Chapter 74 :

Black Flame Dragon Leaping Over the Gate (2)

“…….”

“……Ahem.”

A strange silence settled over the hall.

Not only those of us who had come in with the child, but even Bang Duchil’s group, who had been making a ruckus, were all looking at Bang Duchil with disdainful eyes after his rude behavior toward an elder.

“W-well, I did tell you to speak honestly…… didn’t I?”

The old man refused to speak, and Bang Duchil had tried to hear the story, only for things to end up like this.

When I met him before, he had a bold side, but I didn’t think he was this ignorant.

“What does it matter to you whether someone lives or dies however they please…… ugh.”

The old man, who had been speaking passionately in anger, clutched his waist and lowered his head.

“It is because of Twin Curtain Stronghold, isn’t it?”

“…….”

Deep worry settled over the old man’s face.

“Did Twin Curtain Stronghold drag away all the villagers?”

“…….”

The old man still said nothing.

Just as Bang Duchil snorted loudly again and was about to grab the old man by the collar,

Baek Soryeong approached the old man in a clear voice.

“Elder, my name is Soryeong. It’s a little embarrassing to say this so suddenly, but Gaga recently subjugated two mountain strongholds and secured two first-gate plaques from the Martial Academy. So you don’t have to be too afraid. You may tell us.”

At Baek Soryeong’s words, the old man’s eyes trembled violently. Then his eyes met the child’s, and he let out a long sigh.

“As Twin Curtain Stronghold’s tyranny grew worse, the merchant alliance of Hangzhou tried to use wandering warriors to subjugate Twin Curtain Stronghold. But they failed every time, and each time, Twin Curtain Stronghold killed the villagers they had been using and hung them up in the village.”

The situation was more serious than expected, and none of us could open our mouths.

“Hunger and starvation are not things we have only suffered for a year or two. We can endure them well enough. But I can no longer bear to see my child, or my friend’s child, return dead and hanging from a pole.”

Every time a subjugation force appeared, the villagers were the ones who ultimately suffered.

With no one to protect them, they had to go through the heart-rotting ordeal of defending their enemies for their own sake.

“Those rotten bastards deserve to die!”

Bang Duchil shouted at the top of his lungs.

I asked calmly.

“What do they do after taking the villagers away? It’s not as though they would take farmers and make them Green Forest bandits.”

“I heard they make some of them into Green Forest bandits, but most of them go there and do all kinds of chores.”

It is not easy for nearly a thousand people to live scattered across a mountain.

Even just the amount of food consumed in a single day could not compare to the villages around Mount Tianmu.

There was no way the violent and rough Green Forest bandits would cook their own meals, so those who had been dragged away were said to be serving them while living less than human lives.

“Can’t they run away?”

One of Bang Duchil’s subordinates tilted his head and asked, and the old man shook his head.

“If there is someone who doesn’t listen or tries to run away, they make an example of him by turning the village he came from into a wasteland. With all their families here, how could they dare resist?”

In short, they had hostages on both sides.

“I had heard the Seventy-Two Green Forest Strongholds were rougher than ordinary mountain strongholds, but this goes beyond the limit.”

Baek Soryeong’s elegant brows furrowed.

“……!”

Bang Duchil silently rose from his seat.

“Boys, get your weapons.”

At Bang Duchil’s solemn voice, which had sunk low, the people with him also turned serious and began picking up their weapons.

“Did you not hear me say not to do anything!”

Bang Duchil looked at the old man with indifferent eyes.

“Old man, is that child beside you your only remaining family?”

“…….”

“When the child grows up, Twin Curtain Stronghold will probably want them. Will you be all right with that?”

The old man’s face contorted.

“If you stay still, you will continue to suffer. That is the life of the weak. At the very least, you have to make them think you are not easy to touch.”

“What are you planning to do!”

“I will go with my subordinates and settle things with Twin Curtain Stronghold!”

“No!”

“Gaga! That is impossible!”

The old man and Baek Soryeong shouted at the same time.

It was the natural reaction of any sensible person.

“If you act recklessly, both the family members held in the mountain stronghold and the villagers will all die! Can you take responsibility for that?”

