Chapter 444: The Second-in-Command of the Hao Sect.
The man inside the curtain spoke to those who had been dragged in.
“How dare you attack the esteemed physician?”
“……”
“How dare you lay a hand on the Hao Sect?”
The middle-aged man barely opened his eyes and spoke in a groaning voice.
“I……offer my apologies once again.”
“Do you want to die like this?”
“If you spare us, I swear we’ll never show our faces again.”
Those who had attacked Moyong Baek could not speak properly because of the poisonous effects of Drunken Dream Mountain. The middle-aged man alone had inhaled less of it, so he was barely managing to keep his wits about him.
The man inside the curtain spoke.
“As punishment for attacking the Hao Sect, I’ll send you to Heukseon Fort for now. I hear they’re tearing down the fort and building houses and other structures, but they’re constantly short of workers. In exchange for sparing your lives, you’ll perform forced labor. If you try to escape, the officers of Heukseon Fort will beat you to death.”
The middle-aged man barely managed to answer.
“Thank you.”
“Are you their leader?”
“I’m not the leader, but I brought them here.”
“Why do they all look as though they’re drunk?”
“It’s because they were poisoned by Physician Moyong. They keep growing drowsier, but there’s nothing we can do. It’s truly a vicious poison. I apologize again.”
The man inside the curtain spoke.
“There are many experts in the Hao Sect. Even if it wasn’t the sect master, men like you wouldn’t be able to defeat a single physician affiliated with the Hao Sect. How dare a bunch of trash who used to loiter around gambling dens lay a hand on the Hao Sect?”
“I’m sorry. It will never happen again……”
The man who had drawn back the curtain glared at the middle-aged man.
“Do you know who I am?”
The middle-aged man shook his head.
“I don’t.”
“I’m the second-in-command of the Hao Sect. Have you heard of me?”
“I haven’t.”
“What about the name Cha Seong-tae?”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t heard of you.”
The middle-aged man answered with all his might in an effort to save his own and his companions’ lives, but the drowsiness overtook him once more, and his head drooped.
Cha Seong-tae wore an incredulous expression.
“I believe I told you not to fall asleep.”
“It’s still because of the poison……Please, go on.”
“Wake up the men beside you, too.”
“As I said, Physician Moyong’s poison……”
Cha Seong-tae, who had intended to gather them together and give them a thorough scare, opened his eyes wide.
“Fine. Let’s see whether the physician’s poison is stronger, or I am.”
Cha Seong-tae suddenly rushed at a dozing man, grabbed him by the hair, and injected him with the thunderous qi of the Hundred Battles Ten Section Art.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
It was not the reason he had learned the martial art, but its effects were undeniable.
“Aaaaaaargh!”
As the dozing man screamed and thrashed about, Cha Seong-tae spoke.
“Feeling a little less sleepy now?”
He tried to grab the other men by the hair and inject each of them with a dose of thunderous qi as well, but the screams and thrashing had already roused them.
Cha Seong-tae squatted before the men who were now awake and scanned them from left to right.
“Anyone know me? You don’t know who I am?”
“No, sir.”
“From now on, if you fall asleep, I, Cha Seong-tae, the Thunderbolt Scholar, will plant a bolt of lightning in your skull. Go ahead and sleep as much as you like. I’m curious myself whether Physician Moyong’s poison is more frightening, or my lightning.”
They all stared at Cha Seong-tae with bloodshot eyes.
Cha Seong-tae spoke.
“I’ll say it again: I’m the second-in-command of the Hao Sect. Until the sect master returns, you’ll be sent to Heukseon Fort for forced labor. Does everyone understand?”
“Yes.”
“This is an extremely lenient punishment considering you dared attack Physician Moyong. Never disregard the Hao Sect again. Understood?”
“Understood.”
When one of the men could no longer withstand the effects of Drunken Dream Mountain and his head drooped, the enraged Cha Seong-tae rushed over, grabbed him by the hair, and shook him violently.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
“Just die! You bastard! Die! Sleepy? Then die!”
“Aaargh!”
The man who had been struck by the thunderous qi of the Hundred Battles Ten Section Art foamed at the mouth before collapsing where he stood. There was no way to tell whether he was alive or dead.
Only then did the remaining men widen their eyes, and some of them repeatedly slapped their own cheeks.
Cha Seong-tae spoke to those outside.
“Drag these men away and make wanted portraits of them. Once they come to their senses, send them to Heukseon Fort.”
“Understood.”
Cha Seong-tae shouted.
“Next!”
This time, his subordinates dragged in a bound giant and forced him to kneel.
Cha Seong-tae asked.
“What’s with this big guy?”
