Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Chengdu
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The head of the Jang Band Leader flew into the air.
Even as his neck was severed, there wasn't a trace of fear on the Jang Band Leader's face—perhaps because he'd confirmed his victory up to that very moment. He'd been pressing the attack relentlessly from the start of the fight, after all.
But Dang Mujin had learned one thing while mastering the Heart-Piercing Sword.
What mattered in a knife fight wasn't the process. Victory came down to that final instant.
It was fine to be on the defensive the whole time. Even if your limbs were hacked off.
In the end, the one who severed the enemy's throat and pierced their heart claimed the win.
The headless body of the Jang Band Leader dropped to its knees before collapsing to the ground.
Silence fell over the cave interior.
"Huh...?"
That short utterance sparked chaos that spread like wildfire.
"The Chief's dead!"
"Run!"
"Run where? We need revenge! Can't you see the blood pouring out of him?"
"He killed the Chief even in that state!"
"You idiot! You wanna hand over all our loot to those two? I can't do that!"
The bandits' initial panic shifted toward desperate resistance.
The first to notice was not Dang Mujin, but Hong Geolgae. He wasn't the sharpest, but he had the quick instincts of a beggar.
Even as blood streamed from his hands and mouth, Hong Geolgae tore the pouch from Dang Mujin's waist.
He pulled out over a dozen needles from the Needle Case, then dunked them into the medicine pouch mixed with gunpowder and rainwater.
Gathering his remaining inner energy, he flung the needles.
"Full Sky Flower Rain!"
The moment Dang Mujin heard the shout, he instinctively clicked his tongue.
Hong Geolgae wasn't just calling out the name of an existing technique—he was making up new ones on the spot.
If it had any real power behind it, he might have let it slide. But Hong Geolgae's needle toss looked clumsy, and its power was equally pathetic. It didn't fill the sky, let alone cover the cave.
And how much inner energy could thin needles like that carry anyway? Most of them bounced off the bandits' thin clothing without penetrating.
A few, however, struck two of the bandits at the front. Their mistake had been stripping off their upper garments while piling sandbags in the rain.
"What the—?"
"No idea. Just kill 'em!"
The bandits in the back clamored, but the two struck by needles couldn't move their feet easily. Just a couple of needles, yet their breathing grew ragged, their legs heavy.
A master like the Jang Band Leader might have used his inner energy to expel the poison. But these ordinary bandits lacked that ability. They didn't even know what was happening to them.
The two bandits forced themselves forward, only to collapse face-first onto the ground.
"What the hell's wrong with these bastards?"
"Hey, hey! Hold back there! Something's off with those guys!"
The two bandits clutched at the rocky floor with their bare hands, gasping in shallow, strangled breaths—hiss, hiss. Foam soon bubbled from their mouths.
"Ugh... ugh..."
They clawed at the stone floor, bodies shuddering violently. Their skin turned dark and bruised.
They reached out toward their fellow bandits, as if trying to speak or beg for help. The sight was all the more eerie and terrifying. The bandits instinctively backed away.
The two men's deaths looked agonizing. No one wanted to die like that—not even by the blade.
One bandit finally couldn't take it anymore and shouted.
"You... fuckers! What did you do?!"
"Poison."
Dang Mujin stepped forward as he said it. Time to start using his silver tongue.
When Dang Mujin reached out to Hong Geolgae, the beggar handed over the Needle Case and medicine pouch.
"If you wanna charge, then come on. I don't know if we can kill you all, but we'll turn at least a dozen of you into that."
The bandits hesitated, unable to approach Dang Mujin. Yet they didn't flee either.
Why? Dang Mujin's mind raced.
They weren't running even after their leader died. They weren't fleeing despite the fear.
Just like how they'd desperately piled sandbags in the pouring rain.
Suddenly, the Jang Band Leader's words came back to him.
—Plenty of people have tried to rob Jang Sangchae up to now.
Why had he brought that up to the two intruders in the cave?
Simple.
Dang Mujin spoke up.
"Looks like this cave holds all the loot your Jang Band Leader gathered."
No one answered. But silence was sometimes affirmation. Dang Mujin had found his opening.
When you couldn't have both things you wanted, you had to give up the lesser one—fast.
"We're not interested in your loot at all."
"What?"
The eyepatch-wearing bandit shot back. He'd assumed Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae had come for the treasure. A natural suspicion.
"We know you kidnapped some kids. We're here to take them back—not because we want your loot. What you do with the Jang Band Leader's treasure is none of our business."
"Those kids aren't from rich families or high officials. You expect us to believe you'd pull this stunt just to save some beggar brats?"
"Yeah."
The bandits recoiled in disbelief.
Dang Mujin took a step back and sheathed his sword—a gesture signaling he had no intent to fight.
"No need to doubt it. Your Chief's dead, and there's no owner left for the loot. If you fight us, all you'll get is a miserable death. Fight us and die miserably? Or grab the unclaimed treasure and run?"
"How can we trust you don't want the loot?"
"No need to agonize. I'll clear a path for you."
Dang Mujin followed the bandits' gazes.
They stared at the brighter of the two forks in the path. That must be where they'd stashed the loot.
Which meant the kids were probably down the darker path. Dang Mujin pointed that way.
"The kids are this way, right?"
The eyepatch bandit nodded. Dang Mujin headed into the dark tunnel, feigning a relaxed tone.
