Chapter 133: Blood is Thicker Than Water (2)

Gwak Geo-cheol had gritted his teeth, determined to endure. He truly intended to do so. Yet in this moment, he learned just how weak his will truly was. And that no man could withstand violence.

Dam Ho never rushed.

Methodically, yet relentlessly, he dismantled Gwak Geo-cheol's body and mind.

In the end, Gwak Geo-cheol confessed everything he knew.

For the first time, a change that might be called a human expression appeared on Dam Ho's face.

"So… So Hye-ryeong is the child your people abducted?"

"That is correct! We intended to sell her into slavery… but the Chief of the Banner took a liking to her, and she was taken from us."

The child thus taken became the daughter of Hwang Gyeong-mun and was called Hwang Hye-ryeong.

"We were afraid. That girl might one day recall her true identity and seek revenge."

"So you tried to kill her?"

"Yes! One must eliminate all future trouble."

"Where did you bring her from when you abducted her?"

Though he asked calmly on the surface, at this very moment Dam Ho's heart was pounding more violently than ever before.

"It was a remote village in the foothills of Taebaeksan in Sangsi Province. A small settlement of perhaps a hundred people. That was where I encountered that vicious brat. He bit through his comrade's neck and killed him. Kuhgh!"

Thud!

In that instant, Dam Ho squeezed his eyes shut.

The muscles in his jaw twitched.

'So that was why?'

From the very first time he had seen her, the child had felt different from others. Perhaps it was the pull of blood.

When she was abducted, Hwang Hye-ryeong had been only two or three years old. As much as Dam Ho had changed, Hwang Hye-ryeong's face had changed as well. It was only natural that he had not recognized her at first glance.

Above all, Hwang Hye-ryeong had no memories of her early childhood. She had been taken so young.

It did not matter that she did not recognize him.

Hwang Hye-ryeong might have forgotten everything, but Dam Ho remembered it all with perfect clarity.

Suppressing his agitation, Dam Ho asked.

"Where is the Black Water Banner's stronghold?"

"On Okhwasan in Gangseo Province."

"Okhwasan."

Dam Ho's fist clenched. Seeing this, Gwak Geo-cheol begged.

"I have told you everything I know. So spare me. I will not forget this debt of mercy."

Gwak Geo-cheol did not want to die.

He had committed many evil deeds in his life, but he did not believe that was reason enough to die.

He wanted to live.

He wanted to live with every fiber of his being.

In that moment, Dam Ho's voice came.

"Her name is not Hwang Hye-ryeong."

"What?"

"Her name is Ga-ryeong. The name of my sister, whom you stole from us."

"Th-then?"

Gwak Geo-cheol's eyes went wide.

His pupils trembled.

Dam Ho's face was superimposed upon the face of the boy he had encountered over twenty years ago in a small village in the foothills of Taebaeksan.

"C-could it be that you are—"

"Yes! Now you understand why you must die?"

"Nnngh!"

Despair clouded Gwak Geo-cheol's eyes.

He shook his head frantically.

"It was not I. It was all Jo Yun-san's doing. I only followed orders. I am innocent of any crime. Please, spare me!"

Gwak Geo-cheol clutched Dam Ho's leg and begged. Yet Dam Ho's gaze, looking down at him, remained as cold as ever.

"My parents did the same. They begged for their lives. And what did you do then?"

"Th-that was…"

"You killed them. You toyed with them for a long time, tormenting them as though they were mice."

"Spare me! I was wrong. Please… aaargh!"

Crack!

In that instant, Dam Ho seized Gwak Geo-cheol's right arm and twisted.

Muscle fibers tore, and bone shattered. The shoulder, once intact, was ripped clean away.

Gwak Geo-cheol watched his own arm torn from his body and screamed like a madman, thrashing wildly.

But Dam Ho's retribution was not yet finished. He seized Gwak Geo-cheol's left arm.

"N-no, don't!"

Gwak Geo-cheol pleaded.

Rrrip!

"Aaaargh!"

But Dam Ho was merciless. He tore away the left arm as well.

With both arms ripped from his shoulders, blood poured down like rain. He had lost so much blood so quickly that all color had drained from his face.

The light of life was fading from Gwak Geo-cheol's eyes.

Dam Ho observed this impassively.

"You… you demonic wretch! You will not die cleanly either. You will surely…"

Gwak Geo-cheol gathered his last strength and cursed Dam Ho. Those were the final words he would speak in life.

Dam Ho turned away without a word.

