Chapter 157. The Reincarnated Poison Demon Pulled Out a Steel Needle.
“Sir.”
“Yes.”
I looked at Moyong Baek and said,
“I’m thinking of storming into the Daeo Gang and teaching its chief a lesson. What do you think would be the best way to go about it?”
“Hmm.”
Moyong Baek grasped his chin, thought for a moment, and said,
“Wasn’t the plan for the two of us to go in and smash everything to pieces?”
“That’s for when we have no other choice.”
I stared pointedly at Moyong Baek. He hurriedly continued,
“I see. That wasn’t the plan.”
I nodded.
“We can’t just charge in without a thought. I can handle it, but can you?”
Moyong Baek looked at the Daeo Gang martial artist, who was trembling from the Ice Qi Technique.
“In that case, we could put the hostage in front and….”
I shook my head.
“They’ll only get more agitated when they see the hostage. It’s the same situation either way, Sir.”
“Yes.”
“If you treat and care for patients, you’ll grow accustomed to such things and gradually become an excellent physician. But that doesn’t mean you become accustomed to everything in the world.”
“That’s right.”
“For now, prop that bastard up beneath that wall. Make him look like a beggar or someone completely drunk. He isn’t important to the Daeo Gang, so he’s of no use to us either.”
Moyong Baek dragged the Daeo Gang martial artist beneath the wall and said,
“Sit down.”
I said to Moyong Baek,
“Seal his blood points. And his voice point, too.”
“Yes.”
Moyong Baek sealed the man’s blood points without a word. Only then did I look toward the Daeo Gang’s main gate and say to him,
“Let’s go.”
I went to the Daeo Gang’s main gate across the way and knocked on it with my hand.
Bang, bang, bang!
Moyong Baek whispered from beside me,
“…You’re really going in like this? Right out in the open?”
“Be quiet.”
“……”
There was no response, so this time I knocked even harder. The main gate flew open, and a man looked me up and down.
“Who are….”
I glanced at Moyong Baek once, then said with an impassive expression,
“I’m Lee Jaha, an escort from the Hwayang Escort Agency. This is Escort Moyong Baek. Is the chief here?”
The man stared at us with his mouth hanging open.
“Ah….”
I pushed the gate open and entered the Daeo Gang, asking in an accusing tone,
“I asked if the chief was here.”
The man spoke in an urgent tone,
“No, we’re preparing the money, so how could you….”
“I have nothing to say to you. Tell the chief to come out.”
I didn’t exchange another word with the underling and strode toward the main hall. The man following behind shouted loudly,
“The escorts from the Hwayang Escort Agency have arrived!”
The foolish underling had just confirmed our identities for us.
Moyong Baek hurriedly turned his head from side to side, checking the situation around us. Martial artists were rushing out from all over the place, but even after seeing us, they couldn’t bring themselves to say anything.
After all, the Daeo Gang was the one in the wrong.
I reached the front of the main hall in an instant and boldly shoved open its doors with both hands, like an official who had come to collect taxes.
“Chief of the Daeo Gang! Are you in there?”
No one was inside the empty main hall.
I charged straight in and, without asking or arguing, sat down in the seat of honor first.
“Escort Moyong, sit down.”
“Yes.”
Several lackeys poked their heads out, peered inside, and disappeared. At that moment, a man who looked like some sort of mid-level manager entered the hall and began babbling. I cut him off.
“Shut up!”
Because I had deliberately infused my voice with inner power, it rang thunderously throughout the hall.
“……”
The man froze in place and stared at me.
I spoke with my brows drawn together.
“Tell the chief to come out.”
“Y-yes, understood.”
I remained in the main hall with Moyong Baek and explained the situation.
“Step one: use the Hwayang Escort Agency’s name to get inside. Step two: frighten the middleman with a voice infused with inner power. Then go straight to the chief. This should be faster than coming in with the hostage in front of us, right?”
Moyong Baek nodded.
“That’s right. You haven’t forgotten what happened with the Hwayang Escort Agency earlier.”
I nodded as well.
“These people can’t possibly know every escort from the Hwayang Escort Agency. So we just bluff our way through it. They might pick a fight over the fact that we aren’t wearing the agency’s uniform or something, but we’re not the ones in the wrong here. We need to act boldly.”
“Boldly.”
“Boldly, and with confidence.”
Moyong Baek did not repeat that last part. We waited in the main hall for the chief of the Daeo Gang.
***
Huang Ke Wu, chief of the Daeo Gang.
Thirty-two years old.