“He’s a laborer hired by Yeon Jaseong, the leader of Chukmun, but apparently he’s already caused trouble several times. He becomes violent when drunk and even tried to attack Leader Yeon Jaseong. They say more than ten men rushed in to subdue him, and even then several laborers were seriously injured. It was a complete mess. One of the laborers’ arms was twisted completely backward, so they say he won’t be able to work for at least half a year.”
Cha Seong-tae sighed.
“What a disaster.”
Cha Seong-tae looked at his subordinate and spoke.
“Why is the Hao Sect such a disaster?”
“Indeed.”
“Though I suppose there’s nothing surprising about it.”
“That’s right.”
Cha Seong-tae looked at the giant.
“Name.”
The giant answered.
“Won Sang.”
“Why are you speaking informally?”
“Because you spoke informally first.”
“You don’t know who I am?”
“I don’t.”
“I’m the second-in-command of the Hao Sect.”
“So what?”
“Aren’t you part of the Hao Sect?”
“What are you talking about? I got a job as a laborer at a place called Chukmun.”
“That Chukmun belongs to the Hao Sect.”
“I didn’t hear that.”
Cha Seong-tae examined Won Sang.
He was certainly a giant capable of easily beating down dozens of laborers. His brow was thick, his nose was large, and his mouth was wide, making him look like a naturally born giant. Yet it was not merely his frame; he also appeared to have trained in external techniques. No matter how many ordinary laborers had rushed him, they would have had difficulty handling him.
“I hear one of the laborers won’t be able to work for half a year because of you. If he’s the head of his household, wouldn’t that hurt his livelihood?”
“I’m sorry about that.”
But contrary to his words, there was not the slightest hint of apology in Cha Seongtae’s eyes.
Cha Seongtae said,
“If the mild-tempered Sect Leader Yeon Jaseong sent you to me, he must be pretty worked up. Shouldn’t you at least look sorry?”
Wonsang replied in the same manner.
“I’m sorry.”
Cha Seongtae said to his subordinate,
“Untie him.”
“Pardon?”
“I said untie him.”
“He’ll start running wild again. We only managed to restrain him because he was drunk then.”
“Untie him.”
While his subordinates untied Wonsang, Cha Seongtae said,
“He doesn’t even know what the Hao Sect is, so of course we should let him go. And don’t go around telling people you were ever with the Hao Sect. You’re bringing shame upon it. With so many people working for us, it’s difficult to keep track of every one of them.”
Once his bonds were removed, Wonsang smiled and said,
“You’re a man who only says things that make sense. I like that.”
Cha Seongtae nodded.
“I’m always like that.”
“By the way, I heard the Sect Leader is far away at the moment. Is that true?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I was going to have a bout with him if he was here.”
Cha Seongtae stared intently at Wonsang’s face and asked,
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“Did you eat something wrong? Or is it because you’re just a big, overgrown brat? What do you think the martial world is?”
“A place full of idiots.”
“Is that so? Then I suppose I’m an idiot too. Are you really that good at fighting?”
“Wherever I go—”
“You’ve never been beaten?” Cha Seongtae cut him off again. “Wow. You just keep rattling off things you’ve heard somewhere. Amazing.”
“I’m conf—”
Cha Seongtae interrupted him again.
“Ah, you were going to say that you’re confident, so we should have a bout? I knew you’d say that. Go outside and wait. I’ll be out shortly. If you want to fight, then we should fight.”
Wonsang glared at Cha Seongtae before going outside.
Cha Seongtae said to his subordinates,
“Go call Chukmun as well. Tell him to come watch. I’ll beat him until dust flies even on a rainy day. He broke a laborer’s arm, so I ought to break his arm too.”
“Understood.”
Cha Seongtae wore a bitter expression as he fell into thought for a moment. The Hao Sect was indeed a force that sought to protect working people, but a problem arose from time to time: not everyone who worked for them was a good person.
Cha Seongtae muttered,
“He’s not someone who should be given work.”
Someone like him would be sent to the Black Line Escort, only to be killed by Dokgosaeng’s blade within a few days.
When the Hao Sect’s second-in-command arrived outside, the hopeless Wonsang was threatening the onlookers once again.
“Your opponent is me.”
Wonsang turned around and grinned when he saw the scrawny Cha Seongtae.
Cha Seongtae said,
“Come on. I’m busy, so let’s finish this quickly.”
Since his opponent practiced external martial arts in the first place, there was no reason to go easy on him. Nor did Cha Seongtae have any intention of sparing someone who had thrown his weight around in the Hao Sect.
In an instant, a crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the two men.
It was rare for the Hao Sect’s chief steward to fight personally. Many people had never seen Cha Seongtae fight before, and some even wondered why this man was the Hao Sect’s second-in-command.
Wonsang charged in and threw a punch, but Cha Seongtae dodged it easily.
“Too slow.”
Wonsang laughed every time he looked at Cha Seongtae’s emaciated body. He would let the man land a few punches, then grab him with his superior strength and break an arm or leg. There would be no way for Cha Seongtae to move once he had him in his grasp.