Gwak Geo-cheol's curse held no place in his mind.

He had already killed countless men and heard their venomous words. Adding one more curse from Gwak Geo-cheol would make no difference.

Dam Ho walked toward the cave where he had hidden Hwang Hye-ryeong.

Though his expression remained impassive on the surface, his mind was in utter turmoil.

He needed to sort through his thoughts quickly.

What was truly best for Hwang Hye-ryeong?

Dam Ho suddenly looked down at his fists.

His knuckles were stained red with another's blood, and a thick scent of iron rose from them. The foul stench of blood was enough to muddle even Dam Ho's mind.

'Where did it all go wrong?'

Dam Ho felt that something within him was broken.

He had not given it much thought before, but now, reunited with his sister, the weight of it all pressed upon him.

Dam Ho closed his eyes. Yet he continued walking without difficulty.

A short while later, when he opened his eyes again, the light of conflict was gone. The same emotionless gaze, revealing nothing, had settled firmly in its place.

At last, they reached the cliff where the cave was hidden. Parting the dense undergrowth revealed the concealed entrance.

Hwang Hye-ryeong was there.

"Brother!"

The moment he entered the cave, Bang Jin-bo greeted him first. Dam Ho patted Bang Jin-bo on the head and looked inward.

"Big Brother."

Hwang Hye-ryeong spoke to him.

Her complexion looked considerably better than the previous night. He was relieved, though he did not show it.

"And him?"

"He has regained consciousness. Thanks to you."

"I am grateful for your help."

Muk Il-gwang offered his thanks.

Dam Ho nodded silently.

He did not look at Hwang Hye-ryeong again.

He had lived his life as a wanderer thus far. Just as his own life existed, so too did Hwang Hye-ryeong have her own.

He could not drag her into his life, a life stained with blood.

He believed that letting her live her own life, as she had been doing, was the way to care for her.

'Ga-ryeong.'

Hwang Hye-ryeong's expression looked more at ease.

That was enough.

The four of them left the cave.

They were currently on a hillside on the outskirts of Akyang. It was the very mountain Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo had crossed only a few days prior.

Having crossed it once, the second passage was not difficult. The problem was the pursuit of the Martial Alliance.

That they would never give up the chase was something even a three-year-old could grasp with a moment's thought.

Setting aside Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang, Dam Ho had been designated a public enemy of the Murim. Cheong-gu Sage had been gravely injured at his hands, and Namgung Su had lost his life.

If they let him slip away now, the prestige of the Martial Alliance would suffer a grievous blow.

For the Alliance, which had only just been established, this was a blow it could not afford.

Dam Ho spoke to Hwang Hye-ryeong and Muk Il-gwang.

"Mount the horses."

"But…"

"If you can walk, I will not stop you."

At Dam Ho's words, Muk Il-gwang fell silent.

His current physical condition was far from normal. He could not perform even the most basic movement techniques, and walking itself was difficult.

It was the internal injury he had sustained protecting Hwang Hye-ryeong. His face was still pale. It would take several days of circulating his energy before the injury healed.

Dam Ho looked at Hwang Hye-ryeong.

"You ride as well."

"Yes!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong answered immediately.

Her eyes, fixed on Dam Ho, shone with trust.

It was not simply because he had saved her and Muk Il-gwang's lives. For reasons she could not explain, she instinctively trusted Dam Ho.

She could trust this man.

From the very first moment she saw him, that thought had taken root in her mind.

She did not know why. But Hwang Hye-ryeong trusted her instincts.

To her, Dam Ho was a being she could trust and rely upon.

Above all, when she looked at him, something surged up from the depths of her heart.

Even Hwang Hye-ryeong did not know what that emotion was. But she did not dislike the unfamiliar feeling.

Dam Ho placed Hwang Hye-ryeong upon Heuk-gwi, the Dark Ghost. Muk Il-gwang mounted Bang Jin-bo's horse.

Though he was suddenly forced to walk, Bang Jin-bo showed no displeasure. Having spent considerable time with Dam Ho, walking and running were no hardship. His stamina had improved greatly, and he could walk for hours without tiring.

Muk Il-gwang looked at Bang Jin-bo with an apologetic expression.

"I am sorry, young brother."

"It's nothing."

"I will repay this kindness someday."

"Hehe!"

Finding it difficult to respond, Bang Jin-bo simply smiled.

"Let's go!"

Dam Ho took the reins of Heuk-gwi and set off. Bang Jin-bo took the reins of the horse carrying Muk Il-gwang and followed behind.

