Chapter 72

“Urgh…”

Yang Gong slowly succumbed to death.

Jin Ja-gang searched his body and obtained three small curved blades known as Sogokdo. Though he couldn’t wield them freely on his fingers as Yang Gong had, he could use them as hidden weapons, just as he had seen.

He also found a small vial, about the length of two finger joints, and took that as well.

After confirming that Yang Gong was completely dead, Jin Ja-gang dragged his body and threw it into the stream.

Splash!

In about an hour, his body would likely be discovered downstream.

Now, he had to hurry.

Jin Ja-gang began walking in the opposite direction of the stream’s flow. He intended to infiltrate the heart of the Shadow Bureau from the side opposite the stream.

Crunch, crunch.

Even as he moved, Jin Ja-gang did not stop chewing on morning glory seeds.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

“Yang Gong, why hasn’t this guy come back after going to wash the buckwheat?”

The warriors of the Shadow Bureau, who were threshing in the fields, found it strange.

“Could he be napping in the shade somewhere? Heh heh heh.”

“Hey, youngest. Go check on him. He’s probably somewhere upstream.”

The worker, referred to as the youngest-a man in his twenties-stood up. Though called the youngest, he was actually a regular warrior of the Shadow Bureau.

“Yes, I’ll go check.”

However, the regular warrior didn’t need to go all the way to the uppermost stream to find Yang Gong.

While heading upstream along the stream, he discovered Yang Gong’s body caught on a rock midway.

As soon as the regular warrior confirmed Yang Gong’s identity, his face turned pale.

He immediately pulled out a whistle from his waist and blew it.

Piiiiiiiii-!

It was a whistle sound that rarely rang out.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the experts of the Shadow Bureau rushed to the spot where the whistle had sounded, moving like lightning.

They quickly determined the cause of Yang Gong’s death.

“He was poisoned.”

They also found traces of a struggle further upstream.

“Not much time has passed. The culprit is nearby.”

“Search the surroundings!”

Upon learning that Yang Gong had been poisoned, the Shadow Bureau immediately entered a state of emergency.

Guai Song, who had been preparing to make Shaobing (flatbread) at the village hall, also received the news.

Guai Song’s facial expression changed dramatically.

Not an accidental fall or a personal mishap, but poisoned?

And right at the doorstep of the Shadow Bureau’s stronghold?

“Huh, could it be…?”

A phrase came to mind at that moment.

The annihilation of the Stone Forest Gang!

The limping one!

“Could it be that he came to us instead of Iron Umbrella Sect?”

Mang Ryo’s prediction might have been wrong.

Or perhaps it was intentional.

Guai Song furrowed his brow.

In any case, if it was indeed the limping one, the mere fact that he had broken through numerous surveillance networks meant he was not someone to be underestimated.

“Hmm? Wait a minute?”

Guai Song noticed an unexpected contradiction in the recent events.

If this person was meticulous enough to bypass all surveillance networks without being caught, why would they fail to dispose of the body properly and just throw it into the stream?

Knowing full well it would be discovered soon.

“This guy…?”

The wrinkles on Guai Song’s brow deepened.

* * *

While the experts of the Shadow Bureau searched along the stream, Jin Ja-gang circled around to the opposite side and infiltrated the village.

Entering the Shadow Bureau through the proper path would mean passing through the terraced fields on the mountain, but by circling around the mountain and entering from the opposite side, one would descend facing the houses positioned directly on the ridge.

In a way, this made him more visible.

However, precisely because it was more exposed, there would likely be gaps in their defenses. With attention focused on the stream, this was the perfect opportunity.

Jin Ja-gang hid his body as much as possible in the shadows of trees and grass, heading toward the large village hall in the center of the village.

From a distance, he had confirmed there was a well there.

Jin Ja-gang cautiously entered the village. He pressed himself against the wall of the first house and peered inside. The houses were spaced reasonably apart, which was actually helpful in this situation.