And sure enough, after dodging several attacks, Cha Seongtae drove a fist into Wonsang’s abdomen before stepping back.
As soon as Wonsang realized that the punch had not hurt at all, he grinned again.
“That’s all—”
The moment Wonsang opened his mouth, Cha Seongtae closed the distance again, kicked him in the knee, and struck his face with the force of his right palm.
Thud!
Wonsang’s head snapped back, and as blood burst from his nose and shot into the air, Cha Seongtae’s palm force struck his abdomen and chest.
Smack-smack!
To the onlookers, they appeared to be ordinary attacks that carried little force, yet Wonsang’s body staggered.
Wonsang instinctively charged in to seize Cha Seongtae by the waist. Cha Seongtae deflected the attack as though avoiding a wild bull, then tripped him and sent him tumbling to the ground.
Remembering that Wonsang had broken the laborer’s arm, Cha Seongtae stamped on Wonsang’s arm.
Crack!
He stamped on Wonsang’s face again as the man screamed.
Thud!
Cha Seongtae rolled Wonsang onto his back and drove his fist into the man’s face without a word. As the dull thuds continued in an unvarying rhythm—thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—a subordinate who had come out from Plum Blossom Pavilion approached Cha Seongtae.
“Chief Steward, at this rate you’ll kill—”
Cha Seongtae looked at his subordinate.
“Why aren’t you getting out of here?”
Cha Seongtae clenched his fist again and drove it into Wonsang’s face.
Thud!
Meeting the eyes of the blood-covered Wonsang, Cha Seongtae asked,
“What’s with that expression? Wonsang, it’s hard to stay conscious, isn’t it? I understand. I’ll help you come to your senses.”
Cha Seongtae crushed Wonsang’s face between both hands and injected the thunder energy of the Hundred Battles Ten-Section Art. Only then did a scream burst from Wonsang’s mouth.
“Aaaaargh!”
Wonsang poured out the last of his strength and shoved Cha Seongtae away. Cha Seongtae’s body was pushed back, lifting slightly into the air.
Cha Seongtae laughed with an incredulous expression.
“You’re strong. Very strong.”
Cha Seongtae suddenly charged in and once again poured thunder energy into Wonsang’s face and head.
“Strength isn’t everything.”
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Wonsang seemed to resist desperately, but soon his body went limp, all its strength drained away.
Cha Seongtae looked down at the unconscious Wonsang.
The onlookers had all fallen silent.
Cha Seongtae said to his subordinate,
“Bring water and pour it over him.”
“Yes.”
One of the subordinates moved quickly and poured a bucket of water over Wonsang’s face. When he still did not come to, the subordinate slapped Wonsang’s cheeks lightly to wake him.
“Hey, hey!”
When Wonsang finally regained consciousness, Cha Seongtae pushed the subordinate aside by the shoulder.
“Move.”
The instant Wonsang opened his eyes, Cha Seongtae charged in again, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and injected him with thunder energy once more.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
At that, one of his subordinates grabbed Cha Seongtae by both shoulders and held him back.
“Chief Steward!”
Cha Seongtae shook off his subordinate and rose to his feet. There seemed to be flames burning in his eyes, and only then did everyone merely stand by and watch in silence.
Cha Seongtae crouched down in front of Wonsang again and looked down at him.
“Nineteen years old, Wonsang.”
When Wonsang looked at Cha Seongtae while breathing heavily, Cha Seongtae slapped him across the cheek.
“Answer me.”
After repeatedly striking Wonsang’s cheek with loud smacks, Cha Seongtae said,
“Bring more water. He’s going to pass out again.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cha Seongtae seized Wonsang’s head with his left hand and then gave a mocking grin.
“Nineteen years old, Wonsang. Wonsang, you son of a bitch.”
The moment he confirmed that there was no answer, Cha Seongtae raised his right hand. He had decided that this time, he would beat him to death.
Only then did Wonsang answer.
“Yes.”
Clutching Wonsang by the collar, Cha Seongtae met his eyes and said,
“Are you going to apologize to the laborer whose arm you broke?”
“Yes.”
“What about Sect Leader Yeon Jaseong?”
“Guh… I will.”
“And the people you worked with—the people you beat?”
“I—I will.”
“You don’t mean it, do you? You’re only doing it because I’m making you, against your will. Huh, I see.”
When Wonsang could not answer, Cha Seongtae drove his fist into Wonsang’s forehead.
Thwack!
“You don’t mean it. You bastard.”
Wonsang answered.
“I’ll do it sincerely.”
As soon as he heard the answer, Cha Seongtae tightened his left hand around Wonsang’s throat.
“No. Judging by the vicious look in your eyes, you seem like the type who’ll go train somewhere and come back for another round. I should eliminate the threat now.”
