Chapter 276. I’m Going to Spread the Rumor.

I asked the man carrying Yang Haejo on his back.

“Is he alive?”

“He’s breathing.”

“Really? He almost became a man who died from a single slap.”

“……”

I asked what I was curious about.

“Why is your sect called the Wanxiang Sect? Is it the ‘wanxiang’ from ‘all things in heaven and earth’?”

“I’m not sure.”

I looked around and said,

“What exactly do you people know properly? You’re not good at fighting, and it’s not as if you have the conscience to earn your keep through honest work. You all look about my age. Yet here you are, belonging to some pathetic local underworld faction and squeezing money out of people who work for a living.”

“……”

“Because you’re the Wanxiang Sect, you don’t have much to worry about even if you cause trouble, do you?”

As I walked along, needling the men of the underworld, they all quietly listened to me. A few glanced at me with narrowed eyes as we walked down the road.

“What? Since you’re men, does hearing me call you pathetic make your insides boil? If you can’t stand it, then come at me. No one? What kind of underworld is this? Are there no rival underworld forces around here?”

“There are.”

“Where?”

“To the north gate, there’s the Pili Sect (霹靂門), and at the east gate, there’s the Tianying Gang (天鷹幇).”

“You don’t fight?”

“Not these days. The territories are divided.”

“What a peaceful underworld. You get along nicely and are content squeezing the merchants in your own areas. The commercial district must be well developed. I suppose you even protect them in your own way. Though I have no idea what exactly you’re supposed to be protecting them from.”

While I was talking, we arrived at the Wanxiang Sect.

The man carrying Yang Haejo on his back asked me,

“Are we going in?”

“Open it.”

From beyond the wall came the mingled sounds of leisurely music and laughter. There wasn’t even anyone guarding the gate, so I entered the Wanxiang Sect with the subordinates. Fires had been brightly lit here and there, and from outside I could see a shadow dancing on the second floor of the building straight ahead.

It was an evening of wine, dancers, and music.

They seemed to have it so good that even I was bewildered just looking at it. I followed Yang Haejo’s subordinates for a while, then shot up into the air, smashed through the paper-latticed window on the second floor, and entered.

Two dancers let out short screams and stopped dancing.

The men who had been seated to either side rose to their feet. Only when the man in the very center raised his hand did the music stop.

I fixed my eyes on the man I presumed to be the Wanxiang Sect Leader.

“Wanxiang Sect Leader?”

When the men waiting on either side drew their swords, the Wanxiang Sect Leader waved his hand again and said,

“Everyone, sit. Who might you be, appearing so suddenly like this?”

I had been slightly drowsy on the way here, but the moment I saw the Wanxiang Sect Leader’s air, my sleepiness vanished completely. I had thought the boss of a local underworld faction would be sitting there, but an underworld man who had weathered all manner of hardships was staring at me.

I introduced myself briefly.

“Hao Sect Leader.”

“So you were the Hao Sect Leader. I have heard many rumors about you. Bring him a seat, and the dancers may withdraw.”

A small tea table was placed where I could face the Wanxiang Sect Leader head-on, and the dancers disappeared with quick little steps.

The Wanxiang Sect Leader said,

“No matter how I think about it, I have done nothing wrong to you, Sect Leader. So why have you appeared by smashing your way in like this?”

My eyes widened on their own.

‘What? This is refreshing.’

He was not old, but it had been a while since I had seen an underworld man like this, so I sat down before the tea table.

Someone hurried up from downstairs and reported to an officer seated at the lowest place. The officer who heard it relayed the words to the Wanxiang Sect Leader.

“Sect Leader, Team Leader Yang Haejo was slapped by the Hao Sect Leader and lost consciousness. They say he still hasn’t woken up.”

The Wanxiang Sect Leader nodded.

“Understood. Team Leader Yang must have made a mistake.”

The Wanxiang Sect Leader looked at me and introduced himself first.

“I am called Chunyu Zhen (淳于振). What did Team Leader Yang do to receive a slap from the renowned Hao Sect Leader?”

There was no particular opening in his question.

“I introduced myself as an herb gatherer, and he coveted my bundle.”

After answering roughly, I looked over the longsword hanging on the wall, the painting hanging beside it, the shapes of the tea tables and chairs, the overall colors, the faces of his subordinates, and the atmosphere, then asked,

“Were you from the military?”

The appearance of some of the officers was somewhat distinct, and the same was true of the Wanxiang Sect Leader. It seemed there were quite a few people of the rare Chunyu clan. In that case, this was an underworld force that had begun from a clan.

The Wanxiang Sect Leader nodded.

“An ancestor of mine once drew a salary from the state for a time.”

“Why would someone from a family of generals run an underworld sect like this?”

“That ancestor was a defeated general. After his nose, ears, and fingers were cut off, he was paraded through the streets in disgrace and died. After that, our path to advancement was blocked. We were not exactly a family of traitors, but after receiving condemnation and mockery comparable to one, we ended up drifting this way. Does that answer your question?”

“I see.”