He was devoting himself day after day to circulating his qi, determined to fully convert the power of the first medicinal herb he had ever consumed into inner power. In particular, today he had the feeling that if he overcame this crucial hurdle, he could raise his mastery of the martial art he was practicing by another stage.
Of course, he knew that taking the hundred-year-old He Shou Wu being transported by the Hwayang Escort Agency would cause trouble. However, he had thought that once he consumed the medicinal herb and his martial prowess increased, he would be able to stand against the Hwayang Escort Agency.
In the end, matters in the martial world were decided for the most part by martial skill.
Naturally, he was also saving money in preparation for the possibility that the He Shou Wu’s effects fell short of his expectations.
Chief Huang Ke Wu had always been this meticulous when handling affairs in the martial world.
Suddenly, while circulating his qi in his quarters deep within the Daeo Gang, Chief Huang realized that there was a commotion outside.
‘Someone has come. Is it the Hwayang Escort Agency? Whoever it is, hold out just a little longer. I’ll be finished soon.’
He was confident that once he finished circulating his qi, he could settle the matter through his strength. Forgetting about the commotion outside, Chief Huang once again focused on circulating his qi. A single bead of sweat trickled down his hard, cautious face.
Then he heard the voice of his most trusted subordinate from outside his quarters.
“Chief, I’m sorry. The people from the Hwayang Escort Agency barged in without warning, so I think you’ll have to come out.”
Chief Huang was in no position to open his mouth right now.
“……”
“Should we drive them out for now?”
“……”
“I’ll stall them and buy you some time in your stead, Chief.”
At that moment, Chief Hwang opened his eyes and burst into laughter.
“……Hahahahaha!”
What unparalleled exhilaration!
After finishing his qi circulation, Chief Hwang lowered both hands to his dantian and let out a deep breath. After abandoning food and sleep for three whole days and devoting himself to circulating his qi, the realm of the Red Heart Art he had been cultivating had risen.
Chief Hwang said,
“You may open the door.”
As soon as his subordinate opened the door and saw Chief Hwang’s expression, he hurriedly dropped to his knees and said,
“Chief, congratulations!”
Chief Hwang stroked his beard with a satisfied expression and said,
“Who did you say had come?”
“Two young escorts from the Hwayang Escort Bureau have come to see you. They are extremely arrogant.”
Chief Hwang gave a hearty laugh and said,
“Junpyeong, there’s no need to fear the likes of the Hwayang Escort Bureau anymore. I’ll personally settle matters with that impudent Chief Escort Son Jupyeong as well.”
The man named Junpyeong replied with a bright expression,
“I will serve you with utmost loyalty, Chief!”
Chief Hwang nodded.
“In the end, such an opportunity has come to me. Let’s go.”
Chief Hwang rose from his seat, snatched the long sword from atop the table, and headed toward the main hall.
***
I was chatting idly with Murong Bai in the main hall when I looked toward the lunatic coming out while laughing.
“Hahahaha……”
I blinked as I looked at the man I presumed to be the chief of the Daeo Sect. A man brimming with confidence sat down in the chief’s seat and looked at us.
“I’m Hwang Gao. You said you came from the Hwayang Escort Bureau?”
I nodded.
“Chief Hwang……”
The bastard chief of the Daeo Sect raised a hand to cut me off and said,
“I don’t even want to know who you are. Go back and bring Chief Escort Son Jupyeong here. How absurd and unpleasant, sending escorts to hound me for payment.”
“No……”
“Shut up.”
I hurriedly looked at Murong Bai. Murong Bai glanced at me, then glared at Chief Hwang and said,
“Listen, Chief Hwang. Hear us out first. What kind of discourtesy is this?”
Fortunately, Chief Hwang was slowly getting on Murong Bai’s nerves. Hoping that he would provoke Murong Bai even further, I spoke calmly.
“Chief Hwang, if you intend to pay for the hundred-year He Shou Wu, you should pay from the Daeo Sect’s own funds. I heard there are indications that you’ve been robbing inns and such places to raise the money. Is that the right thing to do? It also damages the reputation of the Hwayang Escort Bureau.”
Chief Hwang smiled.
“Ah, is that what you came to question me about?”
“That’s right.”
Chief Hwang spoke to the man waiting beside him as though it were nothing important.
“Junpyeong.”
“Yes, Chief.”
“How are you handling the matter?”
“I apologize.”
“There’s no need to gather money that way. I’ll take care of it myself, so stop extorting money from the merchants.”
“Understood.”
Chief Hwang looked at me.
“Is that good enough?”
I smiled and nodded.
