate compensation to the Mount Hua Sect…?”
“Yes. Because the Mount Hua Sect’s contribution to this matter was great.”
At those words, a strange smile graced Cheon-wa-gae’s lips.
“From what I heard from your subordinate, you did this all on your own. Am I wrong?”
“I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
“You were the one who set off the gunpowder, and you were the one who predicted the Zhenzhou Yan Clan would head that way. How could the Mount Hua Sect have been involved?”
“…”
Cheol Pung-gae hesitated for a moment. He had never told his superiors about Ouyang Jue’s existence.
But what if Cheon-wa-gae already knew?
‘Dammit, let’s take it slow and feel him out.’
Cheol Pung-gae chose his words carefully and let out a subtle, hollow laugh.
“The gunpowder came from the Shaanxi branch, did it not? We have long promised to manage it with Mount Hua, yet I was the one who took it without any agreement. It’s obvious they’ll connect it to this incident.”
“And what if I say they won’t?”
Cheon-wa-gae grinned. That grin seemed to see right through him, and Cheol Pung-gae’s shoulders tensed.
“Even if the chief beggar says a common beggar took it on his own, who would believe…”
“I’m saying they won’t. Do you think the other sects will just sit by? There are plenty of bastards out there who would lick the Beggars' Sect’s boots.”
Cheon-wa-gae offered Cheol Pung-gae a drink from a gourd and continued.
“Hey, you little beggar. When it’s not just one mouth wagging, but many, even a marketplace storyteller can be overwhelmed. Besides, the martial world is the Beggars’ Sect’s playground.”
“But.”
“If I have to, I can plant people at the gunpowder warehouse right now. Thinking about it that way, there are even more mouths, aren’t there?”
“…”
“Why are you trying to make things so complicated when it can all be settled with a little whispering among us beggars? Or… is there something else?”
The more he listened, the more chilling it became. Cheol Pung-gae looked up at Cheon-wa-gae, his body tense.
This man was the pinnacle of the Beggars' Sect.
A giant with the power to turn a piece of scrap metal into a legendary sword and throw the martial world into chaos.
Yet he never wielded that power, merely mediating from the middle.
The problem was, he didn't do it out of goodness. He remained silent only to adjust the landscape of the martial world to his liking.
Seeing Cheon-wa-gae’s smile, Cheol Pung-gae’s lip twitched.
‘Trying to hide anything from this old geezer is a damn nightmare…’
It felt like the man would grab him by the collar and demand answers at any moment.
He would demand to know everything Cheol Pung-gae had done up to now, pointing out the ambiguities left during the Three Evils of Shaanxi incident, and declaring that he knew it all.
Cheol Pung-gae cautiously broached the subject.
“What would change if there was?”
At those words, the look in Cheon-wa-gae’s eyes shifted.
“A lot would change.”
He was a hearty leader who mingled freely with all the beggars, but this was on a different scale.
Sect versus sect.
It was a domain Cheol Pung-gae could never take responsibility for alone.
But Cheol Pung-gae had made up his mind.
Though his name was on the Beggars' Sect’s roster, he wanted to conspire with that brat, Ouyang Jue. If he did, he thought, at least life wouldn't be boring.
Thus, Cheol Pung-gae brought up the topic he had been pondering all night.
“The Golden Ring Merchant Guild… have you heard of it?”
“Oh, I know it. These days, even our headquarters’ guys beg a lot of meals from them.”
“The ones who moved the gunpowder were from there.”
Cheon-wa-gae’s expression changed completely.
“…This is troublesome.”
“One must not be the first to harm those who have fed them.”
Cheol Pung-gae muttered one of the few laws of the Beggars' Sect in a low voice.
With that, Cheon-wa-gae began to understand.
The reason the Golden Ring Merchant Guild frequented this area.
“You… a man who should know better…”
“Chief Beggar, I have a favor to ask.”
Thud!
Cheol Pung-gae fell to his knees.
“Please help this beggar keep his honor.”
“…”
Cheon-wa-gae’s deliberation was swift.
The Mount Hua Sect had never once touched the Beggars' Sect’s rice bowl. And they were owed a small debt from the incident with the Divine Demon Fist.
Moreover, Cheol Pung-gae had invoked ‘honor’.
It was the banner that every beggar belonging to the sect had to uphold, their last shred of pride.
“…You brat.”
Cheon-wa-gae let out a short laugh.
“Alright, do as you please.”
Cheol Pung-gae let out a sigh of relief.
* * *
Slash!
After cutting down the sign plaque, Ouyang Jue stepped inside and spoke.
“Sang Won-gyeol, Gate Lord of Jungwan, come out at once.”
“…Heok!”
As if grasping the situation, Sang Won-gyeol groveled on the floor, pleading for forgiveness.
But Ouyang Jue didn't waste time thinking. No, it wasn't even worth the thought.
Shwwiick!
A spray of blood erupted in the wake of Severing Manifestation.