Chapter 362. Are You the Cult Leader?
A man holding a large bowl in his left hand, filled with rice, assorted wild greens, and choice cuts of meat, was busily shoveling food into his mouth with chopsticks. He was Zhou Huo, the owner of the butcher shop, and he was in the middle of eating after roasting a portion of meat from a pig he had slaughtered and butchered himself.
Zhou Huo ate in haste.
When his throat clogged, he washed it down with liquor, and once his gullet eased, he swallowed more rice and meat. It was a considerable amount of food, yet it was disappearing at a rapid pace. When about half the rice in the large bowl remained, a man in black hurried inside and said,
“Big Brother Zhou.”
Zhou Huo answered while chewing his rice.
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Yan Ping was found with his head cut off.”
Zhou Huo set down his chopsticks and replied,
“Who did it?”
“Yan Ping wasn’t the only one killed. There was a corpse in the middle of the road, but its entire upper body was gone. Judging by the records, it seems to be Zheng San.”
Zhou Huo looked at the informant.
“Zheng San? His upper body was gone?”
“Yes. There were many finely shredded remains on the ground. It looked as if he had been completely smashed apart. Because of the downpour, much of it had been washed away, so only the lower body seemed to be left. And Yan Ping’s ears had been neatly cut off from his head.”
Zhou Huo looked at the choice cuts of meat lying atop the mixed rice he had made.
“……What do the people nearby say? Those who were watching, witnesses, the ones who hid and peeked.”
“Old Master Gu sold a bamboo hat and a green raincoat to a strange man. He said the man was rich enough not to carry iron coins, and his aura was frightening. He wore a red longsword, and it seems Yan Ping and Zheng San followed him into an alley and were dealt with immediately.”
Zhou Huo rubbed his face with his hands and asked,
“I’ve never heard of an expert who carries a red longsword. Anything else?”
“Old Man Deng, who lives beside the alley, was peeking from his house, and he said he thought he heard the man ask, ‘How many of you are there in all?’”
“You? Did he mean us?”
“Yes. What should we do? For now, I’ve passed on the news, and everyone is gathering.”
Zhou Huo asked,
“Was it palm force that blew away his upper body?”
“I don’t know. Is it possible to do that with palm force?”
“I can’t.”
Zhou Huo stood, picked up the butcher’s knife on the table, and shoved it into his waistband.
“Which direction?”
“He went from Nasan Road toward Jukpyeong Road.”
As Zhou Huo set out, the informant followed behind him and said,
“I’ll gather everyone and follow you.”
Zhou Huo stopped and said,
“No. I’ll go alone.”
“Pardon?”
Zhou Huo looked at the man and said,
“An expert who uses a red longsword isn’t from here. He’s not from the Daxing Gang, nor is he one of the Sanyuan Gang bastards. He’s an expert from outside. It seems they simply crossed paths with him by rotten luck while he was passing through. I’ll chase after him, find him, and then decide what to do.”
“Yes.”
“If I don’t return by noon tomorrow, you take charge of the shop.”
“Big Brother, be careful.”
Zhou Huo waved his hand and left the butcher shop.
* * *
Two sichen later.
Zhou Huo entered the Sanyuan Gang headquarters, whose door was half-open. Corpses were strewn everywhere from the entrance to the main hall.
“…….”
They were a faction he had never been on good terms with, but seeing them slaughtered to the last like this left him with a strange feeling. There were even quite a few faces he recognized. Just then, someone’s voice came from the main hall.
“……Are you from the Hao Sect?”
Zhou Huo looked toward the main hall and asked back,
“Hao Sect? I’m Zhou Huo of the Nasan Gang.”
Zhou Huo considered fleeing as he was, but his curiosity about what was inside the main hall rooted him in place. Moreover, if this was an expert of such skill, he felt that even if he ran from here, he would soon be caught.
He walked forward, stepping through the squelching blood, and pushed open the door to the main hall. The stench of blood mixed with the wind stabbed into his nose.
Zhou Huo looked at the man sitting in the main hall.
He had taken off his upper garment and was showing his back, and his entire body was smeared with blood. For some reason, even blood was dripping steadily from his hair.
“…….”
On the floor was a scene of carnage unlike anything Zhou Huo had ever seen even in his butcher shop. The corpses had been cut to pieces, and there was a strange smell, as if something had been cooked by fire. Zhou Huo knew that this, too, was the smell of blood.
As expected, a red longsword lay on the table.
The Right Envoy of Light turned his head and said to Zhou Huo,
“……They all said they weren’t from the Hao Sect. No matter.”
For the first time in his life, Zhou Huo found a person frightening to look at. The man’s face was drenched in blood, and it was the first time he had ever seen someone whose eyes were red as well.
Zhou Huo asked,
“Are you of the Demonic Path?”
The Right Envoy of Light nodded.
“As you can see…… And you?”