Inside the village, only one or two people were moving about, and there were no signs of others. Most likely, they were out searching for Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang entered the empty first house and stole some clothes.

After putting on the clothes, he took a deep breath and stepped outside, walking confidently through the village as if nothing was amiss.

Not too slow, not too fast-just at a moderate pace.

Limping slightly.

Surprisingly, because he walked so boldly, no one paid much attention to Jin Ja-gang!

He passed four houses, covering a distance of about twenty jang (approximately 60 meters).

As Jin Ja-gang casually walked through the village, he stopped by a storage shed. It was a warehouse for storing grains and other supplies. Numerous sacks of grain were stacked inside. One side was cleared out, likely to make space for the buckwheat they would soon bring in.

Jin Ja-gang scanned the inside of the shed, touching various items before picking up a sack of grain.

He placed it on a carrying frame near the entrance.

Then, he hoisted the frame onto his back and left the shed.

To anyone watching, he looked exactly like someone working.

Limping slightly.

If someone looked at Jin Ja-gang from a distance where they couldn’t make out his face, he even lightly bowed his head in greeting!

Jin Ja-gang did not rush.

Instead of hurrying to his target, he meandered, looking around here and there, walking leisurely. To anyone observing, he appeared to be a resident of this village.

However, because he was carrying a heavy sack, he limped even more than before.

Was it because he was too tense and unaware of it? Jin Ja-gang made no effort to correct his gait.

Suddenly, Jin Ja-gang’s expression changed.

From a distance, a middle-aged farmer, holding a farming tool, was running toward him as if being chased by something. Jin Ja-gang naturally turned onto a side path.

It didn’t seem like the farmer was running toward him, as the man glanced at Jin Ja-gang but passed by without stopping.

Jin Ja-gang emerged from the side path and entered the nearby village hall.

Inside the village hall, there were clear signs of preparations for a feast with today’s harvested buckwheat. There was oil for frying Shaobing, dishes, and freshly gathered firewood next to the hearth.

Jin Ja-gang set down the carrying frame in one corner and casually walked toward the entrance.

From there, he looked outside, and seeing no one, he exited the village hall and circled to the backyard.

In the backyard, there was a well.

There were also traces of someone having been interrupted while cleaning a pot lid, as if they had rushed out.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t head straight to the well. Instead, he hid in the shadow of a building next to it and pulled out a small vial from his chest.

This small vial was the one he had taken from Yang Gong. He slightly opened the cap and sniffed it; it had a sour smell. It was definitely a potent poison. Likely, it was a poison Yang Gong carried to coat his Sogokdo blades.

However, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t use this poison. If it was a poison commonly used by the Shadow Bureau, they would likely have an antidote for it.

Jin Ja-gang poured the contents of the vial onto the ground and raised his little finger.

Focusing his mind, the toxic energy stored in his dantian rose up. At the tip of his already torn and bloodied little finger, a transparent liquid began to form.

Drip, drip.

He collected all the remaining cinnabar poison, which he had used at the Stone Forest Gang, into the small vial. Though the amount was small, it was enough to poison dozens of people.

“Phew, phew.”

Jin Ja-gang took long, deep breaths.

As he had done up until now, Jin Ja-gang openly walked to the well. Upon reaching it, he naturally drew water with the bucket as if he had intended to drink.

Gulp, gulp.

He didn’t just take a small sip; he drew water several times, drinking over a doe (a traditional Korean unit of measure, roughly 1.8 liters).

He drank so much that his stomach sloshed, almost to the point of making movement difficult.

Finally, he pulled out the small vial containing the cinnabar poison.

Just as Jin Ja-gang opened the cap of the vial and was about to pour it into the well-

Whoosh!

A sound of wind cut through the air, and a buckwheat stalk sprouted from Jin Ja-gang’s arm.

No, it wasn’t sprouting-a buckwheat stalk had flown and pierced into Jin Ja-gang’s arm!

