Chapter 161

Red curtains draped layer upon layer over a half-open door.

“Oh my, how pretty our Hwa-hwa is! I’ll give you a house in Henan, so shall we go live there together?”

It was Sim Hak’s voice.

However, Mang Ryo was about to push aside the curtains and enter when he suddenly lowered them and stepped back.

“…”

After standing for a moment, Mang Ryo dismissed the courtesan and errand boy who had guided him there. He gestured for them to go downstairs entirely.

“I’d like to take a boat with you and have a drink while touring Dongting Lake and such. It’s not just my feelings, right? You feel the same way, don’t you?”

Meanwhile, Sim Hak’s rambling continued.

Mang Ryo scratched above his eyebrow with his finger and said.

“Let me tell you in advance…”

As if by magic, Sim Hak’s voice stopped.

Mang Ryo continued.

“I have returned with very good news, but depending on circumstances, it could turn into sorrowful tidings. Keep that in mind.”

Then he pushed aside the curtains and strode boldly into the room.

In the room was an elaborately set drinking table, with Sim Hak and a young, beautiful courtesan sitting there trembling. There was nothing else unusual about the room.

Mang Ryo shifted his gaze to the window.

Outside the window.

A pair of tiger eyes blazed like fire outside the window.

Soon Mang Ryo was enveloped in pitch-black dark currents. The dark currents stretched out in streams, wrapping around and coiling about Mang Ryo’s limbs.

Slash, slash.

Each time the dark currents lightly touched, Mang Ryo’s collar was cut away.

However, Mang Ryo accepted the dark currents nonchalantly.

“This is a completely un-Sword Pavilion Master-like mistake, isn’t it? Next time you want to set a trap in a pleasure house, it would be better to do it after men and women have thoroughly played around. A pleasure house with no scent of flesh is rather strange, after all. Anyway, come out now.”

At that moment, the dark currents disappeared as if by magic.

The window was open and somehow Baek Li-jung had entered the room.

There was a reason why Sim Hak and the courtesan were trembling. Mang Ryo said to the courtesan.

“You may leave now.”

“Y-yes…”

The courtesan hurriedly got up to leave. But Baek Li-jung suddenly stood behind the courtesan. Then he placed his hand on top of the courtesan’s head.

Baek Li-jung pressed his hand downward.

Crack crack crack crack!

With the sound of breaking bones, the courtesan’s body crumpled.

As if her limbs had been carelessly twisted without regard for direction or shape, the courtesan was contorted into a strange form. Her head faced forward as before, but her buttocks touched the back of her head, and all her limbs pointed skyward.

But what was more horrifying was that the courtesan was still alive despite this.

Baek Li-jung spoke with his eyes turned blood-red from extreme killing intent.

“I warned you. Chess pieces only have meaning when they’re on the chessboard.”

Mang Ryo frowned.

“She was the most popular girl in our pleasure house.”

Mang Ryo approached the courtesan, whose eyes were glistening with tears and mouth was gaping.

“Tsk tsk, what kind of state is this for a flower that never got to bloom once? This life seems to have gone wrong. If we meet again in the next life, I’ll definitely treat you several times better than now.”

Mang Ryo bent down and, faster than Baek Li-jung could stop him, grabbed chopsticks from the table and stabbed the courtesan’s heart.

Blood trickled from her heart. But the courtesan did not die.

“Hm?”

Mang Ryo raised his eyebrows and looked up at Baek Li-jung.

Baek Li-jung was grinning with a murderous expression, baring his teeth. Through the hand placed on her head, he was pouring tremendous internal energy to keep the courtesan alive.

The intent was clear.

As if even death was in his grasp, meaning that without his permission, no one could control life and death as they pleased.

Mang Ryo sighed softly and shook his head.

“Please let her go now. Don’t you feel sorry for the child?”

The killing intent in Baek Li-jung’s smile grew even thicker. As the killing intent intensified, Sim Hak trembled even more.

