Chapter 196

“Stop now…”

Tang Ha-ran couldn’t speak because her voice wouldn’t come out, and she could only cry.

However, Jin Ja-gang had not yet reduced his fighting spirit at all, completely separate from Tang Ha-ran’s wishes.

Taoist Bok-cheon, who had been watching Tang Ha-ran shed tears, nodded with a gloomy expression. He had hoped it wouldn’t be so, but his thoughts had ultimately proven correct.

Taoist Bok-cheon had already read the same emotions as now in Tang Ha-ran’s eyes when she had looked at the carriage before.

He couldn’t say he knew well about romantic feelings between men and women as a Taoist. However, he couldn’t fail to recognize those eyes.

Because his senior brother had been showing exactly the same eyes as Tang Ha-ran for decades, and he had been watching such a senior brother from beside him for decades.

Having seen an impossible relationship, he had some feelings of supporting Tang Ha-ran on one hand.

However, there wasn’t particularly anything Taoist Bok-cheon could do.

What remained now would be how Jin Ja-gang would accept it. Could Jin Ja-gang, who came from a medicine sect, really accept the daughter of the Tang family, which was like the head of the martial world’s poison sects?

But… what happened afterward was a completely different aspect from what Taoist Bok-cheon had thought.

Jin Ja-gang rushed at Tang Ha-ran in one bound, trying to stab a needle into the neck of the crying Tang Ha-ran!

“Good heavens…!”

In contrast, Tang Ha-ran was just exposing her white nape while shedding tears to the point where she couldn’t even see ahead. Complete defenselessness.

Tang Ha-ran, who had been one of the outstanding martial talents even in the Tang family, had become nothing but a gentle sheep before a wolf from the moment she realized she had fallen for Jin Ja-gang. Yet Jin Ja-gang was rushing to devour the gentle sheep who couldn’t even resist and could only cry!

Taoist Bok-cheon was greatly alarmed.

How could it be something an ordinary person could do – to see a woman crying pitifully while looking at him and then rush to kill her upon seeing that!

There was no time to think further.

Taoist Bok-cheon immediately decided to intervene.

He drew up his internal energy to the maximum and stomped his foot.

Bang!

An afterimage remained as if Taoist Bok-cheon’s body had stretched long.

Bow Body Bullet Shadow!

There was no time to leisurely block it. Jin Ja-gang’s momentum was that fierce.

Taoist Bok-cheon, who had flown explosively with Bow Body Bullet Shadow, grabbed the back of Jin Ja-gang’s neck and threw him away.

Jin Ja-gang flew several zhang and rolled around. Since Taoist Bok-cheon didn’t have the leisure to control his strength, Jin Ja-gang received the full impact. He stood up from the rolling motion but couldn’t handle the force and sat down again.

Jin Ja-gang forcibly fitted his dislocated shoulder back by hitting it against the ground, then stood up.

Taoist Bok-cheon became angry.

“You crazy b*st*rd!”

But Jin Ja-gang moved his fitted arm and rather glared at Taoist Bok-cheon.

“What are you doing?”

Taoist Bok-cheon shouted with anger.

“What am I doing! Look at what you were trying to do just now! How can you point a blade at a young lady who is crying while looking at you! You scoundrel, it wasn’t right to pretend I sent voice transmission earlier either!”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“No limits! Having no conditions was the condition of the martial contest. What did I do wrong?”

Gasp.

Taoist Bok-cheon flinched. That was what Jin Ja-gang said was correct. Logically, Jin Ja-gang’s words were right, but emotionally they weren’t.

“Were you really trying to kill Young Lady Tang?”

“Depending on the situation.”

“You heartless fellow.”

At Taoist Bok-cheon’s words, Jin Ja-gang asked back.

“Then what should I have done? This was the only chance I could win.”

Taoist Bok-cheon shouted sternly.

“You scoundrel! I don’t like that attitude of yours! Sometimes there are things more important than victory or defeat. If you just throw everything away and only kill, you’re a murderer, not some descendant of the orthodox faction!”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t back down at all.