“Ugh!”

Jin Ja-gang swallowed a groan.

Another one came flying.

A dried buckwheat stalk, about two hand-spans long, pierced through Jin Ja-gang’s wrist like an awl.

When Jin Ja-gang tried to forcibly pull out the buckwheat stalk, it simply tore and came out.

His arm trembled uncontrollably, and strength drained from it. He even dropped the small vial containing the Dansa poison.

Clatter.

Someone kicked the rolling small vial up with the tip of their foot.

Another person snatched the vial mid-air with their hand.

Jin Ja-gang, clutching his paralyzed arm, could only watch the scene unfold.

An old man, Guai Song, pulled out a silver rod that had been stuck in his hair and dipped it into the small vial.

In an instant, the silver rod turned black.

Poison, and a highly toxic one at that.

“Huh.”

Guai Song let out a sound of astonishment before looking at Jin Ja-gang.

“Truly, you’re a fearless brat, aren’t you? Daring to infiltrate the heart of the Shadow Bureau and attempt to poison the well?”

Jin Ja-gang, holding his wrist where blood was seeping out, gritted his teeth. The pain was excruciating, even though it was just a plant stalk that had pierced him.

Yet, he didn’t back down and glared at Guai Song.

Guai Song frowned and spoke.

“I was utterly amazed watching you stroll through here as if it were your own home. In my eighty years of covert operations, I’ve never seen someone with as much audacity as you.”

Guai Song had been watching Jin Ja-gang ever since he entered the village.

“Truly astounding.”

Guai Song repeated the same sentiment several times, clearly deeply impressed by Jin Ja-gang.

Then, he asked Jin Ja-gang.

“Are you the limping one?”

Jin Ja-gang, gritting his teeth, responded through clenched jaws.

“What do you mean by ‘the limping one’?”

“The one who committed mass slaughter at the Stone Forest Gang.”

Jin Ja-gang, with cold sweat dripping from his forehead, let out a smile filled with murderous intent.

“If you mean killing those who deserved to die, then yes, that was me.”

“How could someone so young…?”

“When I was even younger than now, the Extreme Poison Sect also fell by my hand.”

Guai Song was utterly dumbfounded.

“What? The Extreme Poison Sect?”

Given his age, it seemed impossible.

Guai Song started to speak but stopped, glancing down at the small vial in his hand.

“No, no. Nothing is impossible in the martial world. If it’s someone as brazen as you, it’s not entirely unthinkable that they could be caught off guard…”

At that moment, Jin Ja-gang, using his uninjured left hand, pulled the ring of a Sogokdo and thrust his hand toward Guai Song.

Snap!

The blade of the Sogokdo shot toward Guai Song.

“Hmm?”

The blade flew in the blink of an eye, but at some point, it was caught between the index and middle fingers of the hand Guai Song was holding up, right in front of his face.

“Huh.”

Guai Song’s expression darkened as he looked at the Sogokdo.

“So, you’re the one who killed Yang Gong as well.”

Guai Song looked up to see Jin Ja-gang already fleeing. Whether Guai Song was hit by the Sogokdo or not, Jin Ja-gang had used it as a diversion to escape.

However, Guai Song followed Jin Ja-gang slowly, as if he were in no hurry.

Jin Ja-gang, running, was suddenly startled.

The door of a nearby house opened, and a Shadow Bureau warrior burst out.

“Stop right there!”

Jin Ja-gang drew a wisp of energy through his Baihui acupoint and executed a movement technique. He kicked off a nearby wall and leaped over a rooftop.

That was the limit of the movement technique he could perform with a mere wisp of internal energy. Jin Ja-gang rolled on the ground using a landing technique, got back up, and continued to flee.

As Jin Ja-gang turned the corner of a house, another Shadow Bureau warrior, who appeared to be around forty, emerged from nowhere, blocking his path with a sickle in hand.

“Stop!”