Hwang Hye-ryeong, riding atop Heuk-gwi, asked.

"Where are we going?"

"Huangshan."

"Huangshan? Are you taking me to the Overlord's Banner?"

"Yes!"

"There is no need to go to such trouble."

"It is no trouble."

"Bi… Big Brother."

At Dam Ho's blunt reply, Hwang Hye-ryeong's expression momentarily softened with emotion.

Just escaping Akyang unharmed would have been reason enough for gratitude. Yet he was willing to escort her thousands of li to the Overlord's Banner. Not knowing the full circumstances, Hwang Hye-ryeong could not understand Dam Ho's generosity.

But she did not have the courage to refuse. Muk Il-gwang had sustained grave injuries, and she herself was not yet fully mobile.

"Thank you."

Dam Ho did not reply. He simply walked forward, gazing straight ahead.

"Brother!"

Bang Jin-bo came up beside him.

He too was aware of the situation. He knew that Dam Ho had been declared a public enemy of the Murim. Yet the thought of leaving Dam Ho's side never crossed his mind.

Whether it meant death or survival, he intended to stay with Dam Ho until the end.

"Hehe!"

Bang Jin-bo smiled.

Smiling had become a habit for him now.

Hwang Hye-ryeong asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"What's so amusing?"

"I just like being with Big Brother."

"Is that so?"

A faint smile graced Hwang Hye-ryeong's lips. She felt she might understand how Bang Jin-bo felt.

Dam Ho was a frightening man.

She had seen with her own eyes just how merciless he could be toward those he deemed enemies.

To be his enemy was a terrifying thing. But knowing that such a man was on her side filled her with a sense of security she had never known.

For the first time in her life, she felt this sense of warmth and safety. Though the situation was dire, for some reason she was not afraid.

A gentle smile lingered on her lips.

Hwang Hye-ryeong could not take her eyes off Dam Ho's back for a long while.

Jin Ja-gang returned to Lan Family Village.

Limp, limp.

Every time he walked, he felt gazes upon him. These gazes would continue to follow Jin Ja-gang for some time now. To prevent Jin Ja-gang from running away or doing anything foolish.

Jin Ja-gang accepted the gazes nonchalantly. While gazes might be bothersome, they weren’t threatening.

The day after tomorrow… or perhaps in a few days.

Preparing for a fight that could happen at any time was more important.

For Jin Ja-gang, the longer he could delay while preparing, the higher his chances of survival would be.

However, Jin Ja-gang didn’t fret anxiously.

He didn’t rush himself or move hastily.

Instead, he secured lodging and rested fully for a day, then came out to the streets and toured the market.

He wandered the streets looking at curious things and buying street food. He also changed his clothing and outfit appropriately, so that to anyone watching, he appeared to be leisurely enjoying himself and just passing time.

Jin Ja-gang stopped by all sorts of shops he saw while passing by. He even went to shops selling women’s accessories and ornaments.

He bought many things and carried them around. When he entered the inn in the evening, he was carrying armfuls of bundles in both hands.

No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone who had received a Death-Urging Talisman from the Zhuge family.

* * *

Whiiiing!

Cold wind began blowing, stirring up dust.

Before long, the weather was becoming chilly.

Autumn was passing and winter was approaching with great strides.

Yunnan’s winter was windy and harsh. Once the wind started blowing, strong winds would blow almost daily until the spring festival.

* * *

On the ridge of Chae Ridge Mountain overlooking Lan Family Village.

A place where dense undergrowth and thick pine trees grew, with humid air and mist rising.

There in the valley of Chae Ridge Mountain, an enormous number of martial artists had gathered.

Zhuge Ming, dressed as a scholar, stood in the center holding a fan made of white feathers and looked around at the martial artists.

Fifty martial artists mobilized from the Zhuge family.

Plus one hundred warriors to assist them.

A total of one hundred and fifty people had been mobilized for this task.

It was enough force to completely annihilate a decent small or medium sect in half a day.

Zhuge Ming looked down at Lan Family Village while revealing his anger.

“The crime of daring to touch the Zhuge family. Even death cannot repay it. I’ll make you die regretting it while burning in hellfire.”

This was both a vow to himself and the appearance he needed to show to the martial world sects watching this situation.

Zhuge Yan was the niece Zhuge Ming cherished most. She was one of the Three Dragons and Four Phoenix that the entire martial world was watching, and a precious treasure bestowed like a blessing upon the Zhuge family, which had rare martial talent. In ten or twenty years, she could have become a martial artist representing the Zhuge family.