“I won’t deny it. However, Taoist, you interfered in a legitimate contest. How will you take responsibility?”

“This fellow dares to demand that I take responsibility without any regard for hierarchy!”

Taoist Bok-cheon ground his teeth.

Jin Ja-gang said firmly.

“Where is there hierarchy in what’s wrong!”

“These… I went to the trouble of bringing and saving those who were being chased and on the verge of death…”

Taoist Bok-cheon was angry enough to devour Jin Ja-gang. However, Jin Ja-gang looked straight at Taoist Bok-cheon and said.

“Taoist, you clearly said so. That you gave up your position for the sin of having a stupid disciple. To make empty words now is shameless talk.”

Having been called shameless, Taoist Bok-cheon’s anger rose to the top of his head. When in his life had he ever been insulted this much by a greenhorn!

“Oh ho, is that so? Thank you for enlightening me about my dullness.”

“Not at all. You taught me that wrong things must be corrected at any time.”

Taoist Bok-cheon was beyond angry to the point of being dumbfounded.

“You scoundrel! I can’t find you lovable no matter how much I try!”

Taoist Bok-cheon was about to point at Jin Ja-gang when he raised his hand, but something felt strange about his hand.

A needle was stuck in the back of his hand.

“…”

It seemed Jin Ja-gang had stuck it when he hurriedly grabbed and threw Jin Ja-gang’s nape earlier.

Taoist Bok-cheon even felt deflated.

He pulled out the needle and blocked the poison from spreading with his internal energy. During the argument, the poison had spread quite a bit, making his entire hand numb.

“You… do you know what this means?”

Taoist Bok-cheon’s voice had become much calmer. Unexpectedly, Jin Ja-gang answered calmly.

“I know.”

Jin Ja-gang had been thinking of fighting even Taoist Bok-cheon if necessary.

Even in that hectic moment of being grabbed by the nape and thrown, he had planted a move in advance thinking of the future.

From the moment Taoist Bok-cheon interfered, he was no longer Jin Ja-gang’s ally.

Moreover, this wasn’t a problem that would end with just Taoist Bok-cheon.

“If by any chance… though such a thing couldn’t happen, if I were to die by your hand, you and your companions would make all of Qingcheng Sect your enemy.”

“I know.”

“You knew and still used your hand on me?”

“Aren’t we enemies now?”

“That’s…”

It was an answer that was difficult for Taoist Bok-cheon to respond to. Even if he said no, if Jin Ja-gang felt that way, that would be correct.

“So. What were you planning to do after killing me?”

“I was going to take the antidote and leave with my companions. As I’ve been doing until now.”

These were words that fully captured Jin Ja-gang’s situation of having to wander without anywhere to rely on. Taoist Bok-cheon had nothing to say. Perhaps this was his own fault for not understanding Jin Ja-gang’s situation.

“To fight all of Qingcheng Sect… I don’t know about other things, but I’ll acknowledge your guts.”

“I don’t fight because I have guts. I fight because I have no choice.”

“This fellow… doesn’t think of losing even once!”

“I understand. I’ll lose for you.”

Taoist Bok-cheon’s mouth fell open.

In all his life, this was truly the first time he’d met such a person.

Vicious. So vicious.

Should I just kill him outright? Taoist Bok-cheon even had killing intent at that thought.

But then Tang Ha-ran, whose tears had stopped but still had a crying tone in her voice, said.

“Please stop. I lost.”

Tang Ha-ran stood up, swallowed her tears, and rose weakly.

Then she slowly approached Jin Ja-gang.

“I misjudged the person.”

Tang Ha-ran was now politely using honorifics to Jin Ja-gang. Tang Ha-ran was twenty-one years old, two or three years older than Jin Ja-gang.

However, Tang Ha-ran now had no choice but to acknowledge Jin Ja-gang.

A man who wouldn’t back down even before Taoist Bok-cheon and was prepared to fight all of Qingcheng Sect.

He was already a man far beyond what Tang Ha-ran could handle.

Perhaps Tang Ha-ran had unconsciously read such ambition and spirit in Jin Ja-gang’s eyes.

