At Jeok Wigang’s words, Wi Garyang and Muk Jin stared at him with dumbfounded expressions.
Then Wi Garyang tapped the back of his neck with his hand and looked up at the sky.
“Ah.... I haven’t even lived that long....... Yet I really do get to experience all kinds of nonsense.”
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed, and he even let out a hollow laugh.
When Wi Garyang stopped laughing, he glared at Jeok Wigang with a frightening expression and said,
“Then try taking us over. If you cannot, you will not leave this place alive today.”
The instant he gave that terrifying warning, Jeok Wigang’s form blurred. In the blink of an eye, he snatched Wi Garyang by the neck and lifted him straight into the air.
“URK!”
It happened in an instant.
Wi Garyang, seized before he could even react properly, struggled desperately to pry loose the hand gripping his throat.
But Jeok Wigang’s strength was so overwhelming that no matter how Wi Garyang thrashed, the hand would not budge.
If he could not loosen it, he would cut it off.
Wi Garyang quickly drew the sword at his waist and slashed at Jeok Wigang’s arm.
TZAAANG—
The sword cut through empty air, and Jeok Wigang had already retreated behind him.
When the hell did he move over there?
Wi Garyang truly felt as if he had been bewitched by a ghost.
But it did not matter.
Ghost or whatever else, he only had to cut him down.
Wi Garyang’s sword moved swiftly toward Jeok Wigang.
TING—!
The sword stopped right before Jeok Wigang’s nose.
What stopped that sword was two fingers.
“Nrgh!”
Wi Garyang tried to pull the sword free, but it did not budge.
CLANG—
With a sharp metallic sound, the sword shook violently.
Wondering what had happened, Wi Garyang looked at the tip of the blade and saw that it had been snapped off bluntly. A shard of the sword was held between Jeok Wigang’s fingers.
“This is a fine sword.”
He broke a fine sword with bare fingers?
And a sword infused with sword qi, at that?
Did that make any sense?
TZNNNG—
Sword aura wrapped around Wi Garyang’s sword.
“Try blocking this too!”
PA-PAT—
But even the sword wrapped in sword aura was caught between Jeok Wigang’s two fingers.
CLANG—
“This lunatic!”
The sword wrapped in sword aura was torn apart by bare fingers.
Clink—
The shards of the sword in Jeok Wigang’s hand struck against one another with a light sound.
TING—
At the chilling sensation, Wi Garyang quickly twisted his head to the side.
Pffft—
A hot sensation crossed his cheek, and something ran down it.
When he touched it, his hand came away with red blood.
“You’ve got good instincts.”
It was not that his instincts were good.
Jeok Wigang had deliberately sent a chilling warning before flicking the sword shard at him.
What should he do?
It did not seem like continuing would work.
His opponent was playing with him right now.
And far too leisurely at that.
When Wi Garyang looked back, Muk Jin was standing there with a blank expression.
He had watched the entire fight from behind, so it was understandable.
Seeing Muk Jin’s reaction, this did not seem to be a dream.
The problem was that even Muk Jin, the one who should have come up with a clever plan to solve this situation, was reacting like that. There seemed to be no method left.
Damn it.... I’m sure my dreams were good yesterday. They say dreams mean the opposite, but still....
Even so, he could not collapse this easily.
Shouldn’t he at least struggle?
Only then would he have any face left before his subordinates.
Wi Garyang looked at Jeok Wigang with a resolute expression.
When Jeok Wigang had said he had come to take over Black Blood Gate, Wi Garyang had not believed it.
But after experiencing Jeok Wigang’s existence firsthand, he realized it had not been an empty boast.
But if he was that strong, why had rumors spread that he had no inner qi?
Why had the True Martial Sect made the second son its successor while leaving someone that strong aside, and why had he taken the imperial examination?
The questions were not just one or two.
That was a matter to investigate later. Right now, focusing on Jeok Wigang came first.
Wi Garyang spoke in a respectful tone.
“I acknowledge you. From this moment on, I will face you using only my greatest techniques.”