Chief Hwang looked at Murong Bai and said,
“Now stop spouting pointless nonsense at me. Go bring your chief escort here.”
After saying only what he wanted to say, as though his business were finished, Chief Hwang rose from his seat. Murong Bai’s brows drew together.
“Chief Hwang, sit down.”
Looking at Murong Bai’s expression, I had this thought.
Put ordinary bastards into the martial world, and they gradually go mad all on their own. The more I read people’s minds, the more repulsive the thoughts of men like this became, making them difficult to endure.
Murong Bai said to Chief Hwang,
“Chief Hwang, wasn’t it already a tremendous concession on the Hwayang Escort Bureau’s part to ask only that you repay the money for the escort goods you stole? And yet you have the nerve to act so brazenly. Did you think that eating the hundred-year He Shou Wu had granted you some fortuitous opportunity?”
Chief Hwang laughed and said,
“Do young escorts truly find me so laughable?”
After confirming that the look in Murong Bai’s eyes was slowly changing, I reached into my robes.
“All right. The jokes end here.”
I drew out the Flash Dagger, drove it into the table, and said to Chief Hwang,
“……Sit down.”
Chief Hwang’s gaze shifted to the dagger, then locked onto me.
“Young……”
“Sit down, you son of a bitch, unless you want to die.”
“……”
Only then did Chief Hwang sense that something was amiss. After looking us over, he sat back down.
“You aren’t from the Hwayang Escort Bureau.”
Chief Hwang signaled to the bastard named Junpyeong, who strode out of the main hall. He was probably going to summon his subordinates.
Murong Bai reached into his robes and said to Junpyeong in a low voice,
“Stop.”
Murong Bai took out a steel needle from a long box and lightly drove it into the table.
Murong Bai glared at Junpyeong and said,
“You stay right there, too.”
The threat in his manner made it clear that he would throw the steel needle if Junpyeong moved, so the man named Junpyeong stood perfectly still.
Chief Hwang’s shoulders shook as he laughed.
“How absurd. Listen here……”
Chief Hwang raised his right hand. Perhaps he had cultivated an extreme-yang martial art, for his palm quickly turned reddish.
Chief Hwang asked us,
“Are you saying you want to fight me? Here in the Daeo Sect’s main hall?”
I pressed my thumb against my middle finger and flicked it, making a snap, snap sound. On the third flick, I infused it with Flame Fragrance. With a sudden fwoosh, as if a fire had flared up on a fire striker, a red-glowing Flame Realm coiled around my fingertip in the shape of a flower, repeatedly appearing and vanishing.
I picked my ear with my left hand and replied,
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you. Did a dog bark somewhere? Teacher Murong, did you hear that?”
Murong Bai answered,
“A yellow (黃) dog barked.”
I glared at Chief Hwang and said,
“Was that you barking?”
“……”
I looked Chief Hwang up and down, feigning a moment of indecision over whether to send the Flame Fragrance flying.
“I’m asking you. Were you barking?”
Chief Hwang hurriedly withdrew his hand and stared at the Flame Blossom Fragrance I had created. That bastard had merely reached the level of reddening his palm with extremely yang qi, whereas I had displayed martial prowess equivalent to releasing extremely yang sword qi through swordsmanship. Unless he was a fool, he had no choice but to realize the difference in our levels.
Chief Hwang said:
“Hmm, where did you come from?”
At how easily Chief Hwang’s attitude changed, Moyong Baek’s expression also twisted slightly.
I glared at Chief Hwang and said:
“I am Ija of the Hao Sect.”
Moyong Baek narrowed his brows, then turned to Chief Hwang and said:
“I am Moyong Baek of the Hao Sect.”
I spoke to Chief Hwang, who had become mute as though he had honey in his mouth:
“The payment for the hundred-year-old He Shou Wu owed to the Hwayang Escort Agency, the additional sum to convey your apology to the Hwayang Escort Agency, the protection money you’ve extorted from inns and merchants in recent days, the compensation to soothe the merchants who must have lived in fear and suffered mental anguish, and the damages for laying hands on an inn belonging to the Hao Sect. Bring all of it before me right now.”
Chief Hwang remained silent for a moment.
“Don’t test my temper. Bring it while I’m asking nicely, nicely. If you don’t like that, then come at me. I’ll beat the chief of Daewobang to death, replace him, and collect it myself.”
When I finished speaking, Moyong Baek looked at Chief Hwang.
“What are you going to do?”
I happened to meet Moyong Baek’s eyes, and then…
The two of us grinned at the same time.