No, even aside from such personal reasons, in any case, a blood relative of the Zhuge family had died. If they failed to catch that b*st*rd this time, the Zhuge family’s honor would be greatly damaged. Everyone in the martial world would mock the Zhuge family. They would surely look down on them and think them insignificant.

A sect that couldn’t take revenge even when one of their members died was bound to be evaluated as weak in the martial world. The weak became prey and would only end up being devoured in an instant.

They had to clearly show others what would happen if you touched the Zhuge family.

* * *

The room at the inn where Jin Ja-gang was staying had become filled with miscellaneous items. There were clothes and fabrics, books, dishes and snack foods.

However, among these, what Jin Ja-gang had actually purchased out of necessity were only things like acupuncture needles from the pharmacy, a sickle from the blacksmith, and a small silver ornamental knife from a shop selling women’s accessories. The rest were things he had roughly picked up to blur the watchers’ eyes.

Jin Ja-gang prepared a whetstone and a basin filled with water, then laid out the needles in a row.

A bitter smile naturally formed.

Originally, needles used to heal patients’ illnesses come in nine different types, each with different uses and shapes.

However, Jin Ja-gang had bought needles not for the purpose of treatment, but for the purpose of killing people. It was a part that made his circumstances clear.

The needles were all different in length, thickness, and shape.

Hair-thin needles one inch long that he had purchased to hide in grass or places his hands could reach.

For use by embedding in the ground. Thick and sturdy four-inch long skin needles that could tear through leather shoe soles and penetrate.

One and a half inch long pointed needles that could be hidden in the palm and thrown or stabbed at close range.

Seven-inch long needles that were long and straight so they could be thrown accurately even from far distances.

All were things he had selected by purpose to harm people.

Though he was a successor of the Medicine Sect and carrying out revenge as a member of the Medicine Sect, the contradictory act of using needles to kill people – the exact opposite of what the Medicine Sect should do.

This kept bringing bitterness to Jin Ja-gang’s mind.

But now it was too late to stop.

Jin Ja-gang began sharpening the needles one by one on the whetstone.

Scrape, scrape.

Depending on their purpose, he needed to shorten the length further or sharpen the tips.

For the skin needles to be embedded in the ground, if the tips were too pointed they risked breaking when stepped on, so he sharpened the tips diagonally like a blade so they could tear through leather and penetrate.

He made the hair needles even thinner for secretly hiding and stabbing, and he made grooves in the middle of the pointed needles so they wouldn’t slip in his hand.

Jin Ja-gang, who had spent a long time carefully sharpening the needles, held up a needle to check it.

The well-sharpened needle tip sparkled as it reflected the lamplight.

But something didn’t feel right.

Jin Ja-gang turned the needles around again. The needles glittered every time they moved.

Only then did Jin Ja-gang realize what didn’t feel right.

Jin Ja-gang immediately went outside and obtained black ink made from glue at a painting shop.

Then he mixed it well and applied it to the needles.

After spreading out the needles painted with ink to dry, he held them up to the lamplight.

The ink absorbed the light so they didn’t sparkle and were pitch black. He didn’t know whether the fight would happen during the day or at night, but at least if it became night, these needles would be very useful.

The well-dried dark-colored ink needles were properly inserted into a leather belt and hidden under the bed.

If he wore leather belts on his arms and legs, he could draw and use them at any time.

He also took out the silver ornamental knife.

A silver ornamental knife is a small blade used by women. It’s small enough to put in a pocket or sleeve, or secretly slip between clothing ties.

What Jin Ja-gang had bought was an inexpensive item, so it wasn’t actually made of silver, but since it was used by women, it still had tassels attached and various decorations elaborately carved on it.

Jin Ja-gang removed all the gold-leafed decorations. If shiny metal was attached, it would reflect moonlight at night.

After removing the decorations, he also twisted out the handle. He wrapped the handle with dark-colored leather or black cloth.

He sharpened the blade on the whetstone to make it much sharper, but painted the sides of the blade with ink made from glue to make it even darker.

* * *

After preparing hidden weapons for several days, Jin Ja-gang was now laying out medicinal herbs in his room.

The herbs he had obtained from the medicine shop were ones that hadn’t been processed and still retained their toxicity.

Jin Ja-gang was lost in thought while selecting various types of herbs.

‘What poison should I use?’

He hadn’t yet decided which poison to use in the upcoming fight.

Eating poisonous food to accumulate toxicity in his dantian was Jin Ja-gang’s most representative method. However, this also had disadvantages.