Perhaps that’s what attracted her.

Tang Ha-ran approached Jin Ja-gang. She stood right in front of Jin Ja-gang and met his eyes, but there was no longer any hostility there.

Tang Ha-ran calmly held up the antidote in her hand. However, her hand was slightly trembling.

“This is the antidote.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Ha-ran for a while, then finally accepted the antidote.

Tang Ha-ran said without moving.

“If I return like this, I won’t be truly alive even if I live. Since I lost, please kill me.”

Jin Ja-gang immediately refused.

“I got the antidote, so that’s enough.”

However, Tang Ha-ran said in a much calmer voice.

“You owed me one debt. Do you remember, if I may ask?”

“I know. However, if that’s a request to kill you, I absolutely cannot grant it.”

“Then I won’t say that. But instead…”

Tang Ha-ran slowly knelt and bowed to Jin Ja-gang with proper etiquette, then raised her eyes that still had tears welling up to look up at Jin Ja-gang.

“Would you please take me in?”

Jin Ja-gang’s time stopped.

Jin Ja-gang met Tang Ha-ran’s gaze.

All the earlier hostility had disappeared from Tang Ha-ran. Her cheeks were reddish and her eyes were moist with moisture. Even her usually fierce eyes had softened and looked comfortable.

For the first time, he thought she was beautiful.

However, they had just been fighting to the death. For Jin Ja-gang, this was somehow an awkward situation.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t answer and first opened the antidote to taste it.

Tang Ha-ran watched Jin Ja-gang without taking her eyes off him and waited.

After tasting it, Jin Ja-gang closed the cap and returned it to Tang Ha-ran.

“Why…”

Jin Ja-gang’s expression looking at Tang Ha-ran was very complex.

“Is this the antidote?”

“That’s what I was told…”

Tang Ha-ran, who realized something, opened the antidote cap and tasted it. Then she immediately spat it out with saliva.

Ptui.

A severe fishy smell lingered in her mouth.

This wasn’t an antidote.

Tang Ha-ran’s face, which had been red with embarrassment while looking at Jin Ja-gang, gradually became distorted.

“Mang Ryo…! That b*st*rd!”

A cold chill formed in Jin Ja-gang’s eyes when he heard the name Mang Ryo.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mang Ryo had been very busy.

When he gained power, he had thought countless times about plans and methods to use that power.

Now that he had almost everything, this was the time he should be busiest.

So Mang Ryo sent countless carrier pigeons and wrote letters with the help of the Tang family’s information organization.

Tang Qing would censor them, but it didn’t matter.

Someone like Tang Qing had the habit of obsessively keeping what he said once for the sake of his authority. Since he said he would leave it to Mang Ryo, he would watch anyway unless things became a complete mess.

Squeak, squeak.

While Mang Ryo sat in a chair, below him an old man called the Tang family’s best hidden weapon craftsman was adjusting Mang Ryo’s new prosthetic leg.

“It’s done.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Mang Ryo stood up, walked around, and tapped his feet, then asked.

“The hidden weapons were a bit weak before… they couldn’t penetrate Iron Robe Three at all. Don’t you have hidden weapons that can pierce protective energy?”

The old craftsman answered bluntly.

“Hidden weapons that can pierce protective energy like Iron Robe Three or Golden Bell Cover are very expensive, so only direct family members use them.”

“That damn money, money… if things go wrong because of that, who will take responsibility?”

“There’s not enough even for direct family members to use.”

Mang Ryo held up the King of Hell Plaque. The old craftsman frowned.

“I can’t do protective energy, but I’ll install hidden weapons that can pierce Iron Robe Three level…”

At that moment, Mang Ryo struck the old craftsman’s head with the King of Hell Plaque.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

As the old craftsman was about to fall, Mang Ryo followed and swung the King of Hell Plaque.

Thwack thwack!

The old craftsman’s head cracked and blood flowed thickly.

“St-stop…!”

Thwack! Thwack!

Mang Ryo just kept hitting without saying anything.

The old craftsman covered his bleeding head with his hands and let out a single scream.

“I’ll bring it! I’ll bring it!”