“Good. Come.”
*****
“HAH— HAH— HAH—!”
Wi Garyang, utterly exhausted, kept breathing roughly.
He stared at Jeok Wigang with a look of revulsion.
He had unleashed every one of his greatest techniques, yet Jeok Wigang’s breathing had not become disturbed in the slightest.
That meant he was not even a little tired.
“Damn it.”
He was a true monster.
When Wi Garyang looked around, the assassins of Black Blood Gate had already all been subdued by the person Jeok Wigang had brought with him.
If that man was the former leader of Ghost Killer Corps, then he should possess tremendous martial power.
And Jeok Wigang was an existence even that Ghost Killer Corps leader could not defy.
Having experienced him directly, Wi Garyang understood why.
He had lost completely.
There was no shame in being absorbed by someone stronger.
The moment he was about to smile faintly and admit defeat—
“I will submit.”
Hm?
When Wi Garyang looked to the side, he saw Muk Jin prostrating himself and bowing before Jeok Wigang before he knew it.
That bastard?
A hollow laugh escaped him.
That was exactly the kind of bastard Muk Jin had always been.
A man who would do anything to survive.
Wi Garyang opened his mouth.
“I have lost. I will follow you.”
With those words, he knelt.
“Good. That bastard over there is a bit annoying. Educate him properly yourself.”
Muk Jin looked flustered where Jeok Wigang pointed.
Wi Garyang grinned and said,
“Leave it to me. I will educate him very thoroughly.”
Jeok Wigang nodded and said,
“Clean things up and come inside. You know why I came here, don’t you?”
“Yes. I understand.”
*****
Wi Garyang respectfully handed a booklet to Jeok Wigang.
“Everything related to our dealings with the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company is recorded inside.”
Jeok Wigang opened the booklet and read through it, then laughed.
“So it wasn’t only the True Martial Merchant Company they attacked?”
“That is correct. Every merchant company heading to Chengdu was a target.”
“And while doing that, they casually went on trading runs to other regions themselves?”
“There was no proof it was done by the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company, so the other merchant companies would have had no way to stop them. On top of that, the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company belongs to the Tang Family, so they could not act recklessly. The Tang Family’s family law is to repay favor twofold and grudges tenfold.”
“That’s similar to our True Martial Sect’s family law.”
“Pardon?”
“Repay favor twofold and grudges a hundredfold. Our True Martial Sect’s family law is a little stronger, isn’t it?”
It sounded like he had just made that up.
“Now, then. Shall we go repay that grudge according to our family law?”
“What do you intend to do?”
At Wi Garyang’s question, Jeok Wigang grinned and said,
“We should return exactly what they did to us. From now on, you will interfere with every trading run the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company carries out. Understood?”
“Do we... kill them?”
“Don’t kill them. Send them back alive. If that doesn’t work, just bring them all back. I’ll toss them into the True Martial Merchant Company.”
“Pardon?”
“We have too many wounded because of the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company, so we’re short on workers. We have to fill the gap.”
“I understand. What will you do about the Tang Family?”
“For now, we start with the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company.”
“Do you intend to wage a battle against the Tang Family as well?”
“A battle? Do you think those bastards can be my opponents?”
Wi Garyang pondered for a moment.
Then he nodded.
“I will prepare to raid the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company.”
*****
The Heavenly Flower Merchant Company was the largest merchant company in Sichuan Province.
As was already known, the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company was run by the Tang Family.
The Merchant Master of the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company, Tang Ho, was staring at documents while pressing a hand to his forehead.
“How much damage have we suffered so far?”
“Ten thousand gold taels.”
BANG—!
“Damn it! While we were losing ten thousand gold taels, what the hell were you bastards doing?”
At Tang Ho’s roar, the upper leadership of the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company lowered their heads.
“Who the hell are they? Did you find out?”
“N-not yet.”
“AAAAH!”
RUMBLE—
CRASH—
He swept everything on the desk to the floor with his hand.