All plants and trees had both medicinal and toxic properties coexisting.

If the medicinal properties were stronger than the toxic properties, it became an herb, and if the toxic properties were stronger than the medicinal properties, it became a poisonous plant.

However, to obtain poison powerful enough to kill martial artists, considerable toxicity was needed. So using poisonous plants was much easier than herbs.

Of course, securing that much material was also key. To secure even one drop, he would need to chew dozens of poisonous plants.

If judged purely by efficiency, it would be better to use deadly poisonous plants like aconite. However, while aconite had strong toxicity, it was such a famous poison that detoxification methods were relatively well known.

There was a reason why poison sects complexly mixed their sect’s poisons to make detoxification difficult.

And the biggest problem was that Jin Ja-gang couldn’t accumulate several different poisons in his dantian at once.

At most two or three types.

Unless they were legendary extreme poisons like Four Emperor Divine Water or Kunlun Sulfur Jade Poison, they would mix and influence each other, so to achieve proper effects, it was best to unify with one type as much as possible.

Jin Ja-gang tasted the herbs one by one while worrying and thinking.

The place was decided by them, but time was on Jin Ja-gang’s side.

Jin Ja-gang stayed at the inn for a tediously long time. He packed his bags and pretended to leave several times during this period, but ultimately returned multiple times.

Jin Ja-gang intended not to leave Lan Family Village for the time being. He had no intention of following whatever the Zhuge family wanted to do.

He had said he would accept the invitation, but he hadn’t promised when that would be.

* * *

Already the fifth day.

Jin Ja-gang hadn’t moved from Lan Family Village.

No, it wasn’t that he didn’t move at all – he had tried to depart and turned back several times.

Each time, the Zhuge family martial artists waiting for Jin Ja-gang at Chae Ridge Mountain had to repeatedly move to deploy the Nine Palace Eight Trigram Formation and then withdraw.

It was truly something that couldn’t help but put their nerves on edge.

Moreover, they were camping outdoors.

Not just one or two days, but camping in the same place for five days was difficult to endure even for martial artists accustomed to roughing it. From eating to sleeping arrangements to toilet issues, these were never small matters for one hundred and fifty people.

Especially the chilly weather as winter approached made the already uncomfortable camping even more difficult.

Nevertheless, the Zhuge family martial artists were holding their positions without any wavering. Though complaints and dissatisfaction might be expected, they showed no signs of it at all.

It was an aspect that showed how well-disciplined the Zhuge family martial artists were.

* * *

The barracks at the peak of Chae Ridge Mountain.

Receiving the report that Jin Ja-gang was again not leaving Lan Family Village today, Zhuge Ming made a subtle expression that was hard to read.

They said Jin Ja-gang was leisurely enjoying himself every day, wandering around the village and touring the market.

Was it good composure, or did he have other intentions?

“That b*st*rd’s intention is…”

He didn’t voice the words that he couldn’t understand the intention. Saying “I don’t know” was not fitting for someone from the Zhuge family.

Zhuge family people were supposed to gauge and predict their opponent’s thoughts as much as possible and respond accordingly.

To Zhuge Ming, who was lost in thought holding his white fan, Zhuge Son-gi, one of the Zhuge family’s veteran masters, said:

“He’s really a strange b*st*rd. Normally when someone receives a Death-Urging Talisman, don’t they either run away or go crazy and charge in? But this b*st*rd is just holding out as if nothing happened.”

Zhuge Ming recalled the look in Jin Ja-gang’s eyes when he met him.

“He’s pretending to be nonchalant. That b*st*rd is a murderer to the extent that intimidation doesn’t work on him. Even when I met him before, he didn’t look frightened. Rather, he boldly hid a move and tried to provoke me.”

“He’s a b*st*rd with deep schemes and viciousness. I heard that when dealing with poison sects too, rather than fighting head-on, he preferred to use his head to poison them.”

“Even now he’s hoping we’ll get tired and come in first. Even if he runs away, he’ll try to inflict massive damage on us before fleeing so he won’t be chased.”

“He’s probably planning to take the civilians of Lan Family Village as hostages if necessary.”

“We expected that anyway. What could we expect from evil faction vermin? However, we’ll have to let him know soon that his thinking is wrong. Until then, we can let him enjoy himself for a while. After that, it will be hell.”

Poison was something that had limits to the absolute amount that could be used.

He would never be able to withstand the wheel battle of the Nine Palace Eight Trigram Formation using large numbers.