“Keh.”
“People like you always come back for revenge later. I can’t let myself be the one who suffers for it.”
As Cha Seongtae strangled Wonsang with both hands, a calm voice came from somewhere.
“Chief Cha.”
Cha Seongtae rose at once with a startled expression. The moment he turned toward the voice, he answered,
“Ah, yes. Great Grandmaster.”
Having apparently arrived after listening to the commotion, Sword Demon asked,
“Are you planning to kill him?”
“No, sir.”
Sword Demon approached, reached out to grasp Cha Seongtae’s chin, examined him from side to side, and then met his eyes.
“Have you fallen into qi deviation? Your thunder qi is of the extreme-yang type as well, so you must be careful.”
Cha Seongtae took one deep breath before answering.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never fallen into qi deviation before.”
“What about your chest?”
“It feels a little tight.”
Sword Demon nodded.
“Isn’t what you’re doing now similar to what the sect leader did before?”
“Is it?”
“Go inside, wash your face, and calm down. Qi deviation isn’t anything special. If you can’t stop yourself here, that is qi deviation.”
“Understood.”
“Go inside.”
“Yes, sir.”
After Cha Seongtae went into Plum Blossom Pavilion, Sword Demon looked around.
“The show is over, so everyone go back.”
The onlookers answered in unison.
“Yes, Great Grandmaster.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Great Grandmaster.”
They formed small groups of three or five and began to disperse. Some picked up the barrels scattered across the ground, while others stamped down the roughened earth to smooth it out. In the blink of an eye, the area in front of Plum Blossom Pavilion had been cleaned up.
Sword Demon stared down at Wonsang, the true second-in-command of Hao Mun, who had been beaten to within an inch of his life.
Sword Demon extended a hand toward Wonsang.
“Can you stand?”
Wonsang reached out with his left hand, grasped Sword Demon’s hand, and raised his upper body. Then, seeing his broken right arm, he grimaced in pain. Without any warning, Sword Demon set the bones of his broken arm back into place.
Wonsang let out a long scream.
“Gaaah!”
Listening to the scream without the slightest change in expression, Sword Demon said to Wonsang,
“You broke a laborer’s arm?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t apologize. Leave Ilyang County. If I hear that you’ve laid a hand on another member of Hao Mun, I’ll find you myself. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Get lost.”
Wonsang stood and headed somewhere on unsteady legs. Sword Demon watched him until he disappeared into the distance. If Sword Demon kept looking at Wonsang for much longer, he felt he might beat him to death on the spot, so he had no choice but to make him disappear from before his eyes as quickly as possible.
Just as he had expected, Yoran’s voice came from behind him. She had secretly followed after him.
“Great Grandmaster?”
“Hmm.”
“Why was Uncle Seongtae so angry?”
“From what point did you watch?”
“From when he started pouring out his thunder qi.”
After pondering how to answer, Sword Demon explained to Yoran,
“He was imitating your Third Master, so you don’t need to worry too much about it. He was just a little more extreme than usual.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go.”
As master and disciple headed side by side toward Zixia Inn, Yoran asked,
“But how can you avoid falling into qi deviation?”
Sword Demon let out a faint sigh.
“Who knows?”
In Sword Demon’s opinion, no one was free from qi deviation. As far as he knew, most of the experts at the very top had experienced qi deviation. That was why he could not teach her some secret method for avoiding it. If qi deviation came to her someday, she would have no choice but to accept it calmly and overcome it. However, it was difficult to explain all that to Yoran right then, so he did not relay it to her as it was.
Yoran asked again.
“Is it something everyone has to experience?”
“Not necessarily.”
“Did you and Third Master also suffer because of qi deviation?”
“We did.”
“How did you overcome it?”
Finding the answer naturally in Yoran’s question, Sword Demon replied,
“The third helped me, and we helped the third. That was how we solved it.”
“If the masters joined forces, that must have been really frightening.”
The Sword Demon nodded.
“I must remain as vigilant as possible, so I never fall into qi deviation again.”
After bringing Yoran to the Purple Cloud Inn, the Sword Demon said,
“It’s noisy here, so behave yourself today. Don’t go wandering around.”
“Understood. Where are you going?”
The Sword Demon looked at his disciple.
“I’m going to have a drink with Chief Steward Cha today.”
Yoran smiled.
“Understood. Have a good time, Grand Master.”
The Sword Demon headed back toward the Plum Blossom Pavilion. Since the chief steward of the Hao Sect was on the verge of qi deviation, he had no choice but to help him somehow.
For the Sword Demon…
It was a somewhat busier day than usual.
Knowing that having a drink from time to time was good for his state of mind as well, rather than spending every day in exactly the same manner without the slightest deviation, the Sword Demon’s steps were not heavy.
The Hao Sect’s second-in-command headed toward the Plum Blossom Pavilion.