Mang Ryo made a bitter expression. They had engaged in a battle of wills, but ultimately Mang Ryo had been pushed back.

“I humbly request it.”

Only then did Baek Li-jung wave his hand. The courtesan fluttered like weightless straw and flew to crash against the wall. The life quickly faded from the courtesan’s sad eyes.

Baek Li-jung gulped down the alcohol on the drinking table and went to sit on the bed.

“Now let’s hear the story.”

Mang Ryo brushed off his clothes and stood up, saying.

“First, Silent Dragon is safe. He was in a very dangerous condition due to severe poisoning. To treat Silent Dragon, I had no choice but to come to Sichuan. To treat poison, one must borrow the power of those skilled with poison, mustn’t one?”

Sim Hak rolled his eyes, reading the mood, then interjected.

“H-how dare you lie! Don’t you think we don’t know that you’re the one who leaked false information to Silent Dragon!”

Baek Li-jung stared intently at Sim Hak. Sim Hak trembled, swallowed dry saliva, and laughed.

“Heh, hehe…”

Baek Li-jung flicked his finger. When Sim Hak approached, Baek Li-jung placed his hand on Sim Hak’s disheveled hair.

Snap.

The tip of his messily tied topknot was cut off and his hair came undone.

Sim Hak wet himself.

But instead of harming Sim Hak, Baek Li-jung spoke in a merciful tone.

“Don’t overexert yourself, strategist. I know well that my strategist is here to discover that fellow’s schemes on his own. But your appearance is somewhat irritating. The strategist is like my face, so if you go around looking so sloppy, it’s troublesome.”

“Yes! I’ll be careful!”

“Go to that corner and retie your undone topknot first.”

“Yes, sir!”

Sim Hak crawled across the floor to a corner and buried his head there, beginning to arrange his hair.

Baek Li-jung showed no displeasure toward Sim Hak. However, Mang Ryo could tell that Baek Li-jung’s mood was very uncomfortable right now.

This was because of the slip of the tongue Sim Hak had just made, which let Mang Ryo know that they didn’t actually know who had sent information to Silent Dragon.

Asking “Don’t you think we don’t know that you’re the one!” was proof that they only had suspicions but no evidence.

“The Pavilion Master truly cherishes his strategist. Strategist Sim must be pleased.”

This was a sarcastic comment about how one of Baek Li-jung’s cards had just been lost because of Sim Hak.

Sim Hak turned his head slightly and grinned foolishly, then noticed Baek Li-jung’s expression and burst into anger.

“Y-you should shut that damned mouth before I sew it up in four lines!”

Baek Li-jung warned.

“Enough. Now I’ll listen to the story.”

Mang Ryo shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway, for that reason, I saved Silent Dragon but ended up being misunderstood from all sides as being connected to the evil faction. Even Silent Dragon tried to kill me as soon as he woke up.”

“So?”

“I decided to prove that I’m not such a dirty person.”

“How?”

Mang Ryo spoke in an ambitious voice.

“I’ll capture and offer up Shandong Enchanting Flower.”

Baek Li-jung’s eyebrows twitched. This had meaning beyond simply capturing and delivering an evil faction heroine.

Baek Li-jung stared into Mang Ryo’s eyes. It was a gaze meant to gauge how much Mang Ryo actually knew.

However, Mang Ryo never showed more than what his words revealed. He knew well that going further could mean his death.

A faint smile formed at the corners of Mang Ryo’s mouth.

***

Finally, the time came for Jin Ja-gang to leave.

Soso gave Jin Ja-gang pills wrapped in oil paper.

They were medicines she had made herself during the few days since Jin Ja-gang announced his departure.

Bian Bu grumbled.

“They may look like mouse droppings, but the contents are secret transmissions of Guizhou’s Medicine Sect. That girl Soso, when I begged for just one pill, she wouldn’t give it to me…”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong smiled and said.

“Those are called Dengryeo Warming Pills, which are very effective for internal injuries. They’ll be of great help in treating organs damaged by internal energy cultivation methods or sword energy. It looks like she completed them at dawn today.”