Zhou Huo drew the butcher’s knife from his waistband and answered,
“The Black Path.”
The Right Envoy of Light laughed.
“I see. Not the Hao Sect, then. In that case, are you a subordinate of the Jecheon Alliance Leader?”
Zhou Huo replied as he walked toward the table,
“No.”
With the table between them, Zhou Huo faced off against the Right Envoy of Light and asked,
“Why did you… kill them all like this? Because of martial arts?”
The Right Envoy of Light nodded.
“That is part of it.”
“What’s the other reason?”
The Right Envoy of Light sniffed, then said,
“Why do you give off such a foul stench? The smells of pigs, cows, shit, and garbage are all mixed together.”
Zhou Huo answered,
“Is that so? I find the smell of your blood more disgusting. What’s the other reason?”
The Right Envoy of Light replied with a displeased expression,
“Because of the Hao Sect Master.”
“The Hao Sect Master? Did you perhaps lose to that man? Why take out your anger on us?”
“What you do to those who do not know martial arts, we simply do to those who do. That is the difference. Take out my anger? The Hao Sect Master is not yet my match. In any case, you have quite……”
The Right Envoy of Light extended his hand and gestured up and down at Zhou Huo.
“You are a man with backbone. I will tell you a way to live.”
“What is it?”
“If you become a believer, I will not kill you.”
Zhou Huo asked back,
“A believer? Of what cult?”
The Right Envoy of Light pointed to the blood covering the floor and said,
“Look. The Blood Cult.”
“The Blood Cult?”
“Yes.”
Ju Gwal asked.
“Are you the cult leader?”
When the Right Envoy of Light nodded, Ju Gwal replied.
“Sorry, but I’ve already joined the Cult of Pig-Dung Stench. I can’t endure any more vileness than this. I refuse.”
The Right Envoy of Light suddenly shook his shoulders and laughed.
“What an absurd fellow. Since you refused, I’ll send my followers later and have every last bastard of the Nasan Gang killed. Consider it my answer to your refusal.”
“What kind of trash bastard are you…….”
The Right Envoy of Light let out a long breath, then rose.
“Since you made me laugh for once, I’ll let you live. It seems your friends will be arriving, so I must leave again.”
The moment the Right Envoy of Light turned, Ju Gwal swung his butcher’s knife. The Right Envoy of Light swept out his left palm, and Ju Gwal was flung away by the palm force, crashing through the wall of the main hall.
The Right Envoy of Light looked at the hole in the wall and shook his head.
“Those black path bastards, honestly…….”
The Right Envoy of Light walked through the sloshing blood, then looked around and spoke to the corpses.
“It is time for me to become independent. I am sick of listening to orders, being told to do this and that. I have endured long enough. You may understand that you died because of the Demon Cult’s cult leader, who insisted only on capturing him alive no matter how much I advised killing him off beforehand. Does everyone understand very well why they died?”
The Blood Cult leader looked around at the crimson blood, but naturally, there were no corpses capable of answering.
“…….”
* * *
Slap!
“…….”
Ju Gwal barely opened his eyes at the sound of the slap. His entire body hurt as if it had been shattered, and now his cheek stung as well.
A man kneeling on one knee was looking at him. While Ju Gwal was trying to remember who he was, the man muttered.
“See? He’s alive.”
Someone nearby answered.
“You slap an unconscious man that hard?”
As soon as Ju Gwal came to his senses, he spoke to the man before his eyes.
“Who are you?”
Ju Gwal looked around. He could not even remember why he was suddenly lying here. He barely managed to get up, sat with his back against the wall, and took stock of the situation.
“Yeom Pyeong and Jang Sam died, so I chased after him, and the Daeheung Gang and Samwon Gang were wiped out…… Did you see a man with a red longsword?”
As Ju Gwal muttered incoherently, the young man answered.
“You saw the Right Envoy of Light?”
“Right Envoy of Light? He said he was the Blood Cult leader.”
“The Blood Cult leader?”
Only then did Ju Gwal slowly examine the face and eyes of the man before him.
‘This bastard seems crazy too…….’
The thought occurred to him that he might die again the moment he woke from fainting. He had prided himself on living prepared to die at any time, but now that he felt as if he had actually died and awakened, he realized that his past thoughts had been arrogance. The man before him seemed younger than him, but Ju Gwal asked cautiously.
“May I ask who you are…….”
The man answered.
“I’m the man called the Haomun Sect Master. I’m pursuing the Right Envoy of Light. Did you see him?”
“I did.”
“Judging by the state of the corpses and blood, it looks like it’s been over one shichen since he left. If you know anything that might help, tell me.”
“But why are you speaking down to me…….”
“Habit. Let it slide.”
“Fine. He seemed out of his mind. He told me to join the Blood Cult. Before that, he killed two of my younger brothers. Ah, come to think of it, he committed this massacre because of martial arts. And he said it was because of the Haomun Sect Master.”