“I hear you are close to the Murim Alliance Leader and that you are a man who does not shrink even before the Jecheon Alliance Leader. Your martial arts must surely be outstanding as well. If my subordinate did wrong, I will apologize in his stead. Is there something you want?”

Perhaps because he was the head of an underworld faction, the conversation moved along briskly.

“How many places do you collect tribute from?”

The Wanxiang Sect Leader nodded as if he understood the core of the conversation.

“Altogether, more than a hundred.”

“And where do you spend that money?”

“The city walls are gone now, but this place was originally called Makseong. All of Makseong was structured to pay tribute to the Tianying Gang. I pushed back the Tianying Gang’s forces somewhat, and from the merchants on my side, I only take half of what they used to give the Tianying Gang. Originally, there were many idle men here who did nothing but eat, and after taking them in and feeding them, I could not maintain everything on my family’s money alone.”

“What if you don’t collect it?”

“If I do not collect it, I would have to send quite a number of people out of the Wanxiang Sect. Then we would have to face the Pili Sect and the Tianying Gang by ourselves, and I have not yet decided to go that far.”

“What is the reputation of the Pili Sect and the Tianying Gang?”

“Similar to ours. As you said, we are the underworld.”

“Any businesses that cross the line?”

“We have none.”

I looked Chunyu Zhen, the Wanxiang Sect Leader, up and down.

He was a clever man, and he answered even my short questions as though he understood most of them accurately. He was not reckless enough to attack me outright, and fundamentally, he seemed inclined to resolve matters through conversation.

That did not mean he looked like some crude brawler. For starters, even the longsword hanging on the wall was of a weight no ordinary person could swing.

Of course, you had to watch a person for a long time before you could know them.

However, my decision to accept the nearby merchants as members of the Hao Sect had now become a matter that required considering whether to bring the entire Wanxiang Sect into the Hao Sect as well.

After all, I could not suddenly settle down in the Makseong region. If I had to consider efficiency, the best thing would be for the Wanxiang Sect Leader to follow my will.

Until now, the Wanxiang Sect Leader’s subordinates had not uttered a single word.

The Wanxiang Sect Leader asked,

“Would you care for wine or tea? For reference, I do not use poison even against my enemies. It is a family custom.”

“Then Dukang wine.”

“Dukang wine, then.”

At a single word from the Mansang Sect Master, footsteps sounded from the corridor outside. If it was poisoned, I could simply freeze the Dukang wine and throw it at the Mansang Sect Master. I had thought his subordinates would keep their mouths shut until the end, but the man to the Mansang Sect Master’s left spoke.

“I hear the Hao Sect Master even fought the Demon Cult. Had you heard?”

The Mansang Sect Master nodded.

“I know.”

Just then, someone came up from below the stairs and reported to the Mansang Sect Master.

“Team Leader Yang has awakened and says he wishes to offer an apology. What should we do?”

“Tell him to come.”

“Yes.”

Soon, Yang Haejo entered with one side of his face swollen and knelt a short distance away.

“Sect Master, I apologize.”

The Mansang Sect Master asked.

“What wrong did you commit against the Hao Sect Master? Your face is badly swollen. I will ask others about this later as well, so do not try to excuse your way out of it.”

Yang Haejo answered.

“……The thing is, at the Yellow Crane Inn, I mistook him for an herb gatherer and called him over.”

“And after calling him over?”

“I tried to look through his bundle.”

The Mansang Sect Master’s face suddenly turned bright red, and he said to Yang Haejo.

“Apologize to the Hao Sect Master and wait outside.”

“Yes.”

Yang Haejo looked at me and lowered his head.

“I apologize, Sect Master.”

I looked at Yang Haejo as he raised his head.

“Martial Artist Yang.”

“Yes.”

“Did you tamper with the price list at the Yellow Crane Inn?”

As Yang Haejo stared in shock, unable to continue speaking, one of the executives stood, seized him by the nape of his neck, and dragged him out. There was a crash from the direction of the stairs, then the executive returned to his seat with a dry cough. It seemed he had thrown him down the stairs.

The Mansang Sect Master said.

“Even here, I am a stone that rolled in from elsewhere, so I deliberately entrusted dealings with the merchants to someone from this place. This, too, was my oversight.”

In the meantime, Dukang wine and cups were set down on a small tea table.

The man seated around the middle suddenly apologized to the Mansang Sect Master.

“I apologize, Sect Master.”

“Be quiet.”

He seemed to be Yang Haejo’s direct superior.

I asked the Mansang Sect Master.

“If the Mansang Sect, Byeongnyeok Sect, and Cheoneung Gang gather, discuss it, and all three stop taking tribute, will all three sects starve to death?”

“They will not.”

“Then let’s do that.”

“If we are to convey our intentions, we must first gather at Shuiyue Pavilion in the center of Makseong. And until now, there has never been a time we gathered at Shuiyue Pavilion without fighting. There was even a time they brought in masters from the evil and heretical paths to attack me. In other words, the basic premise was always that one side openly intended to kill another’s leader. The three of us only gathered when we knew that and were prepared to counter it.”

I nodded.

“Mansang Sect Master.”

“Speak.”