Ten Dengryeo Warming Pills made with Soso’s devotion.

They would become precious medicine that could save Jin Ja-gang’s life many times in the future.

Jin Ja-gang thanked Soso.

Soso blushed and hid behind Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

Jin Ja-gang also bid farewell to Bian Bu and Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

“I was truly grateful this time. I hope the day will come when I can repay this kindness.”

“Well, the connections of the martial world are as tough as ox tendons, so whether living or dead, those destined to meet will meet again. If it’s fate, we’ll meet again. Farewell.”

“Stay healthy.”

Knowing that Jin Ja-gang was leaving again for revenge, Dan Ryeong-gyeong didn’t say much.

Jin Ja-gang left the manor carrying only a light bundle.

For the time being, until he could gather himself, he planned to stay in Sichuan and work at a pharmacy he had been introduced to.

“Ah… uh-uh.”

Soso made a sorrowful sound as she watched Jin Ja-gang’s departing figure.

It wasn’t just Soso who felt sorry, but also Bian Bu and Dan Ryeong-gyeong who were watching her.

Bian Bu cursed Jin Ja-gang.

“I’ve never seen a good man among those who make women cry. Since you made our pretty Soso cry, you’ll probably have to come back soon too. Hmph.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong said.

“Perhaps not returning would be a good thing for that young man.”

Bian Bu clicked his tongue and looked at Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

“Are you leaving?”

“I must.”

“It might be a trap.”

Just yesterday, Dan Ryeong-gyeong had received contact through the evil faction’s secret channels.

“We’ll hand over Baek Li-gwon, so bring Jin Ja-gang and meet us in southern Guangxi.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong had no intention of handing over Jin Ja-gang. Rather, she had let Jin Ja-gang leave freely.

If so, she could simply ignore the letter, but she said she would go see rather than ignore it.

“Shouldn’t you have kept that fellow here at least until you go to southern Guangxi?”

“They already know where we are. And they know I won’t hand over the Jin family boy. So what could be the reason they told me to come to southern Guangxi despite knowing this?”

“That’s exactly why even my dull rat-like brain can clearly sense this is a trap.”

“When have I ever not gone somewhere because I feared a trap? What would people in the martial world call me then?”

Actually, there was no need to be so concerned about martial world rumors or reputation. Bian Bu would naturally think so.

But Dan Ryeong-gyeong was different. Though she was of the evil faction, she refused to be essentially evil faction. That’s why she had no choice but to respond to the opponent’s schemes.

“Should I accompany you?”

“With those legs of yours, you’d just be a burden.”

Bian Bu still hadn’t even removed his splints. He was different from Jin Ja-gang.

“Ah, really. Not even Sichuan, but meeting in southern Guangxi. That’s at least a five-day journey from here…”

“If nothing happens, I’ll stop there and then return to Shandong.”

If something did happen, she might never see Shandong or anywhere else again. Evil faction people who were always being hunted by orthodox faction swords had to live with such anxiety.

But neither of them spoke such words.

“Understood.”

“I should be leaving soon too.”

***

Jin Ja-gang left Dayi and decided to go deeper into Sichuan.

At an inn he stopped at along the way, he couldn’t help but hear martial world stories whether he wanted to or not.

“They say he captured Young Phoenix and Silent Dragon among the Three Dragons and Four Phoenix?”

“There’s talk that he fought Silent Dragon to a mutual defeat, so shouldn’t he be considered at least equal to Silent Dragon?”

“Since he clashed after smashing through the Nine Palace Eight Trigram Formation, he might even be above Silent Dragon.”

It was talk about Jin Ja-gang.

Every time the nickname “Poison Dragon” came up in people’s conversations, Jin Ja-gang’s face burned with embarrassment.

Poison Dragon!

It was too excessive a nickname.

Jin Ja-gang felt unnecessarily embarrassed.

It seemed that hearing such titles as dragon or phoenix regularly wasn’t an easy thing either.