"Let's go get 'em."
The bandits watched as the two vanished into the dark cave.
Moments later, they raced toward the treasure.
*
So Seon huddled in the dark cave.
She'd lost track of how many days she'd been trapped. Maybe two or three. Or over ten.
The cave walls and floor were cold and jagged. Small puddles dotted the ground here and there, filling the air with the thick stench of water moss.
But the endless darkness terrified her more than the smell or cold. The only light So Seon had seen lately was the torchlight the bandits brought when delivering food.
Sitting in the pitch black, bugs would crawl over her insteps or up her arms—and each time, goosebumps prickled across her skin.
As a beggar kid, she was used to bugs. But feeling the touch of some unknown creature in total darkness was a whole different story.
She wanted to escape the cave right now. But she couldn't. A sturdy wooden door barred the way.
"Daddy... Deputy Leader..."
When the fear grew too much to bear, So Seon would repeat those two names.
Her most reliable daddy.
And the strongest, highest-ranking person she knew from the Beggars' Sect—the Central Region Deputy Leader, Red-Faced Wild Dog.
"We're done for. We ain't getting out alive."
A voice came from beside So Seon.
Two other kids had been trapped here before her.
Meaning they'd spent enough time in the darkness to abandon all hope.
The two boys rejected any positive thoughts. Like letting go of hope early would make the suffering easier.
"The demon cultists are gonna eat us."
"Eat us?"
"The bandits said so last time. Evil demon cultists who suck out our blood."
"Why drink blood?"
"They say kids' blood makes 'em stronger."
So Seon shivered. Several of her beggar friends had gone missing too.
None had returned alive. She knew her fate wouldn't be much different. She just didn't want to accept it.
So Seon murmured softly. Deputy Leader. Daddy, Deputy Leader.
"Calling them won't help. Your daddy can't beat the bandits anyway. They've got swords."
"The Deputy Leader can win. The grown-ups say Red-Faced Wild Dog's the strongest in Chengdu."
"Doesn't mean shit. One bandit said they're buddies with the Beggars' Sect folks."
So Seon's heart sank. That left no refuge, no hope.
She pondered briefly, then pretended she hadn't heard. Kids needed something to cling to.
"Daddy, Deputy Leader, Daddy..."
How much time passed? Footsteps echoed from deep in the cave.
So Seon and the boys tensed up. It wasn't mealtime yet, so the bandits' arrival meant one of two things: bringing in a new kid, or taking one away.
A new kid was better, but taking one of the trapped ones... She didn't want to imagine it. So Seon pictured a demon cultist slurping her blood. She shuddered.
'No, it won't be that.'
The door flew open, flooding the air with the stench of blood. The kids shrank back further.
Torchlight illuminated their faces. They squirmed away from the unfamiliar brightness.
"Deputy Leader, Daddy, Deputy Leader..."
Hong Geolgae smirked at So Seon's murmur.
"Yeah. Your Deputy Leader's here."
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae extended their hands to the three children. Hands leading them out of the darkness.
*
When Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae emerged from the cave, the sky had cleared as if by magic.
Bandits who'd been piling sandbags clutched handfuls of the Jang Band Leader's loot as they fled. New bandits might eventually take root in Chengdu someday, but Jang Sangchae was finished here.
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae delivered the three kids to the beggars under the bridge. The children and parents alike looked dazed, unsure if it was a dream or reality.
The beggars' eyes first fixed on the kids, then shifted to the blood-soaked, ragged figures of Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae. Both were covered head to toe in gore.
Led by So Samgu, the parents kowtowed so vigorously it seemed their foreheads might split open.
"Thank you, thank you, heroes. I don't even know how to thank you properly. I have nothing to my name, but if you just wait a moment..."
"No reward needed. The kids are back with their parents. That's enough."
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae brushed off the beggars' insistent offers of repayment and returned to the New Moon Inn.
The innkeeper blanched at the sight of the blood-drenched pair. Clearly worried about the bedding. Not that the innkeeper's thoughts mattered to Dang Mujin or Hong Geolgae.
Dang Mujin asked Hong Geolgae.
"What're you gonna do now?"
"Dunno. Guess I'll stick around a bit longer."
Hong Geolgae seemed keen on settling in Chengdu. But he couldn't—not yet. No telling what the upright Red-Faced Wild Dog might do to him.
It was ancient history, so it might blow over like water off a duck's back. But if the grudge ran deep, he might try to kill Hong Geolgae.
"Do whatever."
From Dang Mujin's perspective, having Hong Geolgae tag along wasn't bad. The guy could fend for himself, made a great sparring partner, and they'd grown pretty close besides.
As the two opened the door to their room, a familiar face greeted them. The strange physician lay sprawled on the bed.
Yi Chung sat up the moment he saw them, scowling.
"What the hell did you two get up to, coming back looking like shredded rags?"
Dang Mujin pondered how to explain, then just shrugged.
"We got a little rowdy having fun, that's all. What've you been up to these past few days, old man?"
"That's what I wanted to talk about. Good timing—Hong Geolgae's here too. You two, sit down."
Curious what Yi Chung had to say, Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae listened closely.
"I left Chengdu for a few days because something had been nagging at me."
"What?"
Yi Chung built up the tension with a grave expression.
"You know about the old conflict between the Filthy Clothes Faction and the Righteous Faction in Chengdu?"
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae chuckled.
"We know it well."