“You useless morons! What the hell do you do after eating such expensive meals?”
“W-we apologize! We are investigating through every possible channel right now.”
“What’s there to investigate or not investigate? The methods are the same! The methods!”
“Pardon?”
“They’re the exact same methods we use to attack other merchant companies! What do you think that means? It means they figured it out and are attacking us in return, you fools!”
“H-how would they know that? We did not do it ourselves. We entrusted it to Black Blood Gate, one of the Central Plains’ three great assassin organizations.”
“Then there’s our answer. Either Black Blood Gate is taking money from both sides, or they abandoned us and joined hands with them.”
“Black Blood Gate is absolutely not that kind of sect. Above all, an assassin organization for whom credibility is most important would never betray a client.”
“Really? Is that what you think?”
“Th-that is correct.”
“Then we need to confirm it for certain, don’t we?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then organize another trading run. This time, I will request support from the Tang Family.”
At the Merchant Master’s words that he would request support from the Tang Family, the upper leadership hurried out to organize the trading run.
Left alone, Merchant Master Tang Ho murmured in a low voice,
“I don’t know who you are, but you have touched the wrong opponent. I will personally show you that hell exists even in the human world.”
*****
The Heavenly Flower Merchant Company set out once more.
If this trading run failed too, the losses would truly be severe.
If the merchant company began to struggle, the family’s finances would also be heavily affected, so the Tang Family sent elites to support them.
They made full preparations and began crossing the cliffside plank road of Mount Gongga. Then a masked group blocked their path.
At that, the person in charge of the trading run stepped forward and asked,
“What are you bastards doing? Do you not see that flag?”
The flag bearing the word Heavenly Flower fluttered in the wind blowing through the valley.
“We see it. Heavenly Flower Merchant Company.”
“Do you know whose organization the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company belongs to, and yet you dare do this?”
“We know. It belongs to the Tang Family.”
“You know that and still block our road?”
“So what if it is the Tang Family? Are we supposed to be scared just because you say Tang Family?”
“You bastards!”
The person in charge of the trading run spoke in an enraged voice, but the other side merely sneered.
“We don’t want to hurt you. So quietly leave the cargo behind and go back the way you came. Then you can return with your bodies intact.”
At those words, a group of martial artists who had been listening quietly from the rear stepped forward.
The clothes they wore were embroidered with the character Tang.
“This method may have worked well for you until now, but you chose the wrong opponent today.”
“Oh! Looks like the Tang Family sent elites this time. No wonder you were all so confident.”
Everyone laughed.
At that, the Tang Family martial artists’ expressions twisted.
“You do not seem to grasp the gravity of the situation. You have touched the Tang Family. Our Tang Family repays grudges tenfold.”
“If you hate grudges that much, why did you rob other people’s merchant companies? If you make others shed tears, you should be prepared to shed tears of blood yourselves. Isn’t that right?”
“So you came knowing something. Then we cannot let you leave alive.”
“Do you have the skill to kill us?”
“Soon, I will make that flapping mouth of yours vomit blood.”
The Tang Family martial artists moved the trading party back, then stared with frightening expressions at those blocking the road.
“I will give you a chance. If you tell us who ordered this, I will kill you without pain.”
“Not spare us?”
The Tang Family martial artist grinned.
“If you knew what kind of pain I meant, you would understand what a great favor it is to die without pain. Or should I give you a taste first?”
“Since you poison-users are involved, you really do talk about giving people a taste. Poison all tastes the same, doesn’t it?”
As he spoke, the Tang Family martial artist at the front threw something.
The object that flew to right in front of them in an instant was a black sphere.
BOOM—
The sphere exploded immediately, and green smoke sprayed out in every direction.
The instant the dense smoke covered the masked men—
PIPIPING—
Countless hidden weapons flew toward the masked men.
On a cliffside plank road already narrow by nature, with their vision blocked by smoke, could they possibly block the hidden weapons flying at them?
Confident smiles appeared on the Tang Family martial artists’ lips.