“Because of me?”
Ju Gwal nodded.
“Because of you.”
The Haomun Sect Master asked back.
“It’s my fault?”
Ju Gwal nodded.
“It’s your fault.”
The moment Ju Gwal answered, the Haomun Sect Master slapped him across the face.
Smack!
Ju Gwal could not help but clutch his cheek. The Haomun Sect Master glared at Ju Gwal and said.
“Why the hell is that my fault, you son of a bitch? The Right Envoy of Light is the one who’s insane. Is it my fault? Try running your mouth one more time.”
Ju Gwal clutched his cheek and replied.
“Let’s say it isn’t.”
“It isn’t, right?”
Ju Gwal looked at the man who had newly appeared through the hole in the wall. The Blood Cult leader had looked terrifying, but the aura of the man who emerged from the hole was also quite extraordinary.
“Third Brother, let’s go.”
The Haomun Sect Master stood and looked down at Ju Gwal.
“The dead people here—your comrades?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then?”
“They’re a rival gang…….”
“You said your younger brothers died.”
“They died before I came here, so I followed him here.”
“I see.”
The Haomun Sect Master nodded once and said.
“Well, in any case, I’ll avenge them. I’m in the middle of chasing him. He’s hard to catch. I’m leaving.”
“Hey, Haomun Sect Master.”
The Haomun Sect Master, who was heading out through the hole, answered.
“What?”
“Be careful. He was completely insane. He looked like he’d lost his mind.”
The Haomun Sect Master soon disappeared, and only his voice was heard.
“Same here.”
Something came to Ju Gwal’s mind, and he hurriedly got up, went out into the main hall, and chased after the Haomun Sect Master. He had thought there were two of them, but four people were leaving the Samwon Gang.
Ju Gwal asked.
“Haomun Sect Master, is there anything I can do to help? I need revenge too.”
The Haomun Sect Master stopped, turned around, and looked at Ju Gwal.
“Try contacting the Jecheon Alliance Leader. At this rate, every black path group around here will be wiped out. The Right Envoy of Light is touring the black path right now. Wherever he goes, it’ll end up like this.”
“We have no connection with him.”
The Haomun Sect Master looked at Ju Gwal.
“Contact him even if you don’t. How can the man called the foremost of the black path turn a blind eye to a massacre like this? If he does, he should give up the title of foremost first…… Tell him the Haomun Sect Master said that.”
Ju Gwal nodded.
“I’ll deliver it exactly as you said.”
“Do it or don’t. In any case, the opponent is the Right Envoy of Light.”
The Haomun Sect Master moved off again with the other three and asked.
“Eldest Brother.”
“What?”
“If the Jecheon Alliance Leader and the Right Envoy fight, who’ll win?”
“How would I know? I’ve never gone up against him, so I can’t say.”
“I have gone up against him.”
“Who do you think would win?”
“Usa. But the Jecheon Alliance Leader isn’t the sort of man who fights alone. He’s more like a pack of wolves.”
For some strange reason, Ju Gwal was curious about the four men’s conversation, so he openly eavesdropped, then even followed them to the door and pricked up his ears. This time, the young fellow spouted some trifling nonsense.
“……Do you know who wins when a tiger and a bear fight?”
“Who wins?”
“The bigger one wins, you idiot. It depends on the situation.”
The man who had not said a single word until now let out a sigh, as if he found it pathetic.
“This is truly so childish I can hardly listen. Is this really a conversation between fully grown men?”
At that, the Hao Clan Master snickered to himself.
Overcome by a strange feeling, Ju Gwal shouted toward the four men.
“Hey, you four. What are you?”
The young fellow beside the Hao Clan Master answered with his back still turned.
“We are the Four Great Villains.”
Ju Gwal nodded as he replied.
“Wow, that’s childish.”
“Is that Black Path nobody out of his mind and eager to die?”
When the young fellow turned around, Ju Gwal could finally see his face. The obnoxious bastard looked like a gisaeng’s pretty-boy brother, and he was scowling.
Ju Gwal waved a hand.
“……In any case, I’ll inform the Jecheon Alliance Leader. Go carefully, Four Great Villains.”
As Ju Gwal watched with his arms crossed, a heavy voice rang out.
“Disciple.”
“Yes.”
“Let us not go around openly calling ourselves the Four Great Villains. It is true that it’s childish.”
“But Third Brother says it from time to time.”
“Somehow, when you say it, it sounds even more childish.”
“Understood.”
When the Hao Clan Master and the man in the middle burst into laughter at the same time, the pretty-boy bastard let out a sigh.
Ju Gwal laughed despite himself, then, thinking this was no time to laugh, returned to a stern expression.
As soon as he resolved to contact the Jecheon Alliance Leader as the Hao Clan Master had said, he strode off somewhere.