“Gaga! Twin Curtain Stronghold has five hundred people in each half, one thousand in total. It’s impossible with just us.”

Bang Duchil’s expression twisted heavily.

“Soryeong, I don’t lose to anyone. And don’t worry, old man. I will bring all their families back safely too. I promise on my name.”

Bang Duchil was already not listening to anyone.

Baek Soryeong only shook her head, as if she knew Bang Duchil’s personality, and the old man looked as though he might faint at any moment.

“I am against it as well.”

“Hm?”

Bang Duchil and his subordinates, who had been about to leave through the door, looked back.

“Who are you?”

“Me?”

I walked over to the child and held out my hand, and the child stared blankly before placing one silver coin on my palm.

“I am Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect, hired by this child.”

#

“Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect……? You?”

I thought that more people had been recognizing me recently.

As soon as Bang Duchil’s subordinates heard my name, they began whispering among themselves.

“If he’s Jin Sowoon…… the Black Flame Dragon Jin Sowoon?”

“The rising star of the dark faction murim?”

“The most despicable hidden dragon?”

The problem was that rumors never always spread the way I wanted.

I ignored the irritating remarks and continued speaking.

“No matter how strong you are, it is impossible to subjugate Twin Curtain Stronghold with a small number of people. Moreover, the opponent is holding hostages.”

After hearing my words, Bang Duchil nodded for the first time.

“As expected of the rising star of the dark faction murim. Are you taking Twin Curtain Stronghold’s side?”

“…….”

I’m not!

In the first place, persuading someone who has absolute trust in his own strength is impossible.

I looked at Baek Soryeong and said,

“Could you help me for a moment?”

“Pardon? Me?”

“If we can’t persuade him, he looks like he will go straight to Twin Curtain Stronghold. Then neither he nor the hostages held there will be safe.”

“……All right.”

After Baek Soryeong nodded, I pulled her toward me with one hand.

“Oh my!”

Her body carried the same violet scent as in my past life.

Then Bang Duchil raised one eyebrow.

“……What are you doing?”

“Please try saving this person.”

“What?”

I lifted the Black Dragon Sword, still in its scabbard, and placed it against Baek Soryeong’s neck.

“I told you to try saving her.”

“…….”

The moment Bang Duchil took one step with his fierce eyes glaring,

I slit Baek Soryeong’s neck.

“Huh!”

“She has died once.”

“…….”

Bang Duchil’s eyes turned cold, and he drew up his inner energy.

Whooooo.

Wind began to swirl around his body.

Although the Gale Art Bang Duchil had learned was a training method of a Daoist lineage, it was created by forcibly gathering vast internal energy, making it highly likely for one to fall into qi deviation or become a cripple if mishandled.

But for Bang Duchil, whose otherworldly physique called the Heavenly Astral Boundless Body perfectly compensated for the weakness of qi deviation, it became the best martial art for gathering and releasing internal energy faster than any other martial art.

Boooom!

The suction force of the Gale Mad Demon Fist pulled Baek Soryeong and me toward him.

I stepped with the Taeul Eight Myriad Divine Steps, left behind an illusion, dodged the Gale Mad Demon Fist, and slit Baek Soryeong’s neck again.

“She has died twice.”

“……You bastard!!”

Bang Duchil had developed the Gale Fist and Gale Kick, derived from the Gale Art, into his own unique martial arts.

His Gale Whirlwind Kick, which had yet to reach completion, erupted.

Papapapapapak!

Old furniture burst apart wildly, and Bang Duchil’s feet struck out in every direction, but they touched only illusions.

None of them reached Baek Soryeong or me.

“She has died three times.”

“……Damn it!”

Bang Duchil, who was gradually becoming agitated, gathered true energy in both hands.

He was about to unleash the Gale Divine Palm, which could use his internal energy in the most destructive way.

“……If you fire that, this young lady will be hit too. Do you want to kill her directly with your own hands?”

“…….”

The broken debris on the floor resonated and trembled, then soon quieted down.

The wind that had been swirling around him also vanished before long.

He wore the face of someone who, even though he knew he was wrong, could not easily admit it.

“…….”

Silence also settled among Bang Duchil’s group.

“When hostages are being held, you cannot act recklessly.”

Baek Soryeong also nodded at my words.

“Gaga, Young Master Jin is right.”

“……Even so, it isn’t something we can just stand by and watch.”

“I am not saying we should just stand by and watch. I am saying we need a different plan.”

“Do you have another plan?”

Bang Duchil’s group, as well as the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers, looked at me with eyes full of expectation.

“Yes. Of course I do.”

“What is it?”

Crash!

Just as I was about to continue speaking, the sound of a building breaking came from outside the door.

All of us, including Bang Duchil, headed outside the restaurant at once.

“Kahahahaha!”

“Break it! Smash it to pieces!”

“You! You are coming with us to Hwamak Stronghold.”

About twenty bandits were surrounding a house, dragging out a family, tearing down the building, and setting it on fire.

Bang Duchil and his group looked ready to rush out at any moment.

“If we step in now, we won’t be able to save the hostages properly.”

At my words, Bang Duchil flinched and glared at me with wide eyes.

“As long as they don’t die, we can bring them back alive. But if we step in now, we will have to fight while they hold hostages.”

“…….”

I heard the sound of teeth grinding.

Bang Duchil looked as if he wanted to rush out immediately and smash their heads apart.

Perhaps sensing that, some of the bandits approached our side.

“What? Who are you bastards? Why are you glaring at us?”

I quickly stepped forward, leaving Bang Duchil behind me.

“Greetings. I am Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect.”

“Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect?”

“Oh…… the Black Flame Dragon…….”

Even though they were bandits staying in a mountain stronghold, they seemed fairly knowledgeable about murim affairs, and they looked at me with curious eyes.

“What business brought you to this village?”

“Ah, I’m not sure if you’ve heard. Recently, our Taeul Sect acquired the Changgung Merchant Guild, did we not? So we were thinking of working together with an escort agency for trade, and I was first checking the road to nearby Hangzhou.”

“Hm…… If you’re going to Hangzhou, you’ll have to pass through Mount Tianmu. But why haven’t we heard anything about it?”

A bandit with a giant saber slung over his shoulder glared at me while faintly spreading killing intent.

He was asking why we had not paid our respects to them.

“Ah, of course, I was just about to greet you. Haha.”

I shook a pouch containing a few silver coins and approached them, respectfully handing over the pouch.

“I heard that when an escort agency or merchant guild passes along that road for the first time, they must properly pay their respects. Please tell your stronghold chief that we will soon come to see him.”

“Oh, you have good sense. Looks like you’ll do well in business.”

“You flatter me. Thank you.”

“But what is that bastard doing, glaring at us like that?”

The bandit with the giant saber pointed at Bang Duchil with his sword.

“Ah, they are our escorts, but they have only recently become escorts after being wandering warriors, so they are like that. Please forgive them.”

“Hmph! To dare look at Hwamak Stronghold with eyes like that.”

The bandit with the giant saber strode toward Bang Duchil.

He looked up at Bang Duchil, who was a head taller than him, and said,

“Lower your eyes, you bastard!”

“…….”

The corner of Bang Duchil’s mouth twitched.

His reddened face looked as though it might burst at any moment.

—If you cause trouble now, we won’t be able to save the hostages.

At my sound transmission, Bang Duchil looked at me as if I were his enemy, then lowered his head deeply.

“……I apologize.”

“……Hmph! You’re nothing much.”

The bandit who turned away had no idea that Bang Duchil was glaring at him from behind as if he wanted to kill him.

After the bandits of Hwamak Stronghold left, Bang Duchil strode toward me and gripped one of my shoulders so hard it felt like it might break.

“You had better take responsibility for what you said!”

“Of course.”

“……If you cannot.”

Bang Duchil looked at me with eyes full of resentment.

“You will have to deal not only with Twin Curtain Stronghold, but me as well.”

“I will take responsibility.”

“…….”

Bang Duchil went back into the restaurant with his group, and only Baek Soryeong remained.

“Thank you, Young Master Jin. Thanks to you, we were able to stop Gaga.”

“I was the one who was rude earlier.”

“Oh my, what are you saying! Being held in the arms of an unfamiliar man after so long wasn’t bad at all.”

Baek Soryeong entered the restaurant with a bright smile like canola flowers.