“Recently, I beat a great many public enemies of murim to death, so the bounty I am owed is quite large.”

“Mm.”

“With that amount, it would be enough to build a small branch of the Martial Alliance here in Makseong. Contact them and tell them the Hao Sect Master wants to see them. Tell them to choose whether a Martial Alliance branch will be established here, or a Hao Sect branch.”

The executives all looked at me at once.

“For reference, I have helped the Martial Alliance several times, but since I have never received any compensation, the Alliance Leader will seriously consider it. It may be burdensome to manage because this place is rather far from the Alliance, but if I say I will help, a branch will certainly be established here.”

I looked at the Mansang Sect Master.

“Given Alliance Leader Im’s personality, he will first capture and imprison the heads of the three sects, then proceed with the matter. Tell them to gather at Shuiyue Pavilion. What has my recent reputation in the jianghu been like? It is rare for me to propose such a peaceful method of resolution. The Nanyue Green Forest Alliance and the Black Path scum of places like this are all about the same to me. Let us talk while this can still be settled with words. What does Sect Master think?”

Sun Ujin stared at me for a while, then asked.

“If the two leaders say they understand to your face, but then act no differently from before once you leave, Sect Master?”

I laughed at Sun Ujin’s words.

“How very strange. Are you saying they would give up their lives just to earn a little more of that money? Do they think the money merchants earn through their own labor was theirs to begin with? How is the money they make by cooking and selling food, by selling the goods in their bundles, yours? There are far too many Black Path bastards all over the world for me to kill each and every one of them. But sometimes there ought to be a bastard like me around. I will teach you, little by little, that living by taking other people’s money is not something natural. But by the time you realize that, you will be just about dead.”

“…….”

“I am a busy man. Contact them now and tell them to come to Shuiyue Pavilion. If they do not come, I will attack. You Black Path bastards all go to bed late at night, don’t you? No? I thought you were called Black Path because you stay up late at night. If not, never mind.”

Only then did I pour Dukang wine into a cup.

The Dukang wine trickled down with a soft sound as it fell into the cup, then froze solid. I tore off the pointed spike of ice wine made from Dukang and held it out to the executive sitting at the foot of the table.

The executive accepted the ice wine with a bewildered expression.

I said to the executive.

“Suck it. How am I supposed to know whether there is poison in it?”

The executive let out a small sigh, then sucked on the ice wine like rock candy. Perhaps it tasted decent, because he sucked on the ice wine with his eyes wide open, then said to me.

“There is no poison. Sect Master, please drink at ease.”

When I melted the frozen bottle of Dukang wine with the Flame Realm, the wine poured out again. Sun Ujin, who had been watching this scene, said to an executive.

“Prepare a letter.”

“Yes.”

“Tell them to gather urgently at Shuiyue Pavilion in one shichen. Tell them that any sect that does not gather will be attacked by Hao Sect and Mansang Sect together. Write that the Hao Sect Master is here in person. Have the messenger deliver the rest of the warnings verbally. Be sure to tell them that a Martial Alliance branch may be established as well.”

“Understood.”

No matter how strong my martial arts became, I had to address matters like this. After all, the reason I had learned martial arts in the first place was so that I could raise hell when I saw this sort of behavior. My inn had burned down, but because what I suffered then had been so unjust, I could not stand by with my eyes open when others were treated similarly.

I asked Sun Ujin, who had been responding calmly from beginning to end, something I was curious about.

“By the way, Sect Master, can you roughly gauge my skill?”

“Not precisely.”

“Then why are you being cooperative?”

“Originally, among the Black Path south of the Martial Alliance, there is a tendency not to clash with anyone who has defied the Jecheon Alliance Leader. You are the representative example, Sect Master.”

I shook my head.

“Saying I defied the Jecheon Alliance Leader is a little controversial, isn’t it? That remark looks down on me too much. It is not as if I am the Jecheon Alliance Leader’s subordinate.”

“I will correct myself.”

“How are you going to correct it?”

“Please instruct me.”

“Tell every Black Path member you meet. I stormed the Jecheon Alliance alone. While I was crossing hands with the Jecheon Alliance Leader, the Beggar Gang Leader appeared and mediated, so the fight stopped midway. Saying I defied them? How unpleasant.”

Since I was a man who held grudges, I also corrected what the Mansang Sect Leader had said earlier.

“And don’t try to elevate yourselves by saying you’ll form an alliance with me. Even if I go alone, I can wipe out the Byeongnyeok Sect and the Cheoneung Gang. Are those bastards masters on the level of an alliance leader? They aren’t.”

“They are not.”

Only then did I examine the Dukang wine with wary eyes, but in the end, I did not put my lips to it. Instead, I threatened the Black Path once more as the thought occurred to me.

“Anyway, from now on, I’ll spread rumors that the biggest idiots are sworn brothers with the Hao Sect Leader. What do you think will happen then?”

The Mansang Sect Leader and his executives stared blankly at me, as if they did not understand what I meant.

I gave them the answer.

“They’ll be assassinated by the Demonic Cult.”

I laughed alone as I looked at the bastards who could not laugh.

“Let’s get along from